Vengeance

Intro

How many have ever gotten shafted by someone and then all you could think about was getting them back somehow!

And why is it that you can never think of a good comeback until five minutes too late? Your stuck saying something like… “OH YA?!…well…”

*Prayer

If we get hurt by someone with something that is serious, we are left feeling hurt and angry, with a longing to pay them back somehow.

Then as a Christian we see that the Bible tells us things like: Turn the other cheek

Read Mt 5 (MSG)

Surely this is some type of metaphor and not literal, right? After all, why would God want us to be abused like that?

God’s wish for us is not abuse, but for us to live in forgiveness. He expects us to live by the standard that has been extended to us.

He is so gracious, so forgiving to us, though it seems we constantly smack Him in the face and turn our backs on His nail-scarred hands.

I believe that there is another reason that we are to live in forgiveness.

Deut 32:35 (NIV)

“It is mine to avenge; I will repay.

In due time their foot will slip;

their day of disaster is near

and their doom rushes upon them.”

Why Him and not us?

It is because only He can see the consequences of actions. Only He knows the future, whereas we live and take action only in the present. None of us are qualified to take matters of justice and vengeance into our own hands.

VIDEO CLIP – 10 min. Spiderman

His decision to take a moment of vengeance wound up costing him the life of someone he loved dearly. Did he know that would happen? No.

Did it feel good at the time he did it? Absolutely.

What harm would it do to let him go, no one got hurt, and the guy had just stolen money from him right?

When we decide to “take matters into our own hands,” we have decided to unseat the Lord from the throne of our lives and take Lordship back upon ourselves. In other words, we cross a dangerous line and step into the destructive power of sin.

Has someone hurt your feelings?

Did someone break up with you to go out with another?

Did someone say something nasty about you?

Does it seem like your parents favor one more than the other?

Did you get shafted by a teacher for something you didn’t do?

GOD SEES

He is the one who is keeping tab. He knows the hearts of people.

God sees and records those who deserve judgment.

Though it can be completely frustrating at times.

Listen to David in Psalm 94 (MSG)

He also sees every time you decide to reject the ways of the world and do things His way. He sees when you turn the other cheek. He sees the times where you could have struck out in vengeance, yet you had restraint, and maybe even prayed for them.

There may not be true justice in this broken world of sin, but rest assured that the Judge of all creation sees everything. There will be justice, there will be vengeance, and there will be reward for the true sons and daughters of the Lord.

Roma 2:16 (NKJV) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

There will be many times where you will not see the consequences of your actions, either good or evil.

There will times where you blow it and strike out in vengeance and if you don’t repent and make amends you may leave a secret scar that people will bear their whole lives.

There will also be times where you will do the right thing at great cost emotionally and you may not see any positive result from it. But know this: there are always unseen benefits from living a godly life. Occasionally you may get to see and hear the results of your actions. You will see the righteous results in someone else’s life because of small seed that you planted in them by sacrificing your right to vengeance.

Ill. Story