Sermon Central
-
So What Does This Gentle Restoration Or ...
Contributed by Sean Harder on Dec 4, 2009 (message contributor)
So what does this gentle restoration or correction look like? Well here’s what it doesn’t look like, from a real example I observed: “How could you be so stupid, did you grow up with wolves? You are going to pay for this buster, and you’re going to straight to hell where you belong.” I have left out a few words and names that can’t be uttered in church, but you get the message. This was a wife who just found out that her husband had had an affair.
Gentle correction might look something like this. Again from a real life conversation between a couple of Christian accountability partners. “Man, we all struggle with sin. What man doesn’t find beautiful women attractive. But you have got to get this under control before you lose all the things that are important to you. I care about you too much to sit back and watch that happen. How can I help you? Lets read what God says about it right now.” This fella was having trouble viewing porn on the internet.
When I thought of these examples, the definitions of gentleness that include suitableness and usefulness came to mind. Guess which response was more effective in those two examples?
But here is the big one when it comes to relationships being healed. If you do not have a Spirit of gentleness which includes the absence of pride, you will find it very hard to forgive. More and more I am realizing that the key to any relationship healing is real forgiveness, and if I am not willing to put myself in the other person’s shoes and view them with gentleness and compassion, my pride will dig its heals in and hold onto a desire to make sure the other person doesn’t get off the hook for what they did. But what use is that?
That’s not how God instructs us to heal relationships, so why should we be surprised when they don’t heal doing it our way. There can be no moving forward if even one person in the relationship can’t move to a stance of gentleness and forgiveness, because it takes two people to make a relationship work. A broken relationship cannot be healed unless there is authentic forgiveness from a gentle, humble heart.
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
A Man Named Jacob Had Hit A Low Point In His ... PRO
Contributed by David Elvery on Nov 14, 2004
A man named Jacob had hit a low point in his life. He had thought about killing himself but he was too poor and too tired to secure the means to do it. He found a park bench and just lay down to die. He did not eat, because there was nothing to eat. All he thought about was his death. A ...read more
-
Singing Him
Contributed by Brad Bailey on Aug 6, 2004
SINGING HIM There was an elderly woman who was a true saint of God in her long life of devotion. She knew much of the Bible by heart and would repeat long passages from memory. But as the years went by, the strength went and with it the memory gradually went too. Finally, there came the time ...read more
-
Today We Seek To Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ...
Contributed by Bruce Landry on Jan 15, 2007
Today we seek to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and we will start with a portion of Dr. King’s "I have a dream speech". …And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this ...read more
-
One Course I Had In College Was In Adolescent ...
Contributed by David Henderson on Jan 3, 2007
One course I had in college was in adolescent psychology. Difficult class but the professor would let us bring a note card with as much information as we could get on it. That was a great help. Steve Winger writes about a final exam he took in a logic class at the university he attended. The ...read more
-
A Lot Of People Think That Being Saved Is A ... PRO
Contributed by Jeff Simms on May 23, 2004
A lot of people think that being saved is a matter of works. But, here it says that you are God’s workmanship. It says you were created (kitzo) for good works. The word created means that refers to the work of God in creating you for a purpose. Think of it this way, if you have a apple tree in ...read more
Related Sermons
-
Hope In A Covenant Of Faith Series
Contributed by Dean Courtier on Feb 18, 2018
A Covenant of Faith and a man named Abraham. Romans 4:3, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
-
Do Something: Be The Hands And Feet Of Jesus
Contributed by Chris Jordan on Jan 30, 2015
God has called us, His church, to be the hands and feet of Jesus to take His justice and mercy into the world, to minister to the lost, the poor and the broken.
-
A Ministry Of Mercy Series
Contributed by Kevin L. Jones on Aug 7, 2013
A sermon examining the importance of extending mercy to others.
-
Thanksgiving
Contributed by Rodney V Johnson on Oct 3, 2020
This message explores the reasons we have to give God thanks. Our choice to give God thanks should not rest on Him doing something for us - but for what He has already done through His Son and what He continues to do.
-
The Lord Is Good
Contributed by Wayne Lawson on Jan 23, 2019
We have the tendency to fall apart during difficulties in our lives and not able to see beyond them as Nahum was able to see far beyond what his eyes and emotions were able to see. He had a deeper appreciation of God’s Grace.
