WISDOM SERIES – “WHAT YOU DO TO OTHERS
YOU ULTIMATELY DO TO YOURSELF”
August
26, 2007, Mike Barnett
Proverbs 25:21-22 says:
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22 In doing
this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.
QUESTION: Why does the Bible tells us so
many times to Let go of anger and hatred and to love those who hurt us instead?
ANSWER: RESENTMENT AND ANGER WILL INDUCE
EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE THAT WILL KEEP THE CHRISTIAN FROM REACHING THEIR FULL
POTENTIAL IN CHRIST.
The negative backlash
from carrying emotional baggage:
·
Being angry
induces more anger…Being hurt will inflect more hurt…having negative emotions
will bring more negative events into your life.
2.
What you think about and do to others, you ultimately think about and do
to yourself because you will ultimately reap what you sow.
Galatians 6:5-10 says:
7Do
not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that
nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to
please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let
us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to
the family of believers.
·
The thoughts,
words and actions you give to people, will be multiplied
back to you.
THAT’S WHY JESUS TOLD US
IN Matthew 7:12:
So in everything, do to
others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the
Prophets.
3) Judging the attitudes
and actions of others will ultimately cause us to be judged by others….When
you point a finger at somebody else you will attract three other fingers
pointing back at you and nobody wins.
Matthew 7:1-6 says:
1"Do
not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same
way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will
be measured to you.
3"Why
do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention
to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your
brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a
plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from
your brother's eye.
·
When you
judge, condemn or hurt people back who hurt you, you are choosing to become the
same person they are by stepping down to their level.
Romans 2:1-4 says:
1You,
therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at
whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you
who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that
God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the
same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or
do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience,
not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
HOW CAN I OVERCOME RECIPROCATING
HURT BACK TO PEOPLE WHO HURT ME?
1) REALIZE THAT YOU ARE
NOT SEPARATE FROM THE BROTHER OR SISTER IN CHRIST WHO HURT YOU AND WHEN
YOU HURT THEM BACK YOU ARE REALLY HURTING YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU ARE ONE
WITH THEM IN CHRIST!
John 17:20-26 says:
20"My
prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me
through their message, 21that all of them may be one,
Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that
the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have
given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they
be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have
loved them even as you have loved me. 24"Father, I
want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the
glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you,
I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I
have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that
the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
·
What you think
about others you ultimately think about yourself, what you do
to others you ultimately do to yourself.
Galatians 5:13-17 says:
13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not
use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[a]; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love
your neighbor as yourself."[b] 15If you keep on
biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each
other.
16So
I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful
nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary
to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are
in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 says:
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many
parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with
Christ. 13For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or
Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14Now the
body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the
foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the
body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I
do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part
of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where
would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the
sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the
parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye
cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say
to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the
contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with
special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special
modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special
treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater
honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there
should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern
for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part
suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27Now
you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
2) REMEMEBER THAT HURTING
PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE AND THE PERSON WHO HURT YOU IS A PERSON IN NEED
OF LOVE.
·
WHEN YOU STEP
OUT IN FAITH AND LOVE THE “UNLOVABLE” PERSON EVEN THOUGH THEY DO NOT DESERVE
IT, LOVE WILL COME BACK TO YOU.
·
LOVE MIGHT
NOT COME BACK TO YOU THROUGH THAT PARTICUALR PERSON, BUT THERE ARE 6 BILLION
PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET THAT GOD CAN LOVE YOU THROUGH IF YOU LET HIM.
·
REAL LOVE IS
ALWAYS PACKAGED IN HEALTHY BOUNDARIES – LOVE SOMETIMES SAYS NO
WHICH IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING RESENTFUL.
Matthew
5:38-48 says:
38"You
have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'[g] 39But I tell
you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to
sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If
someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give
to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow
from you. 43"You have heard that it was said,
'Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But
I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his
sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what
reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more
than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect,
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
3) KEEP IN MIND THAT FORGIVING
OTHERS REGARDLESS OF THEIR ACTIONS SETS YOU FREE FROM THE
EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE THAT WILL WEIGH YOU DOWN IF YOU CONTINUE WITH YOUR “EYE” FOR
AN EYE” MINDEST.
Luke 6:37-42 says:
37"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do
not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed
down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with
the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
39He also
told them this parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not
both fall into a pit? 40A student is not above his
teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
41"Why
do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention
to the plank in your own eye? 42How can you say to your
brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself
fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out
of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your
brother's eye.
4) CHOOSE TO LET GO
OF THE HURT KNOWING THAT WHAT YOU THINK, SAY AND DO BACK TO OTHERS YOU
REALLY THINK, DO AND SAY TO YOURSELF.
1 Peter 3:8-12 says:
8Finally,
all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers,
be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with
evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called
so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For, "Whoever
would love life
and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful
speech. 11He must
turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and
pursue it. 12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against
those who do evil."[a]
THE EXAMPLE OF MARRIAGE
5) DO NOT FOCUS ON THE PAINFUL
PROCESS BUT ALWAYS PRAY AND VISUALIZE THE HARMONIOUS END
RESULT YOU DESIRE BECAUSE WHAT YOU FOCUS ON IS WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE
IN LIFE.
Matthew 7:7-12 says:
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you
will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door
will be opened.
9"Which
of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or
if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you,
then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do
to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
·
If you pray
the problem you will receive more of it – instead pray the desired
end result!
·
Do not focus
on the undesired results you are receiving in the relationship, instead focus on
Jesus Christ in the form of forgiveness, peace, and
love!
Luke 23:32-34 says:
32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with
him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called
the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right,
the other on his left. 34Jesus said, "Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting
lots.