March 26, 2023
“The Church was never meant to be an audience, but an army.” - Levi Lusko
Psalm 55:12 "If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. 13 But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, 14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers." New International Version
IF CHURCH WAS A HOSPITAL:
1. Many are Diagnosed and Helped.
2. Some Receive Bad Care with Good Intentions.
3. Some Receive Bad Care with Bad Intentions. (Malpractice)
WHAT CHURCH HURT IS NOT…
1. Difference in Opinion
2. Disagreement
3. Doctrine
1Peter 2:7 …“The [very] stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they disobey the word [of God], and to this they [who reject Him as Savior] were also appointed. Amplified Bible
Hebrews12:5 “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” New International Version
Hebrews12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. New International Version
#1 SEE OFFENSE FOR WHAT IT IS
The devil’s best offense is OFFENSE
Matthew 12:36 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak. 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” English Standard Version
James 1:26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. New International Version
Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle. King James Version
#2 GO TO THEM
Matthew 18:15 This is what you do if one of your brothers or sisters sins against you: go to him, in private, and tell him just what you perceive the wrong to be. If he listens to you, you’ve won a brother. 16 But sometimes he will not listen. And if he does not listen, go back, taking a friend or two friends with you (for, as we have learned in Deuteronomy, every matter of communal import should be testified to by two or three witnesses). The Voice
Matthew18:17 Then, if your brother or sister still refuses to heed, you are to share what you know with the entire church; and if your brother or sister still refuses to listen to the entire church, you are to cast out your unrepentant sibling and consider him no different from outsiders and tax collectors. The Voice
Matthew 5:23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” New Living Translation
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails… New International Version
#3 LET FORGIVENESS SET YOU FREE
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” -Lewis B. Smedes