Sermon Tone Analysis

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INTRO

ILL: Construction on the house and Kurt

Sometimes we don’t have the right person to get advice from.

ILL: Jami and programming.

There are better and worse ways of dealing with problems.

Today we’re going to look at disputes and explore some better and worse options for how to deal with them.

The first option is this:

Should we let the world settle disputes?

EXPLAIN:

Background:

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?

(, ESV)

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(v. 1) The Christians in Corinth were going to secular authorities to try cases against each other.

But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

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(v.

8) The Corinthians were defrauding each other.

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Issue: The world’s way of solving disputes is to weigh the evidence and cast judgment.

ILL: Peter Coleman, director of the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University, says this:

Kids fight over many of the same things adults do…They fight over ownership of stuff, over envy and jealousy, over status and pecking order…over disappointed expectations in their relationship, over perceived incidents of unfairness or injustice, and because they are tired or bored and just feel like fighting.

(Peter Coleman, Columbia University)

It’s easy to see how little kids fight this way, but honestly, most disputes that bigger kids, teens, and adults have fall into these same categories.

We fight over stuff, because it’s mine, or because we want it or we like it.

We may fight for something we don’t even care about because of jealousy or because we feel empowered by winning.

Sometimes we fight because, well, it’s just not fair.

And sometimes, we have disputes because deep down inside we’re just cranky 2-year olds who are bored and tired.

These issues are issues of the heart.

PARENTING ADVICE: Looking to our kids’ hearts.

The reality is that the world around us can’t do much better than judge behaviors, but that just isn’t good enough.

CONSIDER:

ILL: LANDLORD—What does that do to your heart?

And what does that do for your landlord’s heart?

ILL: BROKEN PHONE CHARGER—What does that do to your heart?

What does that do to your siblings heart?

We need something more…

EXPLAIN:

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?

And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?

Do you not know that we are to judge angels?

How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

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(vv.

2-3) The saints judge angels and the world.

It’s backwards to judge in the church using the ways of the world.

Note to children’s staff: We are forming hearts to follow Christ, not correcting behaviors.

The world wants to form behaviors, but God wants to form hearts. That’s going to take something more than judgment.

If the church can judge better, then it seems like Paul is saying we should…

Seek wise counsel to settle disputes?

EXPLAIN

So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?

I say this to your shame.

Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?

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(vv.

4-6) Issue of mission.

We defame the church when we drag our disputes in public.

We demonstrate we are no different than the rest of the world.

Why is that a problem?

[GOLDEN CIRCLE]

ILL: Baking Cookies for Julie

WHAT: Cookies for Julie

HOW: Baking them

WHY: I want to eat some too!

If we aren’t used to considering the why and we just focus on the what and the how, we are doomed to make decisions, important life choices, and judgments that reflect the weakness of our broken and unfaithful hearts.

Without knowing the WHY we will always live for the passions of our flesh.

Seeking out the counsel of God in the church gets to the WHY of the heart…at least it should.

If we have a dispute, Who should we go to in the church?

I say this to your shame.

Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, (, ESV)

Any Christian?

(vv.

5)

A Peer? (ILL: It’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine!)

A person with demonstrated wisdom?

THE PROBLEM:

If we judge our disputes in the church, maybe it doesn’t affect the mission of the church, but Does it really form the hearts of the people to have hearts like Jesus?

Aren’t we still doing the same thing as the world?

Someone still wins the dispute and is prideful because of it.

And someone else loses and becomes bitter and angry.

Even in the church, judgments fail to form the heart.

Forgive and overlook the offense.

EXPLAIN:

To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you.

Why not rather suffer wrong?

Why not rather be defrauded?

But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

(, ESV)

(vv.

7-8) The best way is not to dispute, but to overlook the offence.

SOLOMON: Introduce

A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,

and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

(, ESV)

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Fighting enslaves.

Enslavement…