Christian Relationships

Welcome to the intensified catheter for Tuesday, July 20 think let's continue in our study of first Peter the third chapter reveals principles for developing meaningful Christian relationships well when Peter wrote his first epistle he was writing the people who ongoing persecution and his primary concern was that in their society undergoing persecution that their response to the persecution would be such that they very good testimony of Christ. And so it throughout this epistle. He deals with many aspects of our lives because he wanted to be sure that bear witness of their testimony was such that the heathens around them would see such a difference in their life.

What he says in this passage refers or relates to all of us, or we can practice in the church in the home in the business of your social conduct and contacts. Listen to what he says the sum it all up. He says that all be harmonious now what is he mean by that the so many times in Scripture that Paul speaks of unity and harmony and agreement to be harmonious does not mean that everybody has to agree. But here's what it does mean a harmonious spirit says that beneath my surface disagreement with your interpretation of the passage all the way you would go about something beneath all of that there is a spirit of love for you and oneness with you and the desire for the best that I'm willing to overlook what I disagree with here because more important than my having my way more important that is having a oneness of spirit. So he says that you and I are to be harmonious now when you go back to Romans 12 for a moment and listen how the apostle Paul states this in. He states this in many times in these epistles. He says it this way in verse 16 B of the same mind toward one another not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation be of the same mind. So when he says, be of the same mind does not mean that you not always will agree. But what is the spirit of the presidency as a believer you and I relate to each other on a whole different level than a lost person's when you are relate to each other. We not only speak to each other, mentally, and we feel something emotionally, but remember that you and I have the same Holy Spirit living within us, so we really never are able to discern another person's spirit until we are able to touch that spirit and you see because two people are harmonious together. There's something about their sensitivity to each other you. You feel something you're able to since you know something going on the other person. He says that with a live harmoniously. That is, individuals in the church in the home and the business harmony, unity, oneness of mind thinking the same spiritual way is absolutely essential to our Christian testimony in Psalm 133 look at that song for just a moment. It's a familiar one about us dwelling together, but it's a beautiful way. The psalmist wrote this he says in the first verse, behold, that is, look how good and how pleasant it is for brothers, or brothers and sisters or sisters to dwell together in unity. Now what is it like he's is is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like to do. Herman coming down upon the mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded the blessing life forever.

He says he's is harmony is a peaceful but is it seems like something that comes of you that is when two people are harmonious in their spirit. They may not always agree on some issues, but they have agreement in their spirit and this is what Peter is talking about here when he says that some all of this up what he's been saying about relationship choices. First of all, he says, to sum it up, first of all let all the harmonious second characteristic that he tells us here. He says secondly sympathetic. What is he mean by being a sympathetic ear sympathetic does not mean oh yes I understand your problem.

Being sympathetic, says not all do I understand but unable to get under it with you and willing to suffer something that you are suffering in order that my presence with you will make your pain easier. That is, being sympathetic isn't simply an attitude that is non-touchable.

We're talking about touching people we talking about creating an atmosphere of harmony we talking about being able to feel what people are feeling and trying to understand what their understanding because you see all of us respond to every circumstance in life. On the basis of the way we see all of us do that. The way we seal situations the way we respond. So if we have the spirit of God within us and our goal is to be diligent in peacemaking living harmoniously with each other and being sympathetic and understanding in both of these things go right together sympathetic and understanding with each other, sharing each other's feelings, understanding, reaching out to help.

I think every believer should be willing to pray this on my continue to pray it but I believe you going to be used of God, you got to be willing to bleed and willing to be broke. When you are hurting deeply.

Who is it that comfort you the most is not somebody who has been hurt, who deeply hurts who's been there, who suffered who's come through it whose experience the grace of God, is it not true that person is the one who can company the most when somebody says oh I understand how you feel and you know they don't is he that has no comfort in it all. But when somebody says to you puts their arm around you and says hey I just want you to know that I love you and I'm praying for you and I want to encourage her do know that God is sufficient. No matter what.

To be able to feel that's that's what sympathetic is all about. That is feeling what the other person is feeling and what he simply saying in this passage is that it to sum up our relationship with each other that that being diligent to keep the peace. Secondly, being able to reach out and feel what other folks are feeling and hurt where there hurting.

Being able to be sympathetic now if you and I are so totally busy keeping our own little world intact will have a hard time being sympathetic to someone else and I believe that many people need a good dose of puerile hurt because my friend the truth is we get off the selfish gateway may myself and my little world my family my car my house my clothes my job, my money, my bank account. My mama mama.

What a mess that is because the Bible says that God saved us to minister to other people, but first of all, Peter says if you can master you got the practice harmonious spirit, one of sympathy and then he says listen.

Then he says brotherly to be brotherly and some translations to be loving now.

I want to look if you will. In first Thessalonians chapter 4. Listen to what he says about this. It's interesting what Paul writes concerning their love Thessalonians churches is now as for the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you for you all yourselves are taught by God to love one another. For indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia, but we urge you, brethren, to excel stillborn elements request excluding your family. I would you think for just a moment, can you think of three people excluding your family know grandmothers and grandfathers anybody. Can you think of three people that you have no blood relationship to that you just absolutely love to you just love.

Now when you say hi. Good to see you know you knew that never loving about it. I mean genuinely level a limit to how you till you love somebody not going to take out, let me ask you this question.

Is there anybody that you have a relationship with her. When you think about him you smiling inside anybody you think about Minnesota smiled and said that is when you think about them.

The very thought of that person brings you joy of my friend are you so wrapped up in yourself that beyond your family. You can get. Think of anybody that you genuinely love how many folks would be in your circle of genuine love you smile when you think about them.

They bring joy to your heart when you think about is there anybody else out of your family.

If you don't have anybody like that you need to start real fast. Find somebody that you can let you know why because you to go through life and listen on the most important things in life is being able to experience loving somebody and if you can't love anybody the something wrong with your relationship to the Lord is all not all knowledge of the Lord with you Caleb somebody there is will he says to be brotherly we need to move on 40 says notice he says kindhearted the summit. All of the harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly kindhearted know what is he talking about being counter looking division chapter 4 for a moment and the 32nd verse is a wonderful verse everybody should know in my heart he says and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ is also forgiven you, that you know that kind heartedness includes being tender and forgiving and loving. Would you consider yourself kindhearted.

You see, the problem is that nobody sees is like the way we see ourselves and sometimes we are misinterpreted and you can always good thing about that but would you say that people who know you consider you to be tenderhearted, tenderhearted person can be touched in their spirit doesn't take a whole lot. A person who is crude, harsh, arrogant, self-sufficient, selfish, self-seeking, self-centered is nothing tender heartedness about that penises this relationship should be with each other and Paul says the same thing. He says Christians relating to each other should be peaceful and loving and compassionate and tender toward each other. That is if I'm tenderhearted I'm going to be sensitive to what you feeling. If I'm tenderhearted and you maybe just drop in some little passing away that you hurting if I'm tenderhearted I'm going to pick up on that and if I'm tenderhearted I'm gonna treat you with tenderness and kindness not going to be rude crew harsh, insensitive and unkind is this is just the way Christians lived together and then he says if you notice he says, and humble in spirit. Now what is it mean the humble in spirit if I should ask you tonight.

Would you say that you fall in the category of being humble in spirit you. So if I raise my hand and it would be humble and be proud of but that's probably true, but humble in spirit simply means that you not don't take the credit without self-seeking, self-centered, but a person with a humble spirit is a person who acknowledges their absolute and total dependence upon the Lord is not always out there want to be upfront and take credit.

A person who is willing to do and to give in to be without recognition humble in spirit. They make the greatest kind of servants you see the truth is, it may be that you have more power and more influence in your witness, not by having the verses of Scripture. You can quote but rather if you are harmonious a peacemaker, tenderhearted, loving, kind, understanding, compassionate and humble in spirit. He says now a word of caution when you mistreated don't return evil for evil in sulfur and somebody says rather you give a blessing. The truth is you and I should expect the world the truth is that way then I can treat us like who we are because Albert presents rubs them the wrong way, so believers had to learn to be that is weird to live out who we are. So you not acting out anything when you're harmonious and loving and tender and compassionate and homelands that you not acting out that's who you are because you not are indwelt to the very presence of Christ himself so that when we when we exercise those qualities we just doing what comes naturally for us. We just being who we are. That's who we are, pacemakers, tenderhearted, loving, compassionate, humble in spirit kind reaching out to people who are hurting, that's who we are and if we ask any other way then replaying the hypocrite is you not playing the hypocrite by doing all these things you not by the hypocrite when we are not we act other than who we are. He says don't don't do what the world's don't fight back. Don't retaliate is if you know what they did to me does make a difference.

He says do not return evil for evil in sulfur and salt. The truth is you not never have a right to return evil for evil in sulfur and so you know, sometimes God puts us in very sticky positions in order to demonstrate some elements that tell you first of all that God knows that I'm a long ways from being everything I'd like to be in the gods in the process of making me to become one of the privileges God gave me. It was up. I look back and see that it was a pretty one of the privileges God gave me.

It was a privilege not in order to demonstrate my abilities.

My talents are my gifts. But in order for God to teach me something to demonstrate something God by his grace, and it was his grace kept my mouth shut.

It was by his grace. I'm telling and that is for some reason I never felt any antagonism of that I had to get back retaliate now once in a while I'll have to admit that I like to have, but the truth is, God allowed me to demonstrate something and how many young pastors have said to me, I can't tell you how much I learned just watching how you reacted all other had to do friend is blow it one time I saw this one time, and you see in your office rent is not to say that I haven't wanted lots of time, but God gave me the opportunity to demonstrate something that you don't have to fight those who your enemies. You just love you just respond in the right fashion now in your office where you work. There may be a bunch of pagans in their you think what will God put me in here for all that you want. It may be that God put you there to suffer little bit and to take all of the animosity and all the occasion all the criticisms in all the mocking and jeering not because God doesn't love you, but because God is more interested in demonstrating something through your conduct that you could never get across preaching to them.

A thousand sermons there watching how you live. That's what that's what Peter is talking about. I miss persecution as the world watches how we live. How we respond this and he was going to be perfect as we are going to make mistakes but he says don't return evil for evil in sulfur insult, but he says give a blessing instead. Now how you give a blessing to somebody how you bless them I said well bless you brother. Haven't you heard evangelist passes all bless you back there brother raise that handstand. Bless you what world is at me for something involved in blessing somebody not back in the Old Testament.

A blessing was given to someone a lot window that let me just say this when you bless somebody what he saying is this the several things involved in a blessing and one of them is the touch somebody now we gonna bless folks, we gotta give them something that's tangible, but you and I need to get serious about what he says.

He says with a label and such a relationship. You see, this is an intimate relationship of being harmonious and sympathetic and loving and tenderhearted and humble in spirit putting a person report and then blessing them is that not the way God wants to build up his body listen. He says for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

What this guy did was, but he touches us. He speaks to us. He encourages he gets involved in our life. When you and I bless somebody we get involved in their life. This whole passage says one thing*living for yourself and give yourself away folks around. Thank you for listening to Christian relationship if you like to know more about her family for InTEXT ministries intact started writing this back after the presentation. InTEXT ministries Atlanta, Georgia