1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:01,660 Well, would you open your Bible, please, 2 00:00:01,660 –> 00:00:04,200 at Romans and chapter 12, 3 00:00:04,200 –> 00:00:08,420 and we’re looking today at verses 13 through 15, 4 00:00:08,420 –> 00:00:12,980 Romans chapter 12 verses 13 through 15, 5 00:00:13,980 –> 00:00:17,540 as we continue in our series, Overcoming Evil. 6 00:00:19,160 –> 00:00:21,719 Romans chapter 12 and verse 13, 7 00:00:22,680 –> 00:00:27,680 where we read contribute to the needs of the saints 8 00:00:28,520 –> 00:00:31,900 and seek to show hospitality. 9 00:00:31,900 –> 00:00:35,119 Bless those who persecute you. 10 00:00:35,119 –> 00:00:40,119 Bless and do not curse them. 11 00:00:40,400 –> 00:00:43,200 Rejoice with those who rejoice. 12 00:00:43,200 –> 00:00:47,119 Weep with those who weep. 13 00:00:47,119 –> 00:00:51,200 Now our title today is Overcoming Evil with Generosity. 14 00:00:51,200 –> 00:00:54,000 I think that generosity holds the three themes 15 00:00:54,000 –> 00:00:56,599 that are in these verses together. 16 00:00:56,599 –> 00:00:59,720 I have for many many years looked up key words 17 00:00:59,720 –> 00:01:04,320 in a message in my trusty old Oxford English dictionary 18 00:01:04,320 –> 00:01:06,720 that’s on the shelf next to my desk. 19 00:01:06,720 –> 00:01:09,699 I’ve discovered now that I can simply press a button 20 00:01:09,699 –> 00:01:13,879 on my iPhone and ask Siri for a definition 21 00:01:13,879 –> 00:01:15,599 of all kinds of words. 22 00:01:15,599 –> 00:01:19,660 And according to Siri I am reliably informed 23 00:01:19,660 –> 00:01:23,400 that the word generous when it is applied to a person 24 00:01:23,400 –> 00:01:27,339 means a readiness to give more of something 25 00:01:27,339 –> 00:01:30,260 than is strictly necessary or expected. 26 00:01:30,260 –> 00:01:32,480 That’s what it means to be generous. 27 00:01:32,480 –> 00:01:34,800 A readiness to give more of something 28 00:01:34,800 –> 00:01:39,800 than is strictly necessary or is expected. 29 00:01:40,239 –> 00:01:42,000 In other words, a generous person 30 00:01:42,000 –> 00:01:44,839 is a person who goes the extra mile. 31 00:01:44,839 –> 00:01:48,800 A generous person is someone who is motivated by love 32 00:01:48,800 –> 00:01:50,839 rather than merely by law. 33 00:01:50,839 –> 00:01:54,519 Love always goes beyond where law can take you. 34 00:01:54,519 –> 00:01:59,199 Love always goes beyond the range of law. 35 00:01:59,199 –> 00:02:03,800 So a generous life really has three dimensions. 36 00:02:03,800 –> 00:02:07,839 I think that they are reflected in the three verses 37 00:02:07,839 –> 00:02:11,199 that are before us today, and particularly 38 00:02:11,199 –> 00:02:14,720 that each of these dimensions of generosity 39 00:02:14,720 –> 00:02:16,600 reflects something very wonderful 40 00:02:16,600 –> 00:02:19,500 that we see in our Lord’s incarnation 41 00:02:20,059 –> 00:02:24,320 in His crucifixion and then in His resurrection 42 00:02:24,320 –> 00:02:26,039 and in His ascension. 43 00:02:26,039 –> 00:02:28,899 And we’ll trace these things together today. 44 00:02:28,899 –> 00:02:30,539 So let’s look at these first then. 45 00:02:30,539 –> 00:02:33,020 We’re not going to take them in the order 46 00:02:33,020 –> 00:02:34,380 in which they come, we’re going to take them 47 00:02:34,380 –> 00:02:37,539 in an order of ascending difficulty. 48 00:02:37,539 –> 00:02:39,460 None of these are easy 49 00:02:39,460 –> 00:02:41,979 but we’re going to start with the least difficult 50 00:02:41,979 –> 00:02:44,419 and then we’ll see how we progress from there. 51 00:02:44,419 –> 00:02:46,419 May God give us grace as we hear 52 00:02:46,419 –> 00:02:48,479 the challenge of His Word today. 53 00:02:48,539 –> 00:02:50,699 So let’s begin with verse 15 54 00:02:50,699 –> 00:02:53,520 and I’ve titled this Be Generous by Reproducing 55 00:02:53,520 –> 00:02:56,960 the Example That God Has Given You in Christ. 56 00:02:56,960 –> 00:02:59,619 And particularly here we’re thinking of the example 57 00:02:59,619 –> 00:03:04,619 that God has given in the incarnation of Our Lord. 58 00:03:04,639 –> 00:03:08,800 And the verse 15 says rejoice with those who rejoice, 59 00:03:08,800 –> 00:03:12,320 weep with those who weep. 60 00:03:13,479 –> 00:03:15,919 Now if you’re going to rejoice with those who rejoice 61 00:03:15,919 –> 00:03:17,619 and if you’re going to weep with those who weep, 62 00:03:17,619 –> 00:03:21,339 very simply you have to get close to other people. 63 00:03:21,339 –> 00:03:24,380 It is simply not possible to share in another person’s 64 00:03:24,380 –> 00:03:27,220 joy or to share in another person’s sorrow 65 00:03:27,220 –> 00:03:30,699 unless and until that proximity, 66 00:03:30,699 –> 00:03:35,399 that closeness to other people is part of your life 67 00:03:35,399 –> 00:03:37,660 and each of these exhortations that we’re looking 68 00:03:37,660 –> 00:03:39,940 at in the scripture today carry’s of course 69 00:03:39,940 –> 00:03:43,800 an implicit temptation and the temptation here, 70 00:03:43,800 –> 00:03:47,220 the implicit temptation is to remain aloof, 71 00:03:47,220 –> 00:03:51,440 to keep yourself to yourself, to be detached 72 00:03:51,440 –> 00:03:55,160 and to live as it were in your own world 73 00:03:55,160 –> 00:03:58,119 and I’m very aware that among us here 74 00:03:58,119 –> 00:04:00,880 there may be a good number of us 75 00:04:00,880 –> 00:04:03,119 perhaps even including anyone who like myself 76 00:04:03,119 –> 00:04:07,000 comes from Great Britain who would say something like this, 77 00:04:08,160 –> 00:04:10,479 well I’m a very private person, 78 00:04:10,479 –> 00:04:11,720 is there anyone here who would say 79 00:04:11,720 –> 00:04:13,119 I’m not asking for a show of hands, 80 00:04:13,119 –> 00:04:15,639 you’re the last person who would ever raise your hand right? 81 00:04:16,540 –> 00:04:21,200 I’m a very private person. 82 00:04:21,200 –> 00:04:24,559 Well I know a little about that I think 83 00:04:24,559 –> 00:04:27,160 and here’s the response of scripture to that, 84 00:04:27,160 –> 00:04:31,040 God calls you to be a very loving person. 85 00:04:32,640 –> 00:04:35,679 God calls you to be a very loving person 86 00:04:35,679 –> 00:04:39,579 and to do that you have to find ways 87 00:04:39,579 –> 00:04:42,220 to get close enough to other people 88 00:04:42,220 –> 00:04:46,320 to feel their pain and to share their joy, 89 00:04:46,320 –> 00:04:49,440 rejoice with those who rejoice, 90 00:04:49,440 –> 00:04:51,820 weep with those who weep, 91 00:04:51,820 –> 00:04:55,019 so whose pain are you feeling right now 92 00:04:55,019 –> 00:04:58,040 whose joy are you sharing right now? 93 00:04:59,220 –> 00:05:03,320 Now think about how God models this dimension 94 00:05:03,320 –> 00:05:06,239 of generous love for us, 95 00:05:06,239 –> 00:05:10,579 God is in Heaven and He is completely self-sufficient, 96 00:05:10,619 –> 00:05:13,600 He has everything that He needs in Himself, 97 00:05:13,600 –> 00:05:16,600 all the love that could ever be 98 00:05:16,600 –> 00:05:19,420 is already within the very nature of God, 99 00:05:19,420 –> 00:05:22,100 love flowing from Father to Son and Spirit 100 00:05:22,100 –> 00:05:23,380 and back and forth, 101 00:05:23,380 –> 00:05:25,239 God is completely self-sufficient, 102 00:05:25,239 –> 00:05:26,559 He doesn’t need the world, 103 00:05:26,559 –> 00:05:28,260 He doesn’t need the human race, 104 00:05:28,260 –> 00:05:32,000 He doesn’t need anything outside of Himself. 105 00:05:33,959 –> 00:05:35,799 So when He chose to make the world, 106 00:05:35,799 –> 00:05:36,920 He could have made the world 107 00:05:36,920 –> 00:05:39,859 and having planted this marvelous garden in Eden 108 00:05:39,859 –> 00:05:41,200 and brought the man and the woman 109 00:05:41,200 –> 00:05:42,880 who He created together 110 00:05:42,880 –> 00:05:44,859 and given them the marvelous gift of marriage, 111 00:05:44,859 –> 00:05:46,660 He could simply have put them in the garden 112 00:05:46,660 –> 00:05:47,579 and said, well that’s that, 113 00:05:47,579 –> 00:05:50,399 I’ll leave them to get on with it. 114 00:05:51,940 –> 00:05:54,140 But God doesn’t do that. 115 00:05:54,140 –> 00:05:56,299 What do you find right at the beginning of the Bible 116 00:05:56,299 –> 00:05:57,799 that He comes down, 117 00:05:59,399 –> 00:06:01,339 He takes a visible form 118 00:06:01,339 –> 00:06:04,380 so that He’s able to walk with the man and the woman 119 00:06:04,380 –> 00:06:07,459 in the garden in the cool of the day. 120 00:06:07,540 –> 00:06:08,399 Hey. 121 00:06:09,579 –> 00:06:10,920 Now why does God do that? 122 00:06:10,920 –> 00:06:13,160 It’s not because He needs to have the man and the woman 123 00:06:13,160 –> 00:06:14,579 in His life. 124 00:06:14,579 –> 00:06:17,260 There’s no need in God for them. 125 00:06:18,859 –> 00:06:19,940 Why does He do this? 126 00:06:19,940 –> 00:06:22,619 He comes down because God is love 127 00:06:23,959 –> 00:06:26,200 and this is what love does. 128 00:06:27,820 –> 00:06:31,899 It does not remain in splendid isolation, remote. 129 00:06:33,359 –> 00:06:35,859 It comes near and in the Garden of Eden 130 00:06:35,980 –> 00:06:38,359 and He walks with this woman and this man 131 00:06:38,359 –> 00:06:40,619 and enters into their joys 132 00:06:42,299 –> 00:06:45,040 rejoicing with those who rejoice. 133 00:06:45,959 –> 00:06:49,059 Now of course these appearances of God in a visible form 134 00:06:49,059 –> 00:06:51,459 keep recurring throughout the Old Testament 135 00:06:51,459 –> 00:06:53,019 and why are they there? 136 00:06:53,019 –> 00:06:55,220 Because clearly they are pointing forward 137 00:06:55,220 –> 00:06:57,579 to the great outpouring of love 138 00:06:57,579 –> 00:07:00,179 that is at the very center of the Bible story 139 00:07:00,179 –> 00:07:02,579 where God actually becomes a man 140 00:07:02,579 –> 00:07:04,779 not simply appearing as a man for a little while. 141 00:07:04,859 –> 00:07:07,119 He becomes a man in the incarnation 142 00:07:07,119 –> 00:07:10,299 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 143 00:07:10,299 –> 00:07:13,779 He comes close to us and He enters into our joys 144 00:07:13,779 –> 00:07:15,980 and He enters into our sorrows. 145 00:07:17,260 –> 00:07:19,220 And it is surely very significant 146 00:07:19,220 –> 00:07:22,739 that the apostle John records seven miracles 147 00:07:22,739 –> 00:07:24,859 of our Lord Jesus. 148 00:07:24,859 –> 00:07:27,720 And these seven miracles He calls signs 149 00:07:27,720 –> 00:07:31,200 indicating that they are pointers to who Jesus is 150 00:07:32,019 –> 00:07:36,440 and what Jesus does, signs. 151 00:07:37,339 –> 00:07:40,119 And the first sign if you think about it 152 00:07:40,119 –> 00:07:42,160 is rejoicing with those who rejoice 153 00:07:42,160 –> 00:07:44,660 and the last sign is weeping with those who weep. 154 00:07:45,480 –> 00:07:47,100 What’s the first sign? 155 00:07:47,100 –> 00:07:49,579 The first miracle in John’s gospel? 156 00:07:49,579 –> 00:07:51,600 The wedding at Cana of Galilee 157 00:07:51,600 –> 00:07:53,779 where Jesus turns water into wine. 158 00:07:53,779 –> 00:07:55,519 Whose wedding was it? 159 00:07:55,519 –> 00:07:56,720 Nobody knows. 160 00:07:57,679 –> 00:08:00,619 An ordinary couple whose names aren’t even recorded, 161 00:08:01,899 –> 00:08:05,679 never famous, just an ordinary couple getting married 162 00:08:05,679 –> 00:08:07,899 and Jesus Christ enters into their joy. 163 00:08:07,899 –> 00:08:09,899 That’s your Savior isn’t that wonderful? 164 00:08:10,799 –> 00:08:15,799 He comes alongside and enters human joy. 165 00:08:17,839 –> 00:08:21,059 And what is the last of the seven signs? 166 00:08:21,059 –> 00:08:24,519 It’s the raising of Lazarus from the dead 167 00:08:24,519 –> 00:08:26,320 and you remember how that happened 168 00:08:27,160 –> 00:08:29,940 and that Lazarus was the deeply loved brother 169 00:08:29,940 –> 00:08:33,000 of Martha and of Mary and a dear, dear friend 170 00:08:33,000 –> 00:08:34,799 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 171 00:08:34,799 –> 00:08:37,719 And this man died, and Jesus was in another place 172 00:08:37,719 –> 00:08:38,880 when he died. 173 00:08:38,880 –> 00:08:41,880 And so by the time Jesus came to Bethany 174 00:08:41,880 –> 00:08:45,340 where the family lived, the funeral had already 175 00:08:45,340 –> 00:08:48,559 taken place, but the family of course was still in mourning. 176 00:08:49,479 –> 00:08:51,119 And Mary came out from Bethany 177 00:08:51,119 –> 00:08:53,479 and met with the Lord Jesus Christ 178 00:08:53,479 –> 00:08:55,340 as he was coming to the town, 179 00:08:55,340 –> 00:08:59,559 and John records that when Jesus saw her weeping 180 00:08:59,559 –> 00:09:03,400 he was deeply moved, the strongest of words, 181 00:09:03,400 –> 00:09:05,159 he was moved to the core. 182 00:09:05,159 –> 00:09:09,179 The Son of God was moved to the core of his being 183 00:09:09,179 –> 00:09:11,000 by a woman’s tears. 184 00:09:12,780 –> 00:09:13,919 That’s your savior. 185 00:09:15,059 –> 00:09:19,119 And being moved to the core of his being, 186 00:09:19,119 –> 00:09:23,760 John records Jesus, the Son of God, wept. 187 00:09:26,219 –> 00:09:27,320 He wept. 188 00:09:29,340 –> 00:09:31,340 Rejoicing with those who rejoice 189 00:09:31,340 –> 00:09:34,739 and weeping with those who weep. 190 00:09:36,859 –> 00:09:39,419 Why would he weep when he knew that 191 00:09:40,299 –> 00:09:43,460 he would very shortly raise Lazarus from the dead? 192 00:09:45,179 –> 00:09:49,840 Well, simply this, Jesus Christ truly enters our sorrows. 193 00:09:51,460 –> 00:09:54,260 He feels the pain of our loss. 194 00:09:55,260 –> 00:09:59,000 Right now, the Lord, Jesus Christ is enjoying 195 00:09:59,000 –> 00:10:01,599 the resurrection life in heaven 196 00:10:01,599 –> 00:10:03,400 at the right hand of the father 197 00:10:03,400 –> 00:10:06,859 but he does not look down from a distance in heaven 198 00:10:06,859 –> 00:10:09,099 and say, hey, there’s no need for tears 199 00:10:09,099 –> 00:10:11,219 because it won’t be long until the resurrection. 200 00:10:11,219 –> 00:10:16,119 No, he weeps with those who weep. 201 00:10:17,619 –> 00:10:20,400 Now, that is what we are taught 202 00:10:20,400 –> 00:10:23,619 from the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ 203 00:10:23,700 –> 00:10:26,159 and this is being commended to us 204 00:10:26,159 –> 00:10:28,599 as the first dimension of a generous life 205 00:10:28,599 –> 00:10:31,799 that is a life that gives into others 206 00:10:31,799 –> 00:10:33,679 that we learn what it is to rejoice 207 00:10:33,679 –> 00:10:36,380 with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. 208 00:10:37,559 –> 00:10:40,320 God does not remain at a distance. 209 00:10:40,320 –> 00:10:42,340 You know that song that you keep hearing? 210 00:10:42,340 –> 00:10:45,039 God is watching us from a distance. 211 00:10:45,039 –> 00:10:46,520 Oh, thank God he does much more 212 00:10:46,520 –> 00:10:49,119 than watch us from a distance. 213 00:10:49,179 –> 00:10:51,900 Thank God, the Bible comes to us 214 00:10:51,900 –> 00:10:54,700 and engages in our lives. 215 00:10:54,700 –> 00:10:56,859 Pastor Ted Olson has a wonderful phrase 216 00:10:56,859 –> 00:10:58,340 that has really helped me, 217 00:10:58,340 –> 00:11:00,440 actually, has many phrases that have really helped me, 218 00:11:00,440 –> 00:11:02,200 but I especially love this one. 219 00:11:03,559 –> 00:11:06,760 Irrigate your soul in the joys 220 00:11:06,760 –> 00:11:08,820 and sorrows of other people. 221 00:11:08,820 –> 00:11:10,460 Isn’t that beautiful? 222 00:11:10,460 –> 00:11:11,940 Water your own life 223 00:11:13,020 –> 00:11:14,679 by entering into the joys 224 00:11:14,679 –> 00:11:16,479 and into the sorrows of other people. 225 00:11:16,479 –> 00:11:17,700 Come alongside others. 226 00:11:17,700 –> 00:11:19,599 Expand your horizon. 227 00:11:19,599 –> 00:11:22,299 It will expand your own capacity to love. 228 00:11:22,299 –> 00:11:23,619 Is there someone here today 229 00:11:23,619 –> 00:11:24,460 and you’re saying, 230 00:11:24,460 –> 00:11:28,140 I need to learn how to love well. 231 00:11:29,000 –> 00:11:32,880 I need to expand the capacity of my own heart. 232 00:11:32,880 –> 00:11:36,580 I need to learn to feel more deeply than I do. 233 00:11:36,580 –> 00:11:38,539 Here’s where you can begin. 234 00:11:39,679 –> 00:11:42,179 Look this week for someone 235 00:11:42,179 –> 00:11:43,619 who is rejoicing 236 00:11:43,619 –> 00:11:47,359 and enter as fully as you can into their joy. 237 00:11:48,460 –> 00:11:52,419 And look this week for someone who is grieving, 238 00:11:52,419 –> 00:11:53,299 someone who is sad, 239 00:11:53,299 –> 00:11:54,320 someone who is down 240 00:11:54,320 –> 00:11:58,380 and enter as fully as you can into their sorrow. 241 00:11:58,380 –> 00:12:00,039 And you will be reflecting 242 00:12:00,039 –> 00:12:01,640 the very nature of God 243 00:12:01,640 –> 00:12:04,880 as revealed to us in the incarnation. 244 00:12:04,880 –> 00:12:05,700 That’s the first thing, 245 00:12:05,700 –> 00:12:09,760 then be generous by reproducing the example 246 00:12:09,760 –> 00:12:13,099 that the Lord has given to us in Christ 247 00:12:13,099 –> 00:12:16,000 and especially in his incarnation. 248 00:12:16,000 –> 00:12:16,979 Here’s the second thing. 249 00:12:17,059 –> 00:12:20,539 Be generous by releasing the gifts 250 00:12:20,539 –> 00:12:24,260 that God has given to you in Christ. 251 00:12:24,260 –> 00:12:27,260 And here we’re thinking particularly about Christ 252 00:12:27,260 –> 00:12:31,179 in his resurrection and in his ascension. 253 00:12:31,179 –> 00:12:33,159 And we’re looking at verse 13, 254 00:12:33,159 –> 00:12:36,559 contribute to the needs of the saints 255 00:12:36,559 –> 00:12:39,760 and seek to show hospitality. 256 00:12:40,700 –> 00:12:42,599 Remember as Siri tells us, 257 00:12:42,599 –> 00:12:46,380 generosity, a readiness to give more than is necessary, 258 00:12:46,400 –> 00:12:48,960 more than is expected. 259 00:12:50,000 –> 00:12:52,479 And here Christ calls us 260 00:12:52,479 –> 00:12:56,200 to be generous in relation to our homes, 261 00:12:56,200 –> 00:12:58,159 to do more in relation to your home 262 00:12:58,159 –> 00:13:00,900 than would be normal or would be expected. 263 00:13:01,840 –> 00:13:04,239 Generosity in relation to our home, 264 00:13:04,239 –> 00:13:06,940 in relation to our time, 265 00:13:06,940 –> 00:13:10,280 in relation to the gifts that God has given to us 266 00:13:10,280 –> 00:13:13,380 and in relation to our possessions. 267 00:13:14,299 –> 00:13:17,919 This word hospitality, literally translated, 268 00:13:17,919 –> 00:13:22,919 has the meaning of loving strangers. 269 00:13:23,020 –> 00:13:26,099 It’s the same word as used in Hebrews chapter 13 270 00:13:26,099 –> 00:13:27,460 and verse two, 271 00:13:27,460 –> 00:13:31,539 do not neglect to entertain strangers 272 00:13:31,539 –> 00:13:34,039 or to give hospitality to strangers. 273 00:13:34,039 –> 00:13:37,380 The two concepts are actually in the one word, 274 00:13:37,380 –> 00:13:41,140 be a lover of people who are alone, 275 00:13:41,140 –> 00:13:45,380 a lover of people who do not have a network of connections 276 00:13:45,380 –> 00:13:47,960 such as other people may have. 277 00:13:48,940 –> 00:13:50,280 Now, remember that the Apostle Paul 278 00:13:50,280 –> 00:13:53,280 was writing on the eve of one of the great persecutions 279 00:13:53,280 –> 00:13:55,280 endured by the Christian Church, 280 00:13:55,280 –> 00:13:57,500 and already the first waves of that 281 00:13:57,500 –> 00:13:59,539 were beginning to appear. 282 00:13:59,539 –> 00:14:01,059 And so what would happen, 283 00:14:01,059 –> 00:14:03,739 and Jesus spoke of this in Matthew chapter 10 284 00:14:03,739 –> 00:14:05,820 and verse 23, 285 00:14:05,820 –> 00:14:06,619 He said, 286 00:14:06,679 –> 00:14:08,580 persecuted in one town, 287 00:14:08,580 –> 00:14:11,340 flee to the next. 288 00:14:11,340 –> 00:14:12,960 So if you have Christian believers 289 00:14:12,960 –> 00:14:14,900 who are persecuted in one town 290 00:14:14,900 –> 00:14:16,760 and they flee to the next, 291 00:14:16,760 –> 00:14:17,960 where are they going to live 292 00:14:17,960 –> 00:14:19,320 when they get to the next town? 293 00:14:19,320 –> 00:14:22,039 They’re going to depend on the kindness 294 00:14:22,039 –> 00:14:24,440 of their brothers and sisters in Christ 295 00:14:24,440 –> 00:14:26,219 who they may never have met before. 296 00:14:26,219 –> 00:14:27,500 Opening their own homes 297 00:14:27,500 –> 00:14:30,340 and giving to them this gift of hospitality. 298 00:14:30,340 –> 00:14:33,039 And as the prospect of greater persecution 299 00:14:33,039 –> 00:14:34,479 is on the horizon, 300 00:14:34,539 –> 00:14:37,159 the Apostle Paul is giving this exhortation 301 00:14:37,159 –> 00:14:40,039 to Christian believers in Rome. 302 00:14:41,159 –> 00:14:44,280 Make sure, he says to Christians, 303 00:14:44,280 –> 00:14:46,880 that you are especially generous 304 00:14:46,880 –> 00:14:49,039 in the use of your home 305 00:14:49,039 –> 00:14:50,979 with regards to other believers 306 00:14:50,979 –> 00:14:52,020 because no one else 307 00:14:52,020 –> 00:14:53,479 will want to open their homes 308 00:14:53,479 –> 00:14:55,200 to other believers. 309 00:14:55,200 –> 00:14:58,640 Only Christians will do this. 310 00:14:59,840 –> 00:15:01,479 Notice the language here. 311 00:15:01,479 –> 00:15:02,640 Contribute to the needs 312 00:15:02,640 –> 00:15:04,200 of the saints. 313 00:15:04,239 –> 00:15:05,559 A wonderful New Testament way 314 00:15:05,559 –> 00:15:08,260 of describing all believers. 315 00:15:08,260 –> 00:15:10,719 The needs of the saints 316 00:15:10,719 –> 00:15:13,799 are to be our first concern. 317 00:15:13,799 –> 00:15:15,080 Not our only concern, 318 00:15:15,080 –> 00:15:17,159 but our first concern. 319 00:15:17,159 –> 00:15:18,320 You have the same principle 320 00:15:18,320 –> 00:15:20,760 in Galatians Chapter 6 and Verse 10. 321 00:15:20,760 –> 00:15:22,200 As we have opportunity, 322 00:15:22,200 –> 00:15:24,400 let us do good to everyone. 323 00:15:25,719 –> 00:15:27,820 But then notice the priority 324 00:15:27,820 –> 00:15:29,080 within the whole. 325 00:15:29,080 –> 00:15:30,640 Let us do good to everyone 326 00:15:30,700 –> 00:15:33,039 and especially, 327 00:15:33,039 –> 00:15:34,900 especially to those 328 00:15:34,900 –> 00:15:36,799 who are of of the household of faith. 329 00:15:37,640 –> 00:15:39,940 So this is not the language of exclusivity. 330 00:15:39,940 –> 00:15:42,340 It’s not saying only do good to other Christians, 331 00:15:42,340 –> 00:15:45,280 but it’s saying especially do good to other Christians. 332 00:15:45,280 –> 00:15:47,539 It is the language of priority. 333 00:15:47,539 –> 00:15:51,599 There are some things that only Christians can do. 334 00:15:51,599 –> 00:15:53,760 Only Christians would open their homes 335 00:15:53,760 –> 00:15:55,940 to other Christians fleeing persecution. 336 00:15:57,440 –> 00:15:59,700 Only Christians are going to be able 337 00:15:59,700 –> 00:16:02,940 to deploy their gifts for the service of God 338 00:16:02,940 –> 00:16:04,659 for the advance of his work in the world. 339 00:16:04,659 –> 00:16:07,020 No one else will do it if we do not do it. 340 00:16:07,020 –> 00:16:08,260 Brothers and sisters. 341 00:16:08,260 –> 00:16:11,760 Only Christians are able to give generously 342 00:16:11,760 –> 00:16:12,599 in such a way 343 00:16:12,599 –> 00:16:15,140 that sustains the work of God in the world 344 00:16:15,140 –> 00:16:17,479 meeting the needs of the saints. 345 00:16:18,940 –> 00:16:21,179 Nobody else will do it. 346 00:16:21,179 –> 00:16:23,780 And therefore there is a particular priority 347 00:16:23,780 –> 00:16:25,239 that is given to us 348 00:16:25,239 –> 00:16:28,640 with regards to generosity in the use of our homes, 349 00:16:28,640 –> 00:16:30,159 in the use of our time, 350 00:16:30,159 –> 00:16:32,280 in regards to the use of our gifts 351 00:16:32,280 –> 00:16:34,419 and in regards to the use of our money 352 00:16:34,419 –> 00:16:36,479 with regards to the needs of the saints 353 00:16:36,479 –> 00:16:41,140 that is the needs of the work of God in the world. 354 00:16:42,400 –> 00:16:44,520 Now, obviously the implicit temptation 355 00:16:44,520 –> 00:16:45,679 that comes with this 356 00:16:45,679 –> 00:16:50,659 is simply to regard what God has given to us as our own. 357 00:16:51,719 –> 00:16:54,239 To say well, it’s my home. 358 00:16:54,239 –> 00:16:56,679 Yeah, well it’s the home that God has given to you. 359 00:16:56,679 –> 00:16:58,280 Now how are you going to use it? 360 00:16:59,080 –> 00:17:00,599 It’s my time. 361 00:17:00,599 –> 00:17:02,140 I’ve got my life maped out, 362 00:17:02,140 –> 00:17:03,799 I’m gonna have these years doing this 363 00:17:03,799 –> 00:17:05,079 and then these years doing that. 364 00:17:05,079 –> 00:17:06,959 Well, however much time you have 365 00:17:06,959 –> 00:17:09,000 is time that God gives to you. 366 00:17:10,020 –> 00:17:12,359 How are you going to steward it for His glory? 367 00:17:13,800 –> 00:17:15,359 These are my gifts. 368 00:17:15,359 –> 00:17:17,719 Yeah well, how are you going to use them? 369 00:17:17,719 –> 00:17:19,599 You have no right to keep gifts 370 00:17:19,599 –> 00:17:22,119 that God has given to you, to yourself. 371 00:17:22,119 –> 00:17:24,160 They’ve been given for the building up 372 00:17:24,160 –> 00:17:25,380 of the body of Christ. 373 00:17:25,380 –> 00:17:27,000 How are you going to use that gift 374 00:17:27,000 –> 00:17:28,160 that you’ve been given? 375 00:17:29,579 –> 00:17:30,959 It’s my money. 376 00:17:30,959 –> 00:17:34,479 Well, it’s the money that God in His great kindness 377 00:17:34,479 –> 00:17:36,319 has trusted to you as a steward. 378 00:17:36,319 –> 00:17:37,699 How are you gonna use that? 379 00:17:38,920 –> 00:17:41,040 Effectively, strategically 380 00:17:42,020 –> 00:17:43,439 for the advancement of His work 381 00:17:43,439 –> 00:17:46,500 and for the needs of the saints 382 00:17:46,500 –> 00:17:50,000 so that His work gets done in the world. 383 00:17:50,000 –> 00:17:52,819 Now think about this. 384 00:17:52,819 –> 00:17:54,839 In relation, we’ve thought first 385 00:17:54,839 –> 00:17:57,400 about the incarnation of our Lord, 386 00:17:57,400 –> 00:18:00,040 think about this in relation to the resurrection 387 00:18:00,040 –> 00:18:03,160 and the ascension of our Lord. 388 00:18:03,160 –> 00:18:05,199 Because remember, everything in this wonderful chapter 389 00:18:05,199 –> 00:18:06,880 is in the light of the mercies of God. 390 00:18:06,880 –> 00:18:09,280 It’s all in the light of what God has done for us 391 00:18:09,280 –> 00:18:11,160 in Jesus Christ. 392 00:18:12,119 –> 00:18:14,199 What did Jesus do? 393 00:18:14,199 –> 00:18:15,839 If you think about hospitality, 394 00:18:17,000 –> 00:18:18,020 generosity. 395 00:18:19,060 –> 00:18:21,920 What did Jesus do when he ascended 396 00:18:21,920 –> 00:18:24,300 to the right hand of the Father in heaven? 397 00:18:25,219 –> 00:18:28,800 Answer, He opened his home. 398 00:18:30,140 –> 00:18:32,959 Heaven is his home and we have no access to it. 399 00:18:34,339 –> 00:18:37,439 But in his resurrection and in his ascension 400 00:18:37,439 –> 00:18:39,099 he has opened his home. 401 00:18:40,579 –> 00:18:42,619 And to whom has he opened his home? 402 00:18:42,619 –> 00:18:45,219 He’s opened his home to strangers, 403 00:18:46,319 –> 00:18:48,660 to foreigners and exiles like us 404 00:18:48,660 –> 00:18:51,180 who were alienated from God and he said, 405 00:18:51,180 –> 00:18:53,640 you can come in and my home can be your home, 406 00:18:53,640 –> 00:18:55,800 you can become a citizen of heaven, 407 00:18:55,800 –> 00:18:58,520 a member of the family of God. 408 00:18:59,560 –> 00:19:01,479 So when his resurrection and his ascension 409 00:19:01,479 –> 00:19:03,800 he opens his home, he welcomes the stranger, 410 00:19:03,800 –> 00:19:05,420 what else does he do? 411 00:19:05,420 –> 00:19:08,339 The Bible says he pours out spiritual gifts. 412 00:19:09,199 –> 00:19:11,920 That’s Ephesians chapter four and verse eight, 413 00:19:11,920 –> 00:19:16,920 when he ascended on high he gave gifts to men. 414 00:19:17,479 –> 00:19:21,619 This risen Lord Jesus Christ has poured gifts 415 00:19:21,619 –> 00:19:26,040 spiritual and material into your life and into mine. 416 00:19:26,040 –> 00:19:29,359 He has blessed us, we are blessed in every way 417 00:19:29,359 –> 00:19:31,079 in Jesus Christ. 418 00:19:31,079 –> 00:19:34,060 Now look at what he’s done, he opens his home, 419 00:19:34,060 –> 00:19:37,160 he welcomes strangers, he pours out lavish gifts, 420 00:19:37,160 –> 00:19:40,359 all of this is what God has done for you in Jesus Christ. 421 00:19:40,359 –> 00:19:43,119 In the light of this be especially eager. 422 00:19:43,119 –> 00:19:46,239 The apostle is saying, in the light of the mercy of God 423 00:19:46,239 –> 00:19:48,920 that you should welcome strangers. 424 00:19:48,920 –> 00:19:50,660 That you should open your home 425 00:19:50,739 –> 00:19:53,459 as God has opened his to you. 426 00:19:53,459 –> 00:19:55,619 That you should deploy your gifts and everything 427 00:19:55,619 –> 00:19:59,140 that he has trusted into your hands in his own generosity 428 00:19:59,140 –> 00:20:02,280 that you should reflect that generosity as you live 429 00:20:02,280 –> 00:20:06,579 as his child in this desperately needy world. 430 00:20:06,579 –> 00:20:08,500 So do you see how this is the second 431 00:20:08,500 –> 00:20:10,380 dimension of a generous life? 432 00:20:11,540 –> 00:20:14,099 The first reflecting the incarnation of Jesus, 433 00:20:14,099 –> 00:20:17,020 not staying at a distance from others, 434 00:20:17,219 –> 00:20:20,260 but that God is watching us from a distance. 435 00:20:20,260 –> 00:20:23,500 No, God comes near to us in Jesus Christ. 436 00:20:24,699 –> 00:20:26,859 And that’s what we’re to do in regards to each other. 437 00:20:26,859 –> 00:20:29,760 Generosity in regards to the deployment 438 00:20:29,760 –> 00:20:31,540 of all that he’s given to us, 439 00:20:31,540 –> 00:20:34,619 reflecting his opening of his home 440 00:20:34,619 –> 00:20:36,219 and welcoming strangers 441 00:20:36,219 –> 00:20:38,219 through his resurrection and ascension. 442 00:20:39,780 –> 00:20:40,939 And then, here’s the third. 443 00:20:40,939 –> 00:20:42,020 And I told you that we’re coming 444 00:20:42,020 –> 00:20:44,339 in ascending order of difficulty, right? 445 00:20:44,339 –> 00:20:46,020 So you better take a breath. 446 00:20:47,500 –> 00:20:49,239 We’ve been learning from the incarnation, 447 00:20:49,239 –> 00:20:54,180 we’ve been learning from the resurrection and ascension. 448 00:20:54,180 –> 00:20:55,020 So what’s left? 449 00:20:55,020 –> 00:20:57,680 We’ve got to learn now from the crucifix. 450 00:20:57,680 –> 00:20:59,780 That’s why this is the hardest. 451 00:20:59,780 –> 00:21:00,859 Okay, number three. 452 00:21:01,719 –> 00:21:05,260 Be generous by reflecting 453 00:21:05,260 –> 00:21:10,260 the blessing that God has given to you in Jesus Christ. 454 00:21:11,020 –> 00:21:11,920 And here we’re thinking 455 00:21:11,920 –> 00:21:14,560 especially about Jesus Christ on the cross. 456 00:21:14,640 –> 00:21:16,619 And we’re looking at verse 14, 457 00:21:17,920 –> 00:21:19,920 where we see what he did on the cross. 458 00:21:19,920 –> 00:21:23,400 Bless those who persecute you, 459 00:21:24,420 –> 00:21:29,079 bless and do not curse them. 460 00:21:31,000 –> 00:21:33,800 Now again the implicit temptation for us here 461 00:21:33,800 –> 00:21:35,479 is very obvious. 462 00:21:35,479 –> 00:21:38,680 When someone brings pain into your life, 463 00:21:38,680 –> 00:21:42,819 your first instinct will not be to wish them well. 464 00:21:42,900 –> 00:21:44,260 If someone is cruel to you, 465 00:21:44,260 –> 00:21:47,920 someone is constantly underlining your feelings, 466 00:21:47,920 –> 00:21:50,160 your weaknesses, assuming the worst about you, 467 00:21:50,160 –> 00:21:52,219 and so forth, really, really hard for you 468 00:21:52,219 –> 00:21:54,660 truly from the heart to seek their good. 469 00:21:55,880 –> 00:21:58,239 The natural thing is for us 470 00:21:58,239 –> 00:22:01,719 to dwell on the injustice of it all, 471 00:22:01,719 –> 00:22:03,819 how an excusable it all is, 472 00:22:03,819 –> 00:22:06,959 to brood over it like Jonah did 473 00:22:06,959 –> 00:22:10,479 when that plant that gave him shade was taken away 474 00:22:10,520 –> 00:22:12,880 and he got more and more angry towards God, 475 00:22:12,880 –> 00:22:15,619 towards the people of Nineveh and all the rest of it. 476 00:22:16,920 –> 00:22:19,160 And you know how it is, that when that happens, 477 00:22:19,160 –> 00:22:20,479 if it happens in your heart, 478 00:22:20,479 –> 00:22:24,920 your heart very quickly becomes hard, hard. 479 00:22:27,040 –> 00:22:30,579 Now God says, now don’t let that happen to you. 480 00:22:32,560 –> 00:22:34,380 You are going to suffer evil in this world, 481 00:22:34,380 –> 00:22:37,079 but do not be overcome by evil. 482 00:22:37,079 –> 00:22:38,500 Here’s what you’ve got to do. 483 00:22:38,500 –> 00:22:41,520 You’ve gotta overcome evil with good. 484 00:22:42,640 –> 00:22:43,959 And here’s what that looks like, 485 00:22:43,959 –> 00:22:46,359 particularly, when someone injures you. 486 00:22:47,520 –> 00:22:50,699 You bless those who persecute you, 487 00:22:50,699 –> 00:22:55,180 and you bless and you do not curse them. 488 00:22:56,579 –> 00:23:00,300 And that surely is an expression of generosity 489 00:23:00,300 –> 00:23:04,219 that goes beyond what is expected. 490 00:23:04,280 –> 00:23:08,400 You gave your blessing, that is, you seek the good. 491 00:23:10,380 –> 00:23:13,020 You pray for the good of the person 492 00:23:13,020 –> 00:23:16,140 who has hurt you, and God says, 493 00:23:16,140 –> 00:23:18,540 you give that where it is not deserved. 494 00:23:19,619 –> 00:23:24,619 You give that where it may never ever ever be returned. 495 00:23:25,979 –> 00:23:28,300 And the reason you do this is in the light 496 00:23:28,300 –> 00:23:29,959 of the mercies of God, that is, 497 00:23:29,959 –> 00:23:32,420 this is how God has treated you. 498 00:23:33,420 –> 00:23:36,359 Now, I think that that must be 499 00:23:36,359 –> 00:23:38,300 the hardest thing in all of the world. 500 00:23:39,760 –> 00:23:41,660 So, how are we going to do it? 501 00:23:42,500 –> 00:23:44,979 Let me suggest these three things to you very simply. 502 00:23:44,979 –> 00:23:48,760 First, reflect on the example of Jesus. 503 00:23:48,760 –> 00:23:51,560 The soldiers nail him to the cross. 504 00:23:52,699 –> 00:23:54,459 He does not curse them. 505 00:23:56,020 –> 00:23:57,540 He does not curse them. 506 00:23:58,739 –> 00:24:01,020 When he was reviled, Peter says, 507 00:24:01,020 –> 00:24:02,560 that means, when he was insulted, 508 00:24:02,560 –> 00:24:04,780 he did not throw insults back. 509 00:24:06,520 –> 00:24:10,780 He did not perpetuate that pattern that we see in the world 510 00:24:10,780 –> 00:24:13,579 in which one evil provokes an evil response 511 00:24:13,579 –> 00:24:15,699 and another evil and on and on 512 00:24:15,699 –> 00:24:19,199 and we end up in endless recrimination. 513 00:24:20,640 –> 00:24:25,660 No, what he did was, he prayed for the good 514 00:24:26,900 –> 00:24:28,219 of the ones who injured him, 515 00:24:28,219 –> 00:24:29,780 they had nailed him to the cross, 516 00:24:29,780 –> 00:24:33,819 and he said, father, forgive them, 517 00:24:33,819 –> 00:24:38,020 they do not know what they are doing. 518 00:24:39,819 –> 00:24:43,020 And Peter says that in this, 519 00:24:43,020 –> 00:24:45,199 he was giving us an example 520 00:24:45,199 –> 00:24:48,359 that when we suffer, we may follow in his footsteps. 521 00:24:50,079 –> 00:24:51,459 That leads to the second thing, 522 00:24:51,459 –> 00:24:53,939 when Jesus says, father, forgive them, 523 00:24:53,939 –> 00:24:57,699 they do not know what they are doing. 524 00:24:58,500 –> 00:25:00,900 That takes us to the second thing, 525 00:25:00,900 –> 00:25:03,020 which is to consider the position 526 00:25:03,020 –> 00:25:05,020 of the person who has hurt you. 527 00:25:05,020 –> 00:25:07,160 They do not know what they are doing. 528 00:25:09,040 –> 00:25:12,339 There’s an old writer by the name of Robert Candlish 529 00:25:12,339 –> 00:25:15,420 who makes this point very well. 530 00:25:15,420 –> 00:25:19,619 He says that, I put this in my own words, 531 00:25:19,619 –> 00:25:22,359 that when a wrong is done to you, 532 00:25:22,359 –> 00:25:24,420 you can go one of two ways, 533 00:25:24,420 –> 00:25:26,619 you can brood on the evil and the injustice 534 00:25:26,699 –> 00:25:28,739 and your heart will become hard and so forth 535 00:25:28,739 –> 00:25:31,900 or you can do something else 536 00:25:31,900 –> 00:25:33,040 and here’s the other way to go. 537 00:25:33,040 –> 00:25:35,140 You can put yourself, he says, 538 00:25:35,140 –> 00:25:38,099 in the shoes of the person 539 00:25:38,099 –> 00:25:40,140 who has brought you pain in your life 540 00:25:41,300 –> 00:25:43,920 and you can ask yourself this question. 541 00:25:43,920 –> 00:25:45,219 What would I be like 542 00:25:45,219 –> 00:25:49,520 if everything in his or her story had been mine? 543 00:25:51,540 –> 00:25:54,819 If I had experienced everything 544 00:25:54,819 –> 00:25:58,040 that he or she has endured? 545 00:26:00,140 –> 00:26:03,739 How would it be for you if today you suffered 546 00:26:03,739 –> 00:26:07,300 from the same blindness to the glory of the Lord Jesus 547 00:26:07,300 –> 00:26:08,920 that that person suffers from? 548 00:26:10,900 –> 00:26:13,780 How would it be for you if today 549 00:26:13,780 –> 00:26:16,339 you had the same estrangement 550 00:26:16,339 –> 00:26:18,739 from the felt knowledge of the love of God 551 00:26:18,739 –> 00:26:21,760 that still afflicts him or her? 552 00:26:22,760 –> 00:26:25,479 Remember how God spoke to Jonah 553 00:26:25,479 –> 00:26:28,520 when he was becoming very hard in his own heart 554 00:26:28,520 –> 00:26:30,439 towards the city of Nineveh. 555 00:26:30,439 –> 00:26:31,979 And God said to him, 556 00:26:31,979 –> 00:26:36,420 should I not pity Nineveh? 557 00:26:36,420 –> 00:26:39,560 Should I not pity Nineveh? 558 00:26:40,800 –> 00:26:42,520 And here is what God said, 559 00:26:42,520 –> 00:26:46,000 there are 120,000 people in this great city. 560 00:26:47,28 –> 00:26:50,520 And they do not know the right hand from their left, 561 00:26:51,520 –> 00:26:53,239 which was a pictorial way of saying 562 00:26:53,239 –> 00:26:55,339 they don’t know right from wrong. 563 00:26:56,719 –> 00:26:58,560 Like a growing number of people today, 564 00:26:58,560 –> 00:27:00,459 even in our culture, 565 00:27:00,459 –> 00:27:03,099 they think that what is evil is good 566 00:27:03,099 –> 00:27:06,640 and they think that what is good is evil. 567 00:27:06,640 –> 00:27:09,400 They have got so far from God 568 00:27:09,400 –> 00:27:11,479 that they cannot any longer 569 00:27:11,479 –> 00:27:14,880 even tell the difference between what is right 570 00:27:14,880 –> 00:27:16,239 and what is wrong. 571 00:27:16,459 –> 00:27:21,459 And friends, that plight does not call for our anger. 572 00:27:24,199 –> 00:27:27,020 A city where people no longer know what is right 573 00:27:27,020 –> 00:27:29,939 from what is wrong calls for our compassion, 574 00:27:31,400 –> 00:27:34,819 for our pity, that’s the word that God uses. 575 00:27:36,880 –> 00:27:39,199 I think of a couple dear friends 576 00:27:39,199 –> 00:27:44,060 of ours good and godly parents 577 00:27:44,819 –> 00:27:48,859 and their older daughter 578 00:27:50,219 –> 00:27:53,140 broke their hearts with her rebellion. 579 00:27:54,660 –> 00:27:57,099 I guess I’ve seen a lot of kids over the years 580 00:27:57,099 –> 00:27:59,859 who have rebelled but I think that her rebellion 581 00:27:59,859 –> 00:28:04,859 was as flagrant and as in-your-face, so to speak, 582 00:28:05,060 –> 00:28:06,780 as any I have ever seen. 583 00:28:09,180 –> 00:28:12,900 I remember her father, with whom I was very close, 584 00:28:12,920 –> 00:28:16,020 telling me how he was struggling 585 00:28:16,020 –> 00:28:18,579 not only with what she was doing 586 00:28:19,979 –> 00:28:22,719 but with his own reaction to it. 587 00:28:22,719 –> 00:28:26,400 He said to me, Colin, I find myself getting angry. 588 00:28:28,119 –> 00:28:29,979 And he knew that that wasn’t helping. 589 00:28:31,420 –> 00:28:34,660 And then he said to me that there was one verse 590 00:28:34,660 –> 00:28:39,140 in the Bible that had helped him more than any other, 591 00:28:40,140 –> 00:28:41,859 and I’m telling you, if he at that point 592 00:28:41,880 –> 00:28:43,520 had asked me to guess which one it was 593 00:28:43,520 –> 00:28:44,739 and I’d had 50 attempts, 594 00:28:44,739 –> 00:28:47,000 I don’t think I would have guessed the verse. 595 00:28:47,000 –> 00:28:48,900 But here it is, the verse that had helped him 596 00:28:48,900 –> 00:28:51,819 more than any other on this particular issue. 597 00:28:51,819 –> 00:28:55,160 Second Corinthians chapter four, and verse four. 598 00:28:55,160 –> 00:28:58,920 The God of this world, that is a reference to Satan. 599 00:28:58,920 –> 00:29:02,420 That’s why it’s small g, the one who has assumed 600 00:29:02,420 –> 00:29:07,060 the position in this world that does not belong to him. 601 00:29:07,060 –> 00:29:07,900 What’s he done? 602 00:29:07,900 –> 00:29:12,900 He has blinded the minds of the unbelievers 603 00:29:13,439 –> 00:29:17,020 to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel 604 00:29:17,020 –> 00:29:21,280 of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 605 00:29:22,760 –> 00:29:25,280 And this father said to me, 606 00:29:25,280 –> 00:29:28,619 you know Colin it has helped me to grasp 607 00:29:28,619 –> 00:29:32,579 that she really does not see what I see. 608 00:29:34,060 –> 00:29:37,880 I mean she is blind to the glory of Jesus that I see. 609 00:29:37,880 –> 00:29:39,400 I mean its not just that she won’t look. 610 00:29:39,400 –> 00:29:42,020 Its that she can’t see, 611 00:29:44,239 –> 00:29:47,819 and when you know that someone can’t see 612 00:29:49,400 –> 00:29:50,839 you don’t get angry with them. 613 00:29:52,280 –> 00:29:53,760 You feel sorry for them. 614 00:29:56,040 –> 00:30:00,160 You have compassion, you have pity. 615 00:30:01,959 –> 00:30:04,800 Now friends, if it was not for the Lord’s grace 616 00:30:04,800 –> 00:30:09,680 you would be blind to the glory of Christ today. 617 00:30:09,680 –> 00:30:13,079 And if you were blind to the glory of Christ today 618 00:30:13,079 –> 00:30:15,819 and had been all of your life, 619 00:30:15,819 –> 00:30:17,119 where would you be today 620 00:30:17,119 –> 00:30:18,560 and what would you be doing today. 621 00:30:18,560 –> 00:30:19,880 You have no way of knowing. 622 00:30:21,739 –> 00:30:25,040 It is the sheer mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 623 00:30:25,040 –> 00:30:27,880 that you see his glory if you do, 624 00:30:27,880 –> 00:30:31,180 and that you have come to love him from the heart. 625 00:30:31,780 –> 00:30:36,079 So consider the position of this person as hurt, 626 00:30:37,739 –> 00:30:39,699 and it will help you. 627 00:30:39,699 –> 00:30:41,000 And here’s the third and the last thing. 628 00:30:41,000 –> 00:30:43,380 Remember how God has dealt with you. 629 00:30:43,380 –> 00:30:44,699 So you look at Christ. 630 00:30:44,699 –> 00:30:46,859 You look at the position of the other person. 631 00:30:46,859 –> 00:30:48,260 Then you look at yourself and you say, 632 00:30:48,260 –> 00:30:51,859 now how is it that God has dealt with me? 633 00:30:51,859 –> 00:30:55,819 Everything in Romans 12 is in the light of God’s mercy. 634 00:30:55,819 –> 00:30:57,640 In the light of God’s mercy, 635 00:30:57,640 –> 00:30:59,520 you bless those who persecute you 636 00:30:59,579 –> 00:31:00,780 and you do not curse them. 637 00:31:00,780 –> 00:31:01,619 Why? 638 00:31:01,619 –> 00:31:03,280 Because while we were still sinners, 639 00:31:03,280 –> 00:31:04,900 Christ died for us. 640 00:31:04,900 –> 00:31:07,420 While we were still God’s enemies, 641 00:31:07,420 –> 00:31:09,619 he made us his friends. 642 00:31:09,619 –> 00:31:12,020 While we were hostile towards him, 643 00:31:12,020 –> 00:31:14,760 he was reaching out to us in love. 644 00:31:14,760 –> 00:31:17,640 That’s how God has been towards me. 645 00:31:19,079 –> 00:31:19,900 And therefore, 646 00:31:19,900 –> 00:31:22,380 why should I not seek to reflect that same grace 647 00:31:22,380 –> 00:31:23,579 towards others? 648 00:31:23,579 –> 00:31:26,900 I want to end with a story here today and then we’re through. 649 00:31:27,140 –> 00:31:30,420 And it was told to me by our missions pastor, Brad Mullet, 650 00:31:30,420 –> 00:31:32,660 who, along with a team from our church, 651 00:31:32,660 –> 00:31:36,040 went to Serbia and Albania earlier this year 652 00:31:36,040 –> 00:31:37,479 during the summer. 653 00:31:37,479 –> 00:31:39,479 And while they were in Serbia 654 00:31:39,479 –> 00:31:43,020 they met with a man by the name of Dusan 655 00:31:43,020 –> 00:31:45,979 who told them his story. 656 00:31:45,979 –> 00:31:48,599 Dusan, though Serbian, 657 00:31:48,599 –> 00:31:53,339 grew up in Croatia and was a small boy there 658 00:31:53,339 –> 00:31:55,560 when that awful civil war 659 00:31:55,599 –> 00:31:59,359 broke out in 1991. 660 00:31:59,359 –> 00:32:01,000 Now imagine his position. 661 00:32:01,000 –> 00:32:03,560 Dusan’s family has lived and worked, 662 00:32:03,560 –> 00:32:06,540 Serbian family, in Croatia for many years 663 00:32:06,540 –> 00:32:07,979 alongside their neighbors. 664 00:32:07,979 –> 00:32:09,760 But when this war breaks out, 665 00:32:09,760 –> 00:32:11,400 suddenly everything changes 666 00:32:11,400 –> 00:32:13,680 and all of the Serbians in Croatia 667 00:32:13,680 –> 00:32:16,760 rounded up, initially imprisoned. 668 00:32:17,780 –> 00:32:20,079 And after some weeks, 669 00:32:20,079 –> 00:32:22,640 Croatia agreed to repatriate 670 00:32:22,640 –> 00:32:26,040 quarter of a million women and children. 671 00:32:26,040 –> 00:32:29,479 Men either remained in prison in Croatia 672 00:32:29,479 –> 00:32:32,400 or else they had already moved over 673 00:32:32,400 –> 00:32:35,040 to fight for Serbia, 674 00:32:35,040 –> 00:32:38,180 but quarter of a million women and children 675 00:32:38,180 –> 00:32:40,119 as part of this ethnic cleansing 676 00:32:40,119 –> 00:32:43,520 that went on, loaded onto buses, 677 00:32:43,520 –> 00:32:48,520 leaving their land and homes 678 00:32:48,880 –> 00:32:53,880 and only one bag each of their possessions 679 00:32:54,640 –> 00:32:57,959 and Dussane and his siblings along with his mother 680 00:32:57,959 –> 00:33:01,079 among these quarter of a million people 681 00:33:01,079 –> 00:33:04,180 getting on the buses and he described the story. 682 00:33:04,180 –> 00:33:06,160 The bus ride was long. 683 00:33:06,160 –> 00:33:09,140 Seemed to be going on forever and forever 684 00:33:09,140 –> 00:33:13,280 but finally, the bus stopped 685 00:33:13,280 –> 00:33:15,119 and the door of the bus opened. 686 00:33:15,119 –> 00:33:18,380 Dussane, nine years old, ran off the bus 687 00:33:18,619 –> 00:33:21,380 and thinking that they were in Serbia, 688 00:33:22,699 –> 00:33:25,660 he started shouting Serbian chants 689 00:33:25,660 –> 00:33:29,060 and swearing and cursing against Croatians 690 00:33:29,060 –> 00:33:30,699 at the top of his lungs. 691 00:33:30,699 –> 00:33:32,859 He said to Pastor Brad, 692 00:33:32,859 –> 00:33:37,339 I cursed the Croatians like only a zealous 693 00:33:37,339 –> 00:33:39,520 nine-year-old sinner can do. 694 00:33:41,819 –> 00:33:45,479 Hearing this, his mother flew off the bus 695 00:33:45,479 –> 00:33:48,199 down the steps, immediately clasped 696 00:33:48,199 –> 00:33:51,180 her hand around his mouth, 697 00:33:51,180 –> 00:33:53,680 Dusan, we’re still in Croatia! 698 00:33:57,359 –> 00:33:58,699 And right there, Dusan noticed that 699 00:33:58,699 –> 00:34:00,979 he was surrounded by Croatian soldiers 700 00:34:00,979 –> 00:34:05,439 he’d just been cursing at the top of his voice. 701 00:34:05,439 –> 00:34:07,400 One of the soldiers walked towards them, 702 00:34:07,400 –> 00:34:10,820 his mother clasping her son close to her. 703 00:34:11,620 –> 00:34:13,040 Is this your son? 704 00:34:13,060 –> 00:34:13,879 Your son? 705 00:34:15,020 –> 00:34:17,600 He said to Dusan’s mother, 706 00:34:17,600 –> 00:34:19,219 Dusan said his mother was so afraid 707 00:34:19,219 –> 00:34:20,800 she couldn’t even lift up her head, 708 00:34:20,800 –> 00:34:23,959 didn’t say a word, just held him tight. 709 00:34:25,060 –> 00:34:27,679 The soldier told them to say where they were, 710 00:34:27,679 –> 00:34:31,340 surrounded by Croatian soldiers and police, 711 00:34:31,340 –> 00:34:34,699 and said that he would be back. 712 00:34:34,699 –> 00:34:36,320 After some time he returned, 713 00:34:36,320 –> 00:34:38,479 and he was carrying a box. 714 00:34:39,760 –> 00:34:42,179 It’s a long journey, he said. 715 00:34:43,040 –> 00:34:44,639 It was something to eat and to drink, 716 00:34:44,639 –> 00:34:47,060 and he gave the box to Dusan. 717 00:34:49,000 –> 00:34:53,159 Dusan opened it, he said it was full of snacks and treats. 718 00:34:55,399 –> 00:34:57,520 Years later, grown into manhood, 719 00:34:57,520 –> 00:35:01,100 Dusan became a Christian, heard the gospel, 720 00:35:02,600 –> 00:35:04,939 and is now serving the lord. 721 00:35:06,060 –> 00:35:08,300 And when he heard the gospel, 722 00:35:08,300 –> 00:35:12,300 what came back to his mind was the kindness 723 00:35:12,580 –> 00:35:15,739 the Croatian soldier had shown to him. 724 00:35:16,719 –> 00:35:19,500 And he said to Brad and the others on our team this summer, 725 00:35:19,500 –> 00:35:22,679 here is the gospel, here’s what it is. 726 00:35:24,459 –> 00:35:27,959 It is like when I came running off the bus 727 00:35:30,580 –> 00:35:34,239 shouting obscenities and curses against God. 728 00:35:37,239 –> 00:35:41,399 Clearly his enemy, and clearly powerless and helpless. 729 00:35:43,179 –> 00:35:46,080 God responded by giving me a gift, 730 00:35:50,560 –> 00:35:52,639 and what a gift that was. 731 00:35:53,780 –> 00:35:55,780 The Son of God loved you 732 00:35:57,120 –> 00:35:59,899 and gave himself for you. 733 00:35:59,899 –> 00:36:02,000 Now in the light of God’s mercy to you, 734 00:36:02,000 –> 00:36:05,379 the scripture says bless those who persecute you, 735 00:36:05,379 –> 00:36:07,699 bless and do not curse them. 736 00:36:08,620 –> 00:36:12,800 Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. 737 00:36:19,120 –> 00:36:22,780 Father, we see so clearly the need for this 738 00:36:25,100 –> 00:36:28,760 in the divided and increasingly bitter world 739 00:36:30,199 –> 00:36:34,000 in which we live, and we ask that you would enable us 740 00:36:34,000 –> 00:36:36,500 to live by the spirit of Christ 741 00:36:38,520 –> 00:36:41,280 in the light of all that he is 742 00:36:41,280 –> 00:36:44,080 and all that he has done for us, 743 00:36:44,080 –> 00:36:46,120 and these things we ask in the Savior’s name, 744 00:36:46,120 –> 00:36:48,860 and everyone together said, Amen.