Birth of a Just Nation | Vengeance Is Mine

Devotional

Day 1: Radical non-retaliation and generosity over personal rights.

Jesus calls kingdom citizens to live beyond payback: turn the other cheek when insulted or hit, give more than what a lawsuit could take, and go farther than forced labor demands—embodying a radical generosity that aims not at retaliation but reconciliation; this means laying down cherished “rights” to display a righteousness that can only come from heaven, a witness that softens hearts and makes space for the gospel. [34:54]

Matthew 5:38–42 (ESV)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

Reflection: Who disrespected or inconvenienced you this week, and what specific “extra-mile” act (an encouraging note, a favor, a gift, or practical help) will you deliberately do for them before today ends?

Day 2: God alone avenges; lay down revengeful impulses.

God declares that vengeance belongs to Him, yet we often try to lease it—cosigning on revenge like cultural “revengers”; release the urge to clap back and entrust justice to the Lord, remembering you already have an Avenger, so you don’t need to be one. [10:18]

Romans 12:19 (ESV)
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Reflection: Whose offense are you secretly planning to “pay back”? Write their name on a piece of paper, pray “Vengeance is Yours, Lord,” delete any drafted clapback or subtweet, then send one simple blessing (a prayer, kind text, or help) for them today.

Day 3: Jesus absorbed injustice, entrusting judgment to the Father.

When mocked, struck, stripped, and crucified, Jesus never retaliated; He entrusted Himself to the Father, turned the other cheek, gave the cloak, went the extra mile to Golgotha, and even welcomed the begging thief—His restraint on the cross becomes our roadmap for suffering without sinning. [59:23]

1 Peter 2:23 (ESV)
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

Reflection: Where are you being misunderstood or mistreated right now—what would it look like to keep silent today, refrain from self-defense, and spend five minutes entrusting that situation to “Him who judges justly” by name and detail?

Day 4: Better be defrauded than sue your brother.

The kingdom way reframes winning: even in disputes and losses among believers, Scripture calls us to absorb the hit rather than drag each other into court, because our hope isn’t retaliation but reconciliation that displays Jesus’ upside-down justice. [33:38]

1 Corinthians 6:7 (ESV)
To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?

Reflection: Is there a debt, grievance, or “they owe me” you’re holding over a fellow believer or family member—what concrete cost (money, time, last word, or preference) will you absorb and release today, and how will you communicate grace by tonight?

Day 5: Give to the needy; heaven honors humble generosity.

Refusing the beggar hardens the heart; the rich man ignored Lazarus and woke up in torment, while Lazarus was carried by angels—kingdom people stay poor in spirit, recognize “we the same,” and respond with open hands to those in need. [42:14]

Luke 16:19–31 (ESV)
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Reflection: Build a simple “generosity kit” (cash, gift card, snack, water) right now and keep it with you—who will you intentionally bless with it at the next stoplight or encounter today?

Sermon Summary

We opened by lifting our voices because the resurrection is not a memorial—it’s a party. From that posture, I walked us into Matthew 5:38–42. God gave Israel “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” to limit punishment and keep justice inside a court, not our hands. Over time, we baptized our appetites in that verse and made it permission to get even. Jesus amends our instincts: “Do not resist the one who is evil.” It sounds extreme because it is. Ordinary justice pays back; kingdom justice absorbs, entrusts, and transforms.

So He paints three pictures. If you’re slapped, turn the other cheek—an affront not only to skin, but to status. This is meekness: strength restrained to win the person, not the moment. If you’re sued for your tunic, hand over your cloak—radical generosity in financial loss, the kind that makes no earthly sense but opens hearts. If you’re forced to carry a load one mile, go two—voluntary servanthood under coercion that exposes a different kind of power. Then He widens the lens: give to beggars; don’t refuse borrowers. The kingdom metric is not fairness but a cruciform kind of love. It is radical generosity even when they’re jerks—and remember, we’re often the jerks.

That’s why I named the beast in us. Retaliation feels righteous because it distracts from the darkness in the mirror. But the gospel names the villain within so we can meet the Victor without. Jesus did not come as a beast but as a Lamb. He turned the other cheek in Gethsemane, gave up His garments at Golgotha, and went the extra mile all the way to the cross. When reviled, He entrusted Himself to the Judge who judges justly. He rose not to avenge His pain but to avenge our bondage—to unchain us from bitterness, bloodlust, and the endless need to get even.

So repent—“sorry” not to get you back, but to get you back. Lay down your rights where they block reconciliation. Trade the mark of the beast—resentment, retaliation, scorekeeping—for the mark of the Lamb—meekness, mercy, and Spirit-fired courage. You don’t need revenge when you already have an Avenger. Vengeance is the Lord’s.

Key Takeaways

1. Radical justice over retributive revenge [17:58] Jesus moves from limiting retaliation to rejecting it. His way is not passivity; it is a courageous refusal to mirror the harm we’ve suffered. This posture entrusts judgment to God and makes space for reconciliation that payback can never produce. [17:58]
2. Meekness is restrained, redemptive strength [25:48] Turning the other cheek is not weakness; it’s strength under authority. It refuses to let social shame or wounded ego steer the soul. By absorbing insult without returning it, we seek to win the person, not just the argument. [25:48]
3. Kingdom citizens lay down their rights [28:22] Our national reflex is to protect rights; Jesus trains us to surrender them for love’s sake. When our citizenship in heaven outranks our citizenship on earth, we can absorb loss without losing ourselves. This is how a cruciform people become compelling. [28:22]
4. Go beyond what coercion demands [34:54] Going the extra mile converts forced labor into voluntary service. It shifts the power dynamic by choosing generosity when you are being used. That choice reveals a different King and frequently opens the door to real conversation and changed hearts. [34:54]
5. The Lamb avenged our bondage, not Himself [59:23] Jesus endured mockery and violence without retaliating, entrusting justice to the Father. His resurrection power frees us from the slavery of bitterness and the cycle of revenge. Receiving His Spirit marks us with a new nature that reflects the Lamb. [59:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Pentecostal celebration and praise
[05:46] - Prayer and Scripture reading
[07:40] - Culture’s obsession with vengeance
[12:52] - Law’s equalizer: eye for eye
[16:39] - Trusting God’s justice, not retaliation
[17:58] - Jesus’ radical non-resistance
[21:49] - Turning the other cheek explained
[27:46] - Lay down rights; choose citizenship
[29:42] - Tunic and cloak: lawsuits and generosity
[34:54] - Forced mile to extra mile
[40:52] - Beggars, borrowers, and Lazarus
[49:27] - The beast in me vs the Lamb
[59:23] - Cross, resurrection, and true Avenger
[63:14] - Repentance and Spirit-marked living

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

- Matthew 5:38–42 (ESV) — “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

Observation Questions

In the sermon, what problem was “eye for an eye” meant to solve, and where was justice supposed to happen? Quote: “send them to the system, to the judge” [15:24]
List the four specific commands Jesus gives in Matthew 5:39–42. What kinds of losses or pressures are represented in each (social/physical, financial, coerced labor, material need)?
The pastor said, “We have a culture obsessed with vengeance.” [07:40] What modern examples did he name that show this obsession?
What did the preacher say about our “rights” when he contrasted American citizenship with kingdom citizenship? Quote: “Your system glitches… when you… hear… lay down your rights” [28:22]

Interpretation Questions

Jesus’ line, “Do not resist the one who is evil,” sounds extreme. According to the sermon, why is this extremity part of “extraordinary” kingdom life rather than passivity? Quote: “This is Jesus being extreme” [17:58]
How does biblical meekness reframe conflict? In the sermon, meekness was “strength restrained… not… to win but… to win someone.” [25:48] What would that aim—winning the person—change about your approach to insult or disrespect?
What is Jesus doing with power when he says, “go with him two miles” [34:54]? How does choosing voluntary service under coercion expose a different kind of authority and open doors for reconciliation?
How does Jesus’ pattern—“entrusting himself to him who judges justly” [59:23]—reshape our view of justice, especially when human systems fail? What does this free a disciple from, and what does it free them for?

Application Questions

Turn the other cheek in real life: Identify one specific relationship or setting where you’re tempted to clap back. What will “Do not resist the one who is evil” look like for you this week—one concrete behavior, one sentence you’ll say, or one silence you’ll keep? [17:58]
Radical generosity in financial loss: Is there a current dispute, bill, or debt where you could “give the extra cloak”? Name one costly, specific action that pursues the person over “winning” (for example: forgive a fee, cover a cost, return more than required). Quote: “If somebody tries to sue you, give them what they want and then some.” [31:00]
Extra mile under pressure: Think of one place you feel used (workload dumped on you, family task no one wants, teammate shirking). Name one voluntary extra you will do this week to “go with him two miles” and why that could soften a heart. [34:54]
Beggars and borrowers: Choose one intersection, store exit, or commute spot where you normally look away. What’s your plan this week to “Give to the one who begs from you”—cash, a card with resources, a prepared bag, a brief prayer and eye contact? [40:52]
Laying down rights for reconciliation: Where is “being right” or “my rights” blocking peace? What is one “Why not rather be defrauded?” action you could take to move toward reconciliation (call first, apologize without defending, return what wasn’t asked)? [33:38]
Naming the beast, choosing the Lamb: Where does “the beast in me” show up most (scorekeeping in marriage, sarcasm online, cold shoulder at work)? Write a one-sentence prayer of repentance and one Spirit-led replacement practice (e.g., bless not blast; listen before reply). [53:27]
Entrust judgment to God: Name one person you keep rehearsing revenge against. This week, pray daily: “Vengeance is the Lord’s. You are the only Avenger I need.” Then choose one act of blessing toward them (pray for their good, speak well of them once, stop retelling the story). Quote: “I am the only avenger you will ever need.” [10:18]

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Birth of a Just Nation | Vengeance Is Mine | Matthew 5:38-42