Text: Psalm 35:13-14, Title: Kill ‘Em and Bless ‘Em 2, Date/Place: NRBC, 4/3/11, AM
1. Opening ill – taking scripture seriously, martyrs about denying Him, also forgiving others
2. Know more is going on than you see (Acts 2:23)
1. In this text, Peter tells the men that they killed Jesus, but only after He was handed over to them by God for His predetermined purpose. They thought they were doing one thing, God was ensuring that they were carrying out His purpose. God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called by Him. He works all things after the inscrutable counsel of His will, and toward His desired ends. And know that sometimes those ends are accomplished through the painful wounds of an enemy.
2. Gen 50:20, Rom 8:28, 31-39, 2 Cor 4:18
3. Illustration: The legend says that Genghis Khan, the Mongol king of the 13th century, was out hunting one hot summer day with his favorite hawk perched on his wrist.
4. Don’t feel like all of the opposition from the enemy is without purpose. It is hard to view every hurtful act as being used of God, but it is true, and we must bring our minds into submission to that fact, and our hearts will follow. God could at anytime speak peace to your enemies, and He doesn’t always do that. He could cease sustaining their heart to beat and their lungs to work, and their opposition would immediately end. God doesn’t fall asleep, nor does He do things whimsically, but wisely and intentionally. So at least He is allowing this enemy to harass you, therefore you know that the enemy is serving God’s purposes. And it is easier to pray for someone if you know that God using them in your life (even if it is painful). So thank God for your enemy, ask God to reveal what He is teaching you through these attacks, and pray blessing upon the head of those who oppose you.
3.
Know it is an explosive, public testimony (Acts 7:55-60)
1. When you are suffering at the hands of another at work, in school, in the community, people are watching you (the Christian) will respond. Just like Jesus said that we have no credit if we love those who love us, we have no credit if we lash back at our enemies. The unconverted world lashes back at those from whom it perceives an attack from. But with us it should not be the same. Jesus openly prayed for His murderers as did Stephen did in this text. And the results were staggering.
2. Illustration: Dietrich Bonheoffer who wrote , “It is infinitely easier to suffer in obedience to a human command than to accept suffering as free, responsible men. It is infinitely easier to suffer with others than to suffer alone. It is infinitely easier to suffer as public heroes than to suffer apart and in ignominy. It is infinitely easier to suffer physical death than to endure spiritual suffering. Christ suffered as a free man alone, apart and in spirit, and since that day many Christians have suffered with Him.” this was the story of our speaker last week, our brethren in the world counting the cost each day, ever mindful that despite the beatings, there was a watching world.
3. The world needs you to kiss the hand of those that wield the rod against you. They need to see that the Christian faith makes a difference. It is the one faith that calls it’s adherents to love their enemies. And they want to know if it works. The motivation here is the heartfelt desire to see all men come to repentance even if it means intense suffering on our part. What if the attacks that you have endured from other believers, or people in your life would be used by God to testify of His sufficiency to the point that men and women would embrace Him because of your reaction? Do we ever think of these personal attacks in the church that way? I agree, they shouldn’t happen, James says they ought not be; but what if everyone of you who was attacked, blessed instead of cursed, and that became the standard at New River? Blessed instead of embittered, blessed instead of left, forgiveness and love instead of grudge and hate? If you had a choice whether or not to be attacked know that people would come to faith, would you? What if your stuff was seized? What if you were imprisoned? What if your spouse or children were afflicted? Every lash across your back (physically or symbolically for Christ’s sake) that you willingly endure and bless instead of curse is a testimony of your changed life and of Christ’s sufficiency. Pray that God will use your enemies and their attacks to bring others to Himself.
4.
Know Christ is our sufficiency, reward is great (1 Pet 3:9, Rom 8:18, 2 Cor 4:17)
1. The motivation for prayer for our enemies is linked to a great truth found in these verses—whatever the world that the world can dish out, nor even the best that the world has to dish out, none of it even compares to knowing Christ. If Christ is the best thing/being/reward ever, than we will endure much rather than forsake or deny Him. And He is! In Him is more joy than self-defense from our enemies, more satisfaction than revenge against our enemies, more peace than justice on our enemies, more happiness than retaliation toward our enemies. He is the best! He is worthy and worth it all! And all these blessings will forever be yours after this brief suffering.
2. 1 Pet 3:9, Rom 8:18, 2 Cor 4:17, Heb 10:32-34, 11:24-26, 12:2
3. Illustration: Brother Yun saw hearts melted in the prison where he was beaten severely, because he blessed and endured suffering well, “I pray for the persecutors, they are not the enemy,” “awesomegracious God” so then go sleep on a dirt floored room, with an open latrine, in a house full of bees, with cold showers in a bag, because He is the reward,
4. You may have to keep preaching to yourself, reminding yourself, quoting scripture to yourself that Christ is better! Pray that Christ will be seen as the ultimate reward that is worth more than all the hardship we endure at the hands of another. Pray that our enemies see this. Keep the command to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors knowing that our reward will be greater than the heartbreak or pain. Another key might be the study of, reading about, and meditating on the awesomeness of Christ.
5.
Know prayer is the key (God is just and will execute Justice) (1 Pet 2:21-23)
1. As we have said several times already: this is unnatural. Every fiber of our being wants justice, retribution, or at least to be left alone, when we see that enemy in the room with us. So know that constant prayer is the key. This is what Jesus did when He endured a worse suffering with greater innocence than you and I will ever endure. The word is in a tense that is best translated “kept on entrusting.” Over and over in His mind or with His lips, He continually, repeatedly voiced His trust of God, knowing that whatever God does is righteous, and He will ultimately punish sin. And the righteous judgment at this time was for the Son to bear the sins of the world in His body on the tree!
2. Pro 18:21,
3. Illustration: “Oh, I know that,” the man said. “I’m just makin’ a list of all the people I’m gonna bite.” “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you” –Lloyd-Jones
4. There is power in the tongue. Not the “speak it into existence” stuff. But toward confidence, toward encouragement, toward renewing of your mind, toward girding up the loins of your mind. Keep declaring your trust in Him! Your prayer life in general will aid you in your petition for your enemies. Ask God to help you pray for and genuinely feel for your enemies. He will help you, He is the key. Also remind yourself that His job is to execute judgment in His time, and your job is be faithful, pray for your enemies, and trust Him to take care of the rest.
1. Closing illustration: In the early days of the church. . . , baptism was a declaration that the believer was definitely identifying himself with that group of people who were called Christians and were despised and hated. To be a Christian meant something. To identify yourself with those who were called Christians meant persecution, maybe death; it meant being ostracized from your family, shunned by friends. And the one act which was the final declaration of this identification was BAPTISM. As long as a man gathered with Christians, he was tolerated, but when once he submitted to baptism, he declared to all the world, I BELONG TO THEIS DESPISED GROUP, and immediately he was persecuted, hated, and despised. In baptism, therefore, the believer entered into the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. A person might be a believer and keep it strictly a secret and thus avoid unpleasantness and suffering, but once he submitted to public baptism he had burned his bridges behind him. . .” “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come,” read the list on p. 226 of What Jesus Demands from the World about what to pray for your enemies according to Jesus’ instructions, and the highlighted statements that follow
2. You can do all things…you can go out today, this week, and find your enemies, and pray for them.
