Romans

It's on page 1139 if you're using, the church bibles. We got 2 readings this morning. Romans 12, we're gonna start with. And then Emily is going to come and read, Matthew chapter 5, some of that. But we'll start with Romans chapter 12 verse 1.

Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters in view of god's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. Holy and pleasing to god. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what god's will is. His good, pleasing, and perfect will. For by the grace given me, I say to every 1 of you, do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment In accordance with the faith, god has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has 1 body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function. So in Christ, we, though many, form 1 body, and each member belongs to all the others.

We have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophecy, then prophecy in accordance with your faith. If it is serving, then serve If it is teaching, then teach. If it is to encourage, then give encouragement. If it is giving, then give generously.

If it is to lead, do it diligently. If it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good, be devoted to 1 another in love, honor 1 another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor serving the lord.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse, rejoice with those who rejoice mourn with those who mourn.

Live in harmony with 1 another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position Do not be conceded. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for god's wrath. For it is written, it is mine to revenge. I will repay, says the lord. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil. But overcome evil with good. And if we turn now to page 970 and Matthew chapter 5, So Matthew chapter 5, beginning at verse 38. You have heard that it was said eye for eye and tooth for tooth, but I tell you do not resist an evil person.

If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to see you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go 1 mile, go with them 2 miles. Give to the 1 who asks you and do not turn away from the 1 who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your father in heaven. He causes his son to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? And not even the tax collector's doing that? And if you greet only your own people, What are you doing more than others?

Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is Let me pray. Father, we're coming to your most holy word, and, we don't wanna trample on it. We really don't want to dismiss it as a bit of advice. But as your holy word, that not only informs us, but recreates us.

We pray that we would take this seriously to heart, and mind, and action for your glory in Jesus' name, amen. Now we're looking at Romans 12 and if you want to turn to that, that would be really helpful. Not 1 of us is going to be able to get through life without some kind of personal injury. It's not gonna happen. You're gonna get injured.

Someone somewhere has hurt you, and you know it, and some of you can remember that, or will hurt you or perhaps you're even being hurt now by someone, even perhaps persecuted, hounded by someone. Everyone gets wounded. Every everyone hurts sometimes. Part of What makes you up is your wounds in this area. Someone will wound you, but how are we to react to such hurt.

How we to react? Well, that there's lots of amazing creative ways that people come up with with dealing with getting even on someone that's hurt them or payback as it's often called. I read this a few years ago and then reread it this week. A young teenager. He was a 17 year old, teenager Kevin, his name is he was convicted for manslaughter and drunken driving because at 17, he killed an 18 year old girl while he was drunk.

And the parents of that girl wanted him never to forget it. The 18 year old child, gone. They could sort of understand, their emotions. They sued him, for 1500000.0 dollars, but they settled for 936 dollars. Now that's an extraordinary difference.

You know, 1500000.0 dollars, but they settled for 93 dollars, but here's the twist. Kevin had to pay by by court direction. And by law, Kevin had to pay the 936 dollars 1 dollar at a time. Every Friday, he had to write a check for 1 dollar. To the parents, of the girl that was killed, that he killed.

It had to be on Friday because Friday was the day that he killed the 18 year old girl. It was 936 dollars because that make a week, because that makes up 18 years. The length of her age of the girl that was killed. The mother said, we want to receive the check every week on time. He must understand we're going to pursue this until August of the year 2000.

We will go back to court every month if we have to. And they did. Sometimes he didn't do it. Not because he didn't want to, because he was so broken by this whole process. 936 payments.

Is that enough? Is that going to satisfy them? Are they going to have peace at the end of 18 years of 1 dollar coming through their coming through their door every Friday? Are they gonna know peace that Kevin was tortured for 18 years in having to pay that? How are we how are we meant to react to people that hurt us?

Like that? Well, Paul, has been writing how we live in the light of the mercy of god. How we meant to live in the light of the mercy of god? And he spent 11 chapters and I can't go over them again. We've spent, you know, 2 years in this, I think.

So 11 chapters showing us exactly how amazing the mercy of god is. This sovereign powerful god shows mercy through the lord Jesus Christ. And that wonderful Christian message called the good news called the gospel. But then in chapter 12, he's telling us how we live in the light of that. And he comes to this very subject of payback.

We meant to be people that pay back. So look at verse 17 to 21. Of of Romans 12. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.

If it is possible as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge my my dear friends, but leave room for god's wrath for it is written. It is mine to avenge. I will repay says the lord. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heat burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. That is the fruit of a life that is living in a world where you're hurt by people but living in the light of the mercies of God. That's the fruitful life. Jesus says, love your enemy.

It's what he says. Do good to those who hate you. Turn the other cheek, and it's the same thing that Paul is saying here in that verse 21, which is a sort of summary of this little section and I I think, and a summary of Jesus teaching do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. Now that has gotta be the highest model of of behavior, in the world. There's no 1 that comes up to teaching like this because the natural reaction when when evil is done to you and your hurt is to pay them back with evil is to shoot them is to pay back is revenge.

That's the natural reaction. And the trouble is with with revenge and payback is it just doesn't feel like sin. That's the problem. Because it feels like justice. Revenge is not only sweet, as they say.

Revenge is righteous. That's what it feels like anyway. So it doesn't feel like I'm sinning when I kick back when someone's kicked me. Doesn't feel like that. But in the Christian walk, it should feel like that.

So I want to have a look at this. And see what it's really saying here, how it applies to us, and then how could we possibly live it? How could we possibly live this? So here's the first thing I want you to see. Verse 21, I'm just gonna sort of focus in on that and then sort of spread out from verse 21.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Here's the first point. What does it mean to overcome evil with good? The little word overcome there in the original language, the Greek is is a very active word. In fact, it's a military word.

It means to defeat So what he's saying is don't be passive here when you're dealing with evil and people that are treating you with hurt. He's not saying just be passive. You don't roll over and die as it were. He's saying actually, you know, you gotta be active. You gotta get out there.

In other words, there's a battle on your hands. You will know a real bloody Christian battle to overcome evil with good. This is not something easy that we could just dismiss and say, oh, overcome evil with good. Now he knows that. The word he's using is that this is harsh, this is a battle, you're going to have to fight to do it, to live the Christian life.

It's gonna be hard. That's what he's saying. Do not over verse 21, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. In order to overcome evil with good, we mustn't become evil ourselves. He's saying, That's what he's telling us now.

What does he mean by that? Well, he spells it out. He says, don't be into payback. Don't respond with payback. If you receive malice, don't be malicious back.

If you receive an attack, don't attack back with evil. If you retaliate then you yourselves are be are becoming overcome with the evil that you're against that is attacking you. That's what he's saying. Don't be controlled by evil he's saying. When you react with I'll pay back, I'll hit back, you're doing exactly what evil wants you to do.

Evil hits you, evil wants you to strike back and the evil just goes into a vortex. That's what he's saying. You'll be modeled by evil if you if you seek revenge. You'll be absorbed by evil, controlled, you'll be like a puppet. When someone hits you, you'll do what evil wants you to do, which is to hit back.

If you want to defeat evil, which you should do if you're following the mercies of Christ, if you want to defeat evil, then you have to respond differently than evil wants you to respond. I remember once in Servburton High Street. I was doing some evangelism up there, stopping people and trying to talk with them. And 1 of the things I was asking is what what the purpose of your life? What's the point of your life?

And, I stopped this woman. She was a very sort of service and woman, you know, well-to-do, well dressed, you know, by her clothes at you know, waitrose and, no, not waitrose, whatever it is. John Lewis and buys food only, you know, the the the lower would be marks and spencers and that up, that sort of stuff. I stopped her outside Sainsbridge. She certainly wasn't going anywhere near that.

But I asked her what what is the what is the point of your life? And she's as I say, she looks like a fairly middle class woman and she suddenly said, to get revenge. And it was like, you know, Bilbo when when, when he wants the ring back, if you know that see. She came remains, and her whole face just went red. And she said, I'm nearly there with my uncle.

And I'm sort of wait. I think I'll wrap this conversation up. She was taken over by evil. Now, obviously, she had had evil done to her by her uncle, whatever that was. But she was possessed by evil herself.

She lacked self control. She was out to meet evil with evil. She was seeking her revenge. So overcoming evil doesn't mean to say you're passive towards it. It means actually you've got to go out and fight evil aggressively with good, with kindness.

The weapon against evil is not evil or revenge the weapon against evil is attack with good, with kindness. And that's what Paul is telling us. Now there's another way that you can, be overcome with evil, and that is emotionally In other words, you allow the evil that the person has attacked you with to take you over emotionally to dictate to you. Don't be overcome with evil. He say, don't be defeated by evil.

You overcome evil. You defeat evil. Don't let evil govern you, rule you, lord it over you. Don't play the victim mentality card. As we so often do when evil is done to us.

You know, people say, well, he's done this to me. So I will do this. I'm the victim here. I'm the victim and I'll blame others for the wickedness that I do in return. Don't do that.

Christ is your king. Paul is saying if you're a follower of the lord Jesus. Christ is your leader. Christ is your champion. Christ is your treasure.

Christ governs your life, not evil, and not the evil that's done to you. When someone does evil to you, you should say you're not my lord and the evil that is done to me is not my lord. You will not control me. You will not dictate to me. My actions and reactions.

Christ is my lord. Christ dictates my my attitudes and thoughts and actions. He's my lord. Now there's a massive difference, isn't there? Because when you're hit, you want to hit back, it's an immediate knee jerk reaction, but the way we're meant to do it is to go through the lord.

Lord Jesus. You are my lord. I won't react in that way. I'll leave justice to you. You're the sovereign.

I'll leave it to you. You died for evil. Or you'll send it to hell. It's your domain. You're my lord.

How do you want me to live here? So we've got to be careful of the knee jerk reaction. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. If your response to evil and the evil doer is evil in return, revenge. You are completely defeated by it.

It's overcome you, and you've not defeated it. If you respond with good when evil is done, you've stopped evil at that point. You've stopped it ruling you, dictating you, you've stopped it at that point. And maybe by that action of good, you might bring them to their senses, and they might become followers of Jesus by your action. So that then you've stopped evil completely.

Do you see that? Look at verse 20. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry feed him, if he is thirsty give him something to drink in doing this, you will heat burning coals on his head. Now I used to think that what that meant in my sinful way was that when someone does something nasty to you, you sort of pretend to be nice to them and over nice, you know, which would stir them up into more anger and that like burning holes on their heads. That's how I honestly genuinely thought that's how you interpreted that passage.

So I used to drive around And, if someone, you know, hooted me or something like that, I'd never be angry. I would just wave at them and smile and drive a little bit slower to irritate them so that they were hooting their horn even more. And I thought I was doing this verse. I mean, that is total ungodliness, by the way. But that's what I thought, but it doesn't mean that.

There's lots of arguments about it. If you've done this in your home group, you know, we had some quite, you know, strong disagreements about what this means. And I think it could mean a number of things. John Stott goes outside of the scripture to try and find out what it means and he says that there's ancient Egyptian rituals that uh-uh were when a penitent person, the person who was repentant and penitent was led through the crowds to show he was penitent had a burning coal on his head and that what this means is a sort of a dramatic symbol of a change of mind. And lots of commentators take that and and it it it's good.

If that is true, what it's saying is that you're really wanting to do good so that there'll be a burning coal of conviction on someone's head so that they may well repent It will bring them to their senses, and they might stop evil. And that's 1 way of interpreting in it, and and I'm not sure which 1 is right. Or it could mean this that whatever happens in this whole event of them doing evil to you, but you doing good in return whatever happens to this, you're a living sacrifice. You're like a coal on fire and you're giving your life in the sense that you're doing good to someone that you would naturally wanna punch their lights out with. And that in its self is a living sacrifice and alter to god which is pleasing to god and therefore in 1 sense is showing them the gospel you forgive and also bringing damnation on their head if they if they don't change.

Could be that. It's bringing them to the senses again though. Or it could mean that god just has the last word, not our enemy. They're treating you as nothing. They're treating you as scum.

There's, you know, that you're suffering under them, but actually all of that suffering is only going to show that you are a child of the kingdom, a child of heaven. You're living in the light of the mercies of God and that on the resurrection day, you will be revealed to be what you are, even to these blind people. And so judgment will come upon them for that. It could mean all of those things probably does mean all of those things. But the point is this We overcome evil by doing good.

We seek to destroy evil. We are aggressive toward evil with good. We try to rescue the evil doer by praying for them, that they won't go to hell. In other words, it's all about good. Now that's what it means.

Okay? I hope you're with me. But how's that gonna happen? I want to say I don't think that's just going to happen. I don't think it's I've become a Christian now.

So verse 21 is in my life, hipperay. It's certainly not my experience. I don't know about yours. With actually anything, the Christian life is a battle. And it's partly what makes a Christian life.

You should have blood on your hands. We're we're blood brothers. We're here battling away against the flesh and the devil and evil. So I don't think it's just gonna happen in your life. I think Paul is showing us that there are attitudes and habits and beliefs that we have to keep on continually take on and renew our minds with continually if verse 21 is gonna happen in our lives.

There needs to be a continual renewal and I want to just flash through some of the things, the attitudes, the habits, the beliefs, that we need as a whole in order to do verse 21, do not be overcome by evil. But overcome evil with good. So that's my second point. Continued life of good. Let's whiz through some of these things.

First of all, you need to hate evil. If you're gonna come overcome evil with good, you first of all gotta hate evil. You see? You you don't just ignore it. You don't you don't just say it doesn't matter.

It does matter. It's evil. Evil is evil. Don't call it something else. Evil is evil.

Look at verse 9. We've looked at this. I don't know whether it was last week or the week before, and you can go back and listen to them. So I'm gonna whiz through some of these verses So verse 9, love must be sincere, but what is sincere love? Hate what is evil, cling to what is good?

If you don't hate evil, you don't have sincere love. It's very simple. Someone wrote this. The more a father loves his son, the more he hates in his son, the drunkard, the liar, the traitor. It's personal.

It hurts If you don't love your son, you don't care what he does. If you love, if you have sincere love, then you are caring about the drunkard, the liar, and the traitor. It hurts. You hate it. You are to hate it sincere love hates evil and clings to what is good.

If you're going to overcome evil then to those that are hurting you with evil, You've gotta have this attitude. It doesn't mean you see you're treated like a doormat. Doesn't mean to say Christians are treated like doormats and anyone can wipe their feet on you. It doesn't mean to say you don't report evil and overlook it. It doesn't mean to say you don't warn others about the evil of that person.

It doesn't mean to say you don't condemn the evil and call evil evil. All of that's you have to hate evil to be able to do that to have sincere love. In fact, in romans 13, which we'll eventually get to sometime in the year, you'll see the part of god's judgment on evil is to use authority's governments and it happens now in this world through the governments and the policing system and all of that. So it's not that you hide evil, you hate it. And without that, you're not gonna get the right attitude.

Sincere love hates evil, and then it will cling to what is good. Second thing, you bless. Again, we saw this last week, verse 14. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.

And we saw last week that that blessed word means to speak into. And it's it's really I think pray. You're praying for those who persecute you. You want to utterly bless them for because you want them to be converted. So when people persecute you, the word persecute means hound persist, go at you.

When people are doing that, you're trying to pray that they will stop being enemies and start being friends. And be brothers and sisters in the kingdom of god. You're praying for them. Now thousands of missionaries are doing this all over the world and have been doing it you know, since the church was born. We pray for those that persecute.

It is so dynamic. Bless them. Save them. The third attitude you need to have is empathy with people. Again, we saw this last week, very, very important in the church.

If you weren't here last week, please go and listen to the sermon. I called it Holy Spirit empathy, but you have empathy with people verse 15. Rejoice with those who rejoice mourn with those who mourn. In other words, you feel you're a feeling believer. You weep with those who weep, you rejoice with those who rejoice.

You've got a heart, a heart for people. We're not indifferent We're not uncommitted. We're not disengaged. Even with the world. We're not meant to be monks in a monastery that put up walls, and we have no idea what's going on in the world.

And so we can pray and think we're holy. No. No. No. Part of being holy is to rejoice where there's good things and to be broken, broken where we see evil ruling in the world, and we mourn with those who are affected by it.

And rejoice with those who come to know the lord Jesus Christ. Compassion was the word that was used more often about the emotions of Jesus than any other word. We have compassion, we have empathy, we feel, we're not apathetic, we don't not care, we don't just throw bricks at the world and say what a disgusting world. We feel. We feel with what's going on.

With the lies of Satan and the things that are going on in the world. 4 thing, show Christian harmony in church This will help us with dealing with hurt, even with people outside of the church. Verse 16, live in harmony with 1 other. In other words, learn to live in harmony. Now that takes effort because you get on my nerves.

And I get on your nerves and so I'm not gonna make these tiny little things that annoy me big things. I'm gonna try and live in harmony. I'm gonna cut cut those things out. I'm gonna ignore the irritating little way that you eat. Yeah.

And burp after a meal or whatever it is or the perfume that you wear that you think is nice, but the rest of us hate Yeah. Now there's someone here that's gonna be insecure. I'm I'm not so I did that just came to my mind because I was probably sitting near you. Don't be insecure. Live I'm trying to live in harmony and I've now ruined it.

Live in harmony with 1 another. Don't be proud. Don't stop being, you know, 1 of those touchy people that's looking to be hurt and offended and, you know, I mean, I say to people now as I gospel people and they say you're offending me. I just have a stop just stop it. Stop being offended.

You know, it's ridiculous. That stop being proud, but willing to associate people with people of low position do not be conceded. With that humble spirit when you're looking out for people of lowly position, when you have that humble, unproud, unconceated harmony spirit. When you have that, it will help you with dealing with the hurts. Fifthly, Do not repay evil verse 17 do not repay anyone evil for evil.

Be careful what be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. You should be looking out to do the right thing. And not repay evil for evil. It festers. If you indulge your hurt, you'll increase the bitter torture that you'll eventually go through.

It'll rule you and dominate you and kick you and possess you. Instead of having Christ as lord, as we've already seen, it will be lord. And hurt always becomes hate and hate becomes rage and rage becomes revenge. Payback. It's addictive.

And it feels like justice and it's not. Sixly, live at peace. Now Paul is just so wise in throwing this 1 in. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. He knows it's not always possible.

You do everything you can. You're praying for them. You're kind to them, but they're just so possessed with evil. They won't let it go. But as far as it depends on you, as far as it depends on you, don't repay evil with evil.

Seventhly, believe in a sovereign god. You've gotta leave it to god. You've got to leave this to god. Look at verse 19. Do not take revenge, my friends.

But leave room for god's wrath. For it is written, is his mind to avenge. I will replace us, the lord. Justice repayment, punishment, that's god's business, not yours. That is god's business.

Let god be god. Have faith in god. Know that no 1 will get away with injustice. No 1 will. God will bring all men to account.

Know that. So let him be god. Don't stop poking your nose in and doing jobs that you, you know, you think you could do better than god. You can't. 8 thing, care for the enemy, Go out and care for your enemy.

Look at verse 20 and 21. It's amazing. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heat burning coals on his head, get his attention somehow. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Now I think and that's why I had read that part from Jesus on the sermon on the mount about turning the other cheek. I think this is at the heart of what Jesus means are turning other cheek. I think Paul is just using the turning of the other cheek in a in a different style, but it's the same teaching. Turn the other cheek. That's what Jesus says.

If someone slaps you on the right cheek, you turn the other cheek. By the way, it doesn't it means the face cheek it doesn't mean doing a moonie at them or something, but you turn the other cheek. Yeah? Someone slaps you. Now, It is not talking about physical attack.

Get that. If someone hits you in the face, you're probably best to run away. Then you are turning the other cheek, but in a different way. Run away. Yeah?

He's not talking about physical attack. If there's physical violence, get out of there. Yeah? Call the police. Get out of there.

This is something much more than physical attack. It's insulting you. It's a way of dishonoring you. Perhaps lying about you, exaggerating, belittling you. It's an assault on your pride and on your ego.

You've been slapped in public. That's what that's what he's talking about here. Now what happens when someone insults you? When someone insults you and slaps your cheek. Well, 2 things can happen depending on what sort of personality you are.

1, on the 1 hand, you're passive, and you think you're really Christian in being passive. But there's passive aggression going on. You hold back, You'll suffer it. Won't make us fuss about it. You'll rationalize that that you're a peacemaker He slapped you and you're suffering it and look at me.

I'm I'm just there. I'm keeping the other cheek to I'm keeping the cheek that he slapped, facing him. I'm a passive person, lot I didn't react. It looks good. That's 1 way of doing it, but that's not what Jesus is saying.

Another way of doing it is to punch him back. Some of us are more inclined to do that. Slap. Some of us are very quick minded. Very quick with our words.

We're insulted. We can whiz back 1 straight away. We got the arrow in the bow just rating for the insult. Some of us are quick with that, but Jesus says that's not the way either. Jesus says, turn the other cheek.

Now what he means by that is, that you do not allow that person to continue hitting this side of the face. You don't just passively let it happen and say, look at me, a peacemaker. You say, no. We need to you need to stop that, but I will give you another chance. You don't withdraw.

You're not passive here you're active saying, I'll give you another chance, another cheek, another opportunity of relationship I'll turn the cheek we can start over again. I'm not ignoring the hurt. That's cheek really hurt. I can still feel the sting. It's still red from the slap, but I'll give you a new face, an opportunity to start again.

Now that is not human, normal, human, reaction. Jesus is saying I require my people to live in the mercy of god. And Paul is saying the same thing, but in a different way here, on the contrary, if your enemy is hungry. Now, this is the 1 that has hit out at you, has beaten you. If he's hungry, feed him, if he's thirsty, give him something to drink.

Go for him, turn the other cheek, give him an opportunity, bless him, pray for him, give him an opportunity to change. Minister to him. That's what Paul is saying here. Now, it's all very well, ain't it? I don't know about you, but I hear that stuff, and I think, well, failed in that 1, failed in that 1.

And my goodness, I'm failing there, and I'm Yeah. What is the power that motivates us to overcome evil with good? What is the power to do it? How is it possible? And I wanna say by looking at the cross, by looking at the cross.

Look at verse 1 of chapter 12, It's the subject, you know, it's the text of the, it's the, you know, the main heading, if you like. Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters in view of god's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. Now, there are some of us that say, that sounds good. But when it comes to receiving a slap on the face, that's hard, isn't it? But even there offer your bodies, Holy pleasing to God.

This is your spiritual act of worship. How can I do it in view of god's mercy? In view of god's mercy? This is the Christian life. You've gotta keep coming back to the cross.

You don't, you know, You don't graduate from the cross. It's not like I've got the cross. Right. What do we go on to next? It's constantly repentance and faith, the cross and the resurrection of Jesus.

We constantly come back. What what did we need before god? Mercy, didn't we? Our pockets were empty and our debts was in the millions. We could never pay him back, so we need mercy.

So before I take action against someone who is hurting, I need to ask the question. How did you treat me when I hurt you god? When I lived in a way that was dishonoring to your son, how did you treat me? Did you pay back? Were you into payback?

No. You sent your son to die for me. And so as I keep going back to the mercies of god and how he treated me, then I begin to change. There's a lovely story about an old it's a really old story, but some of you were in, in Holland, and I think you went to her house. Corey 10 booms house and so it just reminded me.

There's a lovely story about Cory 10 boom. So cory 10 boom was a woman in the war and they helped hide Jews in in the house and stuff like this, and they were eventually arrested in her which I forget her name. Do you know her name? Betsy. Her sister was put in a concentration camp and, with with Corrie, but, she was treated by this, this female Nazi woman in horrific ways and eventually was killed in a concentration camp by the female Nazi.

And Corrie Tim Boom tells a story because she became quite famous in telling her story about, you know, Christ and hiding the Jews and so forth. And she used to go around doing talks And 1 day she was doing a Christian talk and she noticed the Nazi German woman in the back of the crowd. She was responsible for the death of her loved, a beloved sister in, in, you know, you can imagine how cruel at what, And she saw the woman, and the woman had become a Christian. The Nazi had become a Christian. And the woman came up to her to say, do you remember me as if she would ever forget her?

And and and Corrie Thunboom tells this very powerful story where she says, Lord, I hate this woman. I don't know how to do I don't know I don't know how to act here, but you died on a cross for a sinner like me, and all I can do is to put my hand out But lord changed my heart, and she put her hand out to the Nazi woman to shake her and found herself hugging her, and this was a sister in Christ. In other words, as we go in view of god's mercy into the battleground of people that are hurting us, As we keep the cross in Christ's mercy for us in the foreground, he gives us the power to love Do you see that? That's how you overcome. You don't go and hide from hurt.

You step into the hurt with the cross before you. It's like that old hit, a minute. Onward Christian soldiers, we never sing that. Marching as to war with the cross of Jesus going on before. And then I can't remember any more than that.

Funny old tune, but they're good words, aren't they? Onward Christians this is battle. Actually, we've forgotten that a Christian is a soldier. We think we're just to sit around and enjoy stuff, but we are to be battling and go into the battlefield of where people hurt us so that we could bring good. And the cross is there and it'll change us.

So can I finish? Is there anyone here that is hurting you or persecuting you or lying or gossiping about you. What do you need to do? What do you need to do? There might be some things you need to do where you bring authorities in, like Romans 13, where you have to report them, of course.

But it's your heart that Paul is dealing with. Are you about their good Are you about stopping evil? Or is evil coming into your heart and making you into a bitter person that's forgotten the mercies of God toward you. That's what he's dealing with. Is there anyone that you need to repent, you know, before god in the way you're dealing with them.

While you're thinking of that, I'm gonna show you a video. Just 1 minute. It's 1 of the reasons why I said it was blue. It might be a bit blue. But I want to show you a video.

I don't want you to get him wrong at the end. You'll see what I mean. The man isn't saying that the bloke is be forgiven before god. The man is just saying that he forgives this person. Very powerful.

We could have chosen I I could have chosen so many little video clips, but this 1 just shows the difference between a Christian, and someone who doesn't know the power of the mercy of god in their life. 3 minutes. Just dwell on the power of the gospel and allow the gospel to affect and change you. As we watch this video itself explanatory, really, and then Phil will take over.