When Personalities Collide

Just as no two snowflakes are alike, no two people are alike. We're all different, and that diversity adds a richness to life.

But it also adds a set of problems. When two people don't get along, even two Christians, what do you do? Today, a solution for those difficult people in your life and mine.

Stay with us. From Chicago, this is The Moody Church Hour, a weekly service of worship and teaching with Pastor Erwin Lutzer. Today, we'll hear the third of four messages on Christians in conflict.

Later in our broadcast, Erwin Lutzer will speak on what happens when personalities collide. Pastor Lutzer comes now to open today's service. We're so glad that you are with us today, and we do invite you to take your hymnals and turn to number 33, hymn number 33, Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.

Our scripture reading today is by Pastor Charles Butler. He is our pastor of shepherding and families, and once we stand to sing, we will continue to stand until the scripture has been read. We hope that you've spent some time this morning contemplating the Lord, praying, asking God to prepare your heart for today's worship, because we invite the blessed Holy Spirit of God to do among us what we cannot do, to come into our lives, to help us with discernment, with issues of sin, with issues of relationships, and above all, to teach us to worship acceptably through Jesus Christ our Lord.

It says in the book of Isaiah chapter 25 verse 1, Lord, you are my God. I will exalt you and praise you, for you have done wonderful things, things planned of old, and you are faithful, and so God is. Would you join me as we pray together, inviting the Spirit of God to lead us, and then we shall stand to sing hymn number 33, giving praise to God for who he is.

Please join me. Our Father, thank you for your love and for your grace. Thank you that we can be together to honor you.

And first and foremost, we are here for you and not ourselves. Help us to give thanks and praise to you, even as we sing as the great God, the invisible God, whom we love and worship in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen. Through his prophet Isaiah, the Lord God sends a message of encouragement to his people, a people who are earthbound, overwhelmed, discouraged, doubtful. Join me on the bold print as we read from Isaiah 40. To whom then will you compare me that I should be like him, says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on the high and see who created all these.

He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name. By the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. Have you not known?

Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary.

His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint. And to him who has no might, he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and cry. And young men shall fall exhausted. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. The Lord shall not be weary. He shall not be weary. He shall not be weary. He shall not be weary. He shall not be weary.

He shall not be weary. Who formed the stars above thy name? Who got the sky's gentle ray? Who humbled the sun and moon in space?

Who formed the sun and moon in space? Who formed the time in Who gave the breath of life to man? Who gave the song its sound and whispers to the heart? Who is the one who made the sound of night?

Who knows the dwelling place of light? Not a god of pain, not a silent soul, Not so brave an image made of blood. Who has drawn a new God's hand to you, God's soul? Who has drawn a new God's hand to you, God's soul? Our God is God. We are the words of his hand. He is Creator. He is Creator. He is Creator. He is Creator. He is Creator. He is Creator. He is Creator. He is Creator. He is Creator. Our God is entirely worthy.

Our God is God. Our greatest need is always to understand God better and to have a fresh revelation of who he is. Thank you so very, very much choir. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him on visions he below. Praise him above the individuals. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen. Speak, O Lord, as we come to you, to receive the food of your holy Word. Take your truth, plant it deep in us, shape and flesh us in your likeness. That the light of Christ might be seen today in our acts of love and our need of faith. Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us all your purposes for your glory. Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds, help us grasp the highs of your plans for us. Truths unchanged from the dawn of time that will echo down through eternity. And my grace will stand on your promises and my faith will fall as you walk with us. Speak, O Lord, till your church is filled and the earth is filled with your glory. Have you ever wondered what God is doing in your life if you are a Christian?

Well, I can tell you today what he is doing. He is trying to reproduce in you some of the characteristics of Jesus. We can't have them all, but we can have some of them, like love and forgiveness and patience and faith. And so God is reproducing all that in our lives. And he does it in two different ways.

First of all, through circumstances which we can't control, sickness and a whole host of other things that are beyond the bounds of your ability to control. And secondly, people, sometimes difficult people. Talking about the person who plays the stereo too loud in your condo right next to you so that your walls shake too. Talking about the coworker who lied and betrayed you at work.

Talking about the colleague who always needs to have things come out his way or her way. And they are totally insensitive to your own needs and to your own concerns. Those are the kinds of people we're talking about. We're talking about the relatives who chiseled you out of your inheritance. The people who do you in, the people who don't even like you, who always are trying to get one up on you. Maybe your husband, maybe your wife, who has turned out to be an enemy.

That's who we're talking about. Anybody ever meet somebody like that? And maybe the person who is sitting in your chair is someone just like that. Have you ever wondered why it is that the people don't change? Why don't people just shape up and change? The answer is that most of those people I've just been describing think that they are perfectly fine, thank you very much. Those relatives who do you in, they think to themselves they're being much more gracious to you than you deserve. They are right, they think to themselves. So that's why change is so difficult.

Believe me ladies, the only time you can change a man is when he's a baby. So keep that in mind. Now today we're going to be talking about difficult people. And what I have to say is going to be very difficult.

It is going to be so countercultural, so counterintuitive, so against our nature that some of you are going to say I can't even touch this because it's beyond what I'm able to do and so it is. That's why we need the fullness of the Spirit. That's why we need the Holy Spirit to help us obey God's Word today in a very radical way.

But after we've obeyed God's Word, God is going to prove his Word to be right. And I want you to write me a letter later telling me how God changed your life as a result of this message. Because we need God's help, would you join me one more time in prayer because only God can help us do what God requires us to do. Father we ask in Jesus' name, make these transforming moments we pray. We ask that as we think about what your Word tells us to do, enable us to do it.

Resolve tension. Bring people into deliverance. May they not be overcome by evil, but may they overcome evil with good. But we need your help in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. The passage of Scripture is the 12th chapter of the book of Romans, Romans chapter 12. I'm beginning today in verse 13 and very quickly all this is still by way of introduction. Paul is talking to the people in Rome through the book of Romans and if you are here today without a Bible, your pew Bible, it's page 948.

948. Because today we're going to walk through the Scriptures and I'm simply going to expound them to you and let the Word do the work. That's what we want to let God do through his Word.

He begins in verse 9 actually, Romans chapter 12 verse 9. Let love be genuine. Love is the great hallmark of the Christian because if you can't love, you must not be saved. Love is what takes us from being self-absorbed to other people absorbed.

It transfers our focus from ourselves to others and the willingness to sacrifice for them. And the actual Greek text says let love be without hypocrisy. I like that better than even the word sincere though of course that is the meaning. Let it be without hypocrisy.

We've all met people who aren't good but it is very important for them to appear good. So what Paul is saying here is be sure that it's the kind of love that isn't simply of the token kind so that you can ease your conscience but inwardly you don't love at all. Let love be without hypocrisy. Spoke last time about those who think there are too many hypocrites in the church. If you ever find somebody who says oh there are too many hypocrites in your church say come and join us. There's always room for one more.

That would be one way to handle it. So he says let love be without hypocrisy, hate what is evil, abhor what is evil. That's a sermon in itself I must hurry over it except to say that by nature we don't abhor what is evil. And television has desensitized us so that we don't hate what is evil at all. In fact we may even accept what is evil. How can you abhor that which is evil when your nature loves it? You can't wake up in the morning and say well today I'm going to begin to abhor what is evil. That is something that God births in our hearts by giving us a passion for Jesus that is greater than our passion to sin. You'll never overcome sin unless you love Jesus more than you do your sin. So we should abhor what is evil.

Here's Alexander Pope who says vice is a monster of so frightful mean as to be hated needs but to be seen yet seem too oft familiar with face. First we endure then we pity then we embrace. Abhor what is evil. Only God can do that in our hearts. And then he says cling to what is good.

Alright all that by way of introduction. We're talking about difficult people. We're talking about human relationships that are going nowhere. We're talking about living with people who always want to take advantage of us. People who whenever you tell them something they want to take what you have told them and twisted a half turn.

We're talking about people like that. How do we handle them? Are you ready? Are you ready for what God has to say about those kinds of people? In other words what God may be saying about you.

Are you ready? Let's begin. There are three qualities that we have to have that Jesus had that will give us the grace to be able to deal with people like that. First of all the power the power of blessing.

You'll notice now Paul is broadening it in verse 14 and he says bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse them. The power of blessing those who are regarded as our enemies or difficult people. To bless means that I affirm them. I may not affirm everything that they have done but I affirm them as individuals. To bless means that I connect with them. To bless means that I am willing to give of myself.

I'm willing to accept them. And we begin the idea of blessing within our families. When you have children who are acting out.

When you have problems with young women. Like someone said here in Chicago who owns a joint where young women dance for men. He said they are dancing for the fathers whom they did not have. Mike Singletary asks all those in prison to whom he speaks. How many of you had a good relationship with your father? He says at one point that he has not yet seen a single hand raised. You see if you grew up with a dad who always judged you. A dad whom you could never please.

What you'll discover is that you may become a workaholic just to kind of prove who you are. Because you've been missing your father's blessing. So within our families we bless one another. We bless them.

But also we bless our friends. Those who know me well will attest to the fact that about 90% of the time I say to people. God bless you. I say this in stores. I say this to people at the checkout counter. All of the human relationships I almost always say to them. God bless you. Most of the time they say well God bless you too or else they say thanks.

We live in a world that needs blessing. Let me tell you a story. This past week I flew to Chattanooga and I caught a cab to the airport.

12 to 15 minutes at the most with this driver. Had never seen him before. We talked about Iraq. Then he told me that he was in the Vietnam War. And he said in war you just have to blow people away.

You can't have any pity. He says I killed Viet Cong. He said I went into this village because I was a gunner. They shot at me and I said you shoot at me I'll shoot at you. And he said I mowed the whole village down. Everyone in the village and he described it. And then he surprised me by saying and he says you know what the worst part of it all was?

And I said what? He said I love doing it. He said they wanted to kill me so I wanted to kill them. And he's describing what he did and I asked how many he killed and I won't tell you the number.

But it was a very very high number according to his estimate. By now we're almost at O'Hare Airport and so I said to him did this affect your relationship with your family when you got back? Oh yeah he said I was mean. He said I didn't want anyone to talk with me. He said I never beat them but I'd wake up in the night hearing shells in my dreams falling close to me and detonating. And he said it really affected me.

Alright by now we are at O'Hare. I said to him before I got out of the car I said has anyone ever prayed for you? Now he didn't have to go to the trunk because I just had a very small thing with me. And he said no nobody's ever prayed for me. I said you know what this is your day.

I'm sitting at the back he's sitting at the front. I put my hand on his shoulder and I prayed for him like obviously he had never been prayed for before. I asked God to bless him. I asked God to show him that he cared about him. That God was available to him to help him. I mean I prayed everything I could.

When I was finished he thanked me twice. Folks we live in a broken world out there. We live in a world that is so tragic and so broken. Why don't we become agents of blessing? Now Jesus said obviously that you should bless your families you should bless friends but you should also bless your enemies.

Notice he says bless and curse not. How do you bless the person that you're having such a hard time getting along with? What you do is you say to them you know I have been praying for you and I'd like to know how I can pray for you better that God would bless you.

Is there any request that you can share with me so that I can pray God's blessing upon your life? That's the way in which you handle difficult people. You pray that God will bless them and then you do good things for them. That's exactly what Jesus said in a passage that we discussed not too long ago when he says do good to those who persecute you. Bless those who curse you and you begin to do good things to those who are regarded as your enemies to those who have been doing you in. And that's the way in which you live because that's the way Jesus lived and that's the way God is. Bible says that he sends his reign upon the just and the unjust and gives blessing to all and that's the way in which we become children who are like our Heavenly Father.

And like Jesus who on the cross said father forgive them for they know not what they do. We bless and we do not curse. By the way I've sometimes done this with waitresses too. Wish I had enough nerve to do it more often but I will say after they say now that you have your food is there anything else I can do for you? I'll say you know in a moment we're going to pray. Is there anything can we include you in the prayers? Is there anything that we can pray for you about?

I remember one woman who broke out in tears. You know our world is so harsh let us be people who bless and not curse. I think of my friend who works in Europe with Muslim people. He received a letter from a Muslim who said cursed be your wife, cursed be you, cursed be your family, cursed be your car, cursed be your home. And he wrote back and said blessed be you, blessed be your wife, blessed be your home, blessed be everything that pertains to you. Jesus said bless and do not curse. The power of blessing. Secondly the power of humility. That's what I've called verses 15 and 16. You'll notice it says rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, live in harmony with one another, do not be haughty but associate with the lowly, never be conceited. The word humility does not occur there but that's the whole idea in those two verses.

First of all it means that we connect with people. Pride is something that we see very clearly in the lives of others but we do not see pride in our own life. It is very difficult to detect.

It always is beneath the radar. In fact I have a wonderful sermon on humility. It's a great sermon and I'm waiting for a crowd big enough to preach it to. Yesterday I took time to walk along Wells Street because the art fair is there and I saw a guy with a t-shirt who said I'm very wonderful. Now I'm going to ask you a question. Who do you think bought that t-shirt?

I venture to say he bought it all by himself. It means we connect with others. We rejoice with those who rejoice which is very difficult to do. To weep with those who weep that's even the unsaved can weep with those who weep.

But can we rejoice with those who rejoice? Somebody who's always been a little bit uppity in relationship to you. A little bit bragging. You know and we've all met people like that. They're like a cowboy I once knew in Texas.

He was all hat and no cows. We've all met people like that and then suddenly they get a windfall. You know they call you on the phone and they say you know my uncle died and I just inherited two million dollars. I just learned and they say let's go celebrate. Let's go to McDonald's and celebrate. Then you go with them to McDonald's and they expect you to pay for your own burger. Can you rejoice with them?

Oh that's difficult to do. The Bible says rejoice with those who rejoice. I've always prayed that God would enable me to rejoice over those who are more successful than I. And imagine when we get to heaven Jonathan Edwards says we are going to be so free of envy that when we see those above us in the kingdom we will rejoice as if their exaltation were our own. Humility means that we rejoice with those who rejoice and we weep with those who weep.

And we are not conceited. We read the text here and we associate with those who are lowly. In the early church slavery was still a problem. But one of the things that the church insisted on was that the slaves sit with the owners in the same bench.

Because they knew that to make a distinction was unscriptural. That's why James says if somebody comes into your assembly and he's got all kinds of gold chains and he's living large. You don't put him in a special category.

No, no, no, no. He sits with the rest. It means impartiality. How does humility help us to get along with one another? Humility makes us realize that we do not have to insist upon our rights. We give up our right even to happiness. We give up our right to be somebody. We give up our right to be noticed and to be recognized. And we give all of those rights over to God and we no longer have them.

And that enables us to have a different kind of relationship with people. Because we are now no longer obsessed with fairness. You see it is fairness that makes us so angry. Because we feel as if it isn't fair. This isn't fair. That isn't fair.

He gets that. Fair, fair, fair, fair. When we are finally broken before God and totally humble we realize something that grace isn't fair. The fact that God loved us so much and forgave all of our sins, that isn't fair. And therefore because grace isn't fair we're willing to live with unfairness and we're not obsessed with the need to make sure that we get our piece of the pie. Because we are content with who we are and our relationship with God. We fight for fairness on the part of others but we ourselves are not obsessed with the need of our own need to be treated fairly. That's the way we get along with one another and God helps us in the process. We think of Jesus, you know the Bible says that God humbled himself and yet man remains proud. So what is God trying to do?

He's trying to help us get over the idea that we have rights that we need to hang on to. I told you years ago about a woman who came to see me buckets full, buckets full of papers. Trying to prove that one of the hospitals here in the area had been guilty of malpractice and that's why her mother died. How many years ago did this happen?

Seven. I've been to all these attorneys, these attorneys, these attorneys but maybe you as a pastor could help me. Lady, maybe the hospital is as guilty as you think it is but give it up. Life is passing you by. Move on. And as we shall see in a moment we don't have to reconcile all of these things in this life.

So hang on. First of all we have the power of blessing, secondly the power of humility, thirdly the power of faith. Now the word faith doesn't occur in verse 17 and following but you'll see in a moment why I have labeled it faith. You need faith to be able to obey this. It says repay no one evil for evil but give thought to what is honorable in the sight of all.

If possible so far as it depends on you live peaceably with all. Beloved never avenge yourselves but leave it to the wrath of God. For it is written vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord.

Wow. Faith. Why faith? Faith means that I don't have to get vengeance. Faith means I don't have to even the score. I don't have to say you know you did me this evil and so I'll show you a thing or two and I'll do this evil back. Faith means that I can entrust God to even the score and I don't need to settle these disputes because vengeance belongs to God. In the Old Testament where it says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth it says that because it wanted to limit vengeance. And by the way that was not a personal thing that you were supposed to do that was part of civic law because when you have someone who deliberately pokes out your eye what do you want to do?

You're absolutely insistent that you poke out both of his eyes and do a whole lot more. There's something within us that desires vengeance and vengeance belongs to God and not to you. You commit it to the Lord and you walk away free. Two examples from scripture. Joseph as you know was a man of God who understood the providence of God.

He knew that the evil that his brothers had done against him would be used for good. After his dad dies this is in the 50th chapter of Genesis. We have the brothers coming to Joseph and they say oh you know we're afraid. The Bible says they were so afraid that Joseph would take out vengeance on them finally.

Now that dad is dead we'll even the score. So they come to him and they say you know our father before he died says that you shouldn't repay us because of the evil that we've done. Joseph breaks out weeping the Bible says when he heard it he wept.

Why? He wept because he thought to himself you mean even at this point my brothers still think that I'm the kind of person who's going to mete out vengeance who's going to even the score. And he was terribly hurt and then he said these words. Am I in the place of God for you? What Joseph is saying is look if I were to even the score and take out vengeance. I'd be doing God's work. I'd be saying God you're not doing anything so you move over you're too slow years go by and you're not doing anything about this situation. So I'm taking it into my hands and I'm finally setting the record straight. Joseph said I won't do that because I'd be doing what belongs to God. Vengeance the text says is mine. You do not repay evil for evil you leave it to God and you trust him and that's where faith comes in.

It's an old story. But I've had women come to me and say so you expect me to get rid of my bitterness toward my husband. Here he divorced me he leaves me with the kids I've got two jobs to keep things together.

He's down in Florida somewhere has a good job won't make child payments. And now you expect me to be the one to release all that bitterness to God. Where is justice? Isn't that what we want? Of course we want it and God has built the desire for justice within our hearts.

Our hearts cry out where is justice? And for years I didn't know how to answer that until I had the insight from 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 23 which you've heard me quote many times regarding Jesus who when he was reviled reviled not again. When he suffered he uttered no threats. He didn't say now wait till I'm in charge I'm going to blow you guys away.

Am I ever going to even this score? He uttered no threats. But what did he do? Did he give up his desire for justice?

No. He kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously. Jesus said I can endure this injustice because I know that there's a time when my case will be tried by the Supreme Court. And I can trust my father in the end to do right by me.

My friend you do not have to even the score. Your desire for justice is well founded but what you need to do is to be sure to give yourself fully and totally to God and to trust him that's where faith comes in that he will do what you're not supposed to. Let God be God. Let me nail this down now in our relationships as we think about the power of blessing the power of humility and then the power of faith.

First keep this in mind. God has a reason for your conflict. God has a reason for your conflict. God wants to reproduce in us those qualities that Jesus had so he has to put us through some of the experiences that Jesus had. A man once asked a sculptor how do you make an elephant?

The sculptor said it's not hard at all. All that you do is you take a block of marble and then you chip away everything that isn't elephant. What is God doing?

He's chipping away everything that isn't Jesus and he's molding us into his image. And difficult people do that best in our lives. If I had more time I could give you illustrations of this.

Secondly keep this in mind. God has a reason for your conflict. And secondly our treatment of others is based on God's treatment of us. Our treatment of others is based on God's treatment of us.

What does the Bible say in Ephesians 4? Be tenderhearted forgiving one another even as God in Christ has forgiven you. Has God forgiven you much? Is there anyone here today who says yes God has forgiven me much. My hand is raised.

What about yours? He has forgiven us so many times even the same sins over and over again. We knew better.

We despised him by doing our own thing. He has forgiven us and forgiven us and forgiven us. And now why are you so stingy when it comes to forgiving others who have hurt you? You see the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ gave himself up for us. And if you're here today and you've never received his grace and his love understand that he died for sinners. So that if we stop trusting ourselves and we trust only in Jesus that we can be forgiven and we can experience grace. And because we can experience grace we can now dish it out liberally. And love covers a multitude of sins. Finally, the final resolution of conflict is God's business. The final resolution of conflict is God's business.

Now the Bible says as much as lies within you. Verse 18 live peaceably with all. Can you live peaceably with everybody?

No. There are all kinds of people you can't live peaceably with. There are people who refuse to make peace. There are people who make false accusations. There are people who if you tried to make peace would use it against you to control you.

There are all kinds of people you cannot have peace with. But as much as lies in you so far as your side of the ledger is concerned. Do what you possibly can.

And then what do you do? You trust God and you believe that in the final judgment God is going to make it right and all the truth is going to come out and you're willing to trust him for the final resolution. Here are two people both of whom claim to be Christians.

Let us suppose. And here's a man who leaves his wife, divorces her, goes with another woman and they are separated. There's all kind of bitterness. There's not a reconciliation.

There's no justice in terms of payments. All of those ugly situations. They both die. Do you think that when they get to heaven God is going to say, well you know the blood of Christ forgives everybody's sin. You're a Christian. She's a Christian. Now is the time for you to walk into heaven happily. Hold hands and we'll just pretend bygones are bygones.

Not at all. That's what the judgment seat of Jesus Christ is for. It's to resolve unresolved issues. There at the judgment seat everything is going to be drawn out. Everything is going to be dragged out. Justice is going to be brought to that situation before they are allowed to enter into heaven permanently. That's why the justice of God is going to be manifest at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ.

When we shall all receive the Bible says based on the deeds done in the body whether they be good or evil. In the case of Christians that's what will happen. And then they will go into heaven permanently and eternally. But what about the unsaved? They are going to have to bear their own sin. And they will bear that for all of eternity. If you're here today and have never trusted Christ as savior.

You've never believed on him. Just understand that you are not under the protection of Jesus Christ from God's wrath and from God's justice. And God is an avenger for those who do not know him personally. And what will happen is every sin every transgression is going to be part of the final evaluation. And at that great day called the great white throne judgment you will stand there bearing your own sin and your own iniquity. That's why it's so important for you to flee today to Jesus. Because when you receive him as savior God's vengeance has been received by Jesus and you are exempt. That is the good news of the gospel.

And that's a good place for this text to end. You see the Bible says this in Romans chapter 12. It ends by saying in verse 21 do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. Did you know that if you're a vengeful person you have been overcome by evil. You've conquered.

Evil has conquered you. Today I encourage you to give up your vengeance. If you've never received Jesus Christ as savior you receive his forgiveness and then you begin to forgive all of the hurts, all of the anxieties, all of the concerns that you have today.

And if you are a believer how could I put this more strongly? Having bitterness and anger in our hearts does more to hinder the work of the Holy Spirit than anything else. So I conclude today by saying to you give it up, lay it down and be free in Jesus.

Let's pray. Our Father we want to thank you today for the fact that you have rebuked us today. You have reminded us that the people that are brought into our lives that are difficult are there for a purpose to make us more like Jesus.

And we've rebelled and we've been angry and we have lashed out and we've been filled with rage and we are obsessed with fairness and justice and you're saying let me take charge of all of that. We ask oh Lord that you shall grant us the grace to do that in your love and mercy. And for those who are here who have never trusted Christ as savior we pray that they might do that. Before I close this prayer now what is it that you need to say to God?

You talk to him now because he's listening. Father whatever you've begun to do make us follow through with it we pray. A brief prayer probably is not sufficient but it can be the beginning point when we say oh Lord today we get rid of the bitterness we get rid of the vengeful spirit and we want to walk in the freedom of Jesus. Grant that we ask in your holy name. Amen.

Amen. Well let's sing all three stanzas of 551. 551. The standard for how to deal with personal conflict is our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh to be like thee.

551. Let's all stand to sing and Jerry you come to lead us. On today's Moody Church Hour Pastor Lutzer spoke on When Personalities Collide the third in his four-part series on Christians in Conflict. What do you do when church and state are at loggerheads?

Do you obey the law or follow the teachings of scripture? Next week join us as our focus turns to what happens when loyalties collide. Sometimes we make bad decisions but God can meet us in our need even when we choose the second best. Pastor Lutzer has written a book on Making the Best of a Bad Decision. It Can Be Yours is our thank you for your gift of any amount to The Moody Church Hour. Call 1-800-215-5001 That's 1-800-215-5001 Or you can write to us at Moody Church Media 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60614 Online go to moodyoffer.com That's moodyoffer.com When you write or call mention the book Making the Best of a Bad Decision. Join us next week for another Moody Church Hour with Pastor Erwin Lutzer and the Congregation of Historic Moody Church in Chicago. This broadcast is a ministry of The Moody Church.