INTRO.- ILL.- A woman's husband dies. He had $20,000 left to his name. After everything is done at the funeral home and cemetery, she tells her closest friend that there is no money left. The friend says, "How can that be? You told me he had $20,000 a few days before he died. How could you be broke?"
The widow says, "Well, the funeral cost me $6,500. And of course, I had to make the donation for the church and the organist and all. That was $500, and I spent another $500 for the wake, food and drinks, you know. The rest went for the memorial stone." The friend says, "$12,500 for the memorial stone? My stars, how big was it?" The widow says, "Three carats!"
ILL.- Nina Wang, who died of cancer in 2007 at age 69, signed over her vast fortune ($4.2 Billion dollars as Asia’s richest woman) to a previously unknown feng shui master Tony Chan as a promise for eternal life.
There is only one person who gives the promise of eternal life and we don’t have to buy or purchase our way into heaven.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world...”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
I Peter 3:8-9 “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
God wants to give us an inheritance! And, of course, it’s not money. It’s a life that is blessed by Him in many ways.
PROP.- Paul talks about how to be blessed with an inheritance from God.
1- Bless and don’t curse
2- Rejoice and mourn
3- Demote and associate
4- Befriend and don’t repay
I. BLESS AND DON’T CURSE
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Bless people, don’t curse them.
ILL.- In 1966 the public was horrified by the brutally sadistic slaying of eight nurses in Chicago. Here’s the story. Richard Speck was the notorious killer of eight student nurses whose bodies were found on July 14, 1966, strangled and stabbed in a townhouse on the Southeast Side of Chicago. A ninth student nurse survived by hiding.
Speck, then 25, was arrested within days. He had slit his wrists, and a doctor at Cook County Hospital spotted his telltale blood-caked tattoo, "Born To Raise Hell." On April 15, 1967, after deliberating only 49 minutes, a jury found him guilty of the eight murders, and he was sentenced to death. After the death penalty was ruled unconstitutional in 1972, Speck was sentenced to 400 to 1,200 years in prison.
While some people may think they’ve been born to raise hell, we were not. Some people may say, “Let’s go do something even if it’s wrong.” HOW FOOLISH, DUMB AND SINFUL IS THAT?! It seems like some people are always looking to cause trouble or do something sinful or even curse others. We were not meant to curse, but rather to bless others. That’s God’s will for our lives! He wants us to bless others and to be a blessing to others, not be a curse or curse others.
Luke 6:27-28 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. “
Has anyone ever cursed you and how did you respond? I heard preacher Roy Weece say many years ago in a sermon, “That we as Christians can act pretty good, but it’s how we react in a given situation that shows how much of a Christian we are.”
When cussed, most of us don’t act well. We often respond in a similar manner. We fight fire with fire. But Jesus said we’re supposed to fight fire with a blessing.
1 Corinthians 4:11-13 “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.” WE BLESS.
1 Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
God wants us to intherit a blessing and this is why we give a blessing to others even to those who would do us harm.
What is the greatest example of this principle? Christ on the cross. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Have mercy on them in their ignorance and sin.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
II. REJOICE AND MOURN
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
ILL.- A man said: While walking along a busy street one day, I heard someone singing. His sweet voice was distinguishable even above the noise of the traffic. When I located him, I noticed that he had no legs and was pushing himself through the crowd in a wheelchair. Catching up with him, I said, “I want you to know, friend, that to hear singing from a person in your condition gives everyone else a lift.”
He answered with a grateful smile, “When I stopped at what I had lost and began concentrating on all I had left, I found much for which I could rejoice and be happy.”
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” We should rejoice in the Lord. Look at what we have in Him! We are blessed materially but even more so, spiritually.
ILL.- Haydn, the great musician, was once asked why his church music was so cheerful, and he replied: “When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen, and since God has given me a cheerful heart it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit.”
We rejoice because of what we have in Christ and especially, our future. But we should also rejoice in people and with people. When people rejoice over good, we should rejoice with them. “Well, I’m happy for you. If you’re happy then I’m happy!” Of course, I think it’s better if it’s a joyous response to something spiritual in our lives.
We should also mourn or weep with those who weep. When someone is experiencing difficulty or pain or something negative in life, how do we respond? Maybe, “I’m so sorry this happened. What can I do to help you?” Or perhaps you weep with them.
ILL.- I remember well when I lost my dad. It was early Saturday morning, Dec 11, 1982, that mom called and said, “Daddy’s gone.” I couldn’t believe it but I did. He died of a heart attack. I told mother that I would drive to Webb City, MO, (180 miles) and help her make the funeral arrangements. I did and drove back that evening because I was scheduled to preach the next morning. It was hard but I did preach the next morning. I announced that I had lost my dad the day before and I’ll never forget the kind words that people said. I remember well one deacon who walked out of church. He said nothing but I could see tears in his eyes. He knew well and he wept for me and with me.
John 11:35 “Jesus wept.” This was at the tomb of Lazarus. Why did He weep? No matter what you believe, Jesus wept out of compassion for hurting people and so should we.
III. DEMOTE AND ASSOCIATE
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
To demote oneself is to lower yourself in your own eyes. It’s the opposite of pride.
Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment,in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
We have been repeatedly told in scripture to humble ourselves before God and doing so will also make us more humble toward our fellow human beings.
I Peter 5:5 “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
We all need to imitate the attitude and prayer of the publican in Luke 18 who could not even look to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Or “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Recognizing our sinfulness and being humble before God will keep us in right standing with God and will help us to have a better attitude toward others. This will help us to keep from being critical and judgmental.
Psalm 147:6 “The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.”
Matthew 23:12 “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
In our humility, we should associate with others, no matter who they are. We should be willing to associate with people of low position. Who are these people? People who have less than we do. Poor people perhaps. God is not a respecter of persons and neither should we be.
ILL.- I remember when a new family in a community started to church where I ministered. A lady in our church said, “They’re not our class of people.” And they lived in the same neighborhood and her husband even worked at the same place where the other lady’s husband worked. But the one lady thought she was better than the other family. HOW SAD!
God doesn’t rate us in regard to our money, our homes, our looks or anything else. He sees all of us as sinners who need Jesus. We’re all the same boat and we need to treat one another accordingly. We all need to get along with another and work alongside one another, worship together and work together.
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
IV. BEFRIEND AND DON’T REPAY
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Live at peace, be nice to people, befriend others, and don’t seek vengeance if someone crosses you.
ILL.- A college professor answered his telephone at 3:00 A.M. “This is your neighbor, Mr. Smith,” said the voice. “Your dog is barking and keeping me awake.” The professor thanked him kindly and hung up. The next morning Mr. Smith’s telephone rang at exactly 3 A.M. “This is the professor,” said the caller. “I just wanted you to know that I don’t have a dog!”
Romans 14:19 “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
2 Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."
Titus 3:1-2 “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”
Hebrews 12:14 “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
ILL.- When he was an attorney, Abraham Lincoln was once approached by a man who passionately insisted on bringing a suit for $2.50 against an impoverished debtor. Lincoln tried to discourage him, but the man was bent on revenge. When he saw that the man would not be but off, Lincoln agreed to take the case and asked for a legal fee of $10, which the plaintiff paid. Lincoln then gave half the money to the defendant, who willingly confessed to the debt and paid the $2.50! But even more amazing than Lincoln's ingenuous settlement was the fact that the irate plaintiff was satisfied with it. Seeking vengeance never pays.
Proverbs 11:17 “A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.”
Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Overcome the evil of others by doing good and being good to them.
CONCLUSION-----------------
1- Bless and don’t curse 2- Rejoice and mourn
3- Demote and associate 4- Befriend and don’t repay
Scripture is clear and we must obey Him as best we can. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus and in life. And it’s the only way to inherit a blessing from God in this life and in the next.
Steve Shepherd, Cape Girardeau, MO
shepherd111@hotmail.com
