Wednesday, August 17, 2011

What Jesus Said about Being Good Enough - Anger, Lust, Marriage, Divorce, Part 13 of 34

TEXT: "Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny" (Matthew 5:23-24).

IDEA: Do not allow broken relationships to remain unresolved.

PURPOSE: To help listeners realize the importance of healing broken relationships before they are completely severed.

Have you ever had a falling-out with another Christian? What goes on inside your head when that has taken place?

How long did the separation last? Did it get better with time?

Jesus tells two little parables in Matthew 5:23-26. What was the first one about?

I. Jesus tells a second more threatening "parable" to drive home his point in Matthew 5:25-26:

"Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

What's going on in this story? The "adversary" is apparently a legal plaintiff who has a case likely to lead to your conviction, probably for a debt you owe.

An out-of-court settlement is a more prudent option than refusing to settle. The prospect of prison until the debt is paid is a compelling incentive to get the matter settled.

What is the point? Don't allow bad relationships to go unresolved. Why?

Matters will get only worse.

There may come a time when you can't settle the matter with your adversary.

II. Do you think the point of this little parable is that we should avoid the possibility of losing a court trial?

Look at how Jesus introduces the parable. Settle matters with your adversary and do so quickly. If you don't deal with the broken relationships, matters will only get worse.

Have you ever seen that happen in life? A rift in a relationship gets worse.