Jump Start # 1337

Matthew 5:44-45 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

A Jump Start reader asked me to write about a popular bumper sticker that has caused some concern and question. The bumper sticker reads, “God bless the whole world. No Exceptions!” I have not seen this one, but it seems that this is more of a slam upon conservative minded believers than it is addressed to God. I have seen the ridiculous “Co-exist” bumper stickers which are composed of various religious symbols. The thought is that there is room for all of us and that we ought to get along equally. That simplistic thinking ignores the ideology and theology of these groups. Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Christians do. Muslims do not like Jews or Christians. Pagans believe in something strange. Wicca believes in witches. It’s a hodge podge of everything and everyone. What good is your faith if you cannot practice it? Now this is not a call for violence or rudeness, but polytheism and monotheistic believers cannot co-exist at the same time. They are opposites.

God bless the whole world. No exceptions! I expect what is behind that thinking are those that stand on the outside of Christianity and instead of changing, they simply want to be accepted. The same-sex marriage crowd is probably near the front of the line in that group.

Our passage today goes a long way in helping us with a greater understanding of such things. Taken from the first chapter of the Lord’s sermon on the mount, Jesus is addressing our reaction to our enemies. Yes, the disciples of Jesus has enemies. Jesus would later tell His people that they would be hated because He is hated. Following the famous, “God so loved the world,” passage, Jesus revealed that people hated Him because they loved darkness rather than the light. Coming to Jesus, the light, their wrongs would be exposed. They would be compelled to change. Jesus loves us, yet He demands holiness and righteousness in  our walk with Him.

Our passage tells us to do two things toward our enemies.

First, love them. Love here is a choice. Love is not a feeling. It is wanting the best for our enemies. It is compassion and care.

Second is to pray for them. Pray for their salvation. Pray for open eyes. Pray for opportunities.

The part of our passage that is especially intriguing is what it says about God. He, God, sends the sun and the rain upon the good and the evil, upon the righteous and the unrighteous. Did you catch that Jesus refers to the sun as “His sun.” The sun belongs to God. He allows it to shine where He wants it to. God does send blessings to all people, without exception. He has done that from the very first day. The rain, the sun, air, crop production, health, life—these are precious blessings that fall upon all people.

You’ll notice that Jesus refers to some people as evil and unrighteous. The fact that they have received God’s blessings of sunshine and rain, does not mean that God no longer views them as evil and unrighteous. Now, they still are that way. The fact that they have a blessing from God does not mean that they are in good favor with God. God is kind to them. God is generous with them. They in return ought to be thankful to God, obedient to God and reverent towards God. Will they? That’s their choice.

God doesn’t buy our allegiance by only blessing us when we are good. If that were the case, people would flock to God, not because He was God, but because of the blessings. God sends His sun and rain upon all people, regardless of how thankful, mindful or humble they are towards Him.

There are spiritual blessings that are only found in Christ. These blessings are the result of faith and walking with Christ. Forgiveness, fellowship and the hope of Heaven are available to all, but are not extended to all, unless there is a movement on our part towards God. The greatest blessings from God are the ones found in Christ. God wants everyone to enjoy these blessings, but you must believe in Him and follow Him.

God bless everyone. No exceptions! Is a statement that probably means more than what it seems on the surface. It most likely is intended to convey that God accepts everyone, period. All are saved and none  are lost. Everyone, no exceptions, will be in Heaven. That is a grand thought, but it’s not Biblical. Revelation tells us that outside the city of God will be the immoral, the cowards, the liars and those whose names are not written in the book of Life. There are exceptions as to who gets into Heaven. That call is not mine to make. Nor is it yours to make. It belongs to God alone. God alone looks at the heart of a person and understands why they did what they did. But there will be exceptions. This same sermon on the mount where we started today, tells us that the road to destruction is wide and crowded. Many will not make it. Those are God’s words. There will be people who have been blessed by God who will not make it. There will be those who have enjoyed God’s sun and benefited from His rain, yet chose to ignore Him and live a life that dishonors Him. It is those choices that will make God close the door to some.

God is good. God is generous. He does bless all people. His blessings are not a sign of approval. It’s a knock on the door of their heart that God wants in. He wouldn’t have to do that, but He does. He could send the rain only to the righteous. But He doesn’t.

For us, the passage is teaching us to be kind to those who are mean and ugly towards us. God does. He doesn’t ignore His enemies. He blesses them. He doesn’t send lightning to destroy them, but soft rain to nourish the ground so they can prosper. God is good. We need to follow His lead. Pray and love those enemies. It’s hard. But God does it.

Roger