Relational Climate Dysfunction Series

Romans 12:13-15 (AMP)

13Contribute to the needs of God’s people [sharing in the necessities of the saints]; pursue the practice of hospitality.

14Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them.

15Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief].

Have you ever had those people that know how to push your buttons?

They seem to know the right things at the right time to get you all fired up. It’s like, they know what to say to get you all riled up.

Have you ever known people like that? I sure have. It seems like they have a list of comeback lines and annoyances that they will pop out for a quarter.

GIMME A DOLLAR AND I GIVE YOU AN INSULT.

Here’s a great question. How do you deal with those people? I mean, do you really want 10,000 volts of electricity to flow through them? Sometimes, right?

Let’s take a look at how to deal with difficult people & their attitudes.

1. Face it.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (Message)

1-5Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.

This ISN’T about petty views of godliness; these are big problems! They are character issues! This is faith-shaking unredeemed behavior. It’s the stuff that causes others to wonder, is it isolated phoniness, or is the whole church filled with pretenders? Ever been shaken?

They "morphed" into nice little people for that purpose, when they gathered, or whatever, but its like the space alien on StarTrek that projects this nice exterior, then gets zapped with a phaser and is shown to be this monster underneath!

“They deny its power..” (WHAT power exactly are they denying?) By their living, it would appear that what they are denying is its power to change their behavior and values. They are going through outward motions, but still filled with the attitudes mentioned.

To Timothy: You’re young. Don’t be naive.. You might as well know. It’s real.

NOT right. Not normal (sick!) but real. The church has its share of unredeemed attitudes and behavior. You don’t have to be around any church very long to experience it. It should disappoint us, shake us, move us - but not shock us.

What have YOU experienced?

Been cheated? Put down? Lied to?

So, are they real?

Of course part of the answer is that none of us is perfect.

Learn this:

NOBODY IS PERFECT

So…stop expecting people to be

People won’t see eye to eye with you, so just accept it now!

2. Forget it.

You need to just tune some of this stuff out, or it will drag you down!

Don’t let anyone mess up your relationship with God!!!

Don’t stumble over others’ sin!

1. Don’t be consumed with their sin, disheartened (take it easy)

2. Don’t be fooled into accepting it as normal.

Don’t lower your commitment/standard of holiness to meet theirs.

Imperative: You don’t give up on God because of people!!!

3. Get Beyond It!

GET BEYOND IT

Verses .10 and .14 BOTH say, But YOU!

Change what YOU can..

Which finally is how YOU will live.

Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you respond to it.

There will always be a critic.

Our RESPONSE counts.

It doesn’t matter if she said that about you…

It doesn’t matter if you know a different side of him at work…

It doesn’t matter if those two are always bickering…

It doesn’t matter whether you can see much love in the person two rows up…

HERE’S what matters: Your own response to God. That’s where to focus.

Bad attitudes on a team

Can you imagine bad attitudes on a football team, etc. and giving up on the game? Got people that bug you in the body? Don’t let them hold you back!

Their faith real? Maybe yes, maybe no. But what about YOU?

What others think or say or do is beyond your control. Guard yourSELF.

Leave it behind and move on! YOU! Just move on. Don’t let others hold you back. You just be different.

Rise above it. Don’t gravitate to the same level.

Closing

Walter Payton illust. (16,726 yards or 9 miles rushing, knocked down every 4.4yds)

One day, when I stand before God, I don’t want to say “but he tripped me!” “She knocked me down.” I want the 9 miles. Don’t you?