Day 134: Loving Enemies, Forgiving All [2]

May 14

Today's Connected Passages: 

• Genesis 26:12-33 
• Matthew 5:38-48; Luke 6:27-36 
• Luke 23:34; Acts 7:54-60 
• Romans 12:17-21 
• 1 Corinthians 4:1-21; 6:1-8 
• 1 Peter 2:13-25; 3:8-13 
• Hebrews 10:30-31 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to the Canon Connected, where we read the connections, see the connections, and study the connections of the Bible. We are so glad to have you here for day number 134 of the Canon Connected, and right now we're in a four-part series on what the Bible has to say through connected readings on loving your enemies and forgiving people. Very difficult topic, I know. I alluded to that several times yesterday because I don't want to undersell this or undervalue, you know, just how hard it is when you've been wronged, especially in some of the worst ways. Um ways that I can't begin to comprehend. I I'm absolutely positive there's there's people out there listening that have been victims of abuse of of of different kinds. And so I understand, again, from you know, just being a real person in the real world, not necessarily even my experience, although I feel like I have been wronged a few times. But people have been through things a lot worse than me. And even hearing ideas about forgiveness and loving enemies can, you know, it can stir things within some people that are that are very hard to deal with. And it's not my intention, of course, um, to cause anybody to you know relapse into any any old feelings or things like that. But it is it is extremely important that every person, no matter what their experience is, you know, truly understand and wrestle with what the Bible has to say about loving enemies and forgiving people. And as I close yesterday with, and I'll just remind you again today, and may even the next couple of days, just in case anybody listens to only one of these and not all four of them, that forgiveness and loving enemies does not mean you trust people or stay in relationship with them or stay even in proximity to them. There's definitely a biblical case for that, for the opposite of that, for for severing relationships. We're gonna get to that in confrontation in a couple of months. I'll even have some guests on with me to talk through that. Um, things like church discipline and and uh and as the New Testament says many times, uh have nothing to do with this unrepentant sinner. Um But we do also want to talk about, we don't want to drown out, you know, the truth of forgiving people and loving enemies and the idea that you can turn enemies into friends and you can forgive people and have restoration in relationships if the person does repent, okay, and they don't continue down the road of whatever they're doing to harm you, okay. If if there is, you know, reconcile if there is repentance and forgiveness, you can have reconciliation. And if you have enemies and and you do love them and you turn the other cheek and you do what the Bible says to do, then yes, you absolutely, in some cases, you can win them over. That's I think that's what the proverb was talking about yesterday. And on that point, that's really how we begin today with Isaac and Abimelech. It's very obvious, you know, that the the Philistines are very jealous, you know, of the Israelites and how how prosperous they are. And they they they enact, you know, um uh um harmful deeds on them with their wells and just immature behavior, things I would look at and say that's very juvenile. And maybe in the ancient world, maybe it was as well. But what you see from God is not get them back. What you see from God is in verse 24, and the Lord appeared to Isaac the n that same night and said, I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake. So just follow me, do what I ask you to do, just live the way that I tell you to live, and you'll prosper, and you don't have to worry about what other people are doing to you. Isn't that why they killed Stephen? Because they were jealous of him? He's just doing right. You know what God did? God took him up to heaven. And we're gonna get to Stephen during these readings as well. But then what happens? As a result of Isaac and his family just trusting God, they're able to have restoration there and to make a pact, you know, a sworn pact of peace, a peace treaty, so to speak. Truly a fascinating story. This is not one I've heard a lot of sermons on, but to me, it absolutely has the overtones of forgive people, love enemies, don't exact revenge yourself. Let God handle it, and and it may not be in this life, it may not be soon, even if it is in this life, but good things will come eventually because God is a God of justice. God will take revenge. And God, in many cases, can even use a person if their heart is hard, and uh and an act of loving an enemy or forgiving from a Christian can be a tool that God uses to soften their heart. You just never know. Then two of the very famous passages, clear parallel passages, teachings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, and then the corresponding similar, you know, account from Luke, although they're not exactly the same. Eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, but I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs of you, and do not refuse to the one who would borrow from you. And you have heard it that said, Love your enemies and hate your enemy, or love your neighbor, hate your enemy. And by the way, the word of God never said to hate your enemy. Of course, by the way, the previous verses, these are all very, you know, harsh ways that somebody could treat you. I mean, this is the slapping somebody with, you know, your right hand with the back with the back of your hand means almost certainly it would be their right hand, since 90% of people are right-handed, and to hit somebody, you know, on their right cheek with your right hand would mean you have to do it with the back of your hand unless you contorted your hand. So I think what Jesus is saying, it's very undignified to get hit in Jesus' culture with the back of the hand. So it's you know if somebody insults you in the most undignified way, you know, you don't extract revenge. Okay. Then he says, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. I don't know how many of my listeners would say to any extent they've been persecuted, but we all have enemies in some sense, and how often do we pray for them? Very convicting verse. Verse I've heard my whole life, and yet I don't pray for my enemies, uh, not nearly as much as I should. And sometimes I go seasons without doing it at all. Um Jesus even tells, explains why. You know, tax collectors, sinners, love their family, love people who love them, okay? People from false religions love people who love them. Sinners, you know, pagans, unsaved people, non-Christians, they love people who love him. What makes you different is that you love people who don't love you, and even people who hate you. Um, that's the teaching, I think, from Matthew 5 and Luke 6, at least in that part. And then Jesus models this for us. Right before he dies. Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing. And of course, Jesus definitely had times of confrontation. Don't miss this, okay? He flipped tables and drove people out with a whip, okay? This is not Jesus 100% of the time. But whenever the time is right and whenever you know it can be done for good, uh, God absolutely wants you to just back down and say, you know, let them let them have whatever, you know, because God will take care of it. And we wait for him and we forgive. Stephen echoes this. I mentioned that earlier. You know, we've studied this whole, pretty much the whole sermon from Stephen by this point in different parts of the reading plant. It's fascinating. How often Acts 7 came up. Stephen, just, I mean, just a beautiful sermon of the history of the Old Testament. And but it ends with him being stoned and him saying, Don't hold the sin against them. Lord Jesus received my spirit. Both statements sound exactly, you know, like Jesus on the cross. That's not coincidental. Then Romans 12, this is one of those places where Proverbs 25 from yesterday gets quoted: Repay no one evil for evil. This is so simple to understand, like I said yesterday. How hard is it? Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. For it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, which we also read yesterday. To the contrary. Proverbs 25 from yesterday. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. By doing so, you will heap burning coals on his head. Presumably make him feel conviction for treating you wrongly. It doesn't always work, but it typically does. Do not overcome evil with evil, but overcome evil with good. Then 1 Corinthians 4. Oh, if there is a convicting passage in all the Bible, again, uh I've said it about a lot of these, but it's just true. I just keep feeling the same pain, you know, like a stab to the chest every time I read something like this, because Paul, you know, he said, We are fools for Christ's sake. When we but you are wise in Christ, we are weak, but you were strong. You were held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour, we hunger and thirst. We are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor working with our hands. When reviled, we bless. When persecuted, we endure. When slandered, we entreat, we have become and are still like the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. Wow. Nobody in the world is gonna tell you that's how that's how you should live. But Jesus does, Paul specifically here. God. Sometimes in Christianity, as offensive as this is, not all the time, okay, there are times to defend yourself, there are times to sever relationships, okay? Please understand. All right. But there are times though you're gonna have to be treated like like scum, like garbage, okay, and to not do anything about it. All right? And it's up to the Holy Spirit to help you determine when. Because again, there are times you need to exit relationships to keep from being treated this way. But other times, when you're in a situation like Paul, you know, this is how Christians, you know, have often been treated throughout world history. And a part of it is again to show the power of God to get revenge, but not through human means, but through his means. And 1 Corinthians 6, truly convicting as well. Don't sue people. Why why not just be wronged? If there's any theology I think the American church needs now, and there's a bunch of them, but I would put this on the Mount Rushmore. The American church needs a theology of why not just be wronged? Why not just let it go and let God take care of it? Okay, and I don't like speaking in cliches. You probably know that by now. I don't really like let go and let God typically speaking. But here in this context with this much couched around it, why not just be wronged? Why do you have to get them back? Why do you have to, you know, restore what you lost? You know, sometimes again, that's right. God does care about justice and fairness, but the world's messed up, and we're not always gonna see justice and fairness in the in the short term. But justice delayed is not justice denied. God will restore it, God will get it back for us. Typically speaking, not always, but typically speaking, why not just be wrong? What a verse. And then 1 Peter, oh, he has a lot to say about this. So much to say. Um gives Jesus as an example in 1 Peter 2. Um as somebody who again was beaten and killed and didn't defend himself. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but it continued. What did he continue to do? Entrusting himself to the one who judges justly. That's what we have to do. And then 1 Peter 3, and finally, all of you have unity of mind, sympathy, brother love, a tender heart, humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for this you recall, that you may obtain a blessing. Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Sometimes in trying to get revenge from people, you end up becoming like the person that you're that's that's harmed you. And you don't want to do that. You don't want to descend into the abyss of human sin by responding to sin with what the Bible classifies as sin. And then Hebrews 30, which again, quoting from Deuteronomy, as we said yesterday, that passage will come up multiple times, for we know him who said, Venge is mine, I will repay. And again, the Lord will judge his people. And for them, not for us if you don't take revenge, okay? For them, it is a fearful thing to fall, a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. We have to remember that. We have to trust God, okay? There's no Christianity without faith, and that means truly means trust, all right? Not just believing, you know, that God created the world or that Jesus died for my sins, but truly in giving my life to God to say, I don't know what's gonna happen. I can't control things. I give all control to you, okay? You lead me, guide me, direct me. Please help me, God. And whenever I'm not supposed to take revenge and I'm supposed to take it, give me Jesus right now. Give me Jesus from Luke 23. Give me Stephen replicating Jesus from Acts chapter 7. Give it to me, God, because I've got to have it. I cannot do this on my own. That's what I get from these readings. So that's just half of them. That's two of the four days. And again, I hope that these are helpful and they're instructive. I hope seeing these things all together again is the whole goal of the plan, to see these things compiled on top of each other, and to, I mean, just to watch it exponentially, you know, convict in some cases, at least for me. And so we're gonna do day three tomorrow, and then day four, and then we'll talk about when when when the Bible speaks of self-defense. Let's just contrast this a little bit. And we will get to imprecatory psalms from David later on this year. Psalms of uh, God, I want you to judge my enemies. We'll talk about that too. So, but come back and be with us tomorrow as we continue to read the connections, see the connections, and study the connections.