12 Evidences of Faith (Part 4)

Jesus and only Jesus as Savior of the world. In this age of tolerance in this age of compromise this truth need to be upheld with planetary and with love, joy.

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You can call right or visit us online@allatw.org/front-line LGW.org/front-line if you would like to partner with Dr. you sent in leading people to Christ in guiding them in your fate want to consider becoming a front-line mission partner. Those are the folks who pray and give regularly. Here's our number give us a call 866-626-4356 86662643560. You can go to LTW.org that LTW.Ward. This is leading the way with Dr. Michael you Seth where today he will share with you a message that is called loving the unlovable unpacking practical ways to move above and beyond relationship hurts in life and become more like the Lord Jesus is part of Michael series called the 12 evidences of faith. Let's listen together as Dr. Michael you set begins with an engaging story during the Korean War communist North Korea very communist forces have overran a number of villages in South Korea. One of those villages that they overran they is always have a policy of gathering all the community leaders first and then kill them first. But in one particular village among those leaders. There was a Christian man who ran an orphanage in that village and when the Communists are common.the officer learned that this Christian man ran a an orphanage. He decided to spare his life, but in order to instill fear. He forced the command of Christian man to watch him go communist kill his son. The Christian men son, who was 19 years old in cold blood at the end of the Korean War, the communist officer was captured and trotted for crimes atrocities that he has committed and he was tried before a United Nations tribunal.

He was convicted and just before the sentence was imposed on him. The very man who was the head of the Christian orphanage went in front of the tribunal and pleaded with him to spare this man's life. The monarch of the sun. He said getting to me and I'll train him and sure enough the tribunal released the prisoner to the custody of the orphanage director. True to his word. The Christian man trained share Christ with. Then he discipled him that communist office later on went on to be one of South Koreans most prominent pastors. If you are anything like me, when you hear the stories or read about the month, you're bound to ask a question. Could I have done that is a great question to ponder. Could I have loved that man who killed my son.

Thankfully and mercifully I don't have to answer the question.

I think all of us know how easy it is to love the beautiful people to love the lovable people to love the influential people to love those who serve our purpose. Nonbelievers do all that and some of you do better than the believers that does not require supernatural power that does not require that transforming faith in Jesus Christ that does not require a new nature in Christ loving those who love us is not a big deal. One thing that we all must understand, however, as we look into this passage is that this was a big problem and first century church. The very first church. It was a big problem or explain it. That's what you need to understand the Bible in context historical and cultural. Although it was at first century problem.

It has 1/21 century application. Remember, this is the first church.

It was planted in a Jewish culture and in the Jewish culture. There were certain group of people of a certain class of people who were manipulators of her intimidator's in the synagogues and they demanded to be seated at certain places and what's James trying to say to them is that this should not happen in the church of Jesus Christ today.

The problem is the same, although it has a different form today, many Christian leaders are so anxious to be accepted by secular society so they say and do all sort of things to be approved by society. They compromise their own convictions they use doubletalk use evasive language that does not stand for the truth. They use this what are called doubletalk in order to confuse people and not let people know exactly where they stand and express doubt about nonbelief why all that the elite culture may accept them so that they lead culture may approve of them so that the elite culture may not call them narrowminded so that they lead culture minor called prejudice and who in the world wants to be called narrowminded will prejudice these days. No one right so the enemy of Christ uses this very form of intimidation to silence believers from proclaiming the whole truth as it is in God's word because some church leaders to compromise what they know to be the truth because they want to be accepted so they will say things contrary to the truth. Now that that's the equivalent of what was happening in the first century, the James was trying to warn the people against. Now there are many people misunderstand this passage and they think that James basically is closing the door on the rich. That is not what he's doing here at all. You got understand it in context. Today the power-hungry. Those are self seekers. Those who are manipulators. Those who are always seeking a place of honor. They come from all sorts of economic backgrounds monotonously leverage Jesus would never allow the Pharisees to manipulate him and to intimidate him and I tried read the Gospels, how many times I try to put false guilt on him and they try to make him feel bad about this and bad about this. He would never allow that only come to trick him and asking a question and this are what isolate me ask you a question. Is it when I when I got answers around the dinner answer you it would never allow himself to be intimidated by those miserable Pharisees who demanded attention, who demanded respect. So much so that they sent to him in Matthew 22 is what this at the Jesus you are not swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are the same emblems here. James was trying to ensure that the first century church would not fall in the trap of Pharisaism from which they came back then.

Most of the new Christians were coming into the church thickly in Jerusalem and many other parts they come from that environmental being intimidated by that class of people.

Those Pharisees were distinguished himself by the closing where and by the rings they have on their fingers and there were rings in every finger as a matter of fact there wore more than one ring in each finger, except the middle one and some who could not afford these rings that would go out and they rent a higher rings for that out so that they can walk in here and everybody is looking on them as who is not rings. And that is why often in the early church in their zeal not to fall into that.

Jewish practice of showing favoritism. They insisted that the slaves in the master sit together in the same place and sometimes the Masters receive the sacraments from slaves who were serving which reminds me of an incident that took place after the Civil War when the great Gen. Robert E Lee return home to Virginia to his Anglican church to worship and in the classic small Anglican churches, you know, people with come for communion there would kneel, the great Gen. came in. He knelt to receive communion and a slayer freed slave just came up, knelt next to him and I'm not sure came in and it was try to get them to move away from generally and generally grabbed the slave by the arm and motioned Aisha should get away. He is my father. As a matter fact, some people think that although the Christmas Carol that we often sing, O holy night was written 10 years before the Civil War that the line that was added after this incident, for the slave is my brother James is making the point so clearly here when you love the unlovable, you are fulfilling the royal law. What is the royal law you love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, strength, and your love your neighbor as yourself is what James is saying the royal law as he call it the royal law versus 8 to 11 was a call the royal every thought about that. There are several reasons why it's called royal law is called the royal law because it supreme excellence is called the royal law because in this drawing is 65 the King of Kings gave the law and then in John 13. It was repeated and confirmed to the disciples by the Lord of all lords, God the son, and then in Romans 55 he tells us that the Holy Spirit poured his love into our hearts to enable us that we may keep this law without his power, we can't but there's another reason why it's called the royal law is because it is the king of all laws is the king of the 10 Commandments. Think with me for a moment here okay if you love God you not going to break the first five Commandments and I don't have another God beside him and so forth. If you love your neighbor you not going to break the last five Commandments, 6 to 10 a night on the cover that they have rejoice when God blesses that's why it is the royal law. The main reason why this is called the royal law is because when you are not abraded we become kings become kings. When you exercise it you become a royalty why just equipment. What does hatred do to you when you hate somebody what is it do to you makes you a slave to the person you hate.

You become a slave is or how can I become a slave wrist will just think again in your enslavement to the person you hate you exerts a lot of emotional energy dominates your thinking. It saps your emotional energy often actually causes physical pain. I have some doctors here in the structural told me that sometimes can't diagnose a person without pain, but they can't even figure it out.

There's nothing wrong with them physically. That's what's causes physical pain even physical illness comes from hatred because all sorts of illnesses. What does the person who is the object of your hate, make you to be a slave to that person and that is why love liberates you from that slavery. Love gives you power over such slavery. Love instills control over your emotions. Love makes you a king or queen. Love makes you reign supreme as a monarch over your motion. How does this relate to being respect of persons and being intimidated by someone and being worried all the time whether you really are offending anybody or not you'll never be candid, you will be honest if this is something consumes all the time. If you show partiality will never be yourself, someone will say Michael Michael, my friend. I really wish that I could love unconditionally. I really wish that I could love like Jesus but you just don't understand Mike allow monitor jerk Michael you don't understand.

You know my laws, Michael. You don't understand I have a beast of a boss, Michael, you don't understand I have a dreadful neighbor you not understand.

I am a miserable coworker. Maybe I don't understand my not understand what you going through. But I live long enough to experience few things myself but I go back to Romans 55 God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

That is why this is a false evidence of real faith. One of the things they can start practicing not just for the value tuba practice on a regular basis is pray for that person who has hurt you deeply. Just try do it for several weeks and see what happens. You'll be amazed. Now I'm not recommending that you would pray this prayer. I know the temptation Lord God, I pray for this person and then there is lightning in heaven that can hit him or her.

Feel free to do it.

Now I know the temptation of praying for this that kind of prayer will not set you free.

Because hate is like an acid and acid corrodes the vessel in which it stored as well as the object to whom it's poured and that is why the last message the previous passage in James. He talks about anger.

Then he moves on to talk about hate.

You know why because hatred is just a settled anger settled in. You let me give you two helpful suggestions that may set some of your free loving the person does not mean that you have to get chummy with that person at loving that person does not mean that you have to go on a vacation with her purse, not at all, but it means that you have removed and continue to remove from your heart that corroding acid of hatred.

The second thing I want to tell you is this, this kind of love that the Scripture talks about that makes you king over your emotions that you can experience it doesn't mean that all of a sudden you going to have a warm and fuzzy feeling for the person as all of you confuse things you cannot manufacture fuzzy feeling toward a someone who repeatedly hurt you. The royal law of love that makes you king that sets you free means that you don't necessarily try to put on a fake smile every time you see that person the love of which the Bible talks about that Christian love has nothing to do with emotions and feelings. It has to do with the will.

The will you will you do know that the word egg to pay the Greek word did not exist before Christ. It's a uniquely Christian word.

The Greeks had hello and Eros and all the other words for love, but I do pay did not exist.

It's a uniquely Christian world became into the vocabulary on the Greek language after Christ died on the cross and rose again.

It is a uniquely Christian love and it is always action, not just feelings. Verse 13 we show mercy.

Why, because he have shown us mercy.

Let me share with you an experience when God began to work in my life, but 41 years ago.

So in that area, he began to teach me that every time a person that I know person try to hurt me, you'll cause me pain or whatever I begin to pray Lord give me an opportunity to show mercy to that person to show kindness to the special and in those 40 years at least twice. God answered that prayer completely.

One person literally literally try to destroy my future and then I pray Lord give me an opportunity and God gave him an opportunity to do something of great kindness to that person and God will do that he will answer them for you know what that's going to do more for your healing set you free than anything in the world are thinking about this and I remembered a true story that an Armenian friend of mine told me years ago and comes from the days when the Turks were massacred in the Armenian people, hundreds of thousands, maybe even in the million. During those terrible atrocities. There was a young woman and her brother, who were pursued by down the street by an armed Turkish soldier and when he finally cornered them the armed Turkish man killed the brother but let sister live, but not before letting her watch as she killed her brother.

Later she worked in the hospital as a military nurse and one day that same soldier who killed her brother showed up on the stretcher critically wounded in the slightest inattention on the part of this nurse that soldier would've died and you can imagine the struggle. I know if you were there. I know if I'm there I would go through the same struggle. The struggle within her. The flesh was saying vengeance. Vengeance. Vengeance then the Holy Spirit was saying mercy mercy mercy and finally she you to the Holy Spirit and she nurse that man back to life.

The soldier who had recognized her as to the question why did you not let me die.

She said Jesus love me while our sooner and I'm trying to emulate my Jesus, this man said I want to embrace your geese. Some people differently from different parts of the world who have lived those experiences. Some of them have experienced a father want to shoot his son and tried twice and missed, but he kept on loving his father and few years later. The father said tell me about your faith this story beloved is repeated many many times every day around the world is a question can you trust the Holy Spirit to empower you to love the unlovable can you. I know the Holy Spirit is ready and willing. Are you, shall we pray father your word says that it does not return to avoid.

You have spoken to me. You have spoken to all of us father with private confess to you that without the part of that Holy Spirit dwells in us, we cannot do it.

It's an impossibility, but you have done it many many times through life and you can do it again will you to sit many people here free pray this in Jesus name, amen. This is leading the way in today a featured message by Dr. Michael you set for the series called 12 evidences of faith you can listen to this practical series from the book of James. When you visit us at LTW.org just click on listen and you'll be guided to where you can stream nests and all messages by Dr. USF right there online.

You can also download the leading the way. More information is available on the listen page that I mentioned@ltw.org LTW.org okay when I hear that music I know I'm on a set of time to quickly here is your invitation to join Dr. Michael you sent once again next time for another edition of the leading man.

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