The Love Without Hypocrisy
First B Jackson
2024-05-26

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

----
That countdown till about seventeen seconds ago. Would you stand with me? And we're gonna sing some this Memorial Day weekend, we're going to sing a few patriotic songs. God of our fathers, hymn number eight zero nine.

God of our fathers whose almighty end leads forth in beauty all the starry band and stay. Thy word are long, thy paths are chosen way.

Amen. Thank you, Judy. America the Beautiful. And we will watch out for the key change towards the end. We're gonna do do the fourth just a little bit higher than it already is.

Okay? Sing with me or you'll get some unintentional yodels.

Oh, beautiful horse, facious skies, or amber waves of grain or purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain. America, America, God shed his grace on thee and crowned thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. The wilderness. America, America, God mend thine every flaw. America, America, may God thy gold refined till all success be nobleness and every game be mine.

Key change. Oh, beautiful, more patriot dream that sees beyond the years. Thine

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I've got a few announcements. Here they are. This is one from the Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church.

So Shepherd of the Mountains is an Indian trails. Flower pot art, they're getting together on Memorial Day, May 27, so that's tomorrow, 10:30 to 12:30. They're gonna hang around, have brunch of pizza and some healthy food, and they're gonna make flower pot art. They asked us to announce to them. I have just done so.

Sounds fun. First BBQ. First BBQs are happening out here on the green space, weather permitting June 25, July 23, August 27. Y'all can plan accordingly. This will be instead of the connect hour down the hall.

We'll do it out here and have a more ample buffet of meats and such. First b b q, June 25, July 23, August 27, in between services out there. Rabbi Zalman Mendelson actually called this week and asked if I would announce this, there is a Unite for Israel Solidarity event downtown on the Town Square, Cache and Broadway. He's asking you all to bring flies and signs to show support. If you would like to Wyoming for Israel is kind of organized event, but it's next Sunday, June 2 at 5PM.

I'm going be out of town. I won't be but this is Unite for Israel Solidarity event on the Square next week. Sound booth volunteers. I have kind of announced this more heavily in the first service than the second, but if you feel like, you know what, I'm a tech person. Really, I'm a tech person and would love to have an opportunity to stand up or sit up there in the booth and do that.

Let me know, please. We had a guy take over in the first service this morning. It was his first try. And that's not to say anything about that guy. But we could use a deep bench.

Alright? We need a few few extras in there. Blake does a good job up there, but sound booth volunteers are needed. He he has another job that he's working every other Sunday. So we're trying to do that.

Hometown Nazareth where Jesus was a kid is the theme of this year's vacation Bible school. It'll be June 24 through the twenty seventh, but there is a list of certain items that are needed on our website and if you wanted to, you can ask Nick in the office and he'd let you know what those are or Amy Jordan. She's in this. She's right here. So you can ask her.

Did you wanna make the announcement? No. Didn't. Okay. Alright.

Just making sure. I probably I probably missed that memo. Okay. So this is there's a list on the website, but if you wanna know firsthand, she can tell you what it is that we're lacking. And this is June twenty fourth through twenty seventh, coming up fast.

There was no middle school class this morning, but that's it. And I've already mentioned and we've already sung about Memorial Day. My my dad was in the military. I mentioned that every once in while, but he made it he made it through. So Memorial Day is for the fallen soldiers, all of them.

And since he got out of Vietnam, several of his the the old veterans, a lot of times when I talk to him, when he says, we're getting together, it's for a funeral. And so for all of those fallen soldiers from all of our wars in the past, this is Memorial Day weekend. And y'all all know official start of summer, so prepare for the onslaught. Would you pray with me though? God, for people who have lost loved ones in the military and lost in in wars, even in peacetime, Lord, in training.

God, they signed up and paid the ultimate price for the country that you gave them a deep love for. I pray lord that you would bless the families as they consider them today. Would you would you do that lord? We ask for your blessing on this church that we would be a blessing to military families too. Show us the way that we can help lord.

We have one of our members who has just signed up and is awaiting orders. So, God, I pray for him too on the front side of this experience. In Jesus name, we ask for your blessing. Amen. Now, would you stand with me?

We're going to worship the king. I'll worship the king.

Oh, worship the king, all glorious above. Oh, gratefully sing his wonderful love. Our shield and defender, the ancient of days, a vilend in splendor and girded with praise. Oh, tell of his might. Oh, sing of his grace.

Whose robe is the light? Whose canopy space? His chariots of wrath, the deep under king in splendor and throne Glad praises we bring thy wonder make known, returning victorious, great conqueror of sin. King Jesus, all glorious, our victory will Amen.

And for that win, Jesus, we just want to thank you. Sing this chorus with you.

Jesus, we just want to thank you. We just want to thank you. Jesus, we just want to thank you. Thank you for being so good. We just wanna praise you.

Jesus, we just want to praise you. Jesus, we just want to praise you. Jesus, we just want to praise you. Praise you for being so good. Savior, we just want to serve you.

Savior, we just want to you. Savior, we just want to serve you. Serve you for being so good on the last. Jesus, we know you are coming. Jesus, we know you are coming.

Jesus, we know you are coming. Take us to live in your home.

Y'all can have a seat, and I'm gonna the ushers to come forward. This is operatory time. Worship through giving, we call it. Would you all just pray with me? There's nobody coming forward.

Lord, would you send somebody to come forward? I but while I'm waiting on that, while I'm waiting on that, there's a last week, we did two offerings, you know, and it's always one. I could see people get a little uncomfortable when well, passing two plates would make people uncomfortable, but I give fair warning to say, hey, this is for the general offering and then this other one is for the missionaries. And it's amazing to look at it and we know that it's true because it happens virtually every time. That I say, if you're waiting or if you brought one check, put it in for the missionary and the the ministry of Youth First Concerns last week ended up $7,000 ahead and it didn't hurt anything with First B's offering.

It's God's economy just the way that it goes. So, thank you for being faithful and would you pray with me now? God, thank you for for Peter, for last week, for youth first concerns, and for that. For what you want to do in this valley starting right here from our doors, lord and within. What you want to do from this place going forward.

Lord, would you allow us the privilege of being a part of doing your will and your way, being willingly, willfully, and readily obedient. I pray lord that you'd move us from any position where we've stood against you, where we've stood up in pride and said, no to you. Lord Jesus, thank you for calling us into and empowering us to do your will. Lord, show us your way. I pray that we would be walking in it.

In Jesus name, would you accept this offering and advance it. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Judy. Amen.

Okay. On the screen right there, it says repentance. I have been saying for weeks that I'm going to preach on repentance. I'm going to preach on repentance and I've been kind of doing that in a way But this, I have y'all know I was a sculpture major, most of y'all most of y'all are old folks that have been here before. Not old folks, but people who've been here before.

I was a welded steel sculpture major and I in college, the first time around before going back to seminary and when I would make something out of welded steel, after you weld something especially with a stick welders, a lot of slag that comes up and you kind of pop that off with a hammer, you hit that a little while and and then, if you want to make it smooth, you want to make straight the way, you take a grinder and you kind of grind off the part that's a little bit lifted up. And so, this week, that is an image of someone short throwing the spark straight at you. Okay? I have been grinding for weeks on myself here, but they're coming towards you now. Okay?

I have had a hard time getting into this because I think that our danger, you know, I've said for years that we have ditches on both side of the Gospel Road. We have a ditch of legalism that is a religiosity that is empty, that is ugly, and we have a ditch of licentious behavior that is completely off of the path and utterly sinful but this place in the middle is not just going from one to the other, you cross over this. You don't. They're both bad and I think that for the church, y'all are the ones who showed up on Sunday morning, right? You showed up here and which ditch do you think we're more likely to wallow in?

That one or that one? We're much more likely to be in this one. We're much more likely to be high minded and this grinds on someone who is now the pastor of the First Baptist Church. My my tendency is I'm not I'm convinced that those things are wrong and I'm going to try to stay away from em. If I go into em, it's going to be something that I know is wrong.

I can get to a mindset though where I'm right over here and everything's fine for me and I don't want for that to be the case. So, it's time for judgement to heart start in the house of the Lord. So, that is what's going on. I hate that the sparks are flying right in your face but this image sums that up kind of. They're coming at you.

I want to talk about this in the next few times that I preach. Now, next week is graduation Sunday. Mike Demetrius who is a great speaker, always has a memorable message. Mike Demetrius is going to do grad Sunday next week because I'm going to be in North Carolina. Paschal's graduating in North Carolina next weekend.

Willing obedience, reluctant obedience, and outright disobedience are the three that I'm going to be talking about for the next few times that I preach. Willing obedience, obviously, we know what it is that God wants us to do and we do it and we're happy about it. Reluctant obedience and I I think of David and who's going to take on Goliath, right? He's like, I'll do it. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?

He has confidence. God wants us to whip this guy and he can empower me to do it. I can do this. Willing obedience and then I think about reluctant obedience. I immediately think of a few but Moses being one of them.

You're going to be my mouthpiece. You're going be the one that goes to Pharaoh and says, set my people free and he begins to stammer but but but I got I can't. Yeah. No. I can't do that but he does it anyway.

He's reluctant at first. I think of Jonah but that'll come up later. Reluctant but eventually, obedient and then there's outright disobedience. What I'm asking for is in the context of this sermon from Romans twelve nine through 21. What I'm asking for y'all to do and I'm ask myself for the last few weeks is to take this list and see if there's anything that you or I need to repent of in this list.

Is it something that love is that we are not? And I want to get us into the good old gospel center of the cross. So, begins right here. I'm using the NIV this week. I'm doing it on purpose.

The NIV has taken an editorial stance on this passage and things that are there are nine different participles for you grammar nerds that care. There are nine different participles that they have put into command form. I believe that the text warrants that. It's okay. That's why I chose to use it.

It's easier to understand it for us if it's like, do this and don't do that. Although, it's really this passage is really sort of like first Corinthians 13 where it says, love is patient, love is kind, all of those things about what love is. This is the Romans version of that. So, must be sincere. Love must be sincere.

The word sincere that we have in English is actually from Latin, not Greek, not not the biblical word, the biblical word we'll get to in a minute but I want you to think about this. Sinecera in Latin means without wax. They used to stamp pottery that was good pottery with without wax because you can make a bad pot that has cracks all in it but you take a little wax and smear it on the inside and it'll hold water for a little while. But it's a broken pot. The without wax is sincere.

It's real. It can be trusted. Actually, this is what it says in Greek, which means the love without hypocrisy. It really kind of serves as the title of this section of scripture from Romans twelve nine to the end of the chapter. And if you think about this, we and first be in the Bible if you're reading along with us and we're going a few verses at a time or just a verse or two at a time.

We're up to Romans seven right now in that reading. This is what prompted this sermon is, oh, Paul says, what a wretched man I am. I don't want to do this stuff and I end up doing it. I don't and I do want to do this and I don't do it. So, as I was thinking about it from his own hand, Paul wrote to Rome, the Romans, it's a a group of Christians that he's never met before but he knows that they are believers.

So, he writes this theological work and he titles this section, the love without hypocrisy, hypocrisy. Love must be sincere without wax. Love must be real. It can't be feigned. And then the next word is hate.

What is evil? Now, does that sound like a contradiction? Love must be sincere, hate what is evil. And then you think, wait a second now, love, love, love, love, love. In our time, if you if you love me, then you just have to love all of me, everything about me all the time, 100%.

Love must be sincere, immediately followed up with this is what that looks like. Hating what is evil, next thing says, clinging to what is good and if you go, but that's not the way it is. Love love is all encompassing. Yeah. Love is all encompassing.

Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. If you think, well, that's not the way God loves. It is the way God loves. Proverbs six says this, these are six things that the Lord hates. God is love.

Yes. And because he is love and because he is truth, he does hate some things. There are seven things that are detestable to him. Hardy eyes. Somebody who is proud.

It specifically says, hardy eyes. It's poetry. Hardy eyes. What does God do with the proud? Resists.

God resists the proud. He gives grace to the humble. He hates hardy eyes, those that look down on others and elevate self. What else does he hate? He hates a lying tongue.

This one in our day is very very pertinent because truth with a capital t, absolute truth does exist. Truth exists, goodness exists, and beauty exists. And if you believe a lie instead of the truth, then you will call the wrong things good and you'll call the beautiful things ugly. Hearty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood. God hates that.

That goes back to the first four people in creation, doesn't it? Cain slew Abel and his blood cried out from the ground. God hates hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that devises wicked schemes and in our day, the computer, my goodness, and the phone. How many scam texts do y'all get a week?

How many scam emails do you get a week? We have had lots of folks since I've been here who've gone through horrible financial difficulty because of a hearts that devise wicked schemes and God hates that. He hates feet that are quick to rush into evil. Quick to rush into evil. He hates a false witness who pours out lies and he hates a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Boy, does God hate some stuff? He does and that's a pretty good list right there. If you just memorize that, it would kind of keep you in check, right? Amos five. What else does he love?

I'm standing over here again. I hate God says. Through his prophet Amos. Now, Amos is the minor prophet that I love Amos. I just really love the guy.

He was just minding his own business, tending to his sycamore figs and his goats and the Lord, the word of the Lord came to him and said, go to the king and tell him this. He's like, but he did it. Right? And through Amos, he said to the people who were supposed to be his people, I hate your religious festivals. I hate them because they're empty.

They don't mean anything and he describes that before and after this. Your assemblies stink. They are a stitch to me. That same as 05/21. That's something religiosity without love, without love as it's gonna be presented in Romans twelve nine through 21 is dead and wrong.

Isaiah one, if you wanna go to Isaiah one from about verse six all the way down to the bottom is him saying the same thing about those religious festivals. Seven hundred years before Christ and we have a tendency to go from the good old gospel way as Paul says to the Galatians to turn away from it and get over here and feel pretty good about ourselves and want to be over here legalists. Love must be sincere. Love must be without hypocrisy. Hate what is evil.

Cling to what is good. The the another form of the word cling and it makes perfect sense is glue. Glue yourself to the good. Get stuck on the good. Hang with that and abhor what is evil.

Actually, I said earlier that they're all participles and the love that is without hypocrisy is hating what is evil and clinging to what is good, literally from the Greek. If Ray McDaniel had to make his own paraphrase translation. This carries imperatible force. This is not exactly what it says but it is it is saying, y'all, be unhypocritically loving by hating what is evil and clinging to what is good. Truth and love cannot be separated.

Be devoted to one another in love. Be devoted to one another in love. Now, this kind of devotion to one another, he expects that the collective will see the picture better than the individual. We have an amazing capacity to justify self and if a brother or sister that we know loves us and we know that we love them and we're talking and they say, hey, brother, you're off the mark here. You're missing the mark.

This is not what love is. Being devoted to one another and love is willing to have that. It's also continuously honoring one another above yourself. I like the ESV translation on this. It says, outdo one another in showing honor.

Outdo one another. It's it's outdo one another. If you're to try to out Christian one another which is I think what a lot of the church is trying to do and it's not necessarily a good thing, okay? The real way to out Christian one another is to show others honor. Never be lacking in zeal.

Never be lacking in zeal. There was one of the commentators said, as to the stuff you ought to do, this sounds like the southern version. As to the stuff you ought to do, don't be lazy. Always be zealous for doing good. Keeping your spiritual fervor by serving the Lord.

Now, this is not a commercial for the nursery ministry. It's not a commercial for church cleanup day or whatever but the way to not be lacking in zeal is to be serving the Lord. It really does make a difference whether or not you are engaged in the process. If you see yourself as being a minister of the Lord wherever it is that you are, It will help you to not lag or lack in zeal. It'll keep your spiritual fervor.

From there, I'll I'll come back at the end and I'll do a wooden translation and I think is I think it hits harder to me. It's not quite as pretty in English but it hits harder because it's so direct, okay? Be joyful in hope. Every time you see the word hope in the New Testament, the definition is something that is absolutely certain that's been promised by God that has not happened yet. So, we have an incorruptible hope in heaven for sure, Peter says and that is something we have not seen it but we believe it.

There's something that is our hope. It's not, well, I hope it'll happen. It is going to happen. It just hasn't happened yet. Be joyful in that fact that we have certainty in God.

Blessed assurance that has not yet come to pass and while it has not yet come to pass, there will be affliction, tribulation, trial, trouble. That's a guarantee. Jesus even promised that. In this world, you will have trouble but take heart. I've overcome the world.

Be joyful in hope. Be patient in affliction and be faithful in prayer. I'll come back to this at the end. In prayer, be continual. It says right here.

So, we know that from Paul's other writings. He's saying that pray without ceasing but it's always available to us. If we save it for just when the person coming towards us in traffic has crossed the center line because they're texting. Oh Lord, it's a good time to pray but always be praying, right? Bottom of a well, I heard a guy say one time, best praying I ever did was at the bottom of a well.

Well, we all know that but he's saying to always be constant in prayer because that will allow you to see what it is that God wants for you to see. Keep open line of communication, speaking to him but also listening to him that is faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. There is a blessing there for the person who's in need and for the person who can meet that need. If you know of a need that you can meet, consider whether or not God is saying meet it, okay?

Willful obedience is great. You might be in the place of reluctant obedience. Lord, I'll help him but just show me I'm doing the right thing. I want to do your will, lord. Show me whether or not you want for me to help him and I'll help em.

Make it clear and I'll do it. That's better than outright disobedience, right? I want you to move from outright disobedience to even reluctant obedience God uses but I really like for all of us to be in willing obedience. Share with the Lord's people who are in need and there are some of em. The prosperity gospel is hogwash.

If you look at em and say, well, they look they're like that because they're not living right. I'm living right and I'm doing fine. You're missing this. You're missing the point. Share with the Lord's people who are in need and practice hospitality.

We get a better chance for practicing hospitality than almost any other place I've ever been, right? There are people coming through here all the time and they're going to go, they're going to go straight in the turning lane and they're going to do every traffic flaw. They're going to do it all summer long. You know they're going to do it and you can practice hospitality behind the wheel of your car and when you just see people who are having trouble. The church is benevolence fund and the ministry of that fund is showing that y'all care about people and that you are willing to practice hospitality.

Bless. Bless those who persecute you. Does that make any sense at all? In God's economy, it does. There are plenty of folks who are persecuting you and I know you feel it because I hear about it.

Bless those who persecute you is a hard concept to get but consider that as Christians, we are to follow after Christ and what did he do? He blessed those who are persecuting him. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.

The placement of this is odd to me. I mean, all know this verse and we think of it when somebody's having a celebration, graduation celebration. We did a wedding shower at the house yesterday and it was a great celebration. This bride and groom that are gonna be married later on in the summer, and it was just a fantastic celebration. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and I already have three memorial services on tap for this for June.

Three that I know of right now and I'm mourning with those families and Carl's mourning with another family. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Just be present with them and be in agreement about what you're going through. It's awesome. Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.

Be there and be in agree with agreement with them that what you're going through is very very difficult. God is here with us. Mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Sing in unison is great.

I love the sound of a mass choir when they're all singing unison, but I tell you what, it'll make the hair stand up on your head when they switch over into harmony. Right? The last note of America is beautiful, get the little harmony going in there, it makes a big difference. We're not all going to be exactly the same, but we can be harmonious with one another. What that requires is humility.

This leads right into the next. Do not be proud. God resists the proud. He gives grace to the humble. But you yourself, be willing to associate with the people of low position.

Now, I want to stop right here and say, are we doing okay in this area? Lord, are we doing okay? Am I willingly obedient to this? Is my love? Is this what it looks like?

Am I reluctantly obedient to him or am I just not being obedient to this at all? Lord, tell me. Show me. Show me the things that you want me to repent of. In the light of the good old gospel way, show me what you'd have me step away from.

If it's religiosity or if it's licentiousness either way. Show me where where I'm wrong lord and bring me back up out of the ditch. I'm not conceded. Do not be conceded. Don't be wise in your own estimation is what the translation which is conceited being so smart in your own eyes.

Don't be conceited. Whatever it is that you have of the knowledge of God was gifted to you. Freely, freely, I've received what I do. Freely, freely give. Don't be too big for your britches.

Oh, this is the the new American standard version of that same verse 16 is this, be of the same mind toward one another. Sounds like Philippians, doesn't it? Have this same mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Humble. Do not be haughty in your mind but associate with the lowly.

Do not be wise in your own estimation. Lord, you've given us your word and that is truth and it shows us how to live. Would you show us like in a mirror whether or not we're living that way? And if we see that we are, may we give you all the glory and if we see that we aren't, may it call us to repentance. Amen.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. I stopped and told a story this morning. I got to this. I had not expected to tell. I'm going tell it again.

I, when I was in the eighth grade, I said something to a guy. Oh, we're playing football at the time. And I said something to him that I did not think was ugly. I didn't think it was mean. I didn't think it was I I just said something.

And he took it to be mean and ugly and even racist. I did not think that it was. I'd I'd that was it was just out there. Yeah. And he got all up on me and in my face and it was it was pretty ugly for a little while.

We didn't get in a in the fisticuffs at that point. But a year later, we're playing basketball this time. Oh. Yeah. Connor's favorite.

And we're playing, I had the ball and I kind of juked to the left and I went around to the right and I scored. And he said, you carried. You know, well, that's a good convenient call after somebody just burned you, you know. But he expressed his displeasure with me going around him and he called something on me so they called the points back. You know, we didn't have a referee.

Dave, you should have been there. Kept me from a lot of pain if you had been there. Going back by him since he called the points back, you know, going back by him. I I had the whole gym to walk around this guy but when I walked by, I just kind of nudged him with my shoulder and he fell back like this and came around from China and he hit me harder. It blacked both of my eyes and bloodied my nose and there were two legs passed.

He hit me and I hit the floor and I was down on the floor for a little while, nearly unconscious and bleeding and feeling terrible And we get called up, I go wash my face and wait till blood stops, and then we get hauled to the principal's office. Yeah. And the principal was well meaning, I'm sure. There's a zero tolerance policy for fighting, but I just said, you know what? It's just a misunderstanding.

We're friends. We were we weren't really friends. We're friends and it just got a little bit heated and nobody's big misunderstanding. No big deal. There's no reason.

You know, it's just one one lick. It'd be fine. I I I didn't I didn't even hit him back. You can hardly call it fighting if one guy doesn't hit him back. It's the Christian thing to do to turn another cheek.

You know, of course, my cheeks were on the floor. But I talked the principal out of, I talked the principal out of suspending him or me. So, I went home and I described it to my mom and my dad was, well, Jesus said, turn the other cheek and I just didn't hit it back. He said, that's not the way you do this. I know he said it but this is the real world.

I said, well, I really believe it, daddy but the truth was, I was lying. If I'd had the chance, I'd hit him back. I didn't have the chance because I was on the floor. And what I did late that night because it's embarrassing to go to school with two black eyes, you know. I just couldn't stand that guy and he couldn't stand me and I swore that I was going to take it out on him at some time.

If I had to sneak out from behind the corner, I was going to pop this dude. This is me, Ray, little Christian Ray. But I had purposed in my heart that I was going to whoop this guy eventually, you know. Don't repay anyone evil for evil. What he did was evil.

It was wrong. And I was relishing my chance eventually to get after him. This the next thing it follows up was be careful to do what is right. Be careful to do what is right. Now, it says up there, be careful do.

This is the NIV translation. I I don't think this is a great translation. I'll get to the wooden translation of it at the end but be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone here, okay? In the eyes of the assembly of the Lord. It's not.

You can't please all the people all the time, right? You just can't do that but be careful to do what is right, allowing for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ to call one another out. I baptized that situation in my head and I told people that that's what I was feeling but that was not what I was really feeling. The next part, if it's possible so far as it depends on you, be living at peace with everyone. It's not always possible.

Sometimes, they just bring it but if it's possible, as far as it depends on you, you live at peace with everyone. Don Howell was one of my professors in seminary and if we're looking at ourselves and we're being honest about it and we don't try to baptize the ugliness like I did in that story, A wise and proper estimation of oneself is what provides a secure basis for a generous and loving appraisal of others. One of Paschal's favorite quotes is from the book Frankenstein and it says, I am malicious because I am miserable. I have no idea what Dennis' home life was like. I have no idea what Dennis was like outside of the context of playing ball with him.

I wasn't in any classes with him. We just had PE together. A wise and proper estimation of my own self and my shortfall rather than being a religious jerk is what provides me a secure basis for a generous and loving appraisal of others. This is probably where I should've told the story about Dennis because what I swore was revenge. Do not take revenge my dear friends, Paul says.

Paul says this without ever having met these people because he knows he's bound to them in the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, it's mine to avenge and I will repay. There's a great little, I've I've used it here before. In Spanish means, God will repay.

Now, how does he repay? He's either gonna repay it by just condemnation. What what Dennis did to me for evil will be judged by God either justly he will be condemned for it or mercifully he will be forgiven for it and I need to be fine with either. If I think he still deserves the condemnation, I haven't forgiven him. Right?

Leave room for God's wrath for it's written. It's mine to avenge. He's almighty God. Is he going to do a better job than I would do? Yeah.

Yes. Amen. Leave room for God's wrath for it's written out. It's mine to avenge. I will repay, says the Lord.

So, on the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him and if he's thirsty, you give him something to drink. Now, that's straight up Proverbs. Proverbs 25. It says, if your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat and if he's thirsty, give him water to drink and this is individual. This is not just the y'all collective.

This is individually. If you have an enemy and you know he's hungry, you feed him. If he's thirsty, you give him water to drink. And in so doing or in doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Now, if you read this, and a lot of people do.

I've read lots of commentaries this week on this particular sentence. And a lot of people read it and they go, this is the wrath of God. Okay. Wait just a second. It never mentions anything that says, hot burning hailstones of coal, right?

Coming down on people's heads. It doesn't really say that. It does say in Psalm 25, I think it is. It speaks of this that God's righteous vengeance is coming and you could say that that's what it is. I think that what it means and I think that most of the commentators agree that this is what it means.

There are a few of them that still hold out on this and and it's okay. It's okay because God is either going to justly condemn and that will be cause of heavy fire, right? Or he's gonna mercifully forgive. What this last thing does is if someone treats me poorly and I treat them well, that is confusing. That's really really confusing because the way of the world is he brings a knife, you bring a gun, you bring a tank, and it just goes one upmanship from there.

It gets to be that's the way war happens. But when someone lobs a grenade and you duck and cover, but you don't lob one back. That's confusing. Loving, praying for, persisting in goodness towards those who are against us will cause them if if I really did literally have a grinder and I was literally throwing hot sparks towards you right now, and one of them hits you on the head, are you just going to sit there? If a blob lands in your lap, are you just going to sit there?

No. You got to do something about that. You'll freak out. Get it out of get it out of here. I gotta figure this thing out.

I think that what this means and most commentators agree is that if your loving example, they can reject it, but that your loving example is gonna be confusing. Let me let me let Peter say it. Peter says it like this, y'all keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, among the outsiders. So that in the very thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, because they're treating you poorly and you're treating them well, and the very thing that they slander you as evildoers, that they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them because they're gonna see them that they may actually glorify God on the day of visitation. Do you get that?

He's saying, you are responsible for doing the right thing. You have a higher standard. You have the Holy Spirit. You are held to a to a godly good standard and what makes a difference is when you serve in that capacity, it's confusing and it draws people into relationship. Romans two also says this.

Now, if you know Romans one, Romans one spends a lot of time over here in, you know, there's a vice list and there are all these things that says they were suppressing the truth, they were keeping it down. God turned them over to their base desires. He turned them over to a reprobate mind and then, just when all the religious folks are saying, yeah. Yeah. He says, and you religious folks, you're even worse.

He's calling you to repentance from that ditch. He's also calling us from this ditch and he says, do you think lightly of the riches of God's kindness and of God's tolerance and his patience? Not knowing that it is the kindness of God that leads you to repentance. It's because God is good that you see, I don't deserve what he's given me. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

When we recognize that fact, it is almost, it's irresistible. When we realize that we don't deserve it and yet it's offered to us and we can accept it, it's the kindness of God that leads to repentance. I want to go over in the last few minutes here a timeline. I've used this slide a lot in the past and I think we're going to going to see it in the next few weeks. God chose from the beginning.

Yeah, all the Calvinists in the room are saying,

yeah. He

knew it would be necessary and so Christ work from his life and his death and his burial, his resurrection, his ascension, and his session, all of Christ finished work on the cross and the news of that goes forward. Someone who did not deserve to die because he had no sin voluntarily took the hit for anyone who would believe. That's the gospel witness. Now, when you believe that, you're saved. God chose it from the beginning.

Yes, but that's the point when you can know that you're saved right there and then you begin this journey of sanctification. This time between belief and and the grave is a sanctification process and it is the work of the Holy Spirit. God is at work in us. Now, when I say work of the Holy Spirit, God is urging upon all of his believers by his spirit what he would have them do and not do and we can willingly be obedient to that or we can reluctantly be obedient to that and God will use both of those ways but please, when you are disobedient, you go through unnecessary valleys. It's not the only thing that brings you to a valley but willful disobedience to your savior puts you into a dangerous position and it harms the witness of the church and the witness of God when you're living just like the world lives.

So, you're ultimately saved whether that's the day of the Lord or the day of your death, glorification comes right there. Praise God. We'll know just as we're known but sanctification process is all. The whole thing is by God's grace. He did not have to do it.

He did it anyway. It's all unmerited favor. He says that he'll work it all together for our good and his glory. Willing obedience, reluctant obedience, outright disobedience. Those are the three that I want you to pray through and I have a whole bunch of these up here actually.

I printed them out and they actually printed on cardstock for some reason. This one doesn't have the highlighting. This one does. This is all the commands in English. This one's just plain without the highlighting but I have a bunch of copies up here if you want them.

I want to read through this. I already did that. This. So, here's that wooden translation. I tried to put all of the verbs in the actual verb tenses that they're in and I'm just going to read through it straight without preaching the whole message again.

Would you try to tune in to what it is it's saying? I left out one word. I'll tell you what it is when I get there. The love without hypocrisy is have to supply it. It's a supplied verb.

It's just it's it's not there, but it obviously is there. The love without hypocrisy is people abhorring evil clinging to good, being devoted to one another in brotherly love. It love is people esteeming one another in honor ahead of themselves, not lagging behind in diligence. Getting after it. Being fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

As it regards hope, rejoicing. As it regards tribulation, persevering. Sorry, I left the word out. As it regards prayer, continuing. I love that.

As it regards prayer, it's always available continuing. In regards to the needs of the saints, participating, practicing hospitality. Y'all, be blessing those who are persecuting you. I know it's not the way of the world but that's not what we're about. We're about God's ways.

Be blessing those who are persecuting you. Blessing and not cursing. To rejoice with the ones who are rejoicing and to weep with the ones who are weeping is being of the same mind towards one another. What do you want for people to do? Do you want when you're down and out and mourning someone, do you want somebody to come in spreading platitudes?

No. You just want somebody to be there with you and recognize it. It's difficult. Rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping with those who weep is being of the same mind towards one another. Not being haughty minded.

Oh, I would do better with that because I'm a Christian. No. Not being haughty minded but willingly going along with the lowly ones, not being wise in yourselves, in your own eyes, but not repaying evil for evil, but y'all prepare ahead of time. Purpose in your hearts ahead of time to be providing good things before all men. Now, I I think of this, the non violent protest that were back in civil rights stuff, the real the actual non violent ones, they prepared ahead of time to say, what are you going to do when this happens?

Because it's going to happen. What are you going to do when it happens? And they prepared themselves ahead of times to not retaliate. It made a huge difference. If possible, so far as it depends on you, y'all, living in peace with all men.

Never avenging yourselves, beloved, but give place and I say for God's wrath because if I just said give place for wrath, we want to give place for wrath, don't we? That is the natural way. By the way, I didn't finish the story about Dennis. I had a dream when I was in college. This is years later.

I had a dream one night and God pointed out to me in no uncertain terms that what I had said in the eighth grade was ugly. I didn't think it was at the time and what happened in ninth grade, I needed to forgive him for that. Now, I I hadn't thought about it in years but I woke up in the middle of the night and he said, go to him and tell him and I did and to the coach who was there the same day and I told him, I said, I I I not that I forgive you, not that. That I'm asking you to forgive me because I've been carrying hatred in my heart against you for years. Even subconsciously, I swore revenge and I repented before the Lord and he brought me into a place that said, I needed to go repent to you too and he he let me go and so did the coach.

Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. He will repay. It'll be either just condemnation or merciful forgiveness and I should be okay with either. On the contrary, if your enemy should hunger, you feed him.

That's individual not collective. If he should thirst, you give him drink. To him for in doing this, you will heap coals of fire on his head. It's hard to deal with somebody doing something good for you if you've done evil to them. Not being overcome yourselves by evil and that is a possibility for us.

We can be overcome by a different kind of evil. It's just the flip side of that evil. Don't be overcome by evil but be overcoming with the gospel with the good, be overcoming evil. That is the way that God would have it and I think that's the last. Yep.

Slide. Would you stand with me? And kind of pray for me and for y'all right now. God help me to live and love in this way that that's that Paul's just described so well. Would you help me to see when I'm not being loved in that way?

Would you help me to see because some of these people around me are calling me into a greater understanding. Lord God almighty, would you help us collectively as we seek to show who you are to the world? May we do so in the most loving and gracious way possible. We want to be. We want the gospel to be irresistible.

Would you would you allow us to live it out in a pure form so that could happen? Amen. Would you thank you, Connor. Let's sing the doxology.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above the heavenly host. Praise father, son, and holy ghost. Amen.

And now, let the love let love be without hypocrisy, hypocrisy. Let love be sincere. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate towards one another with brotherly love, familial love, and honor given preference to one another.

In Jesus name, lord, may this be the case. Amen.