Mission Sent
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Mission Sent
Repaying Wrong with Right
What happens when someone wrongs you? That knee-jerk reaction to defend yourself, push back, or even the score—it's as natural as breathing for most of us. But in Romans 12:17, Paul delivers a radical challenge that cuts straight to the heart of how we navigate conflict: "Repay no one evil for evil."
The surprising revelation is that the Greek word for "evil" here—kakos—doesn't just refer to horrific acts. It simply means "wrong" or "not right." This transforms Paul's teaching from an abstract ideal about extreme situations into practical guidance for our everyday relationships. When your spouse speaks harshly, when a coworker undermines you, when someone cuts you off in traffic—these are the battlegrounds where this principle is tested.
Scripture never sugarcoats our reality. Evil will touch all of us. People will lie about us, hurt us, and come against us. The question isn't whether evil will affect you—it's how you'll handle yourself when it does. And here's the sobering truth: you can only control one person in this world—yourself.
Jesus modeled this perfectly. While being mocked, beaten, and crucified, Isaiah tells us "He opened not His mouth." With all power at His disposal, Jesus chose a different path. Joseph too, when facing his brothers who had sold him into slavery years earlier, declared, "What you meant for evil, God meant for good."
Our struggle to follow this teaching stems from that primordial temptation in Genesis—"you will be like God." Our desire to control, to have the final word, to sit at the center of our universe drives our retaliatory instincts. Getting over ourselves is our biggest hurdle.
Yet here's the beautiful paradox: surrendering our "right" to retaliation doesn't leave us vulnerable and miserable—it sets us free. When we stop repaying evil with evil and instead do "what is honorable in the sight of all," we begin to experience the abundant life Jesus promised. This counter-cultural choice becomes our most powerful testimony in a world obsessed with getting even.
What wrong are you holding onto today? What bitterness has taken root? There's a way to be set free—by following the One who forgave those who nailed Him to a cross.
Well, we are jumping back into Romans, chapter 12. We're going to be in verse 17 specifically. Today I'm going to actually pray, jump into the verse and then jump in, because I had an interesting development in this and I'll tell you about it in just a second. So, father, I just ask and I pray that, as I preach your word this morning, that, god, it be your words given to your people. God, I realize there are no power in what I have to say, but, father, your words can transform us from the inside out and I ask and I pray, god, that today that is what we do. Father, I ask that it not be my opinion, my thoughts, but it is just your words, father, we pray this in Jesus name Amen, alright. Romans 12, 17 says this name Amen, all right. Romans 12, 17 says this repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
Speaker 1:Now I had a whole, completely different intro for this. When I start and for those of you that may not know just a little bit of how this process works usually by Tuesday afternoon I'm completely done with my sermon for the week. Now I'll read through it throughout the week and I'll kind of change like wordings and stuff like that, because, like when you first do it it's just kind of like a mess, and so I kind of go through and just like clean it up. But it's just like a change in words, right, it's not a major thing. Now I'm going to step away from my notes because last night, as I was falling asleep, I was sitting here and I was going over my sermon and I was like just thinking about the different aspects of it and this just like kind of hit me like a ton of bricks.
Speaker 1:My original intro started with this that this is something that every single person I know struggles with repaying evil for evil. And I was like going to go all into this, right. And then it dawned on me there's an easier way that we say this and most of us are familiar with the saying right, let's not do this tit for tat. Like it dawned on me yesterday like, oh no, we really struggle with this. Like if you are in a marriage, you struggle with repaying evil for evil. Because I went and I was like well, what does this word evil mean? Right, because this is kind of like, when you think evil, what kind of things come to mind Sin. What about people Hitler Like? I think all of us could agree that, like, when we think of evil, someone like Hitler comes to mind.
Speaker 1:And then when we read a verse like this that says repay no one evil for evil, we're thinking like in that, in that big, like huge, like dude, you killed a couple of million people and started a fight with the entire world. But I think what Paul is actually driving at because this word evil in Greek is it's a really fun word to say, it's keikos, okay, and what it actually means is wrong, evil or painful. So think about this wrong, right. It really it has a connotation of not right. See, we think this word evil and we think it's this really big, huge word. But what Paul is sitting here saying is don't repay wrong for wrong. So like, if you're married in here and your spouse comes at you wrongly, what's the first thing you do? Especially if it's like a wife going to a husband, because we have that ridiculous testosterone thing and the first thing that comes out of our mouth is who are you trying to buck up against? Right, like that's what we do. If someone at work comes at you wrong, what's the first thing you do. You want to defend yourself, you want to well, hold up, and we want to constantly be pointing back. Remember the saying right, don't point a finger at someone, because then you have four pointing back at you Like it's the same thing. That's what Paul is really driving at here when he says this do not repay evil for evil. And what I want us to understand before we even move on again, you know from right here, is understand. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that evil will not be done to you. In fact, it really says the exact opposite the idea we have that as Christians, there won't be evil coming at us. I don't know where we came up with this, because the Bible is very clear. I mean, you go to Ephesians 6, why do we have to wear the full armor of God? Because the fiery darts will come at you. It's going to happen. People are going to come at you wrong. People are going to say things behind your back. People are going to do all sorts of kinds of evil to you. They're going to lie about you. They're going to confront you. They're going to do all sorts of things. It's going to happen.
Speaker 1:We can't look at this passage and think that we live in some kind of utopia. We don't. I was watching a YouTube video the other day and it was like 10 atheist arguments against God, and one of the arguments that this atheist was bringing up was either God is in cahoots and is an accomplice to Satan and allows all this evil, or he isn't powerful enough to stop all of this evil. Either way you look at it, that means there is no God, and I went hold up. You kind of skipped over the fact that we live in an evil, sinful, broken world and God, in his patience, is sitting here going. I will tolerate this for a time until I decide it's time to step in, and we have to keep stuff like that in mind. This evil that we're talking about will affect every single one of us. The question isn't will evil affect you? The question is, how will you handle yourself when it does? Understand this Do you know how many people in this world you have control over One? If you want to argue it, you can't control what anyone else in the world does except for you. You're the only person that can control.
Speaker 1:Me and Debbie were having a conversation yesterday, and if you listen to the podcast, it was one of those robust conversations we were talking about and in it we were talking and I was like look, deb, I was going to change, regardless, regardless of what your actions were. I was going to change regardless, regardless of what your actions were. I was going to change because I am the only person who can control me and even sometimes let's be honest, if you're like me you might lose control from time to time too. But you know what I can't do Control my wife Like I have no control over that. I can plead my case, I can show her how her actions affect me. I can do all of these different things, but until Debbie decides for Debbie, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:That's why Paul is sitting here going repay no one evil for evil, because, understand this, we can't control other people. I don't care who they are. My son, if you look over, is not sitting here this morning doing slides. He was awake when I left the house. I'm guessing and this is just speculation on my part that once his family left the house, his head found his way back to that pillow. You know why? Because I can't control other people. Does that mean that there won't be ramifications and stuff? Yes, there will, but I'm not going to repay evil for evil either. See, understand how much of this it is just laying on you. Paul's sitting here, going. You can control. You Don't do this. When someone wrongs, you don't just immediately fire back at them. And Paul isn't the only one that says this.
Speaker 1:In 1 Peter 3, in verses 8 and 9, we read this Finally, all of you have unity of mind, didn't we cover that last week? Live in harmony with one another, be of one mind, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind. And then look what he starts, verse 9, with Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but, on the contrary, bless, for to this you you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. Kind of sounds familiar, right, like last week or two weeks ago we looked at that. Right, bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse them. Do not repay evil for evil. Peter's sitting here saying the same thing. And keep in mind who we're talking about here. Gabby, you've got to stop rocking in that chair. Keep in mind who we're talking about here.
Speaker 1:Okay, peter doesn't live this cush life, right, it's not like everybody's gathering around Peter and they're like oh, dude, you are amazing. You're awesome. Thank you so much for being the rock that Jesus built the church on. Paul doesn't live this cush life. Paul's life is literally going from town to town, getting beat and thrown in jail Like that's his life, and both of them are sitting here saying do not repay evil for evil. Do not stoop down to their level. Rise above it. Because you were called to a different kind of life. You were called to be a light in the darkness. You were called to be the salt of the earth. You were called to show people that there is a different way to do this.
Speaker 1:In fact, peter, if you keep reading in 1 Peter, 3 Peter 3, when you get down to 15, it says this but in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Let me ask you this why would someone ask you for a reason for the hope in you? This is, and I'll tell you right now. This is our apologetics verse. If you are someone who's into apologetics and defending your faith, this is where it comes from, in fact, that word make a defense, the word defending, like I just used that word in the Greek, like right here in the scripture is apologia. It's where we get the word apologetics from. It's sitting here, going.
Speaker 1:When people ask you why are you different, what are you going to tell them? Well, why would someone ask you why you're different if, in fact, you aren't different, if you act like, sound like, talk like just your whole world is looking like the rest of the world. You look just like all your other co-workers, you sound just like all your other co-workers. If there is literally no difference between you and someone who just goes, hey, there is no God, why on earth would someone come to you and go, hey, tell me about the hope found in you. And that's where we find ourselves. I'm going to tell you, as the church we don't look any different, we don't sound any different. So why then would people care what you have to say? Because when crap hits the fan in your life, you look like and sound like just like everyone else. When evil comes against you, you are just repaying it for evil, just like everyone else. So why on earth is someone going, hey, what's different about you? Can you explain that? That is what apologetics is.
Speaker 1:And Peter continues in verse 16, and he says having a good conscience, so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. Here's what he's saying. Here's the best defense for your faith your actions, not your words, because words are very cheap. If you live in my house, there are a handful of words that you're not allowed to say to me. Sorry, sorry is one of them. You heard my daughter yell it out as soon as I said it. Don't come to me and say sorry. Yell it out as soon as I said it. Don't come to me and say sorry. Now. That doesn't mean that I hold all your wrongs against you. Here's what it does mean. I don't care about your words. If you're truly sorry, you show it. You repent of that behavior. If you're sitting here going, hey, I believe in Jesus, I put my faith in Jesus, I left it in the water, I did the prayer, I did whatever, then guess what your actions are going to show that, if your actions don't show that I don't care about the words that are coming out of your mouth, because you can say whatever you want, you young men in here, that words I love you isn't a key to just get whatever you want from some girl. But that's how we treat it right, because if I truly love you, guess what my actions show that. So, just like that word, sorry, I don't care.
Speaker 1:What Peter is sitting here saying is this you can't lie about your actions. You can lie all day with your words. You can tell me how important Jesus is to you, but if this is the only Jesus you get during the week, how important is he? If you're not going home and studying scripture, if you're not going home and throughout the week, living out what we are talking about on Sundays, how important is this to you? Because what Jesus is sitting here saying, or what Peter is sitting here saying, is your actions are your defense. Your actions are what you do. The reason Paul would sit here and say repay no one evil for evil. Repaying someone is what Inaction. And he's sitting here going. Your actions should look different, because our actions are driven by our faith.
Speaker 1:We have a misunderstanding in the American church of what that word faith is. Faith is not saying. I believe yes, if we are to take the word pistousos, which is faith, what we translate at faith, it means to place my trust in. But it's not just this. Oh, I believe this stuff is true Because when we get to the book of James, what does it tell us about the demons? The demons believe the demons know who Jesus is. The demons have no doubt who God is. Jesus said he saw Satan fall like lightning. Satan fall like lightning. So I go, they know. It's more than that. Your faith. Isn't you sitting here going. I believe this is true. Your faith is sitting here, going because I believe this is true. I will do my actions, will always follow my mind. Your faith is sitting here and going because I believe Jesus is exactly who he said he was and did exactly what he said he did. I'm going to do the things that Jesus did.
Speaker 1:So, as we're looking at repay evil for evil, let's look and see. Did Jesus repay evil for evil? Jesus is getting beat, mocked, falsely arrested and is eventually going to be led to his death. Did he repay them evil for evil? Like is he sitting there getting slapped as they blindfold him so he can't see, and the soldiers are sitting there mocking him going? Hey, if you're God, tell us who hit you, tell us who struck you, tell us who spit on you. Do all the things that you claim you can do Now, do you think Jesus didn't know who was doing it?
Speaker 1:Man, he knew how many hairs were on their head, it was more than he even knew their name. But did he repay evil for evil? I mean, it would be easy, let's be honest, if we were in his positions, to get very angry and bitter. Would it not? Think about it? If you were, if, like, all of a sudden, the cops just like burst into here, threw you on the ground, had you face down, knee on the neck, handcuffed and then hauled you off to jail, and then your trial was just this mock trial and they convicted you and sentenced you to death, would you be angry and bitter? Would you sit here and go? I did all the right things, I tried to be the best person I could be and this is the thanks I got for it. Would that make you angry and bitter? Like? Would you try to fight it? Like, wouldn't you do everything in your power? But that's not what we see in Jesus, not even a little bit. I mean, do you really think this would have even been a fight? Like, think about this. All Jesus would have had to have done is go. You know what I'm done. I'm done holding everything together. Everything's gone Like.
Speaker 1:It's not like a power issue with Jesus. He had all of the power and the authority he could have even ever dreamed or wanted to have. That's not the problem, see. The problem is this and we find it in 2 Corinthians 5, 21, which literally says this that he made him, who knew no sin, sin so that we may know the righteousness of God. Romans 6 would tell us very clearly that the wages of sin is death. Death has to happen. Why? Because we have sinned. And since we have sinned, our wages, what we have earned, is death. And Jesus, who is in glory with the Father, john 1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He's there. In the beginning, in fact, nothing that was made was made apart from him takes on flesh to stand in our place. And you have the audacity to sit here because someone said something about you and fire back because you're better than them. Jesus has literally made sin.
Speaker 1:What is your biggest griping complaint? My wife can be mean to me sometimes. My wife doesn't think about me. Sometimes. My brother one time kicked me in the groin. Actually, it was probably more than once. My friend backstabbed me. They didn't like my post, but I saw that they liked other people's posts, so I know that they were online and I know they saw my post, but they didn't interact with it. They lied about me. Here's the deal people are gonna lie about you and sometimes it's not even like your enemies that are lying about you. Sometimes it's your friends and your family, because we live in an evil world. See, jesus.
Speaker 1:Jesus was made something. He wasn't not for his sake, but for ours, and he could have had the biggest chip on his shoulder, but here's how Jesus reacted. Here's how Jesus repaid. You guys ready. In Isaiah 53, 7,. It shows us this in the suffering servant. Here's Jesus's response. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and like a sheep before it shears his silence. So he opened, not his mouth. Here's what Jesus did. Father, not my will, but your will be done, and because this has to happen so that humanity may be saved, so that creation may be redeemed, I'm going to silently go through, I'm going to silently carry this cross on my shoulders and I'm not going to repay evil with evil, but I'm going to repay evil with good, but I'm going to repay evil with good. See, jesus lives what Joseph in Genesis 50, 20 says. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. To bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today.
Speaker 1:Yes, joseph was talking about something very specific in Genesis 50. There's a famine that comes across the land. Joseph, seven years before this, has this vision of these cows and everything. And he goes to Pharaoh and he's like hey, here's what's about to happen. There's going to be a famine. All this food's going to be gone. We got to start storing food now. So they build these giant storehouses, they put it in, they put their grain and everything in these storehouses, so when the famine does hit, they have food.
Speaker 1:Now, for those of you that may not know, though, joseph's an Israelite. How did he wind up in Egypt, like, how did he wind up in this place where he could talk to Pharaoh? To begin with, here's how His brothers sold him into slavery. His brothers hated the fact that he was their dad's favorite. They hated the fact that their dad made him this shiny coat. They dug a hole, they threw him in it and they were going to kill him. But Reuben went no, no, no, no, let's not kill him. That's a little too far. And these traveling slave traders are coming by and he goes hey, you know what? Let's just sell him to them. He'll be gone. We don't have to worry about him anymore. We can take a part of his coat back to dad. We'll let him know when he's in Egypt.
Speaker 1:He works for this guy, potiphar. He's in his house Now. The Bible tells us that Joseph was a good looking guy, probably all like ripped and all of that. Because when Potiphar's wife is like trying to come on to him and he goes to run away, she grabs his cloak, his clothes come off. So now he's butt naked running through the streets of Egypt. Potiphar's wife comes home, or Potiphar comes home and he's talking to his wife. He's like hey, where's Joseph? And she's like hey, look, she'll never believe what happened. He came on to me though, like here's his robe, look at this. He just came in here, ripped his clothes off, was like hey, I want you. Potiphar's like really, are you kidding me? So he has Joseph arrested and thrown in jail.
Speaker 1:Joseph's sitting in jail and he's sitting there with the baker and the cupbearer of Pharaoh and he interprets some dreams for him. And then they go before Pharaoh and all of this stuff happens. And he's like, hey, look, when Pharaoh lets you out, can you please remember I'm down here, can you let him know? Hey, there's a guy down here for him. And understand, one of them gets let out, the other one gets killed. But then they're standing in front of Pharaoh Guess who? They forget to mention Joseph. So Joseph rots away in jail Until years later, when Pharaoh has a dream, and then the one that they let out was like, oh wait, there was this guy I was locked up with.
Speaker 1:I remember. Now he interpreted my dreams. So then he comes before Pharaoh. They bring Joseph before Pharaoh, he interprets Pharaoh's dream about the famine, and that's what led us to where we were. And Joseph, years later, his brothers, who are still in Israel and have no food, have to make the pilgrimage down to Egypt. Well, guess who they have to deal with now? Joseph and Joseph. And that's where we find him in this part. Right, he's sitting here going.
Speaker 1:What you meant for evil, god meant for good, that many would be saved. Because, see, if Joseph wasn't in the position he was in, israel would have died in the famine. But because Joseph was in the position he was in, israel lives on. Now it doesn't have a super happy ending because guess what happens generations later, there is a Pharaoh that does not remember Joseph and now the Israelites become enslaved and that's how they wound up in Egypt and that's how the book of Exodus kicks off.
Speaker 1:But understand, jesus, all Joseph is is a foreshadow of Jesus. And Jesus is sitting here looking at the people who are killing him and going, hey, what you meant for evil? Because you were trying to stomp me out, because you were afraid of the kingdom that was coming, because it was taking power away from you, because you were afraid of that. And you meant that for evil. Guess what God's going to do with it? Because God means it for good, that many will be saved. And see, and that's where we find ourselves, because if Jesus would have repaid evil for evil, we would have no hope, we would be dead in our trespasses and sin with no way of being redeemed and justified in front of a holy God. See, and that's the back half of this verse, we have the repaying for evil.
Speaker 1:But see, it's more than just biting your tongue and not saying anything Because Paul mentioned something else in that verse, didn't he anything? Because Paul mentioned something else in that verse, didn't he? Never repay evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all, uh-oh, in other words and we're going to get into this a lot next week don't repay evil for evil, but repay evil with good. See, that's an extra step we have to take. It's more than just going hey, I'm just going to stay out of it and bite my tongue.
Speaker 1:It's sitting here, going no, no, no, no, no. You need to do what is honorable in the sight of all. So when someone wrongs you guess what you should do. Good, that's hard for us, right? That's hard for every single one of us in this room. Like if someone slaps you on the left cheek, who's sitting here going, hey, you know what? Here, take the right one too. Even it out. Someone's like, hey, go with me a mile. Who's sitting here going, hey, miles up, let's go, I'm going with you another one, let me carry the rest of your stuff another mile. Like, think about that. Who's doing this stuff? Who's sitting here going, hey, I'm going to be Jesus, but I'm sitting here telling you you want to be countercultural.
Speaker 1:This is what we do. We don't just repay, not repay evil for evil, but we repay evil with good, because imagine the impact you have on the world when others look at you and go there's something different about them. That's how you get impact. That's how you get other people to look at you and go. What is it Tell me about the hope in you? Because obviously there's something different in you. It's when you don't look like everybody else. It's when you don't handle situations like everyone else.
Speaker 1:And don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying this is easy. But what I do want you to understand is Paul isn't just giving these lofty ideals of hey in a perfect world. Here's how it should go. Paul is literally sitting here, going if you call yourself a Christian, if you sit here and go, hey, I follow Jesus, this is how your life should look, not hey, these are the like, perfect examples. He's sitting here, going no, this is what Jesus did. You need to do it too, especially if you're sitting here going, hey, I call myself a Christian.
Speaker 1:Again, going back to words are cheap, right, you can say whatever you want. This is why, in Luke 9, jesus says if you want to follow me, pick up your cross, die and follow me, do the things that I did. He never wants, and I hate this more than anything. Nowhere in the Bible will you see, make a convert. Nowhere in the Bible will you see, hey, get people to come to the front of the church and say a prayer and then tell them they're saved. That does not exist anywhere in scripture. The story of scripture and the story of following Jesus is this die to yourself and follow me, do the things that I did. This isn't about a one-time conversion experience.
Speaker 1:Should we have those Absolutely? Should we pray and go? Hey, god, I want to surrender it all to you Absolutely. Did we not just sing a song this morning that said that starts with I surrender all Absolutely? We should be doing all of those things. Should we be being baptized? Yes, should we be showing up and doing discipleship classes? And if you were here Wednesday, you heard my disdain for discipleship 101 and discipleship 102, because this is a lifelong process. This isn't something. We ever get to the point where we're like, okay, I'm good, I got it all figured out right now. John MacArthur just died last week or the week before, I forget. Now, at the age of 86.
Speaker 1:He is one of the guys that, like his books are in my office and on my computer. He is one of the people that I read a lot when I'm studying. What does this scripture actually say? You know what he would tell you. He never got to a point where he was like I got it all. Like, his commentary on the Bible is like some like 70 books or something like that, and he's still sitting here going. I mean, there's still so much more I could have learned why. Because you're trying to understand an infinite God. Here's what that means. You'll never get to the point where you know it all. I don't know it all. I know I come off a lot of times like I do, and some of that is sin within my own heart, but I'm sitting here going. What Paul is saying here is not hey, try to do this if you can. He is sitting here going. No, this is what you are called to do.
Speaker 1:Now, why do we struggle with it? Why is this so hard for us to do? Genesis 3, 5 is very clear on this. Right In Genesis 3, 5, we see the fall of mankind. The serpent is talking to Eve. He goes surely that's not what God said? Because that's what the devil does. He takes what God has said or what God has made and he twists it to make it mean or sound something different. He goes surely that's not what God said? And we pick up in verse 5, for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. The devil knew here's how I get Eve. If you do this, you can be like God. You know what every single one of us struggle with being like God, because that's what we want.
Speaker 1:This is why it's so offensive to you when someone says something to you about you, because how dare you attack God, how dare you attack the center of the universe, that all these things rotate around and we can lie to ourselves and we can go. I don't think that, yes, you do. This is why you get offended, because if you didn't think that, I don't think that, yes, you do. This is why you get offended, Because if you didn't think that, you wouldn't be offended. And this is where we all struggle, because if you are more powerful than me, if you hold control over me. If I have to like repay you good, even though you did evil to me, then how can I be a God? And this mindset just seeps into everything we do.
Speaker 1:You own a company, right? Your employees don't do exactly what you told them to do. Are you like, hey, you know what? This is a teaching moment. No, you go, I sign your paychecks, do what I'm telling you to do. If you don't want to do it, there's the door. Those are your two options. Now, I'm not saying it should never get to a point where you fire an employee it definitely should sometimes. But on the same hand, did you exhaust all things before you got to that point or did you just walk into it going hey, you got two options. You do exactly what I'm telling you to do. There's the door. You're a supervisor, you're a manager, you're whatever. You have that little bit of power. Are you using that power to help and train and build others up, or are you using that power to be oppressive to those because you're the king of that little domain? Maybe your kingdom isn't really big, maybe there's only like two people under you, but are you using your power in a way that is building them up or are you using your power to oppress and keep them down?
Speaker 1:If you're a parent, same thing, one of the worst sayings and I know I've said it throughout my years of being a parent, but I hated it when I was growing up and it was one of those things that I was like. I'm never going to tell this to my kids. I'm going to justify everything Because when my kids go, why should I? I'm going to let them know, like here's all the reasons and I'm going to lay it out and it's going to be this great argument. But you know how many times I've gone because I'm your dad. Now, go, do it, it happens. Right? That is a picture of me as an imperfect father going here's my authority, here's my power, here's my ranking and I'm just going to crush you with it. And we all do it.
Speaker 1:And what Paul is sitting here saying is you can't live like that. You have to be different than the natural. You See, I love when I'm talking to people who, especially people who are far from God, who do not believe in God, and they start talking about the natural them. This is who I am, this is my truth and I go. You are absolutely right. It is who you are, because here's who we are broken and sinners, dead in our trespasses and sin. Naturally that's who I am. But see, when Christ invades my heart, when I am now made alive in Jesus, I don't have to be that anymore, because the old has passed away, the new has come. See, I can start to look at my life and go. I am not numero uno on the top of the heap. I can look at my life and go. I get what Jesus was saying in Matthew when he says if you want to be first, you must be last. See, in the natural world that doesn't make sense, because if you're last, you're last. And I give this analogy all the time. But it never ceases to amaze me.
Speaker 1:If you teach middle and or high school I don't know how it works in elementary, because I try to stay out of elementary as much as I possibly can because little kids aggravate me. But if you teach middle and high school and you go, all right, get your stuff packed up, we're going to head out for lunch. There is a fight in the first five feet of the door. You know who's not fighting. The people lined up all the way in the back and what we started enacting was cool. If I see fighting, pushing, shoving or any of that going on up here at the front guess where you're going All the way to the back, and then you know they get mad and they're like you know, won't pick up their feet when they walk, and all that crap. And then we get outside and I'm like, hey, look, what was the difference. Would you save three seconds like that? Three seconds of break is what you were willing to sit here and fight for.
Speaker 1:Anybody ever get like cut off in line or not cut off in line, but like cut off while you're driving. And then you get to the next red light and you're like, oh, the car that just was, like, you know, throwing people off the road is right here in front of me. What did you save? What did you gain? And see, and one day, when you stand before Jesus, he's going to look at you and go the same thing. Right, hey, you couldn't put yourself last. What did you gain? Your life is completely different because you couldn't put people in front of you, because you couldn't lay it down who you were. What did you gain? Would you get here faster? Because stress is a killer. In fact, it's the number one killer in your life. So what did you gain and see? And that's what Paul is sitting here going.
Speaker 1:Hey, we got to be humble, because when Jesus invades our heart, you need to realize it ain't about me, because, again, if I'm going to do the things that Jesus did in Matthew 20, 28, jesus shows us this right. Even the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life a ransom for many. That's what we're called to do right there. We're called to take us out of the equation. We're called to go. Hey, you know what? This life doesn't exist for me. I'm not saying don't enjoy your time, enjoy it while you got it.
Speaker 1:Jesus also said I came, that you may have life and have life abundantly. But you can't have life abundantly unless you see it through the eyes of Jesus, because otherwise you're in a rat race. And how is that abundant? Unless you see it through the eyes of Jesus, because otherwise you're in a rat race. And how is that abundant? And you spend all of your time chasing after. All of these things that I'm here to tell you ultimately will not bring you fulfillment, will not bring you happiness, will not make you look at life and go oh, it is amazing now, all those things that you have in your heart.
Speaker 1:Like, when I get my new boat, I am not gonna be any more happy than I am with the boat I currently have when I get my new truck that has air conditioning. Because, I'm going to tell you, these past couple of days have like really convinced my mind I may need to get a new vehicle because it's hot. And then when you add rain on top of that and you can't roll the windows down anymore, it's bad. And then when you add rain on top of that and you can't roll the windows down anymore, it's bad. Like there have been times where we were driving. I'm like I'm going to literally pass out and die right now. But it happens, right, we all go through things, and if that's my biggest complaint in life, I'll be good. But when I get a new truck, guess what? I'm not going to sit here and go. My life is now complete because I have cold air blowing at me. Thank you, lord, for air. And we just keep on keeping on right Because, see, the things in this world are not meant to bring me satisfaction.
Speaker 1:They're meant to point me to the one who can, because that hole you have inside your heart cannot be filled with alcohol, cannot be filled with drugs, cannot be filled with sex, cannot be filled with money, cannot be filled with things. All of this will leave you wanting, and then you'll be miserable and mad because you're sitting here going. I, I got everything I wanted and yet there's still something I'm missing, and you know why? Because Jesus is the only thing to fill that. Giving your life is the only thing that will make that feel whole. And when I do, it does make everything else easy. It does make everything else easy.
Speaker 1:See, it's not hard for me. It really isn't as much as I would love to sit here and go, oh, I struggle. This isn't something I struggle with anymore. It really isn't Not saying I don't have my moments, but on a whole it's easy for me to not repay evil for evil. It really is, because I know what I've been forgiven of. It's easy for me to repay evil for good because Jesus did it. It's easy, if someone slaps me on the right cheek, to give them my left because Jesus did it. It's easy. It makes it easy to lay it all down and seek and save what is lost because Jesus did. It's easy to love the least of these because Jesus did. It's easy to be humble, because it's what Jesus did.
Speaker 1:I would argue doing all of this is way easier than the life you're currently trying to live. You know why? Because the designer of life went here's how it should be lived, and when I lay it like that, it makes it easy. When I can get over myself, that's the biggest hurdle we have to worry about. The biggest hurdle you have to worry about is can you get over you? Can you sit here and go? Hey, you know what? This is what Jesus did. So I'm going to do it, because if we can do that Jesus did. So I'm going to do it Because if we can do that, this isn't that hard.
Speaker 1:So, as we close today, are you stuck in angerness and bitterness? Are you stuck with repaying evil for evil? Because if you are, I'm here to tell you that is the devil holding very tightly to you going. You have to do this this way. This has to be man-centered. Are you sitting here right now going? You know what? I got some things that I just can't get over. I get it. I'm sure some of you in here have traumatic stories and if we were to open it up, you could just crush everybody in here with the horrible things that have happened in your life. I am not taking away from any of that. What I am sitting here saying is there is a way to be set free from that.
Speaker 1:See, we talked about this Wednesday and this is what I'm telling you If you don't come on Wednesdays, you do miss a lot of in-depth stuff that we talk about. We talked about this just on Wednesday, like why we don't do altar calls and stuff like that. And it's not that we shouldn't have a response to what the Holy Spirit is putting on our heart. We absolutely should. I don't feel like we should show up here every Sunday and just kind of waste our time. And we talked about, like, what it means for a church to grow, and we talked about the difference between numerically and spiritually. And I was trying to explain in a very, very long and robust way because, let's be honest, I have no problem being long-winded, but I was trying to explain that difference. Where I sit here and go, I don't care if we have 10,000 people sitting in here. Jesus changed the world with 12. So numbers shouldn't be what we chase, but what we should chase is the depth of spirit that we have.
Speaker 1:It's sitting here going hey, I got to go deeper into this. I got to get real about this. This has to have some kind of effect on my life, otherwise what am I doing? Because I'm really just wasting time at that point and I'm going to tell you, the best bite is first thing in the morning. So if you're just wasting time sitting in here with no like gumption to go, hey, like I want different. There are better things to do. But if you're sitting in here and you're like you know what? No, I need to to push down and get deeper. Have a response.
Speaker 1:If you need someone to talk with or pray with, I am always here. I am usually here for a couple of hours after service, like I have no problem giving of myself and my time to make sure that you are good. Like I have no problem giving of myself and my time to make sure that you are good, because that's what God called me to do. But don't leave here today with stuff that you need to deal with. Deal with it and let's move deeper so that we can look more like Jesus.
Speaker 1:So, father, I ask and I pray God that, as we move away from this moment, that if there are ways in our life that we are repaying evil for evil, that God you just lay it on us and that God we don't. That God, you created us different. You made us new so that we could do different. And I ask and I pray, father, that we have the strength when it comes time to not repay evil for evil, but to repay to do what is honorable in the sight of all. Father, I ask and I pray that you be with us, that you conform us to your image and that we look more like you, that we take ourselves out of the equation and we go. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Father, I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.