I just jotted down these quick notes and thought maybe you could make something out of them for your congregation.
In the text, Jesus is referred to a "Alpha and Omega." In our vernacular this would be A to Z. We might say that Jesus has it covered, that He is the answer - period. This is something we want the rest of the world to know. A to Z in what way? I. Jesus is the A to Z in victorious living. Look at His experience on the Mt. of temptation Matthew 4. II. Jesus is the A to Z in truth. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." He is the truth about God. Refer to Hebrews 1:1-3 III. Jesus is the A to Z in faith. Jesus teaches us to live by unseen realities: Hebrews 11:1 The most important things in life are spiritual -- unseen.... IV. Jesus is the A to Z in love. "No one ever cared for me like Jesus...." Think of what He did in love for us. V. Jesus is the A to Z in power. He gives us the power of the Holy Spirit. VI. Jesus is the A to Z in peace. John 16:33 Question: Is Jesus the A to Z in your life?
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To our secular minds, vs. 43 makes sense. The catch, however, is in the conjunction "but" in vs. 44a: "But I say unto you, love your enemies." It makes sense until Jesus tells us that we are supposed to love our enemies.
I. Vs. 44 - Jesus tells us how to love our enemies. A. "Bless them that curse you..." 1. The Greek word used for "bless" here is "eulogeo," from which we get our word "eulogy." 2. A eulogy, usually associated with funerals, is a speech where we speak well of people. (So we are to speak well of people who curse us.) B. "Do good to them that hate you." 1. Instead of doing harm to our enemies, we are to do good for them. 2. This means to return bad things that they do to us with good things that we do for them. C. "Pray for those who despitefully use you." This will change them and it will change us!!!!!!! II. Vs. 45 - Jesus tells us why to love our enemies. A. If we want to be like God, we will love our enemies. B. If we want to impact the world, we will be like God. Vs. 45 tells us how God acts: "For He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and sendeth rain on the just and unjust." C. We are to love our enemies, because to do so is act like children of God. 1. Look at Jesus as an example. He ministered to all people, rich and poor, good and bad. 2. True godliness (Godlikeness) is to love our enemies. III. Vss. 46-48 - Jesus tells us who to love. A. Vs. 46 - If we love only those who love us, we have not done anything, for anyone can do that. B. Vs. 47 - If we only speak to those who speak to us, we have not done anything, for anyone can do that. 1. Think about it: Do you have people that you do not speak to because you consider them your enemies? 2. It is no test of our Christian faith to be on speaking terms with those who speak to us. The true test is whether or not we speak to those who do not speak to us. C. Vs. 48 - If we want to be mature and prove to be more like Jesus, we will love our enemies. Test your faith. Do you love your enemies as Jesus told you to do in this text? (review the text) It's not easy, but it is possible if we will allow the Holy Spirit to guide us./ |
All of these materials are free of charge. There is no copyright on them and you are free to use them as you see fit. I am happy to be of assitance to you in your preaching/teaching minstry.
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