Series: The Cure [#22]
HOW TO RESPOND WHEN WRONGED
Romans 12:17-21
Introduction:
The cure to all of our problems and challenges is Jesus. We can’t be reminded of that enough. One of the hardest things to do as a Christian is to forgive others. I know that we say we forgive when wronged; but do we really? Romans 12 is a chapter that shows us how we are to handle relationships. The 1st 2 verse are about our relationship with God. Verses 3-8 are about our relationship with the Body of Christ. Verses 9-16 are about our relationship with other believers. Our text this morning is about our relationships with everyone, including non-believers.
Our Church has been wronged. I have been wronged and so have you. It hurts to feel betrayed by someone you love. Honestly, it hurts to feel betrayed by anyone. Now, there are already people saying, “Just get it over it. Just let it go”. But, it’s not that simple. Others have said, “Stop thinking about it”; but it’s not that simple either. So what do you do? We know that if you hold anger and hurt in your heart that you will just become bitter and you will be of no use to God.
Paul gives us the answer to dealing with those who have wronged you.
Romans 12:17a (NIV)
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil.”
When you are wronged…
1. Don’t follow your instincts.
What is your human instinct when someone wrongs you? Get even. That’s pretty simple. When someone wrongs you, all of a sudden you want to follow the Old Testament where it says, “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth”. God is telling us to not follow our human instincts- Don’t get even.
Romans 12:17b (NIV)
“Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.”
When you are wronged…
2. Put yourself in their shoes.
Now I am not saying that we should condone evil because we should never do so; but what I am saying is, “It’s sure easy to judge someone about something that you have never dealt with”. My parents would always tell me, “Walk a mile in that person’s shoes and then see what you think”. Again, I’m not telling you to do something evil so that you can understand what they are going through; but be careful in your judgment of them because that could be you.
1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)
“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!”
This is why it is so important that each of us help one another when we are going through things. God can use your past failings to help others that are going through that very thing now.
Romans 12:18 (NIV)
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
When you are wronged…
3. Seek peace.
Not only are we not supposed to seek revenge against someone who has wronged us; but we are to seek peace. That means you can’t just say, “Oh well, I’ll just ignore it”. No retaliation and you need to make things right with that person. I know you are thinking what I was thinking when I typed this, “Don’t get even and work it out- Are you crazy”? You can’t hold a grudge against someone and live at peace with them. You can’t seek to destroy someone and live at peace with them. You are going to have to show them the love of Christ and live at peace with that person.
Romans 12:19-21 (NIV)
“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
When you are wronged…
4. Leave the revenge to God.
Yep- You knew I was going to go there eventually. I know that you don’t believe this anymore than I do sometimes; but God will do a better job dealing with them than you ever would. What you’re worried about is that God might show them some mercy and you don’t want any mercy shown to them at all. That’s the thing about mercy- You always want God to show you mercy; but you don’t want it to work both ways. As I have always been told when I wanted to retaliate against someone, “2 wrongs don’t make a right”.
Conclusion:
I don’t know if you are hurting over something that was done to you; but if you are, follow God’s direction. When we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we will be at peace with whatever happens. Don’t forget, we don’t get our joy and peace from the world. We get our joy and peace from God.
