The Love That Makes Enemies

About this sermon

As Christians we are commanded to love our enemies. We know this. The Bible is clear about this. And we know what a challenge that is. We are often reminded and challenged to respond rightly to those who mistreat us. What me might not think about as often is why we might have fewer enemies than we should. It is true that we must love our enemies, but it is also true that we must love enough to make some. OUR LOVE IS FAILING THE TEST IF WE DON’T LOVE OUR ENEMIES. BUT OUR LOVE IS ALSO FAILING THE TEST IF WE REFUSE TO LOVE PEOPLE IN WAYS THAT WOULD MAKE IT HARD FOR US. IF WE ARE CHOOSING, IN THE INTEREST OF SELF-PRESERVATION, TO AVOID THE DIFFICULT INTERACTIONS THAT LOVE WILL SOMETIMES REQUIRE. Prov. 27:6 Faithful are dthe wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. Paul, the apostle, is a model for us of faithful love. The love on display in our passage is the love of God. It is the love of Christ, the Chief Shepherd. It is the love of salvation. It is the love of the new nature. It is the love of the truth. The love of God, that is so often misunderstood and distorted, is a love that has standards. 1 Corinthians 13:6 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. God’s love doesn’t embrace everything. True love doesn’t embrace error, or wrongdoing. True love is discriminating love, it is discerning love, and therefore it is also a rescuing love. GOD’S LOVE GENUINELY CARES FOR THE SOULS OF OTHERS. It is, therefore, WILLING to express that care in all the ways that the Bible would require. Sometimes faithful love is expressed only in prayer. But sometimes that care will be expressed in a humble, self-examining, sincere, confrontation. LET’S BE CLEAR. IT’S NOT CONFRONTATION THAT MAKES IT LOVE. ALL CONFRONTATION IS NOT LOVING. There is a kind of confrontation that characterizes self-loving people. There is a kind of confrontation that is driven by self-interest, self-protection, self-defense, self-exaltation. BUT TRUE LOVE DOESN’T AVOID ALL CONFRONTATION EITHER. But there is a kind of confrontation that self-loving people AVOID, BUT GOD-LOVING PEOPLE MUST EMBRACE. This is when our love is tested. Will we love someone in a way that risks making an enemy? And it’s this kind of love that we often see in the apostle Paul, and that we see in this text. Paul is rescuing a people from false teachers. This has required a strong confrontation of the people being misled. PAUL HAS NOT JUST CONFRONTED THE FALSE DOCTRINE HE HAS NOT JUST EXPOSED THE FALSE TEACHERS HE IS PLEADING WITH THE PEOPLE BEING LED ASTRAY In this letter you see, both, correction and APPEAL. Paul brings every influence to bear upon the minds and the hearts of these people because he understands the grave nature of the error that assaults them. And there is clear evidence in this letter, that Paul’s approach has not PLEASED EVERYONE. There is clear evidence that some have distanced themselves from Paul in the process. And as we think about Paul’s love for the Galatians, I want us to examine ourselves from both points of view in that process. FROM THE STANDPOINT OF PAUL’S ACTIVITY Do we love enough to make enemies by telling the truth? Is love what motivates our telling of the truth? FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE GALATIANS This examination is just as crucial. Do we love those who are truly loving us?

Topics

• Love & Compassion