WEBVTT 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:14.179 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.199 --> 00:00:18.600 The true test of our genuine maturity in Jesus 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:22.359 Christ. Are you ready? It's how we treat our 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:25.079 enemies. Let me ask you, how are you doing with 00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:28.559 that person who betrayed you? How do you deal 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:31.539 with that person in a way that honors God and 00:00:31.539 --> 00:00:33.979 brings about change? That's today. Don't miss 00:00:33.979 --> 00:00:38.299 it. In the book of Romans, Paul lays out one 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:40.920 of the most demanding and most liberating instructions 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:44.020 in all of Scripture. What to do when someone 00:00:44.020 --> 00:00:47.679 has genuinely hurt you. I'm Dave Drury, and on 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:50.219 this weekend edition of Living on the Edge, Chip 00:00:50.219 --> 00:00:52.240 Ingram brings that teaching to life through a 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:54.759 story from his own experience that put every 00:00:54.759 --> 00:00:57.420 one of Paul's principles to the test in real 00:00:57.420 --> 00:01:00.759 time. It's raw, it's honest, and it just might 00:01:00.759 --> 00:01:03.399 be the most practical thing you'll hear all week. 00:01:03.979 --> 00:01:07.379 We're starting in Romans 12, verse 14 for today's 00:01:07.379 --> 00:01:10.239 message, How to Overcome the Evil Aimed at You. 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:14.239 I want to break down very specifically and practically 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:18.519 what it looks like to bless those who persecute 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:22.480 you. And the command is this, bless them that 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:25.159 persecute you. That's what you're called to do. 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:28.060 And there's three components here. The first 00:01:28.060 --> 00:01:31.200 component of blessing others is forgiving them. 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:34.120 And so the process of forgiveness is a choice. 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:39.280 Second, forgive, forgiving is a process. And 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:43.599 then forgiven is it's done. And here's how you 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:47.900 know when it's done. You can spontaneously rejoice 00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:51.239 at blessing in their life. And so that's the 00:01:51.239 --> 00:01:56.180 positive side. Bless those, and notice, who persecute 00:01:56.180 --> 00:02:01.319 you. They're after you. Second command is a negative 00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:06.159 one. Don't take your own revenge. Verses 17 through 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:09.960 20. Don't take your own revenge. I mean, it's 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:14.340 just a command. Do not repay evil for evil. And 00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:16.020 then he's kind of like in a following world. 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:18.740 He says, be careful. Circle that word above it. 00:02:18.939 --> 00:02:22.659 Literally, it's take thought. New American Standard 00:02:22.659 --> 00:02:26.020 says, respect what is right in the sight of all 00:02:26.020 --> 00:02:29.080 men. If possible, as far as it depends on you, 00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:32.180 Live with peace with everyone. And then he goes 00:02:32.180 --> 00:02:33.960 on to say, just wait a second, don't take your 00:02:33.960 --> 00:02:35.639 own revenge, but leave room for God's wrath. 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:38.400 He's the one who's going to be the judge. He's 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:41.659 going to mete out justice. Here's the point. 00:02:42.740 --> 00:02:45.340 Personal retaliation is a prohibited response 00:02:45.340 --> 00:02:48.439 for God's people. Personal retaliation. In other 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:51.580 words, they did evil to you, you get them back. 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:54.680 They did this to you, you say bad things about 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:56.879 them. And if you're a Christian and you have 00:02:56.879 --> 00:02:58.879 some experience, you can do it in such passive, 00:02:58.919 --> 00:03:03.060 aggressive ways. And you add a verse to it. Throw 00:03:03.060 --> 00:03:06.020 in, it's a prayer request. It works, believe 00:03:06.020 --> 00:03:09.039 me. And you just go left -handed like this and 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:12.080 you whack them. Because your real goal is revenge. 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:16.199 It's payback. You use your power, you use your 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:18.780 intellect, you use your relationships, you use 00:03:18.780 --> 00:03:23.340 nuances. And you go like this. One more drink 00:03:23.340 --> 00:03:26.360 of poison, please. It's going to kill him sooner 00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:32.379 or later. But it doesn't. Never pay back evil 00:03:32.379 --> 00:03:35.939 for evil. Instead, take thought and consider 00:03:35.939 --> 00:03:39.759 how people think. Respect and realize that they 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:41.580 don't have your values. They're not going to 00:03:41.580 --> 00:03:46.479 act the same way. The field is not level. They're 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:49.800 really focused on them. Sometimes I hear Christians 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:51.860 get all upset about non -Christians living like 00:03:51.860 --> 00:03:57.740 non -Christians. That guy's really greedy. She's 00:03:57.740 --> 00:04:01.120 so sexually immoral. I can't believe that, I 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:02.879 mean, he just drained the whole company and all 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:10.060 the employees. Oh my. So what were we like before 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:12.960 Jesus was controlling the interior of our life? 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.459 Take thought for how people think. It will help 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:20.899 you live in harmony with them. Personal retaliation 00:04:20.899 --> 00:04:22.779 is prohibited for two very important reasons. 00:04:23.850 --> 00:04:29.269 One, it usurps God's role as judge. Vengeance 00:04:29.269 --> 00:04:32.629 is mine. God says, look, I'm just. Yes, I'm holy, 00:04:32.709 --> 00:04:34.829 I'm compassionate, I'm slow to anger, but I'm 00:04:34.829 --> 00:04:37.629 just. And the word justice is rooted in a concept. 00:04:38.329 --> 00:04:41.930 You know, the scales of justice. Justice is rooted 00:04:41.930 --> 00:04:46.670 in a very clear concept of retribution. Retribution 00:04:46.670 --> 00:04:50.449 is simply this. When you do evil stuff, evil 00:04:50.449 --> 00:04:52.949 consequences. When you do good stuff, reward. 00:04:53.990 --> 00:04:58.629 Every man will get what they deserve. So you 00:04:58.629 --> 00:05:00.689 just need to say, I need to take the ball of 00:05:00.689 --> 00:05:04.709 judgment, hand it to God, and say, I'm tired 00:05:04.709 --> 00:05:07.110 of trying to figure out all the ways in my anger 00:05:07.110 --> 00:05:09.389 fantasies and different ways to get back at my 00:05:09.389 --> 00:05:12.430 boss or my ex or one of my kids or the person 00:05:12.430 --> 00:05:14.410 who abused me, and I'm going to put that ball 00:05:14.410 --> 00:05:17.310 in your hands from now throughout eternity, and 00:05:17.310 --> 00:05:19.990 I'm going to trust that since you are just, that 00:05:19.990 --> 00:05:23.100 you will do what's right. I will never get a 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:26.120 raw deal. But I'm stepping out. You own it, God. 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:31.600 I release it to you. You're fair. You're just. 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:36.199 And either on this side of heaven or on this 00:05:36.199 --> 00:05:39.759 side of after death, the scales will be absolutely 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:46.240 and perfectly balanced. You can release that 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:49.379 wound and that hurt and your desire for payback. 00:05:50.009 --> 00:05:52.709 Because he knows all things. He knows all the 00:05:52.709 --> 00:05:56.129 whys. He knows all the circumstances. And you 00:05:56.129 --> 00:06:00.569 don't. And you can give that to him. But there's 00:06:00.569 --> 00:06:03.149 a lot of us, if you demand to be the judge, then 00:06:03.149 --> 00:06:06.790 God doesn't get to be the judge. And when you 00:06:06.790 --> 00:06:09.649 judge people and you decide you're going to pay 00:06:09.649 --> 00:06:13.970 them back, you reap what you sow. The second 00:06:13.970 --> 00:06:16.149 reason that personal retaliation is prohibited 00:06:16.149 --> 00:06:18.629 is because it's an ineffective means of bringing 00:06:18.629 --> 00:06:22.470 about peace. See, when you tit for tat, evil 00:06:22.470 --> 00:06:24.209 for evil, evil for evil, you know what it's like? 00:06:24.370 --> 00:06:27.129 It's like there's a little fire brewing. It's 00:06:27.129 --> 00:06:29.430 like ticking, you know, one of those big fireman 00:06:29.430 --> 00:06:31.550 hoses. And instead of water coming out of it, 00:06:31.589 --> 00:06:37.560 you fill it with gasoline. And that's what people 00:06:37.560 --> 00:06:39.360 do. They do it in their families. They do it 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:40.480 in their marriages. They do it with their in 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:42.459 -laws. They do it at work. They did this. I did 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:46.600 this. We did this. Sit in some coffee shop. Just 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.800 sit in a coffee shop sometime this week. This 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:53.899 is sort of raw to say. And listen to other people. 00:06:55.459 --> 00:06:57.000 I mean, you can't help it because they're so 00:06:57.000 --> 00:06:58.620 close. Because usually you try and concentrate. 00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:02.660 And see how many conversations. I bet it's in 00:07:02.660 --> 00:07:05.519 the 80 percentile of when people are talking. 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:08.839 that they're talking about someone that's not 00:07:08.839 --> 00:07:11.040 at the table, about your mom did that, and she 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:12.639 did that, I can't believe your sister, and she 00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:14.779 did that, and you know, Bob, who's the supervisor, 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:16.420 can you believe they're doing that at work, right? 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:22.579 And then they carry this attitude, and they poison 00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:25.779 their own soul, and I would say it's really true 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:28.579 of a lot of us. And Paul says, don't do that. 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:33.120 It's ineffective. In fact, he goes to the other 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:35.379 extreme and he says, in fact, if your enemy's 00:07:35.379 --> 00:07:36.939 hungry, I mean the person who's wounded you, 00:07:37.019 --> 00:07:42.899 help them. Give them some food. If they're thirsty, 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:45.019 give them a drink. In so doing, you heat burning 00:07:45.019 --> 00:07:48.980 coals on their head. This picture of burning 00:07:48.980 --> 00:07:51.839 coals is not, as I said, it blows out their brains. 00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:57.540 It was an Egyptian ritual in the time, ancient 00:07:57.540 --> 00:08:01.980 Near East. If a person in Egypt, in this culture 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:04.740 realized that they had offended someone, there 00:08:04.740 --> 00:08:08.120 was an argument, and they were wrong. Then they 00:08:08.120 --> 00:08:10.240 would build a fire, and they'd take the coals 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:12.540 out of the fire and put it in a pan, and then 00:08:12.540 --> 00:08:14.040 they would take a towel and put it underneath 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:17.139 the pan, and they would put on their head, and 00:08:17.139 --> 00:08:20.680 they would walk through the village, symbolizing, 00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:24.139 I'm burning the bad thoughts out of my mind. 00:08:24.300 --> 00:08:28.939 I was wrong. We would use the word, I repent. 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:33.659 I have a metanoia. I've had a change of mind. 00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:36.840 And see, this is what you see happen in Scripture. 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:41.019 This is when you do good for people and they 00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:43.000 know deep in their heart and their psyche that 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:45.629 they don't deserve it. Well, it brings about 00:08:45.629 --> 00:08:48.409 a shame, even in evil people. This is a picture 00:08:48.409 --> 00:08:51.110 of David. And David's running for his life. And 00:08:51.110 --> 00:08:53.850 all he's done is won battles and cared for Saul 00:08:53.850 --> 00:08:56.149 and cared for the king of Israel who was Saul. 00:08:56.330 --> 00:08:58.789 And Saul really went off the deep end and he 00:08:58.789 --> 00:09:00.470 was chasing David and he's trying to kill him. 00:09:00.490 --> 00:09:03.049 Know the story? And so, you know, he's running, 00:09:03.110 --> 00:09:05.230 running, dodging, dodging. Well, finally he gets 00:09:05.230 --> 00:09:08.049 surrounded and he finds himself and there's this 00:09:08.049 --> 00:09:10.549 cave. So he and his men are all the way in the 00:09:10.549 --> 00:09:13.649 back of this cave. And Saul's got him surrounded, 00:09:13.690 --> 00:09:15.309 and it's like, man, guys, this is kind of it. 00:09:16.230 --> 00:09:19.090 We're done if they find us. And lo and behold, 00:09:19.230 --> 00:09:21.190 Saul comes into the cave, and the Bible's pretty 00:09:21.190 --> 00:09:23.970 graphic. He relieves himself. And I don't know, 00:09:23.970 --> 00:09:25.429 maybe he took a nap afterwards. I don't know 00:09:25.429 --> 00:09:27.330 exactly how it all happens. The text doesn't 00:09:27.330 --> 00:09:31.230 say. But David's buddies, they go, hey, God's 00:09:31.230 --> 00:09:35.789 delivered him. This is it. Nail him. And David 00:09:35.789 --> 00:09:38.429 says, see, David gets this. I'm not the judge. 00:09:39.129 --> 00:09:42.100 I will not touch the Lord's anointed. His buddies 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:43.720 were saying, God's put him right here. I mean, 00:09:43.740 --> 00:09:47.340 this is an answer to prayer. Knock him out. David 00:09:47.340 --> 00:09:52.019 says, no, no. But he gets close to Saul, gets 00:09:52.019 --> 00:09:54.559 out his knife, and he cuts a little section off 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:58.379 the bottom of his robe. Saul leaves the cave, 00:09:58.539 --> 00:10:02.200 goes down, peace. There's a ravine, gets on the 00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:05.179 other side of Rean. David steps out from the 00:10:05.179 --> 00:10:10.659 mouth of the cave. Saul, Saul, why? What have 00:10:10.659 --> 00:10:13.860 I done? God brought you in this cave and he holds 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:17.179 up, look at your robe. I could have killed you. 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:20.100 And then he makes this very interesting statement. 00:10:20.899 --> 00:10:24.899 He says, let God be the judge between us. If 00:10:24.899 --> 00:10:26.960 you are more righteous than I, then I accept 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:30.179 full responsibility. May God take me out. But 00:10:30.179 --> 00:10:35.360 what have I ever done? See, he gave good for 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:40.529 evil. Very interestingly, Saul begins to weep. 00:10:41.309 --> 00:10:44.250 It's like in this flash, in this moment, he realizes 00:10:44.250 --> 00:10:48.409 the truth. See, when people do evil things, they 00:10:48.409 --> 00:10:51.549 repress it. Then they go into denial. And there's 00:10:51.549 --> 00:10:53.509 demonic stuff that happens with people that do 00:10:53.509 --> 00:10:56.009 progressively evil things to where they don't 00:10:56.009 --> 00:10:57.809 think they're doing anything evil. And it's addictive. 00:10:58.590 --> 00:11:02.090 And in this moment of grace, Saul, he weeps and 00:11:02.090 --> 00:11:04.330 he says, David, you are more righteous than I. 00:11:05.099 --> 00:11:07.220 Unfortunately, it's a very short repentance and 00:11:07.220 --> 00:11:11.879 a temporary repentance. But can you imagine if 00:11:11.879 --> 00:11:15.460 we said, you know what, God? I'm going to forgive 00:11:15.460 --> 00:11:18.600 so -and -so. And then you started on the journey 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:21.679 of praying for them. And then maybe even anonymously 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:24.039 doing something good for them to bless them. 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:27.740 And even, you know, we tend to demonize people 00:11:27.740 --> 00:11:30.320 when they've hurt us. Have you realized that? 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:32.639 You know, they've really hurt us, so everything 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:34.600 they do is terrible and everything we do is good. 00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:38.379 And we kind of reframe the whole story. Most 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:41.139 stories aren't quite that clear. Doesn't mean 00:11:41.139 --> 00:11:44.559 they didn't do something terrible. But what would 00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:46.480 happen? What would happen just where we live 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:51.259 if we loved our enemies, if we blessed them, 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:55.309 if we said, God, you be the judge? If we were 00:11:55.309 --> 00:12:00.409 free. Well, here's the supernatural result. Is 00:12:00.409 --> 00:12:05.990 good will overcome evil. You're listening to 00:12:05.990 --> 00:12:08.629 Living on the Edge. And Chip Ingram will continue 00:12:08.629 --> 00:12:11.850 today's program in just a minute. Today's message 00:12:11.850 --> 00:12:14.409 is part of Chip's series, God's Dream for Your 00:12:14.409 --> 00:12:18.049 Life. And you can hear it anytime at livingontheedge 00:12:18.049 --> 00:12:21.169 .org. Whether you want to revisit what you've 00:12:21.169 --> 00:12:23.909 heard today or pass it along to a friend, this 00:12:23.909 --> 00:12:26.610 message and hundreds more are available online. 00:12:27.409 --> 00:12:30.370 You'll also find small group resources and opportunities 00:12:30.370 --> 00:12:33.190 to help you live out God's dream for your life. 00:12:33.450 --> 00:12:37.809 It's all there at livingontheedge .org. Well, 00:12:37.809 --> 00:12:40.110 now here's Chip. Now, I realize that what I've 00:12:40.110 --> 00:12:43.990 said so far for some of you is there's still 00:12:43.990 --> 00:12:46.950 a little bit of a, you don't really understand. 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:50.600 You can't possibly grasp what I've been through. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:54.460 And you know what? I don't. But some lessons 00:12:54.460 --> 00:12:57.740 you learn later in life and some early. And this 00:12:57.740 --> 00:13:01.460 lesson I learned as a very young Christian in 00:13:01.460 --> 00:13:04.899 a powerful way that shaped my future. I came 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:07.600 to Christ in the summer right after high school. 00:13:08.179 --> 00:13:10.419 I went away to play basketball on a basketball 00:13:10.419 --> 00:13:13.860 scholarship. I was a freshman, and if you could 00:13:13.860 --> 00:13:15.379 do pretty well, you could make the traveling 00:13:15.379 --> 00:13:19.129 team. A guy came in. It was supposed to be the 00:13:19.129 --> 00:13:22.629 big hero. Came from inner city, New York. He'd 00:13:22.629 --> 00:13:25.029 grew up in the projects. He'd been to Vietnam. 00:13:25.509 --> 00:13:28.049 He'd been in prison some. He was supposed to 00:13:28.049 --> 00:13:30.690 be this rehabilitated drug addict and drug dealer. 00:13:31.009 --> 00:13:32.850 And the reason he came, I played at a smaller 00:13:32.850 --> 00:13:35.250 school. The reason he came to our school was 00:13:35.250 --> 00:13:37.809 because his nervous system was kind of damaged. 00:13:37.850 --> 00:13:39.870 His reflexes were just, I mean, they weren't 00:13:39.870 --> 00:13:41.429 terrible, but they just weren't all that good. 00:13:41.610 --> 00:13:44.309 He had a 40 -inch vertical leaping. It was about 00:13:44.309 --> 00:13:47.740 6 '7", 6 '8". I mean, there's times where I thought, 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:49.679 man, that guy's going to just knock his head 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:53.659 on the rim. And so something happened in his 00:13:53.659 --> 00:13:55.279 life. I don't know if it was Vietnam. I don't 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:58.139 know if it was upbringing. But he hated Christians. 00:13:58.340 --> 00:14:00.840 I don't mean he disliked or had a, he hated Christians. 00:14:01.340 --> 00:14:03.500 And I'm like six months old in the Lord, okay? 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:06.200 I mean, we're in basketball season now. I'm just 00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:08.220 brand new. I'm just reading my Bible in the morning. 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:09.779 I haven't even made it all the way through the 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:11.940 New Testament. But I've decided I'm gonna, you 00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:14.419 know, this is, he's my savior. I'm gonna walk 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:18.000 with him. So this guy finds out I'm a Christian, 00:14:18.100 --> 00:14:20.559 and he starts, he knew a little bit of the Bible, 00:14:20.659 --> 00:14:23.419 and he would quiz me on that. And then it got 00:14:23.419 --> 00:14:25.379 to just humiliation. If you've ever been in a 00:14:25.379 --> 00:14:27.759 locker room, you know what guys talk about and 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:30.879 all that. And he liked to say my name in a way 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:38.399 that sounded like a cuss word. Chip. Chip. Come 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:41.799 here. That's the way he talked to me. And then 00:14:41.799 --> 00:14:43.940 it was, I became, when you're a freshman, you 00:14:43.940 --> 00:14:46.120 have to do whatever the older guys. So I kind 00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:49.039 of became his slave. So it was like, put my bag 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:50.940 on the bus. And then I'd come back. You know 00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:53.639 what? I want my one shoe out of that. I'd go 00:14:53.639 --> 00:14:55.539 back, get the shoe. I don't really want that 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:57.539 shoe. And he would just mess with me. And at 00:14:57.539 --> 00:15:00.139 the training table, go get me a Coke. Get me 00:15:00.139 --> 00:15:02.539 a second helping of meat. And then he would just 00:15:02.539 --> 00:15:04.279 ridicule. Like the coach would walk out the door 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:06.220 like before he goes, hey, we got a big game. 00:15:06.259 --> 00:15:08.179 I wonder if this skinny little white virgin is 00:15:08.179 --> 00:15:09.399 going to be helpful. You know how them Christians 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:13.690 are. And guys, multiply 10x what I just said 00:15:13.690 --> 00:15:16.169 and you'll get to where we really lived. And 00:15:16.169 --> 00:15:20.429 I hated his guts. And so my answer was, my hero 00:15:20.429 --> 00:15:22.210 was Pete Maravich. And so I did all those drills 00:15:22.210 --> 00:15:24.330 for years and years and years and could handle 00:15:24.330 --> 00:15:27.149 the ball. And so in warmups and things, behind 00:15:27.149 --> 00:15:29.190 the back as hard as I could because I knew his 00:15:29.190 --> 00:15:31.549 reflexes weren't very good. Bam, right through 00:15:31.549 --> 00:15:34.259 his hands and to his face. You know, and then 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:35.980 I'd be on the break and I'd slam one through 00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:37.600 my legs and I'd watch it come right up and the 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:39.820 coach would yell at him and, you know, no look 00:15:39.820 --> 00:15:42.980 pass. You know, it was really fun. Because, you 00:15:42.980 --> 00:15:45.940 know, and he was humongous. I mean, I hated him 00:15:45.940 --> 00:15:48.879 so much that, I mean, honestly, I would have 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:53.720 done this like, hey, Jerry, come on. You want 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:56.419 some of this? But it was like, it would be like 00:15:56.419 --> 00:16:01.080 a three -second moment. And I'm smarter than 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:04.820 that. I mean, he... So, let me finish the story, 00:16:04.980 --> 00:16:07.059 because there's a major point where I learned 00:16:07.059 --> 00:16:09.620 about this passage, because it gets real serious. 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:14.379 I'm coming in from the gym, and here is a room, 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:17.480 and across the hall from mine, and I just cross 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:19.100 to get to mine, and the door's a little bit open, 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:21.159 and there's all this smoke, you know, greenish 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:22.899 -blue smoke coming out of it. Everyone's smoking 00:16:22.899 --> 00:16:27.279 dope, and he's in there. Well, if he gets caught 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:31.139 even smoking grass, he's on probation. He'll 00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:33.899 go back to prison. And I didn't think of that, 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:35.840 but I just walked by, and I was unlocking my 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:38.120 door, and I felt this on the back of me, and 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:39.799 he turned me around, and he grabbed me underneath 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:42.220 the neck, and he lifted me up against the wall 00:16:42.220 --> 00:16:45.919 so I could be up where he is. And he got about 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:48.679 this close to me and said, if you tell anyone 00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:53.299 what you just saw, I will kill you. And I've 00:16:53.299 --> 00:16:55.340 killed a lot of people, and it's not that big 00:16:55.340 --> 00:17:00.370 a deal. Do you understand? And you know, I'm 00:17:00.370 --> 00:17:02.210 18 years old. I just came to play basketball 00:17:02.210 --> 00:17:05.690 in college. And I'm scared to death because there 00:17:05.690 --> 00:17:10.009 was no bluff in this guy. And I started getting 00:17:10.009 --> 00:17:12.390 like ulcers in my stomach and I couldn't sleep 00:17:12.390 --> 00:17:15.809 at night. And I had anger fantasies. I had, you 00:17:15.809 --> 00:17:19.670 know, I mean anger like really bad. You know, 00:17:19.690 --> 00:17:21.609 like doing something that you would regret the 00:17:21.609 --> 00:17:24.329 rest of your life. And it dominated my life. 00:17:24.410 --> 00:17:28.089 And I went to my... There was a guy that was 00:17:28.089 --> 00:17:29.930 making disciples, and I was in a Bible study, 00:17:30.069 --> 00:17:32.750 and I just shared the whole story. He said, do 00:17:32.750 --> 00:17:35.170 you want help? I said, are you kidding? Yeah. 00:17:35.869 --> 00:17:37.569 He says, well, what I'm going to tell you is 00:17:37.569 --> 00:17:40.210 really hard, but I guarantee it'll work. I said, 00:17:40.210 --> 00:17:43.109 man, I'll take anything. He grabbed a Bible. 00:17:43.690 --> 00:17:47.009 He opened to Romans 12. He read verses 14 to 00:17:47.009 --> 00:17:49.390 21, and he explained what I just explained to 00:17:49.390 --> 00:17:53.809 you. And I looked at him like, are you on drugs? 00:17:55.069 --> 00:17:57.849 Bless this guy. I want to shoot him. I said, 00:17:57.990 --> 00:18:00.430 you said you're willing. And he said, it's not 00:18:00.430 --> 00:18:03.450 a feeling, it's a choice. So at this table right 00:18:03.450 --> 00:18:06.349 now, you need to forgive him. Because God wants 00:18:06.349 --> 00:18:08.569 to forgive him. I said, I don't think God, okay, 00:18:08.650 --> 00:18:10.089 yeah, okay, I'm sure God really does want to 00:18:10.089 --> 00:18:13.250 forgive him. I just don't. And I willfully chose 00:18:13.250 --> 00:18:16.549 to forgive him. And he says, now you need to 00:18:16.549 --> 00:18:19.049 bless him. So I prayed for him every day. And 00:18:19.049 --> 00:18:21.750 then Jerry, for the next four months of our season, 00:18:21.849 --> 00:18:24.349 never had to ask for anything. Because I got 00:18:24.349 --> 00:18:26.920 his back. Jerry, you want this on the bus? Jerry, 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:29.079 you need anything else? Jerry, need another Coke? 00:18:29.700 --> 00:18:32.480 Hey, what can I do for you, Jerry? I mean, I'm 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:35.019 here for you. When he would go in the shower, 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:37.119 all his dirty clothes, you had to put them in 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:39.319 this mesh bag, and I took all the sweaty stuff, 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:41.400 gave them to the trainer, took his clothes, folded 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:43.119 them, put his shoes next to it. Didn't say a 00:18:43.119 --> 00:18:46.380 word. I just blessed him and blessed him and 00:18:46.380 --> 00:18:47.880 blessed him and blessed him, and when he said 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:51.299 stuff to me, I just, by the grace of God, I didn't 00:18:51.299 --> 00:18:54.140 say anything back. No more behind -the -back 00:18:54.140 --> 00:18:57.259 passes. No more no -look passes. Jerry, good 00:18:57.259 --> 00:18:59.319 shot. And after, you know, like after a month 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:01.920 or so, he's going, you trying some Christian 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:05.380 trick on me? I said, no, I'm just, you know, 00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:08.460 Jesus said that I'm to love everybody, and I'm 00:19:08.460 --> 00:19:14.160 just doing my best. Chip. Disgust. Well, I'd 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:15.920 like to say, you know, this is one of those stories 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:18.539 where two and a half months in, he walked into 00:19:18.539 --> 00:19:20.579 the locker room, knelt down, oh, Jesus, please 00:19:20.579 --> 00:19:23.750 forgive me. That story ain't going there. Okay, 00:19:23.809 --> 00:19:27.369 because that's not this story. Two months, three 00:19:27.369 --> 00:19:30.849 months, nothing changed. He just ridiculed me 00:19:30.849 --> 00:19:33.569 all the time, except one thing. About a month 00:19:33.569 --> 00:19:38.730 into it, I changed. My hate was gone. My fear 00:19:38.730 --> 00:19:42.910 was gone. I got out of prison. I actually saw 00:19:42.910 --> 00:19:45.829 a wonder. I mean, this guy was brilliant. He 00:19:45.829 --> 00:19:47.990 used to wear this skull cap. He was an amazing 00:19:47.990 --> 00:19:50.829 artist. And I actually got to where I could say, 00:19:50.910 --> 00:19:54.410 I wonder what happened to this young man, where 00:19:54.410 --> 00:19:56.710 he came from and where he's been. He'd take his 00:19:56.710 --> 00:19:58.390 shirt off. He had a scar that went from here 00:19:58.390 --> 00:20:02.529 all the way around to here. I had no idea what 00:20:02.529 --> 00:20:04.890 he'd been through. And I had no idea how other 00:20:04.890 --> 00:20:06.950 Christians treated him. All I knew is I got to 00:20:06.950 --> 00:20:13.089 the point where I actually cared about him. Why? 00:20:14.349 --> 00:20:18.210 I blessed him. I prayed for him. I did good. 00:20:19.069 --> 00:20:21.369 And when you do that, God does something in you. 00:20:22.730 --> 00:20:24.769 We closed the season, and we always closed with 00:20:24.769 --> 00:20:27.309 a big tournament in a major city and a big coliseum, 00:20:27.309 --> 00:20:29.190 and all the teams in our conference would come, 00:20:29.250 --> 00:20:31.730 and you'd play a bunch of games. And we were 00:20:31.730 --> 00:20:33.529 eliminated, and I mean, you've got to remember, 00:20:33.609 --> 00:20:39.789 this is like mid-'70s, and so it's Jerry and 00:20:39.789 --> 00:20:41.869 I, you know, I'm only six foot tall, so I've 00:20:41.869 --> 00:20:44.529 got my platforms and my... blue leather jacket 00:20:44.529 --> 00:20:46.230 and my apple hat. And, you know, I'm sort of 00:20:46.230 --> 00:20:48.309 strutting. And Jerry is, you know, he's like 00:20:48.309 --> 00:20:50.450 6 '7", 6 '8". So he's got his platforms and his 00:20:50.450 --> 00:20:53.170 fro and his hat. So he's like 7 '2", you know. 00:20:53.269 --> 00:20:55.150 So this was just the world we lived in. And, 00:20:55.150 --> 00:20:57.210 you know, it was real windy. And I remember him, 00:20:57.250 --> 00:20:59.329 I just, you know, those images in your mind sometimes. 00:20:59.650 --> 00:21:02.250 I remember him taking his leather coat because 00:21:02.250 --> 00:21:05.089 it was windy and put it up here. He turned to 00:21:05.089 --> 00:21:11.450 me, he goes, Chip. I said, yeah. He said, you 00:21:11.450 --> 00:21:13.769 know, there's only two people I respect. And 00:21:13.769 --> 00:21:16.089 this whole team, I've been messing with these 00:21:16.089 --> 00:21:19.410 guys' minds. They are so punks. He said, me, 00:21:19.609 --> 00:21:22.269 because I am evil and I know it. And if there's 00:21:22.269 --> 00:21:27.890 a hell, I'm going there. And you, because I disagree 00:21:27.890 --> 00:21:31.430 with everything you stand for, but you actually 00:21:31.430 --> 00:21:35.650 live it. And I would never, ever want to be a 00:21:35.650 --> 00:21:39.509 Christian. But if I ever even thought about it, 00:21:39.549 --> 00:21:43.619 I'd be one like you. And he said, you know what? 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:46.619 I'm done with you. It's no fun to diss you anymore. 00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:55.279 So you're done, kid. Get out of here. And here's 00:21:55.279 --> 00:22:00.640 what I want to tell you. God wants you to love 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:04.960 your enemies for your good and for his glory. 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:10.720 This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:13.339 Today we learned what it actually looks like 00:22:13.339 --> 00:22:16.900 to love an enemy, not as a theory, but as a daily 00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:19.940 choice that costs something. And Chip's conclusion 00:22:19.940 --> 00:22:22.859 says it all. God wants you to love your enemies 00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:26.619 for your good and for his glory. That's the heart 00:22:26.619 --> 00:22:29.519 of God's dream for your life. If today's message 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:31.900 is one you want to come back to or pass along 00:22:31.900 --> 00:22:34.180 to someone who's in the middle of a painful situation, 00:22:34.680 --> 00:22:38.839 you'll find it anytime at livingontheedge .org. 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:42.400 For over 30 years, Living on the Edge has been 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:45.460 committed to one mission, helping believers understand 00:22:45.460 --> 00:22:48.740 what it truly means to follow Jesus. Not religious 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:51.799 activity, not trying harder, but relational, 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:55.140 practical, measurable Christianity that transforms 00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:58.779 every area of life. Teaching like this reaches 00:22:58.779 --> 00:23:01.460 people every single day because listeners choose 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:04.660 to support this ministry. If Living on the Edge 00:23:04.660 --> 00:23:06.859 has been a source of growth and encouragement 00:23:06.859 --> 00:23:09.779 for you, we'd be so grateful for your partnership. 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:13.079 Would you join this mission today? Give online 00:23:13.079 --> 00:23:17.940 at livingontheedge .org or call us at 888 -333 00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:22.119 -6003. You can also mail your gift to Living 00:23:22.119 --> 00:23:26.099 on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 00:23:26.339 --> 00:23:30.349 30024. And if you haven't already, subscribe 00:23:30.349 --> 00:23:33.269 to the Living on the Edge podcast and check out 00:23:33.269 --> 00:23:36.109 the new Chip Ingram sermon podcast featuring 00:23:36.109 --> 00:23:39.269 Chip's complete unedited messages just as he 00:23:39.269 --> 00:23:41.829 originally preached them. Subscribe wherever 00:23:41.829 --> 00:23:45.369 you listen. Now, a final question for Chip. In 00:23:45.369 --> 00:23:47.849 light of all we've heard today, how do we as 00:23:47.849 --> 00:23:50.730 the church respond to all the injustice we see 00:23:50.730 --> 00:23:54.099 in the world? We, as the church, need to be not 00:23:54.099 --> 00:23:57.839 doormats, but we have to give good for evil. 00:23:57.960 --> 00:24:02.099 We have to follow what Jesus commanded us, what 00:24:02.099 --> 00:24:05.299 Paul tells us here. And by giving people what 00:24:05.299 --> 00:24:07.160 they don't deserve and the power of the Holy 00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:10.019 Spirit to bless them, to pray for them, to actually 00:24:10.019 --> 00:24:13.440 do good for those that persecute, who hurt us, 00:24:13.500 --> 00:24:16.960 that's how injustice gets solved. My prayer. 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:20.980 is that literally tens of thousands of the Living 00:24:20.980 --> 00:24:23.579 on the Edge family will dig into this series, 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:26.839 share it with others, do it as a small group, 00:24:26.980 --> 00:24:30.599 and say, we are going to be the kind of people 00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:34.420 that are just like Jesus. Father, forgive them. 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:37.480 They know not what they do. And we will do good 00:24:37.480 --> 00:24:41.740 in his power because good is more powerful than 00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:45.559 evil. Amen. Let's do it together. I'm Dave Drewy, 00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:47.599 and we'll continue with more practical, insightful 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:50.500 Bible teaching on the next weekend edition of 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:56.420 Living on the Edge. Today's program is produced 00:24:56.420 --> 00:24:58.660 and sponsored by Living on the Edge.