Bless Your Enemies

I. WHAT BLESSING DO WE SPEAK?

1. A model blessing is in Numbers 6:24-26: "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

2. Use the same blessing except insert the person's name in place of "thee".

3. When you speak that blessing over someone in forgiveness, you are releasing that person to the Lord and you will also pull up those roots of bitterness towards them.

I. The Blessing is a command of God.

a. In Numbers 6 God Aaron this message: From the Amplified: “This is the way you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them, 24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; 26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).”

b. Notice God didn't say, "Pray this prayer". He didn't say to prepare a sacrifice. He said to speak these words over them.

c. In verse 27 God says I will bless them.

d. God wants to bless His people and He did it through His priests speaking Words that God had given them.

J. It has carried over into the New Testament.

a. 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”

b. Rev. 1:6 says Jesus has "made us kings and priests unto God and His Father".

c. We are a kingdom of priests. Jesus is the King. Myles Munro says when a King commands something it is called a decree and it becomes the law of the kingdom. It cannot be changed.

h. When we speak the blessing over people we are acting in the authority of the King of the Universe and declaring God's decree from Heaven. When we speak the blessing, God acts on our words and does the blessing.

II. Some may question our authority to do this.

1. In Genesis 1:26 (Amplified) God says, "Let Us [Father. Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth"

a. God gave man dominion over the earth. (Genesis 1:26)

b. Man lost that dominion to the devil. (1 Timothy 2:14)

c. Jesus bought back man's dominion. (Matt. 28:18-20) NLT: "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go (Here He delegated the same authority to all Believers) and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

(Also in Mark 16:15-18.)

d. God has restored dominion over the earth to Born-Again Believers through Jesus.