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| SERMON #92 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you, MAT 5:44. We must understand the Scriptures that the Lord Jesus set forth in the above text are the marks of the work of grace, i.e., "The Divine influence of the Spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin," Webster. Nature, natural man, will do as the scribes and Pharisees taught, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." They will render vengeance, "An eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." The text shows the spirit of the law in the work of grace. It is the fruit of grace that we have a tendency to love our enemies; we have a desire to bless them that curse us; we do good to those who hate us, and we pray for those who despitefully use us. The scribes and Pharisees taught thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemies, but Jesus corrected their perversion of the law by teaching the true meaning of love thy neighbour. In MAT 5:44 the Lord Jesus says, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." He shows the complete reverse of the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees in their attitude toward those they called their enemies. Jesus said, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you..." We need to unfold the meaning of the love of which Jesus spoke. We need to unfold the meaning of the word bless. Often when we go back into the original words, words which seem common, are so rich in meaning. We need to understand the original, full significance of these words. The word neighbour in the second table of the law must be interpreted to mean every brother. Neighbour is not narrowly defined in the meaning of this Scripture as the scribes and Pharisees would have defined it. Neighbour is to be interpreted to mean every human being, every person that bears the image of God. In MAL 2:10 we read, "Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?" The Lord Jesus tells us in our text that every human is created by the same God. They were all created in the same image of God. Therefore, every human being must be considered a neighbour. The Samaritans were hated, detested, persecuted, and despitefully used by the Jews. Therefore, Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan when the scribe in LUK 10:29 was so "...willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?" When Jesus had that question put to Him, He used a Samaritan, one who was the most detested by the Jews, to illustrate who was his neighbour. The parable showed that the Samaritan had a heart that was right before the Lord. Jesus demonstrated that the person naturally hated was the one who was the neighbour. After Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan, He asked this scribe in LUK 10:36-37, "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? [He wanted the scribe's confession out of his own mouth.] And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise." This is the spirit of the law. Now you go and do likewise. The Jews detested and hated the Samaritans, but now Jesus told this scribe to go and act like one. They will enter the kingdom before that self-righteous scribe. Why? They have the Spirit of Christ! The gospel of Christ is a gospel of repentance. Jesus began His gospel with MAT 4:17, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," MAT 4:17. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount concluded with the parable of building on the rock in MAT 7:24. This is very interesting to follow: His conclusion was, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them [that is what He told the scribe when He finished the parable about the Samaritan, 'Go and do thou likewise.'], I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock," MAT 7:24. It is the doing of the will of God that is pleasing unto the Lord. This is the fruit, the evidence, of the work of grace in the heart. That is what the Lord Jesus taught the scribe about the Samaritan. The Samaritan had the fruits of grace in his heart, the fruits of a Christlike Spirit. By nature that ugly monster, "I" or "self," is on the throne of our heart, but our text teaches the true meaning of love. Love is the central theme of the gospel. What does the word love mean? It means self-sacrifice. If you take the word love back into the original language within the Holy Writ, it has nothing to do with lust. Lust is the meaning proclaimed in today's life for love. Love throughout Scripture is a word that tells of self-sacrifice, of giving oneself for the other person. FOR OUR FIRST POINT , let's consider the true meaning of loving our enemies.FOR OUR SECOND POINT , let's consider Christ as our example in His love for us while we were still His enemies.
First, let's consider the true meaning of loving our enemies. Our text says, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you," MAT 5:44. With the help of the Lord, I will endeavor to unfold what the Lord is telling us when He says, "...Love your enemies." Then I want to explain what the Lord is saying when He says "bless them." The blessedness which comes forth from the Spirit of Christ in the true intent and spirit of the law is most precious. As a result of his fallen nature, man tends to treat others the way he is treated. There is revenge for revenge, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life with a revengeful spirit. That is our fallen condition and the response of man by nature. This was the way the scribes and Pharisees interpreted the law in MAT 5:38, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." A revengeful spirit was being taught as the intent of the law of God by the scribes and Pharisees. In the Lord Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, He is showing that except our righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, we shall all likewise perish. What He is really showing us here is the contrast between the spirit of the law, the Christlike Spirit, and the spirit of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus taught the true spirit of the law as in MAT 7:12, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." The Lord Jesus is telling us that He is not teaching anything new, but He is putting the right light on the law. He said, "...for this is the law and the prophets." That is, you do unto others as you would have them do unto you, not as they do unto you. The word love as used by our Saviour in our text is synonymous with the word mercy. If you go back into the original and work out the meaning, the word mercy could have been used in the place of the word love as far as the thought and intent of what He meant when He said, "Love your enemies." In other words, it is a merciful spirit, tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries or to treat an offender better than he deserves. It is a merciful love; it is a loving, self- sacrificing spirit. It is a spirit of mercy that Jesus is teaching in our text. Jesus' teaching to "love your enemies," teaches a gracious, one- sided love which demonstrates a Christlike Spirit. Mercy is one- sided. It is treating an offender much better than he deserves. The love that is spoken of in our text, "love your enemies," means that you treat them much better than they deserve; while they are cursing, you are blessing. When they come with spite to persecute, you do not respond as they do. You pray for them, do good unto them. This is the love of which Jesus is speaking. It is synonymous with the word mercy. This does not mean that you are not free to choose your friends. It does not mean that you have to associate with or be a friend of every person. There are people with whom you have nothing in common. This text teaches us that we are concerned about the eternal welfare of those who come against us. Your desire is that they may be reconciled to God, that their hearts might be changed, and that the Lord will work grace in their hearts. The scribes and Pharisees taught, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." The original word for hate meant that you must detest and persecute and put down your enemies. The Lord Jesus uses the word bless. The word bless in our text where Jesus said, "...bless them that curse you," is taken from the Greek word, Eulogeo, which means "To speak well of, i.e., religiously, to bless or invoke a benediction upon, to pray for their prosperity, bless or praise." That means when they speak evil of you, curse you, you speak well of them. You speak of them with a heart's desire for their welfare. You do not bring defamation upon them or their name. You do not stoop to their level. It says, "...bless them that curse you." While they are slandering your name, while they say all manner of evil against you, you speak well of them. You do not defame their name. The Apostle James teaches us why we may not use our tongue to speak evil of any man in JAM 3:9-10, "Therewith bless we God [he means the tongue], even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God." Here is the problem. May we curse or speak evil of one who is "...made after the similitude of God"? No. We may not speak evil of any person regardless of what they have done or said. V:10-11 continue, "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?" We cannot picture a fountain sending forth salt and sweet water at the same time. We cannot have our mouth be a fountain of blessing to the Lord while cursing a fellow man who is made in "...the similitude of God." When we learn to see our own sin and understand the corruption of our own heart, that fountain of evil within, then what stone do we have left to throw at anyone? May God give us the grace to have a sight into our own heart. Asaph spoke of the wickedness of slander and the blessedness of praise in PSA 50. When the Lord really laid this on my heart, I saw the tremendous sin of speaking evil of our fellow man. Who of us can put our hand in our bosom, take it out, and it will not be leprous? Who of us can say that we have not spoken evil of our friends, of our brothers, or of our brother in adversity? We have all done this. We are all guilty. Let's look at what Asaph has pointed out in, PSA 50:16-23, "But unto the wicked God saith [He deciphers those who do this as the wicked.], What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? [Sweet and bitter cannot come out of the same fountain.] Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. [He is describing the wicked.] Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes." This is a mercy of the Lord's; the Lord will reprove us. It is a tremendous mercy that the Lord gives to us the reproof and rebuke of our sins. Then we can come before the Lord to confess and forsake our sins, and He will forgive them. He says, "...but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes." Watch what it says in V:22-23, "Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: [Isn't that precious? This is exactly what our text says.] and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God." The word bless in our text means speak well of, offer praise, offer a blessing, a benediction upon. Asaph says that those who offer praise, instead of speaking slander of our brother, glorify God. The Lord really hit me with this message; I saw the sinfulness of using our tongue to speak evil of any man. It is such a conviction when we see "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God." It's most important that we remember what He says in the verse before, "Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver." When we use our tongue to praise those who curse us, it is against human nature, against our nature. It is a blessedness that the Lord Jesus revealed the spirit of the law, and He revealed Himself in those who walk in the Spirit of Christ. The Lord Jesus has made Himself humble before those who cursed Him. As He hung upon the cross, He prayed for His enemies saying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do," LUK 23:34. He is our example and the pattern for our lives. To reveal the perversion of God's law in the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus brings back the spirit of the law in the Old Testament teaching of the law. The Lord Jesus said in MAT 5:17, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." He is saying, "That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven," MAT 5:20. Watch what He is doing here. He is teaching the Old Testament law here in the Sermon on the Mount. MAT 7:12 teaches, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." This is the Old Testament law and gospel which we find in LEV 19:18, "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." This is the spirit of the law taught in PRO 25:21-22, "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee." The scribes and Pharisees would interpret that heaping "coals of fire upon his head" to mean that by so doing you will gain your revenge. That is not the meaning of this Scripture. It does not mean that our end desire is to see the wrath of God upon them. These coals of fire heaped upon the head of an adversary are not coals of vengeance, but coals of fervent love which are used to melt down his enmity. I will show you this in Song of Solomon. SON 8:6-7 says, "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned." King Solomon spoke of love as a burning flame and as coals of fire. "...the coals [of love] are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame." He is speaking of love. "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it." The word vehement in the original Hebrew is also translated as eternal. Love is so intense or heated that it cannot be quenched with water. All of these floods of adversity, floods of cursing and persecution, cannot drown those flames of love. Love is as "coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame." That is love. I experienced the melting effect of such love once in observing God's Word in EXO 23:4, "If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again." At one time I had a neighbour that was very contentious with me; he was very bitter against me. As I was fixing fence on a hillside, I watched his cattle break down the fence. They got into another neighbour's grain field. I went down to the neighbour and informed him that his cattle had gotten out, and they were in the other neighbour's grain. It was just before harvest, and they were doing terrible damage; so I drove straight down there. When I came in the yard, the man wouldn't believe me; he thought I was trying to set him up. I said, "Sir, I want you to know; I watched your cattle. They just broke out of the fence. The whole herd is in the neighbour's grain field." He went there, got his cattle in, and fixed the fence. Then he stopped where I was working. He told me, "Ralph, I want you to know, I would not have done that for you. The way I have treated you, I did not deserve you doing this for me." You see how love came down upon his head, those burning coals of love, and melted him. From that day forward, he treated me as a loving neighbour. That is what the Lord is teaching us here; "For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee." Love will melt that heart of his, it will melt that bitterness and hatred. This is what I experienced as a result of observing what it says, "If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again," and it melted his enmity against me. King Saul was out to take David's life; he wanted to destroy David because of jealousy and hatred, but it was the love that David showed in return that melted and conquered Saul's heart. Look at what we read in 1-SA 24:16-19, "And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day." When Saul was trying to take David's life, David showed him love. It was these coals of fire, the burning, vehement love that came down upon King Saul's head that melted his heart; he lifted up his voice and wept saying, "Thou are more righteous than I." This is the love of which Christ is speaking--undeserved love, undeserved mercy. This did not bring David back into fellowship with Saul. David could not return with Saul because he knew that Saul's heart still wasn't with him, but look what remembrance David's love will be before the Lord. Saul again came out against David. This sin will be on Saul's shoulders now. David had no desire to bring harm to Saul. The Lord is glorified by such love. This type of love demonstrates the spirit of forgiveness we need before our prayers shall be heard before the mercy seat. If we do not have this type of love in our hearts, if we do not have this spirit of forgiveness, then our prayers can never be heard before the mercy seat. That is so important to understand. Jesus says in MAR 11:25, "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." When we learn to see the account of sin that we have before the Lord, when we see the account of sin in our own heart, the sin against us then becomes so small. We must be able to forgive before we can ask for forgiveness. DEU 10:12-19 says, "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked. He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." The Lord is not asking us to earn our salvation by perfectly keeping the law. He wants our hearts desire to do His will. PRO 23:26 says, "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways." The Lord wants that spirit of love; He wants that spirit of self-sacrifice. He wants that spirit of Godly fear, of holy reverence for His will. The Lord is glorified in our forgiving as Christ also forgave us. Why? He wants to see that Spirit of Christ, the image of Christ, formed in us. We read in COL 3:12-13, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." God the Father was glorified in that blessed image of Christ. He was glorified in His sacrifice of love. As the Lord looks into our hearts, as they are melted before Him, He is looking for that blessed image of Christ. We are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. If our enemies remain hardened under those burning coals of our love, God will be glorified in their destruction, but God's glory is our source of joy, not their destruction! When the Israelites saw the Egyptians strewn upon the sea shore, they rejoiced because God was glorified. When God is glorified by our acts of love, this becomes our source of joy and gladness. "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him," PRO 24:17. If the Lord comes against one of our enemies, it should be our heart's desire that the Lord will use His chastening hand to bring them to repentance--to their right place before the Lord. Our enemies falling should not be a source of joy, lest it displease the Lord. The Lord is very displeased if He sees that we rejoice in the adversity of our enemies. True self-knowledge produces love from the heart without any desire for revenge against the enemy. When we truly learn to understand our own heart, we have no desire for revenge. Vengeance belongs unto the Lord. He could have justly used vengeance on us. "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil," LUK 6:35. This Scripture teaches the Spirit of Christ! "...Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his," ROM 8:9b. If we want to be Christlike and conformed to that blessed Spirit of Christ with His Spirit of love and sacrifice, then we should be kind to the unthankful and the evil. We are to be kind even if they show ingratitude, even if they slander us, even if they become our bitterest enemy. We must still be kind to them. To do so is the Spirit of Christ, "...for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." ROM 12:17-19 reveals this spirit of the law; "Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. [Do unto others as you would that they do unto you.] If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath [rather allow them to be bitter against you, to slander and do all manner of evil against you]: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." It is very important to understand what the Lord means. 1PE 2:23 shows us the Spirit of Christ, "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." The Lord looks at the intent, the purposes of our heart. If He plans to use our love, the coals of our love, to melt our enemies into repentance, we must not be using vengeance. We must demonstrate love, which burns their hatred. If it is the Lord's will to show vengeance, this is His decision, not ours. "I will repay, saith the Lord." We should never have a revengeful spirit regardless of what any person does to us. Verses 20-21 continue, "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil [don't be overcome with a heart of bitterness and revenge], but overcome evil with good." When someone does evil things against you, you are to overcome them with the spirit of love.
FOR OUR SECOND POINT, let's consider Christ as our example in His love for us while we were still His enemies. Our text describes love according to the example Christ gave His church. In ROM 5:8-10 we read, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [While we were His bitter enemies, He died for us.] For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." You see, the heart of God was reconciled unto His dear children from eternity; the Lord looked upon that blessed blood of Christ and His sacrifice of love. God's heart was reconciled to His dear children, to His people while they were still enemies. Doesn't that teach us the need to have a heart of love to those who are our enemies? How do we know if the Lord will use our love toward our enemies to bring them into reconciliation with God? The Father's love for His elect began in eternity, when He loved His people enough to send His own Son while they were still enemies. 1JO 4:10 says, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." God the Father so loved His dear children that He sent His own Son to take away His burning wrath upon sin, to be the propitiation for our sins. Such love God had for His dear children. It was not because we loved God, but that He loved us. Verse 11 tells us, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." Look at the precious admonition there. If we see the love God had for us, then we should love one another. Therefore, we should love our enemies while they are still enemies. While they are still slandering and cursing us and trying to destroy and persecute us, we should be blessing them and demonstrating tokens of love. This is the way to be Christlike. That is so precious. God so loved us; therefore, we should love one another. The mind of God was reconciled to His dear children while they were still enemies. We read this in 2CO 5:18-21, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them [He was overlooking their trespasses and imputing them unto His own Son.]; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. [Now look at the condescending love of God.] Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." The God of heaven created and rules the universe, and He is beseeching us! Think of it! There is such preciousness in it. Look at the Spirit of Christ; our trespasses were imputed to Him, and He bore the penalty of our sins on the cross. He came down with such condescension to become our mediator. A mediator is one who interposes between parties to reconcile them. Consider a situation where a union and an employer are not able to come to an agreement. A mediator is sent to mediate terms of peace. First, he'll go to the employer to find out what terms must be met and why . Then he will go to the labor side to learn the terms that must be met and the why of those terms. Then he seeks terms of peace by showing each side the needs of the other. Here we see our blessed Mediator who has not only taken upon Himself to mediate with the Father about His controversy with His people who have trespassed, but Jesus has asked to have all the trespasses put on His account! All of our trespasses are taken away, and the Father's mind is reconciled in His Son's atonement. Jesus came so low, condescending, beseeching us, you and me-- sinners--to be reconciled. He is showing the unbendable terms of being able to come into salvation, i.e., the Father's wrath has been appeased by His sacrifice, but our hearts must be reconciled with God's will. Our rebellion must be broken so we can come into terms of peace with the Father. Look at the condescension of the King of kings, the One unto whom all principalities has been given into His hands. He sits now with all authority. He could strike us dead in a second with just a thought. With such authority in hand, He comes condescending so low, beseeching sinners, i.e., enemies, saying, "...be ye reconciled to God." He even comes pleading with you and me and tells us why we should be reconciled to God. Watch this in 2CO 5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." He comes now beseeching us, sinners who deserve the condemnation of God, "For he hath made him to be sin, who knew no sin." He comes pleading the purchase price He paid "...that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." How can a sinner's heart stay at enmity while He is heaping such coals of fire upon our heads? He is pleading His own love to us as the basis for our becoming reconciled unto God! Oh beloved, this is the basis upon which He is pleading, beseeching us, that our rebellion might become broken; that our hearts might become reconciled to His will. "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" ROM 2:4. It is through the blood of Christ, which He shed while we were still enemies, that we are brought nigh unto God. This turns on a precious light. It was while we were still enemies that He shed His blood whereby we are brought nigh unto God. In EPH 2:13 we read, "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." You who were sometimes far off means we were separated by that gulf of sin. LUK 16:26 says, "And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence." There was no bridge; he could in no way cross over. The rich man in hell saw such a gulf between him and Lazarus that he could not cross. That gulf is unpardoned sin. It says that sometimes we are far off, but we are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Christ's precious blood spanned that gulf. Our text says, "Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Why? It is being Christlike. This is heaping coals of fire upon their heads when we are "...not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." When we can show love to those who are coming against us and doing all manner of evil against us, we are heaping those coals of fire upon their heads to melt their hard and stony hearts. See the example of our Lovely Saviour, "pray[ing] for them which despitefully use[d Him], and persecute[d Him]." Look at the example in LUK 23:34, "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Who were they? He was praying for those who had hung Him on the cross; He was unjustly condemned. This is Christ's example! It is so precious to see how the Father answered this prayer. The answer to this prayer becomes manifest in ACT 2:23-41. The Apostle Peter was speaking to those very people who had hung Jesus on the cross; they had cried, "Crucify Him, crucify Him." Peter is preaching to those who were guilty of Christ's blood. It says, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." Look at the conviction that came in their hearts. He was showing them that they had personally come and taken Him with wicked hands and crucified Him. You and I each have to see that if we claim our part in Christ, that we, too, are guilty. We must see that it was our sin; we have crucified and slain the Lord of Life and Glory. Watch what a conviction this brought in V:37, "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" The conviction went home to their own hearts. They could no longer point a finger at any man; it became their hands, their wicked hands, that crucified the Lord. You and I must see this; we, by wicked hands, have crucified the Lord of Life and Glory! Why? MAT 25:45 tells us, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." How many times have we offended those who are God's loved ones? Continuing with ACT 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Show remorse for your sins, repent, turn from your sins, and you shall receive the Spirit of God. In V:39 Peter says, "For the promise [What promise is this? `and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!] is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." Isn't it precious to see how Jesus Christ's prayer upon the cross was heard. He said, "...Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Now Peter is preaching and explaining to them what they have done. The love of Christ melted their hard and stony hearts, and they repented. Three thousand were added to the church in one day. See the example of Stephen "pray[ing] for them which despitefully use[d Him], and persecute[d Him]," in ACT 7:54-60, "When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. [Saul of Tarsus was there!] And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep." Saul of Tarsus was there consenting to the death of Stephen; he was there holding the clothes of those who stoned him to death. They stoned Stephen, but Stephen called upon God saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and with a loud voice cried, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." This is what the Lord Jesus is telling you and me. When it comes to the point where they are stoning us to death, our last breath should be, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." There should be no spirit of revenge, absolutely no thought of revenge in our hearts. Stephen's last words before he "fell asleep" were, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." The last words of his life were a prayer for his enemies. His prayer was like that of Jesus, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do," LUK 23:34. Let's stop and ponder a moment. Think of how the Apostle Paul's heart was melted when he thought upon that love of Stephen. Think. While he was yet an enemy, Stephen was praying for him. The Lord heard that prayer. It was the Apostle Paul who was holding the clothing of those who stoned Stephen. Saul became the Apostle Paul. In 1CO 15:9 the Paul says, "For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." Look how Stephen's love burned Paul's hard and stony heart when the Lord came with the Spirit and applied it to his soul. Paul saw the gravity of his sins. He said that he was not worthy to be called an apostle because he had persecuted the church of God. Now he is the great apostle. The Apostle Paul never could look at himself as anything but unworthy with such a heap of the coals of love heaped upon his head. 1TI 1:12-15, "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, [Our text says, 'bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.'] and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. [This is important; if we sin willfully it is different.] And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." That is what the Apostle Paul saw as the result of the burning love, the prayer of Stephen. He said, "...that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." When we learn to see that we are the chief of sinners and that our sins nailed Jesus to the cross, we will understand then the Spirit of Christ praying for His enemies. We learn to see that Jesus is telling us in our text not to hate our enemies; we are to love them. MAT 5:44 says, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Amen. |
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