Sermon Tone Analysis

By Pastor Glenn Pease

The Revolutionary War was complicated by the fact that it was often also a Civil War.

Families were on both sides of the conflict.

William, for example became the governor of New Jersey because of the influence of his famous father.

The shocking thing was that William wanted to be loyal to the crown of England.

This led to a crisis, and after a heated battle with his legislature he was sent to prison for two years.

When he was released in 1778 his heart was filled with anger for the colonies, and he fled to the British to join them in the fight.

He became a leader in terrorist activities against the very colony as he had served as governor.

When King George created an official guerilla army in 1780, William was made its leader.

Revenge drove him to lead his men to arson, rape, mutilation, and murder.

He was so obsessed that even when the war ended in 1781 he kept up the violence and brutality in New Jersey into 1782.

Benjamin Franklin called the war in New Jersey a Civil War, and he knew, for the revenge-ridden man who kept it going was his only son-William Franklin.

What a paradox that one of our founding fathers had a son who sought to destroy our nation in its infancy.

History makes it clear that one of the quickest ways to ruin your reputation, and put a blot on your name is to let the spirit of revenge take control of your life.

Much of the evil of this world is due to the seeking of revenge.

The problem is, it is a vicious circle.

When you get even, the one you got even with does not feel the score is even until they get in another hit, and the result is the spirit of vengeance winds up as a Hatfield and McCoy type conflict where there is no end to the injury.

Revenge itself must be avenged.

It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and that goes for the fire that destroys as well as the fire that warms and uplifts.

That is why vengeance is an emotion that a Christian must always keep under control.

It is not that it is not a legitimate emotion.

In a world of evil and injustice where you or others are hurt by man's inhumanity to man you cannot escape the feelings of anger which cry out for vengeance on those who inflict such suffering.

Even the saints in heaven cry out in Rev. 6:10, "How long, sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood."

God does not say shame on you, but just be patient.

Never to feel the desire for vengeance is to lack the Spirit of God who feels it constantly.

Numerous are the text which say vengeance is mine saith the Lord.

The vengeance of the Lord and the day of God's vengeance are common themes of the Old Testament.

The point being that evil will not escape, and the injustices of life will not be ignored.

God will set everything right, and so the feeling of the need for this is not wrong.

I am not expected by God to feel guilty about the desire for vengeance.

It is a normal feeling for anyone who cares about justice.

The feeling is God-like.

The problem is in the actions this feeling generates.

This is where we need to face up to our limitations and surrender to God's authority.

That is why Paul says in verse 19, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves."

Notice it is an absolute-never.

Human revenge is never the will of God.

I read of a college professor who was awakened at 3:00 A. M. by the phone.

The caller said, "This is your neighbor.

I just wanted to let you know your dog is barking and keeping me awake."

The professor thanked him and hung up.

The next morning he called his neighbor at 3:00 A.M. and said, "This is your neighbor.

I just wanted to let you know that we don't have a dog."

That was clever, but not Christian.

The original caller made a blunder, but revenge did not likely make him a better neighbor.

The point of our text is, you will feel like taking revenge in life, for nobody gets by without being the target of some injustice or some foolish mistake, or even pre-meditated meanness.

The feeling for the need for revenge is normal, but Paul says not to act on it, for when you do you become part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

This text is almost identical to the teaching of Paul when he said, "Be angry and sin not."

The emotion is not forbidden, for it is impossible not to feel it.

But do not follow through and let this emotion determine your actions which will then make you a contributor to the total package of evil.

The Christian is in the world to reduce the level of evil, and not to add to it.

Therefore the Christian is to be one who does not let his feelings run his life.

The reason a savage is a savage is because he does just what he feels.

He feels you have offended him by stepping on his territory, and so he feels angry at you, and feels he should get revenge, and so he kills you.

The more civilized men become the more indirectly they kill the intruder.

The more Christian men become the more they leave judgment to God and concentrate on the hope that their so-called enemy may yet become a friend.

The Christian agenda in life is not to get even, but to get ahead by overcoming evil with good.

It is a curse to become obsessed with the need to get revenge.

When you are the victim of injustice this does not mean you are not to press charges as a Christian, and seek to have criminals arrested.

This does not mean you never take people to court that justice might be done.

Paul demanded his rights as a Roman citizen.

The Christian has all kinds of rights, and he ought to demand that they honored.

Paul is talking about the Christian becoming a peacemaker in his society, and not a trouble maker.

The Christian is to live peaceably with all men in so far as this depends upon them.

In many cases the enemies of the Christian will not permit this peaceful relationship, and so the ideal will not be achieved.

Paul's point is that it ought never to fail being achieved because of the Christian.

You cannot make other people choose to live in peace, but it must always be your choice.

The Christian must be one who is ever ready to forgive rather than get back at another for the evil they inflict upon him.

The Christian has a choice to make as to how he deals with the emotion of anger that leads to the desire for revenge.

He will either choose to be overcome by evil, or overcome the evil with good.

Paul says it is a matter of choice, for he commands us to choose the second and not the first.

This means that if a Christian becomes obsessed with the need for revenge it is because he made a choice to go that route.

He chose to let his feelings rather than God's will determine his action.

The result will be that the Christian will not set the record straight, but will add to the record of folly, and add himself to the list of those to be judged.

David Augsberger said, "Revenge is the most worthless weapon in the world.

It ruins the avenger while more firmly confirming the enemy in his wrong."

Paul says if there is ever a time to apply your Christian faith it is when dealing with an enemy.

This is where the Christian can really be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

Do just the opposite of what is normal.

You feel like getting revenge, but that is the time to act in love and fed the enemy.

It is so contrary to human nature that the enemy will be defeated by your love.

This reversal of revenge will as powerful a force for good as revenge is for evil.

Paul gives an illustration that is so obsolete in our culture that it is hard for us to see his point.

He says that if you feed your hungry enemy and give your thirsty enemy drink you will heap burning coals on their head.

This almost sounds like Paul found a loop-hole in his own high standard.

It is as if he was saying you can't get revenge directly, but I found a back door by which you can get into the arena of vengeance and watch your enemy burn.

This is not what Paul is saying at all.

He is using a familiar image of his day to say that by love you can do what hate will fail to do.

It was a very common practice to eliminate an enemy scaling your city wall by dropping from the top of the wall heaps of burning coals that would destroy both the enemy and his ropes and ladders.

Paul is saying that in Christian warfare we do not fight with such weapons, but rather with love, care, and kindness in meeting the enemy.

But in so doing we heap coals upon his head.

That is, we defeat his enemy spirit and eliminate his threat.

But not by wiping him out, but by winning him over into our friendship.

This is what he means by overcoming evil with good.

He is not referring to literal hot coals, but to the burning passion to win the enemy with love.

The good news is that it works.

Back in 1818 Tamatoe, the king of a South Sea Island, became a Christian.

He discovered that some of his fellow natives had a plot to seize him and other Christians, and burn them to death.

He captured them all, and instead of killing them when they were in his power, he had a feast for them and talked with them.

He shared his goals with them.