We've all been hurt. We all carry scars. We can all overcome these things and be
healed through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Let's build that relationship
together right here. Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Hey everybody,
welcome to the sanctuary. It is so great to have you here. You know, this week
we're going to be talking about something toxic that's been allowed to
permeate our society and our culture. You know, many people try to attribute this
as just being the men. However, let's be honest, it's become something that the
ladies are just as guilty of. All of us are guilty of it. For a number of years
now on both sides, you know, we used to call it machismo. You know, today we call
it, you know, that it's toxic masculinity. However, they're just as
people are just as toxic in how they attack it themselves. You know, the
feminist of yesteryear have taken on the very traits that they used to be
against and we're seeing it in everything. You know, girl power has turned from a
demand to be seen as equals to anything you can do, I can do worse. You know,
music, film, TV, literature, clothing, and so much more. You know, I want to remind
you, sin is sin and it's like, you know, it's like fire. It consumes and destroys
everything that it touches. Now, this came because of something I've seen
recently. It's been making arounds and just the Lord put it on my heart so
that's what today's message is coming from. You know, recently I saw a meme and
it was being shared by a few people I know. You know, I read it and this is what
it says. It says, when I get disrespected, I get disrespectful and every time I saw
it posted by someone else, it had a bunch of likes and hearts and you know, some
shares and comments that just cheering it on and really just kind of nasty
comments at that. And I had to ask, isn't that what's become wrong in the world
today? You know, people feel entitled to be disrespectful, arrogant, hottie, all
because someone did or said something that they don't like. They'll talk about
how people need to give respect to get respect, but they don't want to do it
themselves. Nobody wants to be the bigger person. Instead, they want to try to be
the tough guy and run their mouth. You know, or especially these days, the
internet tough guys, the social media tough guys, you know, you know, and
everybody else wants to join in instead of telling them that they sound like
idiots and they do. You know, this isn't just wrong, it's un-Christian, it's
un-biblical. It totally goes against what Jesus taught. If you turn with me to the
book of Matthew chapter 22 and we're going to be going towards the end here,
so Matthew 22 verses 36 through 40, the Bible says, Teacher, which is the greatest
commandment in the law? Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and
greatest commandment and the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself
and the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. So let me ask, are
you really showing love and compassion to someone by trying to one-up them as
being the biggest jerk in the room? No! And how effective are you as an
ambassador for Jesus when you're acting out of anger and spite? Anger and spite
are forms of hate. We cannot show love when we're putting hate into the world.
And, you know, while we're still here in Matthew, if you go back to chapter 5 verse
13, so Matthew 5 verse 13, the Bible says, you are the salt of the earth but if the
salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It's no longer good for
anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. As Christians, as
followers of Christ, we're supposed to be the salt of the earth. What does salt do?
It enhances things, it preserves things, it improves things. Instead, people choose
to be salty towards one another. Our salt is wasted and it loses its flavor and
in other words, salt loses its value or it becomes worthless. And so do we when we
conform to the world. When we as Christians aren't always engaged in
improving the world around us and pointing the way to Jesus, we lose our
flavor, our salt. We lose value as a guide to Jesus. You know, here's the thing, one
moment you're saying praise Jesus, the next minute you're trying to break
someone down. You can't say I hope they burn in hell, praise Jesus. It doesn't
work that way. You lose credibility as a follower of Jesus. You lose credibility
as a Christian. Not only that, but since you are a representation, you know, or an
ambassador of what people are seeing of Christians, you make the entire church
look poorly when you do this. And it happens because we become more worldly
and less godly. Now I'm not saying you can't be angry. You can be angry and
still show compassion, still show mercy, still show love. You know, a lot of us,
you know, that's really where the term, you know, bite your tongue comes from. You
know, when a lot of us do it a lot more than we want to admit and others don't
do it nearly enough, you know, I said you could be angry and still show love. We
like to think that we can always control the situation, that we can always control
the people that are in front of us. But the fact is, that's just not the case. No
matter where you go, there are always going to be difficult people, people who
will talk down to you, belittle you, ignore you, or put you down in some way.
We're never going to be able to please everyone. I can't, you can't, no one can.
And not everyone is going to like us. That's alright. We don't control those
things. What we can control is ourselves, our actions, our thoughts, our words.
You know, if you flip with me now to Ephesians chapter 4. So Ephesians chapter
4, we're looking at verses 31 through 32. So Ephesians 4 verses 31 through 32, the
Bible says, get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling, and slander,
along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. See, Paul is warning us
of controlling what we say and what we do. That's what I just said, you know,
about holding your tongue. You know, instead of meeting hate with hate, we need to look
to the Lord and forgive. We need to remember we're not perfect by any means
either. We've all done absolutely heinous things in the sight of the Lord, yet God
still forgave us. And we need to do the same for those who are doing heinous
things in front of us or to us. Think of it this way, Jesus was able to forgive
the same people who crucified him. So why can't we forgive those who upset us? We
need to. If we turn back to Matthew chapter 5, so Matthew chapter 5 verses
21 through 24, the Bible says, you have heard that it was said to the people
long ago, you shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to
judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will
be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister,
raka, raka being an aromatic term of contempt. So anyone who says to a
brother or sister, raka, is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, you fool,
will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift
at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something
against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be
reconciled to them. Then come and offer your gift. See, in anger here it's
referring to bitterness towards someone. Bitterness, it's a type of anger. See,
anger, it's a sin, just like murder. When the Pharisees read this
law from Exodus 20 verse 13, they applied it literally, literally. If someone
hadn't physically killed someone, then they were fine. However, Jesus taught
that by allowing our anger to build in a fester, that we commit murder in our own
hearts. So because we're angry, we're committing murder in our own hearts.
Where's the love then? Where is it? See, anger, it's a terrible sin because it
disregards the command to love one another. Not only that, but by allowing it
to fester, we can lose control of ourselves and go even deeper into sin,
sin that can and should be avoided. In 1st John chapter 4, so turn with me now
to 1st John chapter 4 verses 20 through 21. So 1st John chapter 4, 20 through 21,
the Bible says, whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a
liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister whom they have seen
cannot love God whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command, anyone
who loves God must also love their brother and sister. The way we act, the
way we talk and treat one another, it's a reflection of our relationship with God.
And God is love. It's not always easy. As a matter of fact, sometimes it's just
downright tough. Being a Christian is tough, and it's supposed to be. The world
goes the easy route. The world is looking for convenience, luxury, but they miss
Jesus in the process. We miss Jesus when we're blinded by our own rage instead of
looking to Jesus. In Matthew chapter 7 verses 13 and 14, so Matthew 7 13 and 14,
the Bible says, enter through the narrow gate for the wide gate, excuse me, for
the wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction. And many
enter through it, but small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to
life and only a few find it. Don't give in to the hate. Don't give into the
discontent of the world or you'll miss the gate. Jesus didn't tell us what to
do just for us to ignore it. It wasn't a do as I say type of thing. Jesus told us,
hey, this is what you need to do, and then he set the example of what we need to do.
He set the example by doing it. Living the way he's taught us is not the way of
the world. It's not the popular way to live, but it is the right way to live and
the right way to do things. There is no exception to be made on this. This is
literally the Lord's way or the highway, the highway to hell.
Jesus didn't say do this unless, do this except for, or but if they do this
instead. No, he just said do this and then after he said do this he taught us how.
It's very much the same concept many of us have found in training for our own
jobs. This might sound familiar to some of you. Watch one, do one, teach one. We
can see Jesus doing it in the Bible. We apply it to ourselves and then we teach
others as a part of our testimony when we share the gospel. So it's not that
we're not equipped. It's that we need to actually use what we've been given to do
what is right. We live in a society today that listens to react instead of
listening to hear. So when something happens we'll often hear someone rush to
use scripture in the wrong context. They try to weaponize it. When people,
you know, people they're quick to pull the trigger on their quest for vengeance
by saying things like, you know, an eye for an eye. You know, we've all heard that
one before. We've all heard it. You know, eye for an eye. They use, you know, they
try to take the scripture. They've heard this piece. They try to weaponize it.
And they're totally wrong in how they do it. You know, they're, people are
very, very wrong when they say it. For one, most people when they say it they
don't even know where it comes from. They don't, so you know, if you don't know
where it comes from how do you understand the context? What is it talking
about? You know, ask people and they'll say, oh the Bible. Where'd it come from? The
Bible. And that's as good as it gets. That's as far as they can break it down.
They don't know if it's Old Testament. They don't know if it's New Testament.
They don't know anything else. They just know that they've heard it before and
that's how they've heard it. So that's how they use it. It's twisted. It's
contorted, you know, contorted and changed. Because that's what the devil
wants. So and you know, that's why they don't understand the context of what
it's really talking about. So let's pull it up. Flip all the way back towards the
beginning of your Bible to the book of Exodus. We'll read it together. So Exodus
chapter 21. And what you're looking for is verses 23 through 25. The Bible says,
but if there is serious injury you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth
for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for
bruise. So in itself, without context, it seems sound. What's good for the goose
is good for the gander, right? However, when you look at the entirety of this
piece of scripture going from verse 12 all the way through verse 35, you'll find
that it's actually very legalistic. And for a good reason. It's legalistic
because it's meant to be a judicial punishment or a type of case law, if you
will, for the judges of the law of the land at that time to make the ruling
from and decide appropriate actions and repercussions for wrongdoing. Not for
individuals to justify being the bigger jerk. Not to try to one-up people.
Alright, not for a quest of vengeance. It was actually supposed to be a tool to
ensure that punishments fit the crime and to help bring order and peace to
communities instead of justifying lynch mobs. Let's face it, there's a lot
of internet lynch mobs today. Cancell culture has gotten out of control.
People try to twist this. Like I said, it's because they don't
truly know what it's about. It's just a catchphrase or a slogan to justify being
petty. Well, he started it. I'm only doing to them what they did to me. If she had
done that, I wouldn't have done this. Petty. Petty. Sin being met with sin. Hate
being met with hate. Two wrongs don't make a right. Period. They don't. And this
is why in Matthew, Jesus actually revisits this. And when Jesus
revisits, he's doing it to bring clarity to what we should do. So if we go all the
way back to Matthew chapter 5 again. Alright, so Matthew chapter 5 and we're
looking at verses 38 through 42. Jesus says, you have heard that it was said, eye
for eye and tooth for tooth, but I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If
anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if
anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If
anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who
asked you and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Getting
even is the wrong reaction. We just looked at this study in our study of
Naum. You know, instead Jesus wants to, you know, what he's telling us is that we
need to love those who treat us poorly. To love them. Not get back at them, but
to love and to forgive. Instead of staying focused on what happened to us
and continuing on to build this victim mentality that's so popular
today, we should be looking to God to give us the strength to love and to
forgive others as he did us when we sinned. Instead of thinking about how
to make things, you know, even Stevens, if you would, you know, trying to even that
ball field or anything, you know, instead of trying to find ways to get back, what
we should do is pray for those who have wronged us. Pray. That's the right way.
That's the Christian way. That's Jesus's way. You know, people used to ask, what
would Jesus do? That's it. Right here. Right here. Turn with me to Luke chapter
6 and we're going to look at verses 27 through 36. Jesus, you know, he, when we're
looking at that section, Jesus goes all in on talking about loving your enemies
and he's specifically calling out how to respond to those who do you wrong. And
when we look at Luke 6, specifically verse 35 in this section, the Bible says,
but love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to
get anything back. Then your reward will be great and you will be children of the
Most High because he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. You see, to love
someone who's offended us, it doesn't come naturally. You know, that's not part
of the human state. Now, you don't have to fall in love with people like this.
It's a different type of love. All right. It's not like, you know, when you look to
your significant other or your children and, you know, you do anything for them,
you know, and it just comes naturally no matter what happens. Well, you know, we
have to kind of apply it the same way because you think about it. Somebody does,
you know, someone that you love, like say your child goes and does something that
they shouldn't. Are you gonna get upset? Yes. But are you gonna love them any
less? No. Absolutely not. See, it's a mindset and it's an action on your part.
To love an enemy, to love an enemy is to put violence to the side, to put your
aggression and your anger to the side, and instead act in their best interest.
So, to love your enemy is to act in their best interest. Not to get back at them,
but to show empathy, grace, mercy. See, we may not know why they're acting the way
they are or do the things that they do, or maybe we do, and it's not how we act,
you know, it's not how we believe, you know, they should act. It's not how we
think we would act if we were in their shoes. So, we should pray. Pray for a
change in their life, a change to soften their heart. Pray for healing. Healing?
Yes, healing. Because hurt people hurt people. Let me say that again. Hurt
people hurt people. They may not even realize that they're doing it, or they've
been indoctrinated into a way that blinds them to the very wrongs that
they're doing. They could be lashing out because they feel safe to do so because
of something going on in their lives. Have you ever thought about that? Someone might
be lashing out at you because they feel safe with you and that they can do it
with you? You know, maybe it could be that they're just having a bad day and
you are the person that the Lord has put in front of them so they can unload
their burden, unload their aggression. Well, why? Why would he do that? Well,
easy, because you can take it. You can take it and then show them his love in
return. We all need to recognize that we have a habit of pushing out people who
need the most help, who need the most love. We'll cast them to the side because
of their sins. We like to think that we're above them, like as if we're above
reproach. However, when we look at Luke 23 verse 34, we see that Jesus does the
opposite of what we do. In Jesus 23 verse 34, Jesus said, Father forgive them for
they do not know what they are doing and they divided his clothes up by casting
lots. Jesus was on the cross, like he was already on the cross. He was dying. He had
been mocked, ridiculed, embarrassed. He was in pain and dying a slow, horrible
death. And what does he do? Does he lash out and say, oh you'll pay for this? Does he
threaten anybody? Does he try to act tough? Oh, just you wait. I'm gonna be swimming
with the fishes by the end of the day. No, he didn't do any of the stupid stuff.
Instead, he prays. He prays for everyone, the Jewish leaders, the Romans, the
bystanders, every single person there and every person involved in leading him
there, including you and me for the sins we've committed in our lives. Because
he took on our sin. He paid the price for our sin. So when he could have
lashed out, destroyed everyone and everything, he chose to show us mercy and
love instead. The way that we should do things. Love and mercy. In John 21, I'd
like to point something out. It's very minimalized. It shouldn't be. In John 21,
the Bible... Let me give you a second here. Bear with me. I'm flipping through here.
Thought I had it written down here, but I don't. So, there it is. Yes. All right. So
John chapter 21 verses 18 through 22, the Bible says, very truly I tell you, when
you were younger and dressed yourself and went where you wanted, but when you
were old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead
you to where you do not want to go. Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death
by which Peter would glorify God. And then he said to him,
follow me. Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following
them. This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had
said, Lord, who is going to betray you? When Peter saw him, he asked, Lord, what
about him? And Jesus answered, if I want him to remain alive until I return, what
is that to you? You must follow me. See, this is important because it shows the
heart of Jesus. It shows the heart. See, the focus shouldn't be on anyone other
than Jesus. Even in the face of an uncertain and possibly terrifying future,
we need to be focused on him. And let's face it, sometimes we see things we know
something's coming, we know a storm is coming and it's brutal, and we get
focused on it instead of looking to Jesus. See, and instead of what we should
do is instead of trying to compare ourselves or bolster ourselves because
we've been embarrassed or hurt, we need to ensure that what we're doing is
what's right by Jesus. And I bring this up because we like to think that to be a
Christian simply means to love Jesus. And I, you know, it's, yes, it's true.
We need to love Jesus, absolutely. 100%, you know, that is at the core of
being a Christian. However, it also means we need to love Judas. We need to love
the Judases in our lives. We need to love our enemies and like Jesus, pray for them
and show them love. Now again, we have this habit. We push people away who need
help the most, who need love the most, like we're better than them. But we fail
to see our own sin. We fail to see our own sin. In Luke 18 verses 9 through 14, so
starting with me to Luke 18 verses 9 through 14, and 9 through 14 the Bible
says, to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on
everyone else, Jesus told this parable. Two men went up to the temple to pray,
one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed,
God, I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or
even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I
get. But the tax collector stood at a short distance. He would not even look up
to heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I tell
you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all
those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves
will be exalted. See, we become the Pharisee in our own lives so easily when
we're hurt, when we're upset. We become very self-righteous. We're hypocrites. We
become hypocrites, and we want others to see that we're so good, and others are so
bad, that we're so much better than these other people. It's because of our own
pride, our egos, our pride gets the better of us. We forget that God loves
those that we don't, but we should. We should absolutely love them. See, this is
why Jesus warned us to look inside. If you go to Matthew chapter 7 verses 1
through 5, Jesus says, do not judge or you too will be judged, for in the same way
you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you. 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? How can you say to your
brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there's a
plank in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye,
then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. See, it's
so, you know, it's easy to justify tearing someone else down, and what's worse is
that there's almost someone else there to cheer you on. That's the chaos that the
devil wants. That's the way of the world, and we get, you know, a temporary rush
when it happens. You know, like I said, it says right here, you know, we're blinded by
our own, by our own sin, by our own, you know, mistakes, our own rage, our own hate,
our own anger, you know. Like I said, we get a temporary rush when, when it
happens, and it can make us feel good for a moment. Hey, hey, yeah, hmm, show them.
But for just a moment, and then afterwards we kind of think on it. Maybe
it doesn't catch up to you right away, but eventually it's like, man, did I
handle that the right way? Should I have done something different? Well, yeah,
absolutely. Or sometimes you realize it, you're like, man, I didn't do that the best
way, but then we don't go back to correct ourselves even. It's because it's not
what was right to do. Instead, what we should be doing is looking for ways to
build each other up, to empower each other, to do better, and to look to Jesus.
Seeing a total change in a person, because the Holy Spirit in them, seeing
them turn to Jesus and turn their lives around, is so much more rewarding.
And that brings all of us closer to Jesus. Now, that's not the easy path. It's
certainly not the popular path. It is, however, the right path. So when you're
disrespected, don't get disrespectful. Don't have a mindset that says, your
attitude is the result, or excuse me, that my attitude is the result of your
actions. Instead, get humble. Get humble. Exercise some self-discipline. Now, in the
Marine Corps, it's what we call, you know, reaching down and grabbing some
intestinal fortitude. But get humble. Exercise self-discipline. Be respectful.
Pray. Pray. Pray for them. Pray for yourself. Pray for all parties involved.
And let the love of Jesus shine through you. Let our strength in the Almighty
become the hope in another person's darkness, in their time of need, in their
time of hurt. That's love. That's what love is. That's power. That's how we take
the fight to the devil. That's how, that is, that's God in us. That is the Holy
Spirit in us. That's the hope of Jesus for you, for me, and for everyone. For
everyone. That's how we should behave. That's how we should respond. That's what
Jesus has told us to do. And that's what leads others to Him. That is how you
truly are the better person. Not because of you, not because of your actions, but
because you're listening and following Jesus and doing as He said. I want to
thank you for joining us today. If you have any questions, prayer requests, or
would like to know more about our ministry, you can find us on our website
at BeTheLightSanctuary.org or on Facebook at BeTheLightSanctuary. We'll
catch you next time. God bless.