We Should Spread Grace, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ always comes down to that is just love this the way the policies that the way that this operates. He admonishes tears he reveals his heart, if you admonish people. You're very critical people in the know cures. I can tell you that's probably not the spirit of God is of your own flesh and your motive is improper motive is often feel better about because of basically putting out what everybody else is doing well.

I can mentor about me on that call didn't take that at all. Grace has no conditions is undeserved under an earned favor with God joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is again he shows us how God's word meets our stand against the immorality of court over and over again in first grade. They were immortal. He stood for that. He told Timothy the same thing in Ephesus. Timothy need to take a stand against such thing. 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 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 insane.

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 is 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 drug judgments on all kinds of things you talking about overage and he said some of us have these critical spirit.

He said you can do that and what the inference here is pretty clear you can have a critical spirit, and bestow grace. Other people you can't and Jesus is look, I don't want you to do that. He said you don't do that and it gives good reason. She said, look, it's only judgment is a divine prerogative belongs only to God. Secondly, he also says though when you do it you would buy judgment from God. When you God views that are simple, 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, 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 is taken these extremes to tell us what will 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 the claimant 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 toggle between services wasn't my idea, but how would that work you see the absurdity of 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, semantically personal. I was hurt deeply.

I do father the deserted us with all the kids. My mother had to raise all the kids and then late in life. My father got ill and can back you want to know us to take care of. I'm never forgive him for that. We did it was to seek personal Jesus is how you cut it, though, to speck you 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 polished 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 goddess question what 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 an interesting thought. How should we act as people so he says in chapter 4 verse one and verse two, he says therefore I the 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 needed to do.

They have an earned that neither of you 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 sees each one of you to your neighbor, were all members. He said be angry but don't send him with us in good December dining ringer is a don't give the devil and 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 is 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 are you committed how big would how many do you commit to continuing committing today. Tomorrow 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 the stones 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 completely overestimate yourself. 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 pretending you are the standard I'm not like him.

That's Pharisee is a member.

The Pharisee went to the temple and said got I think you are not like other men like this tax 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 to this in their Jesus as a blind man cannot guide the blind County of course not want they both fall into the pit together.

You can't 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 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 didn't. That's exactly how Paul acted taking the plank out of his own eye. These are the words the apostle Paul, I am the chief of sinners not I was mad.

I used to be.

I am the chief of sinners, understood who he was sick. Paul understood completely and the other thing that Paul said was I am what I am by the grace of God on the basis of who I really am my flesh on the chief of sinners, now is a screen apostle. I am who I am, by the grace of God. Paul took the plank out of his own eye and changed everything. When Paul tried to help someone member to give you an illustration that turn with me now to ask chapter 20 the book of acts chapter 20 verse 16. Paul wants to have one more meeting with the elders. The leaders of the church of Ephesus. He knows he's probably never to see them again. Ephesus is an extremely important church is the church. It really has all the ministry that goes into Asia minor. What we call modern-day Turkey is a very important church. Paul spent more time in Ephesus than he did anywhere. He knows these men well and he says in verse 16.

Paul decided to sell past Ephesus so that he would have to spend would not have to spend time in Asia which is Turkey.

He said, for he is hurrying to go to Jerusalem, a possible on the day of Pentecost. That's the context. Now verse 27 Paul said he's talking to the elders, he said, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. He said be on guard results for all the flock among he said which the Holy Spirit is made you overseers to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood.

I know that after me. Savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock and from among your own selves men will rise, speaking perverse things and draw away disciples after them therefore be on the alert. Many says this remembering that night and day for a period of three years.

I did not cease to admonish each one of you what's admonition. I took specs out of your eyes for three years. I did not see from but here's the difference between what Jesus warning about and what we should be noticed the last two words of the verse.

With tears when Paul admonished a believer in Ephesus cried. You see he is admonishing out of love, not a critical spirit. All is love is always comes down to that is just. Love is the way that Paul sees them the way that this operates. He admonishes route with tears and reveals his heart, if you admonish people or your very critical people in the know tears I can tell you that's probably not of the Spirit of God. That's of your own flesh and your motive is in love, your motive is often to feel better about yourself because I said keep putting out what everybody else is doing well. I can feel better about me. I'm not as bad as them.

Paul didn't take that at all. Grace has no conditions is undeserved unearned and undeterminable favor of God, motivated by love.

Turn with me to Romans five for a moment. Romans chapter 5 verse six Romans five in verse six were successful while we were still helpless at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. There's the two definitions he gives of us helpless and doing to save ourselves and ungodly mess when Christ died he said for one will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for a good man someone would dare even to die, he said, but God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

That's grace while reading, I never thought about that till this week when Paul wrote this.

There's something different in his experience in yours and mine. He was sinning when Jesus was dying. He was actually sinning when Jesus was dying, and more than likely he's very much applauding the fact that Jesus is dying. He's happy that Jesus is dying. He wanted Jesus to die is a Pharisee of Pharisees and he said while I was sitting why was doing that he died for me while I was doing that.

How undeserved is that you see how unearned or unaccountable was that he said that's when he died for me.

Why because you love me motivated by love, grace bears the pain to reconcile the sinner grace will bear the pain back to Matthew just want to make some comments now abide.

If you have a critical spirit. Some things I like to remind you of these versus the first one is this I said before a critical spirit is wrong because it usurps the divine prerogative of judgment and it invites being judged. James said there's only one lawgiver and judge the one who is able to save and to destroy.

Who are you to judge. He says your neighbor Paul will do the Romans and said who are you to judge the servant of another to his own master he stands or falls judge in the divine prerogative. It's not yours is not mine.

Secondly, I critical spirit is wrong because it always comes out of impure motives not motivated by love. She is motivated by some bad form of self-righteousness the wrong way to judge it's not out of love with me discrete one passes to go with me now to first Corinthians 13 I want to redo the marriage passage is never was written for marriage but it's basically in every wedding is the only thing Christians know about this verse in the Bible. The wedding when I say this at the wedding. I'm not against aunt wedding I stayed at the wedding myself, but is not about the wedding is about love this about the grace of God is about love this about agape, the willful choice to love. Notice what he says about in verse four love is patient, love is kind. It's not jealous. Love does not brag is not arrogant. Love does not act unbecomingly. Love does not seek its own, it is not provoked. It does not take into account a wrong suffered, ever take into account a wrong suffered, that's not love. That's not biblical love, peace and love does not rejoice in unrighteousness. It rejoices in the truth, he said.

Love bears all things. Love believes all things. Love hopes all things. Love endures all things some love never fails to grace never fails. You see the motivation that we should have to live out our lives in the horizontal plane is low, I'm not so sure we do. I'm amazed at how many Christians are upset and angry because people out there are sinning and it just makes me mad. What do you expect them to do what the Bible calls them sinners what you think and send her guys just makes me mad, which should make you mad is your sin. My that's what you make us mad, not what they're doing. They should your words of grace from us that words of criticism and judgment. That's what Jesus is talking about critical spirit is wrong because it focuses our attention outwardly when others rather inwardly on ourselves guided take the plank out of your eye.

You got to. That's what you should be used to be so consumed with and by the way, if I really had this plank in my eye. You think it would consume me and say hey Bill you plank in your iPad bother me at all.

Now you know what I mean. He says why would this be a priority.

No, I think I see a speck in yours.

I would go after that. You see it's an absurd illustration but it works. Critical spirit is wrong also because we always have only limited knowledge is why use that story. In the beginning.

You see, what if you were best friends or he was your brother-in-law. The man with the tattered clothes and only had a dollar in his pocket and paid a dollar for a plaster of Paris turkey. How would you judge the young man of soul that we ought how would you judge that rack that right you don't know anything. You see, only God knows everything.

You and I have limited knowledge to draw any kind of judgments in a critical spirit is wrong because Jesus said when you have a you are a hypocrite. Why turbo wording Jesus calling us hypocrites just like you call the scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrite, why you call me a hypocrite tell you why I gladly receive the grace of God, but I don't want to bestow the grace of God. He said you hypocrite. That's why it's the reason for this morning is should we be known as people grace should not be what everyone thinks about us. No one knows because we don't do stories on anyone. We criticize everybody remember to the plane got a Moron I were commanded to show grace and please don't say after some you work hard in this. I still think the same thoughts but I won't talk about as much. Save yourself. You see, that would tell you to do a lot of plank work to do a lot a lot of work to do, that we should be consumed about because the point is, when you see other people the way Jesus sees other people you see them as a mission field. You see them as those who need the grace of God. You see them as a spiritual opportunity matter what it is they're doing God extended grace to me and do you in spite of me, and in spite of you. Not because of you in spite of you graceless religion can't bestow grace on anyone because he can't get the plank or the log out of its own account, it can't see it but you and I are the recipients of grace is to make a difference to us. Grace stoops the first week, grace seeks and grace saves the second week and now grace should be spread. I asked should be spread by us. John wrote that when Jesus came to earth.

He was full of grace and truth. What you for the spring father. These words of Jesus are so vivid. The analogy has is so profound. But he says it for shock value because he understands the human heart. We gladly receive the grace of God and we sit, we sing about it and were thankful for, but were not likely to bestow it on others, especially certain kinds of people.

Father, may we learn this lesson over and over again that you use us in this world to be light and to be salt to be those who forgive those who bestow grace to those who offer people hope not.

People who become their tractors and father I pray that you would touch our hearts in such a way that we would decide for our Christ pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship in the if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time.

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Once again our website FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt. I'm Jason Gebhardt.

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