Barriers to Love: Resentment of the Lost Resentment is defined as a feeling of bitterness or indignation directed toward someone or something.

The problem that results when Christians feels resentment toward the lost is that it ultimately prevents them from sharing the gospel message from a place of love. Love and resentment cannot be expressed simultaneously. We have all been guilty, at one time or another, of harboring resentment toward the lost. And, if the truth were made known to us today, we would undoubtedly recognize instances in our lives when this resentment served as a barrier to our sharing the gospel. Therefore, if this tendency toward resentment has such grave consequences, and if it can have a deleterious effect on our spirituality, then certainly it must be addressed and promptly rectified. Before we can fix the problem however, we must first recognize its manifestations in our thoughts and actions. Once recognized, we can use the tools we find in the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to rid ourselves of resentment. We will now consider and attempt to answer three basic questions concerning resentment of the lost. These are as follows: 1. Why do we resent the lost? 2. How do we display this resentment in our treatment of the lost? 3. How must our resentment and subsequently our behavior change? 1. Why do we resent the lost? They are getting away with it- In Psalm 73, the psalmist wrote in verse 3, I was envious of the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Do you ever find yourself envious of the foolish? You see them prosper and gain the admiration of others despite their wicked conduct and fell as if their behavior seems to mock you. If unchecked, these thoughts will lead to one of two conclusions. On one hand, this envying of the wicked could lead to compromise and participation in their sins. On the other hand, we could find ourselves at the other end of the spectrum of rationalization, in a place of self-righteous judgment. Neither of these is a desirable place to be found. Neither is a place of love. They tempt us- The Psalmist wrote in verse 2 of chapter 73, But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. He almost gave in to temptation. There is strength to be gained in resisting temptation (the trying of your faith worketh patience- James 1:3). However, there is friction in the process. It is true that the lost will tempt us. But, we have a commandment to resist this temptation. Proverbs 1:10 reads, My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. The

consequences of failing to seek the Lord when tempted are similar to those mentioned with respect to envying the lost. We will either yield to temptation, or we will completely alienate ourselves from those who tempt us. Neither of these is a productive solution and will ultimately serve as a barrier to loving the lost. They humiliate us-In verse 6-14 of Psalm 73, the author addresses the pride of the wicked. He speaks of their loftiness and their earthly success, compared to the lowliness and struggling of the godly. The theme of wicked men attempting to humiliate the wicked is echoed throughout the Scriptures. There is no greater example than that of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Our feelings of humiliation like those of envy and of being tempted, will end in one of two reactions without the Power of God. On one hand, we will find ourselves desiring to compete with our lost counterparts by exhibiting similar desires and similar behaviors. On the other hand, we may find ourselves adopting an attitude of vain conceit or self-righteousness. Again we will find either of these results as barriers to loving the lost. 2. How do we display this resentment in our treatment of the lost? We are judgmental- Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment (John 7:24). We tend to judge the lost for the faults we see in them without considering our own faults. There is no greater obstacle to receiving the gospel than the perception that one is being judged. We are aloof- How many of us find ourselves avoiding certain situations and the company of certain individuals so as to avoid our tendency to envy their wickedness or to be enticed by their sin? How do we expect to effectively witness to individuals with whom we have no contact? 3. How must our resentment and subsequently our behavior change? Judging- We begin to judge others when we feel that they are not being judged appropriately. We must, however, defer to the Righteous Judge (II Timothy 4:8). If we return to Psalm 73 we will find at the end of the chapter that the author has come to the same conclusion. This is effectively saying that God is remiss in hid duty to judge them. If we challenge others regarding their behavior and their decisions on the basis of our personal feelings about them, we have made ourselves the righteous judge. There is a strong warning against this in Matthew 7. Verse one is widely known (Judge not that ye be not judged). Verse two, however, goes on to tell state that, with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged Christ explains here that those who judge unjustly

and out of anger or disdain will receive the same type of judgment from Him. In verses 26-28 the author recognizes that he should be seeking after God alone and that, as far as the wicked are concerned, God has already dealt with them and determined their fate. He also acknowledges the need for this realization and perspective if he is going to out the work of evangelism. You cannot expect the lost to relate to you spiritually. You cannot even expect them to fully comprehend the things you are telling them. The scriptures state, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (I Corinthians 1:14). Remember that you didnt receive or understand them either before your eyes were opened. You may be better off relating to them initially on the basis of the things you have in common, or those you shared in common with them before you were saved. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). [Insert JD example]. Talk with them briefly about the sin and pain from which the Lord saved you. This will open the door for you to tell them of how he healed, restored, and gave you a new life. Your Heavenly Father will be glorified and your gospel message will be communicated in a non-judgmental and much more effective manner. The barrier to love is thereby removed. We are aloof- We are often aloof toward those by whom we will feel tempted. This could be a temptation to sin with them, or temptation to lash out at them and damage our Christian testimony. We often begin to distance ourselves from them. In some circumstances, this is a wise thing to do. The Bible tells us to flee temptation. However, we often must interact regularly with those by whom we feel tempted. We must not resent those who tempt us, as temptation is a necessary part of the Christian life. In times of temptation we have a wonderful refuge. Hebrews 2:18 states, speaking of Jesus, For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. If we are aloof, our distaste for them will be evident; we may be written off a cold or indifferent. We must find a way to communicate love to them without putting ourselves in the way of temptation. This is a delicate balance. This can only be accomplished through service. We must remember that Jesus dined with publicans and sinners, yet He was without sin. He kept the company of harlots, yet he was undefiled. Many, who lived wickedly, loved him. How did He achieve this difficult balance? He served them. If you want to communicate the

gospel effectively to those by whom you are tempted, you must resist the situations and circumstances under which you feel tempted, and stand in a place of readiness to serve them. [Insert Mother/JS] example. Serving others will assuredly break down our barriers to love. We are humiliated- When we begin to resent the lost because we feel humiliated by them, we must consider and address the source of the feelings. The source is our own pride. C.S. Lewis states that pride is essentially competitive. When we come from a place of pride, we are not concerned as much with ourselves as we are ourselves relative to others. We begin to lose sight of the true measuring stick, Gods word, and we begin to measure ourselves according to those around us. When we find ourselves in a place of humility, we should embrace it. After all, we are commanded to be humble. I Peter 5:6 reads, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. I am reminded of the thief of the cross, who at first railed and mocked Jesus with the others but was later repentant and desiring mercy and salvation. What changed? What did he see on the cross? Did he see a powerful King with all of the angels of heaven at His disposal? No. He saw a humble Savior, beaten and bruised, selfless, unprovoked. He saw the Supernatural attributes of a Supernatural God. He saw the true religion, undefiled. He saw a gospel without barriers. He couldnt resist it.