Love Is a Verb - Part B

Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. What I said you love your enemies was those who curse you, do good to those who hate to pray for those who spitefully use you are think is so radical because it's so unusual is that the command everybody in the world can love people. They like it's a whole other thing to love the people who don't like you today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares how you can demonstrate an extraordinary Christlike love towards those who treat you like an enemy first Skip wants to invite you to connect with him on social media take Pastor Skip here if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest from this ministry follow at Skip Heitzigs it on Facebook, twitter and Instagram that Skip HEITZIG now we're in Romans chapter 12 as we dive into the teaching with Skip Heitzig you know II do think that we live in a very divided world back that we live in a divided country.

I think right now more than ever before, politically, rhetorically, just the language that is is used daily basis on news clips and by different parties with different candidates in different it's such a toxic environment. I one gal call me the other days I'm just so confused by this, I feel like I'm an emotional roller coaster. I would feel like those two kids who were two young boys around a Little League team. They're both in the dugout center in the dugout. One guy looks up and sees his pretty little girl 7-Up in the grandstands, and he says to his friend.

You know I stop hating girl.

She's the one I'd like to stop hating first, I got a question for you.

Who is it you need to stop hating first a gender you're always deprecating just the woman I drive like that. I guy you now guys are or people of a different skin color or ethnicity or background that you find in your language are always depreciating who you stop hating first in the hostile world that weren't nice that were going from from general to specific pellets get specific to be able to love amidst hostility.

Paul gives us two useful tools.

The first goal is to sympathize. The second tool is to harmonize the surety. Verse 15. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep best to sympathize. That is love tries to enter in to the emotions of others. If there up if they're down there laughing up there crying. If they're disappointed if they're related level try to do that, you know, the shortest verse in the New Testament is it if you do shout out with the shortest verse Jesus wept.

See you so smart shortest person the New Testament, Jesus wept. When I first read that my first thought was that you know that must be the shortest verse in the New Testament. My first verse when I read that Jesus wept. Why, why did Jesus weep. He wasn't crying because Lazarus was dead as the context of it. He shows up the lattices funeral says Jesus wept. He's not crying because lattices that he knows it in five minutes he's gonna call the boy back from the dead. Why did Jesus weep because Mary and Martha were weeping. He was entering into their emotional state at that time, and probably even weeping for their unbelief that he saw in that crowd, but it says Jesus wept. Now see if you agree with this. I found that it's easier to weep with those who weep than it is to rejoice with those who rejoice, give an example somebody is suffering some is crying somebody's in anguish is not a hard thing to walk up to them. Put your arm around them and so sorry that we pray for you it's gonna get better and encourage arrives at that Harkness you're not suffering. They are so cute you copy you really try hard to empathize, to sympathize, that's not hard but it is much harder to rejoice with those who rejoice, you it is yet. Here's an example your work even wait for a raise for five years.

Your coworker, who, in your view doesn't work as hard as you do comes up to you and says rejoice with me, I just got a promotion and a raise and you're going, praise God.

You didn't because I didn't that's harder or is this one is the new year and your friend sees you a church was.

I got up Brian new car for Christmas. You driving that beat up Ford fiesta the never starts and it's hard for you to enter into joy in my day was a Ford Pinto and I was like the worst car ever made. So that's the first step sympathize. Second step is to harmonize. Look at verse 17 repay no one evil for evil have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible glad he wrote that as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. All men believers and nonbelievers Christians and the world. If it's possible as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men to qualifications to being a peacemaker number one you initiated as much as depends on you to cover their arms holding up well I'll make peace only if they initiate it they have to call me they're going to hurt me or call me know. You reach out to them. But there's a second qualification to making peace. Both parties have to want. Sometimes they don't. So he says if it's possible. Something frankly just not possible. You initiate, you want to make peace.

The soberness pray together they go talk to the hand go away. Don't do not even want to engage with you Gerard my life. You're not responsible for that you are only responsible for your motive for your own heart. You can control your response, not theirs, but never let the inability to live at peace be on your side of the fence. Years ago there was a good book called irregular people by Joyce Landor tremendous book irregular people just the title makes a snicker right. She, in her book contends that everyone of us has at least one person that we would classify as an irregular person. How does she describe it. It's the person who has a knack of wounding you every time they see you all when you're within date they seem to always say the wrong thing. They ruin your day.

Your emotions are in constant roller coaster whenever you're around them.

They are so insensitive that's an irregular person I know. I even have to ask you to raise your hand if Yorty think of one or two or three, but she also writes in her book.

Each one of us is also an irregular person to somebody else. So not only do you have them. You are one so as much as you can take the initiative sympathize and then harmonize less love in the family love amidst hostility. Now, in that the last section of our message on a zero down on something very specific that is love. Among our enemies only look at a few verses where he gives explicit counsel of living with and loving our enemies. Look at verse 19. Beloved meta-sweet way to begin a sentence loved ones beloved ones that I deeply love do not, then your selves, but rather give place to wrath, give place to whose wrath God's wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord, you know, I discovered the God is always better at vengeance than I am. First of all he knows the motives my motive their motives.

He knows all all of the details my details there details TE would never in dealing with that person are hurt them too much.

I probably would.

That's why the Bible says eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth that's in Old Testament law because our first gut reaction is you took out one of my teeth. You can get dentures all of you to go into my eyes, unity, blind in both the years. That's human nature.

So, so God says don't do that. Let me handle that. Therefore, verse 20. If your enemy is hungry your enemy now your enemy is hungry, freedom. If he is thirsty, give them a drink if you actually do that you will below his mind and probably annoy him. In fact, I'll get to that sort of the thought in the next sentence. For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Some of you may be setting up right now thinking will I don't have any enemies number one if you say that you don't have a pulse or your lien for your teeth because we all have enemies. Webster's dictionary defines an enemy is one who is antagonistic to another. Got any of those that probably a bunch of David in Psalm 23 said in his prayer. You prepare a table before me in the midst of my enemies the midst of my enemies. The David have been enemies was a servant of God to David have enemies.

All he had tons of Goliath was an enemy.

The Philistine army was a group of enemies. The Amalekites were enemies. The Moabites were enemies. The Syrians were enemies. Those are obvious ones. David had not so obvious enemies. His father-in-law Saul became an enemy. His own son Absalom became an enemy. His trusted counselor I hit the fell became inanimate and Jesus said a man's enemies will be those of his own household and why do we have enemies well because we are human, number one, number two, because we are Christians. And if you love Christ with all of your heart. If you follow him passionately if you serve him enthusiastically.

Which means you will be vocal about your love for him in this world is not going to go well. Paul gave Timothy a promise. All those who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Do you think hell is going to give you a standing ovation. If you're an obedient evangelizing child of God. The minute you say I believe there's only one way to heaven. I believe you need to come to Jesus Christ that the only way your sins can be forgiven. You start being that narrowminded and that vocal about who you are what you believe your I can have a sympathetic ear and Jesus tells us wife for men loved darkness rather than light, it's like when you're in a dark room. You become accustomed to the dark room and somebody turns on a bright overhead light you want to cover your eyes and say turn that thing off so you go to a situation you bring Jesus into that situation.

People will cover their eyes to their hearts and say turn that thing off great persecution is simply the result of the great commission go into all the world and preach the gospel. So what are we to do what we do when we garner enemies when we garner the scorn of the world are we to strike back more fun are we to hit them hard or are we to plot ways to make him crazy.

There's a there's an old Chinese proverb that says if your enemy wrongs you by each of his children a drum lesson. I'll be the first to admit it. Vengeance is fun it is. It is entertaining. It is wholly satisfying. We love it because it feeds our flesh, our base nature. There was a housekeeper to work for a family first. For decades, and she was fired by the homeowner without notice. Just go your you're done. Her last check: housekeeper reached into her purse to get a five dollar bill went over the family dog and threw it on the floor to the dog owners the right way to do that. She said I never forget a friend it's for helping me clean your dishes. All this time you know why we laugh because we like yeah vengeance is mine. I'll admit to you when I'm driving I get turned into another person. I am not good behind the wheel. At least I have a slower vehicle because you know drives me nuts. I dislike work that all the stupid people come from Bill moved the cookie and their driving and I'm driving on the road.

The get up, cut me off and then slow down a little follow all over town of only done a couple dioxins.

Why should we love that. Why should we forgive that. Why should we feed and clothe and bless that glad you asked give you three reasons why we should number one because Jesus commanded it. Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount. You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who spitefully use you plants so foreign to our think it is so radical because it's so unusual. Nobody does it. Jesus said to do it. He commanded second reason not only Jesus commanded it, Jesus practiced it. He lived it. They hurled insults at him. They beat him up. They put a crown of thorns on his at the state pin him to a cross and when he was hanging on the cross of Eagle father nuke them that he turned to the crowd and say I'm coming back in three days on a hunt you down. Father forgive them first word out of his mouth. Father forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. Peter, in describing Jesus in first Peter chapter 2 wrote when they hurled insults at him.

He did not retaliate when he suffered, he made no threats but he entrusted himself to him who judges justly so here's why we should do it. Jesus commanded it, Jesus practiced it is 1/3 reason people will notice when you do that people will sit up and notice it because nobody does that.

He just bless him. He just gave him a gift. He was nice to that guy.

Nobody does that people notice it best thief. That's the just of verse 20.

Look at it once again. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him these thirsty given to drink. In so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. What is what is that me it's an illustration. It's a reference to an old Egyptian custom in antiquity when a person wanted to demonstrate public contrition, but a clock on their head for insulation and on the cloth, put a little pan of burning coals to represent burning pain and shame of guilt is like a way saying I'm really sorry about that. I want you to see how sorry I am. That's what all that is. So what Paul is saying in using this illustration is when you love your enemy when you don't retaliate when you feed him when you bless him. We shame him for his hatred and I was really Rhonda Decker. He was so nice to me. What an illustration of that David and Saul.

Saul try to kill David.

Saul hunted David. One day Saul went into a cave. David was there. Saul did know it, David's buddy's Achille, this is the Lord his God delivered them into your hand. David said no he's the Lord's anointed about our trip. He cut a little piece of cloth off of his rope when Saul left, David was on the other side of the valley started waving hello cloth around cynically kill Jeff, but I didn't.

As regards anointed. I love you it says when Saul saw that and heard that he left and he cried out to David saying you are more righteous than I am for you repaid me with good and I repaid you with evil that's keeping coals of fire on one's now were closing and I just want to say something to some who will be able to relate to this.

I feel some people because they been hurt.

They guard their hearts so tightly so much they don't want to be hurt anymore by others.

They will not give their love away to anyone because every time they do they get burned they get hurt so they build walls up in the isolate their imprisoned that I want to be vulnerable anymore. I'll be honest with you I've had my own heartbroken hundreds of times in public ministry and every time God says love them again be vulnerable again. Again, again, again, that so we just read CS Lewis in his book the four loves rights to love at all is to be vulnerable love anything in your heart will certainly be wrong and possibly be broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.

Wrap it up carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries.

Avoid all entanglements lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your own selfishness.

But in that casket safe, dark, motionless airless, it will change.

It will not be broken. It will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The only place outside of heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is hell's the worst prison in the world to be so isolated because people have trampled on your love, the love of God is still being poured out into your heart receive it.

A fresh and give it a fresh so the world and sure love to me when I showed hatred to him will notice Jesus commanded it. Jesus did it. People sit up and take notice. That's one of Skip's messages from the series. Now we want to share about an exciting resource that will encourage you to pray more boldly and powerfully ready to radically upgrade your prayer life still stuck in bless me mode, you have come to the right place you are ready for dangerous prayers really start playing three new players and I will warn you. These are not easy.

Prayers does not say prayers is not benign prayers, recalling the dangerous prayers with her dangerous in a good way and that is just my opinion.

Most people I know in this part of the world most people's prayers way to say that Craig Rochelle from is the dangerous prayers.

And this is our summer resource offer.

If you are ready to get out of your comfort zone was some prayers that are not safe to pray noble and intuitive. When you play these prayers are really asking God to do something that will take you out of your comfort zone to market their potential.

With Craig Rochelle's book dangerous prayers as our gift to you when you give $35 or more today to help keep this ministry on the air. Bless your copy when you get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer or you can call 800-922-1888 another clip from Craig's book dangerous prayers. Talk about a very dangerous where we all stood on a dangerous prayer to God to wake you but the last thing it was one of the other side of brokenness is a real intimacy with God in attendance on him to any other way will have enough encouraging one that will grab you by the throat and get her attention. Replace send me another one. Instead of saying God will do what I want to do you recycle blank contract basically whatever whenever and however available to you whatever you want to do.

My life is yours and connectwithskip.com/offer or you can call 809 two 218 the privilege to share how listeners are being equipped for godly living. This radio ministry and making it possible to think of this letter. Thank you for your teaching. Your teachings are very helpful and easy to understand. I am sure your detail at free. First, the TT time. Please keep your resources and teachings coming make stories like this possible through your kits to help connect more people to God's word and we encourage you to continue this generosity so more people can now and left the Lord just now. I connectwithskip.com/donate.connectwithskip.com/donate or call 892 1888 again that 892 1888.

Thank you tomorrow Skip Heitzig six years from God's word in your relationship to the government should look like. As a Christian I have an earthly address. I live in this country that have a heavenly address a spiritual address. I am in Christ Jesus which means I have an eventual address the kingdom of heaven. So, since we are residents of two realm should learn to live responsibly and so with Skip Heitzig presentation of connection communications to God's unchanging truth, ever-changing time