Meals with Jesus - Week 1

Oak Pointe Church • Novi

Love My Enemies and Do Good to Them? Seriously?

Luke 6:27-36

Teacher: Blaine Dennison, Congregational Care Pastor at Oak Pointe Church

Statistics show that young people today are lonelier than ever before in human history, and social scientist Arthur Brooks surmises that society is experiencing a “loneliness epidemic.” He explains some of this by the idea that our culture has emphasized safety over risk and has therefore impeded our ability to love others who are different than us. Love, especially loving others who are difficult to love, requires risk.

Jesus knows how loving our enemies grates against our flesh and instigates fear. He knew what He was saying when He taught the principle of “turn the other cheek.” However, Jesus doesn’t deliver an impossible command and leave it up to us: He Himself supplies the very love He’s asking us to give. In this message, we will hear how Jesus wants us to treat our enemies, and how we can carry it out.