Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Here you'll find practical, relevant, biblical information.
The Bible will be broken down verse by verse so that you get the full context of the scripture to better grow in your relationship with Jesus.
Hey everybody, welcome back to the Sanctuary. So great to have you with us as always.
And for those of you who are joining us for the very first time, everybody who's new, let me just take a moment to say welcome.
So last week we discussed God's love for service members, first responders, and basically everybody that's out there working on those front lines looking out for their fellow man.
This week we're going to continue on and we're going to build upon that by expanding our focus from that group to more of the bigger picture so that we can see how it applies to each and every one of us.
After all, as Christians, we are all locked into a spiritual war. So like it or not, by being a follower of Christ, you are enlisted in God's army.
Now with that said, the world and thereby Satan, they're going to tell you, hey, it's not your problem.
After all, if the war is already won, why bother fighting? You see, it's that psychological warfare that evil loves so, so much.
It's trying to get in there and get you to quit and thereby weaken the lines.
And this goes all the way back to the beginning.
For those of you who have your Bibles, those of you who are in apps, or even those of you who are just taking notes on where we're at so you can go back later and look for yourself.
If you turn with me now to Genesis chapter three, verse one, Genesis three, verse one, the Bible says, Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.
Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?
Psychological warfare, you know, people like to throw around, you know, it's a Psyop, you know, all the time. That's what it is.
Psychological warfare.
And this goes all the way back to the beginning.
And we can clearly see that ever since then, the enemy's weapon of choice is temptation, manipulation, that twisting of the words that turns people to sin.
And it goes deep, so, so deep. We don't even have to go that much further forward in the Bible to see how this what the implications of this are.
All right. You just go to Genesis chapter four, verse eight, and we see Cain kill his brother Abel.
Right after that, God responds quickly in Genesis four chapter, I'm sorry, Genesis four, verse nine, the Bible says, Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is your brother Abel?
I don't know, he replied. Am I my brother's keeper?
You know, that's that's a response many of us have given many times. Hey, have you seen so and so? I don't know. I'm not their keeper. Right.
Am I my brother's keeper?
Cain harbored a lot of anger.
He had a real sense of self entitlement, didn't he?
You know, we see that same entitlement more and more in the world. It's more and more apparent, more and more obvious.
That thought process that says, I deserve better than this. I deserve more than this.
I deserve it now. And it's on you to give it to me.
You know, it's really no wonder we see so much bitterness, so much resentment, so much hostility, anger and hate.
Am I my brother's keeper?
You know, there, there was a time where
we would say, yeah, you know, some people might even say, well, we used to be, you know, but even when it comes to giving, giving is a point of pride.
And this is nothing new. You know, we like to say, you know, or think that this is more of a recent happening.
It's been going on for a really long time.
That's why in Matthew six verses three and four, Jesus said, but when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret.
Then the father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
See, our motives are selfish.
You know, as people, we're very, very selfish. We're all about team me, not team we.
You know, we feed our egos and we look for that praise.
Oh, look at him. Oh, you know that he's so giving. Oh, look at her. She's so charitable.
That trap of pride has caught us.
It's caught us and it's pulled us to sin.
It's a nasty snare. And that that is exactly what Jesus was pointing out that we need to be mindful.
We need to we need to put some thought into what we're doing.
Right. We need to make sure we're doing the right thing for the right reason that we're giving glory to God and not taking it from him.
Again, am I my brother's keeper?
Now, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the term, hey, I've got your six.
For those of you who may not be familiar with it, it's a it's a military term saying, hey, I've got your back.
I support you. We're in this together. We're a team. We are family.
And really, it's been turned into a slogan of sorts over the years, hasn't it?
You know, a pitch.
In fact, while many will say they have your back.
When you turn to look for them in times of need, they've either turned on you or nowhere to be found.
It's like when you go to work and this, you know, all of us have those places.
They love to say, oh, we're a family here.
But that goes out the window for the slightest misstep.
Or if they see a way to build their status.
You know, it's not to say that there's going to be people who just can't help you because they don't have the means.
But in general, they're in order to be found or they have an excuse.
Right. They're gone.
Am I my brother's keeper? Am I my brother's keeper?
This is an important question. There's a reason I keep saying it.
Because as a follower of Christ, whether you like it or not, the answer should be yes.
There's no unless. There's no except. There's no buts.
There's no other clauses or exceptions in here.
We are called to love one another and love.
Unlike what the world will tell you today, it's not this mushy little feeling.
You know, it's not these empty hollow words that just get thrown around.
Love is an action.
It's not just a matter of supporting a friend.
But for looking out for all of your fellow man, believers and nonbelievers alike.
That's where the Jews for so long, you know, they messed up.
We read the Bible because they say, you know, say, oh, no, the Gentiles.
No, keep them away. No, it's all about us because we're the chosen.
You know, put themselves up on that pedestal.
It's believers and nonbelievers alike, whether they have faith or not, doesn't even factor into the equation.
It doesn't matter.
In Matthew 25, verses 36, I'm sorry, 35, Matthew 25, verses 35 and 36.
There we go. A little tongue tied there.
Matthew, chapter 25, verses 35 and 36.
Jesus says, for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
I was a stranger and you invited me in.
I needed clothes and you clothed me.
I was sick and you looked after me.
I was in prison and you came to visit me.
You see, it's a matter of looking out for everyone.
When you have the means to help someone else, you should, you absolutely should.
Don't question it. It's like, you know what?
They're asking for help. I should help them.
You know, it's a phrase in Letter Kitty.
You know, when a friend asks for help, you help them.
Well, you know, you love everybody, then everybody's a friend.
Right. There are a ton of people out there just absolutely living on the edge.
They're looking for a reason to just not keep going.
The reason to quit.
You know, that reason to not cash in, but just to punch out, be done with it all.
Right. And I'll remind you, you are all that many will ever know of God,
of His mercy, of His compassion, of His love.
The Holy Spirit hasn't been given to you so that you could try to hold it hostage inside,
like it's just for you.
He's within you so that you could show His light to others in their darkest hours,
so that they can come back from the brink,
so that they can know Jesus and His love.
You may well be the only person that shows that love in an otherwise dark, lonely, and cold world,
and thereby make the difference that is so, so needed in the world today.
You can be that difference.
Hebrews chapter 13, verses 1 through 3, the Bible says,
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,
for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison,
and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Being your brother's keeper is an act of love.
Those you know and those you don't, and by loving others, real, tangible, meaningful actions come about.
Things like hospitality, empathy, contentment, respect, and fidelity.
If you're not sure what fidelity means, it means faithful, right?
Marine Corps slogan, right? Semper Fi, always faithful.
So fidelity meaning faithful, and faithfulness in relationships that you have, and in your marriage.
As a matter of fact, if you turn to Hebrews chapter 10, verses 24 and 25,
so Hebrews 10, 24 through 25, the Bible says, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
By being your brother's keeper, you are encouraging.
I'll tell you another word that you can associate with this.
Empowerment.
By encouraging others through love, through God, you are actually empowering them.
First Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 11, the Bible puts it this way,
Therefore encourage one another, and build each other up just as in fact you are doing.
That's First Thessalonians 5, 11.
By building one another up, who doesn't like encouragement?
And that sense of being better now than you were before, right?
Who doesn't love that feeling?
Part of that process though, it can be hard.
We all like to talk about the good things in our lives.
As a matter of fact, sometimes we're just downright quick to brag.
And we all brag. We all like to toot our horn.
However, one of the hardest things is admitting when we've messed up.
Let's face it, coming to someone you know and love and admitting,
Dude, I screwed up. It's tough.
It's real tough.
It can be downright painful.
It can be a little embarrassing sometimes.
James chapter 5, verse 16, the Bible says,
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other, so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is a is powerful and effective.
It's part of healing.
Helping each other to heal.
Helping yourself to heal, helping others to heal.
Now this isn't saying you'll be able to fix everything you've messed up.
Let's face it, some things you go when you do it, they just can't be undone.
However, admitting to it, confessing it to another and praying with one another
can help to ensure it doesn't happen again.
And if you have the ability of being able to go to the person that you messed up or screwed up with
and admitting to them, it's like, Hey, dude, you know what? I did this. I messed up. I'm sorry. I recognize it.
If you had that ability, even better. Right?
This is the accountability part of repentance.
See, we've all messed up.
This is where a lot of preachers be like, Oh, we've all fallen short of the goal.
I've said that a lot myself, but this right here, we've all messed up. We've all screwed up. Right?
We all need to make sure that we take accountability for what we do.
When we recognize, Hey, I dropped the ball. Take accountability for it.
It's that simple. Sometimes easier said than done. But there it is. Right?
You see, when we share our missteps with others, when we go to others like, Hey, I'm sorry. I messed up.
It shows that they could share their missteps with us as well.
And when this happens, we're no longer showing the image of who we want people to think we are.
It's no longer that doppelganger of, as if they're a representative of us.
And that manipulation of image that we want people to see and think of us.
What people see is better because what happens is we show our true selves.
And when we let those walls down and we show our true self,
at that point, that's when we truly come together as the body of Christ, as the church, as it was always intended to be.
Think of it this way. When you get hurt, right?
We're talking injury here. What's the first thing that typically happens?
You raise a hand or something to cover that injury, to protect it. Right?
And then you look, you know, oh, you know, what do I need to do to take care of this?
You know, is it just a little bandaid? Am I going to need some stitches? It's something more serious. Whatever. Right?
When we come together in confession and we pray over one another, with one another,
we're doing the same thing, but we're doing it as the body of Christ.
Sometimes, though, love is tough. Looking out for a brother is tough.
And don't think for a second that just because you love someone, you should let their sin slide.
Don't think that you shouldn't call it out. You know, I don't want to hurt their feelings.
So that's the way the world tells us today, isn't it?
It's better not to. You're going to hurt their feelings. And if you can't say something nice.
Well, you know what? The fact is there are several places in the Bible where the Bible tells us to call it out.
We're told to call it out, but there's a way to do it.
Matthew chapter 18 verses 15 through 17, Jesus says,
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you,
that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.
And if he refuses to even listen to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
So you'll notice here it doesn't say attack.
We do not attack people. We do not go out of our way to attack people. We do not try to embarrass them.
We are to reach out lovingly, gently, with a tender heart.
But sometimes people are so wrapped up in what they're doing, they don't even realize that they've fallen into sin until somebody speaks up to tell them.
Sometimes just being one person alone isn't enough to convince them.
You go and you're like, hey dude, you're messing up. That's just your opinion.
And that's why I say, find a couple of people who also know or have seen what's going on and go with them.
Because then there's a few people involved, right?
Even before going to church, basically the way to think of it is like the intervention of a loved one.
Because we're not looking to harm them. We're not looking to upset them. We're looking to help them.
We're laying out the facts and be like, hey, look, this is what's going on.
And get their awareness of it.
And that way, at that point, we're looking to help them or get them the help that they need to turn things around, to make that necessary change in their life.
And pointing out sin in someone's life can be hard.
It really can be.
Sometimes you go to somebody and you know they're very tender.
They take things very personally. They're going to get upset. It's hard.
Sometimes you have to do that, you know, to swallow the bullet and do it.
That's just life.
I'll remind you, Jesus didn't promise that life would be a rose garden.
He said it. Hey, it's going to get rough sometimes.
This right here, this is one of those times.
Galatians chapter five verses 13 through 15.
So Galatians five, 13 through 15, the Bible says, You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.
But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh.
Rather, serve one another humbly in love.
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
You know, everything that we've gone through today, we could sum it up in three more verses.
First John chapter four, verse 12, the Bible says, If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
First John chapter four, verses 20 and 21, the Bible continues on to say,
Whoever claims to love God, yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.
For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
And he has given us this command.
Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
Man, we could tie that into politics all day, can't we?
I just saw it the other day, hey, if you voted for so-and-so, feel free to unfriend me at any time.
You know, I see bumper stickers all the time in politics, man, I could get wrapped up in that one.
We could spend that one for a long time, couldn't we? But I won't.
So ask yourself, are you your brother's keeper?
And in doing so, really you're asking yourself another question.
Do I love myself?
Am I my brother's keeper? Do I love myself?
The answer should be yes. Yes!
After all, if God is in you and you love God, then you must love yourself.
Because to hate yourself is to hate God who is also within you.
And we are to love others as we love ourselves, thereby making each and every one of us accountable
and each and every one of us our brother's keeper.
We have a God-given responsibility to look out for one another.
So now, evaluate.
Ask yourself, how can I do a better job of this?
Pray. Pray and ask the Father for guidance.
And with that said, go and be your brother's and your sister's keeper.
Remember, you are a blessing and you are loved.
Now go and be the Church.
Thank you all for joining us here today at Healing Scars with Pastor Burton.
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We look forward to hearing from you all. God bless.