Message for Sunday 30th September, 2018
Theme: Understanding and walking in the Love of God.
Topic: The Highest Demonstration of Love – Love your Enemies
Introduction: The importance of walking in love as we have seen so far in this month cannot be over emphasized. For instance, the success of our entire belief system from God rests on it because our faith can only work by it. Faith is really what we are about because Christianity is known as the faith. When the Lord came, He introduced a new angle to the laws and the prophets when He told the Jews to love their enemies. We are told in Jn.1:16-17 that even though the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament law taught the Jews about a God of judgment. They had not heard about a God of love, forgiveness and compassion. This is why they found the Lord’s teaching heretic in their opinion.
Who are our enemies?
In Mt.5:45-48, the Lord answers this question. While we wrestle not against flesh and blood, the spiritual host of darkness that are enemies of our souls have no legal right to operate on earth without the permission of men. Thus with the consent of men, they can become thorns on the flesh of the redeemed. Please understand that the arch enemy of your soul is actually your flesh because without the consent of your flesh, even the provocation of others would have no effect on you. Thus our enemies are:
1. Principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. We bind these and cast them out because they are devils and the Lord said to cast them out. Mk.16:17; Mt.10:8 and Acts 19:11-12
2. Our flesh – we crucify this. Jn.6:63; Rm.8:13; Gal.5:24.
3. People who persecute us: Love them
4. People who despitefully use us: love them
5. Those who curse you: love them
Can we Love our enemies? The answer to this question is yes if we are truly born again. As a matter of fact, one of the reason we know we are born again is that the new creation heart which we receive at new birth is designed to love. See Rm.5:5 and 1Jn.3:14. This nature is the nature of God and God loves everyone including the sinner. Before we got saved when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Then He went ahead to bless us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ with the hope that we would get saved and come and claim them. In some cases, the intercession of loved ones for their relatives deliver spiritual blessings to them even when they are still living in sin. See Eph.1:3, Rm.5:8.
Why can we love our enemies?
1. God commands us to. Mt.5:45-48
2. We have the nature of God as His children and just as God loves, we can love also.
3. It is the proof of perfection of our faith. The spirit of God in us constrains us to
4. The Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit in us.
How to love our enemies: Love is not love until it is demonstrated or shown. We are told in John 3:16 that God so loved the world that He gave. Thus if we love our enemies, it will show in our giving. The question is this, how do we show love to our enemies considering that this is an all new doctrine as far as the flesh is concerned. The following are ways we can show love to our enemies:
1. Forgive them: When we do this, we would be obeying God’s command to forgive those who offend us. As a matter of fact, the Lord said as we receive the Holy Spirit, whoever’s sin we remit, they are remitted and whoever’s sin we retain, they are retained. If we fail to forgive them, then we would not be gathering with the Lord. Do not forget that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. [1Tim.1:15 and Lk.19:10] When we forgive them, then God can and will forgive them and they could be saved. This explains the ease with which God was able to save Saul who later became Paul after Stephen forgave him. Also, if we do not forgive, we would reap the Unforgiveness of the one whose forgiveness we need the most and that is not good for anyone. When we obey God this way, we would receive the greater blessings of God and our prayers will also get speedy attention from God and answers. See Jas.1:22-25; Mk.11:24-26 KJV; Jn.20:22-23; Mt.6:14-15; and Acts 7:59-60.
2. Pray for them: What are we to pray for them? The Old Testament did not teach love, grace and forgiveness for our enemies. It says we are to love our neighbors and hate our enemies, but the Lord said we are to love our enemies because grace and truth came by Him. Jn.1:16-17. Therefore, we are to pray the following for our enemies:
• Forgiveness for them. This will make you not to hinder yourself.
• God’s blessings upon them. 1Jn.3:20-21. Praying for them blesses you because you will be doing the word of God thereby and it is the doer of the word that gets blessed.
3. Bless those who curse you: When people curse you, do not reply them with curses, rather bless them in return. If you find it difficult to respond, you are better off keeping quiet and uttering nothing. 1Pet.3:9-11
4. Do good to them: When people treat you badly, do good to them in return. Do not react badly to them. Prv.25:21-22 and Rm.12:18-21.
We shall draw the curtain here for today; meanwhile, let us understand that in the love walk, it is impossible to obey God without belonging to His family. To belong, we must get born again first; if you want to take that step right away, please say the following prayer out loud in faith and you will receive the seed of divine nature and be empowered to walk in love:
Heavenly Father,
Have mercy on me a sinner. Today, I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised Him from the dead for my Justification. I therefore declare that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Lord and from today, I renounce the fatherhood of Satan and embrace Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for this father in Jesus’ name! Amen.
Congratulations! For more information and resources that would help you grow in this new life, please visit our website at www.kingdomheirsministries.org and our blogs at www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com and follow us on twitter at alero_nanna and on face book on www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl www.facebook.com/khmii2015; www.facebook.com/thewellbeingcenter. Or www.facebook.com/kingdomjointheirsfamily email: jointheirsfamily@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment