"Speak the Truth in Love"
June 13, 2010 Galations 2:11-21
In his book “Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them” John Ortberg begins by talking
about the discount section in a store where you can get a good bargain because the merchandise is
slightly damaged or irregular. He says there is always a warning and you should not be surprised
when you get it home and find the flaw. It comes as-is. There are no returns. No refunds. No
exchanges.
Ortberg switches gears at this point and turns his attention on us. He says that when it comes to
human beings, you have come to the as-is corner of the universe. We are all flawed. We all have
our cracks and chips and broken pieces. He points to the scriptural truths that say “All we like
sheep have gone astray” an “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Ortberg says that this is true in every relationship, even in the church. The great pastor and
theologian Dietrick Bonhoeffer says, “The sooner this moment of disillusionment comes over the
individual comes over the individual and the community, the better for both…” There is no such
thing as a perfect person or a person community. That includes both the Christian and the church.
Our text today is a perfect example of how two flawed men with a heart for Christ can be at
odds with one another. Peter, the leader of the early church, was a man who was bold, decisive,
respected and filled with the Spirit. He was thoughtful and open to God’s leading.
Paul was intelligent, well spoken, intense and continually listening for the voice of God to direct
his steps. Both of these men were part of a dynamic movement of the Spirit. But their flawed
humanity was exposed during an encounter that is referenced in our scripture passage today.
The early church was primarily a Jewish movement. Early on Peter sensed that God wanted
them to be a light to the nations. He began reaching out to the Greeks and other gentiles with the
message. Paul, a former Pharisee had the same leaning. He began preaching to the Jews but then
moved to a wider circle and began evangelizing throughout the known world to Jew and non- Jew.
A controversy arose in the church. Those of Jewish heritage became Jealous of the gentile
converts and suggested that their inclusion demanded a more orthodox test. Paul objected
vigorously. He spoke to Peter and Peter seemed to agree with him. That is until they all met with
the council. Then Peter backtracked and betrayed Paul by saying he agreed with the Jewish
members.
The truth is that none of us likes controversy. We tend to travel the path of least resistance. I
like the story told about the
Two men who lived in a small village got into a terrible dispute that they could not resolve. So
they decided to talk to the town sage. The first man went to the sage’s home and told his version of
what happened. When he finished, the sage said, "You’re absolutely right." The next night, the
second man called on the sage and told his side of the story. The sage responded, "You’re
absolutely right." Afterward, the sage’s wife scolded her husband. "Those men told you two
different stories and you told them they were absolutely right. That’s impossible—they can’t both
be absolutely right." The sage turned to his wife and said, "You’re absolutely right."
I am that man and so are most of you. We will do anything to avoid conflict. The problem is that
conflict is a fact of life. It stems from the fact that we are flawed human beings and it usually
arises out of the fact that we are passionate about something. One person believes something with
all his heart and he or she has to say or do something about it. Another person has different
thoughts and when they clash, conflict arises.
Peter wanted to keep everyone happy. Paul wanted to make sure his efforts weren’t wasted.
Conflict was the result. This scene has been played out over and over again throughout history. As
a matter of fact, it has even happened here at First Baptist among the nicest people in the world.
Can you believe it?
When people care about things and they come with different opinions, there is liable to be some
fall out. So how do you handle conflict in the Christian community? The first rule, is the rule of
love.
There is a principle here that all of us would do well to heed. It is often at the places in our lives
we consider strengths that the enemy will trip us up. We become complacent. The Scripture says
take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. You see the devil is always trying to separate and
conquer. When things are going well for God, watch out. When you have as congregation that is
thriving and God is being glorified, you better begin praying against the enemy. If you just take it all
for granted, you will end up with problems.
That’s what happened in the scriptures. The church was growing by leaps and bounds. People
were responding. God was doing a great work. But then, at a critical moment, when the church
had a decision to make, Peter was stabbed with the voice of fear. He became afraid of what others
would think. He didn’t want to lose his influence. So he cowered and would not stand up for what
he believed was right.
At that moment Peter became a hypocrite. He acted as if he had never associated with the
gentiles, had never eaten with them, had never professed the same truth that Paul espoused.
Instead of being honest about his own behavior, he simply agreed with the other Jewish Christians
and pretended that he was rightly incensed by Paul’s request.
I don’t have to tell you that the same thing happens today. People who oppose certain things
because they go against scripture, have no trouble ignoring their own sin and failures to live up to
the scripture. They act just like Peter and look just as foolish. There is a good reason why Jesus
told us not to judge others. It was because all of us have dirty hands. We can’t be objective. We
want to look good. We want to look righteous. When we single out the sin in another person and
make that our cause, then we divert attention from ourselves. Jesus says, “let God be the judge.”
Hypocrisy discredits the cause of Christ. We need to be honest when we talk with one another.
And if someone isn’t being honest, then we need to speak the truth in love. That’s what Paul did to
Peter. He called him out. He asked the question. Not to embarrass him, but to get him to see what
he was doing.
Not too long ago I heard about an interchange between two believers who were discussing
another person’s behavior. One was upset and indignant. They asked the other person if they
agreed with them. The second person said, “I’ve been divorced more than once, like you, so I don’
t think I am in any place to judge them.” That is speaking the truth in love. It also speaks to the
grace we have receives and reminds the other person that they too are standing by grace alone.
When someone is stirring up controversy, we should never be afraid to point out their hypocrisy.
You see, a lot of our troubles in the church arise out of a sense of legalism. A definition of this is
“The belief that being truly Christian requires adherence to an external set of standards.”
Twisted legalistic standards, which come not from the heart of God, but from the desire of men for
conformity and a checklist by which to measure the effectiveness of our religion have over the
years been the source of virtually every conflict great and small in the church. This is not to say
that people’s lives shouldn’t be changed by the Gospel, they should and they are. It’s simply to say
that we do not hold the measuring rod, only God does. Sometimes that change in others when they
come to know the Lord is fast and far, other times it seems dreadfully slow and never goes quite
far enough to satisfy us, but God doesn’t work that change in other people’s lives just to satisfy us.
He does it for his own glory.
So how do you overcome conflict? Through confrontation.
Don Shula, coach of Harry Calkins’ Miami Dolphins, was talking to a reporter about a player’s
mistake in practice. He said, "We never let an error go unchallenged. Uncorrected errors multiply."
Then the reporter said, "Isn’t there benefit in overlooking one small flaw?" Shula said, "What is a
small flaw?" I think about that all day long. What is a small flaw? I see that with my children. I’ve
let a lot of things slide by because I was too tired. I didn’t want another confrontation. But
uncorrected errors do multiply. You’ve got to face them some day. You might as well face them on
the spot. If I could do it over again with my children, I’d face the errors on the spot. It’s easier on
them and on you. That works in relationships with anyone. If there’s something under the surface,
something you sense, you might as well just bring it right out. Face it right then.
Many of us fear confrontation, but without it wounds fester. Over the years when I heard that
someone was not happy with me or something that was happening in the church, I went to them.
Doris Royce, I loved her. She was one of the saints in the church. Back in the early 90’s we began
asking the women to step up as worship assistants. Doris knew her Bible and she could quote it.
The passage that directs woman not to speak in church was weighing heavy on her heart and she
stopped coming to church. Well I went to visit her and we talked about it. She told me where she
was coming from and I told her my opinion. We prayed and we talked about it and over time we
came to an understanding. But the point is that as Christians, we confronted the issue. We talked
about it and prayed about it. Thankfully she decided she could live with our decision because she
loved the fellowship of her church.
In recent times we have had other controversies and I did the same thing. After conversation and
prayers we parted and only God knows what will happen.
The beautiful thing about our scripture passage today is that Peter and Paul came through this
conflict okay. The church was blessed because they talked and came to new understandings. God
was in the process and dialog continued. Paul didn’t abandon the church and he helped Peter regain
his composure without losing his leadership.
Why? Because both of them loved Christ. They respected each other even though they
disagreed. They realized that their conflict arose out of a love for Jesus. They made the
commitment not to be so mean and nasty that they would bring down Christ too. I wish every
church could find ways to resolve their differences this way.
It brings us back to the flawed nature of human beings. But thankfully Christ can work miracles
even in irregulars like us. We read this in 2 Peter 3: 15-16
"Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote
you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them
of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and
unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction."
At the end of his life Peter looks to Paul not as a rival but as a dear brother and he acknowledges
Paul’s apostleship and the fact that Paul’s letters are in fact Holy Scripture. I think God was
glorified in the process.
So don’t ever be afraid to talk about things in the spirit of truth and love. Confrontation with the
truth, in a spirit of humility and prayer and love does not divide, it unites. We may not always agree
but if we let the love of God shine though, good things will arise. Praise God.
June 13, 2010 Galations 2:11-21
In his book “Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them” John Ortberg begins by talking
about the discount section in a store where you can get a good bargain because the merchandise is
slightly damaged or irregular. He says there is always a warning and you should not be surprised
when you get it home and find the flaw. It comes as-is. There are no returns. No refunds. No
exchanges.
Ortberg switches gears at this point and turns his attention on us. He says that when it comes to
human beings, you have come to the as-is corner of the universe. We are all flawed. We all have
our cracks and chips and broken pieces. He points to the scriptural truths that say “All we like
sheep have gone astray” an “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Ortberg says that this is true in every relationship, even in the church. The great pastor and
theologian Dietrick Bonhoeffer says, “The sooner this moment of disillusionment comes over the
individual comes over the individual and the community, the better for both…” There is no such
thing as a perfect person or a person community. That includes both the Christian and the church.
Our text today is a perfect example of how two flawed men with a heart for Christ can be at
odds with one another. Peter, the leader of the early church, was a man who was bold, decisive,
respected and filled with the Spirit. He was thoughtful and open to God’s leading.
Paul was intelligent, well spoken, intense and continually listening for the voice of God to direct
his steps. Both of these men were part of a dynamic movement of the Spirit. But their flawed
humanity was exposed during an encounter that is referenced in our scripture passage today.
The early church was primarily a Jewish movement. Early on Peter sensed that God wanted
them to be a light to the nations. He began reaching out to the Greeks and other gentiles with the
message. Paul, a former Pharisee had the same leaning. He began preaching to the Jews but then
moved to a wider circle and began evangelizing throughout the known world to Jew and non- Jew.
A controversy arose in the church. Those of Jewish heritage became Jealous of the gentile
converts and suggested that their inclusion demanded a more orthodox test. Paul objected
vigorously. He spoke to Peter and Peter seemed to agree with him. That is until they all met with
the council. Then Peter backtracked and betrayed Paul by saying he agreed with the Jewish
members.
The truth is that none of us likes controversy. We tend to travel the path of least resistance. I
like the story told about the
Two men who lived in a small village got into a terrible dispute that they could not resolve. So
they decided to talk to the town sage. The first man went to the sage’s home and told his version of
what happened. When he finished, the sage said, "You’re absolutely right." The next night, the
second man called on the sage and told his side of the story. The sage responded, "You’re
absolutely right." Afterward, the sage’s wife scolded her husband. "Those men told you two
different stories and you told them they were absolutely right. That’s impossible—they can’t both
be absolutely right." The sage turned to his wife and said, "You’re absolutely right."
I am that man and so are most of you. We will do anything to avoid conflict. The problem is that
conflict is a fact of life. It stems from the fact that we are flawed human beings and it usually
arises out of the fact that we are passionate about something. One person believes something with
all his heart and he or she has to say or do something about it. Another person has different
thoughts and when they clash, conflict arises.
Peter wanted to keep everyone happy. Paul wanted to make sure his efforts weren’t wasted.
Conflict was the result. This scene has been played out over and over again throughout history. As
a matter of fact, it has even happened here at First Baptist among the nicest people in the world.
Can you believe it?
When people care about things and they come with different opinions, there is liable to be some
fall out. So how do you handle conflict in the Christian community? The first rule, is the rule of
love.
There is a principle here that all of us would do well to heed. It is often at the places in our lives
we consider strengths that the enemy will trip us up. We become complacent. The Scripture says
take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. You see the devil is always trying to separate and
conquer. When things are going well for God, watch out. When you have as congregation that is
thriving and God is being glorified, you better begin praying against the enemy. If you just take it all
for granted, you will end up with problems.
That’s what happened in the scriptures. The church was growing by leaps and bounds. People
were responding. God was doing a great work. But then, at a critical moment, when the church
had a decision to make, Peter was stabbed with the voice of fear. He became afraid of what others
would think. He didn’t want to lose his influence. So he cowered and would not stand up for what
he believed was right.
At that moment Peter became a hypocrite. He acted as if he had never associated with the
gentiles, had never eaten with them, had never professed the same truth that Paul espoused.
Instead of being honest about his own behavior, he simply agreed with the other Jewish Christians
and pretended that he was rightly incensed by Paul’s request.
I don’t have to tell you that the same thing happens today. People who oppose certain things
because they go against scripture, have no trouble ignoring their own sin and failures to live up to
the scripture. They act just like Peter and look just as foolish. There is a good reason why Jesus
told us not to judge others. It was because all of us have dirty hands. We can’t be objective. We
want to look good. We want to look righteous. When we single out the sin in another person and
make that our cause, then we divert attention from ourselves. Jesus says, “let God be the judge.”
Hypocrisy discredits the cause of Christ. We need to be honest when we talk with one another.
And if someone isn’t being honest, then we need to speak the truth in love. That’s what Paul did to
Peter. He called him out. He asked the question. Not to embarrass him, but to get him to see what
he was doing.
Not too long ago I heard about an interchange between two believers who were discussing
another person’s behavior. One was upset and indignant. They asked the other person if they
agreed with them. The second person said, “I’ve been divorced more than once, like you, so I don’
t think I am in any place to judge them.” That is speaking the truth in love. It also speaks to the
grace we have receives and reminds the other person that they too are standing by grace alone.
When someone is stirring up controversy, we should never be afraid to point out their hypocrisy.
You see, a lot of our troubles in the church arise out of a sense of legalism. A definition of this is
“The belief that being truly Christian requires adherence to an external set of standards.”
Twisted legalistic standards, which come not from the heart of God, but from the desire of men for
conformity and a checklist by which to measure the effectiveness of our religion have over the
years been the source of virtually every conflict great and small in the church. This is not to say
that people’s lives shouldn’t be changed by the Gospel, they should and they are. It’s simply to say
that we do not hold the measuring rod, only God does. Sometimes that change in others when they
come to know the Lord is fast and far, other times it seems dreadfully slow and never goes quite
far enough to satisfy us, but God doesn’t work that change in other people’s lives just to satisfy us.
He does it for his own glory.
So how do you overcome conflict? Through confrontation.
Don Shula, coach of Harry Calkins’ Miami Dolphins, was talking to a reporter about a player’s
mistake in practice. He said, "We never let an error go unchallenged. Uncorrected errors multiply."
Then the reporter said, "Isn’t there benefit in overlooking one small flaw?" Shula said, "What is a
small flaw?" I think about that all day long. What is a small flaw? I see that with my children. I’ve
let a lot of things slide by because I was too tired. I didn’t want another confrontation. But
uncorrected errors do multiply. You’ve got to face them some day. You might as well face them on
the spot. If I could do it over again with my children, I’d face the errors on the spot. It’s easier on
them and on you. That works in relationships with anyone. If there’s something under the surface,
something you sense, you might as well just bring it right out. Face it right then.
Many of us fear confrontation, but without it wounds fester. Over the years when I heard that
someone was not happy with me or something that was happening in the church, I went to them.
Doris Royce, I loved her. She was one of the saints in the church. Back in the early 90’s we began
asking the women to step up as worship assistants. Doris knew her Bible and she could quote it.
The passage that directs woman not to speak in church was weighing heavy on her heart and she
stopped coming to church. Well I went to visit her and we talked about it. She told me where she
was coming from and I told her my opinion. We prayed and we talked about it and over time we
came to an understanding. But the point is that as Christians, we confronted the issue. We talked
about it and prayed about it. Thankfully she decided she could live with our decision because she
loved the fellowship of her church.
In recent times we have had other controversies and I did the same thing. After conversation and
prayers we parted and only God knows what will happen.
The beautiful thing about our scripture passage today is that Peter and Paul came through this
conflict okay. The church was blessed because they talked and came to new understandings. God
was in the process and dialog continued. Paul didn’t abandon the church and he helped Peter regain
his composure without losing his leadership.
Why? Because both of them loved Christ. They respected each other even though they
disagreed. They realized that their conflict arose out of a love for Jesus. They made the
commitment not to be so mean and nasty that they would bring down Christ too. I wish every
church could find ways to resolve their differences this way.
It brings us back to the flawed nature of human beings. But thankfully Christ can work miracles
even in irregulars like us. We read this in 2 Peter 3: 15-16
"Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote
you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them
of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and
unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction."
At the end of his life Peter looks to Paul not as a rival but as a dear brother and he acknowledges
Paul’s apostleship and the fact that Paul’s letters are in fact Holy Scripture. I think God was
glorified in the process.
So don’t ever be afraid to talk about things in the spirit of truth and love. Confrontation with the
truth, in a spirit of humility and prayer and love does not divide, it unites. We may not always agree
but if we let the love of God shine though, good things will arise. Praise God.
Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
| Welcome to the First Baptist Church of Norwich 239 West Main Street Norwich, Connecticut Phone: 860-889-0369 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |