Our Deliverer

Good morning and welcome in everybody.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Matthew.

Matthew 5:38-40  Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.

As we discussed recently, certain things were commanded to be done in Judaism, that a Christian is exempted from.  The Old covenant was set up for a season, until the New covenant was created through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Everyday, earthly leaders and representatives of this country will go into sessions to change, repeal or completely abolish certain laws.  God, who is above all authority, did the same thing by abolishing requirements found in the Old testament.  Abolish means to formally put an end to a system, practice, or institution, and completely do away with something.  Consider the following passages.

2 Corinthians 3:13  And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

Ephesians 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

Colossians 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what is taught in the Old testament.

Exodus 21:24-25  Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

Leviticus 24:19-20  And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him;  Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.

Deuteronomy 19:21  And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

But under the New covenant,  this is what is commanded by the Lord Jesus.

……But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: 

Resist means to withstand the action or effect of something. This word implies an overt recognition of a hostile or threatening force, accompanied by a positive effort to counteract or repel it.  Simply put, it means to fight against something or someone that is attacking you.  When you resist the urge to avenge yourself, and suffer the evils committed against you, God sees your loyalty to His commands, because of which, He will inflict punishments upon them that harm His servants.

Romans 12:17-19  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

When Christians are passively non-resistant, they are not weak; they are strong in faith, obediently trusting in the judgment and the vengeance of God.  When Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, the religious leaders of his day were hounding Him, but He didn’t say a word.  When Pilate saw this, He was amazed.  Jesus didn’t lash out, He didn’t resist the evil that was unjustly perpetrated against Him, but on the contrary, He allowed it to happen. Look at the evil that they did to Him when He was placed on the cross and crucified.  As the creator of this entire world, the Lord Jesus could have called upon legions of angels to destroy this place, but He didn’t.  He could have called down fire from heaven to consume the world, but He didn’t. Many times, people will try to provoke, or push your buttons to get you to fight back, but a Christian must resist the urge.  It’s not a matter of giving up, it’s a matter of giving in and submitting yourself to the will of God.  God is watching, and when He sees you’re capable of doing this, I guarantee you, The day of His vengeance is at hand.

Proverbs 20:22  Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

Jeremiah 1:19  And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

Jeremiah 20:11  But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.

Jeremiah 1:8  Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

Luke 18:2-8  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily….

The courtroom is an earthly battleground, of which Christians cannot participate. Followers of Christ are forbidden from taking part in these activities, and must patiently suffer the wrongs that are committed against them, giving themselves over to God’s deliverance and justice, which will certainly come upon all those who do evil.

1 Corinthians 6:6-7  But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.  Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

To endure these types of sufferings is to become partakers of what Jesus went through.

1 Peter 4:12-14  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

A Christian is called to suffer and not return evil for evil. Refusing to fight with others doesn’t mean that you are weak, but quite the opposite.  It shows that you possess great power through God’s Holy Spirit and complete trust in God, knowing that the Lord will do battle for us, and His day of vengeance is at hand.

1 Samuel 17:47  And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

Resist not evil but wait patiently on the Lord. He is our strength, He is our shield, and He is…..

…….Our Deliverer

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com