Shooting The Wounded

Shooting the wounded

Last week after church, Lisa told me a story of a person who had been hurt by people at the church she was attending.

Uncomfortable yet?

Don’t worry it wasn’t CPC!

She finished telling the story and the first words out of my mouth were:

Shootin’ the wounded!

On May 21st 2004 Army Captain Maynulet shot an unnamed Iraqi who was wounded in a chase.

He said he had to put the man out of his misery as an honorable thing to do!

The trial exposed the atrocity of his actions. Today’s message is titled:

“Shooting the wounded”

As appalling as this story is I’m confident we see Shooting the wounded in our churches every week across our country.

<<<pause for prayer>>>

As we explore the topic of Shooting the Wounded, I’d like us to consider:

The offended

The offenders:

The individual offender

The corporate church as offender

The Offended:

As we look at the offended, I’d like to consider from two types:

Spiritually immature

Spiritually mature

I’m sure there is a poll out there somewhere, but I haven’t seen it. I’m certain a large percentage of Christians who don’t attend church is a result of another Christian wounding them.

People come to church for many reasons. Oftentimes, seeking healing.

Listen to Jesus’ words:

Mark 2:16–17 “And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.””

All too often, I believe, those spiritually immature, come to church seeking healing, expecting to receive it from man, instead of God, and then true to our nature, we shoot the wounded.

Please don’t misunderstand me here, I am not blaming the victim or wounded, I’m saying it is natural to think “because they are Christians, I am safe”.

Then church, we prove them wrong!

Other reasons people attend church is because they seek restoration.

Broken marriage

Battling addiction or

other struggles of some kind

They come because they know there is a void in their lives.

They walk into the church building and can feel the judgmental eyes shooting through them.

Maybe they don’t approve of:

The clothes they are wearing

The tatooes

Unkept look about them

Unruly children

This can happen to the spiritually mature as well as the spiritually immature.

In fact, Jesus makes this statement:

Luke 17:1 “Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!”

How we deal with these offenses, largely determines our futures.

Spiritually mature should do this:

Matthew 18:15–18 ““Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

When I think about Christians hurting their own, I think about a scene in Tombstone.

The opening scene we see Wyatt Earp get off the train. Seconds later a stud horse is being led off the ramp of the train, a person is trying to get the horse to cooperate by taking a whip to him.

Wyatt snatches the whip from the man, and slaps him across the face with it and says “hurts don’t it”.

Sometimes that’s our first impulse when we see Christians hurting each other!

Being hurt by our Christian friends is one of the most painful experiences.

I read a story about a UCLA basketball coach who was being attacked from every side because of a losing season.

He told his wife his dog was his best friend and that every man needs as least two friends. So she bought him another dog!

Men, choose your words carefully.

It doesn’t matter your station in life, even if you are a King, betrayal from a friend can sting!

Psalm 55:12–14 “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng.”