Please turn with me to Romans 12:14.  We’re going on in Romans.  Paul has been writing about God’s love - God’s mercy - God grace - and what it means to live by faith in God.  We’ve been looking at what that means for us individually and together to live by faith in the real time world of where we do life.  With all that in mind, coming to verse 14, Paul is going to teach us about blessing and vengeance.

Maybe you’ve heard this...

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and  suitcases.  On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.  On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candlelight, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of Chardonnay.

When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar, into the hollow of the curtain rods.  She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.

When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days.  Then slowly, the house began to smell.  They tried everything, cleaning, mopping, and airing the place out.  Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned.  Air fresheners were hung everywhere.  Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting.

Nothing worked.  People stopped coming over to visit.  Repairmen refused to work in the house.  The maid quit.  Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.

A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house.  Word got out, and eventually, even the local realtors refused to return their calls.  Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.

The ex-wife called the man, and asked how things were going.  He told her the saga of the rotting house.  She listened politely, and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.

Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day.  She agreed, and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.

A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home... including the curtain rods.

We live in a society - a culture - that is focused on vengeance - pay back - taking care of one’s own.  Demanding payment for injustices done against us - real or perceived.  An eye for an eye.  A tooth for a tooth.  Inflicting pain for pain received.  The avenging or our rights - whatever we think those rights are.  Demanding respect whether earned or not.  All of which is escalating.  Anger breeds anger.  Hatred breeds hatred.  Vengeance breeds vengeance.

We know - because we experience all that - we know that those attitudes aren’t just some theory about what’s out there.  We experience all that at school - where we do work - as we’re traveling around Mercedland - in homes - our families.  Even in the church.

Sometimes we struggle within ourselves because of our own attitudes.  What goes on in our heart and mind - sometimes that get’s pretty ugly.

Paul is writing about God’s love, mercy, grace, and blessing and vengeance - and how all that works out as we seek to live by faith in the places were we do life.

Romans 12:14-21.  Looking at your message notes you’ll see that we’re going to look at these verses in two parts.  Part one - verses 14 to 17 focus on Blessing.

Let’s read together:  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.  Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.  Never be wise in your own sight.  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 

“Persecute” translates a Greek word that has the idea of pursuing someone - hunting them down with the intent to harass them - molest them - doing some serious harm to them.  Kind of like a running back running down field with the ball.  And pursuing him is the defender with one goal in mind.  Catch the running back and introduce him to the field.  “Be one with the grass.” 

Only this isn’t a game.  The Romans saw religion as a litmus test for loyalty to the empire.  Christians didn’t go along with that.  They refused to worship the Romans gods.  The Empire saw Christianity as a threat.  To be a Christian was punishable by death.

The church in Rome was facing some serious persecution.  Paul is writing this letter in about 57 AD.  In 64 AD - the great fire of Rome - Nero takes out the Christians.  No questions asked.  Just policy.

So when Paul writes about persecution the church in Rome gets it.  They’re living it.  Or they can see it coming.

What’s even closer to home is this:  By the context of how these verses fit into Paul’s letter of Romans - Paul is writing to Christians about Christians - and writing about persecution.

If we went around the room this morning probably many of us could share personal examples - hurts - from the actions or words of a brother or sister in Christ.  In 30 years of ministry I’ve experienced some very public - hurtful - ministry damaging - statements and actions leveled against me.   By people claiming to be Christians.

If we’ve been around churches for very long we know that there are people who seem to think that they have the spiritual gift of “conflict” or “inflicting pain” on others.  One church I know of was started because someone in church leadership punched out a another leader in the church.  So off went a group of very “righteous” brethren and sistren to start a new ministry.  There was a church in the Midwest where the Deacon’s meeting was concluded with one Deacon shooting another Deacon.  That happens.

God’s people treating God’s people in an ungodly way.  It hurts.  It damages our testimony - erects walls between us - drives people away from our Savior - invades our homes - damages our marriage - turns our kids away from the church.  How do we get along with people who’s actions are ungodly and in our face?  How do we move forward without killing each other?

Paul begins:  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.     

“To bless” translates the Greek verb “eulogeo” which is where we get our English word…  “eulogy”.

“To bless” means to praise someone - to celebrate them with praises - to ask God’s blessing on them.

At a funeral usually there’s usually a eulogy.  Someone gets up and says really nice things about the deceased.  Sometimes a whole lot of people get up and share stories and memories about the deceased.  Always good things.  I have yet to be at a funeral where someone totally shreds the deceased.  

Let’s be honest.  With some people who’ve passed on it’s a little harder to share good things - words of praise and celebration.  Sometimes with all that praise it’s hard to know who people are actually eulogizing.

“To bless” - here as Paul is using the word - it’s actually a command.  “Bless them” - and at the heart level…  and mean it.  Don’t just blow happy time smoke at them. 

“Bless and do not curse them.”

There are times when all of us would like to level a few choice words at someone.  People, who we know for sure, really do deserve to be put in their place.

“If Moses had known anyone like you, there would have been another commandment.”

“You could make a fortune renting your head out as a balloon.”

“If brains were dynamite, you wouldn’t have enough to blow your nose.”

It is huge that Paul is writing to the persecutees not the persecutors.  He’s writing to those of us who are on the receiving end of ungodly behavior.  We’re trying to live in obedience to God and someone comes after us.  Paul is showing us that we - the persecutees - have a choice as to how we respond to those who treat us wrongly.  “To bless or not to bless?  That is the question.”

There’s a story about two hunters who went to Alaska.  They wanted to  hunt deer way out in the wilderness.  They hired a pilot to take them out to a really remote area.  They flew out there - a trip that took several hours - and the pilot landed the plane - one of those pontoon planes - he landed the plane on the lake.  The hunters unloaded their gear.  Made arrangements to be picked up in one week.  And so, off flew the pilot and the two hunters made camp and then went out to kill Bambi.

A week later the pilot returned and there were the two hunters ready to go.  They’d had a really good week of hunting.  They both had a huge buck - one buck for each hunter - that they wanted to take home with them.

The pilot looked at those two huge bucks and he said, “We’ll never be able to take off with those.  With the gear and us they just weigh too much.”

“Oh no,” said the hunters.  “It’ll be okay.  Last year we were up here and we had two bucks that were bigger than these and the pilot let us take them.”

Back and forth went the argument.  The pilot insisting the bucks were too heavy.  The hunters insisting that the pilot last year had let them take two even larger bucks.  Finally the pilot gave in.  They taxied out and tried to take off.  Sure enough they got a little bit airborne before the plane crashed into the other side of the lake.

The pilot was furious.  He said, “I thought you said the pilot last year took off with the two bucks.”

“Oh no,” said the hunters.  “He let us take the bucks.  You actually made it farther than he did.”

Remember the title of today’s message?  “The Buck Stops Here.”

President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that said what?  “The Buck Stops Here.”  In his farewell address - as he was leaving office - President Truman said, “The President - whoever he is - has to decide.  He can't pass the buck to anybody.  No one else can do the deciding for him.  That’s his job.”

We have to decide.  To choose.  When someone comes after us it’s our responsibility to choose how to respond to them.

“Curse” - the word use here in Greek - is not about using a string of 4 letter words - colorful metaphors - to describe that person or their family history.   In the Bible, the word gets used to describe calling down God’s wrath and punishment on a person.  “God, did you just see what so-and-so did to me?  God take ‘em out.”  Us calling in a surgical lightening strike from heaven. 

“To curse” has to do with our heart level attitude towards that person.  If we’re really thinking this through how many of us would actually will that for someone?  Eternal damnation.  Wrath of God poured out.  God take them out.

Let’s remember that Paul has been writing about God loving us even when we’ve totally rejected and keep on rejecting God.  Paul’s been writing about God’s mercy - in that God holds back on His deserved judgment and condemnation and wrath poured out on us.  God’s grace - meaning that instead of condemnation and wrath - God offers us a relationship that’s made right with Him through the completed work of Jesus on the cross on our behalf.  Totally undeserved. 

If we’re thinking about it, who are we to condemn anyone for what they’ve done for us?  God - who in His sovereign control of everything - God even gives to us the ability and opportunity to receive by our God given free will choice - all of what He’s already done for us in Jesus.

Before we curse we need to rehearse...  Rehearse who all of us are before God.  We’re fellow sinners just like everyone else.  We’re only here because of God.  So bless and don’t curse even the people who come after you.  Because they need Jesus just like we do.  And our cursing them isn’t going to help them come to Jesus.

Going on in verse 15 Paul gives us a description of what blessing can be like - going beyond words of blessing to actions that actually bring blessing.  This list is a game changer when it comes to real time blessing others.  Actions speaking louder than words.  Actions that effect all of us at the heart level. 

Verse 15:  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.  Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.  Never be wise in your own sight.

To “live in harmony” - has the idea of pursuing the mindset of the other person.  Seeking to understand them.  To value at the heart level what they value at the heart level.  “Sync” your minds.

Put simply - get into the heart of the other person.  Feel with them.  What gives them joy?  Where do they hurt?  What’s motivating them?  What are they struggling with?  What are the deeper issues here?  The more we try to understand them the less we’ll receive their attacks as persecution directed at us and see them as fellow wounded people needing God’s blessing on their lives.

“Never be wise in your own sight” requires humility.  What comes as we realize God’s mercy and grace towards us.  Humility to listen.  Not just listening to words because we’re taking the high road and doing the right thing - showing that we’re going the extra mile.  But getting down off of our own little pedestals of self-righteous indignation - and choosing to hear the heart of the other person.

Which is Paul’s example of Jesus in Philippians chapter two.  Familiar.  Yes?

Paul describes Jesus - Jesus Who humbled Himself - voluntarily set aside His rights as God - His right to justifiably send all of us to Hell - all of us who are trapped and weighed down and struggling in sin - rebelling and rejecting God.  Jesus, instead - with compassion for us - graciously humbled Himself - to the point of death on the cross to offer us - the very people who by our sin are crucifying Him - offers us salvation - life with Him. (Philippians 2:1-8)

That is the greatest demonstration of humility in human history.  That’s the example we’re to follow. 

Verse 17:  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 

“To repay” means “to pay back”.  What goes around comes around and you’ll get yours.

Paul is definitely counter culture here.  There are many people who would say that we’re perfectly justified in making people pay for what they’ve done to us.  In the sight of our society “pay back” is right.

To “give though to” in Greek means… “to give thought to.”

Meaning we can spend hours of time thinking about pay back - being consumed with the idea of holding someone accountable for their actions.  Just what we’re going to tell them.  How we’re going to win the argument.  How everyone is going to know how we’ve been wronged and how evil the other person is.  How everyone is going to see it our way.  Pay back is going to be sweet.

Not that any of us would go there.  Spending hours marinating on how we’re going to take care of number one.

All that is just going to chew us up - keep the evil going - and trash the reality of the gospel.  None of which is the reaction to what’s been done to us that Paul is prescribing.

The literal definition of “to give thought to” is actually about thinking forward.  Being proactive not reactive.  Choosing before we get to the “evil done against us” part - choosing to think ahead about how we’re going to respond.

And this really helpful.  The verb “to give thought” is in the middle voice.  Which means it’s not active - what we do all by ourselves.  It’s not passive - meaning something that’s done to us.  It’s in the middle of that - meaning it’s a cooperative effort of our allowing God to mold our thinking about how we’re going to respond before we get to the point where we need to respond.

Which means marinating our thoughts in God’s love, and mercy, and grace before we ever come to the point when - not if - but when - the next time someone does something to us our thoughts are not going to be molded by how the world around us does things - focused on ourselves pay back - being all haughty and wise in our own eyes - but our thoughts are already going to be shaped by a healthy God given perspective of who we all are before God being on the needy and receiving end of His love, mercy, and grace.

Which Paul writes is what people are looking for.  What the ESV translates as “honorable in the sight of all.”  People are looking for something different.  Looking for what’s honorable.  What’s unquestionably a more excellent way.  A different response that everyone is looking for - is desperate for. 

Hanging on to pain keeps us from forgiveness.  Not forgiving leads to bitterness which leads to anger which leads to hatred which leads to vengeance - pay back.  Which only leads deeper into a downward spiral of pain and bitterness and anger and hatred and vengeance.

If we could, by faith, live differently - if the church could live differently - offering the blessings of God’s love and mercy and grace instead of cursing and condemnation - wouldn’t that be a response that wounded desperate people would honor - value.  To offer hope instead ongoing hurt.  To offer a way out of the trap of vengeance.

Paul writes that our choice is to bless and not curse.  He even gives us a description of what our response is suppose to be like.

Moment of truth.  Some here might be thinking:  “Yeah, but that isn’t the real world.”  Or, “Easier said than done.” 

Agreed.  Blessing our persecutors and not hitting back with some choice “cursing” response is not an easy thing once we walk out those doors.  It goes against our natural inclination.  So something has to change in us if we’re going to choose blessing instead of cursing.

Which - surprisingly - is where Paul goes next - verses 17 to 21.  The second part of the verses we’re looking at this morning focus on Vengeance.

Let’s read these together:  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”  To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Verse 18:  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Let’s be reminded that when Paul wrote these words peace for Christians didn’t exist.  Christians were seen as a cult - a superstition - cannibals who performed all kinds of evil rituals.

Nero - the Roman Emperor - was depraved - insane.  At night he lit up his garden parties with Christians burning alive on crosses.  He burned Rome and blamed the Christians.  He had Christians arrested and sent to the coliseum to be torn apart by wild animals.  The Apostle Paul was martyred in 67 or 68 AD - beheaded at Nero’s command.

Persecution came to the people who had read and were trying to live by the same verses we’re reading this morning.  Thing weren’t all wonderful and happy for them because they did what God asked.

And Paul was persecuted by his own people - the Jews.  He was attacked by those in the Church.

When Paul writes,  “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”  These are not just spiritual platitudes - words written in a philosophical vacuum - they’re real words from a man who died living by them.

Peace may not be possible.  Even amongst brethren and sistren here in the church - or at home - or wherever. 

There’s no way that we can force change on someone else - siblings - spouses - whoever.  It’s impossible to demand apologies - admissions of guilt - changed behavior.  People don’t change - or recognize our rights - just because we force them to.  But that doesn’t change our obligation to choose to be peacemakers - to respond with blessing instead of cursing.

Peace isn’t about how others respond to us.  Peace is about what goes on in our own hearts because in the midst of persecution our faith is in God - God who is sovereign - even over what’s coming at us.  God who still loves us - is still merciful and gracious - even when we don’t see it.

But that’s faith.  Not what we do see - our own whit and wisdom working things out - faith is living with the assurance of the reality of what we don’t see.  (Hebrews 11:1).

Peace is the settledness we have within that comes to us as we by faith live trusting that God really is sovereign over all of it.

So, how do we get there.  Unpacking Paul’s teaching - First, we need to recognize that God is sovereign over our circumstances.  Say that with me, “God is sovereign over our circumstances.” 

Verse 19:  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

We need to be careful here to understand what Paul is saying.  It would be easy to think that Paul is telling us to step back and let God bring people to their knees since God’s wrath is a whole lot more effective than ours.   “Look what they did God.  I’m gonna step back.  Hell fire and brimstone God.  Burn ‘em good!”  But that’s got us back praying for surgical lightening strikes.

Paul is quoting Moses - from Deuteronomy 32 - the words Moses spoke to Israel for the last time - just as they were going to enter the Promised Land.  The words of Moses are a prophecy - that Israel would experience persecution and oppression - even in the Promised Land.  And yet, there is a promise that God will vindicate His people.  God will grind the false gods of their enemies into the dust and declare His power - God’s might and sovereignty in creation. 

The point Moses makes - in this prophecy - and that Paul is referring to - is that we need to trust the sovereignty of God - to commit ourselves and our situations and enemies to God - and then let Him - God - work to bring peace - to work His plan and purposes in and through our lives - even if we don’t see the immediate results or things are going exactly the way we’d like.  (Deuteronomy 32:35)

Do you remember Joseph?  Sold into slavery by his own brothers.  Carried off to Egypt and sold to Potiphar by his cousins the Ishmaelites.  Falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife while doing what was right.  Thrown into jail.  Forgotten by his fellow prisoner - a man he tried to help.  When his brothers came to Egypt looking for food - Joseph as the number two man in all of Egypt - when Joseph was in control of their destiny that was an opportunity for vengeance.  Pay back.  He could have done anything to them.  No questions asked.

As his brothers are lying prostrate on the ground in total abject surrender to Joseph what is it that Joseph said?  “Don’t be afraid of me.  Am I God, to judge and punish you.”  As someone that God has shown love and mercy and grace to it’s not my place to pay you back.  “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:18-20: TLB, NIV)

In every circumstance of our lives when someone comes after us - as we focus on the circumstance or the person - it’s easy for us to forget:  God is at work here.

Paul writes, “Leave it to the wrath of God.”  Meaning leave room for the wrath of God.  Leave room for God to do what God is going to do.  We need to get our eyes off of ourselves and to recognize and trust what God is doing.  Get our focus on God not us.

The second truth we need to recognize - in verses 20 and 21 - is that when our focus is on God - what God is doing - God uses us as a part of His healing ministry.  Try this with me, “God can use me.”

Verses 20,21:  To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We need to be careful to not misunderstand what Paul is saying here.  It would be easy for us to think, “If I do these good things - feeding and watering - then my enemy is going to be so miserable with guilt and ashamed  - all those burning coals - that he’ll have to admit what he did was wrong.”

There’s a story about some officers during the Korean conflict who rented a house for themselves and hired a Korean boy to do work for them - to do their laundry and cleaning and cooking.  The boy was cheerful - happy.  The officers were young and had a lot of fun playing tricks on this Korean boy.  They would nail his shoes to the floor.  They would short sheet his bed.  They put buckets of water up over the door so when he came in the water would fall on him.

The boy always took it with such grace and good humor that after a while these officers began to feel kind of ashamed of themselves.  So one day they called this boy in and told him, “We’re really ashamed of ourselves.  We’ll never play tricks on you again.”

The boy said, “You mean no more nailing shoes to floor?”

And they said, “No.”

“No more buckets over door?”

And they said, “No.”

The boy said, “Good!  Then I no more spit in your soup.”

If we have ulterior selfish motives then we’re still focused on ourselves - doing things for us - and not by faith trusting in what God in His sovereignty wants to do.  It’s possible to outwardly have a wonderful Christian attitude and yet inwardly - heart level - be plotting silent revenge.

We need to honestly check our self-serving motivations at the door and see the bigger picture of what God is doing.  Our goal is never our own restitution but God’s goal of spiritual renewal and the restoration of our brother or sister in Christ.  Bringing others to salvation.  To God alone be the glory.

Processing all that...

Jim Walton was translating the New Testament for the Muinane people of La Sabana in the jungles of Colombia. But he was having trouble translating the word “peace.”

During this time the village chief Fernando was promised a 20-minute plane ride to a location that would have taken him 3 days to travel by walking.  The plane was delayed in arriving at La Sabana - so Chief Fernando left on foot.  When the plane finally came a runner took off to bring Fernando back to the plane.  But by the time they returned the plane had left.

Chief Fernando was ticked - angry because of the mix-up.  He went to Jim Walton and started yelling.

Fortunately - Jim Walton taped the chief’s angry tirade.  When Jim later translated it, he discovered that the chief kept repeating the phrase, “I don’t have one heart.”  Jim asked other villagers what having “one heart” meant and he found that it was like saying, “There is nothing between you and the other person.”  That - Jim realized - was what he needed to translate the word peace. (1)

Peace begins when there’s nothing between us and God.  We have one heart with God.  Nothing is held back.  Nothing separates us.  No pride - no sin - no guilt - no condemnation.  When we can trust God with everything - even what’s coming against us - we’re freed by confidence in His sovereignty in all situations - freed to act as His children with mercy and grace towards others.

Which means that as a church - as husbands and wives - in our relationships - we begin to love and serve each other.  To honestly share burdens and struggles.  To weep together and to rejoice with each other.  To listen to each other and to pray for each other.  Bearing up one another.  Prompting each other to righteousness.  Freed to be agents of Gods’ healing - His restoration - even to those who wrong us.

Two questions to get us thinking - prepped for out there.

First:  What are you marinating on?  What’s wrong or God and His love and mercy and grace?

Second:  In the messed up situations you’re in - who goes first?  Who does God want you to bless this week?

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1. Radio Bible Class - Peace

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®  (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.