Main Point: Discuss the importance of loving your enemies as Jesus commanded.

Matthew 5:43-48 43 You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Questions: 1. What is Jesus commanding us to do in verse 44 of this passage? How easy is that for you at this moment? 2. What excuses have you come up with in the past that have kept you from loving your enemies? Do you think God would tolerate that excuse? Q: Yea! But, _____ did ______! And, Im supposed to love him/her? A: Yes. God is not giving any other options here. According to Jesus we cannot be children of our Father in heaven if we dont do this (v. 45). Questions: 3. Read verse 45. What do you think Jesus means when he says God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous? God is in the business of loving His enemies into the Kingdom of God. How do we know this? Rom 2:4 God's _______ is meant to lead you to repentance Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own _____ for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We too were once enemies of God, but He romanced us into His Kingdom with Lovenot judgment. As Disciples of Christ, we should model our master in this way. How..? With compassion.

Loving Your Enemies

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Questions: Read Luke 23:34 4. Given Jesus circumstance at that moment, why is what he said so significant? Shouldnt He have been angry with those people who persecuted Him? 5. What was His reasoning for wanting the Father to forgive them? I believe Jesus heart was able to go out to the people who were killing Him because He knew that they were under the influence. Under the influence of what? No Under the influence of who..? 2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age (the devil) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Jesus was able to look past the people (the natural realm) and see what was going on in the spiritual realm. The people were blind! They couldnt see that they were just being used by the devil to administer hate and cause pain. The same thing is true today! 6. If you saw a blind man walking down the street bumping into things and struggling to get to where he needed to go, how would you respond? Would you point the finger at him for not knowing where he is going or would you help him find his way? My hope is that you would have compassion and help the person find his way. That is the same heart of compassion we should have for our enemies. See past the people as Jesus did and see what is going on in the spirit. Dont let the devil carry that person away! Pray and intercede for them. Let your compassion rise up so that you can love your enemies as Jesus commanded. Meditate on & confess this: Ephesians 6:12 I am not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
John 13:35

All men will know that I am a disciple of Jesus, because of the love I show to everyone.