Sermon Tone Analysis

Acts 6: 1 - 4 Help them to Identify their Differences

Review: A Biblical Perspective on Disagreements or Conflicts

Consist of 4 things:

1- Disagreements are to be expected, I Cor.

10:13

This is not uncommon in the human race.

Some people have the idea that when two people get married they shouldn’t have any disagreements.

They should be a clone of each other & they should always see things exactly the same & if they don’t they think that there is something wrong in their marriage “ & maybe we made a mistake & maybe we shouldn’t have gotten married.

2. Disagreements do not need to turn into Conflicts.

There are differences.

A disagreement is a different idea, a different perspective on an issue.

A conflict is when a disagreement has an emotional component.

I not only say “You have that idea & I have this idea.”

But I get angry at you for having a difference of opinion or upset.

Disagreements are different viewpoints.

If you always agree on everything that means one of you is unnecessary.

A conflict is when you fight & quarrel over those disagreements.

3- Disagreements can be beneficial when rightly handled.

Romans 8: 28

Acts 6 a disagreement that had become a conflict over taking care of the widows.

If someone is criticizing their mate it may be that God is allowing it to teach spiritual lessons to the one who is being criticized.

God could be teaching them patience or seeking to strengthen them.

* Deut 8:1- God led them.

Where?

In the wilderness.

What is the wilderness like?

God led them in this place.

Cold at night, hot in the day.

Moving from place to place.

Where will they get food & water?

God lets us go thru a wilderness that He might humble us.

Testing you to know what was in your heart.”

Did God need help to know what was in their heart?

No! All the wilderness did was reveal what was already in their heart.

It didn’t put anything into their hearts.

He brought all that ugly stuff to the surface & it is during those wilderness experiences that we become aware of all of that ugly stuff that is still down in our hearts.

Do you realize that when 2 people get married all that ugly stuff comes out, that it was there all the time.

You can try & blame the other person, but God is showing you what was already down in your heart.

Then, we can go to God in repentance, prayer and He can begin to work on us & help us.

NOTE: What are the benefits of Disagreements & Conflicts?

A. They can help us to become aware of our own sinfulness & selfishness.

There are few things that reveals to me how proud I am, how selfish I am, how sinful I am then when I have someone misrepresent me or misunderstand me.

Or say something about me that I know isn’t true.

All of a sudden I discover how selfish, how sinful, and how proud I am.

B. They can help us to be more aware in our relationship w/ others & esp with our wives & our family.

We are more aware of our need for more communication.

Many disagreements & conflicts arise because couples are not communicating.

If you do not know how to communicate effectively, you can’t avoid conflicts.

C.

They can cause us to search the Scriptures.

When someone disagrees w/ us about something, it sends us back to the Word of God to make sure we have rightly understood what the Bible has to say.

D. They stimulate us to turn to God in prayer,

Conflicts are resolved at the throne of grace.

E. Causes us to focus what is really important in our relationship with other people.

What is important in husband wife relationships is not total agreement on every nit picking little detail, but what is important is that we are both united to Jesus Christ.

F. They can give us an opportunity to be real servants.

The greatest opportunity for me to be a servant is when someone disagrees with me.

G.

They show us our need of Christ.

H. Conflicts can help destroy our idolatry.

I’m happy as long as everybody agrees with me.

I’m happy as long as my wife treats me the way I want to be treated.

I’m making an idol out of her, I’m worshipping her, I’m serving her, I’m depending on her & my happiness comes from the fact that she is so wonderful & treats me the way she does & what that means I’m worshipping her instead of the Lord.

If we are going to make the most out of the opportunities that conflicts & disagreements provide, we’ve got to get the ABC view of Christian growth.

The ABC View of Christian Growth is Adversity Builds Character, James 1: 12. Get an ABC View of Growth: Adversity Builds Character.

You have to have an accurate view of God:

1 Accurate view of God’s Power - that He is in control of everything.

This can be used for the glory of God or He would not have allowed it to happen.

There are no accidents in the Christian life only assignments.

If God has allowed this to happen to you then you need to respond the way David did when Shemei was throwing dirt & stones & calling him all kinds of names & David said, “It’s the Lord.

God is at work here on me.’”

2 An Accurate view of the Love of God.

He is all loving.

Nothing can separate us from the Love of God, Rms. 8. Whom the Lord loves He chastens, Heb.

12; Rev. 3:19.

God’s love is expressed not only in the pleasant things that happen, but also in the hard things as well.

3 An accurate view of God’s wisdom.

God is so wise that He never does anything that is foolish.

God is so wise that He never makes a mistake.

As for God His way is perfect.

If God in His Sovereignty & in His love has allowed this to happen in your life, not simply because it is a way, but it is the best way.

If it wasn’t the best way, God would see to it that it would never have occurred in your life.

4 - They may be Resolved.

If you have two people who are believers there is never a situation where the disagreements or conflicts cannot be resolved, Prov.

18:19.

Help them to Identify their Differences

I. Differences from Creation

(God made men & women differently)

A. Differences of men & women

1. Physically

a. Physically - Body Design by God

The radical feminists movement has been around for more than 2,000 years.

It’s roots are found in ancient pagan religions.

The modern feminist movement will never get what it wants & will never become happy.

WHY?

“God made men & women different physically.”

All summer long the world will focus on the obvious differences between men & women in the 1996 Summer Olympics.

The individual & team competitions are divided male & female.

Women do not throw the shot put in the same competition as the men.

In fact, they do not throw a shot put period.

The basketball dream team is not made up of men & women.

You’ll not see women boxing men (not at the Olympics - that will only be found in your local neighborhood; next door in our first condo the newleywed couple boxed each other ususally at 2 AM in the morning).