Healthy Living in a Sick World (Part 8)

With words to help you experience healthy living in a sick world use Dr. Michael, you said there is nothing that weakens the testimony of believers. More than their inability to resolve their own disputes biblically to resolve their differences in the spirit of Jesus. There is nothing that lessens the impact of the church witness more than is being fill Goss up and squabbling and from landing on backbiting and then all of that spell out in the outside world. Welcome to leading the way between the teaching of Pastor, author and international Bible teacher, Dr. Michael you sent. It seems like church spends a lot of time and effort trying to get the world pay attention, you know, using the worlds tools to reach people for Jesus, but it's often the negative that gets more attention than the positive and sure a fun and engaging video can draw people in social media to look closer at Christ the story of Christians arguing about politics or legal dispute can turn eyes and hearts away from Jesus on first Corinthians chapter 6, Paul talks about Christians keeping their fights to themselves and bats were Dr. Michael, you set takes you today be challenged to live as a light in your world as you listen to Dr. Michael Yousef series healthy living in a sick world. Today's message can be easily entitled to lawyers with love song.

The apostle Paul because first cruisers. Chapter 6 is all about showing him being showed him going to the courts in dealing with those issues. For believers, particularly of those who are members of one church today like the pre-Christ Greek culture people sue for all kinds of stuff from you know somebody said this on the drop of a hat. In fact, the Greeks was so notorious for the love of the court and the drama of the court and become one of the most popular entertainment in the Greek culture. Just think about this. Why do you think there are millions of people in America but I see it even overseas, always watching the people's court judge Judy that's how much we love the entertainment of watching courts and yet ours system is nothing in comparison to how litigious reminded the Greeks were please think with majestic with me for a moment when the Corinthians became believers when they believed in Jesus, they brought all this stuff with them into the church. They brought the love for disputes. They brought the love for litigation. They brought the love for argumentation that brought the love for court drama brought into the church.

Yes, they were saved as a born-again. Yes, I work believers in Jesus and yet they brought their former life with them into the church. They brought their past disputes. They brought their past arguments are brought their past, critical spirits are brought the past taking advantage of each other. They brought all of the shenanigan into the church of Jesus Christ and that is why Paul takes time to deal with it and gives us a biblical way by which we must handle disputes, particularly in the one body of Christ in one church please him out on this one. Public litigation was yet another manifestation of the carnality of the believers and currents. Their refusal to settle disputes on biblical principles, preferring instead to go to a secular court is another indication of the immaturity in Christ. Beloved, listen to me there is nothing that weakens the testimony of believers more than their inability to resolve their own disputes biblically to resolve the differences in the spirit of Jesus. I'm going to talk about dealing with nonbelievers, but this is believers as part particularly for members of the same church. There is nothing that lessens the impact of the church witness more than when his being fill with gossip and squabbling and complaining and backbiting and then let all of that spell out in the outside world. Listen if I was an unbeliever analysis on this people the way professing Christians and the way they behave. I don't want anything to do… Sometimes Christians deny their very faith. By the way they handle disputes let me give you an example of an inconsistent hypocrisy. It comes from yesteryears. This is old time small-town USA there was a strong church and there's not a single liquor store in town. Not one, but like all things in development progress not only a nightclub but I have in a liquor store opened in that due to in the believer said you know we are going to Susan because the law says that a liquor store and the church must have certain distance from each other.

I learned that personally, but so because the liquor stores close to the church. The church could've shoulder liquor store and one, but they decided that than I going to do that they're going to pray and I going to pray that God somehow supernaturally take care of that with a call that then of iniquity as other pray and sure enough, a few weeks later, a lightning bolt hit that Devon and burned it to the ground. The owner knew about the prayer meeting, so he sue the court for damages for service of prayer of this people in the church is what caused me my loss and that's what his attorney claimed in the court and so what does the church do do they go back to prayer closet like they've done before and seen the hand of God work before were there. Go back to prayer own, no, no, no, this time there got bigger and richer, and so they hired a big time lawyer and they went to court and their lawyer argued in the court that there prayer had nothing to do with the burning of the Devon. After much deliberation, the judge said the following. It is the opinion of the court that wherever the guilt lies the Devon keeper is the one who believed in the power of prayer and the church members did not and that is why the apostle Paul gives the believers in Corinth.

Three reasons why they must settle disputes within the church inside the church by godly biblically enlightened and biblically illuminated believers because not every church has some biblically illuminated believers, but he gives them three reasons. In verse two, he says we're gonna rain and rule the whole world. The whole universe was Jesus. And secondly, if you look at verse three says because we actually will be judging angels, and then finally he says a transformed Christian must live a transformed life is not enough to say Jesus is my Savior and Lord, you have to demonstrate that Telus look at this river quickly believers will be involved in adjudication of the affairs of the universe for all of eternity. Now I know I not listen to me. I know who I know I have a hard time comprehending that as much as you do. We have a hard time visualizing what actually ruling the universe was Jesus is like beloved. Listen we get so bogged down in the Nichols and the bounds of this world that we probably forget that we are actually destined for the throne. Can I get a witness.

We get so involved in this world system that we forget that we have been given all the resources of the truth and of wisdom, of justice, of love, or equity of understanding of kindness and generosity so we can resolve her own disputes when believers take each other to court there confessing that they do not have the spirit of God to guide them to resolve the disputes when believers particular members of one church take each other to court.

There are more preoccupied with revenge or gain of goals done with the unity of the body for the glory of God when believers take each other to court they are confessing that the word of God not adequate to judge between them. Beloved, if we believers are going to rain and rule with Christ who can arrange a rule in the whole universe, surely we can rule ourselves. The Corinthians were not only unable to rule themselves.

They were making a spectacle of themselves in front of the unbelieving world.

They were airing their pride in their bitterness and their greed and their carnality to the whole world to see what kind of a witnesses that secondly we should resolve disputes because will be judging angels. Verse three look at it carefully. Like so many believers today and I'm choosing my words very carefully, like so many believers to, talk about professing Christians on talk about believers.

The Corinthians believers did not fully comprehend their position in Christ. I will repeat this like believers today many believers today. The Corinthian Christians did not comprehend their position in Christ that we will actually have authority over angels think about this because that really bothers mine at that time to think about it a lot, not just today because you hearing them the message.

I hope and pray that you will think about this every single day may be many times a day.

It is hard to comprehend.

I know because the Bible said that we are made little lower than angels, but because of our relationship with Jesus because of our position in Jesus because of our justification in Jesus because of our sanctification in Jesus we will be so exalted up high into the place of fellowship with God, which is higher than angels think with me right now, here and now.

God commands angels. He commands him to take charge of us to protect us to defend us to surround us. God is the one who orders them were framed by Canadian citizens of the New Age movement and she said what she prays to her angel as if he can hear you she's really is in the Adelphia the death you not that the God they only hear the command of God and the Bible said that these are ministering spirits, a God send them to minister to us and but listen to me in heaven where gonna rule and judge angels in heaven, we got a command angels in heaven there will hear us and there were no buyers and if that is the case which I believe it is the case with any disputing parties or to keep the ruling of biblically enlightened church leadership are not rejected by settling disputes among ourselves we give testimony to our unity in Christ.

We give testimony to our harmony in Christ. We give testimony of our humility before God by the same token, the opposite happens when we drag each other to court the some incidents that may repeat this until y'all get it. There are some incidents there are some incidents on Mercury got it that Christian believers are forced to go before a secular court where forced many times I've seen it in the apostle. I believe with all my heart deliberately leaves that wide open. This whole question of dispute with nonbelievers. Some times we have to go to courts to defend ourselves against nonbelievers and when that happened, you should not feel guilty.

This teaching here is specifically directed to tool believers. More specifically, who are members of the same church you got to understand that because I was going to be filled with guilt for skill that has nothing to do with what the Scriptures teach.

But when it comes to divorce. The church sometimes has no authority to enforce the ruling, especially of one of the spouses is not a believer, I want to say something I'm going to ask some of you please forgive me ahead of time. I never, never, never, God knows my heart are never, never, never would want to cause pain or cause an offense God who judges my motives knows I would never want to offend for the sake of offending led the truth to its work, but I am saying this, Michael, your brother in Christ saying this not the apostle Paul, not the word of God that I can tell you that it absolutely breaks my heart into when a husband and wife who have stood before God and the witness of the congregation and say to Dennis do us part. And when divorce happened often. The husband drags his wife and kids into court to fight for material possession. I am baffled at how any man would drag his family to court to save a few dollars. Jesus said if your brother asking for short giving o'clock also sent me.

It means that if you trust in God, he will provide for you more than you have sacrificed that if you have put your faith in God as your provider.

He will bless you with much more than what you gave away if you seek to glorify the Lord. He will never leave you nor forsake you. If you desire to honor the Lord, he will honor you back sooner or later he will honor you back if your heart eats with obedience to the Lord and his word. He will see to it that you will be blessed. Sooner or later will you take your brother or sister to court you news spiritually before even the case was heard. Why because you have lost it in God's sight. You have already suffered spiritual defeat. You have discredited the power and the wisdom and the work of God. So what is the right attitude.

Again, I don't have the answers order God does. I would rather be wronged or defrauded than Sue my brother in Christ I would rather lose financially. The news spiritually. I would rather give up some of my rights than lose my spiritual assets even when I'm clearly and legally in the right for even if my brother wronged me, and refuses Christian arbitration, forgive him and leave the ultimate outcome to God and leave it in his hand. Paul said because spiritually it is impossible for the believer to sue his brother or sister and win cinderblock. I have 96. Therefore, my beloved friend. Ask yourself the question that I would ask myself what is more important to me to protect my possessions or my intimacy with God.

What is more important for me for a pagan judge to directly offer God to bless me.

What is more important for me that the world justice system impose a verdict or have God's favor upon me.

That's a question let me emphasize this one more time. The word of God here speaks about initiating a lawsuit against your fellow member of your church. Nothing about the nonbelievers nothing about the nonbelievers talk about nonbelievers. I remember clearly as yesterday, we had moved from Chamblee 1982. That was in 1982.

Just remember that we moved from Chamblee went to them with the rear being in that house in Dunwoody for about a week and I was walking in the backyard and in the whole time I was on the other side of the fence is the value the new owner I try to be funny and I said well the bank owns it, but yes he said good.

Gonna get yourself a lawsuit as it was for. He said the fence is 1 foot in my property. I still don't worry about that. Let's bring somebody to take the fence three-foot into my property.

He looked at me stunned. I could tell you before God. I have never seen that man again for the next six years. What happened or is never seen him again. Paul says nothing about being dragged into the court by nonbelievers where we need to honestly, fairly defend ourselves. Why because the nonbelievers are not under the authority of God. Therefore, the courts will resolve disputes with nonbelievers also thankfully we still have a court system or law system that is built on biblical principle in this country. Thirdly and finally a transformed believer must live a transformed life, a not-so-subtle Michael.

This is self-explanatory.

It is look at verses nine and 10.

The reason we live, we must, we have to live the transformed life, not just talk about it is because the nonbelieving world. Those who habitually sin without any palms another gun inherit the kingdom of God. But you will rent a room with Christ but you will will and that is why Paul saw those habitual fornicators and adulterers and idolaters, and effeminate than swindlers and homosexuals and thieves and comforters and drunkards and rebels. They will not inherit the kingdom of God. But you will the Corinthian church or any church should not be made up of membership from this list who habitually not only sin but that pride in their sin and that is why Paul puts that little verse 11 there is very significant on the line that he says you once were in the past in the past in the past and what happened in the past must stay in the past. A true church of Jesus Christ should be made up of X fornicators and X adulterers and X idolaters and X homosexuals connect swindlers and the list goes on. Beloved, whatever your past before Christ came into your life must stay in the past.

The Bible said that he buries our sins into the deepest sea and is likely to move used to say don't you go fishing for them, and when Satan comes to remind you of your past you remind him of his future. Paul is saying.

Finally, do not live life you have lived before Christ came into your life. You have been transformed by Christ. Therefore, lived a transformed life challenge from Dr. Michael sent to live in a transformed you listening to leading the way. Okay, one of the great perks of sitting behind this microphone is having the opportunity to share stories of lives that are touched by this ministry.

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