We're going to be looking at Matthew Chapter 5

v. 43 through 48s.

You have heard that it was said you shall love your neighbor and hit your enemy.

But I say to you, love your enemies,

and pray for those who persecute you,

in order that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven.

For he causes his son to rise on the evil and the good,

and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

For, if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even

the tax gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even

the Gentiles do the same? Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.

We're going to spend at least two weeks on this text because I think it needs to be dealt with in great particularity.

We need to ask who are our enemies and I asked my young son Barnabas this morning who's your

enemy he said I don't have any of these.

So this text doesn't have anything to do with you?

He said, well, you just listen carefully.

But next Sunday I will try to answer that question,

who are your enemies? I suggested during the welcome, sometimes our children, feel like our enemies.

This text relates to everybody, even if you don't feel like you have enemies.

But next week we try to get into the nitty gritty, who are they? What does love look like to an enemy?

Different kinds of enemies get loved in the same way. It's not an easy question. But the bigger question, there's some things in this

text about how you get the strength to do that and whether you do that before certain

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