Sunday Sermons
Leaving Room
Romans 12:19-21
There are many misconceptions concerning love and how to respond to evil people in our world, in this lesson I want to explore the above verses and specifically what does it mean to love my enemy?
The Forgotten Power of Goodness
“Why is it so inconceivable that love, in this fallen world, is a weapon to destroy evil? Why is it so hard to embrace the force and resourcefulness of love? It seems we have perceived love as something saccharine and frilly, best described as ‘unconditional acceptance’. The assumption seems to be that if I ignore how bad you are and continue to be kind, maybe somehow something will occur to make you a nicer person. Love is magic, and if the fairy dust is sprinkled long enough, change will occur. In that case, love is looking the other way when someone steals from your home; it is pretending the vicious comment was not vicious; it is trying to cloak the stench of sin in a more attractive scent” (Bold Love, Allender and Longman pp. 183-184). In the above verses God will remind us concerning the power of goodness and the true nature of how love responds in the face of evil. The above writer makes an excellent observation. While love is willing to forgive (1 Corinthians 13:5), love is equally concerned about truth (13:6).
“Never take your own revenge”
For decades we have been living in a culture that seems more interested in warm and fuzzy feelings than God’s truth. The idea that revenge is intrinsically evil dominates many of the denominations, yet the Holy Spirit will say, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay”, says the Lord. Sadly we have too many theologians and religious people who view themselves as being more righteous and pure than the God revealed in Scripture. There are many reasons why God tells us not to take vengeance, “Our vengeance, of course, may be wrong and involve utterly impure motives” (p. 186). In addition, man typically wants someone to pay right now without any desire for reconciliation. Yet vengeance is part of God’s character and is not a violation of His love and mercy, rather vengeance is simply the desire for justice. It is the legitimate desire to see the ugliness and harm caused by sin to be righted, and for beauty to be restored. “It is as inherent to the human soul as a desire for loveliness” (p. 187).
“But leave room for the wrath of God”
Carefully note that God does not rebuke us for wanting to see sin judged and wrongs righted, because He has the same desire! “First, it implies that I am to step out of God’s way, because I am not as good as executing final revenge as He is. There are times I will let my children work at a task until it is clear that a stronger hand is necessary to finish the job. At that point, I will ask my children to make room for my presence: ‘Step back, kids; your father is about to take over’” (p. 192). What this tells us is that God sees the evil in this world and He is not looking the other way. In addition, He sees injustices, the imperfections of human judges, courts and juries and He sees when evil people seem to get off the hook or escape justice. He also sees the wrongs committed against innocent children and His people. Yet He lovingly tells us, “I know you are frustrated and I know what that evil person did to you in the past, step out of the way, and I will handle this”.
We must also realize that another reason that we need to “leave room” is because human vengeance, no matter how well it has been thought through or planned, would never be sufficient for the crime. “I asked one enraged victim of a spousal affair what she would do to her husband if she could make him pay. She said, ‘I would scream at him for hours, then I would shoot him’. I told her that she was far more lenient and generous than God would be. She wanted her husband to pay, but she really did not want him to pay too severely. Her ‘mercy’, though, was less merciful than it was squeamish” (p. 193).
“Pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44)
The realization that the Almighty God of heaven and earth is going to direct His wrath against every unrepentant evildoer should cause us to fall on our knees and earnestly pray that even the evil people who have hurt us personally would repent. Even Christians can fail to realize how much suffering is going to come upon sinners, “in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12); “Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48); “Being in torment” (Luke 16:23); “For I am in agony in this flame” (16:24); “Wrath and indignation, there will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil” (Romans 2:8-9); “You are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (2:5); “Dealing out retribution….these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9); “They will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). God uses powerful and graphic terms in describing the fate that will come upon sinners, concerning the nation of Moab in the Old Testament, He said, “And Moab will be trodden down in his place as straw is trodden down in the water of a manure pile. And he will spread out his hands in the middle of it as a swimmer spreads out his hands to swim” (Isaiah 25:10-11). Some denominational commentators are so offended by the previous passage that they label it “despicable vulgarity” or “vindictive nationalism”, while the truth of the matter is that this is the vengeance of which the Almighty says, “Leave room!”. People being trampled by horses and slowly drowning in dung is how God describes the extent of His wrath against sin.
Destroy the evil in yourself first
“Don’t seek to destroy evil in others until you first seek to destroy evil in yourself (Matthew 7:1-5). Our first warning is not to judge unless we are willing to be measured by the same criterion. If you are hurt because someone slighted you, then you are implying that you equally hate the same tendency in yourself. The priority is always to look first in yourself. You will not stand before God required to deal with any life but your own (Romans 14:12 “So each one of us will give an account of himself to God”). Therefore, let judgment begin first with the house of God. This takes a unique heart to accomplish without falling into several traps. One error is to always assume that you are at fault, not matter what occurs” (p. 201). We will lose the battle against evil unless we are truly dedicated to abhorring evil in our own life and in the lives of our closest friends and family as well (Romans 12:9).
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him”
When many people read this verse often their immediate reaction is, “Why should I be good to someone who did me such harm?” First, God said to. Second, in view of the wrath that they will face for eternity if they do not repent, now is our onlychance for all eternity to show them some kindness. “But part of the answer is, do good to destroy evil. Withholding goodness or offering a cold shoulder, biting words, indifference, or overt or covert hatred adds more ugliness to an already ugly world. Only goodness as the power to destroy evil before the final judgment” (p. 202). Remember, feeding an enemy means giving him what he really needs and not what he wants. Carefully note that this section infers that sinners, because of the attitudes they have, the choices they make, the lifestyle they are living, and how they have used others, will often come to the end of their rope in this life. Do not be shocked if you find yourself confronted with the choice of helping an evil person, like taking care of a parent in their old age that abused you.
“Burning coals of fire”
Many see this as a metaphor of shame. God is telling us that goodness surprises evil people, it disrupts their expectation that we will either fight or run. Goodness has a way of tripping up and unnerving evil. “The enemy anticipates compliance or defensive coldness, harshness, or withdrawal” (p. 216). “Darkness has never been too found of light (John 3:20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed”). Carefully note that evil people who may appear to be cold, heartless and without fear of anyone or anything, are actually afraid of the light of God’s truth and having their lives and motives examined. “What unnerves evil more than any one thing is someone who is not controlled by shame and yet is not (like evil) shameless. The abuser abuses, but it was the victim’s fault---she was too fat, too thin, too smart, too dumb. The greatest shock to the abuser comes not only when the victim is no longer controlled by shame, but also has the power to expose the little man behind the curtain who uses big words, spouts angry commands, and sends innocents on long, dangerous journeys” (p. 219). Therefore the “goodness” in this section is not weak or effeminate, and neither is it a doormat. This is a goodness that surprises evil, shames it, unnerves it and exposes it (See Matthew 26:17-35). Jesus, on the night of His betrayal, made no effort to keep the pain of the impending betrayal at a minimum. He told Peter that He had prayed for him and Jesus also let Judas know that He was aware of what Judas had been planning.
Shrew Sacrifice: Matthew 5:39-42
“The key to both turning our cheek and offering our cloak is the principle of shrewd sacrifice. It is the giving that is designed for an enemy, not a friend. Remember, what the enemy expects is that intimidation and shame will get him what he wants. When he hits someone in the face, he expects the normal reaction—fight or flight. Voluntarily turning the other cheek removes the pleasure of the first blow. The enemy’s real pleasure in striking out is the power he enjoys to intimidate and shame. He enjoys inflicting harm, to some degree, because it gives him a sense of control and the fantasy of being like God. Turning one’s cheek to the assault of the enemy demonstrates, without question, that the first blow was impotent and shameful” (p. 224).
Practical Applications
· We do not rant and rave and fly off the hook (Proverbs 15:1).
· We are not intimidated by their comments, harsh words, cutting remarks or insults. We show no fear (2 Timothy 1:7; Matthew 10:28; Philippians 1:28).
· We are not shamed by their accusations, as if their sin is our fault.
· We directly ask them, “Why did you do that?” (John 18:23)
· We turn on the light of God’s word (Matthew 26:55-56; John 18:20-21). We tell them we are praying for them, we talk about Jesus and His sacrifice.
· We do not lose our voice and retreat into silence.
· We continue to offer the hope of reconciliation.
· We set the parameters and ground rules for interacting and conversations. That is, no filthy language tolerated, I will not compromise my convictions to please you; God will continue to come first (Matthew 6:33).
· We recognize that our own vengeance is puny and insufficient.
