1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,800 You're listening to the Bridgetown Church Podcast with 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Pastor Casey Kendall, where our vision is Jesus, our mission is 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,760 people, and our cause is love. Thanks for tuning in. 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:13,880 Let's dive in. Good morning, church, So 5 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,360 thankful for you all. It was about a year ago that 6 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:18,880 Kate and I walked through those doors and we were embraced by 7 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,960 the hospitality team and the members of this church. 8 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:26,480 There it is. I'm a little taller than Casey, 9 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:33,800 so yeah. So Kate and I, my beautiful 10 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,880 girlfriend, we've been coming to the church for about a year now. 11 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:41,200 Pastor Casey has been beat, has been meeting with me throughout 12 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:45,040 that time and, and been working with me, discipling me and, and 13 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:47,040 forming me to look more like Christ. 14 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,120 And part of that is I'm pursuing my bachelor's degree at Life 15 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,480 Pacific University in ministry with a minor in biblical 16 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:56,480 studies. And yeah, God has put on my 17 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:01,120 heart a desire to share his word and, yeah, to love his people. 18 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:07,080 And so, yeah, time to preach now that Pastor Casey and I have 19 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,360 finished our book together. Originally a little nervous, but 20 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:14,680 I'm so thankful to have a pastor who's behind us and behind me. 21 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,080 And so, yeah, I'm thankful for you all. 22 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,800 So as you know, we've been going through the book of Second 23 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,960 Samuel together as a church, and we'll continue that today in 24 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:27,240 Chapter 3. But first, I want to open with a 25 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:30,080 question to you all. Have you ever felt betrayed? 26 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:35,320 Well, King David has King David give, King David gives us a 27 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:39,040 practical example of how we can respond to revenge. 28 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,560 So just to give everyone some context for today's message, I 29 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,520 want to recap the story of Second Samuel up until this 30 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:48,720 point. And I know Chris shared last 31 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,360 week about fasting to prepare us for our fast this week as a 32 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:53,320 church. And the week before that, Pastor 33 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:57,360 Casey shared a big chunk of scripture in Second Samuel. 34 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,000 And I just want to make sure everyone's on the same page so 35 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,080 that way we can track with today's message. 36 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:06,360 So Pastor Casey gave a character guide a couple of weeks ago to 37 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,960 kind of help us understand the characters, remember them. 38 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:14,360 They're not always names that we're familiar with, and so I'm 39 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:16,760 going to go over that one more time so that way we can track 40 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:18,720 with the story. So for those of you taking 41 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,640 notes, I'll go over this list a little slower so you can write 42 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:25,480 it down to help you remember. So first, our main character is 43 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:27,760 the easiest one to remember, and that's King David, right? 44 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:31,040 So King David is the newly appointed king at this point, 45 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,160 and he's only king over one of the 12 tribes of Israel. 46 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,280 Next, we have Ishibashef. Ishibashef is the newly 47 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,760 appointed king over the other 11 tribes. 48 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:46,520 Ishibashef is Saul's son. So after we have Shiba chef, we 49 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:50,040 have David over here, right? And we have Joab. 50 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,800 Now Joab is David's main general, and he's also David's 51 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:58,560 nephew, and so they're related. Then we have Shiba Chef's main 52 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:03,080 general, Abner. Abner is also Saul's cousin. 53 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:06,080 And so we have these contrasting generals. 54 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:10,640 We have Joab and we have Abner. And then another key and 55 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:12,920 important character in the story is Ashayel. 56 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,160 Now, if you guys can remember, a few weeks back, Ashayel is 57 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,280 Joab's brother, who's also still David's nephew. 58 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:23,040 So now that we understand our characters and we're reminded of 59 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,600 them again, we have a little more context for how to help us 60 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,440 understand the story. So just to remind you all, Saul 61 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,760 dies at the beginning of First Samuel, and it sets the stage 62 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:38,720 for Second Samuel. So basically Saul is is ends up 63 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,080 falling on his own sword, right? And then a man comes and he 64 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,920 finds Saul dying and Saul asks for him to kill him. 65 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,800 And then this servant or this man, he kills Saul, goes back, 66 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,440 tells David what's happened, and then David ends up killing the 67 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:58,600 that man as punishment. So after this happens, David 68 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:04,240 goes to Huron and Judah and then Abner makes a Shiba chef king. 69 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:05,640 And that's that's really important to note. 70 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,480 So we have Abner, the general appoints a king. 71 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,000 After that, a civil war breaks out between the two tribes and 72 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,279 the begin to fight. During the civil war, there's a 73 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:21,440 battle where Ashayel, the brother of David's general Joab, 74 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:26,000 David's nephew, ends up being accidentally killed by Abner, 75 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:30,720 the general over there. So these armies continue to 76 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,040 fight, and David's army grows in strength while Saul's army grows 77 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,840 weaker. Abner and Ashishev get into a 78 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:42,440 fight, they argue. Abner, the general of Saul's 79 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,680 army, decides I've had enough, I'm going to go over to David's 80 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:50,000 and he's going to reunite Israel under David's leadership. 81 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,560 So the war almost ends with Abner's desertion. 82 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:58,680 But last or two weeks ago when Pastor Casey was preaching, Joe 83 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:02,720 AB ends up killing Abner out of revenge because of the death and 84 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,520 the murder of his, not the murder, the killing of his 85 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:09,720 brother Ashayel. So and that sets the stage for 86 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:14,000 today's text. So Joe AB takes revenge for his 87 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:15,640 brother's death by killing Abner. 88 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:21,280 The title of today's message is response to revenge. 89 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,360 We'll look at the text and see how we should respond to 90 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,240 revenge. So if you guys would join me in 91 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:31,560 looking at the verses in Second Samuel chapter 3, we'll start in 92 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:35,840 verse 31. Verse 31 says. 93 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:40,360 Then David said to Joab and all the people who are with him, 94 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:45,160 Tear your clothes, gird yourself with sackcloth, and mourn for 95 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,160 Abner. And King David followed the 96 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,600 coffin. So they buried Abner in Huron. 97 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:55,080 And the king lifted up his voice, and he wept at the grave 98 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,480 of Abner. And all the people wept. 99 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:02,320 The King's saying lament over Abner, and said, should Abner 100 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:06,240 die as a fool dies? Your hands were not bound, nor 101 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,920 your feet put in fetters. As a man falls before wicked 102 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:14,080 men, so you fell. And the people went wept over 103 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:19,440 him again, verse 35 says. And when all the people came to 104 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:23,720 persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an 105 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:29,800 oath saying, God do so to me and more also if I taste bread or 106 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,200 anything else until the sun goes down. 107 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,200 Now all of the people took note of it, and it pleased them, 108 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:40,280 since whatever the king did please the people, for all the 109 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:43,600 people. And all Israel understood that 110 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,520 day that it did not been the King's intent to kill Abner, the 111 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:51,200 son of Nur. And then the king said to his 112 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,920 servants, Do you not know that a Prince and a great man has 113 00:06:55,920 --> 00:07:01,720 fallen this day in Israel? David says I am weak today, 114 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:06,840 though anointed king, these men, the sons of Zariah, are too 115 00:07:06,840 --> 00:07:09,920 harsh for me. The Lord shall repay the 116 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,360 evildoer according to his wickedness. 117 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:16,720 Let's pray together. Dear God. 118 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:21,520 Lord, I thank you for your word. Lord, I thank you for just the 119 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:23,400 people of this church. Lord, I thank you for your 120 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:27,880 spirit that dwells within us. God, ultimately, I pray that as 121 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,480 I speak today, Lord, as I speak about your word and the things 122 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,600 that have happened, Lord, I pray ultimately that it would be your 123 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:37,120 words out of my mouth, Lord, that it would be your plans, 124 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:41,880 Father, that, that my agenda, my intentions, whatever would not 125 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:45,400 be what's what's heard today or what's listen to God, but it'll, 126 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:47,800 it would ultimately be the things that you've desired for 127 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,880 us. Father, I thank you for Pastor 128 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,280 Casey, I thank you for for the Kendall family. 129 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:57,800 Lord, I thank you for just being ascending church. 130 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,960 God I I bless the people of Bridgetown today, Lord, and I 131 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:04,360 pray that yeah, you just speak through me. 132 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:06,240 Jesus, in your name we pray. Amen. 133 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:07,480 Amen. Amen. 134 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:12,200 All right, so revenge is a really relatable topic. 135 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:16,400 The people are people have been captivated by the idea or story 136 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:20,760 of revenge for all of time. Great stories of revenge are 137 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:22,440 shown in movies and stories alike. 138 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:25,120 Like Chris was talking about movies last week. 139 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:29,080 I also love movies and I don't know if you've seen movies like 140 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:33,520 Gladiator or The Princess Bride or John Wick. 141 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:38,600 John Wick 2, John Wick Three, Jonah 4, or even stories like 142 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:42,480 Hamlet and Othello are are really rooted in revenge. 143 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,960 So even the Marvel heroes, The Avengers are driven and 144 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:51,600 motivated by vengeance. You see, I loved Marvel as a kid 145 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,200 and I remember being 8 years old in 2012. 146 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,920 I'm 21, Pastor Casey is 51, and I'm showing my age a little bit 147 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:04,040 here, but I remember being so excited to go and see the new 148 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:07,600 Avengers movie in theaters. It was my birthday and I got to 149 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:09,440 go see it with my family and my friends. 150 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:12,480 I was so excited to see my favorite heroes like Captain 151 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,400 America and Iron Man and Hulk and Thor. 152 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:19,440 I would park myself in front of my TV every Saturday to watch 153 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:24,560 the cartoons, but 8 year old me was particularly captivated by 154 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:28,840 the fight for justice and I was moved by 1 scene in the movie. 155 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:32,840 So The Avengers, to give a little context, they're fighting 156 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:34,680 one another, they just aren't getting along. 157 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:39,040 And then there's this agent that kind of gets them all together, 158 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:43,040 Agent Phil Coulson, and he ends up being killed by the villain 159 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,840 Loki. Now, The Avengers, they really 160 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:49,280 felt his loss, and they found the strength and courage to 161 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:52,120 fight the villain Loki together after this moment. 162 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,840 So The Avengers were actually motivated by the death of Agent 163 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:01,680 Phil Coulson. So revenge really grips us as 164 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:04,560 people, You know, we're captivated by the stories of 165 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:07,920 revenge. And the reason why revenge is so 166 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:10,520 captivating is because we feel that there should be 167 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:12,800 consequences for bad actions, right? 168 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,320 You know, like, I don't know about you guys, but when someone 169 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,720 cuts me off on the freeway, my initial like gut reaction is 170 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:20,760 like, they need to know that they've done wrong to me and 171 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,360 they need to pay for it. You know, like I'm I'm going to 172 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:25,760 lean on my horn. I'm not going to, I want to lean 173 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:27,560 on my horn. I want to cut around them. 174 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:30,120 You know, I want to like drive up next to him and give him one 175 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:33,520 of the who's driving that car, You know, like that's my initial 176 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,160 response. And and who knows, maybe that's 177 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:42,360 just me, but maybe you're cut off from the freeway. 178 00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:44,960 Maybe someone lied to get a promotion that you should have 179 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:47,400 gotten. Maybe you've been cheated on. 180 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,400 Maybe someone stole from you. You know, maybe your name was 181 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:54,240 tarnished and you decided to fire back and drag someone 182 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,800 else's name through the mud. The reality is that betrayal is 183 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:01,120 heartbreaking, and this is something that everyone 184 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,040 struggles with. You know, I know countless times 185 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:06,880 when I've decided I need to take justice in my own hands. 186 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:11,160 I need to make sure the person in front of me knows that they 187 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:16,480 did something wrong and that it's my job to make things 188 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:18,440 right. And that's the thing. 189 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,320 The world will applaud you for taking revenge. 190 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:25,480 Like John Wick getting revenge for his puppy, or like Maximus 191 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:29,640 Decimus Meridius, you know, revenging his wife and his son. 192 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:34,720 The world provides a different solution to the problem of 193 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:39,200 revenge than the Bible does. You see, the world says to get 194 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:41,840 even with them. The world says to take the law 195 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:45,320 into your own hands. The world says to fight fire 196 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,120 with fire, to give them what they deserve. 197 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:51,560 Meanwhile, the Bible tells us something different. 198 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,640 The Bible tells us the Bible describes revenge differently 199 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:59,560 than the world does. In Second Samuel chapter 2, 200 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:05,120 verse 26, Abner is being pursued by Joab and this is during this 201 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:08,800 big battle in which Abner accidentally kills Ashayel. 202 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:12,800 And so after this Joab is in pursuit of Abner because he 203 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:19,280 wants him dead and Ashayel. After Ashayel is killed, Abner 204 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:23,440 recognizes how destructive revenge truly is, and he says to 205 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,800 him, he says to Joab in verse 26 of chapter 2. 206 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:32,920 Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize that this will 207 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:37,080 end in bitterness? How long before you order your 208 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:40,280 men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites? 209 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:48,240 Must the sword devour forever? Abner recognizes the cycle that 210 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:53,120 vengeance produces, killing and more killing and more killing. 211 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:57,760 The sword is in charge, so revenge also leads to bitterness 212 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:01,880 as described here. Abner recognizes the cycle and 213 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:03,280 that's why he calls for it to stop. 214 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:07,920 Joab eventually relents and decides to take his men back and 215 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:09,720 the army split apart for some time. 216 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:17,480 And even in Deuteronomy 32 verse 35, God says it is mine to 217 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:19,120 avenge. I will repay. 218 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:24,160 In Deuteronomy, we can see what the Bible says about revenge. 219 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:28,560 Taking revenge on our part removes God from His rightful 220 00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:32,320 place. It places us in there instead. 221 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:36,920 Something really crucial to note about this passage is that God 222 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:40,640 doesn't say revenge is wrong. He just wants us to put it into 223 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:45,120 his hands. So in the Old Testament, God 224 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,000 expects his justice to be enacted through his people. 225 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:51,840 And so we may think that it's confusing when we hear that 226 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:55,560 justice is the Lord's and then all the sudden you're told in 227 00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:58,080 the Old Testament law like, hey, when this happens, you're 228 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:00,280 supposed to kill that person. And I just want to clear 229 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:05,720 something up really quickly that God does command to kill in the 230 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,560 Old Testament law under certain circumstances. 231 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:13,440 But ultimately, in this case, vengeance is by God's rules and 232 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:16,680 not our own. And so the vengeance is still in 233 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:20,680 God's hands. And This is why Paul writes in 234 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:24,800 Romans, beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give 235 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:27,840 place to wrath. For it is written, vengeance is 236 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:29,880 mine. I will repay, says the Lord. 237 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,760 You see, an absence of a reaction on our part doesn't 238 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:37,080 mean justice won't happen. And I think that's that's the 239 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,680 thing that's frustrating when you're cut off on the freeway, 240 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:42,800 you know, or you're lied to or whatever is you feel like if I 241 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,800 don't do something right now, they'll never know they're wrong 242 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:47,960 and they'll never pay for what they've done. 243 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:50,000 The Bible tells us that's not true. 244 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:55,000 God's in charge. If we believe God to be just, as 245 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,880 Christians we believe God is just. 246 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:00,600 That means we can trust God with vengeance or with justice and 247 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:03,880 vengeance and free ourselves from this burden of judgement. 248 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:09,240 So as we look again at the story in Second Samuel chapter 3, we 249 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,680 can see that Joab felt he needed to take justice into his own 250 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:15,800 hands. You see, Joab ignores 251 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,000 leadership. He acts foolishly. 252 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:24,000 He reacts out of vengeance and he also, he hurts the people he 253 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,840 works to protect. You see, Abner was about to 254 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:32,760 reconnect all of Israel. And if Joab is really on David's 255 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:35,880 team, if he's really on his side, he would have rejoiced at 256 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:38,240 the thought that there would be no more killing between him and 257 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:41,840 his fellow Israelites. You see, Jobs action of 258 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:46,320 vengeance harms not only himself, but also David and his 259 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:50,000 Kingdom. And that is where this passage 260 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,240 leaves us. So Joab acts rashly and David 261 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:57,960 shows his response to revenge. And that is the main question 262 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:02,760 that I asked myself when I read this story is how do I respond 263 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:07,840 how God wants me to when I'm wronged, not how the world wants 264 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:11,840 me to respond. And so first and foremost, I 265 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,760 want to point out a critical piece and how we should respond 266 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:18,800 to revenge. You see, in this passage, Joab 267 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:21,760 is murdered. Like, boom, I mean, not Job 268 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,080 Abner is murdered. Joab murders Abner in cold 269 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:27,120 blood. And I think it's really 270 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:29,800 important to note that the biblical response to murder in 271 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:34,760 this passage is mourning. When David's friend Jonathan was 272 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,720 killed, he mourned in in Second Samuel chapter 1. 273 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:43,160 But also, when David's enemy, Abner was killed, he mourned. 274 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:47,040 You see, David had been fighting a brutal war against Saul and 275 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:48,720 his army for quite some time now. 276 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,400 Saul persecuted David for over 10 years. 277 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:56,800 Abner, the cousin of Saul, he was the general of Saul's army. 278 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,760 More than that, Abner was a puppet master. 279 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:03,760 After Saul's death, he's the one who appoints A Shibashet king 280 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:08,800 over Saul's house. And so he installed a Shibashet 281 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,800 king so he could manipulate him so he could be in charge. 282 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:17,240 You see, the main opposition between David and and the throne 283 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,200 at this point in the whole Kingdom of Israel is Abner. 284 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:25,520 Abner is the one in charge. So if there's anyone David had a 285 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:29,080 right to call an enemy, it was Abner. 286 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:34,200 But this makes his response so powerful because instead of 287 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,720 rejoicing at the death of his enemy and military mind behind 288 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:40,640 Saul's army, David mourns his death. 289 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:46,680 You see, in verse 31, it says, then David said to Joab and to 290 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:50,440 all the people who are with him, tear your clothes and gird 291 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:53,320 yourself with sackcloth and mourn for Abner. 292 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:57,520 And King David followed the coffin, you see. 293 00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:00,000 David took on the burden of mourning for Abner. 294 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:04,320 It's important to note that David took on the role of chief 295 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:09,040 mourner within Hebrew tradition. You see, the chief mourner in 296 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:11,360 Hebrew culture was typically the next of kin. 297 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:14,800 It would have been family. And so by stepping into this 298 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:18,760 role, David steps into a radical role of adoption, of bringing 299 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:22,920 Abner into his family. David also assumed 300 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:26,760 responsibility as he took on the burden of mourning for Abner. 301 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:33,960 This would have been so powerful at the time and today and and 302 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:39,240 David restored honor to Abner by giving him a proper burial and a 303 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:42,920 mourning process. So not only was this a sign of 304 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,800 honor, but it also signals David's sincerity. 305 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:50,320 You see, if if you're king and then your greatest enemy is 306 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:55,120 killed by somebody else under your command and outside looking 307 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:58,480 as on from the outside looking in, you might think the king 308 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,480 just got that guy killed. And I'm sure that's what a lot 309 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:03,160 of the Israelites were thinking at this time. 310 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:06,520 But as they see David humble himself and step behind the 311 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:10,080 coffin to become the chief mourner, their perspective would 312 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:12,760 have changed. They would have been said 313 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:19,040 instead said, oh, David didn't have that guy killed because 314 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:24,720 look at how hurt he is by this In verse 32, it's important to 315 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:27,000 note that David doesn't bottle up his grief. 316 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:31,760 You see, David lifted up his voice and he wept at the grave 317 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,360 of Abner and all of the people wept. 318 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,280 So David showed his public or his pain publicly. 319 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,680 And it's also really important to notice that David's mourning 320 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:45,560 sparked mourning and all of the people around him. 321 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:48,680 You know, it's so easy to think that our vulnerability, our 322 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:53,920 weaknesses are are viewed negatively in today's day and 323 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:58,760 age, right? But what David's vulnerability 324 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:01,760 and David's weakness does in this story is allow others to 325 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,680 feel the same pain. So David grieves with his 326 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:09,400 community. Our grief can be seen as a 327 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:12,720 weakness in culture today, but sharing your pain and being 328 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,360 honest breaks down walls for others to mourn as well. 329 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,600 So as you can see in the text that David. 330 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:25,360 Instantly addresses Joab by saying. 331 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:29,320 Then David said to Joab and all of the people who are with him, 332 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:33,560 Tear your clothes and gird on sackcloth and lament before 333 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:35,760 Abner. You see David's immediate 334 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:39,160 response is to address the problem and that's Joab. 335 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:42,360 King David curses Joab and his descendants. 336 00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:46,720 In the previous verses. You see, David may have taken 337 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:51,160 initial steps to address the issue, but also as chief 338 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:54,200 mourner, David had more responsibility than simply 339 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:58,160 calling out Joab. While David had given honor to 340 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:01,680 Abner by mourning him, King David really only took a half 341 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,800 step towards obedience in this passage. 342 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:09,760 While it was remarkable that David would actively and 343 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:13,960 publicly mourn his enemy, David had a duty and a responsibility 344 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:18,800 to obey God's law. The Levitical law demanded that 345 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:20,640 the land was cleansed of blood guilt. 346 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:25,720 Blood guilt done by Joab. See, Abner was murdered 347 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,880 wrongfully, and David even admits to this in his lament, 348 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,520 saying, should Abner have died as the lawless die? 349 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:38,120 David also clearly knows that something must be done about 350 00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:43,360 these sons of Zariah, as he says in verse 39, and sons of Zariah 351 00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:51,000 being Joab and Ashayel was the other son of Zariah within this 352 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:54,280 story. His failure to hold Joab 353 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:58,240 accountable here foreshadows his failures later in his life. 354 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:01,720 You see, David's choice to publicly mourn and weep shows 355 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,120 his heart. David was able to convince the 356 00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:06,320 people that he did not intend for Abner to die. 357 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:12,160 This ends up helping him instill himself as the rightful king of 358 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:15,480 Israel. And David's actions are both 359 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:19,200 strategic and genuine. But at first glance, we think 360 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:20,560 like, oh, he's got it all together. 361 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:24,520 He's doing everything right. But realistically, David has a 362 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,440 responsibility to hold Joab accountable and put him to 363 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:29,480 death, and he's failing to fulfill that. 364 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:33,520 You see, David has a responsibility to kill Joab for 365 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:37,320 murdering Abner. The law dictates that David must 366 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:42,440 kill Joab for his murder. Abner's killing of Ashayel was 367 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,320 accidental and on the battlefield, whereas Joab's 368 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:48,120 killing of Abner was cold and premeditated. 369 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:52,640 You see David's inability to act eventually caught up to him. 370 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:57,400 You see in verse First Kings chapter 2, David was dying and 371 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:00,440 giving final instructions to Solomon his son. 372 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:06,120 When he says in verse 5. Now you yourself know that Joab, 373 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:11,080 the son of Zariah, did to me what he did to the two 374 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:15,240 commanders of Israel's armies, Abner, the son of Nur, and 375 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:19,040 Amasa, son of Jethro. He killed them, shedding their 376 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:23,880 blood in peacetime as if in battle, And with that blood he 377 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:27,120 stained the belt around his waist and his sandals and on his 378 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:30,440 feet. Deal with him according to your 379 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:35,960 wisdom, but do not let his Gray head go down to the grave in 380 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:40,040 peace. So David is now addressing his 381 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,880 son Solomon, who's about to take over the throne at the end of 382 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:46,720 his life. He's telling him, hey, Joab 383 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:51,200 ended up killing two commanders and he has to pay for that. 384 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:56,200 So on his deathbed, David asks his son to do what he should 385 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:58,520 have done. In this text in Second Samuel 386 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:04,920 Chapter 3, notice why Joab or why David says Joab needs to be 387 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:08,320 executed. David says for what he did to 388 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:13,160 the two commanders, but that that prompts a question because 389 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:20,560 in this text Joab is only killed Abner and as it turns out, Joab 390 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,000 eventually snuffs out the life of another man. 391 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:29,160 So David's in action in Second Samuel chapter 3 actually lead 392 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:35,200 leads to more death and chaos as a result of delayed obedience. 393 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:37,160 Another commander lost their life. 394 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,000 If this doesn't highlight the real world ramifications of a 395 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:46,520 lack of obedience and I don't know what does so that that kind 396 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,400 of leaves us a question of like why didn't why didn't David obey 397 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:52,400 then you know like if he should have just killed Job, he 398 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:55,560 probably had a reason of why not whether it was good or bad. 399 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:00,960 So some scholars believe that David did not kill Joab because 400 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,160 Job was a good general. He's good at his job. 401 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:07,400 Some scholars also believe that he didn't kill him because he 402 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:12,560 was his nephew and his family. You see, David ultimately 403 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:17,560 chooses his own security and success over obedience to God's 404 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:22,000 justice. Job was good at his job, and 405 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:23,720 David might have been afraid to lose that. 406 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:29,280 You see, David also felt fear of what may happen if he were to 407 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,240 obey God's command because of the power that Job would have 408 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:34,560 carried as the general of his army. 409 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,400 He's the one controlling the soldiers and all the people. 410 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:41,120 Killing Joab could have caused him to lose favor with the 411 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:44,680 people. Now it's important to notice all 412 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:49,120 these things about why David may have reacted this way, but this 413 00:25:49,120 --> 00:25:51,720 is not a valid excuse for disobeying God. 414 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:56,000 It gives us reasons for why he disobeyed, but it doesn't excuse 415 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:00,640 his actions. You see, David never truly 416 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:04,040 enacts justice for Abner. Instead, he's delegating 417 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:05,960 responsibility to his son Solomon. 418 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:08,680 And this is a common problem today. 419 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:13,360 It could be a Co worker who's extremely productive but treats 420 00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:16,760 people poorly and doesn't align with company standards that a 421 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:19,120 boss can't afford, feels they can't afford to fire. 422 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:24,080 For myself, the battle I face is choosing not to confront friends 423 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:26,640 with their unhealthy patterns because I don't want to lose 424 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:30,480 their friendship. We see this in Christian circles 425 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:34,160 as well. You see extreme character flaws, 426 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:38,160 violent or abusive behavior. We've seen it in the ministries 427 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:43,120 of people like Ravi Zacharias. The tragedy of Ravi Zacharias 428 00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:44,800 still stings for many of us today. 429 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,880 Now if you don't know who Ravi Zacharias was, he's a world 430 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:52,640 renowned apologist and minister. He had a global impact. 431 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:55,160 People looked up to him, they adored him. 432 00:26:56,360 --> 00:27:00,760 But Ravi also had a huge character flaw that were known 433 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:06,080 by some but were hidden to many. And ultimately Ravi was valued 434 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:09,080 for the things he produced rather than his character. 435 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:15,800 So after Ravi died, his after his death, it came out that he 436 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:20,200 was living in blatant sin while running these global ministries. 437 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:25,040 And as it turns out after an external investigation that Ravi 438 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:30,120 was confronted on multiple occasions and those who are 439 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:33,720 meant to hold them accountable, hold Ravi accountable, forced 440 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:38,040 victims to sign non disclosure accounts and remain silent on 441 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:41,080 these issues. So those close who are Ravi, 442 00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:44,440 those who are close to Ravi were more concerned with what he was 443 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:47,760 produced for them, what he was doing for them, than who he 444 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:52,760 really was. And, and, and this is so true 445 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:56,600 with the story of David and Joab, because we can't excuse a 446 00:27:56,600 --> 00:27:59,440 lack of character just because of what you produce. 447 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:04,880 So David's lack of accountability for Joab allowed 448 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:09,480 Joab to take another life. You see, one of David's greatest 449 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:11,680 struggles in life was dealing with his own family. 450 00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:14,360 So he's later going to have problems with his own children. 451 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,280 To conclude the chapter, in Second Samuel chapter 3, David 452 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:25,320 says I am weak today, thou anointed king, and these men, 453 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:27,880 the sons of Zariah are too difficult for me. 454 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:32,000 May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil. 455 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:35,880 You see, David, it's kind of admitting his limits here. 456 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:39,800 This passage shows us how relatable David really is. 457 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:44,560 David, like us, he has flaws, he makes mistakes. 458 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:51,680 David is human. So that's The thing is, is we 459 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,480 can learn from King David. We can learn from these stories 460 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:56,440 in the text. We can take from the good, we 461 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:59,920 can learn from the bad. But ultimately our life as 462 00:28:59,920 --> 00:29:02,720 Christians is not to model our lives to look like David. 463 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:07,920 David reflects and he points to a better king, and that's King 464 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:14,000 Jesus. So David fails, tries and fails 465 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:20,920 to balance mercy and justice. Our perfect King, Jesus Christ 466 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:26,200 has the ability and power to balance both mercy and justice. 467 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:31,280 You see in Matthew chapter 5 we see Jesus's response to 468 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:35,880 wrongdoing and how Jesus stops this cycle of revenge. 469 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:42,600 Jesus says in Matthew 5 verse 38, you've heard it said eye for 470 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:47,680 an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you do not resist an 471 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:51,040 evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right 472 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:53,760 cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 473 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:57,920 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over 474 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:01,080 your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one 475 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:05,600 mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks of you. 476 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,760 Do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 477 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:14,280 You see, Jesus presents a solution to the problem that 478 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:17,600 Abner sees in Second Samuel chapter 2 verse 26. 479 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:22,560 You see, Abner says to Joab, shall the sword devour forever? 480 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:25,760 Do not know that it will be bitter in the end. 481 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:32,040 Shall the sword devour forever? Abner recognizes this vicious 482 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:37,880 cycle that human revenge causes vengeance takes control of our 483 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:41,360 lives and will turn us from grace and love to more 484 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:45,520 vengeance. Revenge seeps into our hearts 485 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:50,280 and leads to bitterness, and revenge also puts us or also 486 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:53,200 makes us put ourselves where we shouldn't be. 487 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:58,880 Revenge belongs to God. As a reminder, Deuteronomy 32 488 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:02,320 verse 35 says it is mine to avenge. 489 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:07,960 I will repay, says the Lord. When we take revenge into our 490 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:10,920 own hands, we put ourselves in God's shoes. 491 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:16,320 A lack of immediate reaction on our part does not result in the 492 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:20,040 absence of justice. You say that one more time. 493 00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:25,720 A lack of immediate reaction on our part does not result in the 494 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:30,760 absence of justice. God doesn't say that there will 495 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:34,280 be no vengeance. God wants us to place him in 496 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:39,560 charge of revenge. If we believe that God is in 497 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:43,200 control of justice and righteous vengeance, how then should we 498 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:47,040 live our lives? I I say that we should turn to 499 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:50,800 Scripture for this answer. You see, Jesus says in Matthew 500 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:56,400 chapter 5 verse 43, you've heard it said, love your neighbor and 501 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:59,920 hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your 502 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:04,800 enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be 503 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:06,400 children of your Father in heaven. 504 00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:10,160 He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good. 505 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,440 He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 506 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:17,720 You see, in order to stop the cycle of revenge, we need to 507 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:21,200 change ourselves. Jesus gives a radical command in 508 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:23,800 his teaching. And Jesus also gives us 509 00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:27,120 practical applications, a practical application step to 510 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:31,560 follow in this passage. But this is where I need to be 511 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:35,320 honest with all of you. As I prepared this message and I 512 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:38,800 arrived at the conclusion that Jesus wants me to pray for those 513 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:42,720 who who persecute us, pray for those who take revenge and harm 514 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:45,680 us. I've struggled with living it 515 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:49,400 out. This past month. 516 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:53,440 I've had a situation arise with, with someone close to me that 517 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:57,640 has betrayed myself, betrayed my family and caused us great harm. 518 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:04,040 And every day that I go to pray, I find it hard to pray for them. 519 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:08,760 And every day that I go to pray, I feel the pull to pray for 520 00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:12,360 them. You see, my knowledge of 521 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:17,320 forgiveness and revenge and my experience are not always 522 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:21,160 aligned because we're not perfect people, right? 523 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:26,240 And if, if we're honest with ourselves, sometimes it's hard 524 00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:30,160 to do what God asks us to do. And that's why I can't simply 525 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:34,320 come on stage, sit up here and tell you, just forgive people 526 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:38,000 and move on. You know, because I would make 527 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:42,040 myself a hypocrite because I'm not doing that perfectly. 528 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:45,760 The reality is, it's not as easy as it seems. 529 00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:48,680 Forgiveness is challenging and can take time. 530 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:54,800 But fortunately, we have the perfect example of what it means 531 00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:58,400 to forgive. You see, we can forgive others 532 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:02,960 because we've been forgiven. Jesus Christ took on our 533 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:06,880 punishment. Jesus was beaten and mocked and 534 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:12,360 abandoned by those who we loved. Jesus, who had done no wrong, 535 00:34:12,679 --> 00:34:16,040 had every right to cast judgement on the world and 536 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:20,840 condemn us to death. Jesus sacrifices himself to 537 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:23,199 cover our sin and to pay for our debt. 538 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,280 You and I are forgiven by the blood of Jesus. 539 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:32,679 So as we think about fasting and praying, I want to invite you 540 00:34:32,679 --> 00:34:35,760 all to join me in praying for this week or in praying this 541 00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:38,840 week. I want you to pray for those who 542 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:42,080 persecute you. Pray for that person who 543 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,360 betrayed you. Pray for your spouse who's done 544 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:48,760 you wrong. Maybe it's apparent that you 545 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:52,639 can't face. Maybe it's your kid that fights 546 00:34:52,639 --> 00:34:54,239 you tooth and nail. Sorry, mom and dad. 547 00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:00,040 And pray for the person who cuts you off on your way to work. 548 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:06,040 Because the solution to an act of wrong is not an immediate 549 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:10,040 reaction on our on our part, but it's a response of prayer. 550 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:17,240 Praying and forgiveness are how Christians should respond to 551 00:35:17,240 --> 00:35:20,560 wrongdoing in a world that's obsessed with revenge. 552 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:25,880 So let's follow the example that Christ set for us and forgive 553 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:27,360 our enemies as we've been forgiven. 554 00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:31,520 We hope you enjoyed this message and we'd love for you to join us 555 00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:33,680 in person every Sunday at 10:30 AM. 556 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:36,080 For more information and updates, visit 557 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:38,720 wearebridgetown.com. Thanks for tuning in and we'll 558 00:35:38,720 --> 00:35:39,520 see you next week.