Healing (And Dealing) With Broken Relationships Series

Healing (and Dealing) With Broken Relationships

(Inspired by chapter eight in David Jeremiah’s “Slaying The Giants in Your Life”)

Modern Family of God Series (February Family Month)

February 22, 2015 CFBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker

Introduction:

A Years ago, before there was a treatment for rabies, a man was bitten by a rabid dog and he went to the hospital with his injury.

1 The tests were conclusive, he had rabies & there was nothing that could be done.

a The attending physician told the man that nothing could be done & his advice was to put his affairs in order as soon as possible.

aa The man was shocked, taken back, but eventually asked for a pen & paper and begin writing furiously.

bb An hour later, the doctor returned and the man’s pen was still writing: the doctor said, “W ell, it’s good to see you took my advice. . . I take it your writing your will.”

cc “This ain’t no will, Doc. It’s a list of people I plan on bittin’ before I die.”

b It has been observed that some snakes, rattlers in particular, will actually strike at themselves if they become cornered and angry.

aa One devotional writer made this correlation: “That is exactly what all harboring of hates and resentments against others is—a biting of oneself."

bb "We think we are harming others in holding these spites and hates, but the deepest harm is to ourselves; for many times these Resentments are dropped in the unconscious, the lid is shut down on them, and there they work their unconscious havoc. Unconscious Resentments are often just as potent for disruption as conscious ones.”

2 Resentful, hurt people are those who have been bitten and then channel their energy into snapping at others (we’re all guilty and we’re typically most guilty towards family members).

a Resentment makes us permanently angry, it carves deep lines on our faces. . . adds heaviness to our steps . . . takes energy to maintain.

b This is no way for the people of God live.

B The word “resentment” is not found in the Bible, but the idea/meaning of it is in its pages.

1 1 Cor. 13 (classic love chapter used at thousands of weddings every weekend), Paul describes love (agape flavored) like this, “love . . . does not take into account wrong suffered.”

1 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB) 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

a “account” is a book keeping term; means to calculate or reckon.

aa It has the meaning of a bookkeeper writing in permanent ink in her ledger inventory, sales, credits, debits.

bb If you’re an accountant, have your house on a budget . . . good record keeping is a must . . . but there are some records we’d rather not see in the books.

b Romans 4:8 (NASB) 8 "BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT."

“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account” (Emphasis mine).

aa (IL. The school my wife teaches at uses a ‘punch’ system. Bad behavior earns you a punch, X amount of punches gets the student detentions, discipline, punishment.)

bb The idea is that God does have a ledger book He keeps & records sin in . . . and the idea is you’re fortunate/happy if you do not have any entries beside your name.

cc If you’ve committed yourself to Christ, His blood has washed across the line with your name on it anyway . . . and yes, you’re truly fortunate, happy, . . . blessed.

c 2 Corinthians 5:19 (NASB) 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

“. . .that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them. . .”

aa The idea of God having a ledger book that records our sins shakes us to the core of our soul and the all seeing God is keeping track of every time we cross the line, drop the ball, say/think something we shouldn’t is unsettling to say the least.

bb Christian, God doesn’t work this way: He throws out the ledger page that belonged to us the moment we received His gift of salvation through Christ.

cc He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west

Psalm 103:12 (NASB) 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

we deserve to have the book thrown at us, but instead it’s thrown away for us.