Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Tougher Side of Spiritual Community*

*Luke 17:1-10*

 

 Intro: To start this off, I came across a story of a fellow was eating down in the south.

(Being     from a little further south than some of you I could relate to this.)

He hadn’t traveled    much to the south, and as he looked at the menu he was surprised to see everything was          served with grits.

No matter what is was it all came with grits.

So he said to the waitress:    “Excuse me ma’am, what exactly is a grit!

She said, “A grit?

Honey, they don’t come                 alone, they come in community!”

We are a lot like a grit!

We are made by God for          community.

That’s why we are a part of the church.

Through our study on the Vintage            Jesus we are looking at what Jesus says about community, and what he says to us today is    that living in community is sometimes tough.

(Illus.)

“I’m not perfect, just forgiven.”

Here’s the deal: The church consist of people who are      forgiven by Christ to become like the Christ that has forgiven them.

This is a messy and

            difficult process at times.

How effective we are in that journey depends on how we help people in the midst of spiritual failure move to a greater level of spiritual maturity and   freedom.

--Has someone really disappointed you?

            --Is someone making it hard for you to serve in the church?

Target: Let’s look at what Jesus shares in dealing with the tougher side of spiritual community.

Luke 17:1       

Background:

/Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come…,/

/            /2.

We are in a fallen world.

There is a gravitational pull toward sin.

That is our default

setting—selfishness.

In fact we do a bit of disservice to a biblical worldview                     when we are shocked when non-believers act like non-believers.

/Things that               cause people to sin are bound to come…,/

/ but woe to that person through whom they come.

2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin./

(Illus.)

Millstone swimming was not a Jewish sport!

This was the concrete shoes of Jesus’ day.

3.

In strong terms Jesus is saying that if we cause the destruction of people who are                                  newer and more vulnerable in the faith then it is very serious business./

/ Look at                              what he says…

/3 //So watch yourselves//.

/(This verb is in the present plural form and part of our fellowship is being watchful of each other.)

*What do you need to know?  *

*1.

We cannot know the truth about ourselves by ourselves.

*

            a.

He is saying this to juvenile delinquents or people on probation.

He is saying “watch

                        yourselves” to the men who are called as the foundational leaders of the church,

                        the apostles.

We need community because we are not capable of walking in                                   obedience and growing in the way we need to without one another.

/15 //Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

(Ephesians 4:15-16) /

 (Appl.)

Here is the deal: All of us have moral and spiritual blind spots that we are not capable of

               seeing by ourselves.

And if they are not lovingly exposed by others who see them they                  will continue to stunt our  growth in our walk with God. 

(Appl.)

We cannot move to the place God is calling us in our journey with close fellowship and

            that requires being open to having the blind spots in our lives exposed by others who love

            us and committed to our well being in Christ.

*2.

The church needs a built in system of accountability and restoration.

*

/“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.

4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

/

*             a.

*There has to be a built in system of accountability—rebuke (clear correction).

Jesus

                        words means we have saturated our correction with love and grace that that comes                              from our identification with the cross.

Seven means that we pour upon people the                   fullness of love as we confront them.

What we are talking about here is the                             ministry of “admonishment.”

(Let me give you a few scriptures)* *

* */Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.  1 Thessalonains 5:12 /(Whatever admonishment is it is a key practice of those in spiritual leadership.)/

/

/Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom... Col 3:16 /(Admonishment is something that we do for one another out of commitment to God’s Word.) 

/Now I myself am confident concerning you... that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

Romans 15:14 (NKJV)/ (A church that admonishes is a mark of a church with spiritual maturity.)

Definition of admonishment:/ The appropriate person speaking appropriate truth in the appropriate way in the appropriate time to correct error./

(Illus.)

I’m coaching my daughter’s basketball team—without loving admonishment the game

            would descend into chaos.

(Illus.)

1) As a parent: You teach your kids but what kind of parent would you be if you never

                        brought correction or rebuke to your kids?

A poor one and a heart broken one.

Kids who never receive direction  do not turn out well.   

            2) Conductor of a symphony?

What type of leader would that conductor be who never                            spoke truth to an off key instrumentalist.

For the  good of the orchestra for the                            good of the audience and for the good of the person he should bring correction.

3) What about a manager who did not speak truth to an employee.

“You are not getting                            the job done.”

(Appl.)

So it is with the church.

/Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Proverbs 27:6 /

1. Friends, this is a vital but a selective process.

Just because a person is irritating!

Just                             because a person is a jerk (and we all tend to be that way on certain days) does not                mean we admonish.

This is an ongoing and repeated behavior problem.

/A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 19:11 /

*What do you need to do?  *

*1.

Go privately and humbly.

*

/15 //“If your brother sins against you,//// go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.