Render Not Evil for Evil

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces 1 Thessalonians 5 as a continuation of Paul's exhortation for believers to abound in walking in a way that pleases God. He reviews previous topics like sexual…

Paul's grouping of miscellaneous exhortations is likened to someone running out of paper or ink, suggesting a rapid succession of important points.

After dealing in some detail with those three. The four general areas, specific areas. Beginning in verse 12, it's as though he knew he had an appointment coming up. Or he knew that he was running out of paper or running out of ink.

1:58 - 2:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces 1 Thessalonians 5 as a continuation of Paul's exhortation for believers to abound in walking in a way that pleases God. He reviews previous topics like sexual…

Martin shares a personal anecdote of receiving a call from someone who had been admonished by others, indicating the word had taken effect and encouraging the pastor.

And I have been greatly encouraged with the fact that apparently at least some of you have taken this study seriously. I had a call even this week from someone who had been admonished by several of his or her brothers or sisters and called to encourage me that apparently the word had taken effect. That this is not put here for us to simply have something to study on a Sunday morning to round out a worship service. Here is the Lord Jesus standing in the midst of his church as prophet, directing the conduct and activity of his people by his inspired word through the apostles expounded and minist...

3:01 - 3:42 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The natural, sinful reflex action of the human heart when wronged is to retaliate or 'pay back' evil for evil. Martin explains this can manifest overtly through physical or verbal…

The immediate, unthinking recoil from a hot stove is used to illustrate the natural, sinful reflex action of the human heart to retaliate when wronged.

Just as the reflex action of the body, when the fingers touch a hot stove, is to pull back and recoil. You don't, while your hand is on the stove, stop and think, now, wait a minute, that stove's hot, my hand is tender flesh, if I leave it there, it's going to burn. Oh, yes, I think I better take my hand away. No, no, you don't go through any such thought processes.

10:05 - 10:27 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Even though that basic attitude has been changed by grace, it has not been basically subdued by grace. It has not been completely purged away and completely eradicated from the human heart.

Martin recalls seeing children escalating physical retaliation on a street corner, vividly illustrating the concept of 'rendering evil for evil' or 'paying back'.

I can still see, and I was a part of it once in a while, I can still see the kid standing on the corner, jaw out, lip out, the one, first of all, touching. We'd start by touching on the shoulder. And the guy would touch him, and he'd touch him back. And the next time he'd punch, he'd punch back.

11:09 - 11:25 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Even though that basic attitude has been changed by grace, it has not been basically subdued by grace. It has not been completely purged away and completely eradicated from the human heart.

Subtle forms of retaliation, like casting aspersions or sarcasm, are described as 'paying back under the corner, under the counter,' to distinguish them from overt acts.

But there are far more subtle ways that we do it. No overt, payment of evil for evil. But we, as it were, we pay back under the corner, under the counter, or behind the corner. We pay back evil for evil in subtle ways.

13:57 - 14:14 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have tasted God's forgiveness, you cannot perpetually walk in a course of hurting your brother.

The Stoics are mentioned as an example of people who learned to subdue passions and not render evil for evil, but without the positive command to do good from the heart.

nobody's made like that nobody's made not to render evil for evil much less actually turn around and do positive good in the place of evil there were people called the Stoics who had learned to bring some of their passions into the world into the world into the world into the world into the world into the subjection and they learned something about not rendering evil for evil you know grin and bear it stiff upper lip killing me but I won't kill you that kind of an attitude see I'd sure want to but I won't see it's not the manly thing to do to give in to passion and though it may be there in th...

33:29 - 34:58 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have tasted God's forgiveness, you cannot perpetually walk in a course of hurting your brother.

A quote stating 'revenge is the last stronghold of the natural man' is used to emphasize the deep-seated nature of this sin and the significance of its conquest by Christ.

anew in Christ Jesus and facing a passage like this causes us to say Lord this is in us by nature and God says I know it isn't but it can be in us and abound by grace for as Paul says in Galatians 5 22 the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long suffering gentleness what's the next thing goodness and the word used there is a derivative of this word follow after that which is good it has to do in this matter of our relationship one to another when evil is done to us and by the enablement of the Holy Spirit we are able to turn around and do positive good from the heart to those who have done ...

34:58 - 36:27 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have tasted God's forgiveness, you cannot perpetually walk in a course of hurting your brother.

Jesus' parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18) is used to illustrate the profound obligation to forgive others from the heart, given God's forgiveness of our greater debt.

anew in Christ Jesus and facing a passage like this causes us to say Lord this is in us by nature and God says I know it isn't but it can be in us and abound by grace for as Paul says in Galatians 5 22 the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long suffering gentleness what's the next thing goodness and the word used there is a derivative of this word follow after that which is good it has to do in this matter of our relationship one to another when evil is done to us and by the enablement of the Holy Spirit we are able to turn around and do positive good from the heart to those who have done ...

34:58 - 36:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Heap good upon those who do you evil; it will break them down and subdue them.

The phrase 'heap coals of fire upon his head' (Romans 12:20) is interpreted as a form of judgment, where kindness to an enemy breaks them down more effectively than retaliation.

and professing allegiance to the word of the gospel don't demonstrate the spirit of the gospel see because it won't be long before you'll be on the other end you haven't arrived yet and there'll be something you'll do deliberately or not deliberately that will make you will be evil to your brother as you would that others do unto you even so do unto them and as the apostle hints in Romans chapter 12 what's the best judgment you can pour upon the head of your brother I think I lean toward that interpretation where it says heap fires of coal coals of fire upon his head fire, coals of fire seems ...

42:21 - 43:48 Read in full sermon