SPEAK THEM GOOD
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
There is a popular maxim that says
Your actions speak so loud I can’t hear what you are saying.
Our text today calls us to an action that not only speaks loud it gives validation to our message, that the God of heaven and earth seeks to reconcile Himself to sinful humanity.
His message becomes more believable as our behavior reflects its teaching.
The Gospel most be spoken in ordered to be believed
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
However, our message finds greater traction when accompanied with corresponding behavior.
No doubt first century Christianity grew as rapidly as it did because of this manifestation of truth.
Often believers were not allowed to preach, especially in great meetings. It was the life of the believer that had such an impact that it shocked the ancient world.
Most would agree that today’s teaching is hard. I say that its is impossible. A natural person may practice certain aspects of this teaching but they cannot live out the full spirit of it.
What we are being called to live is a supernatural. It requires a divine nature.
Do you truly desire to experience God’s blessing in your life? If so, never forget He grants His greatest blessings to those who are obedient.
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Only in obedience can we enjoy the benefits of our great salvation.
Today’s text is tailored to teach us
The mercies of God empower persecuted Christians to speak others good and not evil.
Prayer: Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of you Word.
CHRISTIANITY CREATES PERSECUTION
Scripture tells us the worst and tells us how to face it. It does not mislead us nor does it try to entice us with false prospectus.
The prosperity gospel offers a panacea. Now that you are a Christian everything will be wonderful; everything is going to be all right.
Scripture tells us the worst and tells us how to face it. As I stated earlier only those who possess a new nature, the divine nature, can get on living this Christian life.
Persecution should only be a surprise when it is not occuring not when it is occuring. Paul told young Timothy
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Jesus told his disciples
Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
The world only persecutes the true Christian. You can be a church member without ever suffering persecution. The world does not object to church members. However, born again, divine nature Christians will be attacked because of their new nature.
When Christ life is manifested in your life
So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’?
Jesus went about doing good
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
PERSECUTION SHOULD COME FROM OUR PRACTICE NOT OUR PERSONA.
Persecution should come because you are living like Jesus not like a jerk.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
PERSECUTION CONFIRMS OUR FAITH.
Do you really want to be like Christ?
But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
There is no easy path toward Christlikeness.
PAUL REINFROCES CHRIST COMMAND.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
THE COMMAND IS CLEAR.
Bless and do not curse. Our natural reaction is retaliate not redemption. We might pray an imprecatory prayer but not an intercessory prayer of blessing.
START SPEAKING THEM GOOD.
Why speak them good? Persecution must be met with prayer because it is how our Savior responded to persecution. There has never been a greater force to move men into Christianity than forgiveness of those who persecute.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
STOP SPEAKING DOWN EVIL.
We find a kinship with James and John the “Sons of Thunder”. Our response typically follows their
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.
But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
But he turned and rebuked them.
And they went on to another village.
Even as one who has experienced the Lord’s mercy we must fight remaining sins response of retaliation. And yet simply resisting retaliation does not go far enough.
Some will say I will not retaliate I will endure or suffer through their treatment.
Again this attitude falls short of Scripture. Th spirit of the teaching is we must positively desire the good of those who persecute us.
Just as they seek to show us evil we must seek their welfare.
This makes no sense and it should not to those who know not Christ. However, within our new nature there is a resounding AMEN!
One more reason to stop speaking evil. He is working for your good. God is using this moment to bring about Christlikeness.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
THE COMMAND IS WITHOUT CONDITION.
Notice there are no conditional words in our text. No “if” - “then” words. Its a command solely placed on the believer to live regardless.
If such behavior is to be produce we must follow two considerations.
SUCH BEHAVIOR FOLLOWS TWO CONSIDERATIONS.
HOW CHRIST HAS TREATED US.
You are a Christian and the world is treating you as such. However, you have not always been a Christian.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.
What was there to recommend you to God? The answer is nothing! God did not curse us because we were what we were. Instead, He loved us. This is how God dealt with you when you were as these people are now.
What if the Lord had dealt with according to James and John? Aren’t you glad he has dealt with you according to Jesus!
THEIR TRUE CONDITION.
They are sinners. They are what we just read about ourselves prior to our conversion.
They are behaving like this because they are a slave to Satan. They are against you because you are a child of God. What led humanity to cry out Crucify Him!?
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
We must work in the doctrine so we can work out the duty. We are not trying to create a nice feeling we are working out the new nature that comes by faith.
Paul says in
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
We look at sinful people differently now that we are Christian. We are not excusing their sin we are attempting to understand it.
The danger is to only look at the sinful action and react violently. We must ask ourselves; why are they doing this? Now we are looking beyond the action to the person who is guilty. And our conclusion should be “they are doing this because they are unregenerate, because they are in a state of ignorance, they are blind to spiritual truth, and their mind is darkened.
This is how Christ treats sinners
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.
Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,
you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.
But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.