Shocking Advice to the Selfish and Strong-Willed, Part 1

Today from Chuck Swindoll a lesson on dealing with the property. Depravity doesn't get better because some of us come to Christ.

But there is one train.

This power begins to work within us, and he's willing to overcome those things in our old nature.

When we release to him. He does that and is a supernatural transformation are natural instinct is to lash out. Even the score.

After all, retaliation is the right of those were victims of today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll's teaching from Matthew chapter 5 in this passage, Jesus lays down the law against those who take vengeance into their own hands edition he provides a surprising alternative. Jesus said love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you sound like an impossible standard title. Today's message shocking advice to the selfish and strong will receive your worship folder you found an outline tucked away inside if you take a moment to place that at second Timothy chapter 3 and leaving their begin the message.

At that point and then come back to Matthew five, second Timothy three where you place the marker and then my reading will be Matthew 538 to 48. I believe some of the most challenging words in all the Bible appear in these verses will be considering today.

Jesus teaching in his sermon on the Mount must have shot those who heard him just as they could. Today, some of you hear these words you locate Matthew 538 you have heard that it was said, and I for and I am a tooth for tooth, but I say to you, do not resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt to measure quote also whoever forces you to go 1 mile, go with him to give to him who asks of you.

Do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I see you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven before he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous work you love those who love you, what reward do you have do not even the tax collectors do the same if you greet only your brothers, what more you doing than others do not even the Gentiles do the same. Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect.

See what I mean. I desire that the Lord will open our eyes to what he is saying and what it means and what it is not me. Both the report study the book of Matthew Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures.

Studies going to Insight world.org/studies and now Chuck's message titled, shocking advice to the selfish and strong-willed assumptions are shaky things, especially since those situations are not always as they appear some time ago I heard about a traveler who between flights found herself at the busy airport decided to buy a little packet of cookies that she would munch on while she was sitting at a busy little shop and enjoy her newspaper so she opens her paper and begins to read, and while reading. She hears a rustling noise of cellophane on the table in front of her. She picks down over the paper and she notices the man well-dressed gentleman sitting across from her opening packet of cookies and taking out one beginning dated and she frowns and doesn't say anything and reaches around from the paper and very deliberately moves the cookies back over and takes one and begins to eat yourself. He does anything she doesn't say anything before long she hears more tearing of cellophane, and she notices he has pulled the cookies back toward him and is staring at her and takes one out and eat it but there's only one left and of all things he breaks it into and takes that happen gives her the other half well doesn't say a word. He just gets up and walks away. She is somewhere between angry and appalled that man would do that. She hears her flight cauldron and reaches in her purse to find her ticket and finds her unopened packet of cookies in her purse. She realizes it somewhere that airport is a man wondering what kind of woman sitting across the table would eat the cookies. I got too much on myself.

Assumptions are shaky things, especially when things don't turn out as we would appear as we would think they would turn is easy to assume when you live in a country was founded by godly women and men who wrote the Constitution that they felt would be based on timeless principles. Some of them from the Bible, the nation would look like it does today you we wouldn't assume that if a person went to sleep and 1780 and woke up this year this month. This day the person would be shocked because he or she might very well assume it would be a world like they had in mind but it is not like that at all. But it all like that. After all, we read the biographies of those great men and women and we could easily think that those lives have so marked us as a country we would continue to model the way they live in the way they thought the way they obey rules the way they defended the country the way they stood for what was right and against what was wrong.

If you assumptions could be further from the truth.

I hardly need to do it but to set the stage. I want to expose our selfish, strong-willed world. But before I do that to me make a disclaimer very important one. There are exceptions to the kind of people were going to read about in second Timothy chapter 3.

You've known of exceptions and I have two those exceptional people may have been the ones who taught you. They certainly were those who taught me not one of them and send lists of course not. There humans but wise, thoughtful, often compassionate and caring people sacrificial.

I think of my own parents and my grandparents, and you may think of yours. These are people in the words of Hebrews 1138 people of whom the world was not worthy because they were so different from the others who lived around them. So before I get into what we are really like, as a people and as a majority, let me say there's always a remnant who represents an alternative lifestyle, a life of integrity and commitment to righteousness, and desire to obey the laws of the land and interest in being free of prejudice and racism and sexism. People who are fair and balanced and compassionate and caring, but that's not the majority. Paul worn his friend Timothy, who was younger and would be outliving Paul, Timothy, you need to be aware of what the last days will look like verse one of chapter 3 and second Timothy difficult times will come. One of my great teachers taught me that the word could be rendered savage hard to deal with harsh savage times will come.

And then he amplifies that statement with the word for men and women will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revile or disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, he continues irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power avoid such people are going to run into folks like that.

Timothy and I would say to every young person growing up in this world you gonna run into people like that. In fact, will be the majority on the campus. They'll be in the majority in the business world will be in your neighborhood in the majority of why why why on earth do so many who lived not only here but in all parts of the world live like that.

Why is there such disobedience to parents. Why is there such a vast number of people who are irreconcilable, who hold grudges. Look for reasons to get even if not get back that others why is that true, why are we like this one word will describe it and then I'll explain that is the word depravity depravity ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, so death passed upon all men and women for all sin we have the same disease. We got it from our parents are parents, parents, and they from there's traced all the way back to the very beginning of humanity when the first family had a murderer among their children goes all the way back to depravity somewhat is that if depravity were blue would be blue all over. We are by nature liars and cheaters and deceivers. People who curse and resist authority not only rebel against and we ignore it we find it because I want to leave my own life as I please.

Words that come from an old sin nature, and I have tough news for all of us who are Christians. The old nature doesn't change when we come to Christ is disillusioning for new believers because often we think when we hear about Christ and how we can change our lives. We forget that that's an internal change but nothing is done to change the old nature. Do you realize Christians can be just as vile, just as violent, just as brutal justice, disobedient, had just as miserable a marriage and turn on one another. Just as those without Christ is called carnality. We got a tough Roto here. Depravity doesn't get better because some of us come to Christ.

But there is one change this power begins to work within us, and he's willing to overcome those things in our old nature, and when we release them to him. He does that and it's a supernatural transformation. The fact is, while I may be just as guilty of the things read here. I have to tell you the difference.

Christ is made in my life and you would say the same as a believer. How grateful we are that because of Christ. Our arrogance can be restrained are ingratitude can be curbed are irreconcilable nature can be made to reconcile power of Christ at work within us.

What a difference that can make all of that helps explain the words of Jesus when we get over to Matthew chapter 5, these words in Matthew 538 to 48. In my opinion are the most challenging words that appear in all the sermon. This is tough information to hear and to heed this other person listening to me right now who if your heart is really open to the truth does not feel conviction when you read of what Jesus says and household how we have fallen short of this again and again.

So again I want to make it important disclaimer. Just as I did earlier. This is important.

This is truth for believers, not unbelievers all go further. This is for individuals who wish to relate to others who are individuals whether the others are safe.

People are lost people.

This is not counsel for national defense. These are not words to be read to the people in the Pentagon who plan to defend us as a nation through the military and other means.

Jesus is giving instructions to those not engaged in fighting a war or dealing with terrorism.

This is advice for those of us who wish to live in harmony with others as much as possible through the power of Christ. This is not advice to help us become a nation of pacifists is not telling us what to do when were attacked by those who would take our freedom from us. Remember that or you will misapply as many had the teachings of Jesus. Please remember the disclaimer see if I can bring it all into balance. As we deal with two different groups you see them both named in these verses. Your Bible is open to Matthew five verse 39 I say do you do not resist an evil person. I've underlined that in red verses 38 to 42 or dealing with an evil individual. The disclaimer notwithstanding we are dealing often with people who have evil motives who would hurt us. Who would do us wrong. That's verses 38 to 42 when you get to 43 down through 47. Notice the last word in verse 43.

Your enemy I've marked that in red again in verse 44, pray for those he says I say do you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute the enemy so we have enemies mentioned in 43 to 47.

We have evil person mentioned in 40 and 38 to 42. So with evil people in the context let's see what Jesus teaches and I suggest there are four segments in these verses 38 through 42. First he's telling believers who wish to operate under the power of Christ in a lost world. Release your right to personal dignity and respect. Release your right to personal dignity and respect given up. Look at verse 38 with verse 39 you have heard it was said, and I for and I and truth for two now, Jesus describes the spirit of the law but I say to you, do not resist an evil person, whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also the old expression turn the other cheek comes from that 39 verse what is it mean in the days of Jesus being slapped on the cheek was an insult later in days that the past. Sometime a person would put a glove off and with with the glove slap you across the face that would come on into our own time. It's the old idea of being insulted were ugly things are said to you, often to your face what you do you retaliate either operating under the power of the spirit. No, you don't answer back. Charles Spurgeon taught we are to be the Amityville when bad men are the hammers we take a step further were to take the insult letter glance off of us overlook it, ignore it. Look past it, you turn the other cheek when you refused to take it personally when you refused to retaliate. Now, for the sake of clarification letter read the words of a keen student of the New Testament. John Stott writes Christ's illustrations are not to be taken as the charter for every unscrupulous tyrant bigger or thought his purpose was to forbidden revenge not to encourage injustice, dishonesty, or vice true love takes action to deter evil and to promote good he teaches not the irresponsibility which encourages evil but get this, but the forbearance which renounces revenge authentic Christian nonresistance is non-retaliation. Remember my disclaimer were not referring to national defense were not referring to criminal acts done against us or attempted against us were dealing with individuals who insult us in response to Spurgeon's example being the amble that's one thing.

Being a person's doormat is another.

Be assured and hear me well in this know where an older New Testament is anyone instructed to be submissive to our right. Nowhere in the Scriptures are we to be silent victims of sexual or physical abuse. We are not to be helpless pawns in the hands of brutal terrorists or murderers or psychopaths you could take us to such an extreme that you can make evil out of anything. Martin Luther described a pacifist in his day as quote the crazy St. Ouellette likes nibble at his scalp and refused to kill any of them on account of this text saying he should not resist evil plea, whether it's an egregious act of violence or hurtful active evil that's undeserved.

No one is expected to become Chuck Swindoll said helpless pawns in the hands of brutal psychopaths. You're listening to Insight for living and were just getting started in an emotion filled message Chuck titled shocking advice to the selfish and strong-willed to learn more about this ministry or these messages, please visit us online at insight world.or it's possible you been listening to Chuck today in your mind is drifted back to a relationship in need of repair. You want to victim but perhaps the perpetrator will. Nothing will erase what you said the cause damage. On the other hand, maybe it was an offense that someone inflicted on you. Whatever the case, I'll draw your attention to a helpful message Chuck presented, along with his wife Cynthia the CD or MP3 is called finding healing through forgiveness in this message Chuck presents a compelling case for restoration followed by a stirring testimony from Cynthia in which he tells the touching story of restoring a broken relationship risking everything to make an apology. This is the most highly requested CD in the 42 year collection at insight for living, and to purchase a copy of finding healing through forgiveness.

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