Sermon Study Notes: How God Wants Me to Deal with Enemies

Sermon Topic: How God wants me to deal with enemies

Primary Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48

Supporting Scriptures:

John 3:16 (God's love for the world)

Matthew 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount) Matthew 25:31-46 (Separating the sheep and goats)

Romans 12:19-21 ("Vengeance is Mine")

Exodus 23:4 (Return enemy's lost animal)

Proverbs 24:17 (Do not rejoice when enemy falls)

Proverbs 25:21-22 (Feed your enemy)

Romans 5:10 (We were once enemies of God)

2 Chronicles 7 (Humility and prayer for the land)

This message, based on Matthew 5:43-48, focuses on Christ's command to love your enemies and the principles of righteous living.

I. The Foundation of Kingdom Living

• The Message: The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is Christ's message outlining "kingdom principles" and the stages of a Christian's journey.

• Starting Point: The journey begins with realizing we must be "poor in spirit", recognizing our brokenness before we can receive anything from God.

• The End Goal: The sermon culminates in being a "doer of the word," not just a hearer. We must move from hearing to speaking and then to doing.

II. The Practice of Righteousness

• The Great Separation: The preacher emphasizes a "great separating day" (Matthew 25:31-46) where doers will be separated from non-doers. This separation will be based on how we treat others: "in as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.".

• Dealing with Enemies: We must follow the New Testament teaching, not the old sentiment of hating your enemy.

  • "Vengeance is mine," says the Lord. It is not our place to retaliate or hate those who oppose us.

  • If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. We conquer evil by doing good.

• Three Commands for Your Enemies:

  1. Bless those who curse you: Use your words to speak a blessing over them, not a curse.

  2. Do good to those who hate you: Find a way to be a blessing, like Joseph who took care of his brothers even after they meant evil against him.

  3. Pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you: Go down to your knees and pray for them, because when you pray for them, things get better for you.

III. The Standard of Our Father

• Why We Love: We must love our enemies because we want to be the "children of your father".

• God's Example: Our God is good and just, causing his sun to shine on the just as well as the unjust. We ought to be good to our enemies, following the example of our Father.

• Christ's Sacrifice: Jesus demonstrated this love by dying for us when we were still enemies to God (Romans 5:10), setting the ultimate example for us to walk in love.

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