Sermon Tone Analysis

The Loving Burden Bearers

One of my very favorite things on Sunday mornings is this greeting time.

I don’t know if it is your thing or not, some people may really hate it and find it awkward but I love it.

And not because it gives me a chance to put my mic on or hit the record button or move stands around.

I really do enjoy seeing the community that is displayed among the body of Christ.

And today is 5th Sunday, which is again, another part of the community that we share here together.

I don’t think it is any coincidence that we are talking about this today.

Over the last month we have been talking in our home group just what church discipline is supposed to look t from the perspective of God’s Holy Word and not on how it looks or how it makes us feel.

When a sin happens, whether it is with a spouse, or a child, or a friend, what do we as brothers or sisters in Christ do about it?

Do we bring up a sin?

Or do we let it go?

How do we, or do we bring up someone’s obvious sin to someone else?

Many people have been offended, turned off, burdened by a well-meaning Christian who has tried to help someone deal with sin.

Because many people have been offended, turned off, burdened by a well-meaning Christian who has tried to help someone deal with sin.

I could ask for a raise of hands of people who know someone who was offended by someone else who was trying to help them with their sin.

Now We must never lose focus that sin is serious, it’s deadly, but many of us hang on to it thinking that it’s just this little thing and I can keep it to myself.

French aristocrat Baron Richard d’Arcy kept a strange pet in his home: a two-year-old lion.

One night in 1977, the baron tried to make his pet enter the bathroom, where it usually spent the night, but it refused to go and leaped on its master.

In a matter of minutes, the lion had clawed the baron to death.

Christians should deal with sin definitely and drastically.

We must not permit any “pet” sins, since that means we are playing with evil.

Only by severe dealing with a sin can we be sure that we will not become the victim of it.1282

Sin is dangerous and it needs to be addressed but it must be done so in the spirit of gentleness with the goal of restoration.

I don’t think it is any coincidence that we are talking about this today.

Over the last month we have been talking in our home group just what this is supposed to look like from the perspective of God’s Holy Word and not on how it looks or how it makes us feel.

I think we need to start off with the idea that we are a community, we are a family.

God sees us not just as his individual children, it goes deeper than that.

God sees us as part of a family, or a body and when one part of the body suffers we all suffer.

One of the issues that we need to talk about is the issue of sin.

Now where is the church supposed to land when it comes to sin in the church?

The problem is that the church, historically has many times landed on two extremes: either they end up on a witch hunt and do not treat people with love, or, they chose to look away and do nothing about it.

I should say that some churches really get it right.

But we don’t hear about those, we only hear about the one’s that do it poorly.

We have to take sin seriously.

And there are those who will say that someone else’s sin doesn’t affect me.

But they would be wrong.

Someone’s personal sin doesn’t just affect them, it affects the whole church.

If we go back to what we were talking about last week in chapter 5, Paul does not describe a particular sin.

He lists a group of sins which are not exhaustive but representative; meaning he didn’t list all the sins that are bad (because all sins are bad).

He lists types of sins and you can go back and read them when you get home in 5:20-24.

There he lists 4 that can be characterized as sexual sins, false worship, interpersonal relationships and sins of personal excess.

And if you notice, Paul calls out sin, and just like Paul calls it out, The bible tells us to call out sin.

The bible tells us to call out sin.

People say, but Jesus says not to judge but that isn’t what that verse talks about.

We as Christians, as those walking with the Lord, who know the truth are called according to Scripture to call out sin.

Commanded to go and help them and restore them with their sin.

verse 1 if anyone is caught in a sin you who are spiritual should restore him.

People say, but Jesus says not to judge but that isn’t what that verse talks about.

Judging means not doing anything but pointing a finger and not helping.

Believers are warned against judging others unfairly or unrighteously, but Jesus commends “right judgment” (, Where Jesus says “Do not judge by mere appearances but judge with right judgement.

We as Christians, those walking with the Lord, who know the truth are called according to Scripture to call out sin.

Commanded to go and help them and restore them with their sin.

That really is the point.

We get so hung up on the calling out someone’s sin because we will be branded as judgmental, but there is a purpose in this judging.

The purpose is Restoration.

Word is Katartizo is a Greek medical word used for setting a broken bone.

It means to restore to its former condition.

Restoration.

Word is Katartizo is a Greek medical word used for setting a broken bone.

It means to restore to its former condition.

That word Gently, I don’t want you to be confused because that word doesn’t mean softly, or gentle like to touch, if you are putting a shoulder back into socket it takes strength, its hard.

What the word means is humbly.

That is such a key here.

Humbly.

The legalist is the finger pointer, the one who points it out and doesn‘t do anything except maybe gossip about it.

I fear that this is why some of you right now are having the knee jerk reaction that you are having because you have very possibly experienced someone judging you unlovingly.

You have been judged, gossiped about and ignored.

You would feel the way you feel.

This is a huge problem with the church because you have heard and I have heard about people who have been wronged by the very people who are supposed to be helping.

But we are called to be loving, loving is telling the truth, calling out the sin, but then being humble in the spirit of restoration.

Bringing that person back into a loving community where the worship of God will not be hindered by sin.

You who are spiritual are commanded to help those who have fallen and the concept is that you can’t just let it go.

Our love motivates us to help the brother or sister in sin.

So that means it is our responsibility to bring them back.

Our attitude has to be, this is my family and we need to take care of this.

It’s like the latest public service announcements, see something say something, see something say something.

It’s our responsibility to bring back our brother or sister.

love motivates the christian to fallen bros

God wants those who know Him to help those who have fallen.

We can’t just ignore it.

James

Calling out sin, humbly, It’s the most loving thing we can do (First for the person in sin, then for the whole church) we need to protect the church… because sin will affect the whole church.

We see this played out in the story of Jonah. the whole ship goes down jonah jonah also restored

It’s the most loving thing we can do (First for the church, then for the individual) protect the church… (NT Verse) restore the believer (OT verse)

the whole ship goes down jonah jonah also restored

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Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

Those men were in trouble because of someone else’s disobedience to God.

They were going to pay for Jonah’s disobedience unless they took care of the problem.

If they didn’t throw Jonah overboard their ship would have gone down.

They would have died, Jonah would have died, the entire city of Nineveh would not have heard the prophecy of the Lord through Jonah.

Sin doesn’t just affect the sinner, but those who are close.

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v2 you who are spiritual, the word is pneumatikos it means one who lives according to the spirit.

Not perfect mind you, but one who is living under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

That is the person who does it although we are all called to live like that.

Notice what Paul does, the very next sentence says “Keep watch on yourself...” Which means that as God’s children we always need to be on the watch.

We always need to be keeping in step with God in our lives.

We don’t get the diploma and then put it away.

We practice.