Worship call 0715 You're not from around here, Are you?

Acts 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. According to church history, the apostle Thomas, died in Calamina, a city in the East Indies. While there, Thomas had put a stop to the idolatry that was running rampant in the land. The idolatrous priest was not happy about this at all and accused him before their king. The king sentenced Thomas to death -- first to be tormented by red hot plates and then cast into a glowing furnace and burned. When the priest saw that the fire was not hurting him, he pierced Thomas' side with spears and javelins, and finally Thomas died. What turned the disciple who had fled Messiah during his trial and crucifixion, into a powerful saint of God? What turned turned his fears and doubt into powerful faith that was able to persevere through torture and fire? He had seen the Lord resurrected from the dead! He had witnessed His resurrection power! Would you die for a lie? Of course not! Neither did the Apostles. Eleven of the twelve apostles suffered similar fates as Thomas. The same power which rose Yeshua (Jesus) from the dead also gave Thomas and the other disciples the faith to endure --- and that same power is available to us! Friends, however your faith is being tried today, know that God has given you the power to overcome every doubt, every fear, and every attack of the enemy! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, & Obadiah Sevierville, Tennessee

And this is another fine day in the Lord

Matthew 5:38 (NASB95) — 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

LEX TAL I ON IS. A law of retaliation by which the guilty party suffers the same harm as that experienced by the injured party. In biblical as in modern law the primary example of taliation is capital punishment for a judgment of murder (Gen 9:6, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed”; Exod 21:12, “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies, he shall surely be put to death”; Lev 24:21, “Whoever kills a man shall be put to death”), although some commentators would restrict the term “talion” to nonfatal bodily injuries. The classic formulation of taliation in biblical law is “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Exod 21:23–25). This text is popularly quoted as “an eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth),” following Matt 5:38, and is popularly regarded as a summation of biblical law.[1]

Jesus contrasts the old with the new things to come, even a new attitude. In light of the kingdom, retaliation for personal injury is low on the lists of priorities for the members of the kingdom and in fact personal injury is best dismissed and forgotten rather than to have it distract one’s view from the reality of the Kingdom.

When faith convinces the heart of that which is not yet, one’s attitude changes impacting the way we think and treat others even those and especially who mistreat and oppress us.

This will become one of the most important of Christian ethics, treating with kindness not one’s friends which is a given, but treating one’s enemies. It within itself will be the catalyst of bringing many to repentance and the desire to know this kind of God. winning many to Christ.

Jesus had informed his disciples earlier that at anytime He call upon the Father and He would send down legions of angels.

Matthew 5:39 (NASB95) — 39 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person

39.18 ἀνθίστημι; ἀντικαθίστημι; ἀντιπίπτω: to resist by actively opposing pressure or power—‘to resist.’

Do not resist a…

88.110 πονηρόςa, ά, όν: pertaining to being morally corrupt and evil—‘immoral, evil, wicked.’[2]

Such phrases as,

“I ain’t going to take that!’

“I won’t stand for it!”

“He’s going to pay for what He did to me!”

“I’ll fix him or her!”

“Wait till I get hold of him or her!”

“I’ll sue him for all he’s got!” (which was the order of the day for the Corinthian believers)

And the like, will not be spoken by the one whose heart is set on the kingdom.

39 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person;

The message to the Royal Family of God who belongs to the coming Kingdom is,

“Do not retaliate against and evil person.”

First, you do not have to.

Romans 12:19–21 (NASB95) — 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

God has his timing.

An evil doer is covered under common grace as it is not the Lord who wishes any to perish but come to repentance, returning kindness for evil is partnering with God to win over an enemy.

The practice was when transporting hot coals collect in a container, the coals in the container would be transported over the head, thus one would have to carefully carry the container.

When one receives kindness in return for his evil, it brings attention to the one who had done the evil causing him to consider his own evil action.

Remember that God, who is not a respecter of persons, desires your enemy as much as God desires you.

As much as God does desire one to repent and come to the knowledge of Himself, God cannot perpetually allow evil to continue apart from God condoning the evil. When the clock runs out on the grace of God there will come retribution from God.

2 Thessalonians 1:6–7 (NASB95) — 6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,

Our Lord holds the scales. Our Lord keeps perfect books. There must me justice where justice is due and that is on God’s person and timing.

First the Lord teaches and then our Lord demonstrates. As the Lord hung upon the cross it was the Lord who prayed for his own oppressors even those who stood at the foot of the cross mocking him, when he said

“Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.”

Matthew 5:40 (NASB95) — 40 “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, (undergarment) Let him have your coat (outergarment) as well.

“That would leave me Naked!”

Well, yes it would.

What is Jesus saying. Even through humiliation we are to standfast. we are to wait.

When Jesus hung upon the cross, he did not even have a loin cloth, but was completely naked before the crowd. Jesus let his oppressors have both under and outer garments. At any moment Jesus could have himself stopped his own humiliation by calling to the Father, for our sake he endured it.

Jesus said that he is the way, he is the path that we are to follow.

IN contrast it was the Church of Corinth that would be dragging one another to court in some law suit looking and acting like the world.

Hebrews 12:2–3 (NASB95) — 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Matthew 5:41 (NASB95) — 41 “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

In this day Roman Soldiers had the right to grab a bystander to carry his load his pack to lighten his burden. Gentiles were considered in the hearts of people filthy dogs. They were oppressed by them as the Romans treated the Jews with the least of respect.

Ok, maybe a person had no choice. Maybe a person knew better than to resist otherwise the person may find himself severely beaten or even worse being nailed to a tree for his insubordination.

But the extra mile that is an extended favor for one’s enemy is on the part of the oppressed. He might care for the soldiers wound. He might while the soldier is resting to go and bring water. this would be out of character for those of this age but for those who belong to the Kingdom it is would be quite notable.

This causes others to look at the peculiar person of Christ’s to say

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

Matthew 5:42 (NASB95) — 42 “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Members of God’s kingdom should be characterized by overwhelming generosity.

Even and especially given from one’s own lack, and to the poor whose at the heart of God.

and again an expressed character of God who had come and gave his all to the poor in spirit.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update

Deut 15:7–11; Luke 6:34f; 1 Tim 6:18

[1]Huffmon, H. B. (1992). Lex Talionis. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 4, p. 321). Doubleday. [2]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 753). United Bible Societies.

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