Sermon Tone Analysis

!!! */What to Do When I Disagree/*

 

/“36 //And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us return and visit the brethren in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”

37 And *Barnabas** was of a mind *to take with them John called Mark.

38 But* Paul thought* best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.

39 And there arose *a sharp contention*, so that they separated from each other; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord.

41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

*Acts 15:36-41*/

 

 

¨      *[CONSULT]** the [BOUNDARIES]*

 

 

“6 I have applied all this to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brethren, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another”.*1

Cor  4:6*

 

 

/“1As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions…17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit; 18 he who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.” *Romans 14:1 & 17-18*/

/ /

/ /

¨      *[COMMIT]* *to [COMMUNICATION]*

/ /

/ /

/“Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another/./

26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.”

*Ephesians 4:25-27*/

 

 

·       *Talking To The Party Involved Makes You A Peacemaker. *

/ /

/“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.

If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”

/*/Matthew/**/ 18:15/*

 

 

·       *Talking About The Parties Involved Makes You Perverse.*

/ /

/“A perverse man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends” .*Prov

16:28*/

 

 

¨      *[CHECK]** Your [ATTITUDE]*

 

 

/“1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.”

“Knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If any one imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if *one loves God*, one is known by him.”/*/1

Corinthians 8:1-3/*

*Loving God** Is Essential To Human Disagreements Because…*

 

 

Y  *It Allows Me To Get The Focus Off [MYSELF].*

/ /

/“3 Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”/*Phil**

2:3-4*

 

 

Y  *It Allows Me To Stop Arguing And Start [LISTENING].*

/ /

/By insolence the heedless make strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom./

*/Proverbs 13:10/*

/ /

/“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”/

*/Proverbs 12:15/*

 

 

Y  *It Allows Me To Be Accurate In My [Self-Evaluation].*

/ /

/“46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you... 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

*Matthew** 6:46a & 48*/

/ /

/ /

Y  *It Helps Me Follow God’s [DIRECTION] And [INSTRUCTION].*

/ /

/“8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way”.

*Psalms25:8-9*/

 

 

*PSALM 133*

/A Song of Ascents./

/ /

/“1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is/

/when brothers dwell in unity!/

/2 //It is like the precious oil upon the head,/

/running down upon the beard,/

/upon the beard of Aaron,/

/running down on the collar of his robes!/

/3 //It is like the dew of Hermon,/

/which falls on the mountains of Zion!/

/For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,/

/life for evermore.”/

\\ Benjamin Franklin once said about disagreements, “Many a long dispute may be thus abridged: ‘It is so; it is not so.’

‘It is so; it is not so.’

(scp When Christians Disagree by Michael Luke)”--or as the more modern and terser would say: “Is too; is not.”

Is too; is not” Arguments and disagreements are no surprise to the married, or to politicians, or sadly to churches.

Sometimes our disputes develop a life of their own for example.

“In the late l800s there were just two deacons in a small Baptist church in Mayfield County, Kentucky.

One Sunday, one of the deacons put up a small wooden peg in the back wall so the minister could hang up his hat.

When the other deacon discovered the peg, he was outraged that he had not been consulted.

Before long, the church took sides and eventually split.

To this day, the story goes, you can find in Mayfield County, Kentucky, the Anti-peg Baptist Church.”

[Doyle Young.

New Life for Your Church.

(p.

63) (scp Maintaining Joy In the Midst of Disagreement by John Hamby).

While this story is humorous at the expense of our religious friends we are no less guilty.

Not for a moment should we assume that disagreeing is confined to a particular religious group.

To peg or not to peg is of course silly, but so are some of the issues we have disagreed about.

For example we’ve argued and split over the merits of eating in a church building.

How silly is that?

So let’s point the finger in the right direction.

Not at others, but squarely back to ourselves.

If you attend this church or any other one you will find yourself sooner or later disagreeing with someone or something.

Paul and Barnabas are classic examples of good men disagreeing sharply with one another.

In Acts Luke records their argument.

He says, /“36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us return and visit the brethren in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”

37 And Barnabas was of a mind to take with them John called Mark.

38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.

39 And there arose a sharp contention, so that they separated from each other; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord.

41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”/

Barnabas’s given name was Joseph.

The apostles surnamed him Barnabas which means son of encouragement early on in the Jerusalem church.

He is a Levite and a native of Cyprus.

He is the first to see the potential of Paul.

It is Barnabas who actually brings Paul into the broader stream of the church.

Introducing him to the apostles and assuring the church that Saul has become Paul the Christian apostle to the Gentiles.

Barnabas is a man focused on encouraging and helping other human beings.

So it is not very surprising that Barnabas is of a mind to encourage and give John Mark a second chance.

Luke says there a rose a sharp contention between Paul and Barnabas.

The idea of the Greek word is an angry cutting argument.

They lost their tempers in a big explosion, and theirs words became swords, that severs the working relationship between these two very fine men.

I wonder if what upset Barnabas is Paul’s unwillingness to over look John Marks serious error, and give his cousin another chance.

Perhaps what angers Paul so much is Barnabas’s unwillingness to see how damaging and hurtful John Mark is to their ministry.

What is interesting is that the Holy Spirit neither condemns nor condones either man.

Barnabas sails with John to Cyprus, and Paul chooses Silas going through Syria and Cilicia strengthening the local churches.

We will never know how much this separation affected Paul.

But maybe the Holy Spirit used it as a springboard to inspire him to seek a less argumentative and disagreeable manner with others.

He is after all the one who defines love for us in 1 Corinthians 13.

Throughout his letters he urges humility, longsuffering, and patience.