Wednesday Evening Bible Study

October 11, 2000

Introduction

We are in the middle of a sermon from Jesus, a sermon similar to the Sermon on the Mount, but given at another time and another place.

We ended with Jesus beginning to bring up the subject of those who are hostile to us when He said,

(Luke 6:22-26 KJV)  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. {23} Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. {24} But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. {25} Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. {26} Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

:27  But I say unto you which hear,

hear – akouo – to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf; to attend to, consider what is or has been said; to understand, perceive the sense of what is said

Lesson

Are you listening?

We’ve seen this phrase used before in various other places, and the challenge is the same.  Are we willing to listen to what Jesus is saying to us?

For lots of us, these words that Jesus is going to speak are pretty familiar.  We can probably pull much of what we’re going to read right from the top of our minds.

But tonight – are we going to pay attention to it?

:27  Love your enemies,

love – agapao – of persons; to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly. 

It is a love based on the will of the lover, not upon their emotions.  It is a choice to value the other person.  It is a love characterized by giving, by action. 

The verb here is a present tense, meaning that we are to continually love our enemies, not just give them a one time shot.

enemies – echthros – hated, odious, hateful; hostile, hating, and opposing another

Lesson

You are going to have enemies

I have a hard time getting myself to admit this, but there are people that hate me.  There are people to whom I am “odious”.

That’s hard for me because I really want everyone to like me.

I think that sometimes if I just “love everybody”, that everybody will love me back.  Ain’t so.

Illustration

A knight and his men return to their castle after a long hard day of fighting. “How are we faring?” asks the king. “Sire,” replies the knight, “I have been robbing and pillaging on your behalf all day, burning the towns of your enemies in the west.” “What?!?” shrieks the king. “I don’t have any enemies to the west!” “Oh,” says the knight. “Well, you do now.”

Paul had enemies

(2 Tim 4:14-18 NLT)  Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done. {15} Be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said. {16} The first time I was brought before the judge, no one was with me. Everyone had abandoned me. I hope it will not be counted against them. {17} But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength, that I might preach the Good News in all its fullness for all the Gentiles to hear. And he saved me from certain death. {18} Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly Kingdom. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Why would people hate us?

We sin.

Sometimes I hurt people.  I sin.  I am by far an imperfect person, and the longer you know me, the greater the chances are that you’re going to be hurt one day by me.  If we choose to be gracious with each other, we will get along.  If we choose to hold a grudge, problems develop and people become enemies.

(Heb 12:14-15 NASB)  Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. {15} See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

(Lev 19:18 KJV)  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.

We’re misunderstood.

I’m not always clear in what I communicate to others.  Sometimes people misunderstand a look.  Sometimes it’s something I say.  Sometimes a rumor goes around and if I don’t check the facts, I can get swallowed up in a lie and end up being upset with someone I shouldn’t be upset with.

(Prov 18:13 KJV)  He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

If I start making up my mind about people or situations without really understanding what’s being said, I’ll run into trouble.

Sometimes its Jesus they hate.

Sometimes it’s just the fact that I belong to Jesus, and this person is hostile to Jesus.

(John 15:18-21 NLT)  "When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. {19} The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don't. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. {20} Do you remember what I told you? 'A servant is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you! {21} The people of the world will hate you because you belong to me, for they don't know God who sent me.

Satan

Jesus was betrayed by Judas, someone He had loved and spent three years discipling.  Judas was empowered by Satan.

(John 13:21-30 KJV)  When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. {22} Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. {23} Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. {24} Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. {25} He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? {26} Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. {27} And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. {28} Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. {29} For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. {30} He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.

What does it mean to “love” your enemies?  I think the following verses give an explanation.

:27  do good to them which hate you,

do – poieo – to make; to do; to carry out, to execute; to do to one

good – kalos – beautifully, finely, excellently, well; rightly, so that there shall be no room for blame, well, truly; excellently, nobly, commendably; honorably, in honour

hate – miseo – to hate, pursue with hatred, detest

Lesson

Respond with good deeds

Our response to people who hate us is not to just “love” them as if we are to have mushy, sentimental feelings for them.  Agape love is always a love that is demonstrated by action.

Paul wrote,

(Rom 12:17-21 NASB)  Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. {18} If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. {19} Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. {20} "BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS UPON HIS HEAD." {21} Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

What are the “burning coals” all about?

I have to admit that sometimes I’ve looked at this and thought, “Aha!  I’m going to put ANOTHER BURNING COAL on their head!” 

The Arabians call things that cause very acute mental pain “burning coals of the heart” and “fire of the liver”.  The idea is that when you return an evil deed with a good one, that good deed has the ability to remind the person of just how wicked they’ve been to you.

Illustration

After David had killed the giant Goliath, he became extremely popular with the people of Israel.  This made his boss, King Saul extremely jealous.  Saul began a campaign to try and kill David and David had to run for his life.

Twice David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but his conscience wouldn’t let him do it.  After the second time of sparing Saul’s life, Saul responded by saying,

(1 Sam 26:21 KJV)  …I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.

David still kept a healthy distance from Saul because he had learned not to trust Saul, but still it seems as if David’s act of kindness, sparing Saul’s life, had smitten Saul’s conscience.

Illustration

When the first missionaries came to Alberta, Canada, they were opposed by a young Cree Indian chief named Maskepetoon.  But eventually he responded to the gospel and accepted Christ.  Shortly afterward, a member of the Blackfoot tribe who hated Maskepetoon killed his father.  The chief rode into the murderer’s village and demanded that he be brought before him.  Confronting the guilty man he said, “You shall ride my best horse and wear my best clothes.”

In utter amazement and remorse his enemy exclaimed, “My son, now you have killed me.”  The hate in his heart had been erased by Maskepetoon’s forgiveness and kindness.

(Rom 12:20-21 NLT)  Instead, do what the Scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you." {21} Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.

:28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

bless – eulogeo – to praise, celebrate with praises; to invoke blessings; to ask God’s blessing on a thing

curse – kataraomai – to curse, doom, imprecate evil upon

pray – proseuchomai – to offer prayers, to pray

despitefully use – epereazo (“upon” + “threats”) – to insult; to treat abusively, use despitefully; to revile; in a forensic sense, to accuse falsely; to threaten

Many of David’s Psalms were written because of problems he was having with his “enemies”.  The words “enemy” or “enemies” appear over a hundred times (106) in the book of Psalms!  And that’s just where this one specific word appears.  When you expand the search to include the word “wicked”, there are 186 verses!

How did David pray for his enemies?

(Psa 10:15 KJV)  Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

(Psa 58:6 KJV)  Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.

I’m not sure that I’d say that this is what Jesus was talking about, praying that God would break their teeth.  But you need to keep in mind that when David prayed for his enemies, he also tended to put the issue in God’s hand.  David let God take care of Saul.  And that’s what God did.

Lesson

Pray blessings

This is not an easy thing to do.  We want to return curses with curses.  But Jesus says to return curses with blessings.

What kind of blessings should we be praying for them?

Should we be praying that God blesses them by not striking them dead this very instant and sending them to hell?

Pray for them as you would like to be prayed for.

(Luke 6:31 KJV)  And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

What kind of blessings would you like the Lord to do in your life?

Pray for them using Paul’s models of prayer.  They are great prayers to pray for anyone.  How about these:

(Eph 3:16-19 KJV)  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; {17} That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, {18} May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; {19} And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

(Phil 1:9-11 KJV)  And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; {10} That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; {11} Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

(Col 1:9-11 KJV)  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; {10} That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; {11} Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

:29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

smiteth – tupto – to strike, beat, smite; with a staff, a whip, the fist, the hand

cheek – siagon – the jaw, the jaw bone

offer – parecho – to reach forth, offer; to show, afford, supply; to offer, show or present one’s self

This is very hard to do.  We tend to want to “get even”.

Illustration

There was a story about a truck driver who dropped in at an all-night restaurant in Broken Bow, Nebraska. The waitress had just served him when three swaggering, leather-jacketed motorcyclists—of the Hell’s Angels type—entered and rushed up to him, apparently spoiling for a fight.  One grabbed the hamburger off his plate; another took a handful of his French fries; and the third picked up his coffee and began to drink it.  The trucker did not respond as one might expect.  Instead, he calmly rose, picked up his check, walked to the front of the room, put the check and his money on the cash register, and went out the door. The waitress followed him to put the money in the till and stood watching out the door as the big truck drove away into the night.  When she returned, one of the cyclists said to her, “Well, he’s not much of a man, is he?”  She replied, “I can’t answer as to that, but he’s not much of a truck driver.  He just ran over three motorcycles out in the parking lot.”

Does this mean that if a spouse is hitting the other spouse and their life is in danger, that they should just stay there and die?

No.  I don’t think there’s value in dying for the sake of the other person’s sin.  It’s one thing to give your life for the sake of preaching the gospel, but it’s another to not use common sense and save your own life from another person’s sin of anger and abuse.

Separate.  Get counsel.  Don’t feed the other person’s anger by being a punching bag.

:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

ask .. again – apaiteo – to ask back, demand back, exact something due

(Luke 6:30 NLT)  Give what you have to anyone who asks you for it; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back.

Again, I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to make excuses for not obeying Jesus, but there is a balance to this.  For some of us, we read verses like this and empty our pockets whenever someone asks us for money.  The balance is that the Bible says,

(2 Th 3:10-12 KJV)  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. {11} For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. {12} Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

We’ve learned the hard way that sometimes people are going to continually take advantage of you because you are “the Christian”.  I think we need wisdom and discernment to say “no” when we know that it’s not right to help this person.

Some people have made a living by not working and taking advantage of Christians.  I think we should take a stand sometimes to tell them they need to work like everyone else.