Loving While the World Hates
the World Hates
Jesus calls His disciples to a higher standard of love — one that rises above retaliation, prejudice, and selective kindness. When the world responds with hatred, Christians reflect the character of God by responding with intentional, active love.
- Get even
- Cancel them
- Protect your pride
- Protect your truth
- Only love who deserves it
- Love your enemies
- Pray for your persecutors
- Reflect your Father
- Overcome evil with good
- Grow into spiritual maturity
Sermon Title: Loving While the World Hates — Salt and Light in a Dark World
Preacher: Tony Padgett, Brookfield Church of Christ
Date Preached: February 22, 2026
YouTube Video: Watch the Full Sermon (Length: 35:56)
Key Scriptures: Matthew 5:43–48 | Romans 12:17–21 | Luke 6:27–28 | Matthew 5:44–45 | Acts 14:17 | John 3:16 | 1 Peter 2:23
When Love Costs Something
Has someone wronged you recently — and every instinct in you said make them pay? Maybe it was a coworker who undercut you, a family member who wounded you, or a stranger online who came at you with both barrels. You didn't have to dig deep to find that reaction. It came naturally.
That's the point. Tony Padgett opened this powerful closing message of the February "Salt and Light" series with a challenge that hits every one of us where we live: It's easy to love those who love you back. That requires no transformation at all.
Three Dimensions of Enemy Love
Love That Defies Human Instinct
Tony laid the foundation on Matthew 5:44 — "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Jesus wasn't offering a suggestion. He was raising the standard.
The world runs on retaliation. Tony illustrated it memorably with a scene from The Untouchables — the "Chicago way" — you come at me, I come back harder. That's the flesh talking. That's human instinct. And according to Jesus, that's not the Kingdom way.
Paul echoes this in Romans 12:17–21: "Repay no one evil for evil... if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." Notice that phrase — as far as it depends on you. You can't wait for the other person to act right. You do your part. The Holy Spirit isn't going to override your will and force you to be kind. He guides you, convicts you, and strengthens you — but you still have to choose obedience over emotion.
Tony gave practical handles for this:
- Pray specifically for the person who hurt you — not a vague "Lord bless them," but an honest, specific prayer
- Refuse to speak negatively about those who've wronged you
- Perform a quiet act of kindness for a difficult coworker or neighbor
- Respond calmly rather than retaliating when you're criticized
This love is not passive tolerance. As Tony said plainly: "It's intentional."
Love That Reflects the Father
The second dimension is the one that reframes everything. Jesus explains why we love our enemies in Matthew 5:45: "so that you may be sons of your Father who is 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."
Think about that. God blesses people who reject Him. He sends rain on the fields of the ungodly. He keeps the hearts of the wicked beating every morning. Tony was struck by this — not asking why does God allow evil? but marveling that God is able to love evil people at all. That's the Father's character.
And we are called to reflect it. Tony used the image of the sun and moon — we don't generate our own spiritual light. We reflect the Son. When we love selectively — only those on our side, only those who return our affection — we look no different from the world. When we love universally, we look like God.
The practical applications from this section stung in the best possible way:
- Treat the rude customer with dignity
- Be fair and kind to someone who disagrees with you politically
- Offer forgiveness rather than holding congregational grudges
- Show patience toward a family member who mocks your faith
Tony reminded us that even tax collectors — the most despised group in Jesus's culture — loved their own people. The bar isn't "love your crowd." The bar is "love the ones your crowd can't stand."
Love That Matures Us Spiritually
The third dimension is both the most demanding and the most hopeful. Jesus closes Matthew 5 with: "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (v. 48).
Tony was clear: this is not sinless perfection. The word "perfect" here means complete, mature, whole. Enemy love isn't just a moral obligation — it's a spiritual discipline. It stretches you into maturity that comfort never could. He pointed to 1 Peter 2:23 — when Jesus was reviled, He did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten. He entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly.
That is the model. And Tony challenged us with the conclusion head-on:
"The world says: Get even. Cancel them. Protect your pride. Only love those who deserve it. Jesus says: Love your enemies. Pray for your persecutors. Reflect your Father. Grow."
📖 A Word from Barry
Having preached at Brookfield for 23 years, I know this congregation has faced its share of hard relationships — inside the church and out. Tony's message this Sunday wasn't abstract theology. It was a mirror. I've watched this family navigate conflict with grace, and I've also watched what happens when the flesh wins. Enemy love isn't a once-and-done decision. It's a daily surrender. Tony is right: you cannot do this on your own. But with the Holy Spirit's help and a community like this one walking alongside you — you can grow into it.
🔥 This Week's Challenge
This week, I challenge you to identify one difficult relationship and choose one intentional act of Christlike love. Following the model in Romans 12:20-21, don't wait for the other person to make a move. Choose one action — pray for them by name, send a kind word, refuse to speak badly about them to others, or extend a genuine apology. Write it down, commit it to prayer, and do it before Sunday. Let Tony's message move from your head to your hands.
Small Group Discussion Questions
Tony said, "Loving friends is natural. Loving enemies is supernatural." In Luke 6:27–28, Jesus calls us to do good to those who hate us. What is one specific, practical way that looks different from simply tolerating someone who's hurt you?
Romans 12:18 says, "as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." How do you discern the difference between pursuing peace and enabling someone who continues to harm you? Where does healthy boundary-setting end and avoidance begin?
Tony described the danger of "blind rage" — moments when emotion overrides character and we do things we later regret. How does a consistent prayer life and Scripture habit (Romans 12:2) build the "buffers" that protect us from those moments?
Matthew 5:45 teaches that God sends rain on the just and unjust alike. How does meditating on God's indiscriminate grace toward you change the way you view your responsibility to those who've wronged you?
Tony challenged parents to model calm, gracious responses for their children. What does enemy love look like when it's taught — not just preached — in a home? Where have you seen this done well or poorly?
Living It Out
Tony closed the "Salt and Light" series the way he opened it — with a reminder that none of this is achievable in your own strength. The good news is, you're not expected to do it alone. You were baptized into Christ, and with that came the gift of the Holy Spirit — not to override your will, but to walk with you toward a maturity the world cannot manufacture.
Watch the full sermon at the link above. Then go love somebody who doesn't deserve it — and discover what the Father has always known: that's exactly how the world gets changed.
Visit BarrysBureau.org for more resources, or join us for worship at Brookfield Church of Christ.
Loving While the World Hates
"Loving your friends is natural. Loving your enemies is supernatural. That's why you can't do it yourself — you need your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Test your knowledge of Tony Padgett's sermon on Matthew 5:43–48. Seven questions on enemy love, the character of God, and what it means to grow into spiritual maturity. Take your time and think carefully!
The World vs. Jesus
Two Very Different Voices
In his conclusion, Tony Padgett contrasted what the world tells us to do versus what Jesus commands. This game tests whether you can tell the difference — and remember which voice calls you to a higher standard.
How to Play
You will see a statement on the screen. Decide: does this come from the world's way of thinking, or from Jesus's teaching? Click the correct category button. You'll get immediate feedback after each answer. 12 statements total — how many can you get right?