Sunday message- to bless and be kind

I love the way God orders our days when we listen.  We say, "Let me get to this one thing first, and he says that line about putting hand to the plow and looking back- in ways both apparent and subtle.  In other words, this morning I got a "Do this first", and it began with a line from Chuck Swindoll's daily devotional for Saturday:


Ours is a hell-bound, degenerate world, and you know it. Political corruption abounds. International peace, a splendid ideal, continues to blow up in our faces. The crime rate escalates as domestic violence and gang wars and drug traffic and overcrowded jails continue to plague society. Pending legal cases choke the courts of our land with an endless litany of litigation. And even when cases are finally brought to trial, no courtroom or prison cell can remove madness from minds or hatred from hearts.

Satan, our relentless enemy, has a game plan, and it's on the board. Knowing that his days are numbered, knowing that he has an appointed amount of time before the scoreboard counts him out, he holds the world in his lap and gives it directions, implementing his strategy day after day.

If our Christian message is a mirror image of the message of the world, the world yawns and goes on its way, saying, "What else is new? I've heard all that since I was born." 

And the reason that struck me was its connection to what I felt led to share with you this time- homosexuality, the government, and the Church.  Now, to the LGBT person- and unfortunately, to many Christians- there are two sides only from which to look at this.  But, give me a moment, there are THREE.

First, you have the Christian's duty to resist sin.  Make no doubt- homosexuality is a sin.  Period.  Born out in dozens of verses in the Bible.  It is on the Church to do their best to lead the society away from the commission and celebration of sin...

Rom 1:32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.


Given that, we must also remember, as has been Christ's theme with me lately, that He calls us to mercy.  Sin is the enemy- Satan, as Chuck said, is the enemy.  And the community that "take pride" in that sin, they say we are their enemy.  Fine, if they want it that way.  But, the second side of the non-equation begins with, what is a CHRISTIAN supposed to do about enemies?

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic[a] either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.


So let's list our actions against our "enemies", required by Christ:

Love them
Do good to them
Bless them
PRAY for them
Lend to them
Be an example of God to them
Be merciful to them.

Two of these I think need a little expansion.  One is the concept of bless.  Any idea what that means, class?  Does it mean to treat them like a sneeze?  No, "bless" actually is a compound of two Greek words that mean- ready for it?- speak well of.  Connotating that it is speech TO GOD that is being referenced here.  Thus, it is an example of how we are to PRAY for them.

Second, where did I get, "be an example of God"?  Look again at the passage-

35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 


So now we are to exemplify God's kindness to all men.  Now, break down the word "kind".  It boils down through one word to another that means to be useful to someone, to FURNISH WHAT IS NEEDED.  For God, that means that everything we get from Him in this world- rain, sun, food, air- as well as the chance to repent- they get as well.  For us, that means, you don't shun them FOR their sin.  You serve, you live, you respect their persons- and you give them a chance to repent.

Which brings us to the third leg in this tripod- government.  I had this thought listening to a man who has tried to convince legislators away from hate crime legislation, believing (rightly or wrongly) that LGBT activists will use this as a legal wedge against Christians.  He made much of the fact that every time he was called to testify before a body, it was him alone against several LGBT activists fighting FOR the legislation.

Is this our fight?  Well, it is certainly our fight to see that legislation is written in such a way that ALL people are afforded the BEST protection possible.  But consider, the government is not and cannot and SHOULD not be an arm of the Church.  The government, at any public level, is a secular organization serving the WHOLE body- Christian AND secular.  If some LGBT feel they need protection against bullying, against job discrimination, against persecution, well, they do.  Just like Christians, and Muslims, and veterans, and the handicapped, and the unborn.  That protection is a SECULAR job.

Some Christians feel the battle is against the radicals, the in your face-ers, and the government is their sword against them- and they are in a desperate struggle with them for a grip on said sword.  And that is true so far as it goes.  But are we cutting radical and non-radical alike- tarring all with the same brush?  When we do that, " the world yawns and goes on its way, saying, "What else is new? I've heard all that since I was born."

So the lesson here is:

1- Know the REAL enemy.
2- Remember there is a difference between the sin and the sinner, even when THEY don't.
3- Treat all men the way Christ commanded.
4- Use government for what government is for.  It is your shield against the world- The Spirit is the sword against the enemy.