Well, who here is really good at voice impersonations and accents? Are some of you really good at this? Who's terrible at these things? Anybody else terrible at these things? I'm so bad. I have to, if I'm going to even try to do a basic voice like Batman, I have to have like a key word that gets me into the voice, right? So, for Batman, my key word is justice, right? Then I can, all of a sudden, talk like Batman. For Governor Schwarzenegger, it was Caalifornia, and then I could talk like him, right? So, Batman is justice. I'm pretty sure he was with Superman in the Justice League. And then there's a whole another brand of superheroes, and they're known as the Avengers. So, let me ask you this, why, when made up superheroes fight for justice, are they the good guys? But when God does justice, is he the bad guy? Why will people pay a whole lot of money and spend a lot of time rooting on the Avengers to make things right. But when we say that God is an Avenger, that's like kind of a negative thing not to talk about. We need to answer this question. Why do superheroes get to do justice, but not God, in our minds? And the passage that's going to help us think this through is Romans, chapter 12, verses 19 to 21. So, I want to invite everybody, let's open up to the book of Romans, chapter 12. This is our last study from this epic chapter of Scripture. And I want to encourage you to turn there with me in your Bible. Romans 12:19-21. And out of respect for God's Word, let's all stand up for the public reading of Scripture. I encourage you to give this your full and undivided attention, because what I'm about to read to you is the Word of God, and it will reveal to you who God actually is. This is Romans, chapter 12, starting in verse 19 to the end of the chapter.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
That's the reading of God's Word. Please go ahead and have your seat. And whenever we're studying the Bible, if you're reading it by yourself, or if we're teaching it here together at the church, we’ve got to make sure we ask the right question in our hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is how to interpret the Bible. And the question is not, what does the Bible mean to me? The question is, just what does the Bible mean when the author was inspired to originally write it to the people that it was originally written to? What does it mean to them? How did they receive it? Not how we receive it now, hundreds of years later. But how did the saints in Rome understand don't take vengeance, don't avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. What kind of evil was happening to these people that they weren't going to repay evil for evil, but they were going to overcome evil with good?
Well, go with me to Romans chapter 16, because we're starting to enter now the fourth quarter of the book of Romans. We're going into the last four chapters. And so, we're going to start now, beginning our descent to finish the book of Romans. And here at the end, you can see, look at verse 3 of Romans 16, all the way to verse 16 of Romans. 16. He's just greeting so many people there at the church. Now we know if you were here from the beginning of our study of Romans. We know that he wanted to go to Rome, but he wasn't able to go to Rome. So, that's why he wrote them this letter. And he sent them the teaching he would give them, his master class on the gospel. He sent them this teaching ahead because he had been delayed in going there. But even though he hasn't been there, he sure does know a lot of the people there, because Rome's kind of the big city of the day, and a lot of people have ended up there that Pau has encountered, and so he's greeting them. Look at Romans 16:3-16. Look who he greets. Here he greets Prisca and Aquila. Maybe you've heard her referred to as Priscilla. “My fellow workers in Christ, Jesus,” and look what he says about them in verse 4, “who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church in their house.” So, Priscilla and Aquila are some of the people that he's writing to. They have a church in their house. And have they encountered evil? Well, they had to risk their necks for Paul's sake. In fact, if you know, when we met Priscilla and Aquila in the book of Acts, Acts, chapter 18, he met them in a different place than Rome, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. Well, apparently now Priscilla and Aquila, who are Jews, have come back to Rome. And so, what kind of evil did they experience? Well, the government, if you know about the Roman Empire, some of the emperors were downright evil, and they were discriminatory against people like the Jews, or they persecuted Christians, and there was a lot of tension between Jews and Gentiles. That's where a lot of Paul's persecution came from, because he's a Jew spreading the good news with the Gentiles, and some of the other Jews hate that, and so they persecute him. So, Priscilla and Aquila, they've known real evil from their governing authorities. They've known real evil in racism between Jews and Gentiles, and their life has been on the line. So, this is not theoretical. What we're talking about, this is not hypothetical. Real evil has been done to these people, these saints in Rome.
What should they do when someone sins against you, when someone commits injustice against you, what should you do about it? Go back to Romans, chapter 12, verse 19, because what he says is “Beloved people loved by God,” God's saints, God's chosen ones. Hey, beloved, never avenge yourselves. Don't take justice into your own hands. That's what he says right away. There's so much evil. Evil is inevitable. Evil is coming, and when it comes against you, you might want to settle the score. You might want to give payback. You might want to make it right and do something to bring everybody with your Batman voice “Justice,” right? You might want to go vigilante. I've got some gadgets. I've got a car. I can do something, you know, and you might decide I'm going to make it right. Here's the Scripture, don't do that. That's not for you to do. You are not in the revenge business. Don't take vengeance.
In fact, not only does he give us something not to do, He then tells us what to do, right there in the verse. But he says, “leave it to the wrath of God.” And, literally, you might have a footnote; like in my English Standard Version translation of the Scripture, it says, in the Greek, it gives place. So, the Greek word for place is in there. You want to leave place for the wrath of God. So, here's something don't do. Take justice into your own hands. Something to do is leave room for God to come and in his wrath, he will make it right.
So, if you’ve got the hand out there in your bulletin and you want to take some notes. Let's get this down for point number one: “Don't forget your sanctification two-step.” Everybody does. Anybody remember that? Don't forget your sanctification two-step that we've learned throughout the book of Romans, and we're coming to the end of this epic chapter of practical instruction in Romans 12. We've learned that we cannot anymore present our members to unrighteousness, but we need to present who we are to righteousness. If you're in Christ, you should consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God. So, we step away from some of the sin we used to do, and we step into the new way of Jesus Christ. It's a little dance move, the sanctification two-step. It's how I become less like who I used to be and more like Jesus. And so, here we have a very clear direction.
Your first dash there is: we “Step away from taking justice into our own hands.” Okay, nobody here should be Batman. Nobody here should decide to go and make it right all by yourself and get in and when you hear that number, come on that dark, ominous music of a revenge story. You don't want to do that dance. You want to step away from that; don't grab it with your own hands and try to make it right. So, this idea of vengeance here, avenging yourself, it's very similar to the idea of justice. In fact, sometimes it's even translated as justice. If you try to get justice yourself, that's vengeance. But instead, you should leave room for God to come. God will come and bring justice.
Go with me to Luke chapter 18, which is another passage that uses this same word here in the Greek, this idea of vengeance, or as it's translated here in Luke 18, justice. And here in Luke 18, if you can turn there with me, Jesus is telling a parable to teach us that we should keep praying. We should keep praying and don't stop until you see God answer your prayer. Keep praying and don't lose heart. And he gives the example of a widow who keeps asking a judge for justice. So, it doesn't call it vengeance here, because the widow's not trying to get the justice herself. She's appealing to a judge. And this is a corrupt judge. Unfortunately, he's an evil governing official. He doesn't fear God. He doesn't respect people. But because this lady keeps on asking him for justice, look what happens here in Luke 18, pick it up with me Luke 18:3. “There was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, give me justice. Against my adversary.” This person has done an injustice to me. Give me justice, she keeps saying. Luke 18:4-8. “For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.” Okay, so do you see here. This is the whole idea. Don't try to go get it for yourself. No. Leave room for God to bring the justice. Ask God to give you justice. These are the two steps, step away from taking it into your own hands and put it through prayer, into the hands of God. And that, here's an example of what that might look like through this widow taking the issue of injustice and appealing, and that it's like, hey, if even the evil judge will eventually give the lady Justice, because she keeps asking him, well, what is God going to do when God actually cares about you as one of his people, and God actually is just. What will God do? Hey, let me just tell you that all the evil that's been done against you that makes you angry, that you're having a hard time with right now, let's just make it very clear God is angry at evil every day. Okay? God has wrath towards all the injustice that is going on. You think you see evil clearly? You think you have a righteous indignation about evil? No. God sees what is evil. And God is not okay. God is angry every day with the evil that is taking place. So, if you really know a God who has wrath, then you don't need to worry about making it right, because you already know God will make it right.
Go back to Romans chapter 12, and look with me, we're leaving it to the wrath of God. Okay, so you're supposed to know something about God, and we don't talk about this enough in the church these days. I don't hear enough Christians saying this, but our God is a God of wrath, a God of vengeance, and a God of justice, and we're not supposed to be ashamed of who God is, because God is most definitely not ashamed of who he is. And so, the wrath of God, the fact that God is going to judge every sin. Do you hear what I'm saying? There is not one sin where anybody will get away with it. God will, by no means clear the guilty. Every single thing that has ever been done that is wrong, it will all be made right, either Jesus paid for it when he died on the cross and he took God's wrath, or there will be God's righteous anger to judge that sin, and God will make sure that it is made right. No one is getting away with anything. And maybe, sometimes, to you it feels like evil's out of control and evil is off the chain, and evil's been unleashed and, oh no, what's going to happen? I'll tell you right now what's going to happen. The wrath of God is going to happen, and he's going to judge everything that is evil.
Go back to Romans, chapter 1, verse 18. Let me just review two things we already learned about God's wrath in the book of Romans. Romans is Paul's master-class on the gospel. “I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew and then to the Greek.”In the story of Jesus dying for our sin and rising again, we understand the righteousness of God, that God killed his own son and gave wrath to judge our sin on Jesus. Because God cares about what is right, he cares about justice. And after that thesis statement of the book of Romans. In Romans 1:16-17. Look at Romans 1:18, look what it said, “For the wrath of God,” God's anger at sin, “his fiery indignation to judge, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against…” what does it say here, everybody? How much ungodliness and unrighteousness of men? All of it? Okay, there's anything happening against God, if there's anything happening and it's not right, but God has wrath against that. And this is an active sense. Look, his wrath is revealed from heaven against it all. Even now, God is angry with all of the evil that is happening. And then we studied Romans 1 for a whole summer. It was a couple of summers ago. Now, I don't know if you were here back then, but we looked at how when people don't give God glory, then God gives them over to sin. And we saw how it happened three times here in Romans 1. They don't acknowledge God, they don't give thanks to God, and so God gives them over to lust. They deny God's glory. God gives them over to unnatural passions. They deny who God is. God gives them over to a debased mind to do things that ought not to be done every time they don't worship God. God gives them over because he has wrath against their sin, and he judges by giving them over to more sin.
Go to Romans 2:5. Look at what it says about wrath. Here we just saw wrath in an active sense in Romans 1:18, now look at wrath in an ultimate sense here in Romans, chapter 2, verse 5, “But because of your hard and impenitent heart.” you're not sorry when you sin. You're not really changing your ways. You have a hard and impenitent heart. “you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.” So, his wrath is already being revealed as he gives people over to their sin. But there's going to come an ultimate day, the day of the Lord, the Day of Judgment, when God will make everything right, and everybody who's sinning now against God, they are storing up wrath on that day. So, when you feel like I can't believe that person did that to me, I can't believe they're going to get away with it. I can't believe nothing's going to happen to them. If you start thinking things like that, what you're thinking is not true. They're not getting away with it. They're not just going to go on; the wicked are not going to end up prospering. God's wrath is coming for all sin, and he will make everything right in his judgment. This is what we're seeing, okay? And we're supposed to leave room for that. We're supposed to all know that that's something about God that God wants us to know about him is I don't have to take justice into my hands, because God has wrath for that sin, and he'll make it right.
Go over to Romans 13. Let me teach you something about wrath that we haven't seen yet in the book of Romans. Here's a little preview for where we're going to go in the next few weeks as we pray for America and learn about our governing authorities. Look what it says in Romans 13:3-4, it says, “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.” So one of the ways that God's wrath is supposed to happen against people who are doing evil is through the governing authorities rewarding the good and punishing the evil. And maybe you're thinking, well, I don't think the governing authorities do a very good job about that. We'll bring that thought to our study next week, and we'll dive into that. But that is how God set it up, that the governing authorities, they bear the sword so that they can bring his wrath to punish evil.
So, I just want to make this very clear, okay, because some people maybe injustice has happened to you, maybe even a crime has happened to you. Someone has broken the law, and they have hurt you. They have assaulted you. You're not taking justice into your own hands. If you report it to the governing authorities, that's actually a good appeal for justice that's actually appealing to the authority that God has set up. Making yourself an authority? No, step away from that. Don't take justice in your own hands, leave it to the wrath of God, and sometimes that might mean God using the government to judge what is evil, to punish the wrongdoer and bring his wrath on them. But I have to understand this about God. If you don't understand this about God, you're going to walk around feeling like evil is out of control, and you have to do something about it, something you're not really even able to do. And you're going to get angry, you're going to feel burdened, you're going to feel this pressure. And guess what? God's going to make it right. You don't have to do it. Trust God to do it, ask him to do it. See, this is what was really surprising to me.
Go back to Romans, chapter 12, where it says this quote from Deuteronomy 32:35. This was surprising to me. The first time I really studied the Bible about this, and I really preached it. Look what it says. Here it is written, “Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord.” So, the reason you can step away from taking justice in your own hands, and the reason you can leave place for the wrath of God to cut in.
Did we get that second dash there for point number one?: “Leave place for the wrath of God to cut in.” These are the two steps that we're being commanded here. Maybe you have a situation right now where you want to grab on to something and you want to make it right. You're hearing from God today to step away from that. Don't do that. Let God's wrath come in and make it right. And here's why you're supposed to know, “Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord.” So, Paul here is quoting Moses from Deuteronomy 32:35 and I'll tell you, I preached a sermon here at this church. It was four years ago now. It was called “Vengeance is mine.” We were going through the law of Moses, and I used this verse, Deuteronomy 32:35 In fact, let's all turn there to Deuteronomy 32:35 to make sure we get the verse in its context, because this is something Paul's expecting us to be familiar with. Vengeance is an attribute of God that Paul expects God's people to know. And Moses made it very clear in Deuteronomy 32 at the end of all of his writing of the law, Moses writes this epic song about who God is and how God relates to his people. And he says in verse, 35 let me read the whole verse for you now, not just this first line, but the whole verse, where it says, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes…” And how does their doom come, everybody? “Swiftly.” Speedily, suddenly, they will be judged. You think they've got it good? They don't have it good. Just wait. Just give it a moment. They're going to fall. That's the idea. So, I preach this at our church, and I'm like, whoa, this is intense, like we're telling everybody God is a God of vengeance. I'm not sure how everybody's going to take this. You know what the overwhelming response I received on the first time I really was preaching God's vengeance at our church is people were so comforted. People were so encouraged. It blew me away. It was more than I understood up to that time, because a lot of people here in this room, a lot of people at this church, they've been mistreated. They've maybe been abused, evil things have been done to them. And even as you sit here today, it still doesn't feel right to you. It still doesn't feel like there's justice. It still feels like it's left hanging there that evil that was done. And maybe the whole time you're thinking something needs to happen, I need to do something about it. And then God says to you, “Vengeance is mine.” I'll do it. You don't have to do it. I'm going to repay it. In fact, look what he goes on to say there in Deuteronomy 36 for the Lord will vindicate. The Lord will make it right for his people and have compassion on his servants. And you can read the rest of Deuteronomy 32.
Two things become very clear. If you're an enemy of God, if you're against God's people, he's got vengeance for you, and if you're one of God's people, he's got your back and he's going to make it right. And people were so comforted, because right now, what's happening is evil is on the rise. It's on the rise in our nation. It's on the rise, maybe in some of our personal relationships. And it's easy to start feeling overwhelmed. It's easy to start feeling like, what can we do against such reckless hate? It's easy to start feeling like, oh no, evil is taking over, and that's because we don't talk enough about the vengeance of God and the wrath of God and the justice of God. And yeah, there's a lot of evil that's happening, but you need to see very clearly as you leave here today that God sits above all of the evil, he sits in judgment over the evil, and God is going to bring vengeance and make everything right. Can I get an amen from anybody on this? The vengeance of God is a comforting truth for his mistreated people, and perhaps the reason that you feel so agitated in your soul is you don't know who God really is, and that he's more agitated about it than you, and he will make it right.
Go with me to Nahum chapter 1. Can anybody even find Nahum in their Bible? Race! Who can find it first? Nahum? Everybody? Nahum 1:7 is on one of the In-N-Out rappers, right? Has anybody ever seen Nahum 1:7 at In-N-Out? Have you ever looked it up? Yeah, it's like a nice verse. It's not really indicative of the book of Nahum. I want you to see what the book of Nahum is really all about. Who's heard of the book of Jonah? Anybody know the story of Jonah? What city does he go to? Does anybody know Nineveh? And there's like a great repentance that happens in the city, a revival in the city. Well, apparently, later on, the city of Nineveh went back to their evil ways. And so, Nahum, he didn't get swallowed by a fish. So, Nahum is not as popular as Jonah, but he brought a message. Look at the message that God wanted to give Nineveh on the second time. Now we have a word of the Lord to them. This is Nahum 1:2, “The Lord Yahweh is a jealous and avenging God. The Lord Yahweh is avenging and wrathful. The Lord Yahweh takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.” How come nobody ever talks about this verse? I mean, I've heard people say, well, you know what God is? God is love. And I've heard a lot of people say, well, you know what the Bible says three times about God is that he's Holy, holy, holy. And those things are true, and those things are awesome. But Nahum just told us three lines in a row. God Yahweh is a God of what? Vengeance. God is God of what? Vengeance. God is a God of what? Vengeance. Three times it says it. Okay, like the evil, the evil right now that seem like they have power, the evil right now that seem like they're prosperous, none of them are getting away with it. God will, by no means clear the guilty, the day of calamity is coming, and when it comes, it will come speedily. It will come swiftly. And great will be the fall of those who are against God, like an avalanche off the side of a mountain, like the sinking of the Titanic, like all the terrible moments throughout history, where death came suddenly, so will come the vengeance of our God. Look at what it goes on to say here in Nahum, “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power. The Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry. He dries up all the rivers, Bashan and Carmel wither. The bloom of Lebanon withers. The mountains quake before him. The Hills melt. The Earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it, who can stand before his indignation, who can endure the heat of his anger, his wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.” And then here's the In-N-Out verse, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knows those who take refuge in him.” Yeah, I don't think that's the full story of Nahum there, right?
Is this your God? Is this who you woke up today believing in? Is this who you praise and worship that someday our God is going to come and that the earth that we live on won't even be able to handle the heat of the vengeance and wrath that God is going to bring on sin. If you believe in that, you will not feel like you have to take justice into your own hands, even if you feel like your government's not going to do it. No, you know the one who is going to do it, see. And so, when evil is on the rise, I have a very important question I want you to think about, because evil is on the rise. And I hear people say things like, well, evil's taken over. Oh, evil. It's almost like they think evil's going to win. And so, I agree, evil is on the rise, but who sits higher? Evil or our God? I mean, that's the right answer at church. But what's the right answer? What's the real answer in your head? Do you see God reigning above all the evil, and do you see all the evil as very temporary and going to be made right? Or do you actually let evil hold sway in your thinking and you start living in anger in response to the evil, and you start living in fear in response to the evil, and you start with this fake bravado, like you're going to somehow beat all the evil that's out there? Or, do you know God, a God of wrath and vengeance, and you're okay with that? In fact, it brings comfort to your soul, because I don't have to make it right, because God will make it right.
Point number two, let's get it down like this: You need to “Elevate your view to see God above evil.” Elevate your view to see God above evil. As high as the evil may get, may feel like we're up to our necks in evil, it may feel like the evil waterline goes above our heads as high as the evil may get. God sits above all of the evil, and he will come in righteous judgment. Even now, he has wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. And there's a day of wrath, a day of vengeance that is coming, and who will be able to stand before the fiery indignation of our God? No one will stand when he comes to judge. So that's a thought that you are supposed to know about God and knowing that thought will help you when someone does evil to you.
Now go back to Romans chapter 12, because there's another verse that we need to talk about. So, we want to know God here at our church. We want to know God not what you who you think God is, not who I say God is, but who does God say he is? We want to get it straight from him, as he reveals himself to us. And God wants you to know that he has wrath and vengeance. That's a part of the way he wants you to see him. Yes, he's loving, yes, he's holy, but he's also coming to solve all the injustice and to make it all right. Now this is a very interesting verse. Look at Romans 12:20, “To the contrary.” Okay, so we quoted Deuteronomy. Now we have another quote here, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For by so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Okay, now, who's heard of the burning coals at church before? Have you heard about this? I grew up going to church. I heard about the burning coals. I heard that the burning coals are when somebody is doing evil to you, and you do something nice to them. You don't throw down breaking plates with them, but you start making plates for them, and you give them food, and you give them something to drink. If you give them kindness when they're giving you evil, the burning coals are like their conscience feeling hot, and they'll feel bad about what they're doing, because you're doing such good things to them. Has anybody heard that before? I've heard Bible teachers that I respect. They say that. I've also heard Bible teachers say things like, well, let's just picture this, if you're dropping burning coals on someone, then you're above them, you basically have won that battle with them. So, you're just taking the W on this one, you're living in the victory. And then it goes on to “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome.” So, see, this is how you win. The victory is they're trying to do evil to you. You respond with goodness to them. Boom, that's you winning the W, right there. Way to go. That's like burning coals on them because you've won. Okay? So, I've heard people say these things. But it doesn't matter when we're studying the Bible, what I think or what somebody else says, what did Paul mean when he quoted this verse? And not even that, but who originally wrote this verse, and what did they mean when they wrote it? So, what he's quoting here is Proverbs, chapter 25. Proverbs 25:21-22, originally written by King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived. He gave his son many words of wisdom. “And if your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” So, he's quoting what we should do in situations where we could take vengeance, but we're going to step away and we're going to leave it to God. So, what then should we do? Well, he quotes Solomon as to what we should do. So, when Solomon said burning coals on his head was Solomon thinking of someone's conscience? Was Solomon thinking of taking the W? What burning coals could Solomon possibly be referring to? Well, let's think about the life of King Solomon. He's most famous for building the what everybody? The temple, the temple. What's the big feature of the temple? The altar, the altar where we go and offer the sacrifices, where we worship God. And what does the altar have? Bringing the fire out of the altar, everybody, burning coals. In fact, Solomon, he probably learned a lot about God from who his dad, King David, who had the idea of building the temple. David, who I don't know what he said to Solomon personally, but I know a lot of the things that David said because they were recorded, and they were all assembled in the Hebrew hymnal, in the songbook of the Jews, the Psalms. And what if David had some things to say about burning coals?
Go with me to Psalm 140. And once you start looking for burning coals throughout the Hebrew Bible, you will find it all over the place. In Psalm 140 is an example. See if this psalm sounds like what we're talking about from Romans 12:19-21 look at what David says here, and let's just remember about King David before we even read his words. David was anointed by Samuel to be the king, but someone was already the king. His name was Saul. And how did Saul feel about knowing David was going to be the next king? Right? He threw spears at David to kill him. He had his army chase David all over the wilderness of Judea. God has said David should be king. Saul says, I'm going to be king and I'm going to kill David. And he tries to kill David on many occasions,. Did David take justice into his own hands? Yeah. In fact, we know of two specific instances where David and his men are hiding in a cave, and Saul comes into the cave, and even David's men are like, the Lord has given him into your hand. And David's like, that's God's job. I'm not here to do that. And remember how he cuts off a piece of his robe just so he can let Saul know, hey, Saul, you're trying to kill me. I could have killed you, but that's not for me to do. So, David, he understands, and look what he prays here in Psalm 140 the choir master, a Psalm of David, please, please read this with me.
“Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually. They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah. Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet. The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net; beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah. I say to the Lord, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord! O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle. Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their[b] evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah. As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! Let burning coals fall upon them! Let them be cast into fire, into miry pits, no more to rise! Let not the slanderer be established in the land; let evil hunt down the violent man speedily! I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.”
Is that any good example about how to pray when evil is coming upon you right there? And do you see how this is not theoretical, this is not hypothetical. David is going into real battle where David will die, or his enemy will die. Somebody's going home, and the other one is dead, and he's saying, you've covered my head, you've protected me. I believe you're with me, but their heads and legs are exposed, and let their evil come upon them. Let burning coals fall upon them. So, burning coals is clearly this image that David uses when he's praying for God. He's not taking justice into his own hands. He's leaving room for the wrath of God. And he's saying, God, these men are doing evil. Will you do what is just? Let these violent men come to violent ends, and will you come and deliver me and the rest of your people? So, if you feel like you need to pray to God for justice, let me give you Psalm 140 as a real example. But when David says, burning coals, he's not talking about people's consciences, and he's not acting like he's got a W over the people. He's asking God to bring his justice.
In fact, go to the very next psalm. Look what David says in the very next psalm. Another picture that I want to put together here in Psalm 141. He says, “Oh Lord, I call upon you hasten to me.” So, here's this prayer asking God to bring justice. “Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as…” what is there everybody? “Incense.” So, here's David, who we know has a zeal for the temple that Solomon's going to build, but he's talking about burning coals and he's talking about incense. Look at this verse right here, Leviticus 16:12. We'll put it up here on the screen, and it says about the high priest. This is the high priest going into the holy place. Only one man can go in there. And it's only one day of the year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This is the tabernacle at this time. Who's going to go into the presence of God? The high priest is, how does he go in there? Well, have him take a censer full of what, everybody? Burning coals, fire from the altar. So, a censer is like a bowl. So, he's got some kind of bowl here where you get some of the burning coals, and you put them in this bowl. So, in one hand, the high priest has a bowl. Then look, he's got handfuls, two handfuls of sweet incense, beat and small and he shall bring it inside the veil. So, when the high priest goes behind the curtain into the holy place, the Holy of Holies, this is the very presence of God where the Ark of the Covenant is. And the high priest is going to go in there. He goes in there with a censer full of burning coals, and he's got incense in this hand. And right when he goes in behind the veil, he throws the incense on the burning coals, which creates smoke, because if there's not smoke, he will die in the holy presence of God. You can read about it in Leviticus 16.
So, this idea of burning coals and incense, this is connected with the idea of going into the presence of God. In fact, look what it says in Isaiah 6, that famous encounter, that vision that Isaiah has of God's throne. “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken from the tongs from the altar. Remember when Isaiah sees the holiness of God, what does he say? “Woe is me. I'm a man of unclean lips. I live among a people of unclean lips.” Wow. Look at who God is. We all deserve to be judged, but yet they bring him these burning coals from the altar. Now I need everybody to see this. Go to Revelation 8. Go to Revelation, chapter 8, and let me show you what all of this imagery of the coals and the incense, what is this all building up to when we turn to Revelation, chapter 8, right now. This is the heavenly throne room of God, and this is what's happening in the heavenly throne room of God at the time of wrath on the Day of Judgment. We call it the Tribulation this time, where God's vengeance is going to come upon the planet. Okay, so in this future time of judgment, here's what's happening in God's presence in heaven. This is Revelation 8:1, “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” So, we've been opening these seals of we've been bringing judgment here. And so, whatever is about to happen next is a big deal, because it's silent for half an hour. “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar.” What is the fire everybody? What is the fire on? It's on what? Burning coals? Here's an angel in heaven getting burning coals from the altar, and he threw it where? On the earth. “And there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”
Are you telling me that during the time of judgment, an angel gets burning coals and he flings them from Heaven onto the earth, and there will be burning coals heaped upon God's enemies at the time of judgment? Do you see what this passage is saying? Do you see what's going to happen that all the people who have cried out for justice, all the people who have said, God, where are you? I need your help. God, this isn't right. God, why are they doing this? God, why does it seem like evil is winning? I mean, think about throughout all of history, all the people who have been oppressed and afflicted. Think about all the Christians who have been persecuted and they're crying out to God for justice. They're leaving room for the wrath of God. Think about the Christians who have been martyred, who have been burned on the stake, crying out to the Lord in agony, the ones who were crucified on the cross, just like Jesus, crying out to the Lord for justice, that someday, all of the cries of all of God's people, they will rise up before him like incense, burning on a fire. And God will say, enough is enough. Now is the time, and he will bring his wrath upon this planet, and he will take vengeance for all the evil that has been done. And there will be burning coals, literally fire falling from the sky. Read what happens when they start blowing those trumpets. It is fire from heaven consuming the enemies of God on a day of vengeance. This isn't theoretical burning coals. This is real burning coals falling from the sky to consume the enemies of God.
So, let's think about this now. Someone is doing evil to you. Someone has sinned against you. Someone is doing something that is not right. It's injustice, and you know it. Should you take it into your own hands? No, you shouldn't, because you know who God is, and God will deal with it. So, let's think about that. God's going to deal with that person in their sin. God's going to actually judge that person. He's going to give them what they deserve. He's going to judge them according to what they have done. Is that what you would wish on your enemy? Do you wish that your enemies be damned? Do you wish that your enemies be cursed? Do you want your enemy to be there when burning coals fall from the sky? Or do you now feel compassion for your enemy? Do you now actually see your enemy for who they really are, as someone in a very dangerous position, in danger of the swift and speedy and sudden vengeance of God coming upon them, and you no longer want to get back at your enemy. You want to show them kindness. You want to show them patience and love. You want your enemy to turn and believe in God, because you don't want them to be there on the day that the censer throws the burning coals onto the earth, and the angels start to blow their trumpets, and God answers the prayers of all of his people who have cried out for justice. Do you really want your enemy to be there on that day, or do you now see them differently? Can you stop taking it personally? Can you stop living in your own hurt and your own feelings? And can you actually, because you know God, can you see what would befall them, and could you care for them? Could you empathize with them? Could you say, wow, they're doing evil to me. They don't see what's going to happen. They don't know who God is. Wow. How blessed am I that I get to know God. Because knowing God is knowing the future, knowing God is knowing how it all works out, knowing God is seeing everything is going to be made right. And I'm so thankful that I get to know God, but my enemy, they don't. Oh, now I feel compassion for them, and I wish they could know what I know, so they would turn from their ways before it's too late. See, when you see your enemy under the burning coals, you're going to have a different response to them.
See, because your knowledge of God should show up in how you treat other people, this is how you really know you know God. The Bible says this all the time, like we know we love God when we can love one another. In fact, what is the greatest commandment? To love God with all your heart. What's the second greatest commandment? To love your neighbor as yourself? Do you know where that comes from? It comes from Leviticus 19:18, look at what that verse actually says. “You shall not take…” what everybody? See, here are the options. Are you going to take vengeance on your neighbor, or are you going to love your neighbor? Did you know that was the choice in this original verse that talks about loving your neighbor as yourself. You can either try to make it right with your neighbor in your own hands, or you can love your neighbor because you know God will make it right. You see what it says? You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. And then what is the reason that you would love your neighbor as yourself? I am the Lord. I am Yahweh. You don't have to worry about justice. That's what I do. And when you really do believe in a God of vengeance, you'll be able to look at people and not take vengeance. In fact, you won't even be thinking about taking vengeance. You'll be thinking about pity. You'll be thinking about compassion. You'll be thinking about fire falling from the sky and consuming them, and I don't care what they've done to me, I don't want that to happen to them, because I didn't want it to happen to me. And God has been so merciful to me. God's forgiven me for all of my sin. God has never given me what I deserved, and now I'm over here wanting him to give them what they deserve. No, see God, he has forgiven me for my sin, and I know he's going to judge those who don't turn to him. And because I know God, it completely changes the way I think of this other person.
Let's get this down for point number three: Let your vertical relationship determine your horizontal response.” Let your vertical relationship determine your horizontal response. See, what do you really believe? What do you really know about God? Does your God have wrath? Is your God going to take vengeance? Does he sit over all evil in righteous judgment. Because if you know that God, if you know who Yahweh really is, you can leave here today so relieved that you don't have to go bring justice, and you don't have to go make it right, and you don't have to leave here and punish anyone, you can actually just show people the same love that you have received, because God didn't judge you when you came to him by faith in his Son, Jesus, and so now you can just pass on that love that you've received even to your enemies. You can pray for those who persecute you. You can bless them and not curse them. They do evil to you, you're free from doing evil back. You don't have to try to settle the score or take vengeance or make it right. God's going to do that. You can just give them something to eat. You can give them something to drink. You are free to be kind, because God will make it all right.
Some of you are actually angry and you want to do evil because you're not thinking the right way about God. Some of you are freaking out about all the evil that's happening around us because you're not thinking the right way about God. The vengeance of God, the fact that God is going to judge, is actually a comforting doctrine that will change the way you look at your enemies, and so let what you know about God determine how you treat other people. See, this is what's happening. This is the conversation that's happening at our church, in our country right now. This is what people are saying. And people are saying this on both sides. By the way, people are saying, if that candidate wins this election, we won't have America anymore. Have you heard people saying this? If that candidate wins this election, evil will take over. Our country will never be the same. We're going to lose it all if that candidate wins that election. And this is the kind of thing I hear a lot as a pastor here, talking to people here all the time. I have a real concern as one of the elders, I have this concern that people are living in these what-if scenarios like, what if this happens? If this happens, that's going to be really evil. And so, because evil could happen in the future, I should do this right now. And the two options are, get really tough and act like I'm going to beat the evil, or freak out and lose my mind, because evil is coming. Those are the two options. You know which one you do, but you are now living in some alternative reality that is only in here, where the election has already happened. So and so has already won, and this is already now happening in the future. And because that's going to happen in the future, you're like, all worked up about it right now, when it hasn't even happened yet, it's just a what-if scenario in your mind. And there are so many what if scenarios about our health, about our finances, about our relationships. What if this happens? What if this happens? What if this happens? And can you already feel the anxiety rising up within you. Oh, no. What if that happens? I don't know what to do. That's a way a lot of people are thinking. And when you're thinking that way, it's because the evil has risen above your view of God, and you think that whoever the next president is actually has authority over the United States of America, when God is sovereign over all governments and God is sovereign over all evil. Can I get an amen from anybody? We don't want to live anymore in these what-if scenarios in our mind. We want to think this way. Since God is like this, I'm going to think like this, since God said he was going to do this, I'm going to believe this. Since God has already proven to me and already shown me and already made known to me this, I'm not going to worry about what could happen. I'm going to trust in what God says is going to happen, and God has wrath. God has vengeance. God is coming to judge, and he will make every wrong right, and since God is going to do that, I will live in fear of no evil, and I won't take justice into my own hands, because I know a God who reigns above evil, and so I'm not afraid of what's going to happen, because I know who God is.
So, I’ve just got to ask you, are you acting like it's all going to fall apart if such and such happens? People here are saying that in this room, and I want to say to you, is that really true? Or does your God actually sit above that what-if scenario? And so, let's see God for who he is. Go back with me to Luke 18, because Jesus says something here at the end of that parable, remember the widow who was crying out for justice. I hope you'll be encouraged to pray for justice rather than try to take it into your own hands, and this widow, who's our example, give me justice. Give me justice. And it's like, yeah, if the unrighteous judge answered the widow, surely the good judge, he will answer his people, and he will give them justice speedily. So, this is a promise. This is something we've seen from the law. We've seen from the prophets. We've heard it from Jesus and Paul here together today. We've even seen it in the book of Revelation. Is God going to judge every evil and make it right throughout the Scripture? God's telling us he's making himself known. But look what Jesus says. This is so sad to me. He says at the very end of verse 8, I tell you he will give justice to them speedily. Even though there's this promise of justice and vengeance and wrath, nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, look what Jesus says. Will he find what faith people on earth at the end of all things, when it's time for Jesus to come? Who's really going to be believing in God, who's really going to be trusting? Are you going to be one of the people when evil keeps rising and rising and it seems like things are only going to get worse, do you have a high view of God and you're going to keep believing? No, he's coming. He's going to make it right any moment now, speedily, swiftly, suddenly, he's coming. He'll judge. Are you going to keep believing that? Because Jesus is openly saying, how many are really going to believe in who God is?
So many people, they'll live like, oh, the evil. What can we do? But only a few will really believe that God is going to do it, because there will come a day when everybody will be looking to the skies, and they won't say it's a bird, they won't say it's a plane, they won't say it's Superman. No, they'll see one like a Son of Man riding on the clouds. And all the enemies will mourn and weep and wail, and all of God's people, we will shout with a victory like the world has never heard, because there he is, the King has come, and he will now judge, and he will make everything right, and we will rejoice in that day, because evil will be vanquished, and Jesus is King. See, do you really believe in the victory of Jesus? I want you to know Jesus has already won when Jesus died on the cross, when Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, he paid for sin, and He paid for it in full. He defeated death by dying, so that he can now say, everyone who believes in me, even if you die, you will live, and even Satan and the demons and all the forces of evil that wanted to kill and destroy and lie to us. If you sin, you won't die. It will all be fine. No, he won a victory over all of them. He vanquished all of his foes. Up from the grave with a mighty triumph, he arose. Jesus has won, and here we are like, oh no, what's going to happen in our country when there's an eternal victory to celebrate. You do not have to be overcome by evil, but if you believe in Jesus, you can overcome evil with good. Are you being overcome by the evil? Are you letting it get to you? Can you see who God is? Because he's above all of that evil. And you don't have to have a false courage. You don't need that, that sense of justice. You don't need that, that anxiety, that fear. You don't need that because Jesus says, “In this world, you will have trouble, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world,” John 16:33. And in 1 John 5:4, what does he say? This is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. Do you trust that Jesus has won?
Somebody came up to me after the last service. They're like, I know the story. Jesus wins. That's true. Read Revelation, Jesus wins. Good news, he's already won. Good news, he's winning right now. Yes, he wins in the end as well. It's just one long story of Jesus winning, and I think some of us are losing that perspective. Look around. Are people getting saved? Is the gospel ringing out? Are you able to live as a Christian and share what you believe with other people, with all the evil that is rising? Is there anything holding you back from obeying the commands of Jesus, right here, right now. Evil is not stopping what God is doing. In fact, sometimes when the evil gets the worst, the light shines the brightest and the name of Jesus is exalted. It's time for God's people to stop being overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with his good, because I know who God is, and I'm not afraid of evil, because God's coming to judge all of it. So, before you leave here today, I want you to take a moment right now between you and God to process what we've just heard, because I don't know if wrath, vengeance and justice are words that you've been using to describe God lately, but this is who he is, and these are things we need to be thinking about in our evil day.
So, I'm going to ask that you would pray with me, and then that you would take a moment to pray yourself while the worship team comes and does a song. Why don't you just think about who God is, and pray to him about have you really been seeing him high above all evil? Let me pray for us right now.
Father in heaven, I just want to thank you so much that you tell us who you are, and it's not up to us to listen to other people tell us who you are. It's not up to us to figure out who you are or pick the parts of you we like the most, but you make yourself known to us. Father, thank you for revealing yourself. Thank you for saying to everybody here today, Vengeance is mine, I will repay. Thank you for showing everybody here today that you've got burning coals that are going to be falling from the sky on a day of wrath. Thank you for making it clear to all of us that your judgment is coming, and by no means will you clear the guilty. The evil are not getting away with it. God, I pray that we could hear that about you. I pray that we could know you for who you really are. Father, I ask that right now, you will show us your glory. And I pray for those who have been letting the evil get to them, and they've been thinking the evil is too much, and they're filled with anxiety, or they're like ready to go and fight evil with their own hands, I pray that we could all humble ourselves right now and look at who you are, sitting on a throne in heaven, where there's an altar, and all the prayers of the saints are rising to you like incense, and there's angels around you serving you, and someday, one of those angels is going to take a censer of those burning coals, and all those prayers are going to rise up to you, the prayers for justice, the prayers for you to make it right, the prayers for you to deliver us from evil. And someday, you are going to judge in an ultimate, decisive way. God, let us know that to be true. Let us believe that. Let us see you high and lifted up above all the evil around us. And then let us see those who are doing evil. Let us see them with compassion. Let us meet them with kindness. Let us not treat other people based on the way they treat us. Let us treat other people the way you have treated us. And let us feel genuine care for people, for people who are saying evil things and they're doing evil things, and they're promoting other people to do evil things. Let us picture them on that day of judgment and let us feel genuine compassion for them. And let us pray that you will be merciful to their soul, because you've been so merciful to me. Father, we just pray that you will teach us the right way to think about you, so show us your glory now. In Jesus’ name, amen, amen.