[This sermon is one of a series entitled "Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes," which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.]
"Just as the law enforcement officer or detention officer deals with the apprehended criminal, we are to deal with those who are already caught and do not know it."
Verses 40 through 42 (sermon on this text here) provided us with some interesting and enlightening concepts that we must implement in our lives. Primarily, we are to give up ourselves for others whether they are an individual we have wronged, a government that has legal authority to rule us, or an individual in need – even if we are forced to legally forgive their debt to us. Ladies and gentlemen, these concepts had better ring home.
In today’s society, we find ourselves under threat of lawsuit continually. Most people in the heartland of America are afraid of the wayward lawsuit falling upon them from some irresponsible source, supported by some unscrupulous law firm, and reinforced by some political decision to further tax the people’s coffers. In today’s America, we truly did trade a single tyrant 2000 miles away, for 2000 tyrants a mile away.[1] Unfortunately, for our nation, we live in a constant state of abject fear concerning what will be forced upon us in our way of living. Our earnings are confiscated and used to destroy lives on a regular basis. With each progressively liberal administration, regardless of the party, we suffer all the more. Christians know the shape that the world is taking and it strikes their heart, their soul, and their very patriotism. It makes us question where our loyalties lie. What are we to do? These scriptures we studied give us some answers to these perplexing and distressing issues.
Though we are not literally enslaved yet, we know that as the governments placed over us gain power, we will be. It is the way of man to draw power and subordinate others unto himself. The Israelites, and specifically believers in the Messiah, already suffered that plight. This is good food for us in our history as we slide into slavery and state servitude. The message is, regardless of what the world thinks, you must maintain an eternal focus. You must consider your testimony. You are better off than any unregenerate person of the world because you look forward to an eternity with God. Therefore, give as Christ gave. Give your all. Give even your possessions if necessary for the needy. You do not have to be trampled upon, but when it is required legally, or when you recognize a specific need – give.
With that said, this is not a political message, and the Savior’s sermon did not have a political focus. These principles must be applied to all aspects of our life to make us more Christlike. We are to be different, seen as different, and understood as different. Recently at the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International meeting in Green River, Wyoming, the point was made that young people run from Christianity because they do not want to be weird. The question is, “Weird to whom?” The world is weird to the Christian, and it is unacceptably weird to God. It is so weird to God that He has stated in His Word that anyone who loves, lives for, and covets the things of the world does not love God and is at odds with Him (Jas 4:4). The difference is as stark as night and day. Jesus says that those who follow Him are the light of the world and have life in them (Jn 8:12). However, those who follow the world live in darkness. In John 15:19 we find that because we are different from the world, the difference is so good that the Lord accepts us, but the world rejects us. That, folks is a good kind of weird. Just as Christ was not of the world, we too are of another world (Jn 17:16). This other-worldliness comes through our faith in Christ to deliver us from this sin-filled environment to a perfect heaven (Rom 4:13). We are a “peculiar people” (Tit 2:14; 1 Pet 2:9).
It is a hard pill to swallow, but we must submit to the powers put into place by God, because they serve God, regardless of their ignorant defiance of God. We as children of God must pity them and see them for who they are – lost and without God, destined for eternal torment. All the while, we have confidence in our eternal life. What a blessing.
Today we take another look at how we should react to people while living in the world. Please look at Matthew 5 and verse 43. Again, considering these life principles applicable to kingdom saints, we do not attempt to impose these truths, ethics, or activities upon the unsaved. We simply offer them from our hearts as a testimony to Christ. This is your witness, this is your testimony, and this is the Christian speaking through their life as they live out scripture. Read now with me what is a normalcy for the heaven dwelling believer, temporarily residing upon earth. Equally, we will look at some abnormalities of the world.
There are many examples in our world today of what is, and what is not, taught in this scripture. Many parallels exist today to the Pharisees and scribes of the New Testament time of Christ. Correcting their teachings and misinterpretations/misapplications of the Law of God was a very important aspect of our Savior’s ministry. In our current day, our first illustration can deal directly with prisoners of the state – both civilian and military. Some believe that we must coddle these people.
Individuals are incarcerated and held against their will for two basic reasons. First, such that the full extent of their perceived wrong can be identified and their whereabouts for prosecution is continually known. We incarcerate suspects for a short period to determine if further action needs to be taken. A wrong is perceived, and investigation must ensue to clarify either guilt or innocence. This action is not taken lightly because it denies an individual their freedom in our society. What we see from this activity though is an admission that man is inherently evil. Man, although denying it all too often in psychology, truly knows that his heart is inherently wicked and will do whatever it takes to escape accountability. Therefore, we temporarily incarcerate people. At this level of incarceration, there is normally no real punishment that is intended, simply location and accountability. At this point, there is no need to deal harshly or restrict greatly an individual’s rights in society. However, we also incarcerate for a second reason – to protect the rest of society.
When we imprison someone for this purpose, we do so because we know they are dangerous. Even if only accused officially, their activity (be it murder, assault, or sexual abuse of some sort) is an activity that endangers the rest of society to a point that we must restrict their activity and interaction. Normally, it is a rather unquestionable situation involving witnesses or other evidence that may solidify even an unsettled case against them. They may not have been judged, but the evidence of their crimes is quite clear. These folks are actually enemies of society. This is also the position of a prisoner of war. These individuals have proven themselves dangerous and life threatening. In this category are also the convicted prisoners who have been tried in our court systems and found guilty of their crimes.
About now you are thinking, “Okay pastor, I know you are going somewhere with this; exactly where are we going?” Simply put, these are two different levels of love we show others in society (our neighbors), the individuals incarcerated, and people in general. The first example should give the individual such leeway that they are not treated as a guilty, but simply a suspected law-breaker. This is exactly what Jesus was pointing out to the Pharisee in John 18:22-23. Jesus was in custody for questioning, not punishment. He should have been given a level of appreciation for that predicament, not subjected to physical assault to elicit a pre-conceived desired response. The second instance is wholly different and may involve physically subduing individuals and restraining them because of their behavior. Both involve love.
The further actuation of this love, though, is what is being taught here. We are being taught something different concerning love and the love we have one for another in society. We have to face the fact that there are those in society who are literally our neighbors (living next door) that need selfless love. As Christians, we are in a position to step back and look at things objectively and understand the real primary influence in people’s lives, then act accordingly. Our love extends into understanding and empathy for that worldly condition.
God, in His omnipotence and perfect wisdom, knows we are inherently sinful and in direct opposition to and denial of Him and His authority over us. Even so, God sent His own Son to die upon the cross for you and for me, purely out of love. That is the type of love we are discussing here. The question is, how does that manifest itself in our lives for others?
Once again, it is not something we earn at all or something that we in any way deserve. Our sinful heart claims its own self worth as “Man says, “What about me and what I am owed?” God says, “What about you is redeemable? What do I owe you?” Even so, the love of God given to us through our faith in His Son and the salvation in His Son gives us the ability to love our enemies.
Loving thy neighbor is something that has been taken out of context for a long time. Let us try to put this into proper perspective.
I. Love Your Neighbors (Verse 43)
When we read that we are to love our neighbors and hate our enemies, what is the first thing we think? We think that they are two different groups of people. In other words, we have neighbors and we have enemies. This means that either people are our neighbors or they are our enemies. Our neighbors therefore cannot be our enemies. This could not be further from the truth.
This statement in scripture comes from Leviticus 19:18. We hear this preached to us often by the unbelieving soul that has no understanding. This poor satanically duped unbeliever has no concept of the truth of scripture; and when we hear those who do not believe in Christ saying, “I thought you were supposed to love your neighbor as yourself,” we must truly pity their ignorance. Unfortunately, many of those who quote scripture have no more sense of humility than Satan did when he attempted to entice the Savior with scripture. Upon receiving the temptuous affront of Satan in the form of misquoted scripture, the Lord retorted with scripture quoted in context in His defense. The pride filled angelic being scoffed at the factual use of scripture. The entire verse in Leviticus says,
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.”
First, we should note that, not only from the book, or from the overall chapter, not from the paragraph, but from the very verse quoted – this passage is an instruction for believers about believers. It deals with vengeance and repercussion for an activity. God tells the people of Israel that it is His responsibility to levy repercussions, not the individual’s. The Lord is instructing Jews on how they should treat fellow Jews. If we appropriately translate this understanding then, this instruction is for Christian believers about how to treat fellow Christian believers. This is the book of Leviticus given to the Jews while wandering in the wilderness. This instruction was for how they were to live as a chosen people sanctified unto God, separated out for Him. The believer is not to be vengeful or begrudging. Believers are supposed to love their neighbor as themselves.
Tell me that each and every person living next to you is a Christian. Ladies and gentlemen, I have news for you. Regardless of what comes out of man’s mouth and his claim to Christianity, the truth is there are very few Christians. Those who do not attend Mountain View Baptist Church in Lander might contend, “Your pastor is saying that because he does not believe that anyone attending any other church is a Christian.” We have made it clear in our previous expositions that that is not true. Sitting in the pew, you know my heart that we believe there are many Christians, but few comparatively to those who claim Christianity. If your neighbor is not a Christian, there is within them that part that is at war with you because they are at war with God. I contend that they are, therefore, neighbors but equally they are enemies. These two ideas (Christian and unbeliever/neighbor and enemy) are the issue at hand. How we distinguish them, how we deal with them in our lives marks us as either a kingdom saint, or a publican.
We have made the point before that the people of the world are enemies of God, and of the believer. This is because they are sin filled creatures unable to bridle their personal desire to sin. Also, we have made the point that, though there are some very unsavory people in our prison systems, there are many more that operate under the radar daily. Just as the law enforcement officer or detention officer deals with the apprehended criminal, we are to deal with those who are already caught and do not know it. They will eventually be judged too, but not by the courts of the world.
God wants us to love our neighbors and our enemies. We are not to label some enemies in order to give us freedom to demean them, treat them poorly, or in some way deny them the riches of Christ in their lives. This is what the Israelite leadership attempted to do when they added the words “and hate thine enemy” to the instruction. These words are nowhere in the Old Testament scriptures. To distinguish the two groups, our neighbors are believers, those standing next to us in Christ. Our enemies are individuals opposed to Christ. We should note that all those opposed to God and dwelling in the sin of the world would draw us into that darkness without hesitation, compunction, or remorse. That folks, makes them our enemies. Knowingly or unknowingly, they would endeavor to hurt us. The damage they can cause (a damage they cannot even comprehend) is not temporal or short term, but a tormented eternity.
These are our neighbors and our enemies. Neighbors are believers, enemies are unbelievers. What assurance is there that a true believer would not hurt us or try to murder us? First John 3:14-16 (sermon on this text here) tells us clearly that no believer would ever endeavor to murder another person, especially another believer. In fact, believers would give their lives for one another (Jn 15:13).
Neighbors and enemies are one thing, but Jesus says we are to love our enemies. What is that all about?
II. Loving Enemies (Verse 44)
With enemies and neighbors defined, what does “agapē” love have to do with it? Yes, in case you are wondering, that is the verb used here – “agapē.” This is the selfless, self-sacrificial, volitional, intellectual love that God had for us when He gave His own Son for our sins. That is the love we are to have, even for our enemies. C. S. Lewis put it this way in his book, “Mere Christianity”:
“The rule for all of us is very simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did.”[2]
That is a huge statement, but let us look at this statement in light of all that we have learned in the Beatitudes and the expositions to date. Once again, the unbeliever can and does try to use this statement to get the Christian to concede. The Christian, then, must be armed with the truth to combat this abuse of scripture. That, folks, is what we will endeavor today.
First, does this mean we are to treat our enemies, whomever they may be, with some soft-handed disregard for the possible danger they can pose? Absolutely not. Overall, the teaching of scripture is to submit to God. The believer has chosen to submit to God and seeks to glorify Him in their life through this submission. The unbeliever has no such concept of reality. We cannot expect the unconditional love we might show to be returned in kind. We cannot see an unbeliever in the same light as we do a believer. Our unconditional love must take another form. The shape that unconditional love for an unbelieving enemy takes many times depends upon the environment, situation, and occurrence of the acquaintance. In any case, it will always involve unconditionally providing them the truth of God and His Son Jesus Christ regardless of what they “feel” is the truth. We must love them enough to tell the truth to them without reservation or apology. Our love must be so deep for them that we try to win them over to Christ. However, our faith must be such that we know it is not in our own strength. This love is so pure that it recognizes the origin is outside of us personally; therefore, the unbeliever cannot have or conceive this love. Honestly, the believer can hardly comprehend this love even though they search for the answer. We have to step outside of ourselves and look in at what was, and then understand what our enemies are.
When we did an overview of this passage, we identified that another reference associated with these passages is Deuteronomy 23:3-6. Briefly reviewing, God tells Israel that they are to have no relationships with the Moabites and Ammonites. Israel was supposed to deny all access to friendships and relationships with these unbelieving tribes who attempted to destroy Israel. This was not hate, but love. We have to understand that love is telling someone truth when they do not want to hear it and showing them that you will do things for God that they do not understand.
Love also involves denying people access to things in order to show our personal regard for God’s holiness. My son Sean explained to me one time that the prisoners in jail were being mischievous and flicking playing cards under the doors. On the very next set of rounds, Sean collected all of the boxes of cards. Sean denied them a luxury because of their sinful behavior.
Believers, just as Israel in Deuteronomy, are a chosen, separate people unto God. We depend upon God. We place our faith in God. We look to God for all our life’s answers. Believers believe in God and, for salvation, in His Son the Christ who died on the cross at Calvary. Part of our love must involve this separation. We have to love people of this world, whether they be friends, husbands, children, or grandchildren, enough to tell them we will follow God and Christ and worship Him regardless of what they want us to do. If you skip out of church to be with family instead of worshiping God, you put singular faith in your personal love for them to change them for God. That is wrong. Only God changes a person for God, you have nothing to do with it unless God chooses to use you. If you are honored to be used in His service, you will get yourself out of the way and let God do the work. In this process, you tell your family and friends that, regardless of what they want to do, you will be attending church; you will worship the God in whom you claim to have faith. You might ask, “Pastor, that’s pretty radical, where do you get that teaching?” We should read Matthew 19:29.
“And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”
Regardless of how you want to read this, you have to admit all family types are involved. Therefore, anyone or anything notwithstanding their affiliation to you that stands between you and the Lord is an enemy. If they keep you from worship, keep you from His presence, keep you from other loved ones in Christ, keep you away from God in any way, they are an enemy. Anyone who is not encouraging you in the unconditional furtherance of your relationship with Christ is an enemy. Your love for them has to include your dedication to Christ as well as your witness of Christ.
We talked about law enforcement and the protection they provide and correlated it to the prison system and how that has an effect on people’s lives. Folks, do you realize that that system operates on this very principle – that denial of freedom should engender a desire for it. Your denial of a relationship with some folks can engender a desire for it. If a prison system thinks they have to care delicately for those who display complete disregard for the law, then the system has failed. The punitive system that God initiated when He removed Adam and Eve from the garden is the model we should follow – He separated from them out of love. God loved them enough to punish them, to give them consequences, and make them live through the consequences of their sin. We must do the same. Does that mean we completely ignore them? No. It means simply that we are there for them when they decide to make a life change, and we provide for their needs during the time of their rebellion. God still provides food and clothing for His loved ones, but He denies them specific close fellowship with Himself. God provided for the salvation of everyone, even though He denies that close relationship with the unbeliever until they come to Christ. No folks, love is tough and it never involves giving the unbeliever everything they want, and sometimes it involves denying specific needs.
Nevertheless, it is persecution toward you that is the focus here. What if they in some way demean you, or demand of you things outside of God. What if individuals who claim to love you do so only under the condition that you forsake God and His position in your life? Persecution can come in a variety of forms and it does not always involve physical damage. Mental and emotional abuses are certainly part of persecution. We find this with individuals who are ostracized from their families after accepting Christ as their Savior. However, we are supposed to react in a fashion that marks us as Christian, not a vengeful unbeliever. It is God who will judge these folks for their activities. God Himself turned man over to his own reprobate mind in Romans 1. So, what do you do for them?
You pray for them – “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” Look at the scriptures. Anyone (and especially family members who do this readily) who says, “You’d rather go to church than spend time with me?” is persecuting you. How, you might ask? They are playing upon your feelings and emotions and pretending that they would be hurt if you did. They are saying that they know more about love than you do. They do not know God’s love as you do though. They are not going to be hurt, they are going to be disappointed that you chose God over them. That is the point. God is not important to them, so why should you think that they have any interest in how you feel about Him? They already think they are more important than God as an unbeliever. All they want to do is get you to affirm their faith and belief in themselves by denying God yourself. Every time you leave fellowship with God and go to family and friends, you tell them they are more important than God in your life. Satan loves his uninformed minions. Folks, anyone who is an enemy must be prayed for – not have you spend time with them instead of worshipping as you ought. Bring them before the Lord. You love them best by intervening for them with the Lord and witnessing to them in your faith and dependence upon the Lord. They will respond either with a softer heart for the Lord, or with contempt. It is not your choice to engineer their response.
Either way, the unbeliever will respond. It is not your choice; it will not be your will that forces someone to choose. It is only up to God. God chooses to whom He will give mercy, and to whom he will give grace. He introduces Himself to people. You have the privilege of being someone He uses for this introduction. People sometimes pray for loved ones for decades before they come to Christ. I wonder how often they claim or contemplate that if they had only loved them enough to back away from them sooner so the lost person can see the full glory of God without their loved one’s shadow being in the way.
We should never attempt to be wiser than God. We should seek His Word and guidance/counsel for all things and encourage others, regardless of their condition and affinity or aversion, to do the same. We should never think we have more love in us than God does for all His creation. We show love best through obedience and submission to God. This never involves skipping out on being with Him so we might be with family or friends, whether they claim to be believers or not. We have to make a decision, and God says, ‘That decision should be for Me’ (Matt 19:29).
We also find in our scripture another purpose or reason behind this teaching. We have seen that there are a number of specific things we are to do that are against our very nature. We would naturally be vengeful. We would naturally say we could love our children and family best. We would naturally say if someone is evil they do not deserve love – but they do.
III. Reason for this Love (Verse 45)
We have to go back to the Beatitudes to understand the reasons for love. Again, we will consider their instruction and the truths within each one compared to these verses. One who is poor in spirit knows their condition, and knows that even in that condition God loved them enough to die for them on the cross. Those who mourn, do so because they know the Messiah atoned for their poor spirit at the cross. They mourn because He had to die to save them and they know they were not worth it. Those who are gentle gather this gentleness because of the love of Christ that is within their newly born spirit. This spirit which is invigorated by God through His Son and created a new heart in David, is born in the perfect love of God that forsook His own kingdom to come here, live a human life, and die for the saved soul (Ps 51:10). That knowledge and heart understanding also generates a hunger and thirst for the pure unmitigated and absolutely holy righteousness of God. The truly saved individual seeks that righteousness with all their heart, mind, and soul. Because of the godly mercy shown to the believer, because of the heart changes in the believer, they are just as merciful to the unbeliever as God is, and able to show the love of God to unbelievers. These things all work within the believer to create a pure heart and develop a peacemaking spirit that is literally out of this world.
Love is the reason for salvation. Love is the reason for our heavenly home. Love is the reason we are still here witnessing to others. In this way, our love must be as universal as God’s in order that we might be called “the children of our Father.” We should show the love God shows to all of His creation, to all of His people, to all of the people of the world. There is a self-less love that He gives us continually and gave us specifically. He gives of His creation to the believer and unbeliever equally, and He gave His Son for the entire world. Also, He gives us as believers a special blessing in our heavenly home and a close relationship with Him. We must act accordingly giving general equal love to all, and specific additional love to believers.
However, we frequently mix up our love with His perfect love and we mess the whole thing up. We show the perfect love of God to the enemies of God for the purpose of being the children of God. God loves both the sinner and the saint such that He gives blessings of normal needs to both, many times equally. Where the rain falls upon one believing farmer, and equally upon the unbelieving neighbor, God shows His love. Where one will be in Heaven, and one will suffer eternal torment, God shows His love. We have to get out of the way and let God show His love. We can permit ourselves to be used as a tool, but we cannot be the wielder. We are the torches that cut at times, but God points the flame.
How many here would think for a minute of going with an unbeliever to a bar – not drinking, just going with them? You do that very thing when you absent yourself from other believers in order to spend time with an unbeliever. You are telling them, they are more important than your testimony. Forsake all for God; that is the requirement. Let God show His love. Yours is imperfect and incomplete.
Get out of God’s way folks. Let Him do the work. Tell the truth, and back out. Your absence is your witness – not your presence.
[1] Line taken from a 2000 Columbia Pictures movie “Patriot” starring Mel Gibson. Gibson’s character is arguing against war with England in the town hall meeting at Charleston, S.C. This movie has gross violence and I do not recommend it.
[2] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity. (New York: Touchstone, 1980), 116.
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