A Disciple Models Forgiveness
Understanding the importance of forgiveness in our lives.
George Wright
Jun 2, 2019 42m
In this sermon George Wright talks about the importance of forgiveness in our lives. We can safely let go of the wrongs committed against us, because God will hand out justice when it's needed. He explains that the Bible makes it clear wrath is not ours to give, so forgiveness is an act of obedience and trust that God will handle any punishment needed. Video recorded at Columbia, South Carolina.
TranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
George Wright: 00:00 I'd like to invite you to stand with me as I read this opening scripture to get us started in the message this morning. We do this every week here at Shandon so that we all can be reminded when we gather in the name of Jesus, as the people of God, we are coming underneath his authority and we are standing on the foundation of his word, and what he says is right and good and true. So this is the word of the Lord given to us first through the apostle Paul, divinely inspired by the spirit of God to write this letter to a church in Rome, but this letter is also for us here today. And so we see what the word of God says beginning in verse 19 of Romans 12, "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 doing so you will heap burning coals on his head." And verse 21, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." This is the word of the Lord.
George Wright: 01:22 Would you pray with me that God would use this divinely inspired word to speak into our lives? That we would not be the same as a result of what he says? Let's pray to that end. Father, we thank you for this time and as we stand before you now and as we turn our attention to the reading of your word and the proclamation of your word, it is my prayer that your Holy Spirit would guide us through this time, would speak to us in such a way that we recognize what it is that you want us to see, and what you want us to hear, and how you want us to respond. And so we commit this time to you the most high God, asking you to speak into our lives that we would understand with greater clarity, the good news of what Jesus Christ has done for us. So it's in his name that we pray, the name of Jesus. Amen. You may be seated. Thank you for standing.
George Wright: 02:27 If you are new to Shandon this morning, we are so glad that you're here. And we do want you to know as we wrap up this series, we've been walking through Romans 12 for the last six or seven weeks. And if you want to go back at any point and hear what we've been talking about, what the word of God has been laying before us, we've got that all on our website. So you can track along with that. We do welcome those of you who are joining us online for this service today.
George Wright: 02:56 Now what we see in Romans 12, verse after verse, statement after statement, are these very difficult statements to hear quite honestly, but even more difficult to live out. We see that the life of a Jesus follower is very different from the world around him or her. The life of a Jesus follower stands out as unique. We talked about this last week. It stands out as something that is strange, something that gets the attention of those around us because of its defining characteristics, and the attributes that are unique in the life of one who is following after Jesus. We certainly see that in these final three verses of Romans chapter 12, these verses are challenging, these verses are very difficult. They're difficult again to hear, but they're even harder, even more difficult to live according to. Do not avenge yourself, the scripture says. Offer your enemy something to eat or something to drink. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. These are challenging, challenging statements. They are of the utmost importance, because they are leading us to some very important questions as it relates to our faith and our relationship with God. These verses are our prompting questions in our heart, and in our mind, even today as we walk through this message to ask things like, do you really trust that God is in control? Do you believe that God is just? Do you believe that wrongs will not go unpunished? Do you believe that God will have vengeance? Those are challenging questions to wrestle with. It is difficult to come face to face with what the scripture says, and then ask the question, God, do I really believe you're in control? Do I really believe that God is sovereign and reigning over all things, including our enemies? Do I really believe that God has a purpose bigger than the pain that I may be walking through at the hands of another? Do I really trust that God is good, that God is just, that God is in control?
George Wright: 05:41 Look back at Romans 12 verse 19 and see how these questions start to come up through the statement that is made, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God." Is God in control or not? "For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Now this is the part of the message where I really need you to interact with me, I need you to participate. By show of hands, you're allowed to raise your hands at this moment, by show of hands, how many of you have seen one of the Avengers movies? How many of you? Okay, keep your hands up if you've seen all four of the Avengers movies. All right, quite a few of you. How many have you seen all four of the Avengers movies multiple times? Alright, there's quite a few of you. How many of you have no clue what I'm talking about? You live in a hole, you need to get out more. Here's the thing about the Avengers movies, they have been a global phenomenon over the last few years. In fact, all four of the Avengers movies are on the list of the top 10 grossing movies of all time. All four of them are in the top 10 for earning the most amount of money at the box office for all time. And the most recent one, Avengers End Game, the final Avenger that's out right now in the theaters, it's sitting at number two, the highest grossing movie of all time. It only follows behind the Avatar, and supposedly they're saying it's going to surpass Avatar. It will be the number one grossing movie of all time in the history of cinematic film. That's significant, right?
George Wright: 07:28 Why do we like these movies, or those who like them, why do you like them? Well, these movies speak to something that is innate in every single one of us. We want justice to be served. Maybe movies are not your thing, maybe you watch TV shows. Think about all of the shows that are on TV that have to do with crime and punishment, Law and Order, NCIS, CIS, all these different codes for justice being served, right? We want justice to be served. We want to believe that somehow, someway, evil is going to be punished, the bad guys are going to get caught, the good guys are going to win the day. And Oh, by the way, if justice is served through some superheroes, with amazing super powers, that's pretty cool. We want to see rights for those who cannot protect themselves, we want to see wrongs corrected, we long for justice. And to that end, this statement in Romans chapter 12 verse 19 is such a gift to us, but at the same time, this statement is incredibly sobering. The good news of Romans chapter 12:19 is that God is the ultimate Avenger. Did you see that one coming? He's better than the Hawk, he's better than Iron Man, he's better than Captain America. God is the ultimate Avenger. According to the scripture, justice will be served, vengeance will come at the hand of God. It belongs to God. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. No evil will go unpunished, no sin will be ignored. This is exactly what we want to hear when it comes to those who have wronged us. When it comes to all the bad people out there, we want to hear this. This is good news, justice will be served. Our soul cries for justice in the face of evil.
George Wright: 09:51 But even as this is good news, it is also very sobering news, because it says that this truth applies to everyone. God's justice, God's vengeance applies to every sin that has ever been committed, and every wrong that has ever been done, yours and mine included. this is sobering statement. And when we press in, it becomes even more sobering. I want to turn your attention to two places in the New Testament that I believe are some of the most challenging passages, some of the most haunting passages in all of the New Testament, because of what they say. This flies in the face by the way, of what our culture wants to believe about God. So let's look at the Bible. Let's not listen to what the culture is trying to teach us about God, let's listen to what God wants to teach us about God. Okay?
George Wright: 10:49 First, Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 this is haunting. It says, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." Do you know what this verse is saying? This verse is saying, no one will get away with anything. That should get your attention, it gets my attention. No one will get away with anything, no wrong will go unpunished. Our God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, that means he knows all that we have done. He's all knowing. He knows all that we've even thought about doing, think about that. And He's all powerful, He will deal with every wrong that has ever been committed. He will deal with it fairly and justly. And because he's omnipresent, he is Lord all he, is God over everything, there is nowhere that we can go to hide from him. There is nowhere that we can go to run away from him. All will stand before him, no one is exempt from standing before the most high God. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. It may look like somebody's getting away with something right now, but nobody gets away with anything. You may think about the wrongs that have been committed against you, and it looks like that person's just totally free from consequences, and they're getting away with it. Nobody gets away with anything. Whatever a man sows, this will he also reap.
George Wright: 12:49 Then turn your attention to Hebrews chapter 10, we'll put this on the screen, another haunting passage. Another very sobering passage in the New Testament as it relates to this conversation on Romans 12. As a matter of fact, the writer of Hebrews is quoting the same statement from the Old Testament, from the old covenant that the apostle Paul is quoting in Romans 12:19. This is being quoted from Deuteronomy 32, Deuteronomy 32 what is the quote? "For we know him who said, vengeance is mine, I will repay." That's the quote that the apostle Paul grabs, that's the quote that the writer of Hebrew grabs, we need to see this. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay.", Deuteronomy 32. And then the writer goes on again, "The Lord will judge his people." That's important because that's saying, the judgment of God is not just about those who are out there, the judgment of God is also applying to those who are in here, all people. And then listen to this verse, this is really tough, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Now hold on, I mean come on like isn't God love, and isn't God happy all the time, and doesn't God just want everyone the way that we are, and isn't it all going to work out in the end for everybody? I mean that's what we want to believe, that's what our culture is screaming at us. Just believe something passionately, and as long as you believe something, you're going to be fine. Just love, believe something, you'll be fine, it all works out in the end. It does not really matter how you live your life today, do what you want to do, as long as you do it with all your heart, we'll all be fine.
George Wright: 14:51 The problem with that belief system is the Bible. The Bible actually flies in the face of what we want to believe, and the Bible tells us what we need to hear. And what we need to hear is that our God is just, he is Holy, he is righteous. He will not allow sin to go on punished, vengeance belongs to the Lord. We want justice, our God is just, that's good news. But the sobering reality is that justice is coming for us as well, so what do we do with this? When we think about facing judgments, please hear this. I want you to know in the day of judgment, don't miss this. There will not be a trial or deliberations. There will not be a time of mediation where you can try and present your case to the most high God. There will be no arguments, where you get to try and defend your actions and say, no, no, no, you don't understand why I did that, it really wasn't as bad as it looks. None of that will happen on the day of judgment. The final judgment will be swift, it will bring finality to all who stand guilty before God. So let me wrap this up, and y'all have a great day.
George Wright: 16:36 And the good news is, that's not the end of the story. We must understand the sobering reality of judgements, of the holiness of God, of the justice of God if we're ever going to understand the beautiful gift of the gospel. And the beautiful gift of the gospel is this, it follows the sobering reality of judgment with good news by saying, while sin will be punished and sin will be judged, if you are in Christ, if you surrender your life to Jesus Christ as your Lord and your savior, hear this, the punishment for your sin has already happened. That's good news. Somebody can say something. That's good news. Thank you Bertie, I heard you. The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news because it follows such sobering news. That our God is just, our God is Holy, our God will not be mocked, but our God has given us the greatest gift of love and grace that the world has ever seen through his only son, Jesus Christ dying on the cross for your sin and for mine. Apart from Christ, there will be punishment for sin. The judgment of God is waiting for you, but in Christ, the punishment for your sin has already been taken as the wrath of God was poured out on his son at the cross, and you are covered in forgiveness and grace.
George Wright: 18:24 Romans 3, I know many of you are familiar with this passage, but I want to read it because it's so incredibly important to our understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23-26 it says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation (A payment.) by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just, and the justifier, of the one who has faith in Jesus." This is the incredible, justice is served, and justice is served to the perfect justifier Jesus Christ, giving his life at the cross. All who receive his grace as a gift are redeemed by his blood, but all who reject God's grace as a gift, will face the justice of God on their own.
George Wright: 19:47 That's what Romans chapter 12 is saying, and that's why I believe in such great confidence the apostle Paul can write these words in Romans 12. Because if you remember what we've talked about throughout this series, for the first 11 chapters of Romans, he is laying out the good news of the gospel over and over and over again. And so he comes to Romans 12 and he says, this is now how you should live if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. And you don't have to avenge yourself because God has that covered, vengeance belongs to God, leave it to the wrath of God when someone wrongs you. It's a powerful statement, leave it to the wrath of God. What is this all about? I'm going to read to you a quote from a commentary on Romans 12, this comes from Dr. Chuck Swindoll and his commentary on Romans 12. He says, the wrath of God, please hear this, this may be surprising to you, he's talking about the wrath of God in this life. He says, the wrath of God is always redemptive, never retaliatory or spiteful. The wrath of God during this age of grace pursues this sinner, listen, cuts off his escape, confronts her with the consequences of sin, chastises him, and makes her continued sin miserable. Why? To bring the individual to repentance, to give him or her grace to redeem our enemy, as he has redeemed all believers. It's incredible. The wrath of God is poured out on sin in this life so that sinners will see their need for the savior, and turn to the mercy of God in repentance. That means the wrath of God, the punishment for sin in this life, the consequences for sin in this life, please don't miss this, they are gifts of God's grace. This is deep water that the scripture is taking us into. Gifts of God's grace that invite us to see our need for the savior, so that we will turn to the savior in repentance, embracing the forgiveness and the mercy and grace that only comes through Jesus Christ.
George Wright: 22:14 This is why Peter can write in Second Peter chapter 3, The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you. (Listen.) Not wishing that any should perish, that all should reach repentance." This is God's heart, this is God's desire. But there is coming a day for all of humanity, a day when this age of grace, as Swindoll calls it, will come to an end. When this life is over, the age of grace, so to speak, will be no more, and the time of judgment will arrive. And when that moment comes, the question will be, are we standing securely in the grace of God through Jesus Christ? Or are we standing before judgment on our own, based solely on the works and the deeds of our life? You see the consequences of sin are gifts of God's grace to lead us to the place where we see our need for the savior.
George Wright: 23:26 One of the most beautiful expressions of this reality was something that I saw several years ago, and one of the craziest experiences that I've ever lived through in my life. A few years ago when our family was still in Atlanta, we got broken into, and we got broken into while we were home. And I walked into the garage, hearing something happening out there, flipped on the light having no idea that someone was in there. Flipped on the light, and we were being robbed, there was a guy in our garage taking stuff. And I flipped on the light and I was surprised to see him, he was surprised to see me, and he freaked out. This guy was high on, we come to found out high on meth, I mean he was out of his mind. He was crazy, trying to grab anything that he could to find his next high, and he happened to be in our garage trying to find something. And I realized very quickly when the light came on, and he started freaking out that I was standing between him and the only exit out of the garage. He was screaming, cussing, just going crazy, flailing his arms. He grabbed a golf club, and he came at me, swinging the golf club like a mad man. So I harnessed my cat like reflexes... But thankfully I was able to duck out of his way as he came screaming at me, and I was able to push him, and he fell down and got up and ran off in the woods across from our house. This was a scary moment. I ran back inside, told Megan, our in-laws were in town. I said, lock every door, give me my phone. I grabbed the gun and my phone, went to the garage calling the police, making sure everything was closed and secure. Didn't know what to do honestly, But not only did I call the police, I had the opportunity to call a buddy of mine who trained all the tracking dogs in the state of Georgia, he lived a few miles from our house. He worked for the Department of Natural Resources, this guy is a stud. And so I told him what happened and I said, can you come? And he said, well, I happen to be off duty, I'm at home, I'll be there in less than 10 minutes. So he rolls up in his Mack Daddy Chevy Tahoe all blacked out, canine unit on the side. And out steps Rocky, his German shepherd, the baddest dog you've ever seen. He straps a Kevlar vest and a tracking beacon on Rocky and he says, if this guy's anywhere close, we'll find him, and off into the woods they go. And sure enough, within about 15 minutes as the police are kind of patrolling around our house, and my buddies in the woods with his dog, I get a text message from my buddy and all that it says on the text message is, I got him. That was a happy moment. Sure enough, he came walking out of the woods with the guy who had broken into our house in handcuffs. His shirt had been torn off because Rocky did what Rocky does, and he handed him over to the police to be taken away for the process to happen as it should.
George Wright: 26:52 It was a crazy night, but the story gets even crazier. About two weeks later, I have a random appointment on my calendar at the church, somebody I don't know. And they're coming to meet with the pastor, and I don't know what it's all about. When they walked in, I recognized the lady, but I didn't recognize the man. It was an older couple and I recognized the lady because I knew she had been visiting our church recently. They sat down in my office and they immediately began to cry, and the wife said, I'm here to beg of your forgiveness, it was my son that broke into your house. I'm like, okay, this is getting weird, I didn't know what to do, I'm just listening. And this is where that beautiful grace of God was on display. She said to me that day in my office, I've been praying for years. Her son was like in his forties, and just lived a life just running, just a terrible, dark, painful life. She said, I've been praying for years that God would do whatever it takes to get my son in a place where he will listen to the Lord and know how much he needs Jesus. She said, even if it means he has to be locked up in prison for an extended amount of time, even if it means he has to face all of these consequences for his actions. I'm praying that God would use this to show him how much he needs Him. I was blown away. I didn't know what they were coming to talk about, I didn't know if they're going to ask me to help him get out of jail, and I wanted justice to be served. I can assure you, I wanted the legal process to do what the legal process does. And here was this mom broken in my office saying, I'm praying that the Lord would do whatever it takes to get his attention so that he will see his need for the savior. Please don't miss this, this is the grace of God through his wrath. Through the consequences of our sin, God in his grace is inviting us to see our need for him. There's some of you today, some of you may be listening online, that someone has been praying a prayer like that for you, that God would do whatever it takes to get your attention so that you would see your need for the savior. Will you listen? We you see the grace of God even in the wrath of God, as he pursues you with his love. This is a beautiful gift of the gospel, in the hands of the ultimate avenger, justice will be served. But through the grace of Jesus Christ, you can know that justice has already been served on your behalf.
George Wright: 29:50 Romans chapter 12 verse 20 we move on, it says, "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." Paul is quoting here from the book of wisdom, the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament. This is Proverbs chapter 25, let me show this to you because I want you to see how this scripture speaks of the scripture, and how we need to look at scripture in light of scripture so that we can see the truth of God's word laid out all throughout the scripture. Proverbs 25 verse 21 and 22, "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head and the Lord will reward you." We talked briefly about this last week, the call of the life of a Jesus follower, the call of a disciple is to live strange. To live in a way that is very different from the world around us. This certainly is strange, to think about showing kindness instead of seeking revenge, that's strange. As we talked about last week, in seeking to show kindness instead of revenge, we are actually actively preventing bitterness from taking root in our heart. Bitterness, that is a cancer, that will kill our heart from the inside out. Bitterness, that gives the power to the one who has wronged us. Bitterness that is poison, that does not impact the person who wronged us, but wreaks havoc in our heart and soul. But if we respond instead with kindness, instead of seeking revenge, we are doing something shocking towards the one who has wronged us. We are inviting the spirit of God to do a work in our heart, and to do a work in the heart of the one who has wronged us. This is what the scripture says, when it says heaping burning coals on their head. This will be something that they cannot forget, it may not change them. But kindness towards someone who has wronged us is so different, so shocking in the way the world operates that it will be unforgettable. It gives them the opportunity to see something totally different than what the world typically reveals. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. This is the way of Jesus.
George Wright: 32:42 Finally, as we close this message and close out this series, we look at verse 21, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." As I was preparing for this sermon this week, my mind kept going back to the very famous quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., perhaps you've heard this great quote where he said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." And it's as if the apostle Paul is saying to us in Romans 12:21, "Vengeance cannot heal wounds, only grace can do that. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." This is the call to forgiveness. The disciple of Jesus Christ is called to model forgiveness, to respond to the way we have been wronged, the way Jesus responds to us as we wrong him.
George Wright: 33:52 So in closing, just let me share three quick thoughts about the power of forgiveness, as it relates to these verses. Number one, when we use evil means to try and fight evil, evil wins. When we use evil means to fight evil, evil wins. You cannot fight sin, with sin. If you put sin against sin, sin will be the only result. But when you use forgiveness in a fight against sin, grace wins the day. We cannot use evil means to try and fight against the evil.
George Wright: 34:33 Secondly, in this call to forgiveness, we're reminded here in Romans 12, our attempts at justice will be corrupt. God's justice though, is always perfect. Now, I don't want to surprise anyone here today, but I just want to lay this out before you., You may not realize this, but here's the truth, you are not perfect. You're shocked by that, right? But we think, we think that with good intentions and good motives in our desire for justice, that we will be perfect in executing justice. It's not going to happen. Your attempt to bring about justice will always be tainted or stained by your sin. You do not have perfect motives, you do not have perfect intentions, but God does. And so the scripture says, leave justice to the one who is perfect, and who can pursue it perfectly. Do not take matters into your own hands, but trust the God who can handle it. Our attempts at justice will always be corrupt, but God's justice is always perfect. He sees all, he knows all, and even in the midst of our difficult struggles he ultimately brings about good.
George Wright: 36:08 This is Romans 8:28, finally number three, Our desire for vengeance, don't miss this, our desire for vengeance eliminates grace from the equation, but God's wrath is an invitation to grace. The scripture says, "Leave it to the wrath of God, because through the wrath of God being poured out on sin in this life, God is actually inviting sinners into his grace to see how merciful he truly is." This is what the cross reveals to us. Jesus Christ went to the cross to die for your sins and for mine, and when Jesus Christ hung on the cross, it did not appear that justice was being served at all. In fact, this appeared to be one of the greatest acts of injustice in the history of all mankind as an innocent man, guilty of nothing, was killed at the hands of evil men. But what appeared to be the greatest act of injustice in the history of the world, was actually the greatest expression of justice the world has ever seen. Because it's at the cross of Jesus Christ that the justice of God, and the grace of God perfectly collide. He is just, and he is the justifier. And when we choose to forgive, we are pointing to the forgiveness that has been given to us through Jesus Christ as the justice of God and the grace of God collide at the cross, and pour out mercy on sinners who repents and recognize their need for the savior. Forgiveness is the call to the life of a Jesus follower.
George Wright: 38:15 And so today as we close, we're going to have a final song that we'll stand and sing together. And when we stand and sing, I just want to close a little bit differently. I just want you to know that up front these steps, these will become the altar. Because there are some of you here today that need to come and lay down the bitterness and the wrongs that have been committed against you, at the foot of the cross. They have been dominating your life, they have been owning you, they have been wreaking havoc in your life, and it's time for you to forgive and to begin the process of healing so that you can walk in the path of freedom that's given to you in the grace of God. Some of you need to lay something down today. I would just invite you to come and have a time of prayer. Get alone with the Lord here at the altar, and ask God to give you the faith to forgive. Some of you here today though, recognize, perhaps for the first time, that you need a relationship with Jesus Christ. Your life right now is on a path to judgment, and you need the savior and his mercy and grace to cover you. What he has done at the cross needs to be personal for you. Some of you need to just come down front and get on your knees, and ask Jesus to save you. Whatever the Lord may be stirring in your heart, we want to give you the space to do that. And so we want to ask you to respond in faith as we stand to sing.
George Wright: 40:04 So let me have a closing prayer, and then we'll stand and sing together. And for those of you who know you need to lay something at the cross, or you need to come and cry out to God, or you need a moment to pray about the difficulties you've been walking through. Just come to the altar. let this be a Holy moment where we ask the Spirit of God to move among us and do what only he can do. Pray with me. Father, we thank you for your love, we thank you for your amazing grace, and we thank you for this beautiful gift of forgiveness that has been offered to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord. But if we're honest, we want to take matters into our own hands. We have such a desire for justice. And often if we're honest, we just don't believe that you God are going to truly bring about justice, so we want to make it right. And Lord, that is such a painful way to live. And so I pray for those who are holding onto bitterness, or holding onto the pain that has been inflicted upon them by others. I pray that they would have the faith today to come and just lay that down, to lay it at the cross and say, Jesus, please give me the strength to forgive, because I want to be free. And for those today who recognize their need for you, Lord, I pray that this would be the day of their salvation, that they would recognize the beautiful gift of Jesus given to them, so that their sin can be paid for and forgiven in your grace and your mercy. Oh, how we love you. Oh, how we thank you for what you have done. Do a work in our hearts for your glory. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Recorded in Columbia, South Carolina.
George Wright: 01:22 Would you pray with me that God would use this divinely inspired word to speak into our lives? That we would not be the same as a result of what he says? Let's pray to that end. Father, we thank you for this time and as we stand before you now and as we turn our attention to the reading of your word and the proclamation of your word, it is my prayer that your Holy Spirit would guide us through this time, would speak to us in such a way that we recognize what it is that you want us to see, and what you want us to hear, and how you want us to respond. And so we commit this time to you the most high God, asking you to speak into our lives that we would understand with greater clarity, the good news of what Jesus Christ has done for us. So it's in his name that we pray, the name of Jesus. Amen. You may be seated. Thank you for standing.
George Wright: 02:27 If you are new to Shandon this morning, we are so glad that you're here. And we do want you to know as we wrap up this series, we've been walking through Romans 12 for the last six or seven weeks. And if you want to go back at any point and hear what we've been talking about, what the word of God has been laying before us, we've got that all on our website. So you can track along with that. We do welcome those of you who are joining us online for this service today.
George Wright: 02:56 Now what we see in Romans 12, verse after verse, statement after statement, are these very difficult statements to hear quite honestly, but even more difficult to live out. We see that the life of a Jesus follower is very different from the world around him or her. The life of a Jesus follower stands out as unique. We talked about this last week. It stands out as something that is strange, something that gets the attention of those around us because of its defining characteristics, and the attributes that are unique in the life of one who is following after Jesus. We certainly see that in these final three verses of Romans chapter 12, these verses are challenging, these verses are very difficult. They're difficult again to hear, but they're even harder, even more difficult to live according to. Do not avenge yourself, the scripture says. Offer your enemy something to eat or something to drink. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. These are challenging, challenging statements. They are of the utmost importance, because they are leading us to some very important questions as it relates to our faith and our relationship with God. These verses are our prompting questions in our heart, and in our mind, even today as we walk through this message to ask things like, do you really trust that God is in control? Do you believe that God is just? Do you believe that wrongs will not go unpunished? Do you believe that God will have vengeance? Those are challenging questions to wrestle with. It is difficult to come face to face with what the scripture says, and then ask the question, God, do I really believe you're in control? Do I really believe that God is sovereign and reigning over all things, including our enemies? Do I really believe that God has a purpose bigger than the pain that I may be walking through at the hands of another? Do I really trust that God is good, that God is just, that God is in control?
George Wright: 05:41 Look back at Romans 12 verse 19 and see how these questions start to come up through the statement that is made, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God." Is God in control or not? "For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Now this is the part of the message where I really need you to interact with me, I need you to participate. By show of hands, you're allowed to raise your hands at this moment, by show of hands, how many of you have seen one of the Avengers movies? How many of you? Okay, keep your hands up if you've seen all four of the Avengers movies. All right, quite a few of you. How many have you seen all four of the Avengers movies multiple times? Alright, there's quite a few of you. How many of you have no clue what I'm talking about? You live in a hole, you need to get out more. Here's the thing about the Avengers movies, they have been a global phenomenon over the last few years. In fact, all four of the Avengers movies are on the list of the top 10 grossing movies of all time. All four of them are in the top 10 for earning the most amount of money at the box office for all time. And the most recent one, Avengers End Game, the final Avenger that's out right now in the theaters, it's sitting at number two, the highest grossing movie of all time. It only follows behind the Avatar, and supposedly they're saying it's going to surpass Avatar. It will be the number one grossing movie of all time in the history of cinematic film. That's significant, right?
George Wright: 07:28 Why do we like these movies, or those who like them, why do you like them? Well, these movies speak to something that is innate in every single one of us. We want justice to be served. Maybe movies are not your thing, maybe you watch TV shows. Think about all of the shows that are on TV that have to do with crime and punishment, Law and Order, NCIS, CIS, all these different codes for justice being served, right? We want justice to be served. We want to believe that somehow, someway, evil is going to be punished, the bad guys are going to get caught, the good guys are going to win the day. And Oh, by the way, if justice is served through some superheroes, with amazing super powers, that's pretty cool. We want to see rights for those who cannot protect themselves, we want to see wrongs corrected, we long for justice. And to that end, this statement in Romans chapter 12 verse 19 is such a gift to us, but at the same time, this statement is incredibly sobering. The good news of Romans chapter 12:19 is that God is the ultimate Avenger. Did you see that one coming? He's better than the Hawk, he's better than Iron Man, he's better than Captain America. God is the ultimate Avenger. According to the scripture, justice will be served, vengeance will come at the hand of God. It belongs to God. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. No evil will go unpunished, no sin will be ignored. This is exactly what we want to hear when it comes to those who have wronged us. When it comes to all the bad people out there, we want to hear this. This is good news, justice will be served. Our soul cries for justice in the face of evil.
George Wright: 09:51 But even as this is good news, it is also very sobering news, because it says that this truth applies to everyone. God's justice, God's vengeance applies to every sin that has ever been committed, and every wrong that has ever been done, yours and mine included. this is sobering statement. And when we press in, it becomes even more sobering. I want to turn your attention to two places in the New Testament that I believe are some of the most challenging passages, some of the most haunting passages in all of the New Testament, because of what they say. This flies in the face by the way, of what our culture wants to believe about God. So let's look at the Bible. Let's not listen to what the culture is trying to teach us about God, let's listen to what God wants to teach us about God. Okay?
George Wright: 10:49 First, Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 this is haunting. It says, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." Do you know what this verse is saying? This verse is saying, no one will get away with anything. That should get your attention, it gets my attention. No one will get away with anything, no wrong will go unpunished. Our God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, that means he knows all that we have done. He's all knowing. He knows all that we've even thought about doing, think about that. And He's all powerful, He will deal with every wrong that has ever been committed. He will deal with it fairly and justly. And because he's omnipresent, he is Lord all he, is God over everything, there is nowhere that we can go to hide from him. There is nowhere that we can go to run away from him. All will stand before him, no one is exempt from standing before the most high God. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. It may look like somebody's getting away with something right now, but nobody gets away with anything. You may think about the wrongs that have been committed against you, and it looks like that person's just totally free from consequences, and they're getting away with it. Nobody gets away with anything. Whatever a man sows, this will he also reap.
George Wright: 12:49 Then turn your attention to Hebrews chapter 10, we'll put this on the screen, another haunting passage. Another very sobering passage in the New Testament as it relates to this conversation on Romans 12. As a matter of fact, the writer of Hebrews is quoting the same statement from the Old Testament, from the old covenant that the apostle Paul is quoting in Romans 12:19. This is being quoted from Deuteronomy 32, Deuteronomy 32 what is the quote? "For we know him who said, vengeance is mine, I will repay." That's the quote that the apostle Paul grabs, that's the quote that the writer of Hebrew grabs, we need to see this. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay.", Deuteronomy 32. And then the writer goes on again, "The Lord will judge his people." That's important because that's saying, the judgment of God is not just about those who are out there, the judgment of God is also applying to those who are in here, all people. And then listen to this verse, this is really tough, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Now hold on, I mean come on like isn't God love, and isn't God happy all the time, and doesn't God just want everyone the way that we are, and isn't it all going to work out in the end for everybody? I mean that's what we want to believe, that's what our culture is screaming at us. Just believe something passionately, and as long as you believe something, you're going to be fine. Just love, believe something, you'll be fine, it all works out in the end. It does not really matter how you live your life today, do what you want to do, as long as you do it with all your heart, we'll all be fine.
George Wright: 14:51 The problem with that belief system is the Bible. The Bible actually flies in the face of what we want to believe, and the Bible tells us what we need to hear. And what we need to hear is that our God is just, he is Holy, he is righteous. He will not allow sin to go on punished, vengeance belongs to the Lord. We want justice, our God is just, that's good news. But the sobering reality is that justice is coming for us as well, so what do we do with this? When we think about facing judgments, please hear this. I want you to know in the day of judgment, don't miss this. There will not be a trial or deliberations. There will not be a time of mediation where you can try and present your case to the most high God. There will be no arguments, where you get to try and defend your actions and say, no, no, no, you don't understand why I did that, it really wasn't as bad as it looks. None of that will happen on the day of judgment. The final judgment will be swift, it will bring finality to all who stand guilty before God. So let me wrap this up, and y'all have a great day.
George Wright: 16:36 And the good news is, that's not the end of the story. We must understand the sobering reality of judgements, of the holiness of God, of the justice of God if we're ever going to understand the beautiful gift of the gospel. And the beautiful gift of the gospel is this, it follows the sobering reality of judgment with good news by saying, while sin will be punished and sin will be judged, if you are in Christ, if you surrender your life to Jesus Christ as your Lord and your savior, hear this, the punishment for your sin has already happened. That's good news. Somebody can say something. That's good news. Thank you Bertie, I heard you. The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news because it follows such sobering news. That our God is just, our God is Holy, our God will not be mocked, but our God has given us the greatest gift of love and grace that the world has ever seen through his only son, Jesus Christ dying on the cross for your sin and for mine. Apart from Christ, there will be punishment for sin. The judgment of God is waiting for you, but in Christ, the punishment for your sin has already been taken as the wrath of God was poured out on his son at the cross, and you are covered in forgiveness and grace.
George Wright: 18:24 Romans 3, I know many of you are familiar with this passage, but I want to read it because it's so incredibly important to our understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23-26 it says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation (A payment.) by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just, and the justifier, of the one who has faith in Jesus." This is the incredible, justice is served, and justice is served to the perfect justifier Jesus Christ, giving his life at the cross. All who receive his grace as a gift are redeemed by his blood, but all who reject God's grace as a gift, will face the justice of God on their own.
George Wright: 19:47 That's what Romans chapter 12 is saying, and that's why I believe in such great confidence the apostle Paul can write these words in Romans 12. Because if you remember what we've talked about throughout this series, for the first 11 chapters of Romans, he is laying out the good news of the gospel over and over and over again. And so he comes to Romans 12 and he says, this is now how you should live if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. And you don't have to avenge yourself because God has that covered, vengeance belongs to God, leave it to the wrath of God when someone wrongs you. It's a powerful statement, leave it to the wrath of God. What is this all about? I'm going to read to you a quote from a commentary on Romans 12, this comes from Dr. Chuck Swindoll and his commentary on Romans 12. He says, the wrath of God, please hear this, this may be surprising to you, he's talking about the wrath of God in this life. He says, the wrath of God is always redemptive, never retaliatory or spiteful. The wrath of God during this age of grace pursues this sinner, listen, cuts off his escape, confronts her with the consequences of sin, chastises him, and makes her continued sin miserable. Why? To bring the individual to repentance, to give him or her grace to redeem our enemy, as he has redeemed all believers. It's incredible. The wrath of God is poured out on sin in this life so that sinners will see their need for the savior, and turn to the mercy of God in repentance. That means the wrath of God, the punishment for sin in this life, the consequences for sin in this life, please don't miss this, they are gifts of God's grace. This is deep water that the scripture is taking us into. Gifts of God's grace that invite us to see our need for the savior, so that we will turn to the savior in repentance, embracing the forgiveness and the mercy and grace that only comes through Jesus Christ.
George Wright: 22:14 This is why Peter can write in Second Peter chapter 3, The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you. (Listen.) Not wishing that any should perish, that all should reach repentance." This is God's heart, this is God's desire. But there is coming a day for all of humanity, a day when this age of grace, as Swindoll calls it, will come to an end. When this life is over, the age of grace, so to speak, will be no more, and the time of judgment will arrive. And when that moment comes, the question will be, are we standing securely in the grace of God through Jesus Christ? Or are we standing before judgment on our own, based solely on the works and the deeds of our life? You see the consequences of sin are gifts of God's grace to lead us to the place where we see our need for the savior.
George Wright: 23:26 One of the most beautiful expressions of this reality was something that I saw several years ago, and one of the craziest experiences that I've ever lived through in my life. A few years ago when our family was still in Atlanta, we got broken into, and we got broken into while we were home. And I walked into the garage, hearing something happening out there, flipped on the light having no idea that someone was in there. Flipped on the light, and we were being robbed, there was a guy in our garage taking stuff. And I flipped on the light and I was surprised to see him, he was surprised to see me, and he freaked out. This guy was high on, we come to found out high on meth, I mean he was out of his mind. He was crazy, trying to grab anything that he could to find his next high, and he happened to be in our garage trying to find something. And I realized very quickly when the light came on, and he started freaking out that I was standing between him and the only exit out of the garage. He was screaming, cussing, just going crazy, flailing his arms. He grabbed a golf club, and he came at me, swinging the golf club like a mad man. So I harnessed my cat like reflexes... But thankfully I was able to duck out of his way as he came screaming at me, and I was able to push him, and he fell down and got up and ran off in the woods across from our house. This was a scary moment. I ran back inside, told Megan, our in-laws were in town. I said, lock every door, give me my phone. I grabbed the gun and my phone, went to the garage calling the police, making sure everything was closed and secure. Didn't know what to do honestly, But not only did I call the police, I had the opportunity to call a buddy of mine who trained all the tracking dogs in the state of Georgia, he lived a few miles from our house. He worked for the Department of Natural Resources, this guy is a stud. And so I told him what happened and I said, can you come? And he said, well, I happen to be off duty, I'm at home, I'll be there in less than 10 minutes. So he rolls up in his Mack Daddy Chevy Tahoe all blacked out, canine unit on the side. And out steps Rocky, his German shepherd, the baddest dog you've ever seen. He straps a Kevlar vest and a tracking beacon on Rocky and he says, if this guy's anywhere close, we'll find him, and off into the woods they go. And sure enough, within about 15 minutes as the police are kind of patrolling around our house, and my buddies in the woods with his dog, I get a text message from my buddy and all that it says on the text message is, I got him. That was a happy moment. Sure enough, he came walking out of the woods with the guy who had broken into our house in handcuffs. His shirt had been torn off because Rocky did what Rocky does, and he handed him over to the police to be taken away for the process to happen as it should.
George Wright: 26:52 It was a crazy night, but the story gets even crazier. About two weeks later, I have a random appointment on my calendar at the church, somebody I don't know. And they're coming to meet with the pastor, and I don't know what it's all about. When they walked in, I recognized the lady, but I didn't recognize the man. It was an older couple and I recognized the lady because I knew she had been visiting our church recently. They sat down in my office and they immediately began to cry, and the wife said, I'm here to beg of your forgiveness, it was my son that broke into your house. I'm like, okay, this is getting weird, I didn't know what to do, I'm just listening. And this is where that beautiful grace of God was on display. She said to me that day in my office, I've been praying for years. Her son was like in his forties, and just lived a life just running, just a terrible, dark, painful life. She said, I've been praying for years that God would do whatever it takes to get my son in a place where he will listen to the Lord and know how much he needs Jesus. She said, even if it means he has to be locked up in prison for an extended amount of time, even if it means he has to face all of these consequences for his actions. I'm praying that God would use this to show him how much he needs Him. I was blown away. I didn't know what they were coming to talk about, I didn't know if they're going to ask me to help him get out of jail, and I wanted justice to be served. I can assure you, I wanted the legal process to do what the legal process does. And here was this mom broken in my office saying, I'm praying that the Lord would do whatever it takes to get his attention so that he will see his need for the savior. Please don't miss this, this is the grace of God through his wrath. Through the consequences of our sin, God in his grace is inviting us to see our need for him. There's some of you today, some of you may be listening online, that someone has been praying a prayer like that for you, that God would do whatever it takes to get your attention so that you would see your need for the savior. Will you listen? We you see the grace of God even in the wrath of God, as he pursues you with his love. This is a beautiful gift of the gospel, in the hands of the ultimate avenger, justice will be served. But through the grace of Jesus Christ, you can know that justice has already been served on your behalf.
George Wright: 29:50 Romans chapter 12 verse 20 we move on, it says, "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." Paul is quoting here from the book of wisdom, the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament. This is Proverbs chapter 25, let me show this to you because I want you to see how this scripture speaks of the scripture, and how we need to look at scripture in light of scripture so that we can see the truth of God's word laid out all throughout the scripture. Proverbs 25 verse 21 and 22, "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head and the Lord will reward you." We talked briefly about this last week, the call of the life of a Jesus follower, the call of a disciple is to live strange. To live in a way that is very different from the world around us. This certainly is strange, to think about showing kindness instead of seeking revenge, that's strange. As we talked about last week, in seeking to show kindness instead of revenge, we are actually actively preventing bitterness from taking root in our heart. Bitterness, that is a cancer, that will kill our heart from the inside out. Bitterness, that gives the power to the one who has wronged us. Bitterness that is poison, that does not impact the person who wronged us, but wreaks havoc in our heart and soul. But if we respond instead with kindness, instead of seeking revenge, we are doing something shocking towards the one who has wronged us. We are inviting the spirit of God to do a work in our heart, and to do a work in the heart of the one who has wronged us. This is what the scripture says, when it says heaping burning coals on their head. This will be something that they cannot forget, it may not change them. But kindness towards someone who has wronged us is so different, so shocking in the way the world operates that it will be unforgettable. It gives them the opportunity to see something totally different than what the world typically reveals. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. This is the way of Jesus.
George Wright: 32:42 Finally, as we close this message and close out this series, we look at verse 21, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." As I was preparing for this sermon this week, my mind kept going back to the very famous quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., perhaps you've heard this great quote where he said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." And it's as if the apostle Paul is saying to us in Romans 12:21, "Vengeance cannot heal wounds, only grace can do that. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." This is the call to forgiveness. The disciple of Jesus Christ is called to model forgiveness, to respond to the way we have been wronged, the way Jesus responds to us as we wrong him.
George Wright: 33:52 So in closing, just let me share three quick thoughts about the power of forgiveness, as it relates to these verses. Number one, when we use evil means to try and fight evil, evil wins. When we use evil means to fight evil, evil wins. You cannot fight sin, with sin. If you put sin against sin, sin will be the only result. But when you use forgiveness in a fight against sin, grace wins the day. We cannot use evil means to try and fight against the evil.
George Wright: 34:33 Secondly, in this call to forgiveness, we're reminded here in Romans 12, our attempts at justice will be corrupt. God's justice though, is always perfect. Now, I don't want to surprise anyone here today, but I just want to lay this out before you., You may not realize this, but here's the truth, you are not perfect. You're shocked by that, right? But we think, we think that with good intentions and good motives in our desire for justice, that we will be perfect in executing justice. It's not going to happen. Your attempt to bring about justice will always be tainted or stained by your sin. You do not have perfect motives, you do not have perfect intentions, but God does. And so the scripture says, leave justice to the one who is perfect, and who can pursue it perfectly. Do not take matters into your own hands, but trust the God who can handle it. Our attempts at justice will always be corrupt, but God's justice is always perfect. He sees all, he knows all, and even in the midst of our difficult struggles he ultimately brings about good.
George Wright: 36:08 This is Romans 8:28, finally number three, Our desire for vengeance, don't miss this, our desire for vengeance eliminates grace from the equation, but God's wrath is an invitation to grace. The scripture says, "Leave it to the wrath of God, because through the wrath of God being poured out on sin in this life, God is actually inviting sinners into his grace to see how merciful he truly is." This is what the cross reveals to us. Jesus Christ went to the cross to die for your sins and for mine, and when Jesus Christ hung on the cross, it did not appear that justice was being served at all. In fact, this appeared to be one of the greatest acts of injustice in the history of all mankind as an innocent man, guilty of nothing, was killed at the hands of evil men. But what appeared to be the greatest act of injustice in the history of the world, was actually the greatest expression of justice the world has ever seen. Because it's at the cross of Jesus Christ that the justice of God, and the grace of God perfectly collide. He is just, and he is the justifier. And when we choose to forgive, we are pointing to the forgiveness that has been given to us through Jesus Christ as the justice of God and the grace of God collide at the cross, and pour out mercy on sinners who repents and recognize their need for the savior. Forgiveness is the call to the life of a Jesus follower.
George Wright: 38:15 And so today as we close, we're going to have a final song that we'll stand and sing together. And when we stand and sing, I just want to close a little bit differently. I just want you to know that up front these steps, these will become the altar. Because there are some of you here today that need to come and lay down the bitterness and the wrongs that have been committed against you, at the foot of the cross. They have been dominating your life, they have been owning you, they have been wreaking havoc in your life, and it's time for you to forgive and to begin the process of healing so that you can walk in the path of freedom that's given to you in the grace of God. Some of you need to lay something down today. I would just invite you to come and have a time of prayer. Get alone with the Lord here at the altar, and ask God to give you the faith to forgive. Some of you here today though, recognize, perhaps for the first time, that you need a relationship with Jesus Christ. Your life right now is on a path to judgment, and you need the savior and his mercy and grace to cover you. What he has done at the cross needs to be personal for you. Some of you need to just come down front and get on your knees, and ask Jesus to save you. Whatever the Lord may be stirring in your heart, we want to give you the space to do that. And so we want to ask you to respond in faith as we stand to sing.
George Wright: 40:04 So let me have a closing prayer, and then we'll stand and sing together. And for those of you who know you need to lay something at the cross, or you need to come and cry out to God, or you need a moment to pray about the difficulties you've been walking through. Just come to the altar. let this be a Holy moment where we ask the Spirit of God to move among us and do what only he can do. Pray with me. Father, we thank you for your love, we thank you for your amazing grace, and we thank you for this beautiful gift of forgiveness that has been offered to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord. But if we're honest, we want to take matters into our own hands. We have such a desire for justice. And often if we're honest, we just don't believe that you God are going to truly bring about justice, so we want to make it right. And Lord, that is such a painful way to live. And so I pray for those who are holding onto bitterness, or holding onto the pain that has been inflicted upon them by others. I pray that they would have the faith today to come and just lay that down, to lay it at the cross and say, Jesus, please give me the strength to forgive, because I want to be free. And for those today who recognize their need for you, Lord, I pray that this would be the day of their salvation, that they would recognize the beautiful gift of Jesus given to them, so that their sin can be paid for and forgiven in your grace and your mercy. Oh, how we love you. Oh, how we thank you for what you have done. Do a work in our hearts for your glory. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Recorded in Columbia, South Carolina.
Read More
