| August 31, 2003 | George "Buzz" Rundlett | |
| Be Careful What You Pray For |
Talk about confession, contrition, redemption and forgiveness! Talk about compounding a sin. A perfect example of a sin magnified is the murder of Abel by Cain. Cain murdered his brother and when asked by God where his brother was, Cain replied, "I don't know, am I my brother's keeper?" Cain not only committed the sin of murder but he compounded it with a sarcastic lie.
Another example is the story of the Mexican bandit that sneaks across the border and robs Texas banks. He was very successful at this and amassed a fortune of $1,000,000. The Texas rangers were getting impatient and decided to send their best Ranger to track down this robber and recover the money. He went deep into Mexico and searched for many days and finally he found the bandit in a small Mexican saloon in a little Mexican town. He pulled his six guns and pointed them at the bandit and exclaimed, "I'm a Texas Ranger and I've caught you now, tell me where the million dollars is or I'll plug you full of holes!" Sitting next to the bandit, a Mexican farmer said, "Senor, he cannot speak English, I will translate for you." He told the bandit that the Texas Ranger had searched for many days and finally tracked him to this saloon and if he doesn't tell the Ranger where the million dollars is, he will shoot him right here on the spot. The bandit said, "You are right, I am caught and there is nothing more that I can do. The money is located in a well on my farm. It is about 15 feet down in the well behind a loose stone." The Mexican looked at the Ranger and said, "He says you're an idiot, he's not telling where the money is and go ahead and shoot him!" Here is where a sin is compounded. Just like when Cain slew Abel.
Indulge me if you will. Please clasp your hands as I am showing you. Now notice carefully whether your left thumb or your right thumb is on top. If your left thumb is on top, please raise your hand. O. K, put your hands down. Now if your right thumb was on top, raise your hand. O.K, now do this for me. Place your hands so that the opposite thumb from the one you had before is now on top. Does it feel strange and unfamiliar and uncomfortable? The left thumb people feel uncomfortable when they do it the right thumb way and the right thumb people feel uncomfortable when they do it the left thumb way. Remember these three words: strange, unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
There are about six billion plus people in this world and approximately 80 percent of them profess a religion of some sort. There are five great religions in this world. They are Christianity, Islam, Hindu, Buddha and Chinese traditional. Of all the great religions, many of them being very similar, golden rule, love for life, etc. there is one that is uniquely different than all the others. It was Jesus Christ that taught "Turn the other cheek" and "Love your enemy".
Doesn't that seem strange, unfamiliar and somewhat uncomfortable? It is practically unheard of that we love our enemy. We don't expect it from our neighbors, we don't practice it ourselves, and we don't really teach it to our children. We live in a 'payback' world. If someone does you a wrong, you pay that person back. Mostly all our movies, TV shows, magazines, and comic books teach revenge. Get the other guy for what he did to you. In some cases, get the other guy before he gets you.
There are many types of law: God's law of the Ten Commandments, then there's Hammurabi law which was the first recorded around 20 to 18th Century BC by a Babylonian king Hammurabi. He was the first law giver. Then there is Biblical law...an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a life for a life. This was not a terribly bad law in that it tried to discourage retaliation and retribution. An eye for an eye and ONLY an eye for an eye; nothing more. Jesus did not approve of this type of law because he asked, "Why correct a wrong with a wrong? Why replace and evil with an evil?" Jesus implied that vengeance does not belong with us, it belongs to God. Then there is the law of Savagery that does employ retaliation and retribution. "You kick my cat, I kill your dog." Finally, there is Christian Law. You do a wrong to me and I turn the other cheek. If you do another wrong to me I turn the other cheek. How many times do I turn the cheek? Jesus says seven times seventy!
When Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount, now called the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the Sea of Galilee, he was not directing his sermon to the common criminal. It is important to understand the context in which Jesus was speaking. In essence, He was telling those gathered there before Him, as well as us today, that Christians are not to respond to religious persecutors as though they were common criminals. He went on to say, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Jesus was not prohibiting self defense by Christians in a manner permitted by law. No "turn the other cheek" for burglars, looters or attackers, and by extension, every other common criminal. Christians respect discipline.
Consider - A thief knows exactly what he's doing, stealing your property, plain and simple. On the other hand, someone who attacks you because of your Christianity does not know what he's doing. His or her time of understanding of God's Truth, and choosing whether or not to obey it, has not yet come. Right now, you have a tremendous advantage over that individual. The religious persecutor does not know God's love, God's warmth, God's protection, guidance, trust, faith, kindness, caring...The religious persecutor is from a dark world and doesn't know the joy of knowing God. What a great potential this person is to become God's friend.
A perfect example is the story of Saul of Tarsus. Saul was an educated man, very energetic and rather overzealous about his own religion. He went around persecuting those that followed Jesus Christ. He had them pulled out from Synagogues and their homes and he had them beaten and stoned to death. One particular individual was Stephen. Stephen may be known as the first Christian martyr. Stephen was one of the seven appointed by the Apostles to help feed the poor. He did that very well but he also began a ministry of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he did that very well. He was taken before the Council of Rulers and put on trial for his teachings. The Council of Rulers did not like what he was preaching and they sentenced Stephen to be taken out to the outskirts of the city and be stoned to death. Saul, who later became Paul, participated in that execution. As a matter of fact, Saul held Stephen's garments while Stephen was being stoned so the stones would be more effective lest the garments shield Stephen. Stephen's last words before he went into eternal sleep were: "God, I give my spirit to you. Lord, lay not this sin upon these people." Sound familiar? It is a prayer of forgiveness; exactly like the last prayer that Jesus said on the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing."
Saul heard Stephen say this. What a kind, gentle person Stephen was, and Saul saw it. Later, Saul petitioned the High Priest if he could go to Damascus and search for more Christians. He wanted to bring them back to Jerusalem and have them tried as well. The letter was granted and Saul set out for Damascus with a band of men. Just before he arrived at the city of Damascus, he saw a great white light. Then he saw Jesus Christ. Jesus asked Saul, "Saul, why do you persecute me?" Saul must have thought about the gentleness of Stephen and realized how gentle Jesus is and how good his Gospel is. At that time Saul went into a great conversion and became the best friend of Jesus Christ. He became a great convert, perhaps the greatest proselytizer of the Christian faith. Perhaps, God chose Saul, who later changed his name to Paul, as one of the co-founders of the Christian faith because it was Paul and the Apostles writings that make up the major portion of the New Testament. It was Paul's writings and his eagerness to launch the Christian faith into the world with his support and assistance in creating new churches in the path of his mission ministry. It was Paul's letters of encouragement that motivated religious leaders about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity is the most populated of the religions today.
So what about forgiveness? How is it that a Catholic can fall to his knees and say the Lord's Prayer, especially these words, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us..." and then go out and persecute Protestants? And how can a Protestant fall to his knees and say the Lord's prayer, especially these words, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us..." and then go out and persecute a Catholic? There is religious violence today all over the world. It has happened since Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount.
When you pray, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us" you are essentially saying to God; please treat me as I treat others. You might call that God's Golden Rule because however you treat others, God will do the same with you. If you are generous with your love to others, so God will love you. If you are forgiving to others, so God will forgive you. If you are not forgiving to others, do not expect forgiveness from God. So be careful what you pray for and be generous with forgiveness.
If you do not forgive someone, you will carry bitterness and contempt in your heart. You become, in fact and indeed, a partner to the offender. Forgiveness is a blessing given by God and you should be grateful for it. When you forgive someone, you can't say, "I forgive you but I won't forget." Forgiveness is unconditional. When you forgive, you wipe the slate clean and "remember the sins no more." God will forgive you every time if you sincerely repent and ask God for forgiveness and try very hard not to repeat the sin.
There are some of you in this room right now that could resolve some long standing issues by forgiving someone. As long as you take a breath, you can do it, but remember, the person whom you're going to forgive or seek forgiveness from, must also be taking a breath. You always have the opportunity to forgive as long as you're alive and taking a breath. There are some of you in this room that have a clean slate; your yoke is easy and your burden is light. That is wonderful except your obligation is not complete. You must teach the young about forgiveness. Teach them not to carry a dark heart. Teach them to turn the other cheek, love their enemy and practice forgiveness. Teach them not to "pay back" for a wrong done to them.
If you have a dark heart and do not know the all the love, support, warmth and protection that God has to offer, and then you discover it, you may be called a convert. If you teach and preach forgiveness, "turn the other cheek," love your enemies, love your brother and educate others about the Scriptures (God's living word), then you may perhaps be called a "scholar or student of the Bible."
But if you practice and live forgiveness, love for others, kindness to children and animals, loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute others; if you help the needy, the poor, the infirm, the down trodden, and you pray to your Father constantly with praise and deep love, then you are holy.
Let us pray...