EPISODE 37 / SOMEONE HIT MY CAR!! (MOVING ON WHEN THEY DON'T MAKE IT RIGHT)

Someone backed into Jennifer's car in a church parking lot, but instead of leaving, the person went to the church and showed Jennifer what happened. They exchanged information and filed a report. The person's insurance will cover the damages. The speaker talks about how sometimes people hurt us and make it right, but sometimes they don't and we have to take matters into our own hands. The speaker gives four ways to move towards forgiveness and healing: see the person for who they are, release them and give up the desire for revenge, bless them instead of seeking revenge, and focus on getting ourselves back on track. The speaker emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and taking the high road, and prays for blessings and safety for the listeners. The other day, someone backed into Jennifer's car. It was parked in the church parking lot and there wasn't another car in the parking lot and this guy backed into her car and he could have left the scene. Nobody saw him, nobody knew him and we would have just never known who hit that car. But he went and knocked on the church door and Jennifer came out and he showed her what had happened and we exchanged information and went down to the sheriff's office, got a report and his insurance is going to fix our car. So sometimes in life, you know, people do the right thing. He ran into us, he damaged our car, but he made it right. But sometimes in life, people run into us and hurt us. They back into our lives, they say something or do something that hurts us, that injures us, and they make it right. They come to us and admit wrong and apologize and they make things right. And you and I, we should let them make things right. Just like we would an insurance company, we should let them make things right. But sometimes it goes the other way. Sometimes people back into us, they don't own up to it and there's no insurance. So we can wait forever, but they're not going to make it right. Your car is damaged. You have a damaged car and it's going to get fixed. It's going to be up to you to fix it. Listen to what God's word says in Matthew chapter six, verses 14 and 15, for if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. This is the tough part. Listen. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins. We are called to forgive people. We're called to forgive people, whether they own up to it, whether they make things right or not. They're not going to fix our car. They don't have insurance and they've run into us and we're going to have to choose to either drive around with a wrecked car, a dented up car, or we're going to have to bite the bullet and we're going to have to fix it ourselves. So when we're hurt and all of us get hurt, people say things to us, say things about us, say things to our face and say things behind our back. If they don't make it right and they don't seek reconciliation, are you going to go around dented up, beat up, and then somebody else is going to hurt you? And then somebody else is going to say something. Somebody else is going to deceive you. Somebody else is going to lie about you. You're going to get dented up again and again and again. If these people, and there are plenty of them, don't make things right, next thing you know we're bruised up and beat up and dented up pretty bad in life. So we sometimes have to fix it ourselves. We have to be willing to forgive and if they won't participate in the reconciliation, we've got to do something about it. So this morning, real quick, I wanted to give you four ways to get us on the road to forgiveness, to healing, to punching out all those dents and getting things set right again. Number one, we see them. Those people that have hurt us, we see them. We look past the facade and see why they are the way they are. Oftentimes we'll see things in their families, things from their childhood, maybe a broken relationship. Maybe life has just really kicked them around pretty hard and we start to understand why they are like they are. So when people hurt us, it'll help us to forgive if we see them as broken people in a broken world. So see them, who they are and why they are like they are and release them. The biggest part of forgiveness is giving up our right to punish somebody and to get back at somebody. It doesn't mean that we become best friends with them or anything, but that's really what forgiveness is, is giving up our right to punish, to get revenge. I tell you, when we give up and let God ... God says that we should love our enemies and in doing so, we heap coals of fire upon their head. When we release them and we are kind to them and gentle to them and forgiving to them, that leaves room for God to do something in their life, God to deal with them about their sin, about maybe the way they've treated you. But when we seek revenge, we take up all the room. There's no room left for God to avenge us. So see them for who they are, why they are the way they are. Release them. I'll tell you, when you release folks, when you forgive folks in that way, when you walk away from the situation, you take the high road, I'm going to tell you, it will give you rest. You won't lay awake thinking about it. It won't consume your days. Release them. Bless them. God's word says, listen to what God's word says in 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 9. It says, do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. Isn't that good? On the contrary, repay evil with blessing because to this you are called so that you may inherit a blessing. Who wants to inherit a blessing? Well, we all do. So what should we do? Well, you don't go tit for tat. You don't repay evil with evil. It says, this is NIV, don't repay insult with insult. And man, aren't we prone to do that? Don't do that. Let God take care of it. Then he goes on to say, on the contrary, repay evil with blessing. Bless them. Be kind to them. The kinder we can be to them, the more blessings we can pour their way, the more God is willing to bless us. Listen to the last part of this verse because if you do this so that you may inherit a blessing, God is going to honor that. He's going to honor that forgiving, that Christ-like spirit, and he's going to bless you. So don't render evil for evil. Bless them. See them for who they are, why they are the way they are. Release them. Give up your right to punish them. Even go as far to bless them. And number four, get yourself back on track. Get to the body shop. Get fixed up. Get in church. Get with some accountability partners, some people that love you. Get your life back on track. If you've been hit hard, if somebody's dented you and hurt you and bruised you, you've got to get back on track. And when we get in church and we get around the body of believers, other people who are like-minded and love God's word and see life through the lens of God's word, we'll find that that will help us get back on track, that we're not the only ones that have been hurt. We're not the only ones that have been gossiped about. We're not the only ones that's been the victims of a hit and run. And so get back on track. Get in worship. Get in Bible study. Get your hands dirty. I'll tell you, that's one of the greatest cures for a lot of our ails. If we get our hands dirty in ministry, start loving people, doing for others, go to the homeless shelter, serve somebody, somebody's lost their job or they're down on their luck and their income has been slashed, buy them a bag of groceries at the store. Take it by and just say, hey, Christ would have me do this for you. I love you. Get back on track. So see the folks for who they are, why they are the way they are. Release them. Give up your right. Get out of the way so God can work in their lives and God can take them to the woodshed and God can turn their face around to face him. Bless them. Go as far to do good things. Don't ever get in the mud and render evil for evil or insult for insult. And finally, turn to yourself. Get yourself back on track. If you're waiting on them to fix your car, I got news for you. It probably is never going to happen. You are going to have to take steps to get yourself back on track. Man, I hope that makes sense to you today. I know it's brief. I hope that you have a good week and I hope that God will use you. I hope you don't get ran into or hit and run this week. But if you do, just remember those words and God will surely bless you. Let me pray for you and let's get on with our week. Father God, we thank you, Lord, for this day. We thank you for your word. God, we see how you were treated and how Christ was crucified and tortured. But he said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Lord, help Christ to be our model when we are hurt, when people run into us and when they try to make it right, forgive them. But Lord, some people aren't going to try to make it right. Lord, help us to always take the high road as children of God. Lord, I pray for my friends that you keep them safe this week. Lord, that you would prosper them, that you would bless them. God, that you would give us all opportunities to share what you have done in our life. Give us those divine appointments that we can share the gospel with somebody this week. Lord, I love you and God, I thank you for loving us first. In Jesus' name, amen.