Removing Specks And Casting Pearls Series

THEN - Paul says here is what we do, in the family of God, this is what we do, we carry each other's burdens.

When some person is down, we take the burden off them. We love them back.... We carry each other's burdens.

In this way, we fulfill the law of Christ.

UNDERSTAND MGCC – removing specks is always about restoring fallen believers. We don't shoot our wounded.

• We love them... We pray for them, and

• We do everything we can to help restore their lives.

YES...

THIS - is who we are as Jesus followers.

THIS - is how we do it.

The same grace that forgives us is the same grace that we use to restore others.

We don't pretend like it didn't happen and we don't kick people out and shun them away.

We love them back into the fellowship.

If someone is caught in a sin, we call it a sin.

It may not be popular in the world today, but that's what we call it. We don't kick the person when they are down because guess what? We sin, too. We love them back gently, praying that they will be restored and to greater service in His kingdom, because that is the kind of God we serve.

AND HOW - do we do this?

NOW - this is so important. When Jesus came, John 1, 14. He came full of grace and truth. This is what the text says. When Jesus came, he was full of grace and truth.

AND - I think grace comes first because without grace,

• truth is harder to digest

• truth tends to just drives people away.

AND LISTEN – hen we flip onto the other side, when it's all grace and no truth,

"Oh, God loves you. You can do whatever you want. God loves everybody. You can do whatever you want. Who am I to judge you? All behavior is equal. All beliefs are equal. You can do whatever you want."

When there's all grace and no truth.

That leads to people feeling and believing that behave any way they want.

When Jesus came, He came full of grace. It's the loving kindness that draws people to repentance.

AND - He came full of truth. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

AND - that is how we, as Jesus followers are to do when it comes to removing specks.

AGAIN - if someone strays inside the family, we love them enough to tell them the truth. You're going down a path that's going to hurt you. It's going to hurt other people.

It’s hurting your relationship with God.

AND - we always do it with grace because we are equally in need of the grace of God.

That's how we do it the church.

Because we know that when someone falls, by the grace and truth of God, they can be restored.

Removing Specks...

• Do it plank-lessly

• Do it biblically

• Do it gently

• Do it compassionately

• Do it restoringly

• Do it full of grace and truth

AGAIN - those outside the family of God, we don't judge them.

We show them grace and we proclaim truth.

HEY MGCC - would you join me in praying and asking God to help us get this right. To do it in a way that honors him, doesn't turn people away, but actually draws them to the loving kindness of God.