Playlist: Enemies, Treatment of (topic)
Loving Your Enemy
Sermonette by Clyde FinkleaScripture speaks of helping an enemy and "heaping burning coals of fire on his head." This seems to imply revenge, yet the Hebrew idiom indicates otherwise.
'But I Say to You' (Part Seven): Love Your Enemies
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJesus teaches a radical departure from human nature in His command to love even our enemies and persecutors. In Matthew 5:43-44, He refutes the common belief of hating enemies, instructing His disciples to love their enemies, bless those who curse them, do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who spitefully use and …
Love Thy Neighbor (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The two great commandments cannot be separated, for one cannot love God without loving man, and loving man completes love for God by serving His creation in all the ordinariness of daily life. Jesus expands this requirement beyond natural affection or cultural lines by commanding His disciples to love their enemies, to bless …
Carrying Water for Jesus Christ
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Ted E. BowlingThe theme of compassion toward enemies is illustrated most vividly through the true account of Richard Rowland Kirkland, a 19-year-old Confederate soldier at the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862. After thousands of Union soldiers lay wounded and dying before a Confederate stone wall, Kirkland alone among 35,000 soldiers received …
Love Thy Neighbor
Sermon by John O. ReidThe book of Amos provides a detailed case study of how nations treated their enemies, and God's response to that treatment forms the backbone of this teaching. Beginning with Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab, each nation is condemned for atrocities committed against those they considered adversaries. Damascus is …
By This Shall All Men Know You
Sermon by John O. ReidJesus commanded His disciples to love their enemies, to bless those who curse them, to do good to those who hate them, and to pray for those who spitefully use and persecute them. This directive establishes a love that wishes others well without approving their conduct and refuses to return curse for curse. It requires refusing …
Strategies for Interfacing with Babylon (Part Seven)
Sermon by David F. MaasTrue peacemaking means emulating Christ, which that involves promoting justice and righteousness, not merely avoiding conflict or appeasing by compromising.
Thou Shall Love Thy Neighbor
Sermon by John O. ReidLoving one's enemies stands as one of the most demanding applications of the second great commandment, revealing how far God's standard exceeds mere human affection. The Jewish interpretation of "love your neighbor" had degenerated into "love your friends" while treating anyone outside their race as an enemy unworthy of …
Psalm Genres (Part Two): Imprecatory Psalms
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe treatment of enemies in Scripture centers on the phenomenon of imprecatory psalms—prayers uttered by the righteous, under severe persecution or oppression, calling for misfortune, disaster, or death to fall upon their adversaries. Rather than dismissing these as evil outbursts, four foundational principles explain …
John 3:16: Does God Really Love the World?
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughTreatment of enemies is addressed directly through Christ's instruction in Matthew 5:43-45, where He overturns the common teaching to love one's neighbor and hate one's enemy, commanding instead to love enemies, bless those who curse, do good to those who hate, and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute. This command is …
Reach for the Goal
Sermon by John O. ReidTreatment of enemies emerges as one of the most demanding aspects of the Christian character that must be developed in pursuit of the transcendental goal of the Kingdom of God. When Paul lists the practical behaviors expected of those called by God in Romans 12, he includes the command to "bless those which persecute you; bless …
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part Nine): Cultivating the Fruit of Gentleness
Sermon by David F. MaasThe treatment of enemies emerges as a direct application of the godly quality of meekness and gentleness under discussion. Rather than reacting to opposition with anger or violence, the meek person exhibits strength brought under God's control, offering implacable resistance to evil while responding to personal attacks with …
Man's Greatest Challenge (Part Four)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe treatment of enemies emerges as one of four essential proofs that distinguish a true disciple of Christ from those who merely claim His name, a distinction of critical importance given that the greatest threats to believers often come not from outside persecutors but from false brethren within the church, and even from …
Watch and Vigilantly Prepare
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe treatment of enemies emerges as a central expression of Christian character, rooted in Jesus Christ's magnification of God's law and demonstrated through the example He set. Christ came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it, elevating the sixth commandment beyond the mere act of murder to address its source: hatred, …
The Peacemakers
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe treatment of enemies is addressed as a specific application of the broader biblical call to be peacemakers, a call rooted in the character of God Himself. This theme emerges most directly in Romans 12:18-21, where Paul instructs believers to live peaceably with all men as much as depends on them, explicitly forbidding …
Perfect, Gentle Courtesy (Part 1)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsTreatment of enemies and outsiders forms an essential part of the responsibility Christians bear to show perfect, gentle courtesy toward all people, not merely toward fellow believers. Paul's instruction in Titus 3:1-2 establishes that believers must speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling, and display eipieikeis (gentleness, …
Protecting the Vulnerable
Sermonette by Ted E. BowlingDeuteronomy 21:10-14 gives instructions for the treatment of female prisoners-of-war. This passage demonstrates God's protection of the most vulnerable.
Psalm 55
Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. RitenbaughBeing blindsided by the betrayal of a friend or a brother in the church is one of the hardest experiences to endure. Even Jesus Christ had to face betrayal from Judas Iscariot. It was among the final trials He had to bear. Yet, in response, He instructed Judas with resolve, saying, "What you have to do, do quickly." This example …
Ecclesiastes (Part Four; B)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod manipulates events to occur at precisely the right time. The timing God uses for us are just as precisely planned and scripted as they were for Christ.