All right. Good morning. So before we get started, we're gonna have a little bit of, or a lot a bit. We're gonna pray for for Tucker. He has I'm gonna see if I can get this correct. He has 95% blockage in his adenoids and tonsils are the removing the adenoids. And let's just say that okay, he has, I'm sorry, Jane, um, they're going to remove on Wednesday, his adenoids and tonsils. So we're just going to pray and believe that that's a perfect situation that goes wonderfully. And, Father, we thank you, that you're a god. We've talked about over the last several weeks, that your kingdom matters for us here now, that the reality that your kingdom has brought nearer has been brought near to us, actually has implications for us in our lives. And, Lord, we thank you ahead of time for Lord, not presumptuously. But because we just we trust you for complete and complete and total healing and Tucker's body, Father that that everything will go exceptionally well. The doctors, everyone will just step step back and go, Wow, this was just beautiful Lord, and then that blockage can be removed that he can just be continued to just be an amazing young man who just goes and runs and plays and just has has has an awesome childhood Lord in Jesus name, Amen. All right. So from one job to another job. Sorry, that I missed was sad that I missed listening to John's message, but I'm not going to miss it. Because we are on Apple podcast, if anyone wants to know haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. But for those who don't know that we do record all the podcasts. This month is a month that we want to spend focused on prayer and fasting. And we will be sending out has Greg done it yet. I can't, I don't not that I'm aware of we sending out okay, a sheet because we just had fall break. And still some people are out on fall break. We're going to do like the second week of October into the first week in November. That way, we get a full four weeks of focusing on prayer fasting. So this week, I was talking to Greg about last night. So anytime now you'll see a spreadsheet that goes they get sent out. And we can sign up for blocks. I'm gonna encourage us to do this I love I love. Obviously, prayer and fasting is of tremendous importance. And I love us taking time to create space, and to do this as a family and do this as community. And I hope that just maybe revitalizes even our prayer lives and stuff. If anyone's been going, Man, my prayer life has been. It's been alright that maybe this is an opportunity for us to not only pray together, but to kind of get that kick started. So excited about that I'm really excited about this month. That's not what I'm talking about today. But I am excited about it. Because what how's it been month, two months, we've been going through these disciplines from this book that we've been reading, faithful presence, and the discipline today is the discipline of reconciliation. So how about that? I think this is a topic that's hugely important. And I think it's a topic that's very difficult to actually practice well. I hope that we don't go through some of these passages and read through some of this and go Yeah, okay. Yeah, reconciliation, we can, we should, we should live in reconciliation, and, you know, be agents of it or whatever, but then just kind of go off. But that we would actually look at opportunities, how to become as Paul is going to say, ministers of this thing that God is doing. So let's, let's go to No, let's let's, let's pause for a second. Actually reconciliation. That's nice. Ah, let's go the next slide. Before we get there, I want to say there's lots of opportunities in this world for reconciliation. And we know right now they got we got this huge war going on. Right that you think God's like, Oh, that's cool, man. I love when that happens, you know, like, it's awful. It's heartbreaking. Sometimes we can be separate, separate from it and push it to the off to the side. But no, this is real life. I mean, this is real stuff. And it's not just in Russia, Ukraine, there's wars that are taking place all over our globe, bigger war, small wars, different things that are that we're wrestling with, and that there's a need a deep, deep need for reconciliation. Next slide. In America, a few years ago, we really bubbled to the surface and issue, a race issue that we have in America. And
for some of us, like I breaks my heart, there are some people in the church that were just, like, just cold hearted about this, and I'm just like, my heart is going, Man if we have a God who desires reconciliation, and there's The percentage of our population that is that is hurting? How can we just go? Well get over it? You know what I'm just being real? What does it mean that God's Kingdom is coming near for America? When it comes to reconciliation? Do we have? Can we do something about it? Next slide? Can we actually this is the question I want to ask, can we actually be agents of healing? Reconciliation? Or do we just say, I don't know. Because that's Guess what? super messy. super difficult. So yeah, I think we'll talk about this through this message. But sometimes, we want to if things are broken, we want to have a quick fix and say, Well, we have that one meeting, and we're great now. But recognizing that there's so much brokenness, all I could go on and on and on and on with slide after slide of brokenness, but in relationships that are strained and different things like that. But we have to recognize that if we're going to participate in this with God, first, we're going to ask the question, Does God desire us to, but if we are, are we actually in it for the long haul to see real reconciliation take place? Right, next slide. To go along with that, we all have our individual, like, broken relationships, right? Maybe Maybe there's people in the room that don't that everything is just going peachy. And you know, you've never had any issues with anyone or everything's just going, going fantastic. But us as individuals, and I show this slide, because what I think happens in our culture was we've talked about this, we struggle with conflict, and we would rather run away than deal with it. And then oftentimes, it leaves us isolated. Because we just, I'd rather just not deal with it. And I wouldn't, I would rather not deal with it, too. I think I know a few people that like conflict, you guys know a few of those folks, you're like, Man, you kind of like that, don't you? I know a few most people don't. Right? Most of us do not want to go and have a conversation with someone about something that we're Hey, this bothered me. You know, even if it's something small, we freak out about it oftentimes, right? Anybody else? Am I the only one like we blow something up in our mind bigger than then it really? Thanks, Holly, thank Holly Holly. mean, you were the same height.
Now let's go the next slide. And let's think about this, I'm gonna go at this big kind of cosmic picture of reconciliation, and then kind of get drilled down into practicalities of what that means for us. And let's start in Second Corinthians five, which is such a beautiful passage, I'm going to like, Rachel, I'm going to kind of jump through some of this because oftentimes, when we talk about reconciliation, the first thing we jumped to is 517. And it talks about being ministers reconciliation, and all this kind of different things like that. But I think that we miss this kind of really big picture that Paul's teaching and honestly, we should probably go back several more chapters and redo this whole thing to be real. And so I'm going to try to do the best justice I can without having you know, four messages about this, which would probably be pretty cool. But let me actually let me actually I was gonna go five one, let's let's go back to like 1604 chapter four, okay. So so we do not lose heart even though our outer nature is wasting away. We love that. Let's think about how our outer nature is wasting away y'all in that wonderful. Let's take it Let's meditate on the good. Our inner nature is being renewed day by day for the slight momentary affliction is preparing us. This love this for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure. So the affliction that's actually taking place among the Corinthians there, Paul saying, I know it, it stinks. Our outer nature is wasting away. But it's actually preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure. So when you're having those afflictions and those things come your way, go read this passage and say is this preparing me is this challenge that's happening in my life is this little suffering that I'm going to prepare me for? Glory beyond all measure? That's kind of hard to believe sometimes. Because we look not at what we can see, but what cannot be seen for what can be seen as temporary, but that which can cannot be seen as eternal? Let's keep going. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God. A house not made with hands. I know some of us are gonna go what are you talking about this? What are you talking about reconciliation? Let's get there. But Paul does Paul a tentmaker uses this language of an earthly tenant. He's saying listen, if our bodies are destroyed, then we have a building, made not with human hands prepared, but by God himself. This is an encouragement for the Corinthians, the afflictions and things that they're facing, eternal in the heavens, for in this tent. So this is this is the human plight in this tent that we're in this body that we're in right now. We're groaning. It's what it says. longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling. It kind of reminds me Seth and Jesse had their baby. Nobody if I forgot to mention that, because I wasn't here. No, it happened while I was gone. I think when I think of the groaning, I just started thinking of Jessie and birth pains because it just recently happened. And just thinking of this, like, Ah, this thing is being birthed. And there's these pains and these groans and different things that's taking place in Paul's kind of use in the similar language like we're in this tent, and we know everything's not right. We know that our outside is kind of wasting away. In fact, he says, if indeed we have taken it off, oh, let me see this. Let me go back to chapter verse two, I'm sorry. In this tent, we groan, longing to be close with our heavenly dwelling. If indeed we indeed when we have taken off, we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we are groaning under burden because we wish not to be unclothed, but to be further closed, so that what is mortal, may be swallowed up by life, we have this, this thing that we're going man, we're not made to be like to die. Like we know that we recognize that within ourselves. And yet, there's this groaning for this body, Paul says not to die and go off in some disembodied state to heaven. But there's a groaning inside of us. To be further close to actually Paul says, To be clothed with immortality to be clothed with what is, with what is immortal, to be sweet. I like that language to be swallowed up by life. A lot it Chuck's got me where they were their brother. I love it. But there's this burn that burden, this groaning that we long for this, because we know things need to be set, right? This is part of reconciliation, I'm gonna get out. There's a groaning knowing everything's not right. There's the world's not right, this is not the way it's supposed to be. I'm going to skip through a little bit of this. Let's go down to get his or set on, we have to skip a little bit because I got them that much time to go through it all.
He goes on to talk about walking by faith, not by sight and verse 10, even goes on to say, in this whole like cosmic idea of what's taking place, for all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, which is really strong. I mean, if Paul is saying that, Christ, what is he saying Christ, whereas what Christ is king, like the in this reality, Jesus is King, and all will actually come before the judgment seat of the most just perfect, absolutely, will rule with perfection, King wall stand before him. So that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. So Paul, is Paul saying, Paul is not saying like, the body is evil, you know, we've hear this right, the spirits good. Like he's saying, know what we do in this fleshly body that's wasting away that we're groaning in actually matters. It is not just a well, I believe in Jesus, he actually says what you do matters. Like we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ in the way that we act and the things that we do actually matter. Therefore, verse 11, knowing the fear of the Lord, so understanding that he's the, he's the, he's the king. He that's that's what Paul's saying like this, we have to recognize there is no higher court we can appeal to, like this is the best and thank God that he is on top that he is the top of authority. Knowing the fear of the Lord Paul, Paul says we try to persuade others. So in light of this groaning in light of the our selves, wasting away in light of the reality that our mortal can be clothed, and immortality and life can swallow up death in light of all these things. He says, we try to persuade others. I like Paul, he's like, I'm not I'm not bait and switching. Like, this is real. Like, I'm just gonna tell you I'm playing. Like we are trying to persuade others of this reality. I'm going to skip through a little bit. Verse 413, he talks to the Corinthians saying, if we are beside ourselves for you, if we are in our right mind, I'm sorry for ourselves for God if we are in our right mind. It is for you like Paul saying that people think we're crazy. You know, it's forgotten people. You know, if we're in our right mind, and we're teaching we're doing these things is for you, Corinthians. But I love verse 14, and he says, For the love of Christ urges us on. So his desire to persuade others have this deep reality is urged on because he loves. He loves. He loves others and he loves the Lord. He's willing to look crazy for God he's willing to be in his right Mind for people, like out there relate his relationship with God and others. This is what love looks like, it looks like laying down. It looks like laying and that's what he's doing. He's see if we're going to be if we're going to help and participate in reconciliation, it can't be about us only, it can't be just about me, never going to participate in it. If we're always like, well, this person did this. And that happened to this. And I'm constantly on the, you know, being offended all the time. We're going to really struggle. But see, Paul says, Look, I don't care, man, I'll look crazy for God, I'll be in the right mind for you. It's God's love that's compelling us to do these things that he's going to continue to tell us to do. That's hard, though. It's hard. This is tough. This. Let's let's keep going. Verse 15, says, again, I'm skipping around a little bit, and he died for all so that those who live, this is what love looks like. Those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. Right. So he's saying that like that are new, this new life that he's going to talk about is a life being laid down a life like Christ lived. So now we kind of are getting to the reconciliation part here. But I thought it was just really important for us to recognize this great thing that Paul's talking about. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view, even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view. We no longer know him in that way. That's confusing, huh? What are you talking about? What I believe Paul is talking about is Paul has been releasing the reality here.
That there's more than just what we see here. Paul, saying, Hey, listen, your flesh may be wasting way. But hey, there's hope. There's something beyond that. Paul's not saying flesh is bad spirit is good. That's all that's going. But he's saying that he only only knew Christ from this fleshly in front of my face. View and many of them did. Why many of them missed what Jesus was teaching about God's kingdom coming near, because they were looking for this physical, completely physical reality whenever to Paul, that physical reality, this is super real. But there's also a reality of Christ raining is king, in his realm, and that realm is breaking through here, as we're going to see here in a second hope that that makes sense. That's that's what he was. That's what's taking place. And so we know, we know Christ, not just from a purely human point of view, but we understand that there's more going on now that Christ has been resurrected. You go the next slide, if you want to. And then he says, verse 17, so if anyone is in Christ, there is new creation. Everything old has passed away, see, everything has become new. I know that I've talked about this. And I know many of us have read this passage. And we know probably the way that Paul is, is writing but I've had taught to me years past, right? That this is hyper individualistic, right about like me and me becoming new. And Paul say, No, there's something that's happening in the cosmos right now. There's a groaning. There's the idea of Christ and His return and all these different things. But when someone is found when we're trying to persuade others, because of love, when someone is found in Christ, God's Kingdom is breaking through and new creation is springing forth. God, as we're going to read here is bringing reconciliation and restoration to this world. So whenever we live, live, surrender to the king. And we proclaim the message, as we talked about, and in organically and with others, and they see our actions and they start to go, like, so I remember I was trying to think of a couple. back whenever we did the church, remember, they say who this couple is, but man, someone came to me and said, they're coming to your church, I can't believe that. They're, they're pretty wild. And so we became friends. I understood what they're saying when I went to their Facebook profile, you know, I mean, sometimes, sometimes your Facebook profile is telling on you. Especially if you're looking to get a job, but no, we just you wouldn't just go into a club. It was what what are you doing in the club? I don't know what's going on here. Like it was. It was a lot of brokenness going on in their lives. And I remember whenever they just over time, it wasn't one day. It was just over time they started submitting themselves to the rule of Jesus. And I began to see this new creation breaking forth I began to see lives changed and it you know, there were still rough patches and it was still, you know, it didn't happen to where break broke forth and you never did anything wrong or whatever. But to see the live transform, I said that is what God's new creation looks like, as it breaks in, as it breaks in and it changes and it transforms our life. Why is new creation taking place? Because Christ is the first born from the dead. He was the one who initiated new creation. So if we're found in Christ, then we're parts of this new creation project that God is is doing through Christ through his Messiah. Does that make sense? This is exciting. This is great. I love this because our we're invited to participate in new creation. Is it this is, this is more exciting than Jesus died for my sins. No, that's amazing. And I love it. And it's so true. But there's a new creation project that God has on mission throughout Murfreesboro, and Tennessee and throughout the world. That's breaking through. And as people submit to the rulership of the king, new creation begins to break loose and be birthed. So amazing. Everything old has passed away. See everything has become new. It's like when Jesus talking to Nicodemus, as he must be born again, there's something it's not just some theology doctrine, argument thing like is this reality, like there's this new birth that's taking place. And in verse 18, says, All of this is from God. I love that this wasn't drummed up in human mind. This wasn't something that some people got together and cleverly figured out this cool story. He says, No, all of this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ.
As I read this, I just it just kept hitting me hard, like I just kept going. God is a God of reconciliation. God is a God of reconciliation, God desires, reconciliation to take place. God has been wronged and wronged, and wronged, and wronged, and he still chose Reconciliation Through His Messiah. Many of us have been wronged. And I don't know if you, you're like me, there's times where I'm like, Well, I don't care about that person, or that group of people or whatever they wronged me. Though, Israel chose, they wanted man to be king, though, men throughout history and women throughout history rejected this God. It says that even though all this took place, even though man continually rejected God as king and ruler of his life, even though all that took place, all of this is from God, who reconciled to us, us to Himself through Christ, through his Messiah, he said, I don't care. I want mankind to be reconciled to me.
It has given us the ministry of reconciliation. So Paul, say, and me and my cohorts, and we have this ministry now that God has given us he said, listen, reconciliation is taking place God desires, man and woman to be reconciled to Him. And then he began to give over to his body, this ministry, now you go, because he says right after that, that is in Christ, God was reconciled man, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses or their sins against them. And entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. You interesting, this message that hey, God's not gonna kill everyone and start all over. That God through Messiah, through Messiah suffered and resurrected, is actually desiring to have us brought nearer to him. And he wants us to go to tell people and live this out. I mean, somebody I don't know if anyone needs to hear that. God wants to be reconciled to you, like tell us he's not going No, you shouldn't No, you did this wrong. And no, you did that. And he's like, I want to be reconciled so much that I'm going to give up my Messiah, my son, so that reconciliation and restoration can begin to take place. And now us I believe His Church, His body, if if if Paul was good at making disciples and passing down this information that God had given them, and they pass down the information that as a body, we are then invited, I believe in to be ministers of reconciliation in verse 20, so we look at this from a if we're not already looking at it from a kingdom perspective, we look at it from a kingdom perspective missus. So we are ambassadors for Christ since God is making his appeal through us. So, there's a king, he is sitting on his throne. Jesus is King. And now Paul say And we all representatives were ambassadors for a kingdom, a real kingdom, not a fake kingdom, not a Kingdom that's going to you know, will happen one day, but it has nothing to do with us now. He's he didn't say I will be an ambassador one day. He says, We are ambassadors, we are representing the kingdom now. And it's crazy because it says God is making his appeal through us. How much does he trust us in trusting us? This is an incredible message. And he's saying, Oh, I trust you all. I'm entrusting you this message of reconciliation of the world can No, they're not slamming my hammer, the world can know that. I'm giving all I can to see reconciliation, birth and new creation sprang up all over this world, renewing all things. And so Paul then says, We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God, that is the invitation that we all have. For our sake, he made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that that's a sting. We've read that verse a million times He made Him who to be sin who did not even know sin. So that in Him, we plural can become the righteousness of God. We can we can be right. And live righteously live. Riley. Who, that's a serious message there, isn't it? So let's go. Let's take it down to a more to a very practical level, if that's hard, because I know that that's that's big. That's cosmic like, oh, my gosh, God's restoring all things. He's made his ministers, what reconciliation? What does that even mean? I can go away going great. That's cool. But I mean, I don't know what I do with that. Right? You go the next slide, if you weren't?
I'll get there in just one second. But one thing that I just kept hearing, as I was reading through this, and I was thinking through it, I was reminded of John. And John says, If anyone says they love God and hates their brother, he goes, No, yes, no, hopefully, we were going. You know, he talks about that. He says, Listen, if you can't love your brother, who you have seen how in the world, you think you can love God who you haven't seen, he actually says you're a liar. He says, You're a liar. If you don't love your brothers, and your sisters, I think that can be applicable to what we're talking about today. To go, if we are to be ministers of reconciliation, we have to live reconciliation together. And it's hard. It's tough. I'm sure there's probably people going, Oh, my gosh, this person. Jon's gonna make me go talk to him, I'm not gonna make you do anything. But how can we proclaim a message of reconciliation if we're not able to live out reconciliation. And when we as we learn to live out reconciliation, then we can then be agents of reconciliation to others that are broken, and relationships that are broken, and all these different things like that. So go to the next slide. Let's look at Matthew 521. We'll look at two passages fairly quickly. And then we'll be done. But I wanted to get to this very practical application of this, I think. Yeah, and I want to I just want to reiterate how difficult this is, isn't it? It's tough. And I'm as guilty as anyone of screwing this up. Can I admit that? I'm sure I've screwed it up here, among brothers and sisters, that I love here. Matthew 521, I'm going to start here there. So that we can have some context for the southern part. So you have heard this is Jesus. He's giving this kind of speech that saying, This is what my kingdom looks like. And he says all these challenging words about so many things, and at this point, he says, You've heard that it was said to those of ancient times You shall not murder, and whoever murder shall be liable to judgment. But I say to you that if you're angry with a brother, or sister, you will be liable to judgment. And if you insulted brother, sister, you'll be liable to the council. And if you say you fall you'll be liable to the hell a fire that's challenging for Jesus. Jesus says, you know, if you're angry with a brother, what I love about this is, I believe that Jesus is saying that you can be in a place where you don't. And if you do, then you can seek as we're going to see reconciliation between your brother and sister. So this is in the context of us being frustrated, being angry, let's be real. I'm mad. I'm mad at this brother or sister. So that's when he says so when you're offering a good If so what happens when you're upset with a brother or sister? Are you disposed to get over it? No, I think Jesus gives us kind of a prescription for some things that we are that He desires for us to do. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you leave your gift there before the altar, and go. Let's stop there for just a second. We don't offer sacrifices. So I've tried to put this in modern context, maybe or illustration, the best I can. You're driving to church on Sunday morning, and, and you've got your praise hat on, you're ready to raise your hands and glory to God, you got to you got to, you know, check in your pocket to you thanking God for the money that he's given you. And you put a little bit in that offering. And on the way you recognize, it actually doesn't say that you have an issue with someone else. What does it say? You recognize someone's got an issue with you. That a brother says has something against you. Jesus doesn't say, Well, if you were right, you need to go talk to him. He didn't say if you were in the right, then everything's cool. He says if you're on your way, and you're planning to offer this and you're ready to come, he says leave your gift. First go be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. What does this tell you about God's the value God places on reconciliation? See, because we would say in our highly individualized culture, I'm praising God, Glory to God, I love you gotta give him offering man, I'm taking communion, I'm doing my thing. And he's like, no.
You know, what's more important is that you and your brother, or you and your sister are actually reconciled together. So that means and if we really begin to look at it, as we are the body of Christ, we begin to recognize that that's, that's a necessary reconciliation that has to take place. God desires us we signed today, he desires for us to walk in Unity he desires for us to do this. And again, I'm going to say it over and over and over again. It doesn't come easily. Anyone anyone probably screwed that up. Anyone screwed up a relationship? Anyone screwed up? I mean, I'm sure there's countless things I go, Well, I did that wrong with that person. I did this wrong with that person. I shouldn't have said it that way. I shouldn't have acted this way. And I've been super guilty, because it's so much easier to go. Yeah, I'm done. And I thank God for people in my life, who have even challenged me. Anyone been challenged to say, Hey, are you sure you're done? Is that really what God desires? Let's go to the last thing, Matthew, chapter 18. Next slide. Next slide. I'm bringing this up, because I love how Jesus shares how for us very practically to practice reconciliation. And I was I love like, early on being here at stones river. I remember vividly that someone had come to John, and said they had a problem with somebody. And he said, Well, have you talked to them about it yet? And I thought, oh my gosh, you practice that? Because we don't very often, right. Like it was someone who came to elder shepherd who had a had a problem. And, and it usually that's the way the problems get solved, right? We let that happen. But I remember when he said that I was like, Oh my gosh, that's Matthew 18. People actually do that. Matthew 1815 If another member of the church sins against you go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. I'm gonna use Brian Can I can I use an I'll use an example. I'm really so early on it maybe and hopefully you don't care if it's you in a positive light me in a bad light. Alright, so we're all good early on it stones river pretty early on first year two or something like that. I remember that I preached a message. And the way I said something was not good. It was not the best. And for anyone who speaks publicly, ever you realize sometimes you just say things you don't even mean to say. Like, I mean, there's you don't remember a verse you say this was Luke Hussein and it was Matthew, You know what I mean? You just do it. There's, I remember preached a sermon here called Haman Mordecai Mordecai Heyman and that's horrible. One guy was pretty evil. One guy was pretty good. I'd like but I remember recognizing, and I can't recognize myself say it after I said it, like, dang it. What am I doing? And so what I really loved was having this. They said, Hey, can we talk and we went into that room over there, and him and Jen, and we sat down. And they said, hey, they were so gracious. They said, Hey, John, we heard you say this, and they didn't rail into me. Well, you shouldn't have done that you didn't do this. And you didn't do that. They said, This is what we heard you say, Is this what you meant to say? And I remember saying, is that what I said? And Jen was like, yes. I'm not arguing with Jen. Alright, there's some people might argue with, she's kind of scares me. And, and I said, you know, I, I believe you that I said that. And I'm apologize. I'm sorry, I should have said it that way. That was a mistake. And we hug each other. And we are great friends. And I think that's my feeling toward you guys. We're going Mexican together. And so that's really good. But I remember walking out of the room, and I remember going, I am so thankful that they didn't do what I might have done. Because I was able to practice this before I remember, you ever have an issue? Like I could see it like, the first thing I'll probably do is go talk to someone else and go, Hey, Brad, did you see what John King? Did you hear what he said that Sunday? And you're like, yeah, like, he shouldn't have said it that way. Should he Brandon? No, that's, that's wrong. And then then Brandon goes and talks to Brian or whoever are the persons and then what ends up happening is it becomes a big thing. And you're like, oh, my gosh, like, now we got to talk to the shepherds about it.
And then all it was was a misunderstanding that could have been simply dealt with. And instead, it's become this big thing. And I'm thankful to you guys that you allow the grace of that taking place. And, and I've failed to extend that grace to people. And I say that publicly, like there's times whenever I've done the exact opposite. I've gone and talked about people behind their back, I've gone and gone directly, not followed this at all. And I've screwed up relationships because of it. I've made things a bigger deal than they really had to be. But Jesus is saying, let's just let's just go back to simplicity. But this is hard. Does anyone like to if they have an issue with someone like to bring it up? Anyone actually enjoy it? Maybe their GA here? I mean, that's, there are some people that don't it's not a talent, it's not as big of a challenge, and I have a twofer. I think Greg's kinda like that. We can talk about him because he's not here. Justin's really like that. I tell him that all the time. I'm like, Justin, you just love controversy, don't you? I don't John. I'm like, Yeah, but you're kind of smiling. You know, you're you don't. He's like, I love the I love fixing it, which I do think that's his heart. Like, he likes to hit the nail on the head. And he's gonna hit that nail with an anvil or whatever it takes to drive that thing down. But besides that, most of us it is that it stinks. I don't want to go and talk to my wife, Eva, let's just be like that and talk to my wife about an issue that I have in our marriage. Because what's going to use typically as a response, because we struggle with conflict, wall up, fight, let's, let's go. Let's go to blows. But Jesus tells us to do it. I also don't believe Jesus is talking about being nitpicky. We can go to one extreme, you're like, I tell you what, you know, whenever we sing, I just don't like the way Mike puts his head in the air. It just gets in the way of the of that, you know, or whatever. Maybe you could have a conversation with Mike about that. You know, you know, whenever you eat, you just you just really chew loudly, you know? Maybe there's a place for some of that. But I don't know if Jesus is saying nitpick your brothers and sisters all the time and constantly go to them and go have a problem with this problem with that. But there are real issues that do need to be talked about, that you do need to bring up. And it says go and point out this is the fault when the two of you are alone. So don't make a big deal about it. Don't make it production. Maybe it's really not that big of a deal. Maybe it's misunderstanding. Maybe it's not maybe they really wronged you. What happens when they don't listen? Like that's, that's another thing like many of us, I think there's plenty of us who have probably at least attempted reconciliation, and it didn't go super well. Anybody ever done that too? Like, I'm just trying to make this work. They just receive it poorly horribly. And now what do you do? And Jesus doesn't say Go and shout it on a megaphone and post it on Facebook to stir up controversy. I wonder if he would have referenced social media or Facebook these days, he might have said, don't post it on social media. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. Great. But if you're not listened to take one or two others along with you so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. Simple practice. If it's if it's not going super well, why don't you get a few people who can be more objective, maybe you're in the wrong, maybe you don't even realize it. Maybe there's some things that you need to change. Let's get a few brothers and sisters around us. Let's have this conversation. Let's again, not make it a grand production. But this is what I love. The point is to see reconciliation take place, right? It's not a formula just to just to get well we did this have you ever been we've checked off the boxes, he would have been part of a church that did that, you know, I went to I went to you by myself, okay, we brought a couple of people, they were all on my side, we check that box off. Now we're gonna publicly stand you in front of the church and shame you, you know, none of that is is driven towards that. It is God who desires for us to walk in unity with one another, helping us learn how to deal with relationships, because Relationships are hard. Right? It's so hard, they're so hard. The question is, is it worth it? Are these are the relationships valuable enough? For us? Do we really value? I think, I think it's hugely important. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. This isn't I don't believe public shame fest.
And I know churches who will skip from doing anything and just stand someone up in front of a church and say you need to repent of your sin, bla bla bla bla, I haven't even really the conversation you had one on one was them telling you what to do. And whenever experienced that, or know someone that did, there was no trying to seek understanding, like Brian and Jenna tried to seek understanding. There was no none of that it was just this is the way it is. But what this reveals to me is that God desires the church to participate in reconciliation. Like this should be a practice of who we are. So much. So to where there's times whenever we're all involved, because it affects us all. It's not just something that's that we can sweep under the rug or whatever. But that the idea of reconciliation, being that important that it is a discipline of us, as a body.
This is hard, man. It's so easy to preach this stuff. But it's hard whenever we decide that, like it's time for us to help to walk in practicing these things. And I believe that as we learn how to walk in this one for one another, than we are offering something to others that get to see this modeled out, like wow, you guys argued about that quite a bit. I mean, Paul and Barnabas split ways, they're on mission with God, it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. Someone's gonna get in a fight with someone about something, someone's going to misunderstand something that someday someone's gonna sin against someone it's gonna happen. I think I love about that story is I believe in later letters, it looks as though they had reconciled together. They had reconciled like it was, it was a split they got in a fight. But I think that they I think, Paul and I think Barnabas and John Mark, I think they probably understood as not probably best, even though we're on mission we're going to do in these things. God does desire for that to take place. And as we live these lives of reconciliation, then I'm going to encourage us to also be intentional about being agents of reconciliation in our city, among others. For example, if you, you know, we see the slide earlier about the racial issues that we have here in America, like you may go, Well, what can I do about that you may feel helpless. I would say, one of the very first simplest thing to do is become really good friends with the other race. I think a lot of other people haven't experienced that. I think a lot of people haven't experienced that. It's kind of what Greg talked about on the margins, you know, whatever different point like when people you know, when there's conflict, let's be friends. Let's get to know. Let's understand, like, I did not understand the plight of black people in America till I became friends with a bunch of black people. Can I just be real? Like, it's easy to go That's That's bogus. That's the media whatever. But then whenever I get to experience and see firsthand some ways that people think they say the ways that they're treated, I go Oh, shoot. This is for real. I think God that I was, like, 20 when i Whenever I begin to really go okay, there something here. But then I can get mad at the man and we can fight and all this things or we can say No, how can we begin to bring reconciliation and I believe that the best, the best way is through relationships is through building relationships with people, it then we begin to understand then we begin to see those things. And what if the church becomes a place where we're walking into Unity together, we still have our fights. We still have some arguments, but we're reconciling. But we're also going into the world going, where's the brokenness? Where are the places that need reconciliation, and we're actually at the forefront of leading the way. Instead of kind of on the backburner, pointing fingers at people. And then we can invite, we can now invite others to say be reconciled to God. God desires healing, God desires, restoration, God desires, you know, this new creation bursting forth, and this is what it actually looks like. But with the words that we speak, we actually live it out. And we couple those things together. And I think we have something very, very powerful. All right. That's it, let's pray. Father, expressed the difficulty of being a body of believers as being your body and you giving your body this ministry of reconciliation, I am blown away that you're entrusting us with this. But I do understand that there's a lot, especially here in America, the ways that we've dealt with things the ways and I'm 100% Guilty, there's, it's difficult. And I know it's really difficult when we seek restoration, and the other party doesn't want to. And I didn't talk about that, Lord, but I'll talk about it in my prayer like a good preacher does. The Lord there's times whenever we do have to let go, it doesn't mean that we hate the person, it doesn't mean that we think ill. We've done everything that we possibly can. Or we give that to you. And so Father, I pray if there's anyone in this room, I just I don't know why I feel like this. If there's anyone in this room that has done everything to restore relationship, and it's just not happening, that Lord that you would remove the guilt of that. If they're experiencing guilt God. Lord, for those of us who haven't, on the other side of it, maybe have not extended the grace of trying to reconcile or doing the way that that you would desire through deep relationship. Father, I pray that You would give us the
don't know, the boldness, the drive, whatever, I don't know the exact right words for us to actually do that. For us to leave this place and go have the cup of coffee that we know we should have had, that we haven't or have the phone call or whatever it may be. And Holy Spirit, I ask that you would reveal to us areas in our country areas in our city where we can, Lord, lead the way to bring healing to people groups to bring healing across socio economic groups slower to bring healing or healing needs to take place that we would become a true agents of that and that you would give us the wisdom and understanding that we wouldn't rush into it. Like a bunch of goofs, but that you would give us the wisdom and understanding on how to actually do it and do it well. We want to see your new creation bursting forth on this world in this world. We want to see the nearness of your kingdom here in our city. And we want to be agents of that. Thank you for your grace has we do it as we attempt it. Thank you for your grace in Jesus name, Amen.
