HANDLING A DIFFICULT PROBLEM

I WONDER… Have You Ever Heard A Rumor… I Mean A Bad Rumor… A Rumor That Someone Had Said Something or Done Something Injurious To Them Or Someone Else? *WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT IT? I MEAN, How Did You Handle It? *LET ME ASK YOU ANOTHER QUESTION… Have You Ever Been Offended Or Hurt By Someone Else? *WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT IT? I MEAN, How Did You Handle It?

THIS MORNING, The Truth Is That There Is Not One Of Us Who HAS NOT… DOES NOT… or WILL NOT Some Day Have ‘Difficult ‘ Problems…. ‘Sticky’ Issues…. ‘Hard’ Times Occur That They Have Felt The Need To Deal With….. *AND THE QUESTION IS: OW DO YOU HANDLE A DIFFICULT PROBLEM?

WELL THIS MORNING… I Would Like To Take A Few Minutes… And Be Repetative… Because I’ve spoken on this Subject Before…. *BUT I THINK IT IMPORTANT ENOUGH… AND OFT OCCURING ENOUGH…. That I’d Like To Speak To you On 7 QUESTIONS THAT ALWAYS NEED TO BE BROUGHT UP/ASKED…. BEFORE WE BRING UP ‘DIFFICULT’ PROBLEMS… ‘STICKY’ ISSUES… or ‘HARD’ Things In Our Relationships With Other People….

I. SHOULD LOVE HIDE IT?
‘And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.’ I Peter 4:8
New Century – ‘Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause many sins to be forgiven.’
NIV – ‘Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.’
Message – ‘Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it, love makes up for practically anything.’
‘Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.’ Proverbs 10:12
John 3:16; ‘For God so loved the world…. HE GAVE..’
I John 4:10; ‘Herein is love…. BUT THAT HE LOVED US… GAVE..’
‘Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head, doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always ‘me first,’ doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end. Love never dies.’ I Corinthians 13:4-8a Message

II. DO I HAVE THE FACTS RIGHT?
‘He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is a folly and shame to him’ Proverbs 18:13
New Century…. ‘foolish’ and ‘confused’
Message – ‘Answering before listening is both stupid and rude.’
‘At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death, but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.’ Deuteronomy 17:6
‘One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth, at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses every word may be established. Deuteronomy 19:15
‘That at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ Matthew 18:16
‘In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.’ 2 Corinthians 13:1
‘Against an Elder receive not an accusation but before 2 or 3 witnesses.’ 2 Timothy 5:19

III. ARE THERE PAST, UNSETTLED OFFENSES THAT NEED TO BE SETTLED IN MY LIFE FIRST?
*OR… AM I BEING GOD’S KIND OF PERSON MYSELF?
‘Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brothers eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck from your eye”; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’ Matthew 7:1-5
• TO FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM
• TO GLORIFY HIM
• TO PRAISE HIM
‘Hypocrite! First remove the plank form your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’ Matthew 7:5
*First… ‘remove the plank form your own eye’
*Then… ‘you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’

IV. IS MY TIMING RIGHT?
‘A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver’ Proverbs 25:11
‘A man hath joy by the words of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!’ Proverbs 15:23
‘To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven.’ Ecclesiastes 3:1
‘He hath made everything beautiful in his time’ Ecclesiastes 3:11

V. ARE MY WORDS LOVING
‘Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.’ Ephesians 4:25
‘But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ..’ Ephesians 4:15
‘Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek it’s own, is not provoked, thinks no evil…’ I Corinthians 13:4-5
‘Let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt that ye may know how ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.’ Colossians 4:6
‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God….’ Ephesians 4:29-30

VI. HAVE I PRAYED FOR/ASKED FOR GOD’S HELP?
‘Men ought always to pray, and not to faint’ Luke 18:1
‘The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.’ James 5:16
‘Ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened unto him.’ Matthew 7:7-8
‘Trust in the Lord with all of thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.’ Proverbs 3:5-6

VI. WHEN THE DECISION IS MADE THAT I MUST SAY SOMETHING… WILL I DO IT GOD’S WAY?
‘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. Matthew 18:15-17