June 19 2016 Restoring Harmony In The Home

RESTORING HARMONY IN THE HOME

Mark 3:25 & James 4: 1-2

Mark 3:25 – A home filled with strife and division destroys itself.

James 4: 1-2 – What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?

Five ways to manage conflict:

1.  There is my way

2.  There is no way

3.  There is your way

4.  There is half way

5.  There is our way

Six Steps to Resolving Conflict:

1.  You need to become a believer in Christ.

Ephesians 2:16 – As parts of the same body our anger against each other has disappeared for both of us have been reconciled to God and so the feud ended at the cross.

2.  You talked to God about the problem.

James 4:2 – Your quarrel and fight.  You do not have, because you do not ask God.

3.  You analyze the problem.

Matthew 7: 3-4 – Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

1 John 1:8 – If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

4.  You need to schedule a peace conference.

Matthew 5:23-24 – If you remember your brother has something against you, leave your gift at the alter and go at once to make peace, and then come back and offer your gift to God.

1 Peter 3:7

Ways to Communicate                     Ground Rules    
                
1.    Pick the right time                     *No divorce threats         

2.    Choose the right place              * No bad temper

3.    Pray before you meet                * No hatred                  

4.    Come with a positive attitude   *No abusive language                      
    
5.    Establish some ground rules     *No foul mouth                       
                                                            
                                                           *No lies      

Colossians 3:8

5.  Switch your focus.

Philippians 2:3-5 -Don't be selfish, don't just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others too. Your attitude should be like Christ who though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God.

6.  You need to ask for advice.

Proverbs 15:32 – Conceited people don't like to be corrected. They never ask advise from those who are wiser.

Closing thought: It's more rewarding to resolve a conflict that it is to dissolve a relationship.

June 7 2015 Freedom Through Forgiveness

Freedom Through Forgiveness

Proverbs 10:12 – Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.

Proverbs 19:11 – When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it.

I. First establish the forgiving motive.

Jeremiah 13:23 – Can the leopard change his spots?  Then may you also do good that are accustomed to doing evil?

HOW TO ESTABLISH NEW MOTIVES

1. Move Christ into the center of your life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.  Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.

2. Live your life focused on Christ.

John 15:4 – Remain in Me and I will remain in you.

II. Secondly, we need to understand why we forgive.

1. First because God forgives us.

Colossians 3:13 – Be ready to forgive, never hold grudges.  Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

2. We need to forgive because resentment doesn’t work.

Job 5:2 – To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless thing to do.

Job 18:4 – You are only hurting yourself with your anger.

3. You need to forgive because you need forgiveness in the future.

Mark 11:25 – When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too.

III. We deal with our hurt by learning the steps out of our hurt.

1. Never retaliate.

Proverbs 20:22 – Don’t take it on yourself to repay a wrong.  Trust the Lord and He will make it right.

2. Deal with your hurt immediately.

Ephesians 4:26 – Don’t sin by nursing your grudge.  Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry, get over it quickly.

3. Forgive them whether they ask or not.

Ephesians 4:32 – Forgive each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.

4. Do good to them.

Luke 6:27-28, 35 – Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you.

Job 11:13-16 – Put your heart right, reach out to God, then face the world again, firm and courageous.  Then all troubles will fade from your memory, like floods that are past and remembered no more.

September 5 2010 Living For God To The End

Living for God to the end

(1 Peter 4:7-10 - The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.)

Verse 7 - The end of all things is near.

Signs to look for:

• Mental state of the world
• Moral state of the world
• A falling away
• Lawlessness
• Scoffers
• Our end

Truths to remember

1. Keep up a proper prayer life

(verse 7 - Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray.)

(Hebrews 4:16 - Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.)

(1 Thessalonians 5:6 - So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.)

2. Keep up the life of love

(Verse 8 - Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.)

(1 John 3:14 - We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.)

(Proverbs 10:12 - Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.)

3. Keep up the life of hospitality

(Verse 9 - Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.)

4. Keep up the life of good stewardship

(Verse 10 - Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.)

August 22 2010 Practicing God's Kindness Under Pressure

PRACTICING GOD’S KINDNESS UNDER PRESSURE

I Peter 1: 22 – 2:10
I Peter 2:10 – Once you knew very little about God’s
kindness, now your very lives have been changed by it.
LB

Facts about God’s Kindness

1. God’s kindness must be personalized
(Eph. 2:8 – Because of His kindness you have been saved through His kindness.)
(Romans 12:1 – Dear brothers I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, offer yourselves as living sacrifices to God.)
• The Good Samaritan

2. God’s kindness develops the love principle
(I Peter 1:22 – Now you can have real love for everyone because your should have been cleansed from selfishness and hatred, so see to it that you really love each other warmly with all your heart.)
(I Peter 2:1-3 – Get rid of the feeling of hatred. Don’t just pretend to be good, be done with dishonesty and jealousy and talking about others behind their backs, put away evil, deception, envy and fraud. Long to grow up into the fullness of your salvation.)

3. God’s kindness will persevere
( I Peter 2:6 – See I am sending Christ to be the carefully chosen corner stone, and I will never disappoint those who trust in Him. David said – He is my Rock and my fortress my God in Him I take refuge and He only is my salvation. He’s my stronghold and on that Rock I’ll not be greatly shaken.)
(Psalm 62 – When my heart is faint, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I, for You have been my refuge.)
(Isaiah – Trust in the Lord forever for in the Lord we have an everlasting Rock.)

4. God’s kindness must be put into practice
•Find someone to forgive
(Eph 4:32 – Be kind to each other forgiving one
another.)
•Be understanding
(Eph. 4:32 – Be tenderhearted.)
•Supply someone's needs
(Matthew 25:35 – For I was hungry and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.)
•Be a peacemaker
(Eph. 4:3 – Try always to be at peace with one another.)
(Gal. 6:2 – Share each other’s troubles and problems.)