Jesus Loves Haters
Matthew 5:43-46;Luke 9:51-56
Skip Heitzig
Matthew 5 (NKJV™) | |
43 | "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' |
44 | "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, |
45 | "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. |
46 | "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? |
Luke 9 (NKJV™) | |
51 | Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, |
52 | and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. |
53 | But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. |
54 | And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" |
55 | But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. |
56 | "For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village. |
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.
One of the worst things to ever hear or say are the words "I hate you." And since Jesus is the One who God sent to show love to the world, how He handled haters is significant. Today we will explore and hopefully apply two important lessons. Hatred can flow in two directions: hatred towards you and hatred from you. Jesus shows us what to do about both. Get ready by turning to two passages: Matthew 5 and Luke 9.
Jesus loves people—all people: prostitutes, drug addicts, abusers—and you. This profound truth is at the very heart of the gospel. Jesus loves the unlovable and touches the untouchable, and during His time on earth, He was compassionate and merciful toward people from all walks of life. What would it be like if you personally encountered Him? Join Pastor Skip Heitzig in this series to learn more about God's radical love for you and fall more in love with the living Savior.
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The term hater is a contemporary description of an aggressive personality type. Urban Dictionary defines it as one who cannot be happy for another's success; rather than be happy for others, haters make a point of exposing a person's flaws. Hatred is a serious issue. Paul listed it as one of the works of the flesh (see Galatians 5), and Leviticus 19 commands, "You shall not hate your brother in your heart" (v. 17). The word hate is mentioned in Scripture 183 times, taking on many forms: mockery, yelling, hurtful speech, persecution, avoiding, and shunning. In this message, we considered how to handle two basic forms of hatred: hatred towards you and hatred from you. The first kind will inevitably happen, but the second does not have to. The first is an occupational hazard, and the second is personal hypocrisy.
When hatred is directed at us, we are to respond with love. In Matthew 5:43-46, we read that there are those who will curse us, hate us, spitefully use us, and be enemies to us. Is there anyone like that in your life, even in your own household? Jesus warned that His followers would suffer persecution. He promised that we "will be hated by all for [His] name's sake" (Matthew 10:22). At the Last Supper, He told His disciples, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19). Being hated is one of our occupational hazards as Christians, since we do not share the values of the world. But rather than retaliate, we are to respond with love. Jesus said to "bless those who curse you" (Matthew 5:44). Proverbs 15:1 promises that "a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." We are also to "do good to those who hate [us]" (Matthew 5:44). Often, a strained relationship is relaxed when we send a gift. Proverbs 18:16 says, "A man's gift makes room for him." Never forget that we are to pray for our enemies. It is hard to keep someone on your hit list when you put them on your prayer list. They may not change their attitude toward you, but prayer will change your feelings toward them. Conversely, be warned that if you maintain anger, resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness, then the enemy on the inside will become greater than the enemy on the outside. How do you measure up as a Christian if these verses are the standard? Pick a person you would consider an enemy, and figure out how to bless them, do good to them, and pray for them.
Next, we are to represent the God of love. When we love haters, we show what family we belong to—like Father, like son and daughter (see Matthew 5:45). God Himself loves haters: "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Love gives you away by telling people that you are related to God. Jesus said, "By this [love] all will know that you are My disciples" (John 13:35).
However, if hatred does develop in us, we are to follow the instruction of Luke 9:51-56. This is both a humorous and a human story. James and John were two of Jesus' inner circle, yet they were haters of the Samaritan people. Rejecting Christ is sinful, yet it is more shameful and reprehensible to hate people for rejecting Christ. Thus, hateful speech should be met with rebuke (see Leviticus 19:17). These disciples had a good memory of Scripture but a bad motive. They had Scripture in their heads but no love in their hearts. Don't forget that attitude is more important than aptitude. Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it. Perhaps the most significant choice you make every day is your choice of attitude. Which trusted person have you given permission to rebuke your words, check your attitude, and challenge your prejudices?
Furthermore, our prejudice must be surrendered (see Luke 9:56). The prejudice of the disciples blinded them to God's purpose to save the Samaritans rather than destroy them. God is "longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God's purposes for people always trump our prejudices. Years later, the church sent Peter and John to preach the gospel in Samaria (see Acts 8). Others may hate you, but they won't win unless you hate them back. Are your prejudices standing in the way of God's purposes for someone? If so, pray that God would reveal your prejudices to you, that your eyes would be open to see them, and that your heart would be open to repentance. Repent if necessary, and get in line with God's purposes for His people.
Adapted from Pastor Skip’s teaching
The BIG Idea
Others may hate you, but they won't win unless you hate them back.
Cross references: Leviticus 19:17; 2 Kings 1; Proverbs 15:1; 18:16; Matthew 5:43-46; 10:36; Mark 3:17; Luke 9:51-56; John 13:35; 15:19; Acts 8; Galatians 5:19-20; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 3:1, 13; Revelation 3:19
Date | Title | Watch | Listen | Notes | Share | Save | Buy | |
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1/25/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves People Mark 10:21;Philippians 1:8-10 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Welcome to our new weekend series, Jesus Loves People! For the next many weeks, we will observe how Jesus' love for people was displayed and conveyed to a cross section of society. We will see Him as He loves the most religiously devout folks to the weak and doubting, from the prostitutes to the priests, from the bewildered to the brokenhearted. We will marvel at His love for thieves, murderers, and atheists. In each message, we will consider how we as God's people can show authentic love to people within each group. |
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2/1/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Doubters Matthew 11; John 20 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Jesus never turned away the questions of a sincere searcher. I have personally wrestled with issues of faith and doubt on a number of occasions. Oswald Chambers quipped, "Doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong; it may be a sign that he is thinking." Today we will see how Jesus loved two doubters—both of whom were friends of His. |
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2/8/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves the Broken John 5:1-16 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Just about everyone who has ever lived has experienced a broken heart to some degree or another. But then there are others who have been affected so adversely by events in their lives that they can be described as broken people. We can respond by questioning why God allows bad things to happen or by loving the broken in His name and thus being part of the solution. |
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3/8/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Homosexuals - Part 1 John 8:1-11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary There is not a hotter or more controversial subject being discussed today in our country than homosexuality. Voices are loud and tempers run hot whenever this subject is mentioned. Although the text before us doesn’t deal specifically with homosexuality, it does show us how Jesus approached a woman caught in sexual sin and what He had to say to those who were quick to condemn her. |
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3/15/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Homosexuals - Part 2 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Be assured that I didn't select the topics in this series because I am equating homosexuals with murderers; nor am I suggesting that addicts or homeless people are to be seen the same as terrorists. It’s simply that the church has historically been unkind to these groups, and we believe it is time to make the statement that Jesus loves all people. In today’s text, we see it clearly: everyone has some kind of past, and everyone can be freed from sin. |
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3/29/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Traitors Matthew 26 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a traitor as "one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty." On this Palm Sunday, I've chosen to consider in contrast the two traitors seen side by side in the New Testament accounts of the Passion of Christ. Though we may see some similarities in Judas and Peter, they are separated by one giant factor—the cross of Jesus Christ, the one thing that still offends most people. |
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4/12/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Atheists John 18:28-38 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Yes, Jesus loves people who don't believe in Him or who aren't sure what they think about Him. Pontius Pilate was the cynical Roman governor of the district of Judea. He was unsympathetic to religious Jews and religion itself. He had no room for the superstitious claims of prophets, priests, or would-be messiahs. He was a secular pragmatist concerned about Roman order and personal advancement. Pilate also represents how Jesus loved and handled atheists—and how we should. |
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4/19/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Prostitutes Luke 7:36-50 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary It was Blaise Pascal who noted, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus." In our text today, we find a woman, the city prostitute who acutely felt the need to have the vacuum of her heart filled. She discovered that Jesus loved her with a wholesome love—the kind of love every woman is searching for. |
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4/26/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Murderers Luke 23:33-34 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary A Jewish proverb reads, "Blood that has been shed does not rest." And yet there is rest that is possible for even the worst murderers of all time—those who killed Jesus Christ—if they would be willing to receive it. In two verses of Scripture, we will examine how Jesus loves murderers, even those who murdered Him. |
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5/3/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Criminals Luke 23:33-43 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary A lengthy seventeen-year study in Washington, D.C. by psychiatrist Samuel Yochelson shows that crime cannot be traced to environment, poverty, or oppression but to people making wrong moral choices. Corresponding to that is another report showing that the lack of proper moral training by parents has a direct correlation to crime, especially to children in their formative years. But when parents and their offspring fail, Jesus can step in to rescue. |
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5/17/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Terrorists Acts 9:1-16 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary One magazine noted that "religious terrorism is the communism of the 21st century, the most serious international threat to human rights." I am aware that the title of this sermon is a strange one, and it's even stranger to think we should be told to love terrorists. Today we consider the stark reality of terror in our world and what a proper biblical response to it is, and we see the conversion of a terrorist who became Christianity's most celebrated cleric. |
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6/7/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Addicts Luke 4; Matthew 11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary When a person ingests a substance or engages in an activity that provides temporary pleasure and then such acts become compulsive and interfere with ordinary life responsibilities, he or she is said to be an addict. Addictive behavior is widespread and is one of the reasons many addicts turn to Christ for help. Jesus has a special message for them and a special plan to help them. As the body of Christ to our generation, shouldn’t the church be part of that plan? |
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6/28/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves People, BUT... Romans 2:1-11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary In this last message of our series Jesus Loves People, we want to bring equilibrium to the series itself. It’s true that God loves people. It’s equally true that He hates evil and the practice of it. Today we want to show how both the wrath of God and the love of God are integral parts of the nature of God Himself. This is crucial so that we don’t distort Him to the world and mislead people eternally. Let’s consider three requirements for representing the God who loves people. |
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