Responding to Wrong with Biblical Love

Christ’s Command Against Retaliation

This morning as we begin again I would ask that You open your Bibles to the fifth chapter of Matthew last week we worked in verses 38 through 42 and In that passage we considered Christ's command concerning personal retaliation.

Now as you will recall verses 17 through 20 continue to serve as our anchor point for the entire passage that we've been working with over the last several weeks and It does so because we need to be reminded that Christ is not correcting anything in the law of God, but rather he is correcting the Misinterpretation and the sinful reductions that have been placed upon that law and so last week we looked at a Principle that was given to us by Christ that restrained.

When justice is restrained that doesn't turn into The opportunity for us for personal vengeance. And so just because something occurs in our life Doesn't mean that we can strike back and take the context of the way in which the Scribes and the Pharisees, so it is wrong for us to seize justice for ourself.

To repay injury with injury to allow this retaliation to govern our response in the event that we are wrong and So this dealt with this restraint. That we were to show the challenge for us is Christ doesn't stop At restraint.

And so at the beginning of last week's message I mentioned to you that the the section of text we were reading last week the section of text that we're reading this week Are kind of two parts of the same whole.

Because what we see Happening is that even though we are to? Exercise this restraint the truth is is that we can refuse to strike back. We can show this restraint, but we can still remain bitter. We can still remain hostile.

We can still be resentful towards that one who has wronged us. However as we have been reminded from verse 20 kingdom righteousness requires more from us than even that of the Scribes and the Pharisees in fact it requires more than simply the absence of revenge.

What it actually requires is the presence of Active love and that is what our text for this morning describes for us. Because what we see is the one that we were forbidden to Seek revenge or to avenge ourselves against we are now commanded to love.

That the one who persecutes us is not merely someone that we refuse to curse But someone for whom we actively pray. Christ moves from what the believer must not do in Verses 38 through 42 that we worked with last week to the positive action that we are required as Believers to take.

Loving Enemies as the Climax of Kingdom Righteousness

So as we look at Matthew 43 through 48 what we see is that not only Are we completing the thought from last week? but we are also reaching the climax of this particular section of the Sermon on the Mount as We have walked up to this.

We have been seeing like I mentioned a few moments ago that the kingdom righteousness is not satisfied with mere external Results it's not satisfied when evil is left unanswered. What it does is actually seeks to respond to evil with good and so Christ's lays out for us that the measure of the love that we are measured against the standard That we are held against Is not by what others deserve or what others return but rather by the perfect love and perfect goodness of our Father Who is in heaven.

And so with those things in mind and having found your place in the gospel of Matthew? Chapter 5 please stand for the reading of God's holy inerrant infallible authoritative sufficient complete and certain word.

This morning we read from Matthew's gospel beginning in the 43rd verse of the 5th chapter and read through the 48th. Christ speaking says you have heard that it was said You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. So that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven for he causes his son to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

For if you love those who love you What reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same and if you greet only your brothers What more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles Do the same.

Therefore you are to be perfect even as your heavenly father is perfect. Most holy and merciful father as we come together now To study your word. Or we confess that we fall short Father we fall short of the love that Christ commands and requires father it is One of the most difficult things for us to truly love in the way in which we have been called and commanded to love to not only refrain from Seeking revenge and responding in a way that satisfies our flesh, but father also.

So to just love our enemies to the point where we are willing to pray For their good when we are often quick to anger slow to forgiveness Eagerly seeking to defend ourselves and far too willing to rejoice when those Those who oppose us suffer.

When we pray that through your word these sins are exposed in our lives. That we see the perfect goodness Of our father in heaven. That because we see this we recognize our need for Christ. Or we pray that you grant us grace to look To Christ the one who perfectly loved his enemies one who bore our guilt And now works in us By the power of his spirit.

Father we pray that our minds are Open to receive your word that our hearts are humbled beneath its truth. And that we are conformed more into the image of The Lord Jesus Christ. But we ask these things in his name Amen may be seated.

Neighbor Love in Leviticus and the Old Testament

So as we have begun each of the examples that Christ has laid out for us in this Section of the Sermon on the Mount so Christ again begins with for you have Heard or that you have heard that it was said and he actually directly quotes from Leviticus 19 here in the first half of this verse when he says you have heard that it was said you shall love your neighbor.

That's a direct quote from Scripture and and so the problem obviously isn't the idea of loving your neighbor. The issue that arises comes in the the addition that has come about and that is That you must hate Your energy in enemy your energy your enemy.

Before we really dive into this we need to be clear about a couple of things. First of all Let's talk about this term neighbor for just a moment. You see one of the things that tends to happen both then and now is that we look at this rendering of the text and we see what Christ is saying.

And we see or we believe that Christ is now Introducing something that changes Moses or changes what the Old Testament taught that that this new concept of of loving your enemy is something different.

However what we see defined for us in Scripture as a neighbor actually expands until it Captures even those who are considered to be our enemy which says That this is not a new concept. In fact in Leviticus chapter 19 We see very deeply this definition of neighbor.

Established for us it is the neighbor there who is Described as one we have a God-given Obligation to act in righteousness and in love. It forbids us from holding hatred vengeance grudges towards our neighbor and then a few verses later towards the later parts of Leviticus chapter 19.

In verses 33 and 34 what we find is a command to the nation of Israel To treat the stranger among them as theirselves as each other. What that does is defines neighborly love as Being an affection that is for all not Just for those within our preferred circle.

Elsewhere in the Old Testament Exodus chapter 23 verses 4 and 5 We see a command from God to Israel to return a wandering animal to an enemy To help an animal of one who hates him when they are that the animal is burdened in Frobber.

In proverbs. In Proverbs chapter 24 We see a forbidding of rejoicing when an enemy falls. And then in 25 We see a command that a hungry enemy be fed any thirsty enemy be given water. You see that personal hostility that the other person bore towards the children of Israel Did not remove the obligation that the children of Israel had to seek that other person's good.

The problem enters when we take that word neighbor and We begin to narrow it and Confine it until it can be defined as those regarded as one's own people friends or allies. Matthew Henry observed and was correct as he did so that by neighbor they they being the rulers of the day those Defining the law understood those only of their own country Nation and religion and those only that they were pleased to look upon as their friends.

Yet This was not the worst From this command that thou shalt love thy neighbor. They were willing to infer what God never designed thou shalt hate by an enemy and They looked upon whom they pleased as their enemies.

Christ’s Command to Love and Pray for Enemies

You see it's not hard for us to define the word enemy. Most of us could sit here this morning and quickly think of a few people who we would probably Place that label upon them and it's okay to label them as such because of their hostility towards you.

The challenge becomes is how you respond in That situation you see Christ's words here in Matthew's gospel eliminate that corruption. You see the person that we would most naturally place beyond the reach of the neighbor love or neighborly love is Precisely the person that Christ brings into view when we move down to verse 44.

Look at what it says says but I say to you love your enemies and pray for those Who persecute you. You see the law never taught that an enemy ceased to be a neighbor? Just because they were an enemy. The law never said that if an enemy was an enemy that we didn't owe righteousness towards them.

Man narrowed that connection down Christ as we have seen him do over the last the last five now six examples Expands that back to the original intent but that brings us to the second thing that we need to be careful of and we need to be ensured that or We need to ensure that we understand properly.

Because you see to hear Christ accurately to understand Christ's words fully. Then we need to understand what scripture means. By the word love you see in culture today. Love has been reduced to an affection.

Love has been reduced to an affirmation. In other words If you don't affirm me and the way that I see myself, then you don't love me. Love has been reduced to an approval. If you don't approve of my lifestyle approve of the choices I've made approve of everything that I decide then you don't love me.

That's not a Definition that survives what we see here in verse 44 because we clearly see Christ identifying an enemy and Then turning around and saying that we are to love that enemy. The Greek word here is the the agape love.

And one of the things that we must be careful about in the church that we have done over the years. In fact, I am guilty of it myself is is pigeonholing the the different verbs that are used in scripture as Love and so we see these and we go.

Okay. Well, this is this kind of love. This is that kind of love? That's this kind of love and we just say okay. These are we just pigeonhole them and so that's what it means every time we encounter it.

But that's not actually the truth of scripture. What we see is as we study the Context is what defines the word that is used so in some instances the same verb that is used here is used in a different manner and therefore has a different theological definition versus just.

What we see in one place the force here of the command comes from the object and its expression. We are to love our enemies and Pray for those who persecute us. If you look in Luke's gospel, there's an expansion of this teaching that includes Some additional language in fact early versions of Matthew's gospel.

There's a textual variant here that included these in Matthew's gospel. In fact, if you've got to happen to have a King James sitting on your lap. You will notice verse 44 contains some additional words than what it did that I read.

There's nothing wrong with either version of it. The removal of the words doesn't change the translation. What's happened is we found Manuscripts that predate the original ones that do not contain it.

And so that's why the language was removed in some cases from some translation. It's not an effort to remove the word from the Word of God. It doesn't Change the meaning and it's not in the older Manuscript but Luke does contain these words in Luke 27.

Luke chapter 6 verses 27 through 28. Where he adds do good to those who hate you and and bless those who curse you. Paul writing in Romans continues this same thought process where he forbids Retaliation and he he commands us to feed an enemy who is hungry and and to overcome evil with good.

We dealt with a little bit the first part of verse of chapter 13 of Romans in Sunday school this morning. That's the the latter part of chapter 12 that leads into the first part of 13 and so we see this difference between the way in which we respond to an enemy and then the way in which the law or the the sword responds to the enemy.

Our Responsibility is to obey the command of God. So biblical love. It's not a feeling. Biblical love is not an affirmation. Biblical love is not always an approval. Biblical love is a God-governed Disposition that seeks the genuine good of another person even When that person opposes us even when that person Persecutes us.

Even when we Can expect no return on our investment you see it's not about Getting to give. It's about giving. Period because this love is good. However, and it is genuinely good. It always is governed by truth.

Love Does Not Ignore Sin, Justice, or Boundaries

Now this is the hardest concept for the world to understand. In Fact, it's very difficult quite honestly for many Christians or those who are in Christian circles to understand and part of it is because of the travesty we have done over the years in Explaining this and love has become this.

Well, it's become this this chant, right? We're just supposed to love everyone and We are but love doesn't mean that we always Back away. Love doesn't mean that we approve of what they're doing. Love doesn't mean that we affirm.

What actually it means is that when we see sin we confront it because of that love. It means that when there is a confrontation necessary. Then we do it because of that love in a loving manner. If there's an injustice, we don't ignore it.

We deal with it, but we do so in a loving manner. Removing the consequences of wickedness or misbehavior is not love when we withhold punishment. From a person who has broken rules or broken laws or broken things.

That's not love that's something entirely different. Love stands up and speaks truth. Love stands up and calls sin sin. Love requires discipline, but it also requires restraint. It requires boundaries.

It requires lawful justice and ultimately the highest good. Remember the definition of love again. The definition of biblical love is a God-governed disposition that seeks the genuine good of another person that that means that it is God governing your disposition your outlook the way you see it and Your whole goal is the genuine good of another person.

So now we need to understand what it means when we say genuine good the highest good that you can ever desire for an enemy. It's not that their circumstances improved. Not necessarily that they even begin to like you, but that they are restrained from evil.

That they are confronted that they are brought to repentance and That ultimately they are reconciled to God through Christ Jesus. That they are transformed by grace. Calvin captures this truth beautifully when he wrote that believers desire as far as lies in them that the wicked should return to a sound mind that they should not perish and Thus they endeavor to promote their salvation.

Not there not our individual salvation the salvation of Those he defines here as wicked for us the salvation of our enemies the salvation of those who persecute us. You'll notice in verse 44 That Christ immediately moves from loving our enemies Into prayer.

Prayer for Enemies and the Hope of Repentance

He immediately moves from this command for us you and I to love our enemies into a position of prayer. Regarding those who persecute us which are still those who are enemies to us. Because you see prayer will expose what we truly desire for the one who has wronged us.

My wife told me something many years ago that has stuck with me. If you're really praying for someone and you can't stay angry with them you see we pray that God restrains evil. We pray for protection of those being harmed.

We pray that God administers justice, but at the same time we also pray that he grants repentance. That he grants mercy. That he grants salvation. That's not contradictory. Listen you and I when we came to a saving knowledge of Christ.

That didn't undo the wrongs that we had done. It made us right in the eyes of God. But we're still called to repent. We're still held accountable. In other words if you had committed a murder the civil government is still Should still place you in the place where you belong according to civil government.

It doesn't remove. It doesn't remove the results of our actions. You can ask God to stop wickedness. Without taking pleasure in the destruction of those who are wicked. Spurgeon wrote it this way he captured the positive nature of this command.

He says ours it is to persist in loving. Even if men persist in enmity. We are to render blessing for cursing prayers for persecution. Even in the cases of cruel enemies we are to do good to them and pray for them.

We are no longer enemies to any. But friends to all. We do not merely cease to hate and then abide in a cold Neutrality, but we love where hatred seemed inevitable. So as Christ moves. Once you catch this.

Christian Love Is Not Governed by Reciprocity

As Christ moves from proclaiming that we love our enemies He immediately moves into praying for them as well and we're going to come back to to verse 45 in a few moments and Go to force 46 and 47 and as he as he does this what he does is he?

Exposes one of the hardest things about this love because our human nature Says that we love because we were loved in other words. We love others why. Because they love us. There's a reciprocity that occurs however what happens here is that he Determines and and shows us that Christian love is not determined or governed by reciprocity.

Christian love in fact is something utterly different. He says for if you love those who love you, what reward do you have. Do not even the tax collectors Do the same? Now I want you to notice something here first of all Christ does not say that people who are not believers have no love in them.

That they are incapable of every form of love. Unbelievers love their children. They sacrifice for friends. They they show Loyalty to those who have been loyal to them. They they give gifts they give assistance.

They protect people form communities. Sometimes they even make tremendous sacrifices for people within their circles. The problem is not when we read this that reciprocal affection is evil. Reciprocal love is a common genuine good of God's common grace to all people.

And we'll deal with that when we back up to the prior verse the difference is Reciprocal love by itself does not distinguish you from the world. Reciprocal love is not something that surpasses the world.

There's nothing Supernatural about loving someone because they make loving them pleasant. What is supernatural is that when? Someone doesn't Love us or doesn't demonstrate affections toward us. Or in fact, maybe even demonstrates hatred then.

Demonstrating love. The world understands this exchange Perfectly because it deals in it every single day. Listen, this is why there are plenty of organizations That go out and do great humanitarian efforts.

They work diligently to provide for the needs of other people it's because They understand this Reciprocal love. You said but what are they getting out of it? They're giving all this money. They're getting the love of these people and Because they're receiving this they they feel good.

And so they want to do more. The issue is not that that it's a bad thing that they're doing. The issue is that they're Doing it for the wrong reasons and it's nothing that is standing apart. It's not a Christian love.

Greeting Beyond the Circle of Friends

Verse 47 helps to make this point from a different direction. It says if you greet only your brothers what? More are you doing than others? Don't don't even the Gentiles do the same? No, it's a little bit different Thing for us to think about.

It's a little a little bit challenging for us. But first thing we need to understand is that the greeting that is in view here is not what we would think about. Okay, it's not the the situation of you walk into a room and you tell everybody Hey, you're good morning, or you speak to someone just acknowledging their existence.

This particular greeting here is a a a social recognition a Warmth a peaceful regard a and I'm glad to see you not just a hey, how are you this morning? But but I'm I'm glad to be in your presence today.

I'm glad to be with you today. The Greek word that's translated the word more here. It carries an idea of what exceeds an ordinary measure. When we see that this is talking about Exceeding an ordinary measure what happens is we should go back immediately to our anchor verses and think of verse 20.

When we're told that our righteousness the righteousness of the kingdom must surpass that of even the Scribes and the Pharisees. So again, we see this surpassing righteousness this surpassing Work life of Believer we can't merely be the world's ordinary way of doing things and just wrap it in a cloth of Christianity, let me put it to you another way.

You can't behave like the world. Behaves or wear enough t-shirts have enough bumper stickers have enough little mugs or Sayings or outward appearances and really be Who you're supposed to be because at the end of the day that this passage becomes very Very searching much of what we express is love.

It's really a contract it's it's really a social Thing even though it's unspoken. Even though it's not necessarily something you've written down written down. Even though we wouldn't consider it that way in the normal way of things.

It is what it is when you don't do something for someone you expect appreciation in return. We teach people to say thank you and we get offended when they don't. Why? Because again, this is an expectation that we have we've done something for you.

We expect something in return even if it's just a simple acknowledgement again, there's nothing wrong with doing that. My purpose is do you see the picture of this within our everyday life? We Remain loyal to someone only is in as far as they remain loyal to us.

Right, I Got your back. As long as you got my back I'm on your side as long as you're on my side. We we want to show hospitality but if someone doesn't want to reciprocate in that hospitality resentment grows as Christian we forgive but then when we we get upset because the individual that we have Offered this forgiveness hasn't begun to behave in a way that we make them feel like our forgiveness is worthwhile.

You see our forgiveness should transform their behavior. But our forgiveness has nothing to do with their behavior. Our forgiveness is all is between us and it is about them, but we forgive outside of that.

Expecting nothing in return the problem is Not gratitude. It's not mutual affection. It's not even reciprocal love. That's not the issue the issue is is That our willingness to seek another person's good has become dependent upon receiving something from them in turn.

Love, Repentance, and Wise Boundaries

But when we study the words of Christ here and we look at this truth regarding the the fact that we are to love our enemies that undoes that Condition that we have placed it says that our obedience. That my obedience to God is not controlled by another person's response.

Matthew Henry again summarizes very well this distinction in This especially we must do more than others that while everyone will render good for good we must render good for evil and this will speak a nobler principle and is Consonant to a higher rule that most of the most of men act by Others salute their brethren.

They embrace those of their own party and way and opinion. But we must not so confine our respect But love our enemies. Otherwise, what regard what reward have we and he closes with this line? We cannot expect the reward of Christians if we rise no higher than the virtue of publicans.

Its point is that Christians Aren't to seek suffering. We aren't we aren't to pretend that evil is harmless. It is that grace introduces a principle of conduct in our life a conduct that cannot be explained by a simple exchange.

By a simple you pat my back I pat Yours, you see we aren't to seek another person's good because they first purchased our Benevolence with their own we seek their good. Simply because we belong to Christ once again.

Because the world has so corrupted the idea of love. It is necessary to recognize that this kind of loves not pretending that sin has not occurred. This kind of love is not saying that every relationship must immediately return to where it was when a wrong has been committed.

What it means is that when there has been real wrong? Real repentance is honestly acknowledging that sin honestly turning from that sin and then reconciliation grows from where that repentance is present, but even when repentance has Not yet come Christ does not permit bitterness or revenge to govern us.

In other words Our response is not dictated on whether they have repented or whether they seeking reconciliation. Our response is because of God. We Wisdom will need to be involved in those situation.

Boundaries need to be set up in those situations. There's going to be patience involved. Relationship will change it will not be the same. But the fact is we are still called to seek the other person's true good.

Their sin will absolutely just like I said change the shape of the relationship, but it doesn't give us to repay or reply to hatred with more Hatred which takes us back to verse 45. The reason one of the challenges in verse 45 is the way that the English is translated and So what has happened is some say that this is a works-based faith thing.

Sonship Displayed Through Imitation of the Father

That in order to be sons you have to do this or you're not sons. That's not what this passage is teaching in Fact the the words that are translated so that you may be sons can literally be translated that you show yourselves To be sons.

In other words this living this way of Responding is to demonstrate to the world That we belong to the father. Calvin in his Way of writing makes this distinct. Explicitly he writes in short. Christ assures us that this will be a mark of our adoption if we are kind to the unthankful and evil and.

Yet you are not to understand that our liberality makes us the children of God. But the same Spirit who is the witness Romans 8 16 the earnest Ephesians 1 14 and seal Ephesians 4 30 of our free adoption.

Corrects the wicked affections of the flesh which are opposed to charity. Christ therefore proves from the effect That none are the children of God, but those who resemble him in gentleness and in kindness.

We do not love enemies in order to persuade God to adopt us. We love enemies because those whom God has adopted are being conformed into the image of Christ. How do we know? And so Christ gives us this example.

He shows us this picture of The the truth of what God does he he shows us through something ordinary. Sunshine. And the rain see God sends the Sun on the evil and the good. He makes the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous.

This is the common grace of God. But we don't confuse this with saving grace. That's why these two were wrapped together. That's why this picture is being painted for us so that we understand why we respond in this manner.

We do so to demonstrate to the world who we belong to. Because if we act just like the rest of the world The world can't tell the difference. The rain falls on all of us. The Sun rises on all of us. We cannot buy those things define who is and who is not a child of the Father.

Common Grace and the Perfect Standard of the Father

The truth is God's wrath exists against persistent unbelief. Final judgment is real. This statement doesn't teach that God loves everyone the same way. What it says is he loves us all enough that he has given us these common graces in which we live.

There is a real distinction between the the covenant love for his children and this general goodness Towards his creatures at the same time we cannot Allow this picture to to transform this image in such a way that we Misunderstand or turn Christ's words meaningless.

Every sunrise received by a rebel is undeserved. Every drop of rain is Mercy. Every ordinary pleasure enjoyed by an unbeliever testifies that God's providential benevolence Is not merely reactive To the goodness of his recipient.

Spurgeon again said to do good for the sake of good done and not because of the character of the person benefit is Benefited as a noble imitation of God. If the Lord only sent the fertilizing shower upon the land of the saintly drought would deprive whole leagues of land and all hope of a harvest.

We all also must do good to the evil or we shall have a narrow sphere. Our hearts will grow contracted and our sonship towards the good God will be rendered doubtful. In other words We can say what we want to say.

We can proclaim the good news. But if our actions Render that whole testimony doubtful than what good are we? Christ tells us to look at the father. This is where This becomes very challenged. I mean, let me make sure I'm I've got you right here with me.

Okay? Because to me as I've read over these verses Week after week were challenged. We've had this picture painted for us of this impossibility to live up to this righteousness. But to me none is a greater picture of this than these verses before us fact culminating in verse 48.

Perfect Righteousness Exposes Self-Righteousness

Because if there was ever a question of our ability To me verse 48 Obliterates it this final statement. Therefore you are to be perfect as your heavenly father is Perfect. Christ never lowers the bar.

Christ never Reduces this section or the standard. He didn't say to us Just be better. He didn't say to us that we should measure ourselves. Against the tax collectors or the Gentiles or the Pharisees or even other believers what he says we should measure ourselves against Should terrify us.

Because he says that we are to measure ourselves against God himself. That is the standard. This this word that is translated into the English language is perfect. Carries with it a whole lot of things, but it carries this sense of completeness maturity wholeness.

Something that has reached its intended goal. It contains that in within this context. What we see is that the emphasis falls upon the completeness of a love that's that's directly in verses 43 through 48, however, if we take it in the larger context of Verses 17 through 48 then what we see is a command that that describes for us our response.

There is real providential good to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. We as his children are called to reflect that same breadth of benevolence. In other words in the immediate Context verses 43 through 48 this last verse tells us that we are to behave.

Just as God behaves if he sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If he makes the Sun to rise on the good and the not good then we are to treat people the same way. This is what it means to love the enemy to pray for those who persecute us.

Not that they're part of the same inner circle. Not that we bring them into the to the church in the same manner or they're seen in the same way. But the truth is is that they are still our neighbor. They are still to be loved.

We are still to show these things to them. It's not enough To say that we love because people love us. Just like it hasn't been enough throughout this chapter to say that we've not murdered because God saw and sees Anger or to say that we haven't physically committed adultery because God sees lust It or that we have kept the oath because God sees every word.

And even if we're trying to be technical not enough to say that we didn't retaliate. Because God sees the desire to retaliate the hatred that remains. And when the standard becomes the father. When the standard is Almighty God rather than the other people around you because that's who we want to be the standard, right?

We want others to be the standard that way we can say we better. We've achieved we've we've gotten somewhere. But when the standard is the father. Here's what happens to our self-righteousness every bit of it collapses.

Because there is not one of us sitting here who has said that we who can say that we have loved every enemy with a perfectly pure heart or that we have prayed for those who have injured us without some resentment or some desire for Injury or or that our kindness has been in free from the expectation of return or even that the command is is somehow not our fault but God's.

Because you see there are many who take this passage and say oh wait a minute. What Christ is teaching us here is is that we can throw away the left half to the book because we don't need it. Because he's undoing everything that God already did which means that God's law wasn't perfect.