PAYBACK Leviticus 24:19-20 (NLT) 19 Anyone who injures another person must be dealt with according to the injury

inflicted 20 a fracture for a fracture, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Whatever anyone does to injure another person must be paid back in kind. Our culture isnt much different than the culture in the day of Jesus. Schools are filled with this idea. If you wrong somebody, you may not be able to sleep that night because you are worried about what is going to happen to you the next day. If you say the wrong thing, date the wrong person, post the wrong status update, you worry that your car will get keyed, your Facebook will get hacked, you will get beat up or gossiped about. You know that in some way, if you wrong somebody chances are they are going to seek revenge. But in the days of Jesus, it was not a fear. It was law. If you damage somebody, your stuff gets damaged. If you hurt somebody, you get hurt. It was expected. People were very careful not to do harm to one another, because they knew that the law mandated that however they harmed somebody, they would be harmed. Their system for establishing justice was a bit more complicated than that, revenge didnt happen on the spot. But it did happen.

Now if somebody harmed younow that was the ticket! If somebody harmed you, you according to the law, were able to harm them back and they could do nothing about it. If they blind you, you get to blind them. If they steal your wife away, you stone both your wife and the guy. As you can imagine if your conscience was guilty because you had done something wrong to somebody, you lived constantly watching over your shoulder if you were on the run, wondering when justice was going to catch up with you. Can you recall that feeling of knowing you had done something wrong, and knowing that sooner or later it was going to catch up with you? I think we all recall that feeling. And nobody likes to live in constant fear over the past. I think we can all acknowledge that this teaching makes sense to us as humans. It seems just and right. It seems like this would be the very best law to have on the books. And it wasnt the only time this was taught: Exodus 21:22-25 (NLT) 22 Now suppose two men are fighting, and in the process they accidentally strike a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely. If no further injury results, the man who struck the woman must pay the amount of compensation the womans husband demands and the judges approve. 23 But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life,

24 an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 25 a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise. Deuteronomy 19:19-21 (NLT) 19 you must impose on the accuser the sentence he intended for the other person. In this way, you will purge such evil from among you. 20 Then the rest of the people will hear about it and be afraid to do such an evil thing. 21 You must show no pity for the guilty! Your rule should be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. But if somebody harmed younow that was the ticket! If somebody harmed you, you according to the law, were able to harm them back and they could do nothing about it. If they blind you, you get to blind them. If they steal your wife away, you stone both your wife and the guy. But, isnt God a God of love? How can this kind of treatment be reconciled with a loving God? It seems to me that it would be very easy to consider your enemy your bitter enemy. He goes his way, you go yours. But does that teaching sound as though it comes from a loving God? How in the world do we reconcile We study the bible more! The focus of the Old Testament is Justice but it is also filled with mercy. Its just that the hearts of the people wanted to focus more on revenge and restitution instead of mercy.

Exodus 23:4 (NLT) 4 If you come upon your enemys ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. Exodus 23:4-5 (NLT) 4 If you come upon your enemys ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. 5 If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help. Leviticus 19:18 (NLT) 18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. So you see, we do not have two different Gods or two different principals. The focus of loving enemies takes center stage in the New Testament because Christ was going to show us how, and all believers have the Spirit of God living within them enabling them to truly love their enemies and the people who wrong them. When it came to forgiving others, Jesus taught this: Matthew 18:21-22 (NLT) 21 Then Peter came to him and asked, Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? 22 No, not seven times, Jesus replied, but seventy times seven! In other words Jesus was sayingdont keep track! Dont write down what they have done until you get to a certain point where they have ruined your relationship! It gets hard for you to walk

when you are keeping up with the offenses of other people. Their failures, their sins, your grudges you hold against them weigh you down. It is as if you start picking up stones and bricks every time somebody hurts you, and eventually it does nothing but weigh you down. If you hold a grudge and resentment to one person, you are going to find it becomes easier and easier to do to others. Instead of practicing forgiveness, you practice Payback. You begin to sink into anger and depression and worry. Unforgiveness affects your circle of friends. You begin to not trust them, and seek out another group of friends, another circle to hang withand eventually resentment and unforgiveness begins to sink into that group as well Romans 3:10 (NLT) 10 As the Scriptures say, No one is righteous not even one. There were two groups of people that really hated one another. I mean, they treated one another with contempt, and bitterness and scorn. It went back hundreds of years to the time of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was the Jew leading the charge to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and Sanballat was an Israelite who hindered, mocked, and sided with the Amorites and Hittites. And the feud and tension grew from there ever since. They were divided about how to worship, where to worship, and the traditions that should follow

Luke 10:25-37 (NLT) 25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life? 26 Jesus replied, What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it? 27 The man answered, You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And, Love your neighbor as yourself. 28 Right! Jesus told him. Do this and you will live! 29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, And who is my neighbor? 30 Jesus replied with a story: A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, Ill pay you the next time Im here. 36 Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits? Jesus asked. 37 The man replied,

The one who showed him mercy. Then Jesus said, Yes, now go and do the same. Who do you count as your enemy? Have you ever considered ways in which you could serve your enemy? How can you serve your enemy and show them the love of Jesus? You may be surprised at how the Lord works in the midst of that broken relationship to bring peace and joy to both f you. Matthew 5:23-24 (NLT) 23 So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Forgiveness is important. If you are not living a lifestyle of forgiveness, you are not living like Jesus. If you are not seeking to live like Jesus; ARE YOU REALLY SAVED? Matthew 6:14-15 (NLT) 14 If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if

you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Consistently forgiving others is an outward sign that we have been saved. It is a sign that we have been saved, because we can forgive others, because we ourselves have been forgiven! Our sins and offenses against the Lord have been forgotten: Psalm 103:12 (NLT) 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Hebrews 8:12 (NLT) 12 And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins. Hebrews 10:17 (NLT) 17 Then he says, I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds. You know that part of my testimony that I talk about when I forgave my dad? Where do you think that came from? Please know, that no matter what you have done, Jesus offers you forgiveness from your sins and offers you an opportunity to have a relationship with him. 1 John 1:10 (NLT) 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

1 John 1:9 (NLT) 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. Romans 10:9 (NLT) 9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.