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Forgiveness Over Revenge Series, Part 3
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Jesus repositions his disciples in Luke 22, marking a critical shift in how they must operate. Until this moment, he had told them, "I'm sending you out as sheep amongst wolves and I'll protect you." But now he says something different: "I need you to be a soldier. I need you to change the way you're thinking."
This is the key message for today: when God begins to bring you into a shift, your mindset must be caught up with God. Just because God did something one way last season does not mean he will do it the same way this season. Isaiah 43:19 captures this perfectly: "Behold, I do a new thing and it's springing up even now."
There are seasons when God tells you to say nothing and be still. But there are other seasons where he instructs you to fight. The challenge is learning to discern which season you're in and adjusting your posture accordingly.
Jesus begins by reminding his disciples of God's faithfulness. "When I sent you out to preach the good news, and you did not have money, a traveler's bag, or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?" The disciples answered, "No." Jesus established his track record: every time he sent them to do what he commanded, they never went lacking.
This is a word for us today. We need to pause and applaud God for all the good he's already done in our lives. Every time God promised he would show up, he showed up. Psalm 37:25 says it beautifully: "I've been young and now I'm old. I've never seen the righteous forsaken, nor the seed of God begging for bread."
God's supply meets you wherever you are. Why? Because that's how God moves. That's how God shows up.
But then Jesus says something that changes everything. "But now take your money and your traveler's bag, and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one" (Luke 22:36).
Those two words—but now—are pregnant with meaning. They represent what we call a cataclysmic shift. Everything that was operating policy before, God is getting ready to switch. This is the part of Jesus we don't often hear preached in church.
Jesus is not saying things are getting worse. He's saying warfare is about to kick up in a way the disciples have never seen before. And when warfare kicks up, you cannot walk into it passively. If you walk into warfare passive, the enemy will take advantage of you.
Some of you have been going through warfare, weeping and crying, not understanding why attacks keep hitting your body, your family, your health. Here's the truth: the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force. You are entering into spiritual warfare, and you cannot enter as a sheep. You have to be a soldier. You have to be prepared.
Jesus tells them they need a sword so badly that he actually encourages them to sell their clothes and get one if they don't have one. This sounds different from the Jesus we typically hear about—the one who says peace and don't worry about it. But this time he's direct: "I need you to be prepared. If you come in ill-prepared when attacks begin, you'll be looking for somebody to save you. But behold, I've given you the keys. I've given you the weaponry to defend yourself."
Jesus explains why this shift is necessary. "For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled." Everything written about him by the prophets has to come to pass.
This is why it's necessary for us to actually know scripture. When we don't know scripture, when things begin to happen in our lives, we become confused as if God dropped us. We spend too much time in church only shouting over the good moments without seeking warning over the difficult moments.
Friends, we are in the last days. The world hates Jesus. The world hates the church. The enemy will do whatever he can to get your eyes off God and focus on the rocks coming your way. But the Word already told us it's going to happen. We need to be prepared on how to fight when it does.
Scripture prophesies four things that will happen to followers of Jesus:
First, people will mock you, persecute you, lie on you, and create evil and false narratives about you. It will happen because you followed Jesus, not because you did wrong. These false narratives don't need to have any truth or proof—they're simply rumors, ways to get people to look at you a certain way and change their opinion.
But here's the freedom: narratives only matter when you don't know who you are. When you don't know who you are and people start saying lies about you, you battle with doubt. But when you know you've been living from a place of integrity, when people have something to say, it doesn't affect who you are. It doesn't affect how you move because you know you live a life that God is pleased with.
When you get stuck in narratives, you start trying to prove yourself to people. And whenever you start trying to prove yourself to people, you start losing yourself in God. You forget that you never signed up to live for people. You signed up to live for Christ. As long as your life is submitted to him, you'll be fine.
Second, the world will hate you. You won't fit in. You will be rejected, even by some other religious people. For some of you, being the black sheep is exactly what you're supposed to be. You're not supposed to fit in. People don't understand you because your life is spiritually discerned. They're not supposed to be able to get it.
I don't expect the world to understand how the church operates or spiritual truths. Our Bible says the word of God is spiritually understood. If you don't have the Holy Spirit, you'll miss so many truths. I get it that someone not walking with Jesus has an issue with Jesus—they don't understand Jesus. But my concern is with people who claim to be walking with Jesus, who claim to know the Word, and still don't understand it.
Third, some people will believe they are serving God when they attack you. Those persecuting believers don't truly know God. Jesus warned us beforehand so that we would not lose our faith. He says this in John 16: "I'm telling you this so you won't lose your faith."
Why would he say that? Because he knows us. He knows that even good people can get weary. That's why scripture says, "Don't get weary in well-doing." Doing good all the time doesn't always feel good. Forgiving your family all the time gets tiring. Having people try to play with you gets exhausting. But he says, "But you will reap if you don't faint."
The enemy knows he can't beat you. He's just trying to get you to quit. If he gets you to quit, then you don't have to fight anymore. If you quit, you miss the recompense of all the good you sow. You miss the assignment God has over you.
Fourth, everyone who desires to live a godly life will suffer persecution, evil people will continue to prosper for a season, and deception will increase. This is 2 Timothy 3:12-13. It's hard for people to process when they don't read scripture, but you see it in your life right now. It seems like bad people keep getting away while good people are being attacked.
But listen to the prophetic word of the Lord. He says this is a sign of the end of days. Why? Because when people see bad people getting ahead, they conclude God must not be real. But when I see bad people getting ahead, it actually makes me realize how true God is. God said 2,000 years ago that today it would be like this. Only Yahweh could know 2,000 years in advance exactly what would be happening in the world before Jesus returns.
Jesus is warning his disciples: persecution is coming. But he makes clear, "I need to make sure when it comes, you don't become bitter. You still forgive. Forgiveness is real. It isn't just convenient in church—it's a real word. You have to be able to forgive."
It's hard. Watching certain people do certain things and trying to forgive can be hard. As a pastor, I watch what certain politicians, leaders, and presidents say, and I'm like, "Bro, it's hard. I can forgive a lot of people, but it's hard." You watch policing videos and it's hard to forgive. I'm being transparent and real: it's hard.
But it's in moments like that where we say, "God, even when it's hard, I think that's when it matters most." Everybody can forgive when the injury didn't really hurt. Forgiveness matters most when the thing you have to forgive is still hurting while you're saying, 'I release you.'
Jesus is about to model this in front of his disciples. He's going to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, and he knows he's about to be attacked. He's struggling. Even though you know what you have to go through doesn't mean it's going to be easy when you go through it.
Some of you know betrayal is going to come, but it doesn't mean betrayal hurts any less. Some of you know you have to walk away from some people, but walking away from them isn't easy. Some of you know you have to drop situationships or bad relationships, but walking away from somebody you love isn't a walk in the park. It comes with a level of difficulty.
Jesus separates himself and prays: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).
Luke includes a detail that other authors don't: "And then an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him" (verse 43). What Jesus was about to carry was so heavy that heaven had to send backup. He was carrying so much that God sent an angel.
It's not always going to be easy, friends. You are not always going to have easy days. Difficulty is a part of the process. But here's what I love about God: when Jesus asked for the cup to pass, God didn't help him escape. God sent an angel to give him strength to stay.
This is a word for some of you: you've been asking, "God, when is this going to be over? How can I get out?" And God says, "You're not going to get out, but you're going to get through it. You're going to get through it, and I'm sending help to get you through it."
It's going to be difficult and you are going to have some hard days. Anyone that tells you every day is going to feel like dancing and giving God glory is lying to you. You're going to have days where you feel like turning into the old you. You're going to have days where you feel like responding in ways you used to respond. You're going to have days where you feel like throwing in the towel.
But God sends backup from heaven. He sends down angels and says, "I need you to strengthen them where they stand."
God says, "I'm going to strengthen you. I'm going to strengthen you in it, but not remove you from it."
For some of you, that's the prophetic word you've been waiting for. You've been asking, "God, what do you want me to do?" and looking for the exit. And God is saying, "Hey, hey, this one, I'm calling you to be strong in it. After you've done all to stand, keep standing. After you've done all to fight, just keep trusting that my hand is the very thing leading you and guiding you through this process."
Jesus was carrying a weight, but here's what's most important: the weight Jesus was carrying was not unique to him. Jesus says, "Whoever will carry my name will have to carry my cross." You are a little Christlike one. If you are a little Christlike one, you will have to carry the cross.
Some of you thought that when you got saved, things were going to get easier. Mama's wrong again. Things don't get easier. You get saved and stuff starts to go crazy. It feels like hell had a specific and special assignment over your life. And they did. Why? Because Satan does not fight against his own. He only wars against those who are opposite of him.
Now Jesus is showing us what's to come. In Luke 22:47, a crowd approaches led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. "Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. But Jesus said, 'Judas, would you betray the son of man with a kiss?'"
I love Jesus because he's asking a question, but he already knows the answer. It's like asking a friend how much money they made when you already know they're lying.
Here's the thing about betrayal: betrayal can only be called betrayal when it's somebody who was close enough to kiss you. If it's not that, it's just an attack. Attacks are very real, but betrayal is somebody you've trusted intimately. Somebody you brought in close. That conversation could have been easy. But betrayal feels different because they refused to actually talk to you.
That's what makes it hard with betrayal. It's somebody that you actually loved, but you found out that maybe, just maybe, they didn't love you the same in return.
When the disciples see what's about to happen, they exclaim, "Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!" This is how you know they were ready. Look at the people Jesus called. They weren't nervous. They're like, "Hey, what are we doing, God? You told me I'm ready for this. Before it goes there, just let me know how we're handling this. Am I swinging? Is it okay? I came ready."
They didn't say, "Should we run? Should we find a new church? Should we get out of here?" These were people that said, "Hey, I know what God called me to do. Just let me know how you want me to do it. Hey, we fighting or what?"
They had the swords. Jesus told them to buy them. But notice—even though they had the swords, they asked for permission. "We got the sword because you told me to buy it, but you didn't tell me what to do with it yet. So before I start moving in my feelings, I got to make sure I'm not hurting people who ain't supposed to get cut."
But there's always one. There's always a Peter. Peter can't wait. He didn't even wait for Jesus to answer. Jesus was taking so long, so Peter just cuts. He swings first. And based on modern church standards, Peter should have been disqualified. No modern-day church would say anybody that emotionally immature can lead the church. But that becomes the very person Jesus chooses not just to lead the church but to lead every other apostle in the church.
Which means Peter wasn't bad. He had instinctual qualities. He was a strong leader. He had loyalty. And loyalty like that is rare. But loyalty without submission is dangerous.
We can allow our loyalty to start cutting the people we're supposed to be helping. "Well, I'm standing up for something." Yes, you got to stand for something or fall for anything. But how you stand matters. How you stand matters.
In verse 51, Jesus does what any real leader would do. He says, "No more of this." And he touched the man's ear and healed him.
The man's name was Malchus. He was the servant of the high priest. Peter cut his ear, and Jesus stops in the middle. He says, "No more. This is why I don't want people to be hurt under my name. That's not what I'm here to do."
He not only tells Peter to put the sword back, but he puts the ear back. "Because hear me, Peter. You cut the one place he could actually hear me."
I'm trying to preach to you. I'm saying we've got to be able to stand up. But what we can't do is go around injuring people because they said something negative or because they attacked. God's going to fight for us. Think about it this way: maybe God is going to use us in the future to actually save them. But maybe now he can't save them because we cut the ear that they would have heard.
How we stand up for God, how we represent God, is very important. I've been seeing crazy stuff online. People cussing and putting scriptures in the same post. First Peter 3 says, "Wait a second. Now you can't put the two together. Bitter and sweet water can't come from the same well."
Jesus steps into the middle of the chaos and heals. He's been teaching them about what it means to walk with grace, to walk in healing, to walk in forgiveness. But when it was time to live it out, it's hard. Notice—it's the same thing for us. This is our third week teaching forgiveness over revenge. But when it was time to get tested, some of us were like, "Hey, this is harder than what we thought."
Learning something and living it are two different things.
I was in Vegas for the NBA summer league, wearing an Evolve shirt. When a French family got on the elevator, the lady asked about my shirt. I'd been doing Duolingo every night trying to learn French. I thought, "It's go time!" But when she asked me to explain my shirt, I froze. Not a French word came to mind. Only "bibliotech." I realized: reading something and living it is two different things.
You can read the scriptures all day, but when you're in the elevator, when life is testing you, when your name has been dragged, when you're being attacked, when your emotions are high, can you live what you've been reading?
I don't want to quote the Bible. I want to be the Bible. I want to live like Jesus. I want the word of God written on my heart so I might not sin against him. I want people to look at me and say, "That man is like Christ."
This is the challenge for us: to remain faithful in this. I know it can get hard. My wife said this week, "Babe, I want to be honest with you. It's hard for me. I see you. I know who you are. So sometimes it's very difficult to just watch bad things happen and you just have to keep going."
And I said, "Babe, but it's what God promised us. It's what the Lord told us."
And I'm going to tell you this: it doesn't mean it gets easier. It means you get stronger.
For some of you, that's your whole message. You can go home now. It does not get easier. You get stronger. The enemy uses the same attack, and you keep losing another relationship. That's how you're going to fall again. At some point, you have to say, "Okay, God, now that I know how the enemy attacks me, I'm ready to win this warfare."
In verse 52, Jesus speaks to the leading priests, captains of the temple guard, and elders. "Am I some dangerous revolutionary that you come to me with swords and clubs to arrest me?"
Jesus never did anything, but look at how he was treated. Sometimes the attack against godly people is so severe that the righteous are treated like the guilty.
He asks them, "Why didn't you arrest me in the temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment—the time when the power of darkness reigns."
Jesus said something I want you to hear: "I never did anything wrong, but here you are mishandling me. But that's okay. It's your time. Darkness has to reign for now."
I had to dig into scripture on this. I realized: there are seasons where God will permit certain attacks because that attack is intended to grow you, not cut you.
Jesus was saying, "I have to permit this attack so I can fulfill the assignment God gave me." Look at the Bible. It's Daniel in the lion's den. It's the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace. It's Joseph sold into slavery. It's Moses almost being dead. It's David fighting Goliath. It's not one person—it's all of them. It's Job. It's Saul.
There are moments where God permits attacks not because they're going to take you out, but because the attack is meant to kill the rest of your flesh so that your faith can grow.
This is why I forgive my opposers. I call them opposers, not enemies, because enemies suggest mutual hate. I don't have mutual hate with anybody. But I forgive opposers because I realize: if it's happening, God allowed it. Because there's something in me that needs to grow.
I'm speaking to somebody: this fight exposed something in you that God is still trying to grow.
James says the exact same thing: "My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing."
Difficult moments like this are where you learn: is my joy based on my condition or is it rooted in Christ? He's saying, "So I count it all joy because I'm learning that the trying of my faith—these seasons where everything about me is being tested—is actually growing my patience."
Then it says, "And let patience have its perfect work." Because if you actually learn what patience truly is, you will never lack anything.
Your biggest fight is because you don't know how to wait on God. So many things are happening and they're going to continue. I've been tired of this. You've been tired of this. But the trying of your faith is growing something in you that cannot grow in comfort. It can only grow as you have to wait on God.
So what are you supposed to do in the meantime, pastor? Are you supposed to just stand there and accept it?
You're supposed to forgive.
When we read "seventy times seven," it sounds good in a sermon, but it hurts when you have to live it. But yes, God is asking you again to extend the same mercy you're asking him to extend to you again.
Father, I pray that you will continue to challenge us to be more like you, to look more like you, to sound more like you. Thank you that you have us in a season where you're teaching us to walk in forgiveness. It's not about proving a point or proving our name. The only name we want to prove is your name, Jesus.
You said if you be lifted up, you will draw all men to you. So that is our prayer, God—that you will help us to live in such a submitted posture that even our pain brings people to you. We ask for grace and mercy for the times we didn't do it right. But God, we also thank you for the strength to remain, the way the angels showed up to strengthen Jesus in his Garden of Gethsemane moment.
I pray that you would send a heavenly host. Jehovah Sabbath—the Lord of heaven's armies—will release angels in this moment to strengthen those who are in valley seasons. Let your power be seen and felt in us. In Yeshua's name we pray. Amen.
