INTRO.- Troublemakers. Ever met any? Ever been one?
ILL.- After the revival had concluded, the three pastors were discussing the results with one another. The Methodist minister said, “The revival worked out great for us! We gained four new families.”
The Baptist preacher said, “We did better than that! We gained six new families.” The Presbyterian pastor said, “Well, we did even better than that! We got rid of our 10 biggest trouble makers!”
Troublemakers are found in every sphere of society. In the home, at school, in the work place, and sadly, even in the church. Troublemakers in the church comes in all sizes and shapes and genders.
ILL.- One church a board member in a church said to me, “I am the board.” At another church one deacon would never leave anything alone in board meetings. If no one said anything he always had something to say and usually it was argumentative. He always wanted to have the “last word.” It seemed like he always wanted to stir up some kind of trouble.
II Timothy 4:14-15 “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.”
We’re not sure who Alexander was but he opposed the gospel message. I would hope there would never be a person like this in the Lord’s church.
III John 9-10 “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.”
Diotrephes doesn’t sound like a very good person. That’s putting it mildly. Again, we don’t know who he was but he may have been some kind of church leader. Nevertheless, he thought he was “Mr. Big” and loved to be first.
ILL.- I know of a preacher back in MO who could do everything well: preach, teach, call on people, organize, administrate things very well, etc. but he never had the attitude that he wanted to be “Mr. Big” or run the show. He worked with his church leaders very well. Some church leaders have the “run it” or “ruin it” attitude and neither is good.
Romans 16:17-18 “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.”
If someone is divisive in the church, that is, causing trouble, division, arguments, etc. They are not serving Christ. They are self-serving and that’s no good! We all are here to honor the Lord and edify the church, not serve ourselves!
PROP.- We are told what to do avoid and what to do in order to cease the troublemakers.
1- Avoid the foolish
2- Warn the contentious
3- Dodge the divisive
I. AVOID THE FOOLISH
9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Avoid foolish people and those start foolish controversies and arguments.
ILL.- There are Swatch watches, sport watches (as in Timex Ironman watches), $25 watches, $15,000 watches, moon watches, deep sea watches. There are Gucci watches, Swiss Army watches and, if you walk down Fifth Avenue, you can see miles of card tables displaying fake Rolex watches. Why all the watches, when presumably most of us already have a watch? Norman Lear, a watch merchant, said: “People no longer wear a watch to tell the time—they wear it to make a statement.”
What kind of a statement? “They are saying to the world that their watch speaks for who they are, and what they stand for, and how much time they have to spare.”
Not only do watches make a statement about us, about who we are or what kind of person we are, OUR FRIENDS DO THE SAME THING! That is, the people we run with also tell a lot about us.
And there are some people that we shouldn’t be seen with! Who are we talking about? Drug pushers, drunks, pimps, foul mouths, the immoral, the foolish, etc.
I Corinthians 5:9-11 “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.”
In this world there will always be the greedy cheats, the immoral, the profane, etc. and you can’t get away from them. In fact, many times you may have to rub shoulders with them at work.
What do you do about people like that? You put up with them. You endure them. You also witness to them and pray for them as hard as it may be. But just because you can’t get away from them you don’t have to engage them or become like them.
AND WE SHOULDN’T. We are supposed to be “light” in this dark world and we can’t be light if we share in the darkness.
ILL.- For example, I had a Safeway store manager many years ago who was a nut and liked to tell dirty jokes. I didn’t hang around with him but I endured his antics because he was my boss. At the same time, I didn’t listen to his dirty jokes.
Ephesians 5:8-16 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you." Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
Now what about people in the Lord’s church who are guilty of immorality or are greedy cheats? Paul is saying in our text that we shouldn’t associate with them because it may give the impression that we condone their wrong behavior.
ILL.- I knew of a deacon who cheated people out of money in various ways when they came to his service station for car repairs. Most people in town knew about this. He had a bad reputation and yet he went to the church where I preached.
One of our elders went to have a talk with him but I’m not sure it did any good. He always needed money and he would cheat some people to get it. He particularly preyed on the elderly.
HE NEEDED TO BE AVOIDED BY THE CHURCH FOLKS with the idea that he would wake up to his sinful ways.
9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.
Paul is saying that we should avoid those who like to start arguments or like to quarrel about religious matters. Why should we avoid such people? Because you can’t do them any good. And they may only drag you down so why bother to argue with them. Avoid foolish people of all kinds. Those who like to argue and otherwise.
II. WARN THE CONTENTIOUS
10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time.
ILL.- WASHINGTON D.C. Area - Ignore the warnings along a local shoreline this weekend (July 4th), and you could die quickly. If you visit the 14-mile stretch of the Potomac River between Great Falls and the Key Bridge, the warning this holiday weekend is simple.
"Stay out and stay alive," says Chief Richard Bowers with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. Swimming and wading in the area is illegal. Six people drowned in the Potomac River Gorge last year, and another two died on this year’s Memorial Day.
"A drowning can happen in a matter of seconds, and our people cannot be responsible for your safety," says Bob Zoldos with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. "If you slip into the river, you’ll be sucked under by the roiling currents. In one minute, you’ll suffer irreversible brain damage, and in less than three minutes you’ll be dead," says Kevin Brandt, Superintendent of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.
I believe that warning would be enough to keep me out of the Potomac river! But some people ignore warnings even at the risk of death. HOW FOOLISH!
Warnings come to us throughout all of life and in various ways, but do we pay attention to them?
10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. Should warnings be a part of the church?
ILL.- "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is a sermon written by American preacher Jonathan Edwards, preached on July 8, 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut. Edwards said: We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by: thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell.
What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down?
He also said: The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ.
That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell’s wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of, there is nothing between you and hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.
Do you think his warning did any good? I read that people were greatly moved by his sermon and yet he read it, word-for-word. SCRIPTURE IS POWERFUL. And sermons based on scripture can be, should be powerful!
Warning people in a sermon is a lot easier than warning someone in person! Of course, in a sermon we generally don’t get too personal, but warning someone in person can get very personal!
But what about warning an adult for their wrongdoing? I think it takes special care, and a special person.
Galatians 6:1-2 “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Generally speaking, this is the way we should approach someone when warning them about their wrongdoing in compassion, gentleness and with the idea of restoration. However, in this text, it says to warn a divisive person. That means there may be times when you have to pull someone aside and tell them they need to stop being a troublemaker!
III. DODGE THE DIVISIVE
10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. 11 You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
Have nothing to do with them. After warning a person twice, if they don’t shape up then have nothing to do with them.
Have you ever thought about why people leave you alone? Doesn’t it make you think, “What’s wrong with me?” Well, it could be that something is wrong, either with you or with them.
When you are somewhat shunned by others you may either smell bad and be bad!
ILL.- I once worked with an assistant manager in a retail business. He was young, nice looking, had a nice appearance, and pleasing personality, that is, at first. It didn’t take long, however, before I found out that he was a womanizer. He lived to take women to bed. It seemed that his passion and goal in life and that’s what he talked about most of the time.
Because I worked with him I had to be around him some of the time but when I didn’t need to be around him, I sure didn’t make it a point to “hang” with him.
I realize that I need to be “light” to him or present a good witness to him but no matter what I said or did, he always went back to talking about woman. It seemed obvious that I casting my pearls before swine. It seemed like I couldn’t pull him up so I certainly didn’t need him to pull me down, that is, to his level of thinking.
10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. 11 You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
There are some people in life that you just can’t seem to help or change. If they persist in being evil or a troublemaker, etc. then leave them alone. Perhaps their loneliness will help to bring them to their senses.
CONCLUSION-----------------
There will always be some troublemakers in this world. If you can’t help them, don’t join them. If you can’t convert them, leave them alone. Let God do His thing. All we can do is live right, pray, and let God!
Steve Shepherd, Jonesboro Christian Church, AR
jonesborochristianchurch@suddenlink.net
