We Should Spread Grace, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. I any of you been married long enough, you know how much grace you is a lot of grace in their effective you have grace and married you is a lot of grace you bestow that on each other because it is.

It's easy for us to bestow grace and love and we could even burst out grace on people like minutes on the other really don't like the storm, even some certain kinds that's a struggle/that's what we would wish for joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhart now again he shows us how God's word meets our time ago I read an account and up it said when I read the account that was a true story and there's no reason to believe it was but it was it was about a young man a young bachelor who worked in Manhattan and every year in his office. The boss would give every year the boss would give me turkey to every employee as a bonus, and this young man really didn't want to turkey and didn't know what to do with one had a few minutes freezer because he didn't know what to do with it and he really didn't care for turkey and any let the other is calling sort of know that he didn't really care for turkey so one year's college decided to play a trick on them and will what they did is when the boss gave the turkey they exchange that they had made a a plaster of Paris turkey and wrap it all up and they gave it to the young man and so then the young man took the plaster Paris Eric turkey with him when he left the office while at that time he was riding on the subway and as it was riding on the subway, a man came and sat beside him and the man was disheveled.

He had tattered clothing. He looked really down and out and he started up a conversation and as they were talking he find out that this man once it had a decent job and lost it. He had children and a wife and he was really in a lot of despair because of his financial situation so the young bachelor sought.

I have a good idea.

Then I I'd like to be able to give him this turkey but I don't want to offend him, so I told Marcella to them for whatever he could afford. And so when he told me the man that the man got out a little bit of money had left in his pocket and gave it to me young bachelor and then he left the subway very happy that he had just bought a plaster repairs turkey so when the young men came back from the holidays. All his college ran around them.

They were all kind of excited to see what happened and he told the story you can just imagine how they felt.

So for the next several weeks. Both the young man and the other guys in the office, rode the subway they never saw the man again. Now here's my question. If you judge the young bachelor by the act itself into terrible thing he sold a plaster repairs turkey to a man with no money but if you judge his motive of why he did it, then you would say that his giving was thoughtful and benevolent know what's the point of the story. Why am I telling you this, I'm telling you this this reason, you and I are not qualified you and I are not qualified to judge the action of others.

You and I are not qualified to judge the actions of others and never come to play as I go on this morning. You remember that two weeks ago I asked the question why wouldn't everybody. Everybody want to believe the biblical Christianity is true, why would someone want to believe that that were saved by grace and grace alone through faith and faith alone whom one you want to receive that and I said at that time that grace was the underserved un-earned an honorable favor of God. I also said that John said that it was the reason that Christ came to earth, he didn't come to earth to be right.

He came to earth to make things right by grace and John said he was full of grace and truth. Well, that's true. Last week I said though the problem is that grace bothers us. We struggle with grace. The Bible teaches us that grace is bestowed on all of us, even terrible people like Zacchaeus and Matthew the grace of God was bestowed and to make his point. Jesus taught us a parable last week and said were bothered by grace being bestowed on people that we one wanted bestow grace on we feel that we earn the grace that we get, and people in the parable coming lately and getting the same grace bothers us and we talked about that now as we go to the New Testament and we read through it.

This last message I want to do one grace is that God expects you and I to be people not only have received grace, but he expects you and I to be people bestow grace on others. He expects that of us. He expects you and I to be the people bestow grace on others were not just to be the recipients of grace were to bestow that same kind of grace on other people. The reason is grace makes all world callable makes it work member of the old Christmas and wheezing and it's a God and sinners reconciled. Why grace what Christ did.

That's grace, God and sinners are now reconciled. What what about for us though. How does grace work the same way.

I guess an illustration I like to use is that grace is the oil that allows all of us the function. If you understand motor oil on it and I'm a motor of a car. The cars motor is precise, it's built with extreme very small tolerances. Everything in a motor has a function to make the motor fire and run and then eventually go through the transmission into the rear rank and run the tire so you and I glutton on the highway. Everything works great for one of you don't have any oil in the car. See what happens then if you don't have the oil which I think is grace all of a sudden there's friction lots of friction there so much friction that the parts destroy each other and I think that's exactly what happens in the context for us that that's what grace is to be.

It's the oil by which we relate to all of the people it allows us to live together to work together to be together that we bestow grace to one another and that's what he wants to tell us you see the thing about grace makes it so amazing is that it has to be experienced to have any meaning at all. Grace is always in a relationship you have to either receive grace or give grace.

The word grace doesn't mean anything if there's no one receiving it, or no one bestowing it.

It doesn't mean anything, it only means something in the context of a relationship that only not only means that for us vertically, but it also means that for you and I horizontally with other people whenever you and I extend grace to other people. You and I were amazing. Whenever you and I extend grace to other people. It's the one time in your life that you're most like your heavenly father because you bestow grace to other people underserved unearned an honorable and that's where the rub is for us, there are some people you don't mind I bestowing grace on any of you been married long enough, you know how much grace you bestowed right. There's a lot of grace in marriage effective you don't have grace in marriage.

You know I much married.

There's a lot of grace you bestow that on each other constantly and it's it's easy for us to bestow grace and people we love and we could even burst though grace on people we like and then as all the other people and we really don't like bestowing grace on them. Even some certain kinds of people we don't like the stone grace. That's a struggle for us.

That's what we really struggle. Jesus wants to speak to that because he knows our human nature. He knows what the fall was done to us. So I invite you to open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7 Matthew seven. The last chapter of the sermon on the Mount. The most profound words. Jesus ever spoke in one setting that we have written in the word of God.

The sermon on the Mount.

Now please understand the context of the sermon on the Mount, Jesus sets up right before he begins to preach and he basically says this unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, never seeking, and I told you when I taught that everyone in the audience would of gas they do, the scribes and Pharisees, the most religious men on earth. And Jesus said if you don't exceed them. You're not going anywhere.

Nothing is good going to happen to you at all.

And so then he begins the sermon on the mount and so we come to this chapter 7 and he says this. Do not judge so that you will not be judged for the way that you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure little be measured to you. Now there is a lot of there's a lot of bad ways to interpret this and we got them all human beings just love these verses to make them say something that they don't say, for example, he did not mean that it's wrong to have judges laws courts even say that yes it will.

Who would believe that Tolstoy believe that Tolstoy believe that's what Jesus was saying there should be no laws, no judgment of any human being. Now we know that's not true I'm you we know that's not true, because in Romans 13 and first Peter to both Peter and Paul say there's a reason we have government is to punish evildoers. There has to be judgment among people.

Jesus is not saying there shouldn't be any sense of justice or judgment within a culture is not saying that at all. Also in Jesus before he was crucified.

He didn't eat. He never disputed pilots authority Pilate had authority to draw judgment. Jesus did say couldn't.

Secondly, he did not mean that we shouldn't take a stand for moral or doctrinal issues. That's were popular today. Jesus said don't judge you should never take a stand against anybody's morality or anything anybody believes because Jesus said don't judge. That's not what he meant, not at all. I mean look at verse six, Jesus says, right after these five were looking at this morning. Do not give what is holy to dogs. Do not throw pearls before swine, and they will trample underfoot and it will turn interior pieces now notice what Jesus just said there apparently people that are dogs and people that are hogs he judge them. You see, He said don't do that. He said no I'm telling you is do not. You see, do not capitulate to hogs and dogs. He should be good here to take what is holy notice trampled underfoot is not talking about that kinda judgment at all.

In fact, in verse 15 he says, beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing. You need the judge, you need to be discerning on issues that are moral or doctrinal Paul. He stood against the immorality of Corinth over and over again in first grade and she told him they were immoral bestowing for that. He told Timothy the same thing in Ephesus. Timothy, you need to take a stand against such things.

He's not talking about we shouldn't stand on judge, moral, or doctrinal issues. And lastly, he's not saying that it's always wrong to correct any error is not in Matthew 15 same book pizza gives us the outline of church discipline. He tells us that if somebody is sending you find out about how you should act, what you should do. What are the steps that we take so clearly he's not talking about that in Galatians 6 and verse one Paul says you who are spiritual or church should be involved in the restoration of those who are in sin. There's no doubt that he's talking about something else. In fact, even Paul confronted Peter in the front of the church of Antioch. He's not talking about that either.

What's he talking about. He's talking about something that comes really naturally you and I critical spirit we draw judgment on all kinds of things you talking about over. He said some of us have these critical spirit.

He said you can't do that and what the inference here is pretty clear you can have a critical spirit in bestow grace to other people, you can't. And Jesus says look I don't want you to do that. He said you don't do that and he gives good reasons, he said, look, it's only judgment is a divine prerogative belongs only to God. Secondly, he also says though when you do it you invite judgment from God on you.

God views that are sinful. So, he then says this you know the verses he says. Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but you do not notice the log. It's in your own he says or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold the log is in your own eye. This is unbelievable hyperbole.

He's taken these extremes to tell us what were really like when we do this you think about this, you see the image in your mind never ever have someone you're trying to speck out of your eye looking at right before the lid done I think you're right. That's what you're doing right now. Now how would it work, how would it work if I were doing it like this, how it came.

The Targum between services five. It wasn't my idea, but how would that work you see the absurdity of this. This is absurd. And that's why Jesus is trying to make his point is saying when you act like that your absurd.

Why do you do this, why do you do not know what somebody will say is not a speck. I mean after all, he's a Democrat.

Some of the truly personal I was hurt deeply. I do father the desert of this with all the kids. My mother had to raise all the kids and then late in life.

My father got ill and came back and want to know us to take care of. I'm never forgive him for that. What he did to us seek personal Jesus is the matter how you cut it, though it's a speck you can see in a moment, as this plays out. The recipients of grace have to be those who bestow grace on someone else hold your place here and go with me to Ephesians chapter 4 the first three chapters revision. Paul was type teaching theology. He's telling us how great it is to be a believer in Jesus Christ. He says your sins are forgiven. Your heaven bound God's question with every blessing in the heavenly places is yours. It's all a gift.

It's all grace.

Now he says how do you behave, how should a Christian act is it's an interesting thought. How should we act as people so he says in chapter 4 verse one and verse two, he says therefore either prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling in which you been called there is a worldly way in which a Christian should live their lives in gratitude to what the Lord is done through grace for us. Notice the next thing he says with all humility and gentleness, with patients showing tolerance for one another in love what you mean by that grace, grace to be patient.

He said you be patient.

You show tolerance.

You be gentle.

They don't deserve that neither did you have an earned that neither view so that's what you should do.

He goes on the chapters you get near the end of the chapter starting in verse 25 he says all these things are all responsibility now as Christians lay aside falsehood, speak truth, each other. He said each one of you to your neighbor, were all members.

He said be angry but don't send only the single single dining ringer is a don't give a double an opportunity if you still stop stealing.

He says in verse 28 and first 29 let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only a word that is good for edification. According to the need of the moment.

He said so that it will give grace to those who hear.

You need to speak grace. No unwholesome know I'm kind word you need to speak grace to people gets worse, he says, verse 31 let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Don't talk about people as how we talk about people notice with wrath and anger, clamor, slander, and any says, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and then these words, forgiving each other, just as God also gave you Christ. How is God forgiving you what sins of you committed how big would how many do you commit to continuing committing today. Tomorrow it is getting in are all forgiven because of grace and Paul says, and that means that as a recipient of grace. You should be one of bestow's grace on someone else. That's what you should be that you would like we are known for we must all grace on people well back to Matthew seven he said how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, behold the log is in your own eye. He said you overestimate yourselves when you're critical of other people you overestimate.

You you completely overestimate yourself. Look, you're not that good. The truth is you're not good at all. You see, there's nothing about you that's good why you're pretending you are the standard I'm not like him.

That's Pharisee is a member.

The Pharisee went to the temple and said God I think you are not like other men like this back together. You see, that's not grace. He says don't do that. He said you overestimate yourself completely in the Luke passage in Luke six is a parallel passage this in their Jesus as a blind man cannot guide the blind canning of course not what they both following the pit together you can help take the speck out of someone's eye with a plank in yours. You can't and if you have an attitude that is critical. You have a plank in your way to see that's his point is is you can't do it. It won't work that way know is there a way we do it. He said yes he said you hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, then you'll be able to see clearly take the speck out of someone else has to begin with you always have to start with yourself. That's the way this has to work. By the way, that's exactly the way Paul did. That is exactly how Paul acted taking the plank out of his own eye. These are the words of the apostle Paul, I am the chief of sinners not I was, not I used to be. I am the chief of sinners all understood who he was using. Paul understood that completely and the other thing that Paul said was I am what I am the grace of God on the basis of who I really am my flesh on the chief of sinners, now is the screen apostle. I am who I am, by the grace of God called the plank out of his own bathroom. The radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember that you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast so many of our previous audio programs as well at Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that SBC and LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title. Once you find the message you're looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon on listening and remembering all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt and Jason Denhardt. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order