Living With People

We're going to try to wrap this message up today or we have valid in this message that was supposed to be a Wonder Sunday message. And I think this is like the 5th messages that we do but we're going to try to wrap it up and and I want to go over a little bit of what God has taught us so far and bring us, you know up to where we are today. We started off by God teaching us that the Christian Life is tough. And we looked at some of Paul's words in the scripture where he describes how I took their life was and we all identified with a lot of the things that he mentioned in that scripture that life life is tough is full of Trials. It's full of tribulation, you know to to say that if you're a Christian life is all going to be peaches and cream would be an understatement. That's not true. He teaches us in his word that we're to learn to suffer with him. So life is tough. It's going to be filled with its ups and its Downs. It's mountain peaks and it's valleys and we saw that it's full of hardships. But one of the greatest and toughest challenges we have as Believers it is to learn to deal with people it's hard because there's all sorts of personalities are there and beliefs and emotions and thinking and and it just makes it hard but I'm going to say this I would rather it be that way then all of us be the same like robots, you know, I mean because then we wouldn't learn anything and that's the whole thing behind God's teaching us is people are different for a reason and that's so that we can learn to get along with each other and to put up with each other besides all of the people personality traits and everything. God himself put some pretty hard demands on us that that makes living People difficult for instance. He says love your enemy and pray for those that persecute, you know, that's not an easy thing to do and and we've got all got our ideas on on what that's about but but dealing with people is is probably our toughest challenge here on this earth. Now, my son is a challenger ideal regularly with with failures in my life. I deal with that but my heart is challenge is me getting along with with people and you know that it's funny how God works a by the way, if any of you voted in the election that we had back in November, I really appreciate the votes. Somebody said, are you going to make any little signs to let people know you're running for for the city council hears and aldermen I said know everybody in this community pretty well knows who's running in a week. We are we Have No Secrets in Reeves, but I one of the things that God did is mister. Who won from are him and I don't always see eye-to-eye on things and I got elected in he got elected. So for the next four years, we got to learn to work together. Right in the middle of this message. God brings that up. You know, he says that you and mr. Gary going to have to get a loan, you know, you got to work together for the good of the community. Well, I'm up for the challenge. I'm looking. I'm looking forward to that in the deeper. I get in this message the more God begins to pound on me about that. Why because God is in two people. I don't care what anybody thinks God is in the people buildings are important but buildings are not as important as people to God, you know, God likes nice things. Don't get me wrong. But but people are more important to God and the everywhere you look in the scripture you can see that and I think that that people are important for a couple of reasons and we talked about that but we learned that we were created in the image of God and because of that we are supposed to reflect God in how we handle ourselves with people God forgives people. God has Mercy on people God puts up with people. I know that from That cuz he puts up with me and about the time. I think I've really messed up with God. He shows me just how good he is, you know, and so we have to learn how to reflect the image of God in our life when it comes to dealing with people even the people you don't care for you have to reflect that Godly image K send that image and because of that it's a constant process of looking more and more each and every day like God but not only dad but God intended for a man to have a a Everlasting Eternal relationship with him and God doesn't pick and choose I'm going to have a relationship with him, but not him people choose that they decide whether they want to receive the Gospel or reject the gospel. And that's how you become to have a relationship with God is you you receive his son Jesus Christ as your savior the Bible says as many as received him to them. JP the power to become the children of God and so went once you receive Christ as your savior, you become part of the family of God and you are intended to spend an eternity with God will what's need about that is the people that you don't like we're also part of God's family and they do will spend an eternity with God. And so we need to learn to get along here because we're going to be together for an eternity. And of course I had said it every message I might as well say it again today that in my father's house are many rooms and I will go to prepare one for you. And God has a sense of humor to put you right next door to the one you don't like for eternity. Wouldn't that be something but God can do that? I'm not telling him he has to go. So we looked at that. That's what we learned in in the first message the next message. We learn the problem to all of this is not the other person. We wanted to be the other purse. 2 + 3 what causes fights and quarrels amount? You don't they come from your desires that battle within you? It doesn't talk about the other person's desire. It talks about yours is desired that we have what I've said this every sermon you ought to have it by now. The greatest desire that we have is to get our way. We want our way people leave churches cuz they don't get their way. They're not singing the songs. I like so Holly doesn't matter that. God called you to a certain group of people use a Gibson the talents. You have to help. Church girl that little group of Believers growth. They don't consider that it's the fact that did I get my way or not you desire but you do not have so you can you cut it, but you cannot get what you want. So you crawl in fight you do not have because you do not ask God and the third verse when you ask you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures and so in those 3 versus we saw the name problem and we saw just how far will stoop to get our way we even kill for it. We might not actually murder a person that will kill a relationship like that. If we don't get our way simple, is that okay? And so we saw that our greatest desire create business in us and we begin to cut it and the idea is to desire wrongfully without regards to the rights of others. Remember, it's all about us and not about them. James is advice. Listen. Why don't you go to God with this? Why don't you ask God what is it? You want me to do in this? Let me say this a lot of the problems that we face in churches today could be solved if people went to God and said, what do you want from me? You know why we don't like to do that. Because we know if we do that God's going to say I want you to forgive them. That's why we don't want to go but James says that's the best method the best prescribed a fix for that. Then we moved into the next message and we begin to look at practical advice to for living with people. We even concluded these these practical advice is won't necessarily fix them, but they will do a world of good for you. And that's what I'm after. How does this fit you? Not the one you don't like but what is this doing for you? That's the key here. Okay, we talked about all the deals. That was one of the main ideas behind this are the main practical advice. That's a difficult thing to do because I overlooked it means that they might not ever know what they really did to you. God says so what we talked about the worried that I had that the church is being caught up in the negative side of things in the end days in the latter days reflecting the image of God, we would rather be irreconcilable. We would rather follow the pattern of the world and not fixing we would rather leave a church rather than fix the problem between us and another brother or another sister. We would rather end the relationship with them fix the problem we have with them. So we talked about that and we saw three things that emerged from that number one God teaches us to love people. Why because God loves people secondly God teaches us to look over or beyond their behavior to what caused it. What is the pain in their life? They act that way. Why did he throw me under the bus? There's a reason hurting people hurt people. We saw that and then thirdly we can glued it. Let God take up your calls rather than you give it over to God and let God fight your battle for you. Let God deal with the conclusion was either God will deal with you because you are acting right or he will deal with them because they are acting right, which would you rather? So that's what we concluded then we talked about praying for them. If you remember I said not to pray that a thousand fleas from a camel woodfinder on armpit. Or that, you know, that's that they would get sick and have to go to the hospital. We talked about imprecatory prayers that David prayed where he prayed that God would bring judgment in Calamity on his enemies the enemies of God, but we concluded that people aren't the enemies of God's the only way that someone becomes the enemy of God is to reject his son Jesus Christ most of the time the people you're having trouble with our Believers just like you are and so we don't pray bad things but instead we pray good thing the prayer is not for them. It's for you because as you start praying for your enemies, then a miracle begins to take place in you and you begin to change and so we said pray for them. Then the last thing we talked about when we met last week was forgive them and we talked about forgiveness. I even mentioned the scapegoat. If you remember the priest would put his hands on the head of one of the goats and pray the scenes of Israel into that goat. They would tie a Scarlet ribbon around it would lead him out into the camp and he would go off into the Wilderness and it was God's way of sending away is that the people had had done it was God's way of letting go and releasing what they had done. It was God's way of pardoning that's in for another year until it could be done again. It was God's way of acting with those people as if it had never happened and he said that's what forgiveness is and that's what we should be doing with people acting as if it never happened pardoning them Letting Go releasing them from whatever the obligation or the debt is. That's where we ended last week. I want to take up the next to this is going to be the final ones, but I'm going to tell you of the ones I mentioned overlooking the offense pray for them forgive them. These two are by far the most difficult ones to do. Back in the late 1700s. They were having a problem. People were going out into the mountains and digging and finding gold and they were bringing the gold in and wanting to get money for their gold the problem. Is there such a thing as fool's gold. It's not real. I remember hunting in Colorado for Elk one year and I was at a stream that came out of a mountain and I was sitting by that and it was real pretty and I happened to notice in that Crystal Clear Water some glimmering and I reach down and I grabbed a rock and it had gold in it more Nas like that stuff that I said God. Look what I found man writer coming out of the mountains gold and develop to test. How many have you ever heard the pass the acid test what they did was Black Rock and then they would take Nitric acid and pour over it and if it dissolve it, it was Fool's Gold and if it didn't dissolve it was the real deal. And so they had where they call the acid test to prove whether it was the real deal or not. The next to that I'm going to talk about is the acid test for Christians to prove whether you got the real deal or not, or you are just kidding yourself.

I'm going to say that again these next to prove whether you got the real deal or you just kidding yourself or people around you. It's one thing to tell everybody around you that you forgiving people in your you have overlooked the offense. It's one thing for you to tell people into even pray for people who may have hurt you but these next two. This will give you a way. This will tell if you pass the acid test or not the very first one that I want to discuss today is bless them. Bless them. Bless them. Now that's different definitions in the scripture for the word bless and most of the time the Hebrew word that use their means to be happy a blessed person is a happy person a blessed person is someone who has the favor of the Lord on damn and because of that there's a smile on their face things are good. Happy Etc, but there's another meaning that goes with that and this word bless and the word eulogy that we use today sort of go together because when you talk about blessing someone you pronounce words to confer Divine favor upon someone I may say to Josh may the Lord bless you those are my words using to confirm the favor of God upon him or to try to get God to look with favor upon him the word eulogy means to speak well of someone Someone I'm talking about speaking. Well of someone who has hurt you deeply that's acid test.

Now when they're there in front of you it's easy when there's people around and they're there they can hear it's easy for you to be nice to them and to confirm kind words about them and to speak highly of them. But what are you tell people when they're not there to to to be there to witness at what are you tell people when you're alone with them and the person who hurt you is not there to defend themselves.

as acid test What do you say?

I can tell you this you can tell me that that you have overlooked their behavior and you can tell me that you pray for them and you can tell me you forgave them. But when you are by yourself with people if all you do is run them down and negative. You have not passed the test. You may make people believe that you got all these great things because we all want to appear very spiritual in front of people and we portray this picture that I've got this under control. I'm going to tell you your words will give you away.

I promise you this and I've said this many times and years to pass but you can say a lot of things and convince people of one thing, but eventually your true colors are going to come out eventually the real use going to show its face. And so when I talk about asking you what are the words that you speak about? What are you say about them when you're with people when they're not there to defend themselves. Are you think they may not get back to them? I remember talking to a person and I was telling them about someone and I had all this negative. I was telling them about the person I was telling them about 10 day say so and so told me everything you said.

I got through going to keep quiet about it and tell him everything I said, let me take what God says about that. Okay, that's what God said. Well, then you should have said that to start with really got this under control. Like you say you do if you really got got your hands on this and you're trying to live for me that you're going to learn to say good things about them instead of bad things. So the question is how you doing with this acid test. I want to talk about a couple of things why this is so important. First one. Is this the words you speak reveal what's really inside of you? Say that again the words you speak reveal. What's really inside of you. Have you ever have you ever been around someone and you talkin and bought before you know, I don't like your hair.

Buzz words that came out before then you would happen was there with telling you the truth. That don't like your hair.

Didn't say all I was just joking.

What's inside of you is going to work its way out. I'm going to show you it in Mark chapter 7 beginning in verse 20.

Jesus is speaking. It was saying that which proceeds out of the man that is what defiles him. That's what gives you away. That's what what tells what's really going on with you that's acid test that which proceeds out of the man that is what defiles him. That's where I probably look at the next verse from within out of the heart of man proceed evil thoughts fornication Steph murders adultery and we can just as well as deceit sensuality Envy slander pride and foolishness.

What's inside of you Works its way out it's going to work its way out in your hands and your feet by your actions and with your mouth. by your words If you want to try to convince everybody around you I'm willing to set that aside your mouth will let us know whether you really have done that or not. Because what's inside of you is going to work its way out. Your true colors are going to come out your mouth is going to be the acid test of what's really going on with you. I asked you a simple question today. How are you doing with that? As I'm speaking you got you a little mind rolling in that little squirrels in their running in that cage and that wheels are turning and then you're like remembering everything you said. And you're like me you got your head down so you know what? Not doing too good. It's one thing to say you forgive them.

To make yourself look good, but eventually your negative talk proves. You didn't so the words you speak review. What's inside of you? Let's look at that had the second thing about why what you say is important bless them. Why why you say what you say is important? do you remember what what happened on the first day of creation creation remember that remember the story Some of you looking at me and go somewhere you like what you talking about? remember this the Bible says and God said let there be light. And there was light. and God said And it was and God said and it was and God said it was.

Stand The Power of Words Do you realize that words can create and words can destroy because in the beginning God said let there be light and there was a time when God will look some people in the eye and say depart from me. I never knew you and they will leave for Destruction. You see there's power in our words that can create a healing environment or destroy it one of the other just like God's words created the universe i words can create an environment that either healthy or negative Proverbs chapter 18 verse 21 says it this way death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit. And those who love it or those who want to bring life with their words and not death. Do you realize that sometimes when you talk to a person about the person who hurt you and you have those negative words. Do you realize that you create an attitude? And then you create a thought pattern and damn about those people that those people I ever had.

You can actually create a negative environment in there thinking about someone that had you kept your mouth shut they would have never thought that on their own fit would have thought only good about those people. Death and life are in the power of the word when the Bible tells us to bless those who persecute us is talking about when you talk about that person. Let your words create a healthy healing environment.

Imagine the person you're talking about hearing what you said. Imagine how embarrassed I was with this person went to the person I was talking about. It was all true and not my words were well, they didn't hear anything. I wouldn't you know that they don't know. I mean they already know that but still it still affects us CI words can create an environment weather positive or negative 1st Peter chapter 3 verse 8 through 12.

To sum it up all of you be harmonious sympathetic brotherly kind-hearted and humble in spirit. not returning evil for evil or insult for insult but giving a blessing instead for you work all for the very purpose that you might in a blessing rather than bring the negative. I'll bring out the positive because great things can happen next verse for the one who desires life to love and see good days must keep his

Come From Evil and his lips from speaking deceit. I like this we should stop there but we're going to go on he must turn away from Evil and do good seek peace and pursue it. And then the last verse for the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears. His ears hear you. When I read that it stopped me in my tracks. Because I knew that all along that God hears me when I talk but it hit me like a ton of bricks that when I'm running somebody down and speaking negative in creating a negative environment with my words that God hears that.

And I'm okay with that.

What's wrong with that picture God's not okay with that's why he gives us the scriptures to look at instead of insult for insult. Blessing instead create something positive. Why because that's what God expects of us. That's what God wants from us. That's what God wants us to do in Luke chapter 6. I think it's verse 37 and 38 lease if you can find that go to verse 37

But you can leave it there Lisa leave it right there. We'll go from there. But to you who are listening. I say love your enemies do good to those. Who hate you. next verse do you want to go? She's doing like this whole up be patient grasshopper a bunch of script is all in a row. He bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you bless those pronounce positive words on those that that you're talkin bout. So the words we speak reveal what's inside of us the word we speak and create a healing environment or can destroy that environment which ever you wanted to be and then thirdly your words can lead to your good. When he talks about blessing those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you he's talking about when you speak about people and you speak good. Do you realize that that would be for your good remember? I started this by saying it this way if you'll take these practical steps of advised it might not do nothing for them, but it'll sure help you. I'm telling you that if you learn to tame that tummy of yours and you'll learn to pronounce blessing instead of cursing his own people that you're going to see some great things happening to you. The very first one is this you will grow in the Lord Jesus Christ.

you going to grow you're going to become the person of God they want you to because you will look more like the image of God's because when he asked you this gods in heaven, okay, and Satan approaches am the Bible says that Satan does that every once in awhile memory tells Satan have you considered my servant job, but I can see this picture I got.

What you think about Glenn?

I can just imagine God. That's a no good. Sorry. I don't know why in the world I chose him.

when Satan the accuser brings the accusation to God the lawyer Jesus stands up and says

paid for done

That's the image of God. Who says it's done? So you're going to grow the second thing it in in this or that will help you if you decide to do this. You can never help someone else grow. If you're not growing.

I can promise you this you can teach a Sunday school class and I don't care what age it is, but if you haven't forgiven someone.

I don't care what age you're teaching if you haven't forgiven someone you will not be able to teach that class how they forgive people.

You know why you can never lead anyone where you haven't been yourself.

And some of what we go through in this life is so that we can benefit in grow and and Along Comes someone who struggles in the same area and we've got good practical advice and we can follow me because I've been there. I know exactly where you at and see you won't ever be able to help anyone if you're not to grow if you're not growing yourself. The Bible tells us that we should be encouraged to be like our teacher now if she can go to it. I'd like for her to go to Luke chapter 6 and we going to we going to read verse 27 down to some verses. I want to read the whole passage to you. So you get the feel of what's going on. He said that to you who are listening. Okay. Are you listening today? That's who you talk to. Are you listening? Can you hear what God is trying to say love your enemies do good to those who hate you bless those who curse you pray for those who mistreat you if someone slaps you on One Cheek slapping back.

That's why human flesh says he says turn to them the other cheek. If someone takes your coat do not withhold your shirt from them my goodness. Give to everyone who asks if anyone takes what belongs to you.

Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you what credit is that to you even Sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who are good to you. What credit is that to you? Even Sinners do that? I need fuel in to those from whom you expect repayment. What credit is that? Even Sinners Linda Sinners expecting to be repaid in full but love your enemies do good to them and Lynn to them without expecting to get anything back in your reward will be great and you will be Children of the most high. What are you going to be? What are you going to be? You're going to actually be what God made you to be his child because you're going to act like his child. You're going to reflect his image because he is kind to The Ungrateful into the the merciful just as your father is merciful. Do not judge. And you will not be judged do not condemn and you will not be condemned forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you when he's talking about this. He's not talking about money. Here. We use this verse and say man. If you give your money than his will be given to you good measure pressed down. I've heard preachers wax elegant man, and then they pass it off and play. This is not talking about giving out money for this is talking about give a blessing give to someone what they really don't deserve mercy and the grace that God gave you and what's going to happen. It's going to be given to you good measure pressed down shaken together running over his going to pour into your life with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

next verse ain't no next verse. Stop right there. Sounds good. That's all God wants me to say about that. It's all God wants me to say about that. We encourage to be like our teacher. remember that we are just like them the part that did not go talks about removing the speck out of your neighbor's eye. But first remove the log out of your pores.

Were you got to remember? They are just like you and you are just like them. This is my saying I like this this same but for the grace of God there go I

I would act just like that if it wasn't for God's tear in my heart and sometimes I do act just like that remember that you're broken just like they are and remember that your words reveal the truth. Blessing them speaking. Well of them is really good for you, too. More than it is for them. I want to talk about the last one and then you won't have to hear no more about this will talk about something positive like giving you money to the Lord or something like that.

Not only does it say to bless them as the acid test. But here's another one do good to them. We saw that in these verses bless them who persecute you do good to them.

I'm not sitting here telling you although that would be a good practice. I'm not telling you that when church is over go find the person who is hurt you the worst and do something good for them. That's not what I'm saying. What I am going to say is this when God provides an opportunity to do something good for someone who has hurt you. Do it. You know why because if God makes an opportunity for that to happen, it's cuz he wants you to jump right in there. And work on this. He wants you to do something good. I put it this way when given the opportunity to do good things to those who hurt you do it when the opportunity arises do it helps him when you can work alongside of them when called upon I'm telling you me and mr. Gill real going to have to learn to get along and work together and who knows what kind of a relationship can come out of this for the next 4 years? It will work on this and get this right. And it's not his responsibility cuz he's not the one dealing with the passage. It's mine. It's on my shoulders that the way Falls. I've got to learn to work alongside of him when called upon God is giving us an opportunity that for four years. We're going to be together. That's good that did that. I'm going to tell you this if you going to be a teacher. Aren't you you know you going to teach Sunday school. Are you going to preach you better? Be careful what you decide you and God's going to talk about when you're teaching because he just may have you go through this kind of nest for your own good. For your own good do what they don't expect for you to do do opposite of what they think because if you're an enemy with someone or if you they've hurt you and your not friends. They don't expect you to do anything good. Imagine what happens to them when you come alongside of them and do something good.

You haven't seen that look like what's wrong with you. What you doing?

And you just say love. The Lord wants me to do this for you. surprise the enemy

enemy enemies cuz he wants you to hate and he wants you to run from them and when they walk in the room he wants you to walk out instead of going over there at the enemy. Don't let the enemy win.

See be the god that the person that God has called you to be we're going to close with Josh's verse. This is this is it I'm done with this get the sour taste out of my mouth Romans chapter 12 verse 17 through 21. Do not repay anyone evil for evil be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone if it is possible as far as it depends on you the monkeys always on your back live at peace with everyone. Take revenge my dear friend, but leave room for God's Wrath for it is written it is mine to avenge. I will repay let God take on the contrary if your enemy is hungry.

If he is thirsty. In doing this you will Heap burning coals on his head. I finally got him Lord. I'm going to do good so that all your ass then burning coals will be upon them and at every turn you be able to zap Time Lord. I finally got him where I want. Until you understand the verse. When is talking about keeping those coals on their head? In their society, I guess cold. would be kind of like gas for us today You know to go anywhere you got to go buy a gas station and you got to have gas in your car. It's a much-needed commodity. It's something we have a great need for if you don't have the money to buy gas. You stay home. If you're going to try to work and have a job you earn a little money so you can put gas in your car and go to work to earn some more money to put gas in your car to go to work to earn some more money to you. See what I'm saying. It's a commodity that is well needed in our society. Well in their society this cold stuff was very important because they cooked on wood and sticks and charcoal the Bible speaks of Peter denying the Lord and he stood in front of a charcoal fire. The Bible said, you know, I was simply saying give them what they need the most in life. Give them the commodity they need the most do the most good you can for them. For the Bible is trying to tell us not imagine if somebody hurt you deeply rather than think about how deep you can hurt them back. You try to figure out what could I do for them? Bring the most good for the most in life right now in their life and when the opportunity arises you go and do that, what would that do for the relationship?

What would that do for the relationship?

Live in peace that God take up your cars do good to them. Give them what they need the most not what you think they deserve.

And that's how that concludes. So the Practical advice is simply there's Overlook the offense. May God take up your calls instead pray for them. Forgive them act as if it didn't happen speak well of them. And when God opens the door for you do something real good for them. And a lot of good can come out of that. This is how I see it. And I said this last week and I meant it. I'm going to say it again this week. It would have been better for you not to come because today you heard the truth. Now you have a responsibility. The monkeys on your back. What are you going to do with the people that hurt you the most? What are you going to do fathers we come before you?