Slide 1) Almost three decades ago, Christine Tolbert Norman watched as her father, the president of Liberia, and 16 members of his cabinet, get tied up and machine-gunned to death by a group of drunken solders. Then, along with her mother and rest of her family, they were placed under house arrest for a period until they escaped to another county.
After she was married, she and her husband began attending a Bible Study and was introduced to a ministry that taught her how to truly be free from sin and hatred and other soul binding powers. It helped her begin the process of forgiveness toward those who had murdered her father.
While this was going on, the leaders of her native Liberia, concluded that the problems of their county needed more than a political or military solution, it needed a spiritual solution. Christine felt that what she had learned was the answer.
So a process was begun and nearly 15 years after the brutal murder of their President, Christian believers as well as national leaders at all levels of government and society came together and confessed and repented of their role and complicity in the murders that had been committed.
As I read and pondered this story, one thought was, ‘I cannot relate to Christine. I have never personally experienced such violence and hatred in my life. I am not sure if I would have the desire to make peace with those who did this to my father and family.’
Another thought was, ‘Christine is a much greater believer than I could ever be. She is a saint.’ A third thought was, ‘Only God could make such a reconciliation happen, not me. Look what God can do if we allow Him to have His way!’
A final thought is embodied in the title of my sermon, ‘Peacemaking is an inside out job.’ It has to begin within each human being and then move outward into the web and community of relationships each human being is a part of.
We have spent this first month of 2009 looking at the following aspects of Biblical peacemaking. (Slide 2)
• Understand the difference between peacemaking and peacekeeping
(Slide 3)
• Practice the Biblical pattern of reconciliation
(Slide 4)
• Discern the nature of conflict
Today, we conclude this portion of our series with this aspect of peacemaking (Slide 5)
• Accept that peacemaking is an ‘inside out’ process
Our main text for this morning is Matthew 7:1-5: (Slide 6) Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. 2For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged.
(Slide 7) And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4How can you think of saying, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?
(Slide 8) 5Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Now this is a very well known and oft quoted passage of scripture. It is also part of the ‘inside outness’ of peacemaking.
Now to understand it correctly a couple of observations need to be made. First, Jesus is not telling His audience (and us) to suspend all judgment. What He is telling His audience (and us) to stop is our biting and unfair criticism of others.
Second, Jesus says that if you want to get along, then treat others as you would want to be treated because the measure (or the kind and type) of criticism you use will be used on you in return.
Then Jesus’ gives an exaggerated perspective on unfair and unjust criticism that is designed to help us clarify our own blind spots with regard to our attitudes; our frame of reference. Basically, He says this: ‘Why are you all bent out of shape over this issue? Stop for a moment and take a second look.
What is the issue here? What is it that makes you so upset? Take a look at your heart, do an attitude check first. Is this really so important to get so worked up over? Listen buster, deal with your side of the street first and then help, if you can, the other side of the street.’
Steven Covey illustrates this passage so well with a story that is worth remembering. He recalls riding on the New York subway one Sunday morning. It was a quiet time with many simply reading the paper, resting, or thinking quietly to themselves.
But the quiet was shatter when a man and his children entered the car Covey was sitting in. The man sat down and appeared impervious to the noisy and rambunctious children who began to disturb the other passengers.
After a few moments Covey could take it no longer. He turned to the man and said, ‘Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn’t control them a little more?’
It brought the man back to consciousness of the situation Covey goes on to say, which caused the father to say, ‘Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital an hour ago where their mother died. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.’ Covey goes onto say that he saw and experienced the situation from an entirely different perspective after than and sought to help the man.
I think this is what Jesus is getting at in our main text this morning. And to me I think that Covey took the log out of his own eye as he tried to make peace on that noisy subway car.
As we work at and toward peacemaking, it requires us to examine our two by fours: our attitudes, our mindset, our prejudices as we begin to try and make peace with another person or group of people.
This important introspection; this critical part of the inside out process of peacemaking, is part of a process called ‘The Four G’s’ by Peacemaker Ministries.
The first ‘G’ is (Slide 9) Glorify God
In 1 Corinthians 10 Paul addresses the issue of conflict when it comes to personal and sensitive issues. In Paul’s writing it deals with an issue, I think we would have trouble relating to these days, the eating of meat that offered to idols. (For us today the equivalent would be something like drinking or not drinking alcohol.)
In the midst of his discussion, Paul drops this important point of reference, chapter 10 verse 31, ‘Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God.’
This is a valuable and necessary point of reference because it forces us to examine our motives as to the disagreement or conflict and as to our motive in the peacemaking process. In other words, if we truly seek to glorify God, then we must slow down and prayerfully examine our attitudes and actions and seek to bring them in line with what Christ would have us say and do. We are going to ask ourselves, ‘How am I going to honor God in this situation? How am I going to seek the well being of others so they do not get hung up on this issue as well?’
(Slide 9a) The next ‘G’ is Get the Log Out of Your Own Eye.
Ken Sande writes, ‘There are generally two kinds of "logs" you need to look for when dealing with conflict. First, you need to ask whether you have had a critical, negative, or overly sensitive attitude that has led to unnecessary conflict. One of the best ways to do this is to spend some time meditating on Philippians 4:2-9, which describes the kind of attitude Christians should have even when they are involved in a conflict.’
Here is what Philippians 4:2-9 says, ‘And now I want to plead with those two women, Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.’
Then, Sande writes, ‘The second kind of log you must deal with is actual sinful words and actions. Because you are often blind to your own sins, you may need an honest friend or advisor who will help you to take an objective look at yourself and face up to your contribution to a conflict.’
(Slide 9b) Gently Restore is the third ‘G.’ What does it mean to gently restore someone? An example is given in the books of 1st and 2nd Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul addresses the issue of an incestuous relationship in the church. Halfway through verse 1 and following we read:
‘I am told that you have a man in your church who is living in sin with his father’s wife. 2And you are so proud of yourselves! Why aren’t you mourning in sorrow and shame? And why haven’t you removed this man from your fellowship? 3Even though I am not there with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. Concerning the one who has done this, I have already passed judgment 4in the name of the Lord Jesus. You are to call a meeting of the church, and I will be there in spirit, and the power of the Lord Jesus will be with you as you meet. 5 Then you must cast this man out of the church and into Satan’s hands, so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved when the Lord returns.
Are they not pretty strong words? They make us cringe. They seem harsh and judgmental and they are. Paul minces no words.
‘Call a church meeting. Deal with the issue. Get this man out of the church.’
Some of the most public and damaging news against the church in the past 21 years has come from sexual sin. It was an issue over 2 years ago when a prominent pastor out west was revealed to have sexual sin in his life.
‘Well pastor, men will be men.’ NO! That is an excuse and is unacceptable to a holy God. We are all called, clergy and laity alike, to a life of holiness in this area.
Unfortunately, when this painful and tragic sin is revealed, there is often no restorative process and, the lives of men and women who God still loves and wants to redeem, are left in the wake of the tragedy.
Do you know that there was ‘a rest of the story’ to this man mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5? Please walk with me to 2 Corinthians 2 and verses 5 through 11: ‘I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt your entire church more than he hurt me. 6He was punished enough when most of you were united in your judgment against him. 7Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him. Otherwise he may become so discouraged that he won’t be able to recover. 8Now show him that you still love him.
9I wrote to you as I did to find out how far you would go in obeying me. 10When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive him (for whatever is to be forgiven), I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, 11 so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his evil schemes.
Now some Bible scholars point out that this passage may refer to the man in 1 Corinthians 5 or someone else that had caused trouble. I believe that it points to this man and that restoration was possible because, as implied in this text, there was a change and a repentance of heart. This has paved the way for restoration.
In Galatians 6:1-3 Paul wrote, ‘Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.’
We have a responsibility to other believers who have fallen away, to help them get back up and we are to do so very gently and humbly. This is part of peacemaking. I have no doubt that all of us here know at least one person who once walked closely with God but now does not care. I believe that when this happens, God is truly honored and people take notice.
Now, I mention at this point, an important qualification. The Bible makes clear that we are to overlook a ‘minor offense.’ And we need to carefully discern (part of the gently part) our spirit and our role in the conflict and make sure that we have truly taken out the log before we go further and also (very important here) determine, prayerfully and carefully, the seriousness of the offense before proceeding further. Some issues are not worth addressing; others are and they need addressing.
The fourth and final ‘G’ is (Slide 9c) Go and be reconciled.
Ken Sande says it best when he says, ‘[God] forgives you totally and opens the way for genuine reconciliation. He calls you to forgive others in exactly the same way (Slide 10): "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
(Slide 11) ‘Forgive as the Lord forgave you.’ Forgiveness is at the heart of peacemaking. Peace is possible when forgiveness is extended and accepted.
Where are you at with all of what has been presented this month? Is there some reconciliation that you need to pursue? Is there some forgiveness you need to extend, verbally and perhaps face-to-face? Is there a relationship that you really want to see redeemed with a friend, a family member, someone here? Let’s pray about these things right now….
We began this series just out of Christmas and New Year’s and a few weeks ago I read an internet post that gave me a link with Christmas and peacemaking.
(Slide 12) It was written by Howard Thurman and is entitled, The Work of Christmas
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among brothers,
to make music in the heart.
Let us now resolve to continue this work of Christmas, to bring peace not just among brother but among all of those we love. Amen.
Sources:
Tolbert-Norman story is from “Blessed Are the Peacemakers” by Neil T. Anderson and Charles Mylander;
Covey story is from his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People;”
Thurman poem was shared by Mike Todd at his blog: http://miketodd.typepad.com/waving_or_drowning/2008/12/index.html
It was referenced in the work, ‘The Work of Christmas: A Grateful Heart.
