Anger Management

Posted by Chris on June 3, 2007 under Sermons

Spider-Man 3 – When Spider-Man dons his black suit made of the mysterious black ooze from outer space, it makes him feel strong and powerful, but it also brings out the worst in him. It feeds on his anger and hatred and causes him to act in rage. He hurts the people he cares about because of his uncontrolled anger.

The black suit is a poisonous force. It is a consuming power. It is a parasite that seeks a willing host. What gives it the open door to infect someone is anger.

Watching the movie this week I thought: “This is our text played out as a comic book parable.” READ Ephesians 4:25-5:2.

The destructive power of anger and hatred isn’t limited to the imaginary world of Spider-Man and the movies. On every level of human society, whether it is two friends or nations, anger will open the door to sin and brokenness when we do not control the anger. It “gives place to the devil.”

1. Anger is going to happen. We shouldn’t be na?ve. Anger will be there. Certain things trigger our anger. And it wouldn’t hurt for us to pay attention to what “pushes our buttons” and start doing something to control it. Why don’t we defuse the dynamite before it goes off? That’s much better than walking around with a chip on our shoulder. (This phrase actually originates in the practice of young men in the 19th century who would make an excuse to start a fight by placing a chip of wood on their shoulders and daring another to knock it off.)
2. We always have a choice about the way we deal with our anger. Anger is going to be there. Even if we take the chip off our shoulder or unhook the wires to the “button.” Anger is a real and valid human emotion, but we always have a choice as to what are we going to do with it. “If you do get angry, do not sin.” (Note: that the text isn’t licensing sin. It should not be read in such a way that it says anger is just fine as long as you don’t sin. That’s like an unmarried couple saying “making out is fine as long we don’t go all the way.” It’s a justification of something dangerous.) Long before the black-suited Spider-Man, God described sin as a force waiting for a willing host. In Genesis 4, God spoke to Cain. He knew how angry Cain was getting with his brother (and with God). God urged him to be careful because sin was crouching outside the door waiting to consume him. God urged Cain to make the right choice and dispel the anger before it opened the door to sin. But Cain did not and he set off a chain of event that led to the death of his brother and God’s response to Cain’s sin.
3. Someone says, “But I just go into an immediate rage when I get angry.” (i.e. I become the Hulk) – If that’s true, then 1. You may need medical or psychological attention if it is truly that severe, or 2. You are letting the anger go too far before you act. I suspect that most of us we know when we are getting angry. This is why the text uses proverbial wisdom. “Do not let the sun go down on your rage.” Whether anger is creeping up on us or right on us, we recognize it. It is at this point that we have the choice to do something about it. We can dispel it or convert it. If we are being offended by another we can work to resolve the matter peacefully and without condemnation. But if we allow the “sun go down” on our anger, it will grow into a grudge or a hatred or contempt. Like an untreated wound it festers. Anger takes on a less benign form such as rage and fighting, or more subtle but equally destructive forms like bitterness, slander, and malice. The original matter that made us angry may even go away, but the damage done by the festering is remains.
4. And do not give the devil a foothold. The devil seeks to infect our community in this way. If the biblical writers had known about microbiology, they would certainly have describe the devil as a virus that infects a church seeking to replicate his “DNA” even as he wrecks the health of the church body. All that is needed is a foothold. When you and I refuse to manage the anger we feel in healthy, godly ways, we become the foothold that the devil uses to tear up our life together. This alone should be motivation to deal with our anger and to make the right choices when we are angry.
5. Verse 32 – “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Anger has this dangerous to turn inward. We get angry at others then angry at ourselves for getting angry. And that often causes us to avoid reconciling. We think it’s too far gone. It’s never too late. It’s never too far gone. That’s one of the lies that the enemy uses to prevent reconciliation. Forgiveness brings about healing. (It’s an important theme in the Spider-Man movie. The heroes win not simply by applying brute force, but they win through forgiveness and a new day dawns for all of them.) Kindness and compassion are not idealistic sugary sentiments. They are the virtues of God that we may imitate. They are virtues that are developed as we mature spiritually.

God has forgiven us. How shall we imitate him? Is there someone you should forgive, even if doing so means letting go of anger? Why not? Let’s get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, slander, and malice. Such negative forces really hurt us the most. And it injures the Holy Spirit of God with you.
Do you need to forgive yourself? Sometimes that is the source of anger.

Food Fight

Posted by Chris on May 27, 2007 under Sermons

The narrative of Daniel 1 is comprised of Four Moves:

1. Setting (1-2)
2. You Will Be Assimilated (3-7)
3. Food Fight (8-16)
4. Rising to the Top (17-21)

Key Questions – Daniel 1

• What is the royal food and wine?
• Why is it defiling?
• What is Daniel’s alternative diet?
• Why do “Daniel and Co.” end up healthier and heartier?
• What does it mean for us?

What is the royal food and wine?
“The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table.” (1:5)
This is the king’s provision and hospitality.
The king is their host. He provides for them. To share from his provision is to be a part of his court. It raises the question of whom we trust.
This is about more than food choice. They live in a world of simple starvation, famine, and no refrigeration. When you depend on someone for food, you are closely aligned with him.

Why is the food defiling?
There are four options:

1. Daniel is ascetic or fasting (suggested by Josephus). Problem: There’s no evidence for this. None in the text or otherwise.
2. It’s not kosher. It is unclean or improperly prepared. Too much blood. But wine isn’t un-kosher. And nothing is said of the nature of the food – it couldn’t have been pork for three years!
3. It is not healthy. Why not? What do we mean by healthy? We should be careful not to read our sensibilities about food back into the ancient world’s concepts of health. Food was kept differently and processed differently. Fat was needed keep people alive. What is healthy for a starving person or a person who rarely gets to eat isn’t necessarily the same thing as what is healthy for an overfed person.
   • The example of “Ezekiel Bread” is instructive here. At the health food store you can get bread made according to the recipe in Ezek. 4:9. There’s nothing wrong with that. It is much better for some people than regular processed white bread. Thankfully, the recipe for the bread stops at Ezekiel 4:9 and does not include 4:12, which suggests that the bread is either cooked over human dung or possibly mixed with it.
   • The bread Ezekiel eats is a prophetic sign of the poor conditions the nation in exile will have to endure. This is poor people’s bread – not bread for fitness elitists. (Having said that, there’s still nothing at all wrong with the bread and if it benefits some, then that’s great – – but don’t read dietary considerations back into the text.)
4. Accepting the food means losing identity and freedom. They already had their name changed and they were already going to learn the language of the natives. But to accept the food was to declare their total dependence on the graciousness of King Nebuchadnezzar which compromised their dependence on God. It means becoming “the king’s man.”
   • Daniel 11:26-27 uses the same word for provisions: “Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time.” The meaning here is that those who are closely associated with the king will turn against him.

What is Daniel’s alternative diet?
What is “pulse?” (KJV) Answer: Seeds, vegetables, beans. This is inferior food. It would not be considered part of a well-balanced breakfast or any other meal for that matter. Daniel’s alternative is what he gets for turning down the king’s food. It is simply that which he can scrape together. It isn’t his health-conscious secret diet.
Don’t miss the point of the story.
Why do Daniel and his friends end up healthier and heartier?
They choose not to defile themselves and God vindicates them.
They do well in spite of their diet and not because of it. The story is indicating that God gives them health and wisdom.

In God We Trust
All the stories in Daniel 1-6 will set up situations in which Daniel and friends find it difficult to trust in God. In every case, God proves trustworthy. Daniel and friends are vindicated.

So What?
Who am I? Whose am I? – Perhaps we don’t ponder enough what it is that defines us. What gives us our identity? What gives us our freedom? Memorial Day is a good example of a time for reflection that often is given up to nothing more than recreation.

We are in a changing culture. The values we have appreciated are changing and that creates crisis. Do we have to change everything back to the way it was to establish our identity? What if we cannot change anything? How do we assert our identity? Daniel and his friends maintained their independence and freedom by keeping their integrity, they didn’t have to launch a revolution. They didn’t get anxious. They stayed true to God.

We can place our trust and security in many things that less dependable than God. And we can revere some things even more than we revere God. Israel learned to remain true to God even though they lost some of their symbols and rituals. Can we do the same?

And finally, our trust may be best reflected by our attitude of thanksgiving. We live in a culture that thinks of food more in terms of what we do not eat rather than what we cannot eat. (When you are poor you eat what is available). When we give more thought to whether or not our food will make us fat, maybe we are missing the point of being thankful.

Of course this text is about more than food. It is about remaining true to God and not accepting the compromises of culture that will cause us to lose our integrity and identity as God’s person. Sometimes that is difficult, but who do you trust?

The Whole Truth

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

Read:

Godly Behavior (Part 2)

Posted by David on May 23, 2007 under Sermons

A common concept among Christians is this: "It is physically profitable to live a godly life." Thus, if a person wants a guarantee of ‘the good life,’ he or she needs to be a godly person. If a person wants protection against disease, he or she needs to be a godly person. If a person wishes to be delivered from accidents, he or she needs to be a godly person. If a person wants the guarantee of deliverance from an early death, he or she needs to be a godly person.

Then Christians observe godly people live in poverty, lose fortunes, or struggle in their older years. They witness godly people die of cancer, die in car wrecks caused by someone high on drugs or alcohol, or die when they are young. If they expected some form of physical deliverance from undesirable physical happenings, incidents such as these deeply shake their faith in Jesus Christ. They cry out, "How could God let that happen to him (or her)?" "Why did that happen to him (or her)?"

Two questions. (1) Is it only now that bad physical things happen to godly people? (2) Is our confidence in good things happening to godly people based on an American concept or a promise from God?

It may be effective to tell Americans in a prosperous country physically to expect good things to happen if they are godly. However, never suggest that on mission fields where the country is poor, positive changes come slowly, and physical hardship is the common existence for the majority of people. The core of the gospel when first presented was not, "Belong to God and receive good physical rewards."

This does not suggest that God does not bless us when we seek His ways. His ways lead us to existence with him. It was the apostle Paul who wrote to suffering Christians:

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)

Shortly after those words, he wrote: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

The blessings he wrote of were about the certainty of salvation in Jesus Christ. He wrote of the intercession of God’s Spirit on our behalf, justification, God’s devotion to us, freedom from condemnation, and the fact that nothing can deprive us of God’s love–not even suffering or death.

Our confident hope is base on God’s gifts after death, not on Satan’s harassment in this life.

1. Christian existence from the first was based on physical privation and suffering caused by belonging to God.
   1. Have you considered these facts?
      
      1. We exist because we place our confidence in a crucified, resurrected Savior.
         
      2. Tradition tells us all of the twelve but one (John) were killed for their faith.
         
      3. The twelve were jailed and beaten by the order of religious leaders because they dared endorse Jesus as the Christ (Acts 5:17, 18, 40-42)
         
      4. Stephen was killed by religious people who disagreed with him (Acts 7:58-60).
         
      5. The apostle James was executed by sword (Acts 12:1) and the same ruler intended to kill Peter.
         
      6. The only reason a mob stopped stoning Paul was due to the fact they thought Paul was dead (Acts 14:19).
         
      7. Paul and Silas were publicly beaten and jailed for healing a possessed girl (Acts 16:19-23).
   2. Have you recently read these scriptures?
      
      1. Hebrews 11:32-40, And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
      2. 2 Corinthians 11:22-33, Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ?-I speak as if insane-I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.
2. I do not think most of us have given serious thought to the enormous difficulties Jesus endured in his ministry.
   1. Consider some things we do not talk about much regarding Jesus’ life during his ministry.
      
      1. Though he was surrounded by people much of the time, he was a very lonely man.
         
         1. Great loneliness is created when the people closest to you do not understand you.
            
         2. Not even his twelve understood him!
            
         3. Consider two occasions of the many:
            Matthew 8:26,27, He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
            
            1. Of the many things they saw Jesus do, they were astounded that the winds and Sea of Galilee obeyed his commands.
               
            2. They were so surprised they asked, "What kind of man is this?"
               John 16:29-33, His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? (Emphasis mine.) Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
               
            3. This occurred the last night of Jesus’ earthly life as he was with his disciples.
               
            4. Before his words confused them, but now they understood.
               
            5. Sure, they did!
               
            6. Jesus knew they just thought they understood.
               
            7. What a lonely night that was for him!
      2. His own relatives thought he was crazy.
         Mark 3:21, When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”
         
         1. That must have been discouraging!
            
         2. They did not take any sense of pleasure in what he did, but they were ashamed of his actions.
      3. His brothers urged him to dangerously expose himself to a crowd that could have easily become a mob.
         John 7:1-5, After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For not even His brothers were believing in Him.
         
         1. I submit if Jesus knew his life was in danger in Judea, his brothers knew Jesus would be in danger in Judea.
            
         2. If that is true, his brothers were encouraging Jesus to do something they knew could get him killed.
            
         3. To have your own brothers unconcerned about your physical well being had to be powerfully discouraging!
      4. Publicly he was said to have a demon by the religious leaders.
         Matthew 12:22-24, Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”
         1. The people who easily should have known his actions were God’s work publicly said his actions were the result of evil forces.
      5. These leaders accused him of being an evil man because he did things on the Sabbath they did not approve of.
         John 9:16, Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.
         
         1. Again, those who should have confirmed the good he did tried to discredit it.
            
         2. Because Jesus did not do what they expected in the Messiah, they declared him evil.
      6. People accused him of eating and drinking too much to be God’s spokesman.
         Matthew 11:18,19, For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ?He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ?Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
         
      7. He was accused publicly of misrepresenting himself.
         John 8:52,53, The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ?If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?”
         
      8. He was accused of associating with the wrong kind of people.
         Matthew 9:10-12, Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick."
         
      9. People in Mark 5 asked Jesus to leave their country when he restored an uncontrollable man to his right mind at the price of a herd of pigs.
         
         1. They saw no potential in his deed.
            
         2. They saw only unacceptable cost.
      10. He found more faith in a non-Israelite than he found in any Jew.
          Matthew 8:10, Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel."
          
      11. The religious leaders of Israel said the Jewish nation would be better off if Jesus was dead.
          John 11:47-50, Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”

Jesus endured the opposition of family members, of the Jewish people, and of the religious leaders to be loyal to God. Do not think you do something special when your godly behavior results in opposition from people that you least expected opposition? Jesus already has been there.

Godly behavior can produce opposition and suffering! Christians are not good because they expect only good to happen to them!

Godly Behavior (Part 1)

Posted by David on May 15, 2007 under Sermons

There was a time when the sense of "community" and the sense of "family" were powerful. In this time, it was not unusual for a person to allow each of these to affect his/her behavior. The bond with one’s community or the bond with one’s family was more powerful than selfishness. Thus a person might restrict his or her personal behavior because he or she did not wish to reflect poorly on the community or on one’s family. The primary issue was not, "What would I like to do?" but was, "How will this affect people who are important to me?" Was that not one of the major points of Jimmy Stewart’s classic movie, "A Wonderful Life."

In our society, there has been a significant shift. This shift occurred for many reasons, not just one. One prominent influence in this shift has been [and is] a shift in what is important to us. Self has emerged as the most important consideration in many people’s thinking. With the emergence of self there has been a corresponding loss in the sense of community or the sense of extended (and too often immediate) family.

One illustration. In many past generations, most people lived quite close to their place of birth. It took a major emergency to motivate people "to leave home." For many who left, the "other place" was viewed as a "temporary" situation that existed only to take care of the emergency. There was only one geographical place that was "home," and the common plan and intent was to return "home."

Today, people live in many places. They all are "home" because "home" is where you live. I, myself, have lived in seven places that were "home" at the time I lived there. The "community" I was in was "my" community. I had no intention of leaving and no plan to return anywhere. When I took a trip, I was always glad to get back "home."

Today I know a number of people who commute long distances in their jobs. "Home" is not where their job is. "Home" is where their immediate family resides. Because of job demands, they often move significant distances. The job may dictate a move, but job never defines "home." "Home" is defined by where the immediate family is. When the job demands a move, rarely is there any intent to go back. Rarely is there any intent eventually to return to one’s area of birth unless some emergency demands a return.

In our mobile society and loss of roots, we pay significant prices. (1) Selfishness continues to escalate. (2) Our sense of community has been lost. (3) Our sense of family is quite restricted and very fragile. (4) Our basic past concepts have changed radically.

In none of this am I implying that the past was perfect and situations were not abused.

1. First, I want to suggest that the church of today suffers enormously because of these shifts.
   1. One adverse effect: some are convinced that we as a church would solve all our problems if we would just return to the past.
      
      1. In the first place, that is not possible.
         
         1. We, and most everyone around us, live in the now, not in the past–if we are to reach others we have to function in the now or they cannot relate to us or to the message we share with them.
            
         2. The only way to retreat to the past would be to build walls around us and be preoccupied with defending ourselves.
      2. We would have to deny our identity and our mission to retreat to the past.
         
         1. Jesus wants us to be light and salt in an existence filled with darkness and ignorance of God.
            Matthew 5:13-16, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
            
         2. Jesus prayed this about the 12 and us the last night of his earthly life.
            John 17:14-20, "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word …"
            
         3. We cannot live for ourselves and be the spiritual influence Jesus wants us to be by retreating to the past.
   2. A second adverse effect: Often younger adults do not feel the commitment to the Christian community that older adults feel.
      
      1. It is always difficult to make this point without offending Christians who have no reason to be offended.
         
         1. I am deeply grateful for and encourage all the people in this congregation of all ages who are active in or involved in our many activities here.
            
         2. A number of the young adults invest major time and major energy to make many of our activities possible.
      2. However, too many look at the congregation in the same way people look at an institution or a civic club.
         
         1. Often we look at institutions and clubs in this way: "I am glad it is here; I like to use it; my basic question is how it can benefit me?"
            
         2. The congregation is a community of Christians, a family of people who recognize God as the Father and Jesus Christ as the older brother.
            
         3. Christians do not look at a congregation as "existing for my benefit" but as "existing for my involvement."
            
         4. As the concepts in society of community and family diminish, congregations suffer.
      3. Often I hear people say, "Who is going to fix the meals? Who is going to visit the suffering? Who is going to give and attend the showers? Who is going to teach? Who is going to provide leadership? Who is going to organize things?"
         
         1. Good things do not just happen.
            
         2. When good things happen, several "someones" work hard and give time.
   3. Adverse effect three: Christians are changing the concepts on which a congregation is built in fundamental ways.
      
      1. We live in a consumer society.
         
         1. If we do not like the way you do business, we will not do business with you.
            
         2. If we do not like the way you provide service, we will not let you serve us.
            
         3. If we do not like the product you produce, we will not buy your product.
      2. Too often we make the congregation a consumer institution.
         
         1. Come hear our preacher; he is good!
            
         2. Come to our youth program; it is wonderful!
            
         3. Come to our Care Groups or Life Groups; they will be concerned about your needs!
            
         4. Come to our programs; they cannot be beat!
            
         5. So people come until they get a better deal offered to them or their family.
            
         6. Congregations contribute to the problem when they compete with other congregations on a consumer basis.
2. People who follow God in every age have the faith of commitment combined with the courage to face adversity.
   1. I want you to consider (briefly) three Old Testament men you likely know: Abraham, Moses, and David.
      
      1. If you know these men, you likely think highly of them.
         
      2. You probably assume everyone in their day thought highly of them.
         
      3. Not so!
   2. Consider Abraham:
      
      1. God said in Genesis 12:1-3,
         Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
         
      2. If you think that is a "no brainer" covenant, you need to consider it closely.
         
         1. Would you leave the known for the unknown? It is considered crazy now; it was considered more crazy then.
            
         2. Would you dream of your descendants becoming a great nation if you were 75 and had no children?
            
         3. Would you leave the only security you had (the security of an extended family) on the basis of promises from a God your family did not know?
            
         4. Would you dream of blessing every person who lived in the future when you were 75 and childless?
      3. In Abraham’s day what Abraham did was considered stupid.
         
      4. If you did the same thing Abraham did, most people who know you today would consider you stupid.
   3. Consider Moses:
      
      1. Moses had it made!
         
         1. He was born a slave.
            
         2. He grew up as royalty.
            
         3. All he needed to do was sit pat, and he was a rich man who belonged in the highest circles of the greatest nation on earth.
      2. Moses risked everything to help his people.
         
         1. His people did not appreciate his effort.
            
         2. He was fortunate to escape with his life.
            
         3. He lived in exile as a shepherd in the remotest place he could find.
      3. When God asked him to return to Egypt, he was extremely reluctant to go.
         
         1. His former royal family wanted him dead.
            
         2. His people did not appreciate him.
            
         3. He would have to abandon the security of his exile.
      4. He finally went because God was persistent.
         
      5. Even after he went, he lived a hard, lonely life in a wilderness with a mass of griping people.
         
      6. Would you call that a wise choice?
   4. Consider David:
      
      1. He helped King Saul in wonderful ways: killing Goliath when no one else would face the huge man; playing music to the king when the king became depressed; fighting the king’s enemies–the Philistines; making the king’s rule more secure.
         
      2. His payment was the king’s distrust and jealousy.
         
         1. The king took his wife.
            
         2. The king forced him to live as a fugitive.
            
         3. The king chased him so hard the he forced David to turn to the Philistines.
            
         4. The king forced David to relocate his parents in Moab (1 Kings 22:3).
      3. Twice David could have killed King Saul and refused to do so.
         
      4. Never was King Saul in any danger because of David.
         
      5. In this period of David’s life, would you consider him a wise man?

Following God in any age has never been popular. Having the courage to do God’s will has seemed an act of stupidity in every age. Such is seen as wise only by people who know God.

Godly behavior has never been accepted nor popular. It will not be today.

Welcome To My World

Posted by Chris on May 13, 2007 under Sermons

Daniel is an exile. He and his companions are taken from their home in Jerusalem and hauled away to a strange and alien land. They live among people who follow different customs and religions. As people who resisted “graven images” they would have been stunned by the prevalence of bizarre sculptures and strange animals depicted everywhere. For them Babylon was a strange world.

Daniel’s experience in a strange world with different ways is not unlike our experience with the strange world of apocalyptic literature. We are familiar with the straightforward stories, but the odd material in chapters 7 through 12 can become confusing and daunting. However, if we understand the rules and expectations of apocalyptic literature, and also gain some familiarity with the concerns of the 6th and 2nd centuries B.C., then maybe we will feel more welcome in Daniel’s world.

Where In The World Is Daniel?
Geographically, Daniel takes place in the Middle East in the area which now contains Iran and Iraq. Daniel’s story and his visions involve a scope of four centuries. In that time, this region changes politically more than once. Political change in the ancient world is fluid and sudden. The fate of millions and many nations may change because of a single lost battle or the death of a monarch with an unworthy heir.

Before the Babylonian Empire, the Assyrians were the super-power in this region. The Babylonians conquered Judah, which was untouched by the Assyrian Empire. Their rule over Jerusalem and Judah began approximately with the start of the sixth century and ended in 539 B.C.

In 539 B.C., Cyrus marched on Babylonia and took the country without a struggle. Babylon opened its gates to the Persians. The Persians left the native religious institutions intact and appointed a governor to rule the territory of the Babylonian Empire. The Persians were also accepting of the Jews asserting their own religious institutions and returning to Judah and Jerusalem.

In 331 B.C., the Persian king, Darius III, faced Alexander the Great at the Battle of Gaugamela. Darius III escaped the battle but the Persian forces were defeated. Darius III was assassinated by his own people and the Persian Empire was absorbed into Alexander’s empire.

Alexander ruled the area of the Persian Empire, including Jerusalem and Judah, from 332 until his death in Babylon in 323. After Alexander’s death, the empire was divided up among Alexander’s generals after the wars of succession. Two of those generals, Ptolemy and Seleucus, would rise to prominence and establish the two largest powers within the Macedonian empire – the Ptolemaic dynasty centered in Egypt and the Seleucid dynasty centered in Syria and Babylonia.

In addition to surveying the geographical and political terrain, let’s also survey the literary terrain.

Part 2 – Apocalyptic Visions

1. Apocalyptic literature is the account of a selected visionary who is given a view of history on cosmic scale, or from heaven’s perspective
2. Apocalyptic literature uses symbolism: animals, numbers, and colors do not function with strict literal meaning. They engage mystical and metaphorical meanings.
3. Apocalyptic literature reveals God’s involvement in history. Suffering and persecution are re-interpreted in light of what is taking place unseen in heaven.
4. Apocalyptic literature gives hope to the faithful by promising that God will intervene at a designated time.
5. Apocalyptic literature is a revelation of heavenly secrets; as such it always has an air of mystery.

Really Good Resources

http://www.mapsofwar.com/ind/imperial-history.html
See the 5,000 year history of the Middle East unfold in 90 seconds.

Thom Lemmons, Daniel: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow. Multnomah Press, 1991.

Donald E. Gowan, Daniel: Abingdon Old Testament Commentary. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001.

Words Can Never Hurt Me — or Can They?

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!” Really? If that’s true then why is Don Imus out of a job? Imus did not throw any sticks or stones, but by his own admission he did hurl some hurtful words. Perhaps words are not as harmless as the old saying supposes.

This isn’t the first time and will probably not be the last time that insensitive and hurtful words spoken in the public square will cause us to reflect on the way we talk. Whether or not celebrities and media outlets strive to police themselves, it would be beneficial for us to reflect on the power of words. Words can hurt, but they can also heal. Words can tear down, but words can also build up.

The power of words is demonstrated so clearly in the creation story. God speaks our world into existence with words. The naming of things defines realities. God sets up definitions by naming night and day, land and sea, human and animals. Of all the creatures that God creates he gives on the power to use words.

The destructive power of words is also evident in the Genesis story. With the subtle twisting of words and lies, the relationship between God and his creation is disrupted. Our relationship with one another is also strained because of the misuse and abuse of words.

This reading in Ephesians shows us that as God’s people we are to walk worthy of our calling. We must maintain the oneness of the spirit and the bond of peace. Living out the new life in Christ involves making choices about our behavior. In this text, the writer specifically urges us to overcome lying, anger, stealing, and evil talk. Literally, this kind of talk is described as rotten and worthless. (Sapros in Greek means rotten and decayed).

• We bring good things to our potlucks; who would dare to bring something spoiled? Why should it be any different with the things we say?

The opposite of the rotten and worthless speech is the sort of talk that builds others up. It is good because it benefits them. And we want to speak this way because we God’s children and we want our speech to be just like his – that’s quite a goal because when God spoke he created good things.

• God allows us the privilege to speak incredible things and he let’s us use words that create reality
• When we come to the waters of baptism some very incredible things are spoken: 1) the confession of belief, 2) the forgiveness of sins, and 3) the reality of new life in Christ.
• Our blessings today are not merely sentimental moments. We believe that when we speak a blessing, God in his graciousness adds to the benefit of these words.
• We can use words to forgive and to seek forgiveness. God in Christ forgave us, and he allows us to speak words of forgiveness and unity to one another.

We always have a choice when we open our mouths to speak: Our speech can be rotten and destructive or it can build up and benefit. We can use words to hurt, or we can use words to heal.

How will you use your words today? What sort of words will come out of your mouth? I am not encouraging you to feel guilty, rather I would like to encourage you to feel holy and urge you to talk like one of God’s children. I pray that these words will build you up.

A Tale of Two Ages

Posted by Chris on May 6, 2007 under Sermons

The book of Daniel is a part of a Bible that is both familiar and strange. Since we were children we have heard the stories of Daniel and his friends, the fiery furnace, the handwriting on the wall, and Daniel in the lion’s den. These tales are well-known in our culture. However, there are sections of the book of Daniel that are bizarre and seemingly difficult to understand. Who are the kings of the North and South? What is the meaning of the boastful horn and the series of weeks? What are the empires represented by the statue and the beasts? These are texts that raise as many questions as there are interpretations.

One of the reasons that Daniel is so unusual is that it comes to us as a tale of two ages. The events in the stories that take place during Daniel’s lifetime are based in the 6th century B.C. during the Babylonian Exile of Judah. Daniel’s visions concern events into the 2nd century B.C.

Daniel the Wise Man
Daniel is a Judean nobleman. He is devout. He is appointed an official and governor under the empires that rule his homeland. He is an interpreter of dreams, a visionary and a witness to great events. He is mentioned in Ezekiel 28:3 (14:14, 20) as a wise man.

We can compare Daniel to Joseph in Genesis 41. Daniel isn’t really a prophet, He’s a wise man. He is a righteous role model. Daniel, like John the Apostle, has a vision. Something is revealed to him and it informs God’s people of the truth in the midst of persecution.

Daniel also has adventures in the first six chapters. The last six chapter are mainly visions.Daniel is an everyman, or rather an ideal man. He is the ideal son of Israel in a hostile environment. He endures and he prevails because he is wise, because he has character and integrity (and thus God blesses him), and he has perspective.

Daniel is caught up in the great events of history in his own time, but his message isn’t just for his own age. It is for all ages in a timeless sense, but Daniel’s visions are also specifically for another age of struggling children of Israel.

Who Is Who in Daniel?
Daniel’s cast of characters set up the challenge between God’s people and the outsiders who oppose and challenge God’s rule. Our heroes include Daniel and his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (better known as Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego), and finally there is a mysterious divine presence who appears to represent God. He is present in the fiery furnace. He comes as the angel Gabriel. He is the son of man who appears to Daniel and gives him a vision of the future.

On the other hand, there are the mighty kings who presume to have all the authority. Some of them, Nebuchadnezzar and Darius the Mede, learn the God is sovereign over all. Others, like Belshazzar, do not. There is a mysterious evil king alluded to in the visions. This evil king will come in Daniel’s future and do far worse that any king before him. But can he resist the power of God? The message of Daniel is that God and his kingdom will ultimately rule over all.

The Two Ages
There are parallels between the 6th century and the 2 century B.C. During the 6th century, Judah was conquered by the world super-power, Babylon, and their identity as God’s people was thrown into crisis. They were taken captive and the temple was destroyed.

The implications of this are huge. They lost their connection to the land and their faith. How can they offer sacrifices in the way God ordained (see Deuteronomy) when the temple is destroyed? Are the gods of Babylon more powerful than God himself?

In the second century B.C., an outside force also created crisis for God’s people. When Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrated the temple during his conquest of Egypt, the people of God must have wondered if history was repeating.

A Tale of Three Ages?

1. What is the timeless wisdom of Daniel?
2. His future is our mostly our past
3. What does Daniel’s view of history say about our age and our future?
4. What do we learn about God?

Clothed in Christ

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

Read Ephesians 4:17-24

When I was a sophomore in high school, I received a special invitation to serve at a formal banquet. Serving at the banquet was an honor, but it meant that I had to have a tuxedo. My parents looked into renting a tuxedo and they realized that in a few months time I would have to rent one again for wedding party. They also knew that I certainly could use it during my junior and senior year for photos and proms and there would undoubtedly be other banquets and events, so they did the practical thing and just bought a tuxedo rather than spending five times as much to continually rent. (And that made sense in those days because tuxedos were rather standard and did not come in the variety of styles that they do today. The only other version we had was the sky blue one with the big ruffles on the shirt).

I look back and observe how ridiculous it seems for a backwoods kid from Brentwood to own a tuxedo. Renting is one thing, but owning a tuxedo tested me. For my parents it was simply a financial decision – they just smiled over the money that had saved. But it pressed me to ask, “What does it take to wear a tuxedo? What kind of person wears a tuxedo?”

I wanted to get it right. I was not a natural candidate for high fashion. Every day I wore grass stained jeans, dirty sneakers, and T-shirts. I rode my motorcycle down to the cattle pond and got mud all over my shoes pestering frogs with fireworks. But I wanted to get it right because every time I put on the tuxedo I thought I was James Bond. I really wanted to be as classy as the tuxedo implied.

I wanted to get it right. So, I learned how to wear the tuxedo properly. I learned to tie my own tie and how to put in the cuff-links and how to shine my shoes. Some of my friends would show up in their rented tuxes and some of them wore tube socks and sneakers; which made sense because they would play basketball in their tuxedos when they got bored with the banquet. Even their cummerbunds were upside down, but I didn’t say anything – I wanted to get it right but I didn’t want to get beat up. Besides, this wasn’t about being a snob or self-righteous. I just felt that if I had my own tuxedo, then I needed to learn how to really have the sort of class that the tuxedo implied. And I may have even picked up some good manners a long the way. All that, just because of a change of clothes …

In Ephesians 4, Paul uses the imagery of a change of clothes to describe the change in God’s people from a former way of life to new life in Christ. His point is that God’s people have put off the dirty, mismatched, ill-fitting clothing of the old life and are now clothed in the tailor-made, polished clothing of the new life. We have been clothed in the likeness of God.

Let me ask you two questions to think about for a moment:
1. As Christians, does it make any difference how we behave?
2. As Christians, why should we behave any certain way?

Let’s deal with these in reverse order, for I am convinced that the answer to the second addresses the first …

2) Why should we behave a certain way? It is not to “get into heaven” or “to get rewarded.” That is backwards thinking. God who is rich in mercy has saved us. When we were dead in our sins we made us alive in Christ. He created us in Christ Jesus to do good things – things that he planned for long ago. He has given us peace with others and blessed us with gifts.So, now that we have already been shown mercy and grace and we are called to live up to it. If we don’t live up to it then we are squandering and despising the new life that God has called us to. (How much sense would it make if my parents had bought me the tuxedo and I went to the fine banquets in my gym clothes that had been in the locker for two weeks?)

1) Now when you think about it like that above, we begin to see that the way we live and behave really does matter. We are called to be the people God always intended for us to be. We were not created and called to be and to live like people who are dead in sin waiting to be rescued and losing hope. Those who aren’t aware of God’s calling to a new life (those whom Paul calls Gentiles – not because of ethnicity, but because of ethics) are living without hope because they don’t know the truth about God and themselves. Even more tragic are those who have hardened their hearts or blinded themselves to reality. Those who aren’t aware of the life God has called them to have nothing more to live for than their own greed and lust.

The point of this is not to make us feel self-righteous. Not at all! Paul was reminding the Ephesian Christians that that was their way of life before they learned a better from Christ. That is not only the way we should regard every person, but also the way we should examine our own lives. What are the habits and behaviors of “the old life” or the “corrupt culture” that we need to strip off like dirty, tattered clothing? After all, the goal here is self-examination, not self-righteousness.

In contrast to the pointless life without God’s calling, the new life in Christ is characterized by behavior and manners that conform to the calling and gracious salvation that God is accomplishing in our lives. As you will notice, we are called to be honest, truthful, self-controlled, thoughtful, and forgiving. To preach and teach these things is to describe the manners and morals that are a part of being clothed in Christ.

This is how we should hear the preaching and teaching of these Scriptures. If you think I am grilling you, toe-stomping, or complaining about the sorry state of morals these days, then you haven’t heard correctly.
If you think I am saying something that someone else really needs to hear, then you haven’t heard correctly.
If you think I am saying something with you specifically in mind but in an indirect way through the preaching, then you haven’t heard correctly.

But if you hear a call to a way of life that is new, Christ-like, mature, you are hearing correctlyIf you hear counsel and direction for a way of behavior that would not only be good for you but would be good for all of us as we strive to live it out, you are hearing correctly.

I have a vision for this congregation that we will all live out the meaning of our baptism.

I have a vision that we will be a people of holy manners who are dressed up in Christ and are pleased to grow up together in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

I really believe this is possible and I believe we can do this because it is described as real in the Word of God.

Because I believe it, I preach it. Shall we help one another to live it?

The Agony of Change (Part 4)

Posted by David on May 3, 2007 under Sermons

We all know the power of being upset. I doubt there is a single one of us who has not been upset at something. Sometimes people get upset for reasons that do not merit such a powerful emotional reaction. Sometimes we all get upset because something that really matters happens.

The key to being properly upset is being honest with yourself. When you are upset, are you emotionally reacting to yourself, or are you focusing on concern for others? What is your motive? Are your emotions actually about you, or are they about helping others?

When those emotions are about you and your personal concerns, those emotions will betray you. Those emotions will deceive you as they justify actions that should cause you shame. Years later you will look back and wonder how you could ever do such things. You will be amazed later when you realize that you thought it was about God when it was actually about you.

Nothing is more likely to upset us than helping a person escape an addiction only to witness the same person return to a form of the same addiction. Your concern is not for "all the work I did." It is for the needless tragedy the addicted person is certain to experience.

If you understand that form of "being upset," you understand Paul being upset in his letter to gentile Galatian Christians. Please take your Bibles, turn to Galatians, and follow with me.

1. Let’s begin with a brief review of our past lessons.
   1. We noted how much it took to convince the Jewish apostle Peter to share salvation in Jesus Christ with a gentile audience. (Acts 10)
      
   2. We noted the reaction of Jewish Christian leaders and "the circumcision" to Peter’s decision to even associate with (have a meal with) gentiles. (Acts 11:1-17)
      
   3. We noted the resentment of some Jewish Christians (the circumcision group) because gentiles were becoming Christians before being proselytes to Judaism. (Acts 15:1,2)
      
   4. We noted the Jerusalem council’s devotion to forming an appropriate response to the concern. (Acts 15:5-29)
      
   5. We noted the problem these Jewish Christians caused by lying about Paul’s work. (Acts 21:17-22)
   6. We noted the responses to those lies. (Acts 21:23-26)
      
   7. Add to these things this understanding:
      
      1. There were a group of baptized Jewish believers who devoted themselves to creating confusion among gentiles believers who responded to Jesus Christ.
         
         1. They were convinced that their work was God’s work.
            
         2. They did not oppose gentiles becoming Christians IF they became Jewish proselytes first.
            
         3. They insisted on the importance of circumcision.
      2. They especially made Paul’s life miserable by doing two things.
         
         1. They devoted themselves to destroying Paul’s reputation as a Christian.
            
         2. They devoted themselves to destroying Paul’s work with gentile people.
            
         3. They were convinced this was the proper, godly thing to do!
2. The opening of Galatians suggests (pointedly) how upset Paul was.
   1. Paul typically opened a writing to even a deeply troubled congregation with messages of encouragement. (See Romans 1:7-15; 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; Philippians 1:3-11; Colossians 1:3-8; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12).
      
      1. No such encouragement is found in the Galatians opening.
         
      2. Paul immediately begins discussing his disappointment and their problem.
         
      3. Obviously, Paul did not like what happened!
   2. Look at a brief flow of Paul’s thoughts in his communication with gentile converts to Christ.
      1. First, he expressed his disappointment in 1:6-10.
         
      2. Second, he declared his commission from God to teach the gentiles (God’s commission is superior to the Judiazers’ concern). (1:11-17)
         
      3. Third, he discussed the reason for his first visit to Jerusalem. (1:18-24)
         
      4. Fourth, he discussed the reason for his visit to Jerusalem 14 years after his conversion, and the leadership’s response to his work with gentiles. (2:1-10)
         
      5. Fifth, he affirmed (a) his spiritual stature by his confrontation with Peter (Cephas) concerning gentiles, and (b) affirmed salvation is through Jesus Christ. (2:11-21)
         
      6. Sixth, the vehicle for righteousness in God has always been faith in God. (3:1-14).
         
      7. Seventh, God’s covenant is based on Jesus Christ, not the law. (3:15-22)
         
      8. Eighth, the purpose of the law was to lead people to Jesus Christ. (3:23-29)
         
      9. Ninth, Paul’s first illustration was to emphasize the ineffectiveness of law. (4:1-7)
         
      10. Tenth, Paul’s urgings: (4:8-20)
          
          1. Salvation is not found by changing "systems" (going from the "system" of idolatry to the "system" of Judaism).
             
          2. Paul’s affirmation of a personal relationship and concern for them.
      11. Eleventh, Paul’s second illustration was to emphasize salvation is through Christ. (4:21-31)
          [Paul’s transition: "Because you are, as gentile Christians, free from the Jewish system and the law, does not mean you are free to live as you please."]
          
      12. Twelfth, Christ did not free you to become the slaves of a different system. (5:1-12)
          
          1. You were freed to choose to serve others. (5:13-15)
             
          2. You were freed to escape your old lifestyle and accept a new lifestyle. (5:16-24)
             
          3. You were freed to be guided by God’s Spirit instead of self-centered passions. (5:25, 26)
      13. Thirteenth, Paul’s admonitions about appropriate Christian conflict in regard to proper treatment of others (a) who are tempted, (b) who are deceived about the purpose of physical existence, and (c) who think spirituality is primarily a physical consideration. (6:1-16)
3. Things I ask you to note.
   1. The Judaizing teachers, Jews who believed in Jesus and were baptized, successfully created doubt and confusion among gentile converts.
      
      1. They were the "experts" who knew the way God worked chronologically before these gentiles became Christians.
         
         1. "We know more than you know so we must be right."
            
         2. "You should not trust Paul–he used to be one of us!"
            
         3. "Admit your ignorance and trust our history!"
            
         4. "We know what we are talking about!"
      2. Paul’s message, though from God, was quite different.
         
         1. Jewish Christians like Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Aquilia, and Priscilla were the exceptions among Jewish converts, not the typical majority.
            
         2. The teaching that God, from the time of Abraham (and before), prepared to provide a solution through Jesus Christ rather than through the Jewish nation, was strange to most Jewish people.
            
         3. It was easy to believably declare Paul and his message of faith being superior to the law false, because that concept was foreign to the Jewish concept, even among most Jewish Christians.
      3. Please understand that from the beginning of Christianity there was conflict and difficulty because Christianity meant change.
         
         1. If your concept of early Christianity was this ideal existence where every Christian was at peace and in harmony with all other Christians, I urge you to listen to scripture and change your concept.
            
         2. The conflict between Jewish Christians and gentile Christians is one of the dominant themes of the New Testament.
            
            1. What God wanted was for all to be saved in Christ.
               
            2. However, that is not what many people wanted.
               
            3. If it was suggested that God produced salvation through Jesus Christ in ways they (people) did not like or want, many were offended.
               
            4. The fact that this concept came from God meant almost nothing to many.
               
            5. People’s preferences too often are more powerful than God’s revelation–and that includes people today!
   2. The solution:
      
      1. The solution today is the same as the solution was in the first century: mutual love and respect.
         
         1. Neither are simple; both are extremely difficult.
            
         2. I may not agree with you, but I am your brother, not the judge of your eternal destiny.
      2. If you are in Christ, I must kindly respect you because you are in God’s family–not my family.
         
      3. We are siblings to each other, and neither of us is the other’s parent.
         
      4. When believers in Christ who have repented and been baptized treat other believers in Christ who have repented and been baptized with hate, false accusations, and contempt, the whole family of God suffers.
         
      5. When Christians treat Christians with contempt, we ridicule ourselves in the eyes of those who are not in Christ–we destroy our credibility and are looked upon with contempt.
4. I would like to close with some readings–would you listen and silently pray for God’s family.
   
   • Galatians 5:13-15,
     "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."
   • Romans 14:13-23,
     "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this-not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin."
   • Romans 15:1-6,
     "Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
   • Romans 12:9-16,
     "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation."
   • 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12,
     "Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need."
   • John 13:12-17,
     "So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them."

Help us make it obvious that the church is composed of people who seek to be God’s family who respect and love others. You do not have control over everyone. Yet, only you control yourself. In all circumstances and situations, control yourself.