Love Your Enemies: One Way, Or The Other - Luke 6:27-36

The central message of this sermon is that loving one's enemies, as commanded by Jesus in Luke 6:27-36, is a supernatural and sacrificial love that goes against human nature and inclinations. This love is not about feeling affection or warm fuzzies towards those who hate us, but rather about acting in their best interest and placing their lives and needs before our own. The sermon highlights the difficulty of implementing this command, particularly when it comes to physical harm and abuse, and suggests that Jesus' instruction to "turn the other cheek" may not provide a clear or practical guideline for dealing with such situations. The preacher acknowledges that he, like many others, struggles with the idea of loving his enemies and is tempted to find an alternate approach, one that would allow him to still love in some way without having to follow Jesus' direct command. Ultimately, the sermon leaves the listener with a sense of the enormity of this command and the need for surrender and faith in order to obey it.