Love Your Enemy

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Exodus 23:4–5 NLT
4 “If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. 5 If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.
Intro: Love is not limited to those who get along with you and agree with you. Love is for all. Love is by volition.God freely loves as he rules over the just and the unjust alike. God does not withhold from those who do not love him he still gives them life and free choice. The choice is yours to love God with your whole heart. Love will lead you to help even your enemy. This is even instructed in the Scripture:
Love will lead you to help even your enemy. This is even instructed in the Scripture:
Exodus 23:4–5 NLT
4 “If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. 5 If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.
(Exodus 23:4–5 NAS95)
There is a proverb that shows us wisdom in showing love the Lord’s way.

“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;”
Proverbs 25:21–22 NLT
21 If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. 22 You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.
(Proverbs 25:21-22 NAS95)
Matthew 5:43–44 NLT
43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
Love is the best weapon against hate, and our enemies. Love weakens the enemy. We are to reflect God and be like God and God is Love. This is love that God loves us unconditionally freely with no cost.

Jesus says, “Love your enemies…” (vv. 43-44)

Proverbs 25:21–22 NLT
21 If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. 22 You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.
Proverbs
Jesus commands us to love all even our enemies.Not just love our enemies but alsoPray for them and truly look to help them.Love looks for all to success.
Matthew 5:43–44 NLT
43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
This command given is alarming. They agree with love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But the antithesis to “Love your enemies and pray for the ones who persecute you is revolutionary.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” ( NAS95)
That is why we need Jesus to show us how to love like God because on our own we will do it all wrong.
Matthew 5:43–44 NLT
43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

God shows us how to love our enemies by how he loved us.

God showed his love towards us when we were his enemies as says:
Romans 5:8 NLT
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
When we were living for the world and far from God love came down for us.God’s love is one thing that is constant in our life.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ( NIV11)When we were living for the world and far from God love came down for us.God’s love is one thing that is constant in our life.

Love to be like God (vv.45-48)

Jesus wants us to be like him and children of God our Father
“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.” ( NAS95)
Love shows us who we are like our identification.
How do you prove who you are?
Jesus tells us to prove we are his by loving our enemies as we love one another.
God is love.
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”( NIV11)
Love moves past hurts and wrongs.
““For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?“If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”( NAS95)
God calls us to love differently!
Children of God are called to love in total new way.
We are to love those who are our enemy.

Love makes us perfect.

God shows us what love is:
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” ( NAS95)
Love covers people’s mistakes and wrongs.“Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions.” ( NAS95)
“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” ( NAS95)
Love is perfect in God.
God We are called to perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. We are to be mature in God’s love.When we were a child we did childish things.Love makes us mature to do the mature thing in the face of adversity.God’s love was perfect for us.“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”( NAS95)
We are called to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.
We are to be mature in God’s love.
When we were a child we did childish things.
Love makes us mature to do the mature thing in the face of adversity.
God’s love is perfect for us.
1 john 4
1 John 4:17–18 NLT
17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.
“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”( NAS95)

Conclusion:

We are to love and not hate. Love is helping those who are against us and not nice to us.Love help us to see the good in everyone.God saw our salvation pass our sin.God saw our redemption pass our bondage in sin.
Romans 5:8 NLT
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Matthew 5:45–48 NLT
45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
1 John 4:8 NLT
8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Matthew 5:46–48 NLT
46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 NLT
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
1 Corinthians 13:
Proverbs 10:12 NLT
12 Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.
1 Peter 4:8 NLT
8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
1 John 4:17–18 NLT
17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.
romans 8:
Romans 8:35 NLT
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
Romans 8:37–39 NLT
37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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