Passage: Luke 6:27
Notes
BIG IDEA: God uses those who love like Him to HELP those who don’t know Him see Him!
Foundational Truths:
- God is ALWAYS bigger!
- God NEVER quits!
PRIMARY QUESTIONS: How does God change even the hardest hearts of hearts to love Him?
- God uses those who celebrate His work in others to help others see His Work.
- God gives us His heart so that others can see His heart for them
- Help people interpret the events of their lives through the lens of God’s grace.
- With loving boldness invite people to turn away from what keeps them from God.
- Give people space & time for God to accomplish His perfect plan in their life.
Verses
{“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you." Luke 6:27 NLT}{“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.” Daniel 4:37 NLT}{As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’ Daniel 4:30 NLT}{While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom.’ Daniel 4:31 NLT}{King Nebuchadnezzar sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you! I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how powerful his wonders! His kingdom will last forever, his rule through all generations.” Daniel 4:1-3 NLT}{When all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant. At last Daniel came in before me, and I told him the dream. (He was named Belteshazzar after my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) “I said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too great for you to solve. Now tell me what my dream means.’” Daniel 4:7-9 NLT}{“Upon hearing this, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time, frightened by the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, don’t be alarmed by the dream and what it means.’ Belteshazzar replied, ‘I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you!” Daniel 4:19 NLT}{“This is what the dream means, Your Majesty, and what the Most High has declared will happen to my lord the king… But the stump and roots of the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules.” Daniel 4:25-26 NLT}{“King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.” Daniel 4:27 NLT}{“But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 2 Peter 3:8-9 NLT}{“For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:10-11 NLT}
Quotes
Steve Timmis : “Jesus is calling us to radically distinct behavior that challenges people at an instinctive level. We are called to do what would be least expected. In this call to love even our enemies, Jesus is calling us to be as He was and to live the life He lived.” (I Wish Jesus Hadn’t Said That);
