Murder in the Church
Part 10, Overcoming the Overwhelming
(Matthew 5:44-45; Romans 12:21)
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. The major responsibility in the life of a Christian is embracing of the Christian lifestyle -- that of righteousness and true holiness. One of the major elements contended with in the life of a Christian is that of distraction. Not just any old type of distraction, but that which distracts from our major responsibility. In our challenge to keep the word of the Lord and glorify Him, we encounter various forms of distraction. The type we're going to deal with today has to do with how we are treated and the stumblingblock it can present in our lives.
Consider today's text. We are exhorted to do four things:
- LOVE your enemies;
- BLESS them that curse you;
- DO GOOD to them that hate you and
- PRAY for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.
Not doing these things can keep us from fulfilling our call in the Lord Jesus, as explained in the following verse (i.e., that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.... Let's look at these exhortations more closely and then we'll get to the point of the message.
- LOVE: This word is not "agape", as many are commonly led to believe
(that it occurs in practically each instance of the word "love").
It is a verb. It is a call to action. This word "love" has to do
with what we DO. The Strong's dictionary lets us know that it means "to
love in a social or moral sense". In other words, it is what we DO that
confirms whether or not we "love". We are instructed to LOVE our
enemies. Again, according to Strong's, this refers to someone that is "hateful,
odious (behaves in a way that provokes to dislike or hatred) or is an adversary.
In being commanded to love our enemies, we are challenged to bestow good
favor on someone who is completely contrary to and opposed to us. The implied
message in this passage is that God's people WILL have enemies. This is,
indeed, a challenge.
NOTE: If you don't think you'll have enemies when you serve the Lord, think again. Consider Psalms 38:20 which says, "They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is." This is reflected in the New Testament also (all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution).
- BLESS: This word means "to speak well of". We are to bless those
that "curse" us. The word "curse" means "to execrate".
Execration is the act of "declaring to be evil or detestable".
In other words, as we are attacked and railed on by our adversaries, we should
not engage in retaliatory verbal assaults. Let them curse, but we must be
determined to bless. NOTE: For those who might take this one too far, consider
Jesus' dealings with and discussions about the Pharisees, especially in Matthew
23. The difference between what Jesus is discussing in today's text and Matthew
23 is that His discourse in Matthew 23 was not retaliatory. It was the truth
and it was necessary that His disciples were aware of their ills. If someone
doesn't believe this, then that person is calling Jesus a hypocrite for saying
one thing and doing another. Selah.
- DO GOOD: The focus here is on the word "good". It actually means "well
(morally)". In other words, this passage is saying to "do the right
thing when dealing with them that hate you". "Hate" refers to "detestation
and loving less". Hatred refers to "disesteem and lack of consideration
and care". Here, we are challenged to do that which is right regardless
of whether or not we are treated properly.
- PRAY: Praying. In this instance, it deals specifically with petitioning
God on the behalf of those who despitefully use and persecute you. "Despitefully
use" doesn't mean what is commonly believed in this day and age. It means "to
insult, slander and falsely accuse". When this happens, don't get huffy.
Pray! Someone is in need. Prayer, in such instances, will not only bless the
enemy, but it will protect us from the wiles of the enemy who seeks to callous
our hearts when we're treated badly. "Persecute" refers to "pursuing".
In other words, when someone persecutes, they pursue and treat the pursuee
improperly. Persecutors go out of their way to do harm, causing people to
suffer at their hand(s).
Verse 45 deals with God's example. He makes the sun rise and rain fall on everyone, regardless of their heart towards Him. This is His example of maturity that we should embrace.
Lies. Infliction of pain. False witness. Defamation of character. Hindrance. Theft. Bodily harm. Destruction of property. Harm to family. Destroying of dreams and goals. Disrespect. Being overlooked purposely and for the wrong reasons. Being ignored because you won't follow the crowd. Suffering a damaged reputation. Not pleasant things to experience, but they're a reality -- especially if you're determined to serve the Lord Jesus. Here's the bottom line of today's message. As stated earlier, the treatment we receive from people (good or bad actually, but we're focusing today on the bad treatment) can be a distraction. It can actually be OVERWHELMING and create an atmosphere, if you will, in our lives that keeps us from focusing on or seeing what we ought see. When this happens, we cannot fulfill our call. Our goal -- the one we need to focus on so that we can fulfill the exhortations listed above -- is to OVERCOME THE OVERWHELMING. We need to be focused on what God has charged us with, regardless of what's happening in our lives. We need to overcome the blindness that results from being overly concerned with how we are treated.
When people hate, they back it up with actions. When we are subject to the treatment of enemies -- those who hate, curse, despitefully use and persecute -- we are subject to pain. Though simple, we need to think about this sometimes. The treatment we receive can easily become OVERWHELMING. It can become so frequent and constant that we can overfocus on it. This is the danger that God wants us to see today. In other words, we can focus on how we're being treated so much THAT WE FORGET WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR TREATING THEM IN A CERTAIN WAY -- LOVING THEM, NO MATTER WHAT. This is the behavior prescribed by the Father.
Just because someone is lying on you, this doesn't relieve you of the responsibility to love them. Just because someone is destroying your name and defaming your character, this doesn't give you the right to strike back. Just because someone is going out of their way to cause you grief, you don't have a right to (as some people like to say in various circles) "lay the Holy Ghost aside and deal with the matter" yourself. We are to embrace the exhortation in Psalm 37:1 -- "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." We are to "trust in the Lord and do Good". When we hear the exhortation of the Lord regarding such matters, we are to keep His word (do good). In so doing, we confirm our trust in Him and we have a great expectation. In so doing, we OVERCOME THE OVERWHELMING. If we allow ourselves to be overly thoughtful (anxious) regarding how we are treated, it will be very difficult to focus on OUR responsibilities.
I'm reminded of Psalms 119:23, where David explains "Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes." In 2 Timothy 4:9-13, Paul presents a request that includes a mini-status report on his helpers. We see Stephen, who, at the point of death, is not distracted by those who were stoning him. He kept his focus. In Acts 7:60, we see him asking for forgiveness -- the act that confirmed love for his enemies as he discharged their debt of sin. Then, the granddaddy of all examples is listed in Luke 23:34 -- "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." Jesus kept focus on His responsibility regardless of the distractions. He OVERCAME THE OVERWHELMING.
Today, don't let the enemy (or His children) get the best of you. Don't let someone's hatred for you cause you to stop loving them. Don't let the old man rise up and cause you to focus on the wrong things. Christians have an agenda. It is holiness. It is seeing the Father, face to face in peace. We are to, as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, "... labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
Don't let the treatment you receive dictate how you will respond. Matthew 24:12 says, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Many will wax cold because they don't know how or are not willing to deal with ill treatment that results from hatred (a/k/a murder). All who will live godly in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution. We must be determined to focus on being godly in all situations, regardless of what happens. If your enemy hunger, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him drink. Whatever you do, DON'T BECOME LIKE HIM for we know the end of such behavior. If we are not weary in well doing, we'll receive the blessing of the Lord. Saints, let's overcome the distractions. Let's be determined to OVERCOME THE OVERWHELMING.
NOTE: If someone is treating you poorly, this is an indication that they are in need -- spiritually. Stand in the gap for someone that hates you . . . today and every day!
Until next year, keep the word and be blessed!
Remnant Online: Volume 4, Issue 46 -- Murder in the Church, Part 10 -- Overcoming
the Overwhelming
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