Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not.
5 sermons cite this verse
… Paul would be beheaded in the city, and the Christians would be burned at the stake by Nero. But Paul says this, bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse them. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Beloved, never avenge yourselves. No, if your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. And then I love this last line. I want you to say it with me. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. This is the Christian strategy for winning. This is the Christian strategy for defeating evil, not giving in to the evil and becoming the evil itself, but instead overcoming the evil with good. This was Paul's strategy. This was Jesus' strategy. This is the strategy that we have. Today, we are suspicious of Muslims. We just have to admit that. After 9-11, we experienced a great pain in our country, and we still haven't figured out how to get over that. …
Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Obviously, that's my favorite one being from Chick-fil-A. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of a low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends. but leave room for God's wrath for it's written it's mine to avenge I will repay says the Lord on the contrary 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 do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good it gets a little sideways when it says you're heaping burning coals on people's heads heads. That's just an expression of the day that talked about the heat of shame that your enemy would feel if you did good to them and they didn't deserve it. So it's not saying you're actually going to do bad to someone, but look at this list. Keep it up there for a minute, if you will. …
… do would be to equate himself with God. You don't want to do that. But that's what you do if you cultivate vengeance and revenge. Listen to Romans chapter 12, verse 14. "'Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.'" So there's the very simple principle. That's the essence of forgiveness. You bless, you don't curse. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Verse 17, never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Never. Never. Verse 19, never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. That's why I say you forgive in order to avoid irreverence. Really, how irreverent could you possibly be if you tried to usurp the role of God? God is the one who will avenge. God is the one who possesses the authority and the knowledge, the omniscience, to bring about a just revenge. You don't do that. You don't set yourself up as God bringing revenge on people. …
… Did you get that? Bless those who persecute you, and do not curse. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Then go down to verse 17. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Never. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. So when evil comes at you, don't let it overcome you. You overcome that evil with good. People have recently been saying to me, you're getting pretty hammered on the internet. People attacking you and assaulting you. Are you going to respond? …
… patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, and given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. And do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. And if it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath. For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. The Word of God for his people. …