WEBVTT

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night so we're doing kind of our cleanup work

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there and then next Sunday we're going to jump

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back into Matthew and that'll kind of lead us

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into Easter. But it was interesting as I was

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studying this passage preparing the sermon for

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today is it's talking about clothing ourselves

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in a certain type of character and what was interesting

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to me about that is I'm not the type of person

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who cares about clothes at all. mean at all at

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all I love a pair of worn -out ripped blue jeans

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to the point where my wife tries to secretly

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throw them away so she's not a fan of that but

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those are my favorite things to wear and my favorite

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type of shirt is the five -pack at Walmart where

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it's a plain shirt with a t -shirt and you get

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like five different colors I mean for ten bucks

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you can't beat that price so that's that's how

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I how much I care about clothes just really not

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at all but I did think it was interesting as

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I was thinking about this passage how you can

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pretty much always tell what I'm getting ready

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to do based on what I'm wearing. My clothes kind

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of give it away. So if you ever see me, for instance,

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in a black suit with a tie, someone's getting

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married or buried. Those are the only two options.

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That's the only time I wear that get up. If you

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see me in gym shorts, which you will probably

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never see me in gym shorts, I'm either going

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to bed or I'm going to the gym. It's really only

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one of the two. And also since many of you know

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where I live and you have passed by at this fortunate

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time I have been known to rock a pair of cutoff

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jean shorts with some boots Outside doing yard

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work if you see me in a pair of cutoff jean shorts

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wearing boots You know I'm about to do some serious

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gardening or some yard work and if I'm decked

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out and all orange Then you know I'm about to

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watch God's favorite football team play football

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But it's interesting rightly what I'm wearing

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lets people know what I'm getting ready to do.

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And it's interesting when you look at this passage

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the Bible is going to say that Christians need

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to be dressed a certain way as well. Not dressed

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with fancy suits or dresses or ties or things

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like that. But instead the whole point that I

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think the Bible is making here is that as God's

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people we must clothe ourselves with the character

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of Christ. As God's people, we must clothe ourselves

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with the character of Christ. If you look back

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and think about this passage, even in verses

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9 and 10, the Bible says that we're to put off

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the old self and we're to put on the new self

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that's made in the image of Jesus. In other words,

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when you come to faith in Jesus, there are certain

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things that no longer belong in your life. You

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have to put off your old way of life, your old

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habits, your old way of living, your old way

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of talking, your old sins, and you have to put

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on the new person that is made in the image of

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Christ. And when you put on this new self, it

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should let the entire world know what you're

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getting ready to do. When you clothe yourself

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in the character of Christ, it should let the

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entire world know that you're about to live your

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life for Jesus and Jesus alone. That you're going

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to live your life for the glory of God and it

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should be evident in your life. And the obvious

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question is, well, how do we do this? Or you

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can think about it, what does this look like?

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What does it look like to put on the character

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of Christ? What does it look like to actually

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clothe ourselves to put on the character of Christ

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and let the world know that we are going to live

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our lives for Jesus? I want you to see what the

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Bible says here as it starts in verse 12. It

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says, put on then as God's chosen ones, holy

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and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,

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humility, meekness, and patience bearing with

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one another. And if one has a complaint against

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another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has

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forgiven you, so also you must forgive. Now,

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I think you can tell that this whole first section,

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although it mentions a number of things that

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we should have in our lives as characteristics,

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this whole first section is on forgiveness. And

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it's important for us to take time to think about

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this topic and this subject of forgiveness because

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we don't really have true forgiveness that much

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in the church today. For many people, forgiveness

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boils down to nothing but words, right? Someone

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offends us. Someone says something about us.

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Someone does something to us. And what do we

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say? We go, oh, well, you know, that hurt. I

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didn't like it. I wish they wouldn't have done

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that. But it's whatever. I forgive them. And

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we kind of just dismiss it, right? We put it

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to the side. We dismiss it. We overlook it. And

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we try just not to pay attention. And our whole

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basis for forgiveness and the way that we enact

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forgiveness, it comes down to merely tolerating

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people. If I see them, I'm not going to try to

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talk to them. I'm going to try to avoid them.

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If they say something to me, I'll be friendly,

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I'll be cordial, but I'm not actually going to

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forgive them from my heart. It boils down to

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words. I'm going to say, it is whatever. It is

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not a big deal. I forgive them. I want you to

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notice something interesting about these verses

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here. Did you notice that the Bible never says

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anything here about saying something? It doesn't

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say you should speak something, you shouldn't

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just pronounce forgiveness. What does it say?

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It says, forgive others. Don't just say you forgive

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them, actually forgive them. What you have to

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understand is that biblical forgiveness does

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not come from the mouth, it comes from the heart.

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And when you think about biblical forgiveness,

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and you think about the way that God has forgiven

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us, biblical forgiveness is always most clearly

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seen in action. that is taken. I mean, if you

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look at the Bible and you see how God forgave

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us, God didn't just look at us and our sin and

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go, yeah, you know what? It's whatever. I don't

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really like the things they're doing. I don't

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like the things they're saying. They're living

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in a way that is really displeasing to me, but

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it's no big deal. It's whatever. I forgive them.

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That's not what happened. The Bible says that

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when God saw us in the midst of our sin, And

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in the midst of our disobedience, in the midst

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of our hatred, in the midst of our hardness of

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heart, the Bible says He sent His only Son to

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die on the cross for us so that by His shed blood

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we would have forgiveness of our sins. You see

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in Ephesians 1 -7 the Bible says in Him we have

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redemption through His blood, the forgiveness

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of our trespasses according to the riches of

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His grace. So what does that mean? It means that

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when God saw me at the height of my disobedience,

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He acted on my behalf. He didn't just say I forgive

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them. He acted and He sent His Son to die on

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the cross for my sins so that I would have forgiveness

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in Him. And you know, the clearest way that we

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can tell that God has truly forgiven us is by

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the way He treats us now. Because God does not

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merely tolerate us and God does not dismiss us.

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He does not give us a cold shoulder, but instead

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God embraces us and he moves closer to us and

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he treats us as his own children. In fact, God

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does not hold our sins over our head. You look

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at Hebrews chapter 10 verse 17. It says, I will

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remember their sins and their lawless deeds no

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more. Is anyone thankful for that verse this

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morning? I will remember their sins and their

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lawless deeds no more." Now we should say that

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obviously God does not truly forget these things

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because He is God and He knows all things. It

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is impossible for God to forget something because

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the Bible says that God knows all things. God

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knows all things actual. God knows all things

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possible. That is what it means for God to be

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omniscient. It means that He is all -knowing.

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So He doesn't actually forget these things, but

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in His mercy, He chooses not to bring them to

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His remembrance. He chooses to put them to the

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side and not hold them over our heads anymore,

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which again is another way that we like to forgive

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people, right? We say, oh, I forgive them. And

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then what do we do? We keep all of their former

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sins right there close at hand. And we say, oh,

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if they mess up, If they say something, I'm going

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to go right back over here and I'm going to tell

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them all the things they've done. Do you remember

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how I forgave you of this? Yeah? You remember

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this big thing? And all we're doing is holding

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it over their head. And that's not the way that

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the Bible says that God forgave us. I think a

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clear indication, if you want to know if you've

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truly forgiven someone, a couple questions you

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could ask yourself. If you claim that you've

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forgiven someone, are you still treating them

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as though they're guilty? the sins they've committed

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against you. Because if you're still treating

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them like they're guilty and you're still holding

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them those sins over their head, it means that

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you haven't actually forgiven them. Another good

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question to think about, are you still bad -mouthing

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them and taking every opportunity you have to

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talk about them behind their back? You say, Pastor,

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you're not me. I would never do that. I don't

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go looking for opportunities to talk about. I

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didn't say do you go looking for opportunities.

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I said do you take every opportunity? If that

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person's name comes up in conversation, you go,

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you know what? This isn't gossip, but let me

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just tell you what's going on over here and let

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me tell you what they're doing. And you're taking

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every opportunity you have to talk about that

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person behind their back. If you're doing that,

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does that really mean that you have forgiven

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someone? Are you still thinking about them negatively

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and constantly thinking about how they've wronged

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you, what they've said, what they've done? Are

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you still keeping them at arm's length and not

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embracing them? Are you just tolerating them?

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And I know the common response this morning,

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because I get it all the time. People say to

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me, well, pastor, you don't know what they did

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to me. You don't know what they said about me.

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You don't know how they have betrayed me, and

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you don't know how badly it hurts. You don't

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know what they've done. And I just want you to

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hear me say this. I'm not denying any of that.

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I'm not denying that they hurt you. I'm not denying

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that they betrayed you, and I'm not denying that

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it hurt. But I want you to notice here that the

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Bible doesn't say that we're only to forgive

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people when it is easy and costs us nothing.

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The Bible never says forgiveness is supposed

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to be easy. The Bible never says just forgive

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people as long as it's convenient, as long as

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it's comfortable, as long as it doesn't cost

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you anything, as long as it is easy. What does

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the Bible say here, folks? It says, forgive others

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as God forgave you in Christ. You say, well,

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why is that a big deal? Let me tell you why it's

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a big deal. It's because here's how I know how

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God forgave me. When God forgave me of my sins,

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I know for a fact that I did not deserve it.

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Did you deserve it? I can answer it for you.

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I know for a fact you didn't deserve it either.

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I know when God forgave me, I was not seeking

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Him out. I wasn't apologizing. I wasn't feeling

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guilty about what I had done. When I look at

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God's forgiveness of me, I see that it was purely

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unconditional and undeserved. And the Bible says

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that is how you are to forgive others. When you

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think about how people have hurt you and betrayed

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you, And you're thinking about withholding forgiveness

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from them. I want you to just remember that everything

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that we have ever done to God is infinitely worse

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than anything anyone has ever done to us. And

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yet God still forgave us. And He moved closer

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to us. You might say, well does that mean I should

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forgive someone if they, yes. But what if they,

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yes. Even if they, yes. The answer is always

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yes, not because that person deserves it, but

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because God has forgiven you in Christ of far

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worse than they have ever done to you. You see,

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here's the point that it's making here. Forgiveness

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is never based on whether or not a person deserves

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it, but on what God has done for us. Forgiveness

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is never based on whether or not a person deserves

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it, but on what God has done for us. You see,

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forgiveness is easy as long as it's a concept.

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Forgiveness is easy as long as it's nothing more

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than an idea. But when you believe that God forgave

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you and so you were called to forgive others,

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and you're actually forced to practice that,

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that's when you find out if you actually believe

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what you claim to believe. There's a really famous

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story of Cory Tim Boone, and many of you probably

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know that name. She and her family hid Jews in

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their home during the Holocaust. And when they

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were discovered, Cory and her sister were sent

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to a concentration camp at Ravensbrook, where

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her sister eventually died due to harsh treatment

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and malnourishment. And years after Corrie was

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released, she was given a talk in a basement

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on the topic of forgiveness. And she told the

00:13:58.710 --> 00:14:01.929
people there, when we confess our sins, God cast

00:14:01.929 --> 00:14:06.610
them into the deepest ocean, gone forever, and

00:14:06.610 --> 00:14:09.590
so we must therefore forgive those who have wronged

00:14:09.590 --> 00:14:13.090
us. And at the end of her talk, she was approached

00:14:13.090 --> 00:14:18.409
by a man whom she immediately recognized. He

00:14:18.409 --> 00:14:22.450
was a guard at Ravensbrook where she was held

00:14:22.450 --> 00:14:25.830
as a prisoner with her sister. And she immediately

00:14:25.830 --> 00:14:27.590
started panicking and she thought, there's no

00:14:27.590 --> 00:14:30.409
way he recognizes me. I was just one of thousands

00:14:30.409 --> 00:14:33.110
of prisoners there. There's no way he recognizes

00:14:33.110 --> 00:14:36.590
me. The man comes up to her and he says, that

00:14:36.590 --> 00:14:40.129
was a fine message. How good it is to know that

00:14:40.129 --> 00:14:42.590
as you say, all of our sins are at the bottom

00:14:42.590 --> 00:14:46.090
of the sea. You mentioned Ravensbrook in your

00:14:46.090 --> 00:14:49.480
talk. I was a guard there. But since that time

00:14:49.480 --> 00:14:53.000
I have become a Christian and I know that God

00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:55.659
has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there.

00:14:57.080 --> 00:14:59.500
But he said, I would like to hear it from your

00:14:59.500 --> 00:15:04.860
lips as well. Will you forgive me? And here's

00:15:04.860 --> 00:15:07.600
where the rubber met the road, right? She had

00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:10.240
just told others, God has forgiven us, so we

00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:12.220
must forgive others. And then immediately after

00:15:12.220 --> 00:15:13.980
that God said, all right, here's an opportunity.

00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:18.279
Let's see if you actually believe that. And she

00:15:18.279 --> 00:15:20.399
said, as she looked at this man, all she could

00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:24.200
think about was her sister and the slow agonizing

00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:27.340
death that she experienced there under that man's

00:15:27.340 --> 00:15:30.220
care. And she said that no part of her wanted

00:15:30.220 --> 00:15:33.019
to forgive him. And then she had this thought.

00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:37.120
She thought to herself, if God has cast your

00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:39.759
sins and this man's sins into the depths of the

00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:43.500
sea, then who are you to bring them to the surface

00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:48.799
again? And as she thought about how God had forgiven

00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:52.919
her, she was freed to forgive someone who had

00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:57.299
wronged her so badly. You see, it's real easy

00:15:57.299 --> 00:16:00.460
to talk about forgiveness. It's a lot harder

00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:03.600
to actually practice forgiveness. And I'm saying

00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:07.299
this from someone who's had this experience personally.

00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:10.399
I've been hurt and betrayed by people in the

00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:11.659
church. I know you wouldn't think that would

00:16:11.659 --> 00:16:14.330
happen in the church. Turns out it does. I've

00:16:14.330 --> 00:16:17.210
been hurt and betrayed by people in the church

00:16:17.210 --> 00:16:20.129
so many times, I have lost count at this point.

00:16:20.289 --> 00:16:22.269
And I'm telling you from personal experience,

00:16:22.570 --> 00:16:26.909
it hurts. It is disappointing. Sometimes it is

00:16:26.909 --> 00:16:29.129
just downright crushing when you think the people

00:16:29.129 --> 00:16:31.929
closest to you could do something like this to

00:16:31.929 --> 00:16:34.529
you. And every time that happens to you, church,

00:16:34.529 --> 00:16:38.309
you have a choice. You can either dismiss that

00:16:38.309 --> 00:16:40.389
person entirely and say, well, they're not even

00:16:40.389 --> 00:16:42.909
really a Christian. If they were, they wouldn't

00:16:42.909 --> 00:16:44.669
be acting this way. So clearly they're not even

00:16:44.669 --> 00:16:46.690
a Christian. I don't want anything to do with

00:16:46.690 --> 00:16:48.590
them anymore. I don't want to talk to them. I

00:16:48.590 --> 00:16:49.970
don't want to see them. I don't want to interact

00:16:49.970 --> 00:16:54.769
with them. You could do that. But does that display

00:16:54.769 --> 00:16:59.070
God's forgiveness of us at all? I mean, wouldn't

00:16:59.070 --> 00:17:02.009
it be more honoring to recognize that we live

00:17:02.009 --> 00:17:05.329
in a broken world with broken people, and this

00:17:05.329 --> 00:17:08.650
is going to be hard for you to hear, even Christians

00:17:08.650 --> 00:17:11.140
are still going to be plagued by sin. and not

00:17:11.140 --> 00:17:14.779
be perfect. Wouldn't it be more honoring to say,

00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:19.500
Lord, this person has hurt me deeply. Help me

00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:21.920
bear with them through my pain and frustration.

00:17:23.480 --> 00:17:24.779
I mean, wouldn't it be more honoring to say,

00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:27.220
Lord, this person really isn't acting in a Christ

00:17:27.220 --> 00:17:30.759
-like manner right now. Help me to respond in

00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:33.880
a way that is honoring to Christ. Help me navigate

00:17:33.880 --> 00:17:36.180
this situation in a way that brings glory to

00:17:36.180 --> 00:17:39.269
your name. Wouldn't it be more honoring to say,

00:17:39.329 --> 00:17:41.569
Lord, I'm really hurt by what's happening and

00:17:41.569 --> 00:17:44.049
my character and my actions are being misrepresented.

00:17:44.529 --> 00:17:49.190
Help me trust in you for the vindication of my

00:17:49.190 --> 00:17:52.150
character. Help me to bear with this person in

00:17:52.150 --> 00:17:55.309
the midst of their sin as you have with me in

00:17:55.309 --> 00:17:58.369
the midst of mine. Wouldn't that be what it looks

00:17:58.369 --> 00:18:00.769
like to actually clothe yourself in the character

00:18:00.769 --> 00:18:04.509
of Christ? Wouldn't that be... an honoring way

00:18:04.509 --> 00:18:09.529
to show what God has done for us in Christ. And

00:18:09.529 --> 00:18:11.589
when we do this, it's not just about forgiveness,

00:18:11.690 --> 00:18:14.029
but when we put on the character of Christ and

00:18:14.029 --> 00:18:16.269
we truly are clothed in His character, then let

00:18:16.269 --> 00:18:18.609
me tell you something. Something special happens

00:18:18.609 --> 00:18:21.549
in the church. When you clothe yourselves in

00:18:21.549 --> 00:18:22.809
the character of Christ, you're going to see

00:18:22.809 --> 00:18:25.910
that unity prevails in the church. I want you

00:18:25.910 --> 00:18:30.109
to notice verses 14 and 15. It says, and above

00:18:30.109 --> 00:18:35.859
all these, put on what, church? love which binds

00:18:35.859 --> 00:18:39.940
everything together in perfect harmony and let

00:18:39.940 --> 00:18:42.359
the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which

00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:45.079
you were called in one body and be thankful.

00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:47.480
Now I've said this to you many times before but

00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:49.299
I'm going to say it to you again because it's

00:18:49.299 --> 00:18:54.160
still true. Nothing will tear a church apart

00:18:54.160 --> 00:18:58.440
quicker and nothing will kill a church quicker

00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:04.099
than disunity and division. Amen. Now again,

00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:07.380
you might say, well pastor, isn't it doctrinal

00:19:07.380 --> 00:19:11.440
issues? Don't doctrinal issues divide and kill

00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:15.119
churches more quickly than disunity? Yeah, sometimes

00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:16.799
that's the case, but I think when you look at

00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:18.759
churches that split all throughout the years,

00:19:19.579 --> 00:19:21.019
what you're going to find is that it's often

00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:23.599
disunity and division that tore that church apart.

00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:26.839
And the reason that's the case is because it's

00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:30.519
an easy target. You see, pretty much every church

00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:34.289
is on guard against doctrinal issues. No pastor

00:19:34.289 --> 00:19:37.150
wants to be labeled a false teacher or a heretic.

00:19:38.509 --> 00:19:41.349
And most churches don't want to be labeled as

00:19:41.349 --> 00:19:44.990
progressive or liberal. Most churches. And so

00:19:44.990 --> 00:19:47.789
very few of these churches and these pastors,

00:19:48.250 --> 00:19:51.029
they don't have their guard up against disunity.

00:19:51.069 --> 00:19:52.950
They have their guard up against doctrinal issues.

00:19:52.970 --> 00:19:54.450
And they say, we're going to be staunch on doctrine,

00:19:54.730 --> 00:19:58.230
as you should. But the problem is they stop looking

00:19:58.230 --> 00:20:02.410
at the importance of unity. And so they let their

00:20:02.410 --> 00:20:05.369
guard down against it. Unity is not something

00:20:05.369 --> 00:20:07.369
we create in the church, by the way. The Bible

00:20:07.369 --> 00:20:10.009
says in Ephesians chapter 4, there's a command

00:20:10.009 --> 00:20:13.109
from God that says we are called to maintain

00:20:13.109 --> 00:20:16.450
the unity of the church. We do not create that.

00:20:16.809 --> 00:20:20.670
God creates that in Christ, by His Spirit, binding

00:20:20.670 --> 00:20:23.190
us together, and then you as a Christian are

00:20:23.190 --> 00:20:26.150
called to maintain the unity of the church. It

00:20:26.150 --> 00:20:28.690
means that you are to strive for unity. You are

00:20:28.690 --> 00:20:32.289
to work for unity. It is your responsibility

00:20:32.289 --> 00:20:35.390
as a Christian. You see, here's the thing that

00:20:35.390 --> 00:20:37.849
you need to understand. The devil doesn't need

00:20:37.849 --> 00:20:40.210
to kill your church by getting people to talk

00:20:40.210 --> 00:20:42.849
about doctrinal issues, as long as he can just

00:20:42.849 --> 00:20:44.410
get them to talk about the person sitting in

00:20:44.410 --> 00:20:48.190
the pew behind them. That'll tear a church apart

00:20:48.190 --> 00:20:52.329
quicker, will it not? You say, oh, it's doctrinal

00:20:52.329 --> 00:20:54.289
issues, we wanna be, yeah, but if you're just

00:20:54.289 --> 00:20:55.849
talking about the person sitting behind you,

00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:57.700
And then the person behind you is talking about

00:20:57.700 --> 00:20:59.559
the person behind them, and then all these little

00:20:59.559 --> 00:21:01.859
conversations are going on, the church is going

00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:05.519
to split, and it's going to divide. And I think

00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:07.640
that what you're going to find is that when this

00:21:07.640 --> 00:21:11.319
happens, there is often a lack of love where

00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:13.940
there's division. Where there's division, where

00:21:13.940 --> 00:21:16.519
there's disunity, there's a lack of love. And

00:21:16.519 --> 00:21:19.079
our problem with love is the same problem we

00:21:19.079 --> 00:21:22.920
have with forgiveness. We want love to be easy,

00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:26.029
just like we want forgiveness to be easy. I say,

00:21:26.130 --> 00:21:28.349
yeah, I'll forgive someone if they come groveling

00:21:28.349 --> 00:21:30.730
towards me. If they come to me groveling, they

00:21:30.730 --> 00:21:33.230
say, I'm so sorry. I know I've wronged you and

00:21:33.230 --> 00:21:35.049
they really are feeling it. And I'm like, okay,

00:21:35.170 --> 00:21:36.750
yeah, you did wrong me. All right, this feels

00:21:36.750 --> 00:21:38.750
good. Then I'll forgive you because it's easy.

00:21:39.750 --> 00:21:41.529
We want the same thing with love, do we not?

00:21:42.589 --> 00:21:46.109
I'll love people as long as it's easy to love

00:21:46.109 --> 00:21:49.289
them. I'll love people who agree with me on everything.

00:21:49.859 --> 00:21:52.599
I love people who will just think the way I do.

00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:54.599
I'll love people if they act rationally. I'll

00:21:54.599 --> 00:21:56.940
love people if we just get along and there's

00:21:56.940 --> 00:21:59.299
harmony and everything's nice and it's all sunshine

00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:02.960
and rainbows. Then I'll love people. But I want

00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:06.079
you to notice something here. The Bible never

00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:09.640
says love is supposed to be easy. If love was

00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:12.180
easy, listen to me church, we wouldn't need a

00:22:12.180 --> 00:22:16.220
command telling us to love people. We would just

00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:19.750
do it. And so I'm going to tell you something

00:22:19.750 --> 00:22:22.250
that you need to hear that you already know.

00:22:23.210 --> 00:22:30.910
The church is messy. Amen? Christians are messy.

00:22:32.190 --> 00:22:35.069
It's been said before that the church is not

00:22:35.069 --> 00:22:37.869
a museum of saints. It is a hospital for the

00:22:37.869 --> 00:22:42.369
sick. And that is true. There is no perfect church.

00:22:42.519 --> 00:22:44.579
And there is no perfect Christian, and listen

00:22:44.579 --> 00:22:47.380
to me say this, as your pastor, the sooner you

00:22:47.380 --> 00:22:50.140
realize that and embrace that, the better off

00:22:50.140 --> 00:22:53.980
you're going to be for it. It's actually good

00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:57.339
for you to hear that your dream church and your

00:22:57.339 --> 00:23:03.460
dream community does not exist. And the reason

00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:05.319
it's good for you to hear that is because God

00:23:05.319 --> 00:23:07.380
doesn't want you living in some dream world.

00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:10.920
He wants you living in the real world with real

00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:15.640
broken, dysfunctional, hard to love people. I

00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:19.119
love the way the German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer

00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:21.920
said it on this subject. He said, every wish

00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:25.200
dream that is injected into the Christian community

00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:29.799
is a hindrance to genuine community and must

00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:32.839
be banished if genuine community is to survive.

00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:37.519
He who loves his dream of a community more than

00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:41.079
the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer

00:23:41.079 --> 00:23:45.720
of the latter. Amen and amen. You are not called

00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:48.460
to love your dream church. You are not called

00:23:48.460 --> 00:23:51.220
to love your dream community. You were called

00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:54.759
to love the people that God has placed you with.

00:23:56.619 --> 00:23:58.799
It'd be easy, of course, to love everybody who

00:23:58.799 --> 00:24:02.480
thought like us, agreed with us, acted rationally.

00:24:03.529 --> 00:24:05.630
But if it were easy everybody would be doing

00:24:05.630 --> 00:24:09.710
it Jesus said in Matthew 5 44 But I say to you

00:24:09.710 --> 00:24:12.609
love your enemies and pray for those who persecute

00:24:12.609 --> 00:24:16.529
you and he goes on to say in verse 46 For if

00:24:16.529 --> 00:24:19.690
you love those who love you What reward do you

00:24:19.690 --> 00:24:21.990
have do not even the tax collectors do the same

00:24:21.990 --> 00:24:24.930
thing? What's Jesus saying there? Of course,

00:24:24.930 --> 00:24:29.109
it's easy to love people who love you Of course,

00:24:29.109 --> 00:24:31.740
it's easy to love people when it doesn't cost

00:24:31.740 --> 00:24:33.519
you anything, when it's convenient. It doesn't

00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:36.880
take a Christian to do that. Anybody can do that.

00:24:38.579 --> 00:24:42.000
But it does take a Christian to love people who

00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:44.880
are hard to love, who don't think like you, who

00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:46.740
don't act like you, and who don't agree with

00:24:46.740 --> 00:24:49.500
you on every single point. So here's what I want

00:24:49.500 --> 00:24:51.380
you to understand, that the point the Bible's

00:24:51.380 --> 00:24:54.839
making here is we are called to love people as

00:24:54.839 --> 00:25:01.799
they are, not as we desire them to be. It'd be

00:25:01.799 --> 00:25:04.119
easier for you to say amen if this wasn't so

00:25:04.119 --> 00:25:08.339
difficult for us. But it's true, is it not? We

00:25:08.339 --> 00:25:11.859
are called to love people as they are, not as

00:25:11.859 --> 00:25:16.759
we desire them to be. You might say, why do we

00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:19.660
love people this way? Because church, this is

00:25:19.660 --> 00:25:23.980
how God loved us. I've said it to you before,

00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:27.779
God does not love some future version of you.

00:25:28.849 --> 00:25:30.990
God did not look at you and say, yeah, you know

00:25:30.990 --> 00:25:34.529
what, he's pretty rough right now, but I see

00:25:34.529 --> 00:25:37.450
some potential in him. I see what he's gonna

00:25:37.450 --> 00:25:39.670
be one day. I know he's gonna get it all together

00:25:39.670 --> 00:25:41.710
and all those rough edges are gonna be smoothed

00:25:41.710 --> 00:25:44.329
out and one day he's gonna be lovable and he's

00:25:44.329 --> 00:25:46.630
gonna have his life together and so I'm gonna

00:25:46.630 --> 00:25:49.970
love him now on the basis of what he one day

00:25:49.970 --> 00:25:53.470
will be. That's not what happened. God didn't

00:25:53.470 --> 00:25:56.430
look at you and love some future version of you.

00:25:56.470 --> 00:25:59.069
He looked at you in the midst of your brokenness

00:25:59.069 --> 00:26:02.029
and your disobedience and your sin, and He said,

00:26:02.069 --> 00:26:05.690
I love them right now, right where they're at.

00:26:06.910 --> 00:26:10.450
Now, let me say this. God loves us too much to

00:26:10.450 --> 00:26:14.309
leave us right there. He loves us enough to make

00:26:14.309 --> 00:26:18.529
us more and more into the image of Christ. But

00:26:18.529 --> 00:26:20.869
the point remains the same, that God did not

00:26:20.869 --> 00:26:23.589
love some future version of you. He loved the

00:26:23.589 --> 00:26:26.829
messed up you, the broken you, the you that did

00:26:26.829 --> 00:26:29.710
not have it all together. And church, listen

00:26:29.710 --> 00:26:34.970
to me. If this is how God has loved us, this

00:26:34.970 --> 00:26:39.009
is how we are called to love others. Not love

00:26:39.009 --> 00:26:41.170
some future version. I'll love them when they

00:26:41.170 --> 00:26:43.769
get it together. I'll love them when they start

00:26:43.769 --> 00:26:46.720
acting right. I'll love them when they're a little

00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:48.660
bit more rational. I'll love them when they treat

00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:51.680
me a little nicer. You're not called to love

00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:53.579
some future version of them. You are called to

00:26:53.579 --> 00:26:56.839
love them right where they are, as they are.

00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:01.730
You see, it's not agreement. And it's not seeing

00:27:01.730 --> 00:27:04.650
eye to eye on every little issue that binds the

00:27:04.650 --> 00:27:07.150
church together. It is not thinking or acting

00:27:07.150 --> 00:27:09.609
rationally that binds the church together. It

00:27:09.609 --> 00:27:14.009
is love that binds the church together. Not superficial

00:27:14.009 --> 00:27:17.890
love, not lip service, not just tolerating people,

00:27:18.230 --> 00:27:23.289
but real, sacrificial, hard, Christian love that

00:27:23.289 --> 00:27:26.269
binds the church together in perfect harmony.

00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:30.160
If you want to be a unified and united church,

00:27:30.619 --> 00:27:33.720
then above all else, church, above the compassionate

00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:36.400
hearts, above the meekness, above the humility,

00:27:36.920 --> 00:27:42.140
above everything, you have to put on love. The

00:27:42.140 --> 00:27:44.799
same love that God showed us in Christ. And one

00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:47.660
of the best ways you can do this is by letting

00:27:47.660 --> 00:27:50.759
the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Notice

00:27:50.759 --> 00:27:54.710
what he says in verse 15. And let the peace of

00:27:54.710 --> 00:27:58.190
Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you

00:27:58.190 --> 00:28:02.990
were called in one body. And be thankful. Let

00:28:02.990 --> 00:28:05.410
the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching

00:28:05.410 --> 00:28:08.349
and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing

00:28:08.349 --> 00:28:12.049
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness

00:28:12.049 --> 00:28:16.589
in your hearts. And whatever you do in word or

00:28:16.589 --> 00:28:20.369
deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,

00:28:20.470 --> 00:28:23.450
giving thanks to God the Father. through Him.

00:28:24.829 --> 00:28:27.750
He says to let the peace of Christ rule in your

00:28:27.750 --> 00:28:30.829
hearts it means to let the peace of Christ be

00:28:30.829 --> 00:28:34.589
your guiding and governing principle in life.

00:28:35.390 --> 00:28:37.890
Because whatever your guiding or governing principle

00:28:37.890 --> 00:28:40.769
is is going to determine what you say and do.

00:28:41.430 --> 00:28:43.869
And we can show this to be the case fairly easily.

00:28:44.769 --> 00:28:47.470
For instance, if my governing or guiding principle

00:28:47.470 --> 00:28:52.250
in life is being right, then I'm going to do

00:28:52.250 --> 00:28:55.430
everything I can to win every argument I can

00:28:55.430 --> 00:28:58.410
and prove to people that I can be right in every

00:28:58.410 --> 00:29:02.250
single situation. If my governing or guiding

00:29:02.250 --> 00:29:06.250
principle in life is getting my way, then I'm

00:29:06.250 --> 00:29:08.369
going to do everything I can to make sure that

00:29:08.369 --> 00:29:11.789
I get my way no matter what it costs other people.

00:29:13.029 --> 00:29:15.250
If my governing or guiding principle in life

00:29:15.250 --> 00:29:18.140
is being liked, then I'm gonna do everything

00:29:18.140 --> 00:29:21.819
I can to make sure that I please everyone and

00:29:21.819 --> 00:29:24.500
that everyone likes me and everyone thinks well

00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:27.460
of me all the time, which you know is impossible,

00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:29.799
right? We get that? There are gonna be people

00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:31.619
who don't like you. You understand this, yes?

00:29:32.039 --> 00:29:35.019
I don't see enough nods, okay? You need to understand

00:29:35.019 --> 00:29:37.440
this. You cannot please everyone. If you think

00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:40.359
that you can and you want to see that you can't,

00:29:40.539 --> 00:29:42.839
I encourage you to come shadow me for a week

00:29:42.839 --> 00:29:45.700
and I will prove to you that you can't. That

00:29:45.700 --> 00:29:47.460
offer is open to anyone who wants it, by the

00:29:47.460 --> 00:29:51.319
way. But if my governing and guiding principle

00:29:51.319 --> 00:29:54.519
in life is the peace of Christ, then I'm going

00:29:54.519 --> 00:29:57.480
to do everything I can to make the presence of

00:29:57.480 --> 00:30:01.140
Jesus known, the person of Jesus loved, the name

00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:05.299
of Jesus magnified, and the glory of Jesus treasured.

00:30:05.959 --> 00:30:09.339
If the peace of Christ is truly my governing

00:30:09.339 --> 00:30:11.859
and guiding principle, then every single time

00:30:11.859 --> 00:30:14.380
there is a dispute or a conflict, I'm going to

00:30:14.380 --> 00:30:17.319
let the peace of Jesus determine the words I

00:30:17.319 --> 00:30:22.920
speak and the actions I take. What words or actions

00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:26.460
are most going to display the character of Christ

00:30:26.460 --> 00:30:30.460
in this situation? What words or actions are

00:30:30.460 --> 00:30:34.180
most going to align with Jesus' will and desire?

00:30:34.599 --> 00:30:36.579
These are the things that you need to be asking

00:30:36.579 --> 00:30:38.119
yourself because here's the point that these

00:30:38.119 --> 00:30:42.500
verses are making unless we are guided by peace

00:30:42.500 --> 00:30:48.000
We will never be guided to peace Unless we are

00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:53.059
guided by peace. We will never be guided to peace.

00:30:54.240 --> 00:30:57.740
I Think every single church in the world Wants

00:30:57.740 --> 00:31:02.509
to have peace. Yes We desire peace. We want to

00:31:02.509 --> 00:31:04.509
be at peace with one another. Let me tell you

00:31:04.509 --> 00:31:08.470
something church. No one just stumbles into peace.

00:31:09.589 --> 00:31:12.490
Peace doesn't just happen. You're never just

00:31:12.490 --> 00:31:14.890
gonna be going about your daily life and end

00:31:14.890 --> 00:31:18.470
up at peace. You have to have peace as your guiding

00:31:18.470 --> 00:31:20.990
principle, your governing principle. It has got

00:31:20.990 --> 00:31:23.390
to be your compass that directs your actions

00:31:23.390 --> 00:31:26.690
and the words and what you do. Because we're

00:31:26.690 --> 00:31:29.130
very bad at ending up where we want to go if

00:31:29.130 --> 00:31:31.829
we're left to ourselves and if we don't have

00:31:31.829 --> 00:31:35.009
some sort of guiding principle. And it's actually

00:31:35.009 --> 00:31:37.450
been proven. Some researchers did a very fun

00:31:37.450 --> 00:31:40.950
study where they took some participants and they

00:31:40.950 --> 00:31:43.490
put them in a desert and then they put them in

00:31:43.490 --> 00:31:46.309
an open field and they put a destination about

00:31:46.309 --> 00:31:49.309
a hundred yards across from them and they said,

00:31:49.490 --> 00:31:51.089
here's what we want you to do. We want you to

00:31:51.089 --> 00:31:54.130
walk just to the other side. Go to that destination

00:31:54.130 --> 00:31:56.779
a hundred yards away. and just walk in a straight

00:31:56.779 --> 00:32:00.240
line to that destination. Everybody was able

00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:03.839
to do it. It's not that hard, right? But then

00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:06.359
they put blindfolds on them. And they said, all

00:32:06.359 --> 00:32:09.240
right, same exact thing. All we want you to do

00:32:09.240 --> 00:32:12.819
is walk 100 yards in a straight line to that

00:32:12.819 --> 00:32:14.700
destination. We've already done it. You know

00:32:14.700 --> 00:32:17.660
how easy it is? Go for it. And what they found

00:32:17.660 --> 00:32:19.980
is pretty much every single participant ended

00:32:19.980 --> 00:32:22.930
up walking in circles. Even though they thought

00:32:22.930 --> 00:32:24.609
they were walking in a straight line, they ended

00:32:24.609 --> 00:32:27.809
up walking in circles around and around because

00:32:27.809 --> 00:32:31.289
it turns out that when you don't have a reference

00:32:31.289 --> 00:32:34.650
point, it's very hard to get to where you want

00:32:34.650 --> 00:32:37.849
to go. And in the same way, church, without the

00:32:37.849 --> 00:32:40.869
peace of Christ as our guide, we're going to

00:32:40.869 --> 00:32:45.349
drift off course. If we rely solely on our own

00:32:45.349 --> 00:32:48.500
feelings, Our circumstances, or even our own

00:32:48.500 --> 00:32:50.519
reasoning, we may think that we're headed in

00:32:50.519 --> 00:32:52.480
the right direction, but inevitably we're going

00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:58.039
to get off track. Are we not? We'll never find

00:32:58.039 --> 00:33:01.000
true and lasting peace by following our own instincts.

00:33:01.099 --> 00:33:04.339
It is only when we let the peace of Christ act

00:33:04.339 --> 00:33:07.220
as our compass, our guiding and governing principle,

00:33:07.279 --> 00:33:09.960
that we will be guided towards true biblical

00:33:09.960 --> 00:33:13.039
peace. You have to have that peace as a reference

00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:15.400
point. And you have to say, I'm going to do everything

00:33:15.400 --> 00:33:18.940
I can under the power of the Holy Spirit to get

00:33:18.940 --> 00:33:21.079
to where we want to go. I'm going to let every

00:33:21.079 --> 00:33:24.140
single word I say, every action I take be with

00:33:24.140 --> 00:33:26.859
that peace as my end goal. I'm going to keep

00:33:26.859 --> 00:33:30.140
it in mind at all times. Because I want to just

00:33:30.140 --> 00:33:32.440
encourage you and let you know that Jesus wants

00:33:32.440 --> 00:33:37.009
His church to have peace. Amen? He wants his

00:33:37.009 --> 00:33:39.970
church to be unified. He wants us to be united.

00:33:40.289 --> 00:33:43.190
The devil will do his part to tear us apart.

00:33:43.210 --> 00:33:45.470
We don't need to make his job any easier, church.

00:33:48.109 --> 00:33:53.849
Jesus wants his church to live in this way. I

00:33:53.849 --> 00:33:55.549
think every person in here this morning needs

00:33:55.549 --> 00:33:58.250
to ask themselves, am I going to continue to

00:33:58.250 --> 00:34:01.170
wear the old clothes that belong to the old self

00:34:01.170 --> 00:34:04.069
or am I going to clothe myself in the character

00:34:04.069 --> 00:34:08.690
of Christ? Am I going to forgive others who have

00:34:08.690 --> 00:34:11.929
hurt me and wronged me? Because I realize that

00:34:11.929 --> 00:34:14.070
everything I've ever done to God is infinitely

00:34:14.070 --> 00:34:17.090
worse than anything anyone could ever do to me.

00:34:18.309 --> 00:34:20.289
Am I going to love people who are hard to love

00:34:20.289 --> 00:34:24.170
because I realize that God loved me at my absolute

00:34:24.170 --> 00:34:27.510
worst. So who am I not to love people who don't

00:34:27.510 --> 00:34:30.289
quite measure up to where I'd like them to be

00:34:30.289 --> 00:34:34.010
at this point? Am I going to strive for unity

00:34:34.010 --> 00:34:36.610
and let the peace of Christ determine the words

00:34:36.610 --> 00:34:40.250
and the actions that I take? I want everybody

00:34:40.250 --> 00:34:43.309
in here this morning, ask God's people to commit

00:34:43.309 --> 00:34:46.130
to clothe ourselves in the character of Christ

00:34:46.130 --> 00:34:48.869
in such a way that we let the entire world know

00:34:48.869 --> 00:34:51.170
that when they see us and they see the way that

00:34:51.170 --> 00:34:53.969
we live, we are determining we are living for

00:34:53.969 --> 00:35:03.920
Jesus and Jesus alone. Amen? Let's pray. Our

00:35:03.920 --> 00:35:06.139
Father, this is what we desire, and we know that

00:35:06.139 --> 00:35:12.320
it is not possible in and of ourselves. Lord,

00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:14.659
we want so desperately to be a people who are

00:35:14.659 --> 00:35:17.340
pleasing in your sight. We want to be a people

00:35:17.340 --> 00:35:20.400
who forgive others the way that you have forgiven

00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:23.820
us. We want to be a people who love others the

00:35:23.820 --> 00:35:26.840
way that you have loved us, and we want to be

00:35:26.840 --> 00:35:31.059
a church, Lord, that is unified and united and

00:35:31.059 --> 00:35:36.530
strives to have that peace. But God, we can't

00:35:36.530 --> 00:35:40.349
do this on our own. Lord, if we're left to ourselves,

00:35:40.409 --> 00:35:43.889
we will never forgive people unless it is very

00:35:43.889 --> 00:35:47.469
convenient and easy. And we will not love people

00:35:47.469 --> 00:35:50.110
who are hard to love. We will only love those

00:35:50.110 --> 00:35:55.809
who are easy to love. We'll never arrive at true

00:35:55.809 --> 00:35:58.190
biblical peace. We might have agreement and we

00:35:58.190 --> 00:36:00.739
might have an absence of conflict for a little

00:36:00.739 --> 00:36:03.980
bit, Lord, but we will never have that true peace

00:36:03.980 --> 00:36:06.340
that we desire. And so, Father, what we are asking

00:36:06.340 --> 00:36:09.900
in this moment is that you would help us, that

00:36:09.900 --> 00:36:13.260
you would give us the type of hearts that desire

00:36:13.260 --> 00:36:16.840
these things that you desire for us. God, I pray

00:36:16.840 --> 00:36:19.079
for everybody in here this morning. I pray for

00:36:19.079 --> 00:36:21.519
everyone who's watching online and everyone who

00:36:21.519 --> 00:36:23.900
will listen to this later, God, that you would

00:36:23.900 --> 00:36:28.269
help us strive To be the type of people who clothe

00:36:28.269 --> 00:36:32.050
ourselves in the character of Christ Lord I pray

00:36:32.050 --> 00:36:33.909
if there's anyone in our lives right now that

00:36:33.909 --> 00:36:38.190
we're struggling to forgive That you would remind

00:36:38.190 --> 00:36:41.030
us of how much you have forgiven us in Christ

00:36:41.030 --> 00:36:44.510
And that you would free us up To forgive them

00:36:44.510 --> 00:36:46.730
God and not hold on to that burden anymore not

00:36:46.730 --> 00:36:48.989
not be under the weight of that anymore But to

00:36:48.989 --> 00:36:51.949
be freed to offer them the same forgiveness you

00:36:51.949 --> 00:36:55.219
gave us Lord if there are any people in our lives

00:36:55.219 --> 00:36:57.960
this morning that we are struggling to love because

00:36:57.960 --> 00:37:01.400
frankly they're hard to love and they have irritated

00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:03.900
us and they have wronged us and they are still

00:37:03.900 --> 00:37:06.019
acting in a way that we don't like I pray God

00:37:06.019 --> 00:37:09.039
that you would remind us of how much you have

00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:12.639
loved us in Christ and how we didn't deserve

00:37:12.639 --> 00:37:16.400
it and we didn't measure up and that once again

00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:20.380
you would free us to be able to live in a way

00:37:20.380 --> 00:37:24.159
that reflects the character of Christ And Lord,

00:37:24.159 --> 00:37:27.119
more than anything this morning, I pray that

00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:32.159
You would unite us in peace, that we would be

00:37:32.159 --> 00:37:36.400
a church that is guided by the peace of Christ,

00:37:37.880 --> 00:37:41.000
that does everything that we do with that peace

00:37:41.000 --> 00:37:45.420
in mind, and that we will be directed by it,

00:37:45.420 --> 00:37:48.000
so that when the world sees us, they will see

00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:52.480
what You have done for us in Christ. Help us

00:37:52.480 --> 00:37:56.260
to live in that way God. We pray in Jesus name.

00:37:59.460 --> 00:38:03.400
Amen Christian and Mark and I will be down front

00:38:03.400 --> 00:38:05.380
if you'd like to come pray with us at this time