The Challenge: Love Your Enemies (Matthew 5:43-48)

Redemption Bible Church Sermon Audio

SERMON NOTES

Sermon Series: Following Jesus

Sermon Title: The Challenge: Love Your Enemies

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus CONFRONTS our misunderstanding of love (v43)

Jesus CORRECTS our misunderstanding of love (v44-48)

What we know to be clear & certain in Scripture regarding love:

• God is love (1 John 4:8)

• We are created in the image of a loving God (Genesis 1:27)

• Love is not contrary to truth (1 Corinthians 13:6, Ephesians 4:15)

• Love is not contrary to justice (Hosea 12:6, Micah 6:8)

• Love is not tolerant of injustice (Hebrews 12:6, Isaiah 1:17)

• The way of Jesus is a way of love (John 13:34, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Loving our enemy like Jesus:

1. Prays for our enemies (v44b)

2. Leads to greater intimacy with God (v45a)

3. Imitates the love of God (v45b)

4. Loves those who do not love us (v46)

5. Welcomes those who are not like us (v47)

6. Conforms us into the image of God (v48)

SERMON FOOTNOTES

• This series was inspired by Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety by Henri Nouwen.

• “What is the use of knowing Scripture if you aren’t living it? What is the use of praying if you don’t know to whom you pray? Worship is a fusion of Scripture and prayer. Our purpose in gathering each Lord’s Day is to prepare us to live what we hear, to get what we heart with our ears into our feet as we follow Jesus.” - Eugene Peterson, As Kingfishers Catch Fire

• “Through the medium of prayer we go to our enemy, stand by his side, and plead for him to God.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

• If you would like to learn more about how our loyalty to our own can lead to loathing the other and treating them as the outsider, read The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt

• “Live out your God-created identity.” - Eugene Peterson, Matthew 5:48 in The Message

• To read more about opening yourself to God through silent, reflective, meditative prayer as we have done at the close of the sermon each week in this series, read Opening to God by David Benner

• CLICK HERE to learn more about The Way, and then register for our information session on October 30th after service.