ROM. 16:17-19 “MARKED PEOPLE”
A) This may seem a bit harsh, but there are some people the church don’t need!
* You may say, “Preacher, we need every member we have ... We need the help of everyone.”
* That is very true ... But we need the help of everyone whose heart is right with God and wants
to help the church, not hurt it!
* Let’s face it ... There are some people that the church would be better off without!
B) Phil. 3:18 “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even .......”
* Paul said in his day that there were some who lived in such a way as to be enemies of the cross!
* Who are the enemies of the cross? * In the context of this Scripture, they are the hypocritical
and false believers within the church! (And I can say that we have had some in the past)
* Now ... If one is an enemy of the cross, he’s an enemy of the church, and the church would be
better off without such enemies! * I hope that none of you comes under this heading .......
* If so, I pray before this day is over, you will get right with God and man, and become the person
the church needs ... A person whose life glorifies God!
C) Back to our text ... “Mark them ...” * Let’s look first at the meaning of the word “mark.”
* The Greek word is skopeo and means to take aim, to keep one’s eye on, to look at, to focus upon.
* The Bible also says that we are to avoid them ... But who is it that we are to mark and avoid?
* It’s the divisive person himself who is to be marked and avoided!
D) He is to be turned away from, avoided, not just his sin, but himself!
* We are not to have anything to do with a divisive person! * WHY?
* Because we may give the appearance of approving what he is doing ... Or we may run the risk of
being influenced and stumbling over what he says or does! * With that in mind ...
E) Let us look at some kinds of people today who need to be marked and avoided .......
(1) THOSE WHOSE LIVES ARE SINFUL! * Text: “... offences contrary to the doctrine ...”
A) They bring reproach on the name of the Lord and the church!
* They testify to the world that Christ and the church have done nothing for them!
* If you’re a member of this church and you’re committing open sin, you’re hurting the church!
* The lost is looking for an excuse not to get saved or come to church!
* He wants to justify his sin, so he measures himself by the church member who is not living
right and he says, “I’m just as good as they are.”
B) We are the only Gospel this world will ever read – 2 Cor 3:2 “Ye are our epistle written ...”
* The lost look for Christ in our lives, and if they see sin instead of Christ, Christ is hurt and the
church is hurt too!
* It’s a sad day that we are living in when Christians are not living up to the name of Christian!
* You do know that the name Christian means Christ-like, don’t you?
C) Let me illustrate ... Here’s a man who boasts that he is a church member!
* But in business, he puts over a shady deal ... At the cocktail party he drinks like everyone else.
* On the golf course he uses profanity and bets on the game. (On and on I could go)
* The church would be better off without those whose lives are sinful!
* No church member is perfect, but many are striving to be – Matt. 5:48 “Be ye therefore ...”
(2) THOSE WHO INDULGE IN CRITICISM! * Destructive and constructive criticism!
A) Let me illustrate the difference between destructive criticism and constructive criticism!
* When one person feels there is something wrong in the church, he calls another member off
to the side and harshly criticizes ... That’s destructive criticism ... The kind the devil likes.
* But another person, having the same feeling, keeps quiet about it.
* Then they go to the pastor and talk it over in a sweet Christian spirit with him and they pray
about it ... That is constructive criticism and it leaves no scars!
B) However ... It seems that some people are in the church, not for a blessing, not for help, but
to find something that they can criticize!
* The church is not perfect ... The pastor, deacons, staff, choir ... But neither are you!
* But why go around talking about the splinter in someone else’s eye when you have a big piece
of lumber in your own?
C) Some people are happy to work for the Lord while others love to criticize them!
* It’s a dangerous thing to criticize your church ... Your pastor ... Or other members!
* You wouldn’t like it if someone criticized your child who is dear to you, now would you?
* Well, the church is the dearest thing on earth to Christ.
* When you criticize, you’re not pleasing Jesus and He’ll not hold you guiltless!
(3) THOSE WHO ARE MEAN, SELFISH AND STINGY!
A) Isn’t it a pity that a man who has been bought by the blood of Jesus .......
* And been saved from hell, can be mean, selfish and stingy with his church?
* Some people seem to have this motto: “Me first ... Myself next ... And if there’s anything left,
I’ll take it.” * PEOPLE ROB GOD!
* “Preacher, you preach on tithing and giving too much!” * So did Jesus, so live with it!
B) You’re paying for things that you possess with money that you’ve stolen from God!
* A man has a right to the good things of life that he has worked for: Home, Car, Vacations ...
* But he has no right to acquire these things at the expense of God’s tithes!
* Some people put money in the offering plate with a grudge and sing that old hymn, “When we
asunder part, it gives us inward pain.”
* Illustration: Store across the street from the church ... Man went and got change for a dime.
(4) LAZY PEOPLE! * An ox and a mule worked together .......
A) One day the ox decided that he wouldn’t work, so he stayed in the barn!
* That night he said to the mule, “Did the boss say anything about my not working today?”
* And the mule answered, “No, he didn’t say anything about your not working, but he had a long
talk with the butcher on the way home.”
B) Even God can’t use lazy people ... God uses people that are willing to work!
* Check the Bible and you’ll find that He called only the busy people into His service!
* Lazy people are the castaways of the Kingdom of God ... Prov. 19:24 “A slothful man hideth his
hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.”
* What a picture of a man who is even too lazy to feed himself!
C) Some people are too lazy to get up on Sunday morning and go to church!
* Some are too lazy to attend prayer meeting on Wednesday night!
* They are too lazy to do anything for God or for others!
* You can never grow a great church on lazy people!
D) We are all saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our church’s most valuable
members ....... Someone Else!
* Someone’s passing created a vacancy that will be difficult to fill.
* Else has been with us for many years, and for every one of those years, Someone did far more
than a normal person’s share of the work.
* Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well
as results: “Oh, Someone Else can work with that group, Preacher.”
E) Whenever there was a job to do, one name was on everyone’s lists ... Someone Else!
* “Let Someone Else do it,” was a common statement heard throughout the church.
* It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the largest givers in the church.
* Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the
difference.
F) Someone Else was a wonderful person, sometimes appearing superhuman; but a person can
only do so much! * Were the truth known, everybody expected too much of Someone Else!
* Now Someone Else is gone ... We wonder what we are going to do.
* Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it?
* Who is going to do the things Someone Else did?
* Remember, we can’t depend on Someone Else anymore! * Mark lazy people .......
(5) GOSSIPERS! * It seems that we always have these people with us!
A) They gladly pick up a little gossip, roll it over their tongue a few times, enlarge it, and then
send it on its way! * They never check to see if it’s the truth, they just send the gossip rolling!
B) Gossipers need to get their heart right with God ... AMEN!
* “Well Preacher, what about so and so, you’ve heard what they did ... It was so wrong.”
* What should be the Christian attitude and thing to do? * Should we be silent or should we tell
someone else about it? * Let’s see what the Word of God says ... Gal. 6:1 “Brethren, if a ...”
(6) OVERLY SENSITIVE PEOPLE! * Every church has these kind of members!
A) There are some people who are mature in age, who are suppose to have good sense .......
* Yet we are forced to walk on pins and needles lest we say something that will hurt their feelings!
* I can preach to 60 people and it’ll be all right with 58 or 59 of them ... But one or two will swell
up, get his feelings hurt and become angry, and stay out of church until he’s petted back in!
B) Do you know Brother and Sister Hurt-Felling? * I’ve known a bunch of them!
* One lady said to me one time, “I can’t get my husband to come to church with me ... His
feelings were hurt in church when he was young.”
* Many people who ought to be serving the Lord are doing nothing because their feelings were
hurt 25 years ago ... WHAT A SHAME!!!
C) When they get to heaven Christ will say to them, “Why didn’t you serve Me?”
* And they’ll say, “Lord, I got my feelings hurt.” * And the Lord will show them His scars in His
hands and feet and say, “So did I, but I didn’t quit!” * And they will be filled with shame!
(7) UNFAITHFUL PEOPLE! * Let’s define the word “Unfaithful:”
A) Disloyal ... Untrustworthy ... Inaccurate ... Not observant of vows, allegiance, or duty!
* You see a death notice in the paper which reads like this ... “Mr. so and so died late Tuesday
afternoon. Funeral services at 2:00 PM Thursday. He was a member at RLCC.”
* And you say, “That’s certainly a surprise to me, I’ve never seen him at church .......”
* And his church membership card is taken from the inactive file and placed in the deceased file.
* The church never misses him ... After all, when you lose nothing, you miss nothing!
B) The way to be a good witness and a good church member is to be faithful!
* Some people cannot preach or sing in the choir or do special singing in front of people.
* But every single one of us can be faithful ... That’s where God’s reward comes in .......
* Rev. 2:10 “... be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
CLOSE
A) Two brothers fought side by side in WWI ... And in a fierce battle, one of them was wounded
and laid on the ground!
* His brother begged the captain for permission to go out and get him, but the captain said, “No,
you would probably be killed.” * “But he expects me to come out,” replied the soldier.
* “All right, go ahead,” said the captain ... The man crawled out and got his brother and brought
him back to the trench.
B) The captain said, “I told you is was of no use, he’s dead.”
* “Yes sir,” said the soldier, “but he was alive when I reached him and when I crawled up beside
him he said, ‘Tom, I knew you would come, I just felt sure you would come.’”
* “Captain, I did what was expected of me and I would have been ashamed if I hadn’t.”
C) Christian, someone is expecting something of you ... Your Pastor, your friends .......
* But especially your Savior ... He is expecting you to do your very best for Him!
* Then when He sees you at the end of the way, it will be worth it all to hear Him say .......
* “My child, I counted on you and you didn’t disappoint Me ... Well done .......”
