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| Opportunities to Love (Mark 9:50) |
| Written by Pastor Fausel | |
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Grace, Mercy and Peace to you … Good Morning, again. Today we have the third in our series of six messages about walking with Jesus in a world that is full of conflict. And as we do that, today, we’ll be looking at how we can address some of the conflict in our lives, in a way that will give glory to God. We spoke earlier about a card with several of the topics we’re talking about these six weeks summarized on it. Today, you should have received one with your church announcements. There will be more available in the back of the church at the desk after the service. This is a reference card to help remind us of the things we’ve been talking about here in the messages on Sunday morning as well as in Bible Classes these Sundays as well. Now … it’s just for reference … you won’t need the card for what we’re going to talk about right now … but we want you to have it for reference. Today we’re going to be talking about what are called the four G’s. Today, we’ll talk about what the G’s are … and we’ll look at two of them in depth … and then, next week, we’ll look at the other two in detail. And today in Bible Class, we’ll be talking about something else on that card called the seven “A’s” of confession. We pray that you’ll join us back here in the Sanctuary for that at 10 am. But for now … our topic is the four G’s. What are the four G’s? They are four biblical concepts we want to keep in mind as we find ourselves in conflict. Here they are: #1 G – Glorify God: How can I please God and honor the Lord in this situation? Conflict always provides an opportunity to give glory to God by how we exercise our faith. #2 G – Get the Log Out of Your Own Eye: How can I show Jesus’ work in me by taking responsibility for MY contribution to this conflict? We talked about this last week, what attitudes am I harboring? What color glasses am I seeing the other person and this situation through? #3 G – Gently Restore: How can I lovingly serve others by helping them take responsibility for their own contribution to this conflict? What biblical means are appropriate to show another person his or her fault? And finally, #4 G – Go and Be Reconciled: How can I demonstrate the forgiveness of God and encourage a reasonable solution to this conflict? When I’ve been wronged, how can I ask God to change my heart, so that I want to forgive? Now. We’ve been laying the ground work for G1 and G2 the last couple of Sundays. Part of the ground work for G3 is going to be laid today in Bible Study. So enough preliminaries. G#1 – Glorify God. Last week we talked about attitudes. Christian, or Jesus-walking attitudes, which are completely contrary to those of our human nature. Those human attitudes which are naturally to fight back and get even. Instead, number one attitude was what? From Philippians 4 … Rejoice in the Lord always. And in that Attitude of thanks to the Lord, to be gentle in how we respond to others, and to put away any anxiety we might be feeling due to the conflict as we put the result in God’s hands … as all the while, we intentionally look for the good in those who may be in disagreement with us. A tall order … especially when the easiest path is to strike back, start gossip, hold a grudge and get cool on the relationship. The one thought I’ve seen on this that probably sums up all this the best is this: and this is a real walking-with-Jesus thing … It is to use conflict as an opportunity to serve others. THAT more than anything else will give glory to God. Doing that is so counter to the hit-back response … and so close to Jesus’ command to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. Use conflict as an opportunity to serve others. That’s something you have to do in all gentleness, free from any anxiety and trusting totally in the Lord. And when asked why we’re doing what we’re doing … we can give glory to God … because it is obviously not of ourselves. So the first of the G’s … Glorify God. It’s not only first but also it’s the umbrella that covers all that we do in living at peace with one another … giving Glory to God. Okay … now the second G … Getting the Log out of our own Eye. You may recall that Bible passage about Jesus warning the disciples, and us, to get the Log, Plank, Board … you name it, out of our own eye so that we can better get the speck out of our brother’s. Jesus was using a figure of speech know as Hyperbole to have us consider the fact that if we are going to throw stones at our brother for His faults, we’d better first take inventory of our own. And then, address our own first … so that we might see our neighbor’s faults unclouded by our own issues. Conflict, as much as we want to see it that way, is never really a one way street. As long as that’s how we perceive it … you’re 100% in the wrong and I’m 100% in the right … it will be very difficult to resolve the issue at hand. So. Before we start accusing, we come with our own confession of what the Lord has revealed to us as we went through those x-ray questions we talked about last week as we seek to understand our own contribution to the conflict. Remember the x-ray questions were about our desires … and how legitimate those desires might be in light of the first commandment. If we’re seeking something other than God to make us happy, fulfilled or secure … we’re setting ourselves up to be in conflict with God and with others. For example, if I expect, by divine right, that my house always should be clean, my supper always ready and my wife always with a big smile on her face waiting for me at the door when I come home holding my pipe and slippers … well … there’s going to be conflict. Where did my expectations of her come from? From my own selfish desires. And so, in order to resolve that conflict … who needs to have some attitudes changed? Who needs to confess their guilt? Me. Might there be a compromise solution? Yes, but not until my part of this has been dealt with. Go back to the First G. Remember our key sentence: How can I use this conflict as an opportunity to serve others? Well… guess who was expecting be to served by others, here? Yours truly. No wonder there’s conflict. Sounds like I really did have my hat on backwards. How could I serve someone in this situation? First, I’d need to tell my wife that I realize that I was wrong in holding those expectations of her. That I’m praying that God would change my attitude, and that she would forgive me. Say she did. She might also then ask for my forgiveness for how she treated me. And I would certainly forgive her as well. Now. Our Relationship would be restored … or as the Bible defines it, we would be reconciled. And then, in peace, maybe we could both work out a compromise when it comes to our own desires. Maybe if I cleaned the house, she might have more time to cook. Or maybe if together we cooked up a number of meals over the weekend so that all they need to be is heated up during the week, there might be a better chance of having more timely dinners. As for the pipe … the pipe is a harmful habit and I need to ask God to help me put that away. And if she produces my slippers at the door … well, where does the Bible say that I’m exempt from returning that favor? Remember, conflict is an opportunity to serve others. To show them love. Why not go that extra step? You see how walking with Jesus can work? And how different it may be from how our human natures would work toward resolution. Remember human nature is all about me first. My father grew up in a German household. They were loosely tied to the old E and R, Evangelical and Reformed German State church here in America. But being raised in a second generation German family, He told me once about an old German saying he once learned at Home from his mother. IT went: … Erst comme Ich. Erst comme Ich noch einmal. Erst Comme Ich Noch Einmal, Noch Einmal, Noch einmal, … Zehn, Wehrshinelich comme Sie. Or, In English: I come First, I come First Again, I come first again and again, and again, and again and again… and then, perhaps, come you.// Germans have a human nature, too. This whole “entitlement” culture that seems to pervade advertising today is not new. It may be a little less combative than that old German saying … but it is not any less about putting me at the center of the universe. After all, that where my human nature thinks I belong. Advertising says why fight it, take advantage of it. Just encourage people to think the things we’re selling are really things they deserve. And that culture becomes pervasive. A couple of weeks ago our Gospel spoke about the disciples arguing about who was the greatest. And Jesus’ reply was for them to find greatness not in the world’s ways or the world’s eyes … but in being a servant to all. Remember our First G … Glorify God: How can I use this conflict as an opportunity to serve others? If we’re ever wondering where God’s giving me an opportunity to serve in such a way that my actions might give glory to Him … look no further than that next person you disagree with. The opportunity will be there in such a way that by serving that person, you will be able to point to your faith as the reason why. So… the first two G’s… Glorify God and Get the Log Out of Your Own Eye! More next week as we talk about Gently Restore … and Go and be Reconciled. Thanks be to Him Who has forgiven us, that we might likewise forgive and live in peace. In Him, Amen. #1 G – Glorify God: How can I please God and honor the Lord in this situation? Conflict always provides an opportunity to give glory to God by how we exercise our faith. #2 G – Get the Log Out of Your Own Eye: How can I show Jesus’ work in me by taking responsibility for MY contribution to this conflict? We talked about this last week, what attitudes am I harboring? What color glasses am I seeing the other person and this situation through? #3 G – Gently Restore: How can I lovingly serve others by helping them take responsibility for their own contribution to this conflict? What biblical means are appropriate to show another person his or her fault? And finally, #4 G – Go and Be Reconciled: How can I demonstrate the forgiveness of God and encourage a reasonable solution to this conflict? When I’ve been wronged, how can I ask God to change my heart, so that I want to forgive? |