I love that song. Matthew chapter five. I've entitled this message,

Children of the Father.

Verse 43, you've heard that it had been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. Now nowhere in the Old Testament does it say, hate thine enemy. It does say we're to love our neighbor, but it never says to hate our enemy. This is what the religious people had added to it. It only makes sense if you love your neighbor, you ought to hate your enemy.

But I say unto you, love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you. And pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father, which is in heaven.

Does this mean that only as we love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us and pray for them which despitefully use us and persecute us, it's only if we do that, only then can we be children of the Father which is in heaven. Of course not. It does not mean that at all.

What does it mean? Look in verse 48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Children of the Father. Now when this word perfect is used quite often in the scripture, it means mature, a full age, grown up. But here it doesn't mean that. He said, be perfect even as your father is perfect.

We read of the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, the complete perfect will of God. We read of when that which is perfect, complete, is come, and I have no doubt that's talking about the full canon of scripture. That is perfect and complete. It can't be added to. It can't be taken from. It's perfect. The full scriptures, when that which is perfect has come, that which is in part shall be done away with.

Every good and perfect gift, complete gift, is from above. and comes down from the father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.

" We read of the perfect law of liberty, the complete law of liberty. This is not talking about something being mature. This is talking about something that is perfect and complete.

Do you know the believer is perfect and complete? Hebrews 10, 14, by one offering, he hath perfected forever. Then they're sanctified in Christ by virtue of what he did for me. This is every believer's privilege, perfection before God. I stand before God, perfect in Christ Jesus.

Now, when he says, be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect, this is not a command spoken of as an imperative. He's not commanding us, be ye perfect for your father in heaven is perfect.

Let me read you Young's literal translation, because like I said, the imperative is not there. He's not giving us command to be perfect. Here's what Young's literal translation states. You shall therefore be perfect as your father, which is in heaven, is perfect. Because you're children of the father, you shall be perfect because your father which is in heaven, is perfect.

Now you can only be perfect if you are perfect. If you're not perfect, you can't be perfect. You can't attain to perfection. You can only be perfect if you are perfect, just like you can only be holy if you are holy. This is not something we arrive at through a process. The perfection every believer has is because of their perfect heavenly father and their perfect savior and his perfect sacrifice and his perfect righteousness.

Every believer is perfect in Christ Jesus. Children of their heavenly father. Right now, while I'm talking to you, I am either truly a child of my heavenly father or I'm a child of the devil. Now that is not spoken to scare people, but it's what the scripture teaches. I'm either a child of God or I'm a child of the devil.

Turn with me to John chapter eight. Let me show you this. Verse 38. He's speaking to the Pharisees, and he says, I speak that which I've seen with my father, and you do that which you've seen with your father. Like father, like son. They answered and said unto him, Abraham's our father. Jesus saith unto them, if you were Abraham's children, you'd do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man that has told you the truth, which I've heard of God. This did not Abraham. You do the deeds of your father. They said unto him, we be not born of fornication. We have one father, even God. Jesus said unto them, if God were your father, you would love me. For I proceeded forth and came from God. Neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? Even because you cannot hear my word, you are unable to hear my word.

" Now, listen to this. You are of your father, the devil. And the lusts of your father, you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there's no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own. For he is a liar and the father of it.

Now, what a sobering thought. Right now, I'm either a child of God, God is my heavenly father, or I'm a child of the devil. There are only two groups, saved, lost, those who believe, those who do not believe, As Paul said in Romans 11, there's the elect and the rest. I love the simplicity of that. There's the elect and there is the rest. Children of God and children of the devil. If I'm not a true child of God, I am a true child of the devil.

Now, I was thinking about this. I don't have any trouble seeing how a human being can be a child of the devil. I can see how I could be, sinful as I am by nature. You look at men, they can be so self-righteous, so harsh, so malicious, so fill in the blank. I can see how a man could be called a child of the devil. What I'm amazed by is the fact that there are sinful men and women who are made children of God. As a matter of fact, they've always been children of God. If God's your father, he's always been your father, even when you didn't know it, he was your father.

Now, we gotta begin with God himself when we talk about this. Children of God, we gotta begin with God. God's foreknowledge. I love the scripture in Romans 8, 29, for whom he did foreknow. Now, if I'm a child of God, he knew me beforehand. He knew me before the foundation of the earth. I had personality before I had any existence. With God, I was a person. I am a person, I was a person. I'm taught now, I was taught then.

You know the name you have, you think your parents named you, no, the Lord named you that. The reason you have this name that you have is because the Lord gave you this name. And every one of his children he knew beforehand. Whom he did foreknow. Then he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. He's the son, we're the many brethren. He said, I go to My God and your God, I go to my father and your father. He says that to every single believer. Children of God.

Whom he did foreknow, then he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called. Now, if God predestinated me or you to salvation, you know what he does? He calls us. He calls us by the gospel. How do I know if He's called me? I believe the gospel. If I believe the gospel, here's the reason. He called me. The called of Christ Jesus.

And whom He did call, them He also justified. All of His children stand just before God. Sinless, righteous, justified. In whom he justified, them he also glorified. Past tense. What do we say to these things? If God before us, who can be against us?

These are his children. He said in Jeremiah 31, three, behold, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Now think of this, a child of God. This is not something that just, all of a sudden you're a child. You weren't, now you are. If you're a child, you've always been a child of God. What about when I wasn't saved? You were in Christ when you were not saved. Now you don't have any reason to suspect that you're in Christ until you believe the gospel. I mean, if somebody says, well, I don't believe, but maybe I'm in Christ. Better not talk that way. The only evidence of being in Christ is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting him only as everything in your salvation.

But this thing of being a child of God, I love the way the Lord speaks of being the child, the children of your father, which is in heaven. Now in Ephesians one, four through six, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved adopted. Now, I'm a child of God by adoption. As a matter of fact, I didn't quote that right, so I turned to Ephesians 1 for just a second. I left out this part. That's the point I wanted to make. Ephesians 1. Having predestinated us, verse 5, unto the adoption of children. He chose me to be his child and he adopted me. What a blessed thought, eternal adoption. That not only am I an adopted child, I'm a child by birth. John 1, 12 and 13, as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them which believe on his name, which were born. which were birthed, which were fathered, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God, born of the Spirit, partakers of the divine nature, given a holy nature that does not commit sin, having the very seed of God in me. Now here's the believer. He's adopted by God, chosen by God, and he's birthed by God. So he is a true child of God.

Now back to our text in Matthew chapter five. But I say unto you, love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you. and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you that you might bear the family likeness that you may be the children of your father which is in heaven for he maketh his sons arise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. Now this is one of the most beautiful passages of scripture in all the word of God. This is the six, you've heard it said, but I say it to you. I love those. You've heard it said, here's the way it is. What I say to you, the Lord is speaking in his own authority.

Now we just read when Eric was reading the greatest commandment, thou shalt love. the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as yourself. That was in my notes. Eric, you read it. I was really happy you read that passage of scripture. That is the greatest commandment.

What's that look like? It looks like this, therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, Do ye even so to them? For this is the law and the prophets. How you want to be treated, you know how you want to be treated. How you want to be treated, that's how you treat somebody else without reference to how they treat you. This is the law and the prophets and what a beautiful thing to love your neighbor as yourself.

But I think it's interesting the Bible never says hate your enemies, but this is the logic of fallen man. Hate your enemies. The ones who curse you, the ones who hate you, the ones who despitefully use you and accuse you falsely and persecute you.

Now, I would think we have all had enemies. Now I realize that my greatest enemy is my sin. There's no question about that. As a matter of fact, I know that I'm my own greatest enemy. I really believe that. Lord, save me from myself. And that's something that every believer can cry out.

But it's also true that every one of us, I would say, have had enemies. People who hate us. People who curse us. People who speak reproachfully of us. People who accuse us falsely and who misrepresent us and even persecute us and wish us harm. You ever had anybody like that? I dare say you have.

Well, I need to steer clear of those people. I need to just stay away from these people and keep myself out of harm's way. But look what the Lord says. In verse 46, if you love them which love you, what reward have you? You're acting like any other unbeliever does. When he talks about the publicans, he's talking about the scum of society. He says you're acting no different than any other publican does.

And if you salute, if you warmly greet your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even the publicans so? We have those who we salute warmly. I salute you warmly. You're my friends. I love you. When I salute you warmly, I mean it. It's from my heart. And there are others perhaps we don't salute warmly. We give them the cold shoulder. We punish them with our silence. If you've never done that, you're a better person than I am. We punish them with our silence. We let them know that we're not pleased with them. I want you to know the contempt I feel for you because of the contemptible way you have treated me. So we withdraw ourselves emotionally from those people and we want them to know we're not happy.

Now, I love what the Lord says with regard to that kind of conduct. Verse 44, love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you. and pray for them which despitefully use you, which misrepresent you, which malign you, and persecute you. He says in verse 47, if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Bless them that curse you. Wish them well. Want the best. for them. Love your enemies, and this is not talking about warm and fuzzy thoughts, but Christ commands you to love them, wish them the best, desire, not their condemnation, but their salvation. Do you want Christ to save you? Sure you do. Then you want Christ to save them as well, don't you? Love your enemies. Don't curse them. Bless them that curse you. Don't seek revenge. Bless them. Look in Romans chapter 12. We looked at this last week for just a moment. Verse 17, recompense to no man evil for evil. Never pay anybody back. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men, dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. For it's written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, well, he has that coming, I'm glad he's hungry. Feed him. If he thirsts, Give him to drink. For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Now understand this, God's gonna right every wrong. Shall not the judge of the earth do right? He will right every wrong. Make sure you don't try to do it. Give place. Don't hold. A grudge, forgive. Now, if the Lord's forgiven them, shouldn't you forgive them? And if the Lord hadn't forgiven them, they're in a world of trouble. Don't try to make it worse for them by the way you treat them. Forgive. Look at Matthew 6, 12. He says, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And what about that person who hates you? Well, he says, bless, do good to them that hate you. Do good to them. Pray for them, which despitefully use you, and abuse you, and persecute you, that you may be the children of your father.

Now I love this, which is in heaven, For he maketh his son to rise on the evil and on the good. And he makes his reign on the just and the unjust. I thought about this. Here's a man growing crops to feed the poor. The Lord causes his rain to fall upon it. And he causes his sun to shine on it, to bless those crops and they bring forth. But you know what? That fellow that's grown opium in order to make drugs to sell and end up killing people, do you know the Lord's raining on that man too? And his sun is shining on those crops as well. He makes his rain to fall on the good and the evil. He makes his son to shine on the just and the unjust.

Verse 46, for if you love them which love you, what reward have you? You're just acting like any other unbeliever acts. That's it. If you salute your brethren only. Like I said, I can salute my brethren, but what about that person that I have a tendency to want to feel cold toward and let them know I'm displeased? The Lord says, salute them. Treat them with respect. Treat them with kindness. Salute them. If you don't do that, you are no different than any other unbeliever. There's no reward in that.

Now, I want us to think of what the Lord has done. You know, when I think of this, I think, well, I've utterly failed in everything. And you think that too, I'm sure. And I want to. I want to be this person who blesses those that curse me, who forgives those who despitefully use me. Oh, we want to do that. But here's what I love to think about. The Lord blessed those who hated him. And the Lord prayed for those who despitefully used him. I think of the Lord praying, Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. And understand this about the Lord's prayer. It wasn't some kind of generic prayer. Everybody he prayed for, the Father forgave. There's no, he never prays for somebody and the Father says no. Everybody he prays for must be saved. Peter, I prayed for you. Think of the Lord praying for you, ringing your name before the Father. Does anything else need to be said if He prays for you?

Peter, I pray for you, that your faith fail not. Now, Peter failed. He needed to fail, but his faith never failed. He never stopped believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God, never. He might've denied any association with him out of fear, but he didn't say he's not the son of God. He said, I know not the man. He was scared to death. He was overcome by the fear of man, but he never quit believing that Jesus Christ was the son of the living God, God's Christ.

Why did he not quit believing? Because Christ prayed for him. And that is why he persevered in the faith.

Now, the Lord says, be perfect even as your heavenly father is perfect. Now, listen to this. You are perfect. Everybody that Christ died for, you are perfect. Christ says to you, thou art all fair, my love. There is no spot in thee. And if the Lord sees you that way, there's only one reason. It's because you are that way. You are perfect. Your sin has been separated from you as far as the East is from the West. And that's infinite. You go this way and I go that way, it'll never come back around and get together. It is gone for good. You stand before God, perfect in Christ Jesus.

Now, be ye perfect even as He is perfect. Love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you. Pray for them that have despitefully used you and persecuted you.

He loved his enemies, me and you. He blessed those that cursed him, me and you. He did good to those who hated him, and I think of the goodness of his gospel. I have been so bad. And he has been so good. He chose me before time began to be his. He called me by his grace. He came to this earth and worked out a perfect righteousness for me. He willingly took my sins in his own body on the tree. And he became, as this glorious act of God, he became guilty of the sins that I committed. You see, on the cross, God wasn't punishing the innocent. He was punishing the guilty. And that is why he died. My sins became his sins. He did that willingly. He said, no man takes my life from me. I have power to lay it down. I have power to take it up. This commandment have I received of my father.

He was raised for me. When he was raised, I was raised. When he went to the cross, I love that song. In the beloved, I went to the tree. to think of all he has done for me. He loved his enemies, didn't he? He did good to those who spitefully used him and made false accusations against him. He gave me life. He preserves me. He intercedes for me. He's so good.

Now, you think of the beauty and goodness of your Father. Now, if I would be perfect, I am perfect. I am perfect. That's not hyperbole. In Christ, I am perfect. Somebody, well, you know, it's real easy when people say, I'm not perfect. I think, well, that's obvious. I knew that. You didn't need to tell me that. In Christ, I am perfect. And when I say I am perfect, if you're a believer, you know exactly what I mean by that. In Christ Jesus, I'm perfect without fault, without sin, without anything perfect, holy, and unblameable, and unapprovable in his sight. Perfect in Christ Jesus.

Now, if I would be perfect, and I am perfect, may the Lord cause me to expand my love from those who love me to those who have No love for me. To salute not only my brethren, but those who I perceive have wronged me. Those who have cursed me. Those who have hated me. Those who have despitefully used me. Those who have falsely accused me and persecuted me. Isn't this beautiful? Beautiful. The Lord's so beautiful. The gospel is so beautiful, and this conduct is so beautiful.

Now, I realize that I've failed in this, but he hadn't. He didn't. And I desire to be just this person who doesn't salute only my friends. It's easy to salute my friends. It's easy to love my friends, but I want to salute those who hate me, those who count me their enemy. May I, by grace, become this person.

Are you perfect? Yeah? then be perfect. Be just like this. May the Lord make me and you this person. And I love thinking about this. If you think, I gotta up my game, I gotta be better, I gotta try harder. Not if you're perfect, you don't. You're perfect in Christ Jesus. May this be our conduct.

Let's pray.

Lord, how we thank you for the beauty of our Savior. How we thank you that you would make us your children by your foreknowledge, by your predestinating adoption by birthing us into your kingdom and giving us this new birth that makes us your children. And Lord, we ask in Christ's name that you would give us grace to walk as your children, to love our enemies, to do good to them that curse us, to bless them that despitefully use us and pray for them. Lord, enable us to walk as he walked. And Lord, how grateful we are that His walk is our walk in the Beloved. And in Him, we are perfect. Give us grace to trust Him completely. In His name we pray. Amen.