The Sermon on the Mount by Jesus focuses on man’s heart. It is the heart that matters to God. Another important thing Jesus addresses is self-deception. Jesus concludes his sermon as he admonishes his followers warning against self-deception. Those that practice self-deception fail to live in obedience to Christ and lack good fruit. Disobedience is the natural man’s practice that produces bad fruit.

What is biblical obedience and the benefits that bear fruit in the believer’s life? What biblical obedience is not is mere talk and claiming, which is disobedience. Those in verse 46 that call Jesus “Lord, Lord” fall into this category of seemingly Christian, but having lived a life of disobedience. In the immediate context, Jesus is speaking in the present tense, which indicates some that were in the crowd fell into this category. The Bible often tells of hypocrites and self-deceived people that are close to Christ in knowledge, but not truly knowing and believe in Christ (1 Jn. 2:19).

Anyone can fall into self-deception. Some of the ways people can fall are as follows.

• Those that refuse to practice self-examination, especially meditation through the Word and the Spirit
• Busybodies due to many activities
  • Keeping ourselves occupied in so many good works is not an indicator of being saved
  • Some balance out good works versus living a worldly life
• Look down on some scriptural principles
  • Example: culture pressing down on the church to prevent certain topics of discussion and at worst softening the gospel message
• Dealing with the Lord with lesser importance
  • God desires the believer’s heart. Whatever else we try to offer (often considered our best in our own eyes) is not what God truly wants.
  • How do we know we have given heart to the Lord? Matt. 22:37

Those that are not self-deceived possess genuine faith which produces obedience. The obedient man demonstrates their action based on the Word. And the start of an obedient life hinges on true repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. What Jesus implies in the text is that everyone builds their house (i.e., building their religious life), and by digging deeper implying true repentance (Luke 13:8). It is by repentance we believe and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, without repentance, obedience is not possible. This is the only way to avoid becoming like those that say, “Lord, Lord” whom Jesus never knew when divine judgment comes.

The rain and flood will come to all; that is, death and God’s divine judgment. The only thing that will allow one to stand and fall is if one possesses genuine faith or if one remains in unbelief. The illustration given by Jesus paints a stark contrast between believers and unbelievers. Believers have built their life on the solid foundation of Christ that will withstand the flood of death and judgment. Whereas unbelievers have self-deceivingly built their life on no foundation that will come to ruin at the flood of death and judgment.

As death and judgment come to both the obedient and disobedient, the only flood insurance anyone needs is obedience brought by true repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We live in some strange times. The good times we experienced just a few years ago are gone due to Covid-19. I believe we are living in the end times, meaning ever since Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, we have been living in the end times. One sign of the end times is found in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, where many will fall away from the faith and follow the teachings of demons through false teachers. We see this happening now. Many false teachers attract people with a shiny superficial gospel. Their end is the dark pit and they have no hope.

In Luke 6, Jesus continues to reveal the truth about false teachers. He begins to address their character. A person’s character matters and one is able to identify a false teacher by their character. Jesus knew that false teachers would be a constant threat to the true church so he warns us of false teachers. Jesus says that a false teacher is a hypocrite and wicked. No matter how hard they try, they cannot hide who they are.

Firstly, false teachers are hypocrites. Jesus calls them hypocrites who have a log in their own eye trying to take a speck out of another’s. Imagine having a large beam of wood in your eye while pretending you are fine. How ridiculous it is, yet that is what false teachers are. A hypocrite is an actor, someone who has two faces. They are living under a feigned character. Alexander Souter says a hypocrite is one who “outwardly plays the part of a religious man to perfection, but is inwardly alien to the spirit of true religion”. The false teachers, the Pharisees were full of self-righteousness with no sign of repentance (Luke 18:11-12). The log in their eye is their remaining guilt and worldly desires, blinding them to their own sin. A true believer would repent humbly, ashamed before Holy God, crying out for mercy (Luke 18:13).

Hypocrisy is not only full of self-righteousness but also self-deception. The hypocrite creates their own reality where even though they are wrong, they think they are right. In Matthew 7:22, the crowd thought they knew Jesus and thought they did many great things in Jesus’ name but they are deceived. Jesus doesn’t know them at all. They think that their dramatic faith healings and flashy performances bring them near to Christ. They will defend their experiences vehemently. Yet they are dead wrong.

Hypocritical false teachers are also man-pleasers. They say what people want to hear. They prey like wolves on those who want to hear a soft truth (2 Tim 4:3). That’s what Jesus means by the speck. The false teacher will tell you about a small little problem you have to not offend you. Soft truth makes hearts hard but hard truth makes soft hearts.

Also never listen to a preacher that claims God told them audibly or directly. The Bible is sufficient and all that God has wanted to say is written in it (Jeremiah 14:14). “If private revelation agrees with scriptures, they are needless; and if they disagree, they are false.” – John Owen.

We cannot measure the godliness of a man based on signs and wonders because we are not saved by miracles. A sinner is saved only by the hearing of the gospel (Romans 10:17). False teachers will focus on presentation and neglect the weighty doctrines (Matthew 23:23). The people need to hear of sin, hell, and repentance for there to be significance of His love on the cross and the hope of resurrection. Kenneth Copeland and Steve Furtick spit lies about Jesus and their churches are huge and wealthy, but they are not saved.

False teachers have wicked character and bear bad fruit. Jesus says a bad tree cannot produce bad fruit. “For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.” A true believer would be humble, righteous, and sacrificial like the Beatitudes. They would bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But the false teachers are known by their fruit. They are worldly, they seek fame and fortune. They cannot bear Biblical fruit no matter how hard they try or how much they try to pretend because they are not truly saved.

Ultimately, God is the one who knows you by your fruit and will judge you by what you bear. Jesus in the end will say to all hypocrites, ‘I never knew you’ (Matthew 7:23). The question is, what fruit do you bear? You should know what sort of tree you are by your fruit. Are you a good tree which bears good fruit? Are you truly saved by God’s grace and sincerely obey His word or are you falsely being religious? Don’t expect your false deeds to stand up in the final court (Rev 20:10).

The false teacher nor their followers are actually saved, yet they pretend they are. They are evil, their hearts are evil and they treasure what is evil (Genesis 6:5). This is all they can be because they are not regenerate. This is an extreme danger to the true church (Matthew 7:15). False teachings like CRT are invading good churches and causing disunity, disruption, distraction, and harm against brothers and sisters. The only defense we have is God’s word. We must cling to the Bible. All believers must emulate the Bereans, be noble-minded and search the Scriptures to test what we hear and learn. Then we can prevent ourselves from being hypocrites and we protect ourselves and our churches from false teachers and their wickedness.

It is the true gospel of Jesus Christ versus all other false gospels that all of us face in this world.  And it is the false teacher that leads people to hell by preaching and teaching a false gospel. The late great theologian, Francis Schaeffer, succinctly stated the reality of this spiritual warfare as follows:

“Make no mistake. We as Bible-believing evangelical Christians are locked in a battle. This is not a friendly gentleman’s discussion. It is a life and death conflict between the spiritual hosts of wickedness and those who claim the name of Christ. It is a conflict on the level of ideas between two fundamentally opposed views of truth and reality.”

Today’s passage shows that every student, after being fully trained, will be like their teachers and teach a fatalistic gospel. Countless times we see warnings of this is Scripture. Hosea echoes the same truth (4:9). Apostle Paul’s example prior to believing having been under Gamaliel echoed the teachings of Judaism before becoming a Christian. There is a myriad of examples in today’s false religions such as Mormonism that teach about Jesus and other biblical terms but falsely.

False teachers that preach Jesus present a false Jesus. But those that truly follow the biblical Jesus will demonstrate “righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil. 3:9b) and “whatever is true, what is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable” (Phil. 4:8). Therefore, we need to ask who our teacher is. Is it the Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit himself (Gal. 1:11-12)? Is the gospel what transforms and continues to be the central teaching or is it something else? Who do you look up to everyday? The Jesus of the Bible or a false Jesus presented by false teachers?

Jesus warns believers not to be misled by false teachers. If the Lord himself has not called or sent them, they will teach falsehood in God’s name by the deception of their own minds (Jer. 14:14). Today, there are many false teachers, and they all have one thing in common: self-interest.

How can we identify false teachers? False teachers can be put into the following categories and these signs should warn the believer: heretics/cults, charlatan, prophets (modern day self-proclaimed), abuser, ear-tickler (Jer. 6:14), speculator (try to decode the Bible), new age politician, and more.

In order to grow in our love, faith, and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, it is imperative to master the word of God through careful study and meditation, possess a discerning ear, and risk our lives for the sake of truth no matter the cost.

Church history and history, in general, is a very important topic. One reason is that history repeats itself, as we’re seeing that happen in real-time in the decline of politics in the United States. One of the signs that happen near the end of a nation is high taxes. Another sign of troubled times is the prolific spread of false teaching. When things go bad, the people look for answers and that’s when false teachers prey on the weak (Matthew 24:3-4). Unfortunately, false teachers are not easy to spot and intermingle among the faithful. On the outside, they may look faithful, yet behind those false teachers, Satan is there (1 Peter 5:8). We must be careful.

When talking about false teachers, Jesus spoke in a parable. Speaking in parables was prophesied of the Messiah (Psalm 78:2, Matthew 13:3). The target audience of parables is not the unbelievers but the Christian (Mark 4:11). Parables are more than just stories but Jesus placed the power and purpose of God in them. Whenever Jesus tells a parable, He is revealing something new and revelatory. The parable of the blind is specifically about false teachers and He wants us to identify them.

There are 4 characteristics of false teachers. Blind, fatally misleading (worldly), pretenders or hypocrites and lastly they are nice on the outside but wicked on the inside. The first attribute ‘blind’ means they cannot see. Spiritually speaking they cannot see even what a normal Christian can see about God, Jesus, the gospel, and the Bible. They pretend they can but in reality, cannot see anything.

Who are the false teachers? In the immediate context of Jesus’ sermon, it is the Pharisees and Scribes. To the public, the Pharisees appeared to be very righteous and wise with their long prayers and strict customs. But Jesus reveals their true state of blindness. They don’t know the true meaning and purpose of the Law and Prophets. Jesus on the other hand, came to continue and fulfill the Old Testament while the Pharisees replaced and superseded it with their oral law and tradition (Matthew 5:17-20), Mt 15:1-2, 14). If they could see the Law, then they would have embraced Jesus, the author, and fulfiller of it.

An example of their blindness is their reaction to Jesus’ birth. When the Magi came and asked where the new king was born, the Pharisees knew it was in Bethlehem because that’s what the Bible said about the Messiah’s birthplace. Even though the Magi had traveled great distances and were excited to worship the Messiah, they showed no interest. They had the knowledge but could not understand or apply the significance of Jesus’ birth. Even years later, they saw countless miracles done by Jesus and even saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead yet they still denied and rejected Him (John 21:25, John 11:45-46). This is why Jesus calls them the blind. They are sons of Satan and Satan has covered their eyes with lies and the light of the gospel is hidden from them (John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4). They cannot see who Jesus is, the Messiah.

What did the Pharisees fail to see?

• Jesus is the messiah based on numerous prophecies.
• Jesus must be resurrected (Psalm 16:8-11)
• Jesus is the Son of God (Psalm 2:7)
• Jesus will be a prophet like Moses, bringing God’s word and performing miracle (Acts 7:38)
• Jesus will die to save sinners. (Isaiah 53:5)
• The Messiah will be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14)
• The Messiah will perform many miracles, specifically healing the sick (Isaiah 35:5-6)

To put it plainly, the spiritually blind cannot see or accept Jesus as the Messiah, Lord and Savior. They reject Jesus. This is the problem of every religion and false sect of Christianity. Some religions even think Jesus is a god, a good teacher, enlightened and even sent from God but they do not acknowledge Jesus as the true God, creator of all things, incarnate and only Savior and Lord above all creation (Colossian 3:15-17). Unless your Jesus is first in everything then your Jesus is false and fake. That is not the true Christ! You are blind. Did you receive Christ Jesus the Lord? (Colossians 2:6) You must see Jesus rightly in everything you are being deceived.

Also, the spiritual blind cannot see the kingdom of God meaning the blind do see Jesus as King (Luke 17:20-21). Jesus says, ‘Do not worry but seek first the kingdom of God’ (Matthew 6:31-33). The true Christian realizes the kingdom of God is real. So when you are worried or anxious, seek the kingdom of God. It is real and the true King is there.

The blind cannot obey God’s word. They might know it, and they might even be an expert on the Bible. The difference is that they have no desire or the ability to obey (1 Corinthians 2:14). Their knowledge is shallow. I must tell you, the most dangerous false teacher is yourself. Self-help and self-righteousness will blind you to Jesus. We were also blind because of our sinful self but Jesus saved us with his selfless sacrifice.

In conclusion, Jesus says, the blind leading the blind will fall into the pit. The false teachers and their followers will end up in hell (Rev 20:10 ). Their life on earth may be great but they will have a tragic fate under the final judgment. For those who follow Jesus, though their life on earth may be miserable and full of hardship, their end will be glorious. Like the thief who repented on the cross, the believer will be with Jesus in paradise. So remember the blind beggar Bartimaeus, who saw many rich and powerful men on the side of the road to Jericho. None of them could truly help him. But when he heard Jesus coming, he cried out desperately for mercy and asked Jesus to give him sight. We must also cry out to Jesus to receive mercy and sight.

Kingdom people are marked by love from their King, Jesus Christ. Another mark of a God’s kingdom people is mercy as the Father in heaven is merciful. Jesus exemplified the essence of true love when dealing with the enemy (Jn. 8:4, 10-11) and mercy when he did not condemn sinners but offered the good news of forgiveness.

In today’s passage, Jesus commands his kingdom people to forgive (i.e., pardon) and give. In the Greek context, the word pardon often referred to when someone was discharged from service in the military, released from prison, etc. In other words, the word referred to a person being set free. And in general, the word pardon is used governmentally to bet set free from the consequences of their guilt, whereas the word forgive is related to something more personal. Despite the minor difference, they can and are used interchangeably often in Scripture.

The Lord gives six reasons why we must forgive as kingdom people.

• Jesus’ imperative to always be ready and find any reason to forgive on all occasions.
  • Forgiveness is an all-encompassing part of the Christian life. To be Christian is to forgive.
  • Matt. 18:21-22; in the Greco-Roman world at the time, forgiveness was associated to being weak. But Jesus commands his disciples to forgive unlimitedly as this becomes a part of our innate heart after conversion. The ability to forgive others, even in the direst of circumstances, is due to the divine heart given by God to us.
• Forgiveness is a salvation issue.
  • Those that personally taste the gospel of Jesus Christ continue to hunger and thirst after it. Consequently, the person that has tasted the gospel refuses to deny forgiveness to any no matter what kind of hurt and wrong they have done.
  • It is our realization that we are a vile wretch to whom God owes nothing but still graciously forgives, which propels us to forgive no matter the person and reason.
• If we are not forgiving, God has not forgiven us.
  • Matt. 6:14-15
  • Forgiveness is important and ongoing, but we must remember it also must be done immediately.
  • There are many different forms of an unforgiving heart: retaliation, indifference, alienation, etc.
• If we are not forgiving, we are unfit for worship.
  • For the unforgiving person, God does not receive their worship. Their body might be present, but their worship is empty before the eyes of the Lord.
  • Matt. 5:22-24
  • Proper understanding of worship helps the believer to prepare prior to gathering, especially questioning whether or not we have not forgiven a brother or a neighbor or have not requested others to forgive us.
• Forgiveness pertaining to trial or temptation will end in a different blessing or curse.
  • Forgiveness in trial as you are determined to forgive will bring blessing despite possible suffering. However, if we hold onto an unforgiving heart, we will be tempted to be in sin.
• A church that practices ongoing forgiveness, it is alive and active. God wants to be known as the One that forgives.
  • We, too, should desire to be known as s forgiven and forgiving person as this reflects true Christianity. In essence, forgiveness exemplifies the gospel.

Not only are kingdom people called to forgive, but also to give as God will give also accordingly. There is no such thing as a stingy Christian as Christ is our resource who has not limits. Jesus commands Christians to give because Christianity is a surplus religion. Jesus is the greatest Giver. He did not hold back anything. As we are to be like Christ, we are also to be givers. Jesus became poor for our sake and gives the riches of heaven, which belongs to him, to his kingdom people (2 Cor. 8:7). Having Jesus’ riches and unlimited resource we are to unceasingly give.

Money is not the only means to give. We have countless other ways to give through prayer, love, passion, diligence, time, and knowledge, to name a few. Christians are called to give freely and in secret. There is no heavenly blessing and reward when we seek earthly recognition. God rewards those that give within their ability, generously, per their personal conviction, and a cheerful heart.

We can also improve our giving if we consider that we are God’s stewards of what he has given to us. We must also understand God’s perspective on giving. If we know what pleases God, we know what to do (Acts 20:35; 2 Cor. 9:7). Moreover, we must understand kingdom economy (v 38).

From our words to our actions, this is what God’s mercy is all about and what Jesus meant when giving these commands to the church. And even those outside, they will recognize the church of Christ that is merciful in forgiving and giving! Let’s strive to build Christ’s church this way!

In Luke chapter 6, we have been learning that we are kingdom people who pass by this life, whose true home is heaven. We also know our real king is Jesus Christ and we live according to His laws, such as love your enemies (Luke 6:27-28). These kingdom ethics are not for our future lives in our future home but what is commanded of us today and every day continually.

In verse 37, Jesus says ‘Do not judge’ as He extends the principle of mercy in verse 36, ‘Be merciful just as your Father is merciful’. We’ve heard many times while sharing the gospel, unbelievers use this phrase in their defense of their sins. They claim that we cannot call them sinners and tell them to repent because the Bible says for Christians not to judge. Instead they claim, Christians should love unconditionally and ‘turn the other cheek’. Their use of this passage is wicked as they try to take advantage of Christian compassion.

It is true though, Christians are to be merciful and not judge. This means they don’t take revenge when they are wronged. It’s one of the reasons Christians are often attacked. The public is fearful of attacking Muslims because Muslims could potentially retaliate with violence. But Christians, by the power of Jesus, withhold judgement and forgive instead. Forgiveness is the brilliance and glory of God’s mercy. It is neither simple nor easy to forgive, but instead of revenge, the believer practices God’s mercy towards one another and others.

‘Do not judge’ means we must not be judgemental. Subjectively the word ‘judgemental’ is not a positive term, however, objectively we make decisions or judgements every day. We have to determine what is right or wrong, what is good or bad. Jesus allows good judgements such as righteous judgement instead of judging by appearance (John 7:24, John 10:38). In a righteous judgement, Jesus even condemned the Pharisees (Matthew 23:18). The whole Bible itself is called the ‘Canon of Scripture’ which means it is the book by which we measure truth, in other words it is a judging book. Christians must discern truth and make righteous decisions in every thing that they do.

So what does Jesus mean by ‘Do not judge.’? It does not mean we cannot have an opinion or discernment of truth. That means we would have nothing to say about anything. We would be powerless against sin, but Jesus clearly says we must confront sin (Matthew 18:15). Based on the context of the mercy, Jesus is saying our judgement must not be cruel, heartless, angry or unfair. For example, unfair judgement is being harsh on others but gentle on yourself, showing favoritism instead of fairness (Matthew 7:3).

Types of Judging To Avoid Wrongful judgement: this can happen when you do not have enough information and you are quick to judge. This is also happening a lot more in our society with sensationalism dominating our media and social networks. People are coming to outrageous and inflammatory conclusions based on headlines and small pieces of evidence. The Salem witch hunt is a tragic example of wrongful judgement based on fabricated stories of children. Erwin Lutzer rightly comments, “If they are angry or savor a critical spirit, they will be likely to jump to conclusions”. Jesus says this is wrong but the Christian should be patient and seek for the truth.

Self righteous judgement is also wrong. Thinking you are better than others is wrong. Jesus never sinned and healed so many people, yet the Pharisees judged Jesus to be a servant of Satan because they had their own standard and judged wrongly according to their own self righteousness (Matthew 12:24). In Luke 18:10-12, again the Pharisee judges himself wrongly and remains unforgiven. Martyn Lloyd Jones says the spirit of sinful judgement is a self righteous spirit. The self righteous hold others in contempt because they think they are not like them. To avoid self righteousness you must practice honest self examination by looking at the 10 commandments and the gospel. We must realize it is far easier to point out the sins in others than in ourselves.

Foolish judgement is when we judge what we cannot know. We must judge sinful and wrong teachings, however we must not and cannot judge their motives. If we judge someone’s motives then it leads to condemning them. God judges the heart. It is impossible for men because we cannot truly look into a man’s heart and therefore cannot judge accurately. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says we must wait until God ‘brings to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts’.

We also must be careful of making non-essential judgements. There are some judgments that are essential and of great importance. However not all issues have the same weight. In the church there are so many arguments and criticism over non essential issues. For example, singing style, what to eat, how to dress or certain minor theologies.(Romans 14:1,4). Instead we should seek God’s wisdom (James 1:5) and not cause division over non-essential matters.

If you practice unrighteous judgment towards someone it eventually leads to condemning them. Jesus follows “do not judge” with “do not condemn”. To condemn means to deliver sentence. Both judgement and sentencing belong to God. We can discern what is wrong or right according to the Word, but if you judge and condemn, then we withhold forgiveness. This is opposite of the gospel we are commissioned to share (Luke 9:54-55).

One way we often condemn the unregenerate is to give up on them. We say that a certain person has no hope. We’ve tried but they haven’t responded to the gospel. So we treat them differently and leave them to their sin. This is sinful judgement. Until someone dies we cannot condemn them. In Christ there is always hope for the sinner. Remember the dying thief on the cross.

Conclusion

Jesus says those who judge and condemn will be judged and condemned by Him. Matthew 23:37-38 the Pharisees judged and condemned Jesus but ultimately they were the ones judged and condemned by Him. A wrongful judgement of Christ and an unrepentant heart let do the downfall of Pilate and the city of Jerusalem (Matthew 27:25). Today, we must learn to be wise and make righteous judgements. Our church should be built on the practice of kindness and mercy. Our church specifically has been accused of being unloving or judgmental in the past. A few have left our church for that very reason. Their accusation may not have been fully accurate but it must cause us to reflect and meditate on our thoughts and actions. Let’s be quick to repent and receive guidance according to what Jesus says in Luke 6.

Christians who have realized their spiritual bankruptcy are God’s kingdom people. As kingdom citizens, we are commanded to love our enemies. In today’s passage, Jesus shows his disciples how to love our enemies. For clarification, there are plenty of circumstances where we must fight and defend ourselves against our enemies (home intrusion, war, etc.). But our Lord commands Christians to love our enemies actively to follow how God loves his enemies (v 27-28).

Christians are distinct from the world in how they love their enemies. The unique duty to love our enemies commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ. Loving the enemy is not for everybody. The ability to do such a thing is granted by God after becoming a Christian.

Jesus gives three illustrations how the world loves and how Christians are to be different in how they love.

32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

The sinner has no desire nor the capacity to obey the Lord (1 Cor. 2:14). Second, unbelievers express their love in two ways, eros (erotic/passionate love) and philia (friendly/brotherly), which falls short of agape love (goodwill, benevolence, and willful delight in the object of love) that can only be given by God.

Stark contrast between Christians and unbelievers is their spirit. Christians’ spirits are made alive to God. In spirit, we are able to love the way he loves. Unbelievers view everything externally, but Christians look at the heart as the Lord does (Matt. 5:27-28). In addition, the Christians love positively and other-worldly. This causes unbelievers to wonder what kind of love it is. As the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer’s heart, he causes them to be different. The Spirit cannot help it. This supernatural transformation is the work of God. We must ask ourselves if we go with the flow of the world or against it. This shows where our love and allegiance lie.

Moreover, it is worthy of loving our enemies (v 35). Loving our enemies is worthwhile because our reward will be great in heaven. The Lord says our reward in the future tense but more importantly it implies that it is guaranteed. It is a good fight for Christians to love their enemies. The Lord knows this and rewards us for this work we do here on earth.

Another worthwhile truth is that we will be sons of the Most High God. God himself is kind to the ungrateful and evil men. One way God demonstrates this truth is common grace. In the same way, as children of God, we are to also be kind to our enemies. If this is not found to be true, we have a different Father. “The driving force of our life must be agape love. We must check our motive. If we’re driven by anything else, we are nothing” (John MacArthur).

Lastly, the most important matter in loving our enemy is to be merciful as our Father is merciful (v 36). What is mercy? God doesn’t give to us what we deserve. Difference between grace is that God gives to us what we don’t deserve. To be merciful in this passage is in the imperative (ongoing). Christians are chosen by God to love. This is worthwhile and it matters because it is a direct command from our Lord who also demonstrates this kind of love faithfully each passing day.

Jesus has been teaching three major characteristics of kingdom people. Faithfulness in every circumstance, humility to serve men and endure suffering, and lastly, loving your enemies. We will continue to expand on what it is to love your enemies.

“Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also.” How should we interpret or react to this principle from Jesus? Is it literal? If taken literally, many would react confused or upset. Some take this as Jesus’ command for pacifism, like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr did. Even some Christians have taken Jesus’ words to the extreme and refuse to defend themselves or others. This passage is not taken to be as pacifism because God is not a pacifist (Romans 13:4). God allows justice to happen through the government and other legal means. The police should not be pacifists and Christian policemen should most certainly uphold and defend the law.

So this command is not literal and it is not for all circumstances. The point of this passage, based on the context, is love. Love which is beyond reason. You must be willing to endure all sorts of suffering for the sake of love. 1 Corinthians 13:7. In John 18:22-23, Jesus was struck and he explained that what the guard did was illegal. Apostle Paul did the same thing. They did not turn the other cheek but they did show love. Ultimately Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of those who murdered Him (Luke 23:34).

Only Christians possess the living Holy Spirit and can respond like Jesus did (1 Corinthians 2:12-13). Instead of retaliating, the Christian forgives. The Christian realizes that as a sinful and finite creature they are in no position to judge rightly and retaliate properly. Vengeance belongs to God because He is the perfect judge (Romans 12:19). Any vengeance taken by us would be partial and biased. We must leave it to the righteous Judge.

We also turn our cheek because our war is not against flesh and blood but it is spiritual warfare where the Holy Spirit convicts the hearts of our enemies. In Luke 23:48, we see the reaction of the people beating their breasts after seeing the manner in which Jesus died. Just earlier that day they were chanting for His crucifixion and mocking Him. This is how the Christian fights the spiritual war.

Lastly, it says in 1 Corinthians 13:7 love bears all things. The word ‘bears’ means ‘covers’. By love sin can be covered, sin can be extinguished, made powerless, or overcome. A wonderful example: Corrie Ten Boom, a holocaust survivor, met with a former Nazi soldier and instead of denouncing and demanding retribution, she forgave and shared the gospel. This is the love of God that can cover any sin.

As a side note, some people might ask if self-defense is biblical. The short answer is yes but it is case by case and requires wisdom and personal conviction.

Luke 6:29 ‘whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.’ Jesus is showing that love is kind. The phrase ‘takes away’ implies a robbery. In ancient times, the coat was very important and there is even a law in the Old Testament that says when you borrow a coat you have to return it before sunset. This is because the coat was used as a blanket to sleep as well. But here, Jesus says to even give the inner garment, the shirt. When you love, you are ready to give and help others sacrificially. This principle continues in Luke 6:30. Love is giving without asking in return. Love helps those who are in need. It doesn’t evaluate whether the recipient deserves help or whether the help is going to be worth it. Simply, love is kind. When we are kind in this way, we are able to look beyond past wrongs, past hurts and past sins and help our enemies. This love is our testimony and witness of the gospel by which we are saved.

Luke 6:31 Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” The famous Golden Rule. Jesus affirms what God said thousands of years prior (Leviticus 19:18). Other religions and the world have copied or mimicked the golden rule. They also misuse the Golden Rule to further their anti-Bible and anti-Christian agendas. The Golden Rule is not what God calls it rule but has only been named by men. This rule is not above the rest of the Bible and it does not revise or cancel other commands in the Word of God. It is part of what Jesus has been continually explaining as loving your enemies.

How is the believer able to practice the Golden Rule? The first application would be to deny yourself. Those who think about themselves cannot practice love. How can they love others when they want things for themselves. Love begins with a self-denial. Self-denial comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is not just truth but also power (1 Thessalonians 1:5). It is more than information, it is God’s revelation. A Christian does not believe because he has an intellectual understanding of the Bible but because Holy God has revealed Himself to the sinner and by the power of the Holy Spirit they believe and are changed. A true belief in the gospel, true salvation is the key to self-denial. For in the gospel, we see the vileness of our sins and the love and grace of God given to us. We deny ourselves and receive the gift of Christ. Jesus died on the cross and so we too die. Dead to sin and alive to Christ. If we truly experience this in the gospel, then our prayers and songs are full of praise and love.

Loving our enemies is impossible for anyone but the true Christian. That is because it is unreasonable and irrational. It goes against the very sinful nature of men. Yet it is the joy and blessing of one saved by the love of Jesus Christ. We must ask if we truly love as we are called to love. If we are a church without love, then we are dead (Acts 2:47). We love our God, we love one another and we love the lost.

Introduction

Jesus encourages his kingdom people to act in love even in the midst of facing persecution as he exemplified. The immediate background of today’s passage is Christian persecution (v 22-26). Christians are not ordinary people as we possess the divine nature; that is, the Holy Spirit. As the Spirit dwells within them, they are given ears to hear and given a direct command from the Lord Jesus. Giving heed to the word of God leads to understanding and a life of obedience.

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you… (v 27)

A transformed heart that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit enables the Christian to love with a divine love that only God is able to give. It is this divine love Jesus speaks that allows Christians to practice. Jesus exemplified this love. The divine love we read in Scripture is known as agape love. God loves because he is true to his nature to love. As God’s kingdom people, we are to love in the same manner he loves; that is, we are to love everyone, but especially to the brethren (Gal. 6:10). God’s love unto both the righteous and unrighteous (Matt. 5:45). So, we too, must love all. God’s love is demonstrated ultimately on the cross when Jesus died for our sins.

Jesus is also speaking of a loving heart attitude. This is significant at that time because the Jewish traditions taught to love each other and hate their enemies. In stark contrast to the teachings of Judaism, Jesus was teaching the disciples to love their enemies. Jesus is consistent with what Scripture has always taught – to love everyone (Lev. 19:18).

Only the true Christian are able as they have been chosen to love as they are given the power through the Spirit. Only Christians are able to show the fruit of the Spirit. Prior to being saved, we only loved those who loved us. But given our new nature, we are no longer governed by flesh but by the Spirit. However, we might fail to love in this way when we are disobeying (Lk. 9:23). Without denying ourselves, we are unable to love. In addition, we must follow Christ daily in order to avoid failing to love our enemies.

What motivates us to love our enemies is that we know their spiritual condition. They are spiritually dead and blinded, living in darkness. By loving and sharing the gospel, Christians help the unbelievers think of their spiritual condition and seek salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus also recognized this (Lk. 23:24). And we pray for fervently that they repent and believe (v 47).

How are we able to love our enemies? By doing good to those that hate you (v 27). We are not to go against them, but to love them despite hating us. In other words, we do not retaliate whatsoever (Rom. 12:17-18; 20-21; 1 Pet. 2:23).

Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (v 28)

Here, Jesus s referring to blessing our enemies with our words in grace and love. Practical ways that can help when enemies say or do anything bad to us is not to take things personally and remembering we would be the same without the grace of God (Prov. 10:12; 1 Cor. 15:10).

Jesus also calls us to pray for those that mistreat us (v 28). Who we pray for demonstrates where our hearts lie. Do we only pray for those that we care about? We must be determined to love by praying for the enemy and their souls. It is never a waste of time to do this, and rather a blessing unto us. Those that pray for the lost understand the reality of spiritual warfare is present and Satan is behind persecution (Eph. 6:12). However, even in light of failing to love our enemies, do not be discourage or doubt your salvation, but realize we failed to be like our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 1:9).

Christian, remember to love and treasure our Lord’s words when face persecution and our enemies: “Blessed, are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers to treat their prophets” (v 22-23).

In His perfect wisdom, Jesus is helping his disciples through teaching them the Beatitudes. The first Beatitude, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’ is the essential and central blessing. The rest of the Beatitudes depend on being poor in spirit. We might ask “Why are Christians miserable when they are promised so many blessings?” It is because they fail to practice the first Beatitude and pursue  obedient sanctification (Matthew 7:24-28). Those who are poor in spirit are in the kingdom of God dwelling in the presence of the great and mighty king. They are truly blessed.

From Luke 6:24 the blessings turn into woes. Jesus goes from the positive to the negative. Being rich is not a sin but there are many who seek riches in the world instead of being rich in Christ. They use verses like 3 John 1:2 to justify their desires. This is wrong. The way Jesus declares woe here, it is not a possibility but a judgement. 

Luke 6:25bAfter the rich and well fed, Jesus says ‘Woe to you who laugh now’. Jesus doesn’t mean there should not be laughing or joy in the church. Jesus and God have a sense of humor and are full of smiles. Laughing is wonderful and can be a powerful aspect of life. Laughing can even be medicinal. God doesn’t disapprove of laughter, especially since He created it. 

Yet why does Jesus say woe to those who laugh? If we look at the other woes, its the rich and well fed, who are habitually and lavishly enjoying the world without concern for others (Luke 16:19). From this, we can draw the meaning of those who laugh, it is those who are excessively finding their joy and pleasure in worldly things. Jesus curses this laughter because He wants believers to rejoice in all circumstances, not just when it’s entertaining. He desires the believer to rejoice and have laughter in Him. Our laughter should not be in wealth or success or even at the misery of others. Our joy must be at all times in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is a big problem in the modern Church in America, which only rejoices when things are going well.

The ones who laugh and enjoy the world are cursed because they have given up their pilgrim mentality. We must realize this life is fleeting and we will enjoy the life to come. We cannot believe the lies of Joel Osteen who falsely preaches ‘your best life now’. The pitiful pursuit of trying to live and enjoy the now will eventually end up cursed (Colossian 3:1, 1 Peter 1:1, 1 Corinthians 15:19). The one who lives only for the present does not realize who Jesus is, that Jesus raises the dead, that Jesus is the hope. The fool will try to gain all things now instead of placing their joy and future in Jesus Christ. Particularly since most of the enjoyment and laughing comes as sin, when all is said and done, their enjoyment will be judged and condemned.

Jesus is the Bread of Life and He satisfies you full and completely (John 6:35). In contrast, when you look at the world, they are never satisfied. Even though there are so many things to do, they are bored. They always want something new. Look at the beautiful actors and actresses, why do they divorce even though they are rich and beautiful? It is because true satisfaction is found only in the Lord.

Death is not just the wage of sin, but sin is death and if you sin then you will no longer have a relationship with the living Lord. The sinner is condemned. Still, there are people who would rather laugh now and enjoy their sin. Romans 7:24 shows Apostle Paul who struggled against sin his whole life. We also sin, yet if we confess our sins, mourn and weep over our sinfulness, then we will be forgiven and have the joy of salvation (1 John 1:9). Jesus wept over our sin too (Matthew 23:37) It shows that salvation does not come through a light and cheerful way. We can know the content of the gospel but unless we mourn and repent we cannot be saved.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way. Luke 6:26 At first, this curse might seem to be in contradiction to 1 Peter 2:12. The context is different and Peter is addressing hypocrisy, while Jesus is talking about worldliness. There are many times when both Peter and Paul refused the praise of men in fear of taking the glory from God (Acts 10:26;14:14-15). As a bad example, some churches treat their pastor’s like a god, or like the pope, giving them honor only God deserves. Ironically, Jesus, the perfect Son of God was treated poorly by men. They insulted him, slandered him, questioned him, persecuted him and eventually hung him on the cross. The believer should be careful to not pursue better treatment than our Lord. Do not demand or think that you deserve better than Jesus. 

If you wish to be popular with the world then don’t teach sin and hell. If you say ‘yes’ to the world’s demands, ‘yes’ to social justice, ‘yes’ to critical race theory, ‘yes’ to universalism then people will say good things about you. Robert Schuller heretically says positive thinking is almost as important as the resurrection of Jesus. That is a dangerous and damning teaching but it is well received by the world. Compromising the Bible with the world will make you a friend of the world but an enemy of God. 

How to avoid being spoken well by the world? It’s simple. The Christian doesn’t have to go looking for trouble. Just don’t compromise Biblical truth and live by faith. Only by faith can we have a relationship with the Lord. If we abandon our faith, then we cut off ourselves from the Lord. So the righteous will live by faith and the world speaks ill of the righteous. We must be salt and light to preserve this dying world.

Finally, if you claim Jesus as the only way, then the world will hate you. The world loves the first part of John 14:6 but the moment you say ‘no one comes to the Father but through Me’, they hate you. The secular world wants a partial gospel or a softened gospel. They hate the true gospel but we must share it without compromise and boldly because only by the true gospel can they be saved. We will be scolded by the world. It is silly to expect their favor and it is not their favor that we seek. To preserve our own salvation and to bring others into it, we must remain true to Christ and His word.