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Welcome to Light New Podcast from King of the Batteries. Well we get up together to experience love.

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Come with me to the book of Matthew. To the Book of Matthew. Chapter five. We're going to look at verses forty-three through forty-eight. We'd like the end of the chapter. But I'm just going to read a portion of it. I'm going to read from the NIV, New International Version. It reads like this. You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that ye may be children of your father in heaven. Wait a minute. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray. I just want to make sure I'm seeing right. Pray for those who persecute you. Love those who don't like you, love you, love those who hate you, and pray for those who abuse you. Father, we pray now that as we are about to go into your word, that you will do only what you can. To be revived, to be challenged, to move out of our comfort zone. Thank you for the theme on which we stand. Foundation for thriving. So we give you honor, glory, and praise. The grass with us. And the flowers fade. But your word abides forever. In Jesus' name. Amen. You may be taking your seat right now, please. As I was looking over this passage, I was taken back to many years ago when I was growing up as a little boy, and I realized that I had a very good childhood. And I want to give God thanks for my parents and all those who took care of me. I I realized, as I reflected, I realized that my father and my mother were not rich with earthly possessions. They would what you would want to call well-to-do. Just enough, good enough. Amen. So we probably had some things that other people did not necessarily have. I just want to focus on my dad for a minute. He, I realized, was an entrepreneur, a real trailblazer, a pioneer, if you will. He had a grocery store in King Garden Bay. He had a clothing store, one of the very first clothing stores in Rotong and Wickhamski, right next to what was then Chase Manhattan Bank. He also had a couple of boats and a couple of horses. That's an entrepreneur. And I didn't I did not understand at the time why it was that some people had a problem with us. You could say that they didn't like us for whatever reason. So as a little boy, and I was introduced to Jesus very early at the age of seven, bear with me. And uh the way I was introduced is through my dad coming from his salvation experience from St. John, Water Island, to be specific, and sharing the gospel with us, the family. I didn't understand too much then, but I was wondering how it was that this, he was a big man, but relatively speaking, how this little man could go down on his knees and say, I come before you, God. I couldn't understand how this little man, comparatively speaking, would come before this big God. That's the picture I had. I couldn't understand. But I later realized that no matter what you do, some people will not like you. I'm gonna ease somebody's spirit today and ease your mind today. I couldn't think of anything that we would have necessarily done to upset anybody, but some of you right now are struggling with the same issue as to why people are picking on you. And I just want to let you know that if you are a child of God, it really has little to do with you. As a matter of fact, you may not have known it, but when you signed up to be a child of God, that was in the fine prints, that people will hate you. See, you you can't go about just signing contracts. You got to check the fine prints. I know somebody, if you grew up when I grew up, they would have told you that when you trust Jesus, everything will be all right. Now, now they didn't tell us then that that doesn't necessarily mean that everybody will treat you right and everything will always go right. As a matter of fact, I found out that the moment I said yes to Jesus, all hell broke loose. Anybody, anybody, anybody, anybody? Yeah. And the more you try to do what's right, that's when you really face trouble. So I want to encourage you this morning and let you know that you're not alone. You're in good company. We might as well go home right now. That's it. And that's it. Whatever else I say is just other things. You are a peculiar people. Strange. That's what peculiar means. But you're trying to fit in. You will not fit in unless you compromise who you are. Stop stop trying to let people squeeze you into this tight mold that you do not fit in. Well, let me just tell you, we're gonna talk today about the power of love. The power of love. So as you sit there and I stand here, I want you to imagine, you don't really have to think too hard. I want you to think of someone who wrongs you. I mean, deeply wrongs you. They spread lies about you, betray your trust, and they treated you unfairly. Do I do I have anybody here like that? Yeah? You you afraid because they might be next to you? Okay. Your natural reaction was or is to avoid them, to resent them, or even to hope that they experienced just as bad or worse the pain they have cost you. And then your friends will say, Well, I understand that's that's an understandable reaction. I understand you you you ought to be upset. However, somebody say, however, Jesus introduces a very different way of living. He calls those of us who dare to follow him to love not only those who love us, but also those who oppose us. This kind of love is not natural, it's supernatural. This kind of love with which he asks us to love our enemies reveals the character of God and demonstrates that God's kingdom operates by principles that are very different from those of the world. Matthew chapter 5, verses 43 through 48. And I realize I didn't read it, but I want you to keep your Bibles open. This particular portion is part of what you know as the Sermon on the Mount, the very sermon on the mount that our pastor has been preaching about. And it's one of Jesus' greatest teachings about life in the kingdom, not life in church, but life in the kingdom of God. And throughout the book of Matthew, particularly in chapter five, Jesus repeatedly says, You have heard that it was said, but I say. So, although the Old Testament never commanded people to hate their enemies, many people had adopted this attitude through tradition and misunderstanding. So, Jesus, what he does is that he confronts this misunderstanding and this mindset directly. He gets straight to the point. He teaches us that God's people are called to imitate the Father's love, a love that extends to both the righteous and the unrighteous. And then Jesus dares, he has the mitigated goal to conclude this section of Matthew 5 with a remarkable, mind-blowing, revolutionary command. Be perfect. After all I've said to you, I'm now commanding you, therefore, to be perfect, even as your father. So this passage is very troubling for a whole lot of us because it challenges us as believers to move beyond ordinary human love into divine love that forgives, that blesses, and that prays even for enemies. So as a little boy, seeing what was happening to my parents, I used to pray, Father, kill them. I know you're so righteous, but I wasn't always growing up, I wasn't always mature. And some of you, if you're honest, are still praying that way. There are some people that you wish would move off the scene. Because I would live long enough to realize that the wicked don't seem to move off. Come on, am I talking to anybody here? The wicked just hang on and hang on and hang on. Come on now. If you're honest with me, there was a time in your life, maybe even now, when you pray, God, take them out. I'm not gonna call in a name, but if I call a few names, you will say yes, take them out. Out, yeah, I like that sign. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like this. And Jesus messes up everybody that's following him. And he says, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's not the way to go. If you want to thrive, let me give you the foundation. So Jesus says, Um, come on now. Really, the greatest evidence that you've been born again that you are a part of the kingdom is when you have a genuine love. One that love those who hurt you, lie on you, mistreat you, backbite, talk about you, gossip, no fellowship around information. And you just happen to be the subject. Jesus says, those are the very ones you ought to love. And so if you want to be distinguished as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you have got to reflect the love of God. Now, I want you to get this, Claire, because this kind of love that we are talking about does not ignore sin, nor does it pretend that evil hasn't happened. I am not suggesting that you dismiss what has happened to you as though it never happened. Jesus is saying, acknowledge it. But what matters is your response. So this kind of love refuses to be controlled by bitterness. And this kind of love chooses to respond with grace. So today's sermon has to do with helping us to understand that this kind of love that God has called us to is more than emotions. Doesn't give you a necessarily a fuzzy feeling, but rather it is a decision that's empowered by the Holy Ghost. It's the kind of love that transforms relationships, heal wounds, and become a testimony of the gospel. If you think that is far-fetched, an older gentleman told me one day that if you really truly want to have a successful marriage, one of you, or maybe both of you, have got to be either deaf, dumb. And I wouldn't say the other part. What it means that whatever you're looking for, you will find. And even when you're not looking for it, it will show up. But you have got to learn not to hear everything you hear and not to say everything you feel. That recipe will save you from a lot of trouble. Trial support, alimone, and all the money. So let's take a closer look at the text. I want to just share three main things with us today. First, we want to talk about the command. Which literally is Jesus saying, I want you to love beyond human instinct. That's the command. So Jesus begins his discourse by correcting a popular misunderstanding. Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. That's what they thought. Human nature divides people into categories. Friends and enemies, and some friends are enemies. We call them frenemies. Or deserving and undeserving. But God's love does not operate that way. The Father loves people who reject him every day. People are rejecting God every day, and yet God loves them. And you get bent out of shape when somebody says no to you. So God's love does not operate that way. The Father loves people who rejects him or reject him. He continues to provide life. Just look at yourself right now. You're breathing, aren't you? But you're not the only one. The same wicked person that you were thinking about, they're also breathing. If it were left to you, you cut them off. The sun shines, thank God. The beautiful sunshine. But the sun doesn't shine on those of us who deserve it. It shines on the most undeserving. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Think about it. Think about it. People ignore the goodness of God every day, and yet God consistently is God. God does not change because of your reaction. Neither should you change because of people's reaction. I know it is. I know it is. Now, this does not mean that God approves us, and I gotta make sure I make that clear. But it demonstrates his grace. When Jesus calls us to love our enemies, he invites us to participate in the Father's own way of loving. So that all love is no longer determined by another person's behavior, but by God's character within us. Everyone that is born of God has the spirit of God. So Christian love rises above feelings. It chooses mercy over revenge and compassion over resentment. Look at God not only asking us to do it, but demonstrates what it looks like. Romans 5, 8 says, But God demonstrates his own love for us while we were still sinners. Christ died for us. Notice Jesus does not say love your enemies because they're good. He's saying love your enemies because your father is good. So he makes the point. He argues, notice the logic. God sends the sunshine, God sends the rain, God sustains life. These blessings fall on both believers and unbelievers, both the good and the wicked. And we often do refer to this as common grace. And people often mistake this because God is sending rain on them that they have a relationship with God, not necessarily. So God continues to give gifts to people who reject Him. Every sunshine is undeserved, every breath is undeserved. Every harvest is undeserved. Every heartbeat is evidence that God loves you despite. Regardless. So Jesus is teaching that the disciples, the followers of Christ, must understand that mercy is greater than human rebellion. When we love only those who love us, Jesus argues we look no different to the rest of the people. Jesus says, What reward do you get if you just love those who love you and treat those who will treat you right? Tax collectors do the same thing. Pagans greet their friends. The kingdom of God is recognized precisely where ordinary human life stops. So Jesus says, this Christian love that I'm telling you about becomes visible if it crosses over barriers of offense. Let's be honest. Check yourself. Let's me check myself. Whenever somebody hurts you, the natural inclination is resentment. Come on. Somebody talk to you a certain way, your natural tendency is to withhold your speech from them. Avoid them. That's us. Naturally. When things don't go away, even from a selfish perspective, we change. And we often think that the people that correct us are the ones that hate us. You need to be accountable at some point to someone. And not everybody that corrects you hates you. In fact, if you go without correction, you are not a son but a bastard. Because whom the Father loves, he corrects. So I want us now in this moment to ask ourselves whether our love depends on how others treat us. I want you to choose today as a practical application to reflect God's character. Think of someone who has wronged you and find a way to intentionally show good and do good to them. Number two, I want us to look at the reason. Verses 45 through 47. And the reason that God is asking us in Christ to do this is so that we can reflect the Father's character. Jesus specifically commands his followers not only to love them, that's the command. But the way we do it, he says, in a practical way, I want you to pray for those who persecute you. In another place, he says, bless them. What that basically means is speak well of them, wish them well. And don't just say it, but go out of your way to make sure they are well. Not like folks who wish you well until you do well. You say, Pastor, you're stretching it. Wonderful. Because God always wants to stretch us. Because sometimes we think we're doing all that good, and Jesus is saying, if you only love those who love you, then the rest of the world does that. I am taking you to a higher level. If you really want to thrive, you gotta love the way God loves. So here's what's happening. Jesus is very strategic. He says, pray for them. Because Jesus understands that prayer changes more than circumstances. Prayer actually changes hearts. Because there's no way that you can sincerely pray for somebody and their well-being and still wish them evil. No way. It's gonna change your heart, and God essentially is gonna move on their hearts. So Jesus is saying the best way to change your enemy is not to kill them, but actually to love them. Because what we need to understand is that you can no easily get rid of evil by killing all the evil people, than you can get rid of God by killing all of God's people. Because God says, I will always have a witness. Because they're both abstract and they're both spiritual. So don't ever think that you can get rid of evil just by trying to destroy evil people. God says the best way to win them is to pray for them, wish them well, and do them well. Now, prayer does not excuse injustice, but rather prayer is the one that says, I believe in justice so much that I would leave that to God. And we can do a lot better with our lives and our well-being if we learn to turn things over to God. I know it sounds like a cliche, but if you actually turn it over to God, the thing that you're trying to work out, the people that you're trying to fix, God can always do a better job than you can. Always. And Jesus demonstrates this while hanging on the cross. What are the first words? Father, forgive them, for they don't even know what they're doing. Stephen had the same testimony when they were killing him, stoning him to death. He says, Father, don't lay this sin at their charge. Prayer does not excuse injustice, rather, it entrusts justice to God while freeing our hearts from pain and evil. Romans 12, 17 and 18 says, do not repay anyone evil for evil. If it is possible, as far as it is depend on you, live at peace with everybody. I found out a secret in my own life, which is no secret, that you don't have to worry about what people say and what people do. Just make sure that your ways are pleasing God, and God guarantees that if your ways please me, I will make even your enemies to be at peace with you. That's a win-win situation. Win-win. So here is something that happened to me many years ago. Many of you may not know this, so let me tell you that in 1985, in the summer of 1985, my oldest brother Elvin, also known as Shato, was brutally murdered in New York. We found out who the perpetrators were. At least we got some names. And even though it's been since 1985, I still feel the pain. Not by name, but by nature. Let me tell you now. One of the same perpetrators was sick on his deathbed in the hospital. And I was called. My brother was a very skilled. If you see me enjoying the guitar maybe more than any other instrument, that's probably the reason why he was just one bad umbre on the guitar. Talented. So I was called. He's dying. In fact, he called for a preacher. In fact, he called for you by name. This is one of the perpetrators. This is one of the killers. So I answered the call. I went and I prayed, but I did more than that. I I actually not only encouraged him, but I led him to Jesus Christ. So can you imagine? That's one of the first faces I'm going to see when I get to heaven. It changes everything. Do I still feel the pain? Yes. Do I hate him or them? No. God has freed me from that. But if you think that's far-fetched, as ministers of the gospel, as preachers, we minister to people like you, who we know are sweet and wonderful, never do a bad thing to us, never say a bad thing about us. Love us all through. Don't gossip about us. Let's be honest. We have to minister to people that we know don't like us. Come on now. But here's the thing, because you like to hear it. Pastors ought to do that, ministers ought to do that. But Jesus is saying every believer must operate the same way. So I have this experience all the time. Because people either think I'm stupid, I'm crazy, I don't know. Just totally ignorant. But if you did me something yesterday, come on, how am I gonna forgive? And you come to me, I still gonna extend my love for you and to you with no hard feelings, and that is what Jesus is saying. If you really want to make a difference, if you really want to thrive in this life, learn how to love the way God loves. And I'm a witness. I've lived long enough, and I'm gonna give you the final point. I've lived long enough to see people that hated my guts end up at my door. I'm the only solution at the time. I helped them, and later they come back changed. So here's the final thing. He says, I want to tell you the goal of all this. I've given you the command, I've given you the reason for it, and the goal is basically this: I want you to grow into mature, Christ-like people. So Jesus concludes with one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. Here's what he says: very troubling if you don't understand it. Be perfect! Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect. Let me help you. Take your guards down, take your guards down. Let's talk together. Let's work this through together. Here's what Jesus says. Be perfect. Now the Greek word for perfect does not primarily mean without sin. Let's get that straight. What it really means in the Greek is complete, mature, brought to the intended end. So the Greek idea of perfection as used in this text is functional. Let me break that down. A thing is considered perfect if it realizes the purpose for which it was planned, designed, and made. Say, for example, if you got a zipper that's meant to zip up and it's zipping up and holding things together, it's perfect. It's functioning the way it was designed to function. In the same way, Jesus is saying that if you have a person who is fulfilling the purpose for which he was created, which makes a whole lot of sense, and it simply means love God totally and love people unconditionally, then you are actually fulfilling your purpose. And you're perfect, you are the right fit, you are what God needs to accomplish God's purpose. You may not be able to shout, you may not be able to sing, but if you're doing what he says, love me with all your heart and love your fellow men, you're perfect, you're exactly doing what God intended you to do. So Ephesians chapter 4 and 13. Till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the statue of Jesus. Jesus is describing mature love. The Father loves perfectly because the Father is whole. He is whole. He's not divided. God is not selective in that sense, he's not reactionary. I often wonder if God was a man, he'd be totally confused. Right now in the BVI, we need a whole lot of rain. If a whole lot of rain would come, people would fuss. True. You are here asking for one thing, somebody somewhere else or in the same place is asking for something else, and God is totally cool and collective because God is God. He is not deterred nor disturbed by all these opposing requests. Because at the end of the day, God does what God does. Watch this. As we grow in Christ, I want to break this down as we close. In a way that we understand and we leave here very clear. It's not a shouting sermon, it's one that provokes our hearts and our thoughts. I want you to notice very keenly where Jesus places this whole command of perfection. Watch where he puts it. He doesn't put it or place it after discussing prayer. No. Because he discussed prayer earlier and he didn't say nothing about it. Not after discussing fasting, he did that. Talk a whole lot about fasting, but he never said anything about this. Not even after discussing worship. Notice where Jesus puts perfection. Notice where he commands us. Notice where it where it fits. Immediately after loving your enemies, he says, be perfect, therefore. Wow. There is a reason. The question is why? And I'm glad you asked. It's because, watch this. It's not a fancy answer, but it gets to the heart of why. Because nothing demonstrates spiritual maturity more than clearly loving people who cannot repay you. Anyone can love their friends, only transformed people can love their enemies. So ultimately, this passage points to Jesus Christ Himself, the anointed one, Yeshua. Jesus practiced every command that he preached, he prayed for his executors. He forgave those who mocked him. He died for sinners, you and me, while we still hated him. The cross is not simply the example of enemy love, it is actually the source of it. We cannot love this way until we have first experienced the love of God. So here is the end and the crux of the matter. Unless and until you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can't love like this. You cannot fake it. One of the testimonies I have among my friends, those who know me closely. And I do not say this to boast. They often tell me, even people that don't necessarily like me, what I like about you is your consistency. You always seem to have this glow about you, this joy about you. Now a lot of us are trying to do to be. No fan fear. And simply say, God, I'm your child. I'm trying to do what's right. But I'm the one that's targeted. I'm hated, betrayed, lied on. And I don't understand. But today I pledged that I will follow your orders. I will love my enemies. Not because I can, but because you can. I will pray for those who misuse me, who abuse me. I will wish them well. I'll go out of my way to make sure they are well. I thank you for this kind of love. Because that's the same love that drew me to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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