Revenge - Nolan Bechtel

Good morning, ingredients this morning. In Jesus' name, It's good to be

with you all here in this worship time together. Enjoyed the Sunday school discussion.

I suppose I tend to be one of those naturally more motivated type of

people, a little more industrious probably. But there's something that my mother in

law said when she lived that I have never forgotten, and that was this,

that every one of us must fight our own laziness. And I think

that even in a place of motivation and industriousness and lots of things to do

and ideas about how to do them and what to do, we have our

areas of laziness, right And I can think of some in my own life,

and I think if we gave my wife opportunity here, she could probably

name more of them than what I would name. Even And we know where

those late areas of laziness are, We know what they are and how they

affect us. Well. I trust that we can continue to be blessed as

we were further here. I was thinking sitting here this morning. Of course,

Bible school is on my mind. I won't be spending the term there,

but we leave for Bible School tomorrow and work through the setup process.

And then I was thinking about how your congregation is contributing heavily to Bible school

this year, and then I wondered, how many of you young people are

going to be a Bible school this year? I saw blood? Did I

miss them? Two? All right? Good? It's that way in our

congregation too. Sometimes there's four or five hands, and other times this year

I think there would be four four from our congregation that are going students.

But you have quite the teacher crew going, and you're going to miss them

here for three weeks. Blessings to the rest of you that fill in the

gap to make these kinds of projects happen. It takes work at home and

afar to make them happen. At home. I've been sharing a number of

messages from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' words in Matthew five, six

and seven. Some time ago, I shared from Matthew chapter five, verses

thirty eight to forty two in relation to revenge, And for whatever reason,

it seemed like the Lord nudged me this direction for this morning, and so

I would like to share on that subject Jesus teaching and relation to revenge.

But before I wade into Matthew Chapter five, children, I have a story

for you. You want to just come join me. That might be a

little easier than listening from your seats. Why don't you come up here and

just fill the front to a bench. Is we got a story this morning.

We'll start out with I'm glad that you children are here. Sometimes sitting

through church gets to be a little a little laborious maybe, But good job.

You can all get on the front too. There nice churches for you

too. You knew that right sermons are for you too? Did you know

that there's always interesting things you can do during sermons? Maybe you can count

the number of times the preacher makes a mistake with something he says. Or

maybe you can count the number of verses that the preacher turns to, or

maybe you can even think of a theme of the verses. There's a lot

of things you can do in a sermon. This morning, you listen to

a story for part of the time. How's that you might recognize parts of

this story? I'm not sure. Dirk stopped suddenly. He had seen someone

through the bushes up ahead, and very carefully he peered around the tree to

see whether he had been seen or not. And sure enough he could tell

by the talking and the animation of the people who were coming down the path

that they had seen somebody up ahead. They had seen him. Dirk quickly

stepped from his hiding place, his would be hiding place where he was hoping

to hide and stay out of sight, and he sprinted down the trail ahead

of the group that was coming behind. Dirk was a fast runner. He

easily pieced himself and he ran quickly down the path. After bit, he

turned and looked back. There was a man who was gaining on him,

and it was the Thief Catcher. It was the fastest runner the Burgomaster had,

and he was after Dirk. Dirk picked up his peace and he ran

faster, the thief Catcher in pursuit behind him. Dirk was thinking fast.

He was trying to stay calm. He was coming down a hill out of

the woods and out into plain sight. He was approaching a river. The

river. It was in the middle of winter, but it hadn't been very

cold for very long. A thin layer of ice dirt looked to the left.

He looked to the right, and he wondered, which way shall I

go? But as he looked, he saw them coming. The thief catcher

running. He could hear him breathing, panting as he was catching up and

getting closer, and the rest of the Burgermaster's men were coming on both the

left and right. He had no choice but to try to cross the river,

And so as Dirt came to the river, he had no opportunity to

even test the ice. He must keep going. He was at the water's

edge. Would the ice hold him? Through Dirk's mind, you know how

it is when something happens and lots of things go through your mind really fast,

and you think of a lot of different things. This was happening for

Dirk. The pictures of the prison at Aspirin were going through his mind.

He saw the torture room. He could feel his body being stretched on that

stretcher and the pain that came from that. He could hear the voices of

the merciless judges, and he could see the black robe priests standing around him.

You see, Dirk had been in prison once before, but from his

prison cell he was able to escape by nodting rags together and climbing to an

air hole up by the ceiling in his cell and he was able to get

squeezed out that hole and escape. Dirk didn't hesitate any longer. He sprung

out onto the ice, realizing that the ice closer to shore would be the

thinnest ice. And as he sprung out onto the ice and leapt from one

foot to the next, bounding across the river, there were sharp cracks as

the ice broke at every step. Had he stopped, probably it would have

finished breaking and he would have gone through. But as lightly and quickly as

he could, he bounded all the way across the river and made it to

the bank on the other side. He started up the bank on the other

side. Soon he would be safe, out of reach of the thief Catcher.

But at that moment he heard something behind him. He heard a splash,

he heard a cry for help, and he looked over his shoulder and

guess what he saw The thief catcher. He had tried to follow Dirk across

the frozen river and had fallen in and was sinking in the water. Dirk

praised God. He was safe. Finally he knew he would be free,

and he began. He turned, and he began to go up the bank

and into the woods. He knew the woods on this side of the river.

In fact, there was a cave where they had had a service,

a secret service, where they had enjoyed church. They had to hide out

in the woods because they were hunted if they believed in Jesus. The government

did not like them believing in Jesus. And this is why the Burgomaster was

out and after Dirk this winter day. But as Dirk turned and began to

run up the bank, he stopped again in his tracks, and under his

breath he says, God, no, you know what was going on in

Dirk's mind? And Dirk thought of out the man who was sinking through the

ice, who was out in the river and who had cried for help,

the man who was after him, the man who was going to catch him,

the man who would take him back to prison. And Dirk thought about

the flames that might very well burn, as he would be tied to a

stake and burned there. But then as Dirk thought about that, he thought

about a fire that would never go out, and he thought about the Burgomaster's

thief catcher, who was not a Christian and was going to drown in the

river. And quickly he turned and he retraced his steps back down to the

water's edge, and he took off his coat and he threw it out onto

the ice. He walked very carefully out close, threw his coat out,

threw a sleeve of his coat out to the man who was just hanging on

the edge with his head above the water, and the thief catcher grabbed for

the sleeve. It was a life line, and Dirt pulled him out of

the water into the shore. There Dirt built a fire and he helped the

thief catcher wring out his clothes and dry them by the fire. But as

Dirk was helping the thief catcher get dry and warm on this very cold winter

day, across the river, a voice called, and it was the burgomaster,

and he commanded the thief catcher tie him up, catch him. And

the thief catcher looked across the river and said to the Burgomaster, please,

sir, this man has been kind to me. He has saved my life.

Please sir no, and the Burgomaster growled, you remember your oath,

tie him up, after which the thief catcher took out his rope and tied

up Dirk Willem's hands Dirk Willielms went back to prison. Dirk Willems was sentenced

to death because he loved Jesus, and the day of his execution, Dirk

Willelms was tied to a stake with a pile of wood at the bottom,

and there he was burned to his death. There he died. But at

this time there were many who had heard about these followers of Jesus and how

that they would love their enemies, and they didn't believe this. They didn't

believe that anyone could truly love their enemy and treat them kindly. But after

Dirk Williams died because he had returned to the ice to pull his thief catcher

out of the water and helped him dry off, they could not deny any

longer the love that these people had in their hearts for their enemies. And

from that death there were many who came to know and love Jesus, who

was the source of that love. So children will teaches us a lesson.

Maybe you have seen his picture, a painting of him. Have you seen

a picture of a painting with a man who has fallen through the ice and

another man who is reaching out like this and helping him up out of there.

Have you seen that painting? Have you seen that? How many of

you seen that? Many of you have? How many of you have it

in your home? All right? A couple of you. That picture is

a picture of Dirk will That's the story behind that picture. God wants us

to love those who treats us, who treat us wrongly. That's a good

lesson for us. Dirk still teaches us, doesn't he? Thank you?

You've been good listeners. You can go back to your parents. Maybe there's

two pictures that hang in our homes that would get the prize for hanging in

our homes most frequently. Maybe it's the one with the man praying over the

loaf of bread, and maybe it's the one of Dirk Williams, maybe the

picture of Dirk Williams. Maybe the story behind that picture is a story that

grows faint. Whether the picture hangs in your home or not, I trust

that the story stays alive. Let's turn to Matthew Chapter five, verse thirty

eight. What does Jesus say? Ye have heard that it hath been said

for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you

that you resist not evil But whosoever shall smite THEE on thy right cheek,

turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue THEE at

the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

And whosoever shall compel THEE to go a mile, go with him. Twain

Give to him that asketh THEE. And from him that would borrow of THEE,

turn not thou away. We could spend our time going into a lot

of discussion, practically speaking, in it would be profitable in relation to every

one of these verses, the different injunctions. Jesus says this, but I

say unto you do this, and maybe we'll touch on most of them.

But there's a general theme that I would like us to feel the heartbeat of

here, more specifically than the individual components of this. To begin with,

let's think about what hath been said. It hath been said an eye for

an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Turn to Leviticus chapter twenty

four, just for a moment. Is this really the way it was?

Was this really God's plan? I think it's good for us to think about

this and how it fits together, because we know there's verses throughout the Old

Testament that command Us commanded the people of Old Testament times to love. We're

gonna look at a few of those as well, even to love their enemies,

all right. In Leviticus chapter twenty four, verse seventeen, he that

killeth any man shall surely be put to death, And he that killeth a

beast, shall make it good, beast for beast. And if a man

shall cause a blemeish in his neighbor, he shall I'm sorry, as he

hath done, so shall it be done to him bach breach I for eye,

tooth for tooth. As he hath caused a blemish in a man,

so shall it be done to him again. And he that killeth the beast,

he shall restore it. And he shall he that killeth the man,

he shall be put to death. You shall have one manner of law as

well for the stranger, as well as for one of your own country.

For I am the Lord your God. Go to Dononomy chapter nineteen. Just

the last verse of this chapter, verse twenty one. Deuteronomy nineteen twenty one

says, and thine eye shall not pity, but life go for life,

eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

Thine eye shall not pity. Quite a statement, quite a command.

Understand the civil law part of God's direction to his people in the Old Testament.

The law here was given for direction for a nation. It was law

that was intended to bring justice. It was intended to bring orders so that

there would not be mayhem, if you will, among God's people. It

was for governing, governing in a civil way. It was for governing a

civil nation, and it was very, very effective in its prevention of evil

civilly. God is a holy god. We understand that he wanted a holy

people even under the Old Covenant. If it has been said, as Jesus

related to that statement, these Old Testament statements, it hath been said,

it was all about law and order for a nation. Do you remember what

the one out was for the man who accidentally chopped off his neighbor's hand as

they were working together. What was this out anyway? City of refuge?

How many of them were there? Or why was I thinking seven? I

guess maybe we need to research this just a little farther, all right,

I think there were seven. I'll let you go home and dig into that.

Cities of refuge and they could go there. They could as long as

they made it inside that gate, they would be safe from their pursuer.

And they had to stay there until when till the death of the High Priests.

They stayed there. They were safe there. At the death of the

High Priest, they could then return home. The law if you will was

made gnoll and void. After the death of the High Priest. They could

not take vengeance on the person who had maimed armed somehow another individual. Does

that strike you at all? You enjoy types? Does that ring a bell

for you? I'm not a big type in shadow person, but recently some

of the Brothers and Bangladesh have forced me to become a little more of a

type and shadow person because they've asked for some studies in relation to that.

And it's been good for me to dig into something that just was not a

hobby for me at all. But you think about that there they were,

and there they were safe after the death of the High Priest, that that

law of vengeance could no longer be fulfilled against them, and they were free

to go home. Jesus came. Jesus came to free us from all of

this that I just read in relation to the Old Testament law, the death

of our high priest is actually what frees us from this whole law of revenge

that the Old Covenant would have supported for the Jewish nation. Anyway, that's

just a side note. Leviticus nineteen, verse eighteen says, thou shalt not

avenge. Okay, listen to this. Thou shalt not avenge nor bear a

grudge against any of the children of thy people. But thou shalt love thy

neighbor as thyself. I am the Lord. Now, why would you bear

a grudge because you've been hurt right and God is singing to his people.

Do not bear that grudge against them. Do not hate. Thou shalt not

avenge against the children of thy people. But what if we just read let

not thy soul pity I for eye tooth for tooth, And this was among

God's people Proverbs twenty four, verse seventeen. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth.

Let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth lest the Lord see it.

Now this is interesting. Let the Lord see it, and it displease

him, and he turn away his wrath from him. Did you understand that

when you feel like getting even with someone, and you take that kind of

thing into your own hand. God may just let you do that, and

just let the other guy off the hook, because you've already done it.

It's a little what it sounds like here. Let the Lord see it.

It it displease him that you're taking vengeance, and he turn away his wrath

from the person that hurts you. Say not, I will do so to

him as he hath done to me. I will render to the man according

to his work. Even Solomon knew this in the Old Covenant. God wanted

to render to man according to his word. So just bring that package together

in your mind to understand this that as related to the civil law that God

gave to his people Israel, he gave this eye for eye, tooth for

tooth to maintain order and law among his people as a nation, civilly individually.

As relates to personal relationships, God's law of love was still there in

the Old Testament, wasn't it. He still told individuals, he said,

give it up, lay the grudge down, don't take revenge. It's up

to me to see after this. But his father, as the law was

concerned, the law was set in place where they had that privilege, eye

for eye, tooth for tooth. Maybe you understand it another way, and

maybe there are many other ways, other ways to pull that together. But

I think that's part of the package. At least it hath been said.

Jesus said, I, but I say unto you. Jesus, the son

of God, the one who came to display the character of God, the

one who came to help us to understand God, to walk in such a

way that we could see him, He says, I say unto you.

And so Jesus introduces a personal approach to be used by his followers in a

personal way. He was not establishing law for civil government. He was establishing

law for his kingdom brought to earth for you and I. As we relate

to situations personally, think about a few supporting passage here. Passages here Romans

twelve, verses seventeen to twenty one. Recompense to no man evil for evil.

Provide things honest in the sight of all men, if it be possible,

as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men, Dearly

beloved, avenge not yourselves. Don't take it upon yourself to do this.

Rather give place unto raft for it is written God says, vengeance is mine.

I will repay saith the Lord. Therefore, if you're if your enemy

hunger, feed him, if he thirst, give him drink. For in

so doing thou show he colls a fire on his head. Be not overcome

of evil, but overcome evil of good? What does it mean to be

not overcome of evil? Be not overcome of evil? I think when we

take vengeance in our own hands, when we hold onto our unforgiveness, when

we develop and wallow in our bitterness, I believe we are overcome of evil.

Overcome Hebrews ten, verse thirty. For we know him that has said

vengeance belongeth unto me. I will recompense the Lord, and again the Lord

shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands

of a living God, seems the writer's disurging us there to understand that our

perpetrator, our enemy, our persecutor, the person who hates us, is

well placed in God's hand. There is nothing more that needs to be done

besides to place him in God's hand. It's a fearful thing to fall into

the hand of living God. Let your enemy be there. The whole of

this whole thought. Let this mind which is in you, let this mind

be in you. I'm sorry, which was also in Christ. Jesus taking

on the mind of Christ. New Testament teaching supports this kind of attitude that

Jesus is setting forth here in Matthew chapter five. But I say unto you,

resist not evil. It seems at the time of Jesus the Jews,

maybe as in many other cases, but they were adding to the law.

And we know how Jesus spoke to them about what they did in adding to

the law. But they were adding to the law as relates to these words

that Jesus spoke as well. They were using this part of the law eye

for eye and tooth for tooth. They were using it to justify even greater

retribution than what wrong had been done to them. It was an excuse for

them of venting of anger of retaliation. This teaching of Jesus was going to

be a difficult one to swallow. As his disciples sat here and thought about

it and listened to it, this didn't come easy for them. Think about

them being in the transition from old to new, Think about them being under

Roman rule and the cruelty of their Roman superiors, as I understand it,

the Romans being captors of many, many different nations, many different peoples,

their law allowed the Roman citizens to as they traveled throughout their regions, they

allowed them to require any captive along the way to carry their encumbrances. The

distance of one Roman mile, they could impose on anyone going any direction to

change their path to carry their things for the next mile, a Roman mile

being about four thousand feet, just a little bit shorter than our our mile.

How many feet, boys, how many feet in our mile? Remember

eighty so just eighty percent of that, give or take. The Romans also

considered it their privilege to take from a captive whatever clothing, whatever possession they

saw there that this other individual slave, if you will, had, or

was wearing, if they wished for it, they could take it from them.

And so it's into this very unjust environment that Jesus speaks these words,

and he speaks directly to areas of the Roman law. And perhaps these were

even areas that the disciples setting here listening had experienced with the Roman with their

Roman captors, they could have very easily walked this road carrying a Roman's luggage,

if you will for his mile, And Jesus says, if he asks

you to go one mile, when you get to the end of that mile,

in my own words, look at him and smile and say, let's

keep going. Take it another mile, Take it another mile. You know

how easy it is for us to rise up. Something rises up with in

us when we feel taken advantage of, when we feel like our rights have

been abused in some way. It is so easy for us to feel that

I I was only going fifty five miles an now what is this flashing blue

and red light behind me? Now? Or maybe I was only going sixty

only five miles over, or maybe sixty four. I still was less than

ten and they don't stop you for less than ten or all right? You

know the feelings. Jesus says, resist, resist not evil, don't oppose

it, don't stand against it. Resist not evil evil. Here is the

thought of harm, malicious intent. It's a result of an evil character.

It's turned your direction, turn the other cheek. So did Jesus mean literally

someone slaps you, then you turn the other cheek and say this one too,

please. Maybe we could go to Jesus' words to what actually happened with

Jesus to understand a little more what he says. If you were to go

to John eighteen, I won't turn to that, but you may at some

point in time John eighteen, Verses twenty two and twenty three. Jesus was

slapped, And when he was slapped, he turned and he addressed him,

and he spoke to the evil that was in the heart very clearly. Did

he slap back? No, Jesus didn't slap back. Was he helpless under

attack? Did he let truth and righteousness suffer? Because he was suffering?

He continued to stand for truth, didn't he? He continued to stand for

what was right. If someone takes your see which one is first coat,

verse forty, someone takes away your coat, let him have your cloak also.

And as you study those words, you might find that some think coat

is the inner garment and cloak is the outer, and some reverse that.

Maybe it's not so important, but I think it makes more sense for the

coat to be the inner garment and for the cloak to be the outer,

because the outer garment, according to Old Testament law. If you go to

Exodus chapter twenty two, verses twenty six, and twenty seven. The outer

garment could not be kept overnight because that was often what a poor person used

to cover himself. That was his blanket as well as his coat. An

old Testament law held that if you took a man's outer garment, you needed

to return that before nightfall. You could not keep it. But Jesus says,

if someone takes your inner garment, offer to him your outer garments as

well, that which will keep you warm tonight. Offer it to him.

It's what he would not take because he knows he needs to return it.

Although if it was a Roman, I'm sure he probably would not have had

respect to that law. If someone shall compel THEE, compel THEE to press

you into doing to go a mile, give to him that asketh of THEE

from him that would borrow THEE, turn not that away. Resists not evil.

Jesus makes it clear here in his teaching that he is talking about resisting

wrong that is being done to us in a personal way. I believe it's

important for us to not misunderstand this teaching and go into silence as relates to

evil in our society. That you resist not evil. And so the article

comes out in the newspaper, and we're all mum, and there's no reply.

Should there be a reply with respect and appreciation? I have noted different

times when I have been exposed to a brother's article in the newspaper that countered

teaching, that was made public the previous week. Resist not evil? How

do we take that? And how do we use that? And do we

abuse it? Jesus in Matthew twenty three, verses thirty three to thirty five.

Let me just read a few of his words as he came face to

face with evil. Think about what Jesus said, Ye serpents, ye generation

of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore behold I

send unto you prophets and wise men and scribes, And some of them ye

shall kill and crucify. And some of them ye scourge in your synagogues,

and persecute them from city to city, that upon you may come all the

righteous blood shed upon the earth. Think about Peter's words in Acts chapter two.

He spoke very forthright and very direct, and as he saw the as

he saw the feeling building, he said to his listeners, save yourselves from

this untoward perverse generation. Could it be in our culture of Christianity today.

Could it be that there is too much complacency regarding evil around us and too

little willingness to suffer wrongdoing that comes to us personally? Do we have this

turned around as the question I'm asking? The complete tone of these verses speaks

to our attitude and our responses when we're treated wrongfully, when someone cuts us

off on the highway, when someone steals from us in business, when someone

takes literature from your hand, he drops it, he stomps on it,

and he curses you to your face on the street, when one speaks falsely

of you. It is so human for us to, in our hurt that

we experience in those times, to rare to resist within, if not without.

These verses speak to me regarding my attitudes, my words. While Jesus

spoke very strongly against the evil of his day, he was silent as a

lamb, as that crown of thorns was placed by him, as those males

were driven in his hands. He gives us an example. Jesus was not

silent with regard to evil. He spoke clearly, He spoke persuasively, He

spoke in such a way that brought him to a place of death, and

when they nailed him to that wooden cross, he bore it without resistance.

Stephen is another good example we could look in Acts chapter seven, verses fifty

one fifty two. As he spoke to those hardened people listening to him,

and he spoke right to their hearts, very strong words of condemnation because of

the evil in their hearts and the hardness of their hearts. But note his

spirit of meekness when the stone started to fly, as he knelt. As

he fell, however the case was, and as he prayed, and his

prayer was laced with forgiveness. An attitude of these people need you, Father,

Do not judge them grace toward his abusers. One st. Theasonians five,

verse fifteen says, see that none render evil for evil unto any man,

but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all

men. For Speter three eight to nine. Finally, be all of one

mind, have compassion one another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be

courteous, not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrariwise

blessing, knowing that ye are there unto called, that ye should inherit a

blessing, and then we could spend time with this thought. Don't confuse this

teaching in relation to revenge and become an antidisciplinarian. You follow me, whether

it is within your home, as a father and as a mother, spare

the rod, spoil the child, and understand that you are not giving evil

for evil, but you are helping a child to understand God's principle regarding consequence,

sowing reaping laws that God has put in place, and you are establishing

within him a heart that will yield to God. Don't use these verses against

your ministry as they address sin in your midst Don't get confused with that.

We're not going to go down that path to explore that and to to spend

time with it. Fathers, fellow ministers, we also mustn't confuse our responsibility

in relation to teaching and to bringing holiness to bear that it is. We

must understand that this teaching also brings to bear in our lives that we are

not the one to bring punishment for sin. We are not the one to

bring to bear punishment for sin. And so whatever is done by way of

as Paul said, putting away from you that man and his wickedness. Whatever

is done in relation to that must not be done with a vengeful spirit,

but a heart of love and a prayer of return. You see, there's

a totally different approach. It's a totally different approach. I want to just

circle back around to the one overarching thought that I would like for us to

have this morning, and ask the question again, could it be that in

our own minds and develop culture among us? Are we too complacent regarding evil

in our world? And are we too unwilling to suffer wrongdoing for doing right?

Let's keep Jesus teaching aligned the way he really meant it to be.

May God bless you as you resist not evil