1 Thess 5:14+15, And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. 
	The Apostle Paul has laid forth the manner in which we are to treat others with the love of the Lord. He does so with a heart that seeks to find acceptance within the heart of the readers of this letter. We must remember that Paul was in prison as he wrote this letter to the Thessalonians. He was being treated as a criminal to the Empire of Rome. He was writing to other Christians who were also perceived as a threat to the status quo, and who were being persecuted and soon to be martyred for their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. These were the outcasts of the civilized world, and yet Paul gives them very specific instructions as to the behavior with which they are to treat those who were their enemies; politically, socially, religiously, and economically.
	 … be patient with all men. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. How can he encourage this type of loving behavior toward those who even crucified the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the perfect expression of God’s Love? It is because of that fact, the love of God. We need to see that the Apostle Paul is expressing the very heart of the Love of God. We are not to take upon ourselves any form of retribution or revenge. We are to show forth the heart of the One Who now indwells us. He did not call forth legions of angels to rescue Him and execute judgment on those who were crucifying Him. Rather, as He was dying, Christ Jesus simply called forth the forgiveness of God upon these tormentors in Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." How can we do anything other that what He did with them and has done with us, forgive?
Even in the Old Testament, God gave very specific instructions as to how to deal with those who considered themselves the enemies of His people. Prov 25:21+22, If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the Lord will reward you. Those burning coals are the fact that animosity and hatred and anger were to be met with love and kindness and patience that demonstrates the very love of God.
Even the livestock of the perceived enemy was to be considered as worthy of help. Ex 23:4+5 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him. 
	Once again, we have the words of Christ as recorded in Matt 5:44-48, "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? "And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect. This passage provides the key of our interactions with one another and with others as we deal with them in the love of Christ. We are to be perfect, even as our Heavenly Father is perfect. Consider the fact that He sent His only begotten Son to die in our stead, we who were dead in our sins and trespasses and at enmity with God. That was not held against us, but was the very reason for which Christ came to this earth, to provide the avenue for us to be brought into a living relationship with God on His perfect terms of love, through His Holy Spirit.  
	The Lord also states the following in Luke 6:27-29, "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. "Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. This takes away any sense that we can exact any retribution for physical, mental, or emotional abuse. There is no exception made for any manner of revenge or hatred by the Lord Jesus. He expresses the complete heart of God, even to the point of giving more than is demanded. This is a humanly impossible and incomprehensible statement of the responsibility of a Christian who is so led by the Lord Jesus. We are not to exact revenge, and are even to go so far as to give more fully of the love of God. That is what is before us as we consider those who abuse us. We are to be a living expression of the Love of God. We count on the Lord. We trust Him to deal lovingly with all concerned. We seek His guidance and His manner of dealing with everyone who is part of our life, no matter what part they play.
	There are some who say that we cannot do this. That it is not right. That our rights are being violated and that we are merely enabling the abuser. This is entirely true, when we are the center of the consideration. But, what about when our consideration is for the other, for that abuser, for that enemy, for that one who is so driven to forcefully mistreat us? 
	The Lord deals with this as recorded later in the same chapter, Luke 6:35-37, "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "And do not judge and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Because we belong to Christ, because we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect, because He so loved us, we are to love others. We are the expression of the Living Lord Jesus Christ. Our hearts should exactly mirror His heart of forgiveness and love and willingness to lay down our lives for one another. Our actions with those who consider themselves our enemies will express the truth of our relationship with Jesus Christ. If our focus is on Him in everything we do, He will be expressed with hearts that seek for the benefit of the other, for the salvation of the other, for the love of God to flood the lives of the other in order for them to come to know the Lord in the same living manner in which we know the Lord.
	The Apostle Paul continues this theme of forgiveness and love in Rom 12:17-21, Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. 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, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. We need to be very careful that we never allow evil to overcome us. We must always seek for the Holy Spirit to so establish us that we will not be removed from the rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ, no matter what! That is for His sake, not our own. We are not the focus of the attacks and the hatred and the abuse, He is. We are simply the ones who represent Him on this earth and this world wants nothing to do with Christ. Yet, because we love God, since He first loved us, we desire to express Him, especially in the midst of this earthly walk.
	We have all heard numerous stories of missionaries who literally laid down their lives in complete service to the Lord for the sake of the lost of this age. They were martyred for the name of the perfect Being of Love, Jesus Christ. Yet the result was that even in their earthly deaths, the name and the love of Jesus Christ was spread forth in all His glory. Why is this? Why can we be so confident in the fact that we are to show nothing other than the love of Christ, even in the midst of death and tribulation? It is because we are to show forth the character of the goodness of God in living reality. Consider, for the rest of our lives, the reason that we have been brought together in Jesus Christ. It is because He so loved us. His Word, His gloriously rich and powerful and living Word proclaims His Grace and Goodness throughout every page of its writing. Listen to the Psalmist as he considers the super abounding goodness of our God.
	Ps 25:7+8, Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Thy lovingkindness remember Thou me, For Thy goodness' sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. 
	Ps 33:4-6, For the word of the Lord is upright; And all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. 
	Ps 34:8-10, O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him, there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. 
	Ps 119:68, Thou art good and doest good; Teach me Thy statutes. 
	And in Ps 145:3-9, Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Thy works to another, And shall declare Thy mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, And on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate. And men shall speak of the power of Thine awesome acts; And I will tell of Thy greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Thine abundant goodness, And shall shout joyfully of Thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. 
	The prophets praised the Lord God Almighty as they considered His goodness expressed in His lovingkindness and tender mercies
Isa 63:7, I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, According to all that the Lord has granted us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has granted them according to His compassion, And according to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses. 
Jer 33:11, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, "Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, For the Lord is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting"; and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first, 'says the Lord. 
	And in Nahum 1:7, The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him. It is the goodness of the Lord in which we take refuge as we are facing the onslaughts of this realm. It is our trust in God that carries us forward, even into the jungles of the wildernesses of humanity.
	As Christ considered Our Heavenly Father, he considered Him in terms of the fact that He is all goodness. Matt 19:17,  And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." It is because of the goodness of God that we are to live lives that reflect Him in everything that we do. 
Again, the Apostle Paul knew of God’s goodness and proclaims its tremendous work in Rom 2:4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? As God’s lovingkindness has accomplished the miracle of our salvation and living relationship with God, so are we to consider that miracle as we present Him to others. We do not condone evil done unto others. We do not overlook it and turn a blind eye to it. We do the only thing that will forever deal with that evil, we pray for God’s goodness to shine forth from the midst of the tragedy and bring the Love of Jesus Christ into all the hearts involved. We trust God! We count on Him! We offer ourselves unto Him for whatever use He deems necessary to express His lovingkindness and goodness unto others through these lives that belong to Him Alone.
	We end this morning with Ps 65. In it, we find the fullness of God’s goodness and mercy and love expressed forth unto His people. There will be silence before Thee, and praise in Zion, O God; And to Thee the vow will be performed. O Thou who dost hear prayer, To Thee all men come. Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, Thou dost forgive them. How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose, and bring near to Thee, To dwell in Thy courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, Thy holy temple. By awesome deeds Thou dost answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, Thou who art the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea; Who dost establish the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might; Who dost still the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. And they who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Thy signs; Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. Thou dost visit the earth, and cause it to overflow; Thou dost greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; Thou dost prepare their grain, for thus Thou dost prepare the earth. Thou dost water its furrows abundantly; Thou dost settle its ridges; Thou dost soften it with showers; Thou dost bless its growth. Thou hast crowned the year with Thy bounty, And Thy paths drip with fatness. The pastures of the wilderness drip, And the hills gird themselves with rejoicing. The meadows are clothed with flocks, And the valleys are covered with grain; They shout for joy, yes, they sing. Amen
Once again from our Thessalonian text, And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. Amen

	This morning’s benediction is 1 Cor 15:51-57, Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen