Dare to be Different

Dare to be Different!

21 November 1999

CAPTAIN ALISTAIR VENTER

Reading: Romans 12:14-21

Robert Louis Stevenson, in "The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, gives us a facinating story of a man with a two part multiple personality. One was a fine, upstanding and educated gentleman. The other was a diabolical and demented maniac. One good – the other evil. Even when the good was in control, the evil was always lurking just below the surface.

What is underneath the surface of the average Christian? Has the grace of God saturated your being and altered your nature? Or is there lurking just underneath the surface a character more like the old nature and not like the new? In 1892 the English novelist, Israel Zangwill, said: "Scratch the Christian and you find the pagan." Is there a pagan inside you, clothed with Christian skin? Is that an accurate picture of the Christian? Someone once said: "The word Christian is both a noun and an adjective. We need more adjective Christians, more Christian Christians. Christians who are more Christian in thought and spirit and deed as well as name". Because we call ourselves Christians, and are living expressions of God’s grace, we need to possess the kind of attitudes and portray the kind of actions toward one another and the world, that exemplify the character of Christ.

We mix with different people all the time – at work, at home, at the shops, in church, and our attitudes and our actions are so important if we want to make a difference to other people. In our Bible reading from Romans 12, we find some attitudes and actions that we should possess – and if we do, when people scratch us, they won’t find a pagan, but a genuine child of God.

ATTITUDES TO POSSESS:

Pick up any newspaper, turn the radio or TV to any news bulletin, and you will hear things that have been done because of the hatred and lack of love that we see in the world today. Life has become so cheap, people are not important, and this kind of attitude some how rubs off on the people we meet every day.

In verse 9 of Romans 12, we read that "Love must be sincere. We must hate what is evil and cling to what is good". That needs to be the general attitude that should prevail for the Christian. But the Bible is a little bit more explicit in what attitudes that we need to possess in certain circumstances.

The first attitude which we need to manifest to the world comes by;

An unexpected response:

Look at verse 14 "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse". The natural reaction of the person in the world is to retaliate when something is done against them. They want to strike back – they want to get even. They even go as far as calling down the curse of God on them. This is certainly not the Christian response.

What I want to say at this point is that we have been told by Jesus Himself that we will be persecuted. Persecution can take all kinds of forms. You can be excluded from a certain circle of friends because you are a Christian. You can be ridiculed openly or by subtle means because of your faith. In some countries Christians have their jobs taken away from them because of their profession, the state turns against them – and generally, Christians are often made to feel very humiliated by those who are bent on persecuting them.

The Bible says to us: "Bless and do not curse". The word bless, from the original Greek means simply "to speak well of a person." If someone persecutes you and you speak well of them – that is an unexpected response. You will knock the wind out of their sails. I want to challenge you today to DARE TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD!

Another attitude the Christian should have is one of:

Unconditional Identification:

Where do I get that from? Vs 15 of Romans 12 says: "Rejoice with who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn". What are being told here is that we need to be involved with the lives of the people that we want to reach. Someone once described Christians as "people who care". We should care about the things that cause people to rejoice. We should care about the things that cause people to weep.

Mrs Fourie was telling me that on Thursday night there was what seemed to a party at one of her neighbours homes – there were so many cars, and they seemed to be going on late into the evening. The next day she discovered that the little girl from that home had been drown in their swimming pool. There were people there who cared. People who were weeping with those who wept.

The very first miracle that Jesus performed was at a wedding feast – one of life’s gladdest moments. Jesus saved the day by turning water into wine, that the festivities and rejoicing could continue. The last miracle that Jesus performed was at a funeral – one of life’s saddest moments. It was there that we read that Jesus wept – but he also was there to bring Lazarus back to life again. Jesus identified with sinners – not with sin – but people were his concern. It did not matter who it was – He unconditionally identified with the needs of people. He was criticized for being "The friend of sinners". The world are too busy to rejoice with those who rejoice, to mourn with those who mourn. But I want to challenge you to DARE TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD.

Thirdly, the Christian attitude is seen in an

An unaffected humility:

Vs 16 says: "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited".

The lesson is clear. We are not to be proud. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29 "Learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart". Someone has said that the life of our Lord was a standing rebuke to every form of pride to which men are liable.

He was just "the carpenter’s son". He had no place to lay his head. Nothing good could ever come out of Nazareth. He spoke about the fact that he came as one whose serves. He was despised and rejected by men. He said that he did not seek his own will, but the will of His father who had sent him.

Yesterday when I saw 153 new soldiers being sworn in, my heart wanted to swell with pride – but instead there were tears in my eyes. I was so humbled at the way in which God had blessed and is blessing the Army. In a world where it is a weakness to be humble, I challenge you to DARE TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD.

We have looked at three attitudes, but attitudes come to nothing unless they are lived out in our actions.

ACTIONS TO PORTRAY:

I want to stress again that in our actions, love must be the motivating factor – love must be sincere. The first action that we need to portray is:

Unequalled righteousness:

I have always struggled with understanding the word "righteousness". I wish people would make things easier for simple people like myself. But righteousness is simply "right living". Verse 17 of our reading says: "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. But be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody".

I was at the Centre this week sorting out a problem or two, and we spoke to one person about something that she was doing wrong. Her reply was: "So and so in such and such a room does this, and this one does that, so if they do it, so can I". Our right living must not be dependent on what others do. Two wrongs do not make a right. Our standard has got to be God’s standard. We measure our lives against him, and not the next person.

The world will tell you that you are crazy. Look after yourself – nobody else will – and even if it involves doing all kinds of wrong – everybody else is doing it. My challenge! DARE TO BE DIFFERENT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

The second action that we need to portray is:

Unintimidated peacemaking:

Vs 18 says: "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone". There are two phrases that qualify this statement. The first is "if possible". This seems to indicate that it may not be possible to live at peace with some people. Some people set themselves up against you as your enemy. Every effort that you make to bring peace might change nothing! They have made a decision that they are against you, and it seems impossible to change that decision. So it might not be possible to live at peace with everyone, but the second phrase clarifies the verse when it says "as far as it depends on us". The fault is not to lie with the Christian. The fault must not lie with you, with me. If there is something that should be done about it, we must take action. This can be intimidating. It might be really difficult to make peace with someone when we have been in the wrong. But the action we must portray must be one of unintimidated effort to restore peace. The world will say – "It is their problem – toughies for them". My challenge! I DARE YOU TO BE DIFFERENT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

Thirdly, we need to as Christians take an

Unspiteful position:

Vs 19 says: "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".

Revenge is always outside of the will of God. People who seek revenge hold tightly to their bitter feelings. Those bitter feelings, if allowed to remain, will grow into a cancer of hatred that eventually affects the one who is so bitter. God says that if someone has caused us pain, harm – He will sort it out – not us! A pretty different picture to what the man in the world would do. BUT I DARE YOU TO BE DIFFERENT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

Our final action that we should portray is an:

Unselfish approach:

Vs 20 says: "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". Remember I said that our actions have to be controlled or motivated by love. It is perhaps one of the hardest things to be good to your enemy. To be good to one who treats you badly. But that is what you are told to do.

Have you ever wondered what it means to heap burning coals on someone’s head? In Bible times, a family had to keep a fire going all the time to ensure that they could cook and keep warm. If the fire went out, they had to go to the neighbour for some live coals. They would carry them back in a container on their heads. So what this verse is saying is that when we are good to our enemies, we are doing them an incredible kindness – we are giving them something that will help them - something which they sometimes don’t expect.

The world’s attitude to our enemy is to treat him badly, to despise him, not to give him anything. I DARE YOU TO BE DIFFERENT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

CONCLUSION:

If you had to be scratched today – what would be underneath that skin? Would we find a pagan? A person more in tune with the world than with the Kingdom of God? Or would they find a true man or woman of God?

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!!!