Healing For The Wounded; Forgiveness For The Those Who Wound Series

Bullying: Far From Harmless

Healing for the Wounded; Forgiveness for the Those Who Wound

3/10/2013 Chester First Baptist Church, Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson

Introduction:

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:13-14 (NASB)

I The Wounded Has to Make A Decision to Have a New Attitude.

A Paul knew he wasn’t perfect: he knew what team he was a member of.

1 Paul was satisfied with Jesus but he wasn’t satisfied in his Christian life. (Sanctified dissatisfaction).

a He knew he wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t come to that conclusion because he compared himself to other people; but rather because he compared himself to Jesus Christ.

aa They key mark of Paul’s maturity was that he knew he wasn’t perfect, the best.

bb An honest/mature Christian honestly evaluates him/herself & strives to do better.

b When we evaluate ourselves we tend to err in two directions: judge ourselves better than we are or worse than we are.

2 Examine ourselves falsely is warned against in Scripture.

a The church at Sardis had a name that they lived but were dead.

1 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Rev 3:1 (NASB)

aa They had a reputation without reality.

bb They had everything going for them, but nothing going on in the inside.

b The church at Laodicea boasted they rich, but in God’s eyes they were “wretched and miserable, and poor and blind, and naked.”

17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, Rev 3:17 (NASB)

c Smyrna thought they were poor when they were really rich!

9 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Rev 2:9 (NASB)

d Jud. 16.20; Samson thought he still had his old power, but in reality it had departed him.

20 She said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep and said, "I will go out as at other times and shake myself free." But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. Judges 16:20 (NASB)

3 Paul was still reaching to better in the Spirit!

a Not to impress friends, teachers, associates, youth pastors, pastor, parents . . . but to get what Jesus had for him!

b He kept wanting to impress God, please God, measure up to God’s best & blessing.

aa 1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God.2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? Psalms 42:1-2 (NASB)

B All of us have been touched by bullying (because nobody’s perfect!)

1 If you’re wounded, you’re not alone (Don’t roll your eyes!)

a People come in all shapes, sizes, different abilities & disabilities.

aa Some are handsome & ugly; strong & week, dorky, nerdy.

bb God made each of us! (He made the jock & dork, Valedictorian & drop out.)

b Because were all created by God, we’re each one special!

aa He makes no two snowflakes, trees, blades of grass, identical!

bb All of have something (or lack something) that makes us a target to somebody else.

2 Everybody has something they wish they could change about themselves.

a If you’ve ever discovered some “defect” - - - welcome to the human race!

aa Think you’re ugly, cystic hygroma, cereble palsy, muscular dystrophy, polio, freckles, too tall, too skinny, . . . to much of anything . . . YOU ARE A MEMBER!

bb You feel left out because you are too smart, physically/mentally challenged? YOU ARE A MEMBER!

cc Raped? Molested? Yep, you are still a member!

b What happened to you, shouldn’t have happened to you;

What was said to you, shouldn’t have been said to you;

What was done to you, shouldn’t have been done to you.

aa Nobody deserves to be abused, wounded so don’t blame yourself.

bb Any fool can criticize and all fools do, so don’t blame yourself.

3 It isn’t your fault you’re picked last, can’t throw, can’t run fast,

a You have the right to be imperfect, flawed, & it’s okay.