Considering One Another - Part 2 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise! The praise of my God and King, the triumph of His grace! This is LeSaire Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. In our recent messages, we have been talking about the issue of loneliness and have pointed out that Christians are to be actively involved with other people. And if that's the case, there's not going to be time for loneliness. Today, we bring you part two of the message, Considering One Another. I hope that it will be instructive and a blessing to you. We need to have the help and support of our listeners, particularly at this time.

If we're going to remain on all these stations, our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Now, seeing on the negative side of the register how we are prone to react by human nature instead of by the teaching of scripture, let's look at the other side of it. What is our biblical guide? When there are offenses, somebody has offended you. And I think as we begin to go through this, we'll probably all have to say that at some point along the way, or in many instances, in fact, we have failed to implement what the biblical criteria is for dealing with these situations.

But may we receive it into our hearts and pray that God will give us grace to apply it more diligently in the future. Matthew chapter 18, the 15th verse says, Moreover, if thy brother trespass against thee, What's it say to do? Go tell somebody? Go talk about them?

No. If thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if you neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church.

And if you neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Now, in taking two or three with you, when they hear the other side of the story, they may have to say, Brother, you're the one that's wrong. Or, there's a wrong on both sides here. And there needs to be appropriate confession made to each other and settle things.

And if it's not, then ultimately it's related to the church. But only after the initial step is taken. First, going alone. Secondly, take two or three with you.

And only then. And that doesn't limit it to going just once. You may go several times.

You may take others with you several times. But only when it's reached an impasse and cannot be settled is it then brought to the church. Well, then think about another side of it. You know that somebody has offended at you. Now, the first one is you're offended. Somebody has offended you and you know it.

But now somebody is offended at you. What's to be your response? Matthew chapter 5, verse 23. Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there, remember that thy brother has ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come offer thy gift.

Really puts it in an important role, does it not? Postpone your worship. Postpone your gift at the altar and go to resolve the matter. Verse 9 of that chapter says, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

Romans chapter 12, verse 18 says, If possible... Now, this certainly takes into account that in some instances it's not possible. But if it be possible, as much as life in you, live peaceably with all men. Live peaceably with the members of your family. Live peaceably with your next-door neighbor. Live peaceably with the people you work with. Live peaceably with the people you go to church with. As much as is in you, if it's possible, at all possible, live peaceably with all men.

Then there's one other option. If the person has offended you, you go to them. If you know that the person is offended at you, you go to them. Somebody said to me one time, Why is it always me? I'm the one that's got to do everything. Well, the Lord never lets us off the hook.

He never gives the assignment to somebody else. He says, here's what you're to do. You're to walk in the light that you have.

But there's one other option. If there's been an offense, there's been a problem. Somebody said something, somebody's hurt your feelings, somebody's done something that you didn't approve of.

First Peter chapter 4, verse 8, And above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves, for charity shall cover a multitude of sins. The other option is to let it go. You decide, okay, I didn't like what was said, it hurt. Maybe the person really didn't intend it to be that hurtful, they didn't understand, so I'm not going to make a big deal out of it.

I'm going to let it go. For love shall cover a multitude of sins. Now that doesn't mean that if somebody is walking in an ungodly path, that you ignore it.

Church discipline is required in such cases. But it's simply saying as far as your personal relationships. And certainly husbands and wives have to learn this. They have to know that love covers a multitude of sins.

They don't pick at each other over every little incident that comes up, every little difference that there might be. Now it says that you're to have fervent charity or fervent love among yourselves. This denotes stretching and straining. If it's fervent love, you're exerting the maximum effort. You're not just letting things drift.

This is your fourth maximum effort. You're straining every spiritual muscle to love in spite of the insult, of the misunderstanding or the differences that have come. Fervent love. That's a responsibility, is it not? That's a duty we cannot ignore.

We are to have fervent love among ourselves. Let's think about the right course when someone is going astray. You see, somebody started down the wrong path. It's not something that you're imagining. It's not something that just came to you as a form of gossip. But it's something you're well aware of. You can see it.

You know what's happening. Galatians chapter 6 verse 1 says, And brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such in one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. So if you're going to help somebody, you don't go with harsh words. You go with a gentle spirit in meekness, considering the fact that you also could be tempted and at some point go down the wrong path.

Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Don't jump to conclusions. Don't make up your mind before you've got all the facts. Wait till you talk to the person. Wait till you talk it out.

Wait till you hear them. But you go to them. You don't just pray for them. Prayer is good and you ought to pray for them.

But that's not all you do. You go to them and seek to restore them. It says to restore them in the spirit of meekness. And that word that's here translated restore comes from the thought that it's like the setting of a broken bone. If you came upon somebody whose bone was broken and they were protruding a bit out of the flesh, you know that you couldn't go up there and grab that and put it back in place.

The pain would be horrendous. So you'd be just as gentle as setting a broken bone when you go to labor with that person that has gone astray. And then when someone is going through trials, Romans 12, 15 says to rejoice with them that rejoice and weep with them that weep. Some people have a little difficulty rejoicing with those that rejoice. They become envious. Why is it that they're always so richly blessed? Why is it that things go right for them?

And I don't have things happen for me that way. They become envious. But the Christian spirit is, if somebody's doing well, if they've been abundantly blessed, rejoice with them. And if they're in sorrow, you grieve with them.

You're sympathetic with them. Romans 15, 14 says, for whatsoever things are written aforetime or written for our learning that we through patience of the Scriptures might have hope. So here's the source of the help you're going to be able to give. If you're talking to somebody that's going through a trial, you don't just give some vague counsel. You don't just pick out some well-worn phrase that you've heard repeatedly. You go to God's Word. You start with the fact that God is a sovereign God. He's on the throne. You can say, my times are in His hand.

I can trust Him no matter what the situation may continue to be. God's able to deliver you from the trial, or if it continues over a period of time, you can say, as did the Apostle Paul when he prayed for the thorn of the flesh to be removed, but God's answer was, my grace is sufficient for thee. And so we respond by ministering to others on a biblical basis. And then just a little note that we have to take to ourselves. How do we respond to this? When you feel like giving up, when you feel like my efforts have been useless, I've tried to labor in some of these instances.

I've tried to bring about restoration, and it seems that I've gotten nowhere. And you can look at many aspects of the Christian life and say, I've labored diligently, but I don't see the results. Well, we go to Galatians 6, 9, where he says, Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.

We shall reap ultimately if we faint not. And then, seeing what the biblical counsel is in these matters, let's go to the ultimate example. Our divine example is the Lord Himself. If we are to follow Him, if we're to be like Him, then we're to follow His example in all of these matters. What happens when the Lord's people go astray? Does God just ignore them, sit by to see what the outcome might be?

No. He's represented as being the shepherd. He says, I will seek out my sheep. In Ezekiel, chapter 34, verse 11, For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out.

I'll go after them, wherever they are. And you can see that repeatedly throughout Scripture, that wherever God's people were, if they were wandering, if they were going astray, He came after them. And if you're a child of God, you know from your own personal experience, there have been times when you have grown cold spiritually, and you have wavered and moved out of the narrow path. Did the Lord ignore it?

Whom the Lord loves, He chastens and scourges every son whom He receiveth. So the Lord comes after you. He knows where you are. He visits you. He corrects you with the chastening rod.

He comes to your rescue. You can see it in the case of Elijah. Elijah running from the threat of Jezebel. Jezebel saying that she was going to put Elijah to death.

And Elijah runs long distance and exhausted. He lays down under the juniper tree and says, Oh Lord, take me on. No need for me to be alive. I don't want that woman to kill me.

And Lord, you just take me before she gets me. Well, did the Lord ignore him? He might be disgusted with that. Out on a hike in the woods, he came across some preacher laying down under a bush saying, Oh Lord, take me on.

I don't want to live. You'd say, what a disgusting sight. But the Lord didn't do that. He came with an angel.

We believe the Lord Himself in the presence of an angel, the person of an angel. And He gave him something to eat. He was exhausted physically and he needed something to eat. And He gave him hope and encouragement. And let him know there was still work for him to do.

And in the book of Jonah chapter 3, we find in verse 1 that the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time. Jonah had been rebellious. He had done wrong. He had taken the wrong course of action. But God didn't leave him alone.

It went after him. He had gone down in the hole of the ship to go to sleep, but God knew where he was. And the word comes to him the second time. Aren't you glad that the word of God often comes the second time? Suppose God had just spoken to you once and then left you alone.

Where would you be today? But God has spoken to you repeatedly through His word and through the promptings of this Holy Spirit. Yes, He came to Jonah. And then Peter, that impetuous but brave, diligent disciple who declared, Lord, I'll be with Thee no matter what.

And then upon being confronted by a little maid who says, I think I recognize you. I believe you're one of the followers of Jesus. And he said three times, I am not. I don't know this man Jesus.

I don't know him. He denied him. And then Jesus looked at him through the crowd. And Peter saw the eyes of Jesus looking at him. No doubt he was crushed.

His heart was broken. But did Jesus deny Peter because Peter denied him? No, he sought him out.

And we find in John 21 verse 12, Jesus and the other disciples had been out fishing. And Jesus says, come and dine. Come and dine.

Come have breakfast with me. He didn't forget about Peter. He didn't reject him. But according to his great love, he welcomed him to have breakfast together. Now, his action we are to imitate. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 1 says, Be ye followers of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ has loved us. So we're to follow his example. We're to walk in love.

Have the greatest example. As we read in our scripture this morning from the second chapter of the book of Philippians, Jesus came humbling himself even to the death of the cross. We are to follow his example. And only in doing so can we have the kind of love and the unity that's described in that Philippian letter. We're to be his follower in love itself. Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says, But God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Aren't you glad to know that's the way it was? He died for us even though we were yet sinners. No righteousness to offer, no merit that we could plead. Violators of his law, totally ruined, lost, condemned, but he died for us. John 13 one says, Having loved his own, he loved them unto the end. In spite of all of their discrepancies, all of their misunderstandings, all of their faults, all of their doubts, all of the moments when they misinterpreted what Jesus had to say, he loved them unto the end.

We're to follow his example in love. Matthew chapter 5 verse 43, You have heard it said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you. Ooh, somebody says that's hard.

That's hard. I sometimes have a hard time praying for some of my friends when they upset me, but pray for my enemies? That's what Jesus taught us.

We're going to follow his example and we're going to do what he says. Pray for those that persecute you, that despitefully use you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, for he maketh his Son to rise on the evil and on the good. He sendeth the rain on the just and on the unjust, for if he love them which love you, what reward have you? Even the publicans do the same.

Person that doesn't even know God. They'll do that. They'll be kind to those that are kind to them. But he says, and if you salute your brethren only, what more? Others will do that.

Others, the publicans, they'll do that. I expect you to do better. Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. So if you're going to be like your heavenly Father, that means you're going to have to even do good to your enemies. To those who persecute you and despitefully use you, I will do good to them. I will be kind to them.

I will even pray for them. As much a challenge as that may appear to be, that's part of what true Christianity is about. And we are to be like him in forgiveness. Ephesians 4 31, Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. Be ye kind one to another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Forgiving one another. How is it you can forgive one another?

You say it's hard. I've been mistreated. How can I possibly forgive? Well then you consider the fact that God for Christ's sake had forgiven you. You didn't deserve to be forgiven, but he forgave you on the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the basis of his wonderful, amazing grace. In like manner, you can forgive others. Grace draws us to one another.

But you might ask the question, talking about praying even for our enemies, is there ever a time to quit? Well, Jesus covered that. Matthew chapter 7 verse 6, Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again, and rend you. In other words, if you're talking to somebody about that which is truth, that concerns the person and work of Jesus Christ, you present the gospel to somebody, and they show total disdain for it.

They speak disrespectfully of it. They show a total rejection of it. He says don't cast your pearls before the swine. And in the 14th verse he says, Whoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. But you want to be sure that you're not being rejected because of your spirit and your attitude, but because of the message itself. There's another place to stop. If you're going to confront somebody, but you're angry, stop.

Don't go. Look at James chapter 3 verse 13. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but from the holy, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

But now get the contrast. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure. First pure must be a wisdom that is possessed by a person who is living a godly life.

It is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and of good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy, and the fruit of righteousness is grown in peace of them that make peace. So if a person is all wrought up and angry and decides I'm going to go straighten somebody out, they need to stop. They need to change their attitude. They need to understand that that kind of wisdom is sensual, earthly, devilish, and that they must go with a peaceable, gentle spirit. And so, while in our human nature, we may think of many different reasons as to why we prefer just to be by ourself and not interact with people when so many problems can arise.

And it's such a challenge often to deal with difficulties. But if we're a follower of Jesus Christ, we're to love others even as he loved. We're to love one another.

Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. If you today are one that would have to recognize, yes, I'm one who has wandered from the Lord. I've grown cold spiritually.

I've neglected prayer. I've neglected the reading of his word, but I'll have to say God has come after me. May it be the time that you confess to him your waywardness, the fact that you have wandered and come back to him in confession, asking for forgiveness of sin, that the joy of your salvation might be restored.

If you're one who has never made a profession of faith, but you'd have to say, yes, the Lord has surely been coming after me. I've been having a sense of my own sin that I've never had before. I've been having a sense of my need of salvation that I never thought about that much. I realize that I need help. I point you to the only one that can help the fallen, ruined sinner, and that's Jesus Christ.

How good to know that he's one who came in love, humbled himself to the death of the cross, and by that perfect sacrifice, redeemed all who ultimately believe in him, and they will one day be housed with him in glory. I hope this message, considering one another, has been a help and a blessing to you. If it has, we'd like to hear from you. And if you can help us with the support of this work, we'll greatly appreciate it. You can make a donation by going to our website at BaptistBibleHour.org. Till next week at this same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. He whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSayer Bradley, Jr. Address all mail to the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve, because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come. I come.