Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / How High Is Your A.Q. │ Msg 1114 - Pastor Chuck Swindoll Insight for Living

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How High Is Your A.Q. │ Msg 1114 - Pastor Chuck Swindoll Insight for Living · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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Speaker 1: Many years ago, I heard a wonderful story about my
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Speaker 1: longtime friend, the late coach Tom Landry, legendary coach of
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Speaker 1: the Dallas Cowboys. Few people I've known have so consistently
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Speaker 1: demonstrated a level of acceptance and kindness toward others as
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Speaker 1: coach Landry did. I recall the time when the late
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Speaker 1: Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes was fired for striking
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Speaker 1: an opposing player on the sideline during a football game.
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Speaker 1: Some of you will remember that incident. The press had
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Speaker 1: a field day, as you can imagine, virtually destroying this
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Speaker 1: man's reputation before the watching world. I cannot imagine anyone
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Speaker 1: being made to feel lower in value than coach Woody
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Speaker 1: Hayes must have felt at that time. He had not
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Speaker 1: only lost control in a game and done a foolish thing,
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Speaker 1: but he had also lost his job and much of
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Speaker 1: the respect others once had for him. By the end
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Speaker 1: of that season, a large, prestigious banquet was held for
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Speaker 1: professional athletes. Coach Landry was invited. Of course, who did
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Speaker 1: Coach Landry invite as his guest Woody Hayes, the man
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Speaker 1: everyone was being encouraged to hate and reject by inviting
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Speaker 1: coach Hayes to that dinner. Landry wasn't condoning his unfortunate behavior.
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Speaker 1: He was offering christ Like acceptance to him as a person.
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Speaker 1: We're going to see today where such acceptance comes from.
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Speaker 1: As we read from Chapter thirteen. I'm going to read
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Speaker 1: John thirteen Versus eight eighteen to thirty, and I will
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Speaker 1: use these verses as the basis of our reflection on
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Speaker 1: this rare virtue increasingly absent in our world today. Join
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Speaker 1: me as I read John thirteen eighteen to thirty. I'll
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Speaker 1: be reading from the New Living Translation. I am not
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Speaker 1: saying these things to all of you. I know the
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Speaker 1: ones I have chosen. But this fulfills the scripture that says,
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Speaker 1: the one who eats my food has turned against me.
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Speaker 1: I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens,
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Speaker 1: you will believe that I am the Messiah.
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Speaker 2: I tell you the truth.
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Speaker 1: Anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone
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Speaker 1: who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me. Now,
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Speaker 1: Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, I'll tell you
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Speaker 1: the truth. One of you will betray me. The disciples
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Speaker 1: looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. The
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Speaker 1: disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table.
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Speaker 1: Simon Peter motioned to him to ask who's he talking about,
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Speaker 1: So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, Lord,
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Speaker 1: who is it. Jesus responded, it is the one to
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Speaker 1: whom I give the bread a dip in the bowl.
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Speaker 1: And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas,
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Speaker 1: son of Simon Iscariot. When Judas had eaten the bread,
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Speaker 1: Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, hurry and
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Speaker 1: do what you're going to do. None of the others
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Speaker 1: at the table knew what Jesus meant, since Judas was
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Speaker 1: their treasurer. Some thought Jesus was telling him to go
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Speaker 1: and pay for the food or to give some money
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Speaker 1: to the poor. So Judas left at once, going out
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Speaker 1: into the night.
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Speaker 2: All the way through school, we were given a special
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Speaker 2: examination to determine how well we were able to handle facts.
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Speaker 2: This examination did not determine everything about us, certainly didn't
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Speaker 2: touch on our emotional lives or the way we make
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Speaker 2: practical decisions. But the exam helped us know how we
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Speaker 2: thought in a logical fashion. These exams followed us from
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Speaker 2: one step to the next in our education, and our
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Speaker 2: teachers were able to know how well we were progressing
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Speaker 2: with our intelligence. In fact, most of you know your
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Speaker 2: IQ score. Maybe it would be safe to say the
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Speaker 2: great majority of you know your score. Unfortunately, we tend
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Speaker 2: to read more into it than we should. This came
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Speaker 2: home to me when I was at home living with
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Speaker 2: sharing the same room with my brother, whom some of
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Speaker 2: you know, and he is a highly intelligent fellow. In fact,
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Speaker 2: when he first began at Rice University for his college education,
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Speaker 2: the word got back to me that his IQ was
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Speaker 2: approaching genius. Seriously. It made me want to move out
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Speaker 2: of the room frankly, and a short time after he
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Speaker 2: discovered my IQ, and as I recall, he did move
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Speaker 2: out of the room when he found that out. But
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Speaker 2: that's really unfair because an IQ exam doesn't tell you
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Speaker 2: everything there is to know about a person. In fact,
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Speaker 2: it doesn't even tell you anything about their attitude, which
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Speaker 2: is so important in a workaday world. And yet we
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Speaker 2: continue to hang on to the score we think must
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Speaker 2: be so high in order for a person to really
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Speaker 2: be considered an intellectual success. Now there's another exam I
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Speaker 2: want you to take today, and it's the kind of
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Speaker 2: exam that you have to score for yourself. And I
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Speaker 2: suppose there's not really any gauge to go by, except
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Speaker 2: maybe on a scale of one to ten. You could
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Speaker 2: come up somewhere in between those two numbers and determine
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Speaker 2: how you rate in your A key your acceptance quotient.
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Speaker 2: What do I mean by acceptance? But let me give
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Speaker 2: you a definition that I have come up with that
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Speaker 2: seems to describe what I'm trying to say this morning.
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Speaker 2: Acceptance is the ability to receive another person without inner
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Speaker 2: restrictions or outer requirements. The inner restrictions would be in
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Speaker 2: the realm of prejudice. The outer requirements would be in
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Speaker 2: the realm of performance. In other words, if somebody comes
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Speaker 2: into this fellowship, this assembly, or in a circle where
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Speaker 2: you're gathering regularly, does he have to go through or
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Speaker 2: does she have to pass through a period of time
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Speaker 2: before that person feels accepted by you? Do the prejudiced
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Speaker 2: areas of your life bristle in such a way as
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Speaker 2: to convey to that person you're not really in yet.
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Speaker 2: Now I'm not talking about someone who comes to be
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Speaker 2: a pastor on the staff or someone to be a
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Speaker 2: mate for life. I'm not referring to that kind of involvement.
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Speaker 2: I'm talking about just in everyday Christian fellowship. Does an
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Speaker 2: individual have to pass through a screening period approving himself
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Speaker 2: or herself before they're really in? Now you see what
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Speaker 2: I mean by acceptance. Listen to this comment. It isn't mine,
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Speaker 2: it's outstanding. Acceptance means you are valuable just as you are.
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Speaker 2: It allows you to be the real you. You aren't
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Speaker 2: forced into someone else's idea of who you really are.
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Speaker 2: It means your ideas are taken seriously since they reflect you.
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Speaker 2: You can talk about how you feel inside and why
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Speaker 2: you feel that way, and the other person really cares.
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Speaker 2: Acceptance means you can try out your ideas without being
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Speaker 2: shot down. You can even express heretical thoughts and discuss
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Speaker 2: them with intelligent questioning. You feel safe. No one will
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Speaker 2: pronounce judgment on you, even though they don't agree with you.
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Speaker 2: It doesn't mean you will never be corrected or shown
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Speaker 2: to be wrong. It simply means it's safe to be
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Speaker 2: you and no one will destroy you out of prejudice.
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Speaker 2: Isn't that good. It's safe to be you, and you
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Speaker 2: won't get rejected because you are. Let me give you
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Speaker 2: a couple of guidelines, or maybe three, to be exact
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Speaker 2: in the area of clarifying what I mean by acceptance. First,
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Speaker 2: acceptance does not nullify discernment. A mark of Christian maturity
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Speaker 2: is discernment. When you accept someone, it doesn't mean you
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Speaker 2: are blinded to that person's weakness, but it means you tolerated.
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Speaker 2: It means, in in fact, you love that person just
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Speaker 2: as much as if he didn't have the weakness at all. Acceptance, however,
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Speaker 2: doesn't nullify discernment. Neither does it. Secondly, deny depravity. Now,
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Speaker 2: it's true that nobody is perfect, and if you're looking
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Speaker 2: for a series of perfect people with whom you can
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Speaker 2: have that fellowship, it's going to be an awfully lonely crowd.
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Speaker 2: You're going to be all alone. Acceptance, however, doesn't deny depravity.
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Speaker 2: It recognizes all men as sinful, and it leaves a
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Speaker 2: lot of room for cracks in the character. While it
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Speaker 2: doesn't deny depravity. Now, third, let me give you a positive.
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Speaker 2: It gives unlimited freedom for individuality. When you have an
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Speaker 2: air of acceptance and it's genuine. A person can be
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Speaker 2: himself or herself, and both of you are absolutely at ease.
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Speaker 2: Think about your family right now, your kids, your parents
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Speaker 2: from the other side. Think about your realm of in laws.
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Speaker 2: Think about your work, these chunks of time where you
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Speaker 2: spend and invest your life. Are you known as a
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Speaker 2: person with a high AQ? Think about the family of
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Speaker 2: God and your willingness to reach out and make room
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Speaker 2: for those that are unlike you are even the majority
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Speaker 2: opinion that pervades this assembly. Now, I want you to
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Speaker 2: take the exam today because only you can grade your paper.
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Speaker 2: It'll be revealed as we turn to John chapter thirteen
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Speaker 2: Versus eighteen to thirty and some related scriptures. So pay
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Speaker 2: close attention during the exam, will you. I don't want
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Speaker 2: you to miss any of the questions, and not all
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Speaker 2: of them are going to be asked by me. The
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Speaker 2: Lord Jesus is spending the last meal he ever spent
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Speaker 2: on earth before the Cross with his men. He and
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Speaker 2: twelve men are sitting around a table or reclining at
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Speaker 2: the meal. He has just washed the disciples feet. All
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Speaker 2: twelve disciples have clean feet, and he said something to
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Speaker 2: Judas in the washing that needed to be clarified. A
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Speaker 2: little later on, after the time he washed their feet,
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Speaker 2: I should say he said something to Peter. He said
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Speaker 2: to Peter, Peter, you are all clean, you yourself, but
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Speaker 2: not all of you. In other words, Peter, your relationship
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Speaker 2: with me is secure. You're walking with me, you believe
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Speaker 2: in me. Your heart and mind are in league together.
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Speaker 2: We are one in heart, one in purpose, one in God.
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Speaker 2: But that doesn't say the same for all of you.
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Speaker 2: In fact, a little later on, Jesus called one of
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Speaker 2: the disciples the son of Perdition, referring of course, to Judas.
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Speaker 2: Now he comes back to that issue in verse eighteen,
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Speaker 2: and he clarifies it. I do not speak of all
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Speaker 2: of you, He repeats, I know the ones I have chosen,
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Speaker 2: But it is that the scripture may be fulfilled. Then
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Speaker 2: he quotes a verse from the Old Testament, he who
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Speaker 2: eats my bread has lifted up his heel against me,
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Speaker 2: meaning what meaning somebody sitting around the table eating bread
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Speaker 2: is in fact in the process of betraying me. And
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Speaker 2: he claims that scripture that night because it was appropriate. Now,
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Speaker 2: let me give you a couple of truths about the
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Speaker 2: traitor and no two men ever, said eyeball to eyeball,
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Speaker 2: who were more different than Jesus and Judas. Think about it.
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Speaker 2: Here is the Savior and the trader, the impeccable, perfect
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Speaker 2: son of God and the depraved son of tradition. Judas.
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Speaker 2: It almost seems to be in congress that you could
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Speaker 2: say he was a disciple and a trader. But it's true.
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Speaker 2: Like Benedict Arnold, you can check Webster's biographical Dictionary and
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Speaker 2: find his name listed, the dates of his birth and death,
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Speaker 2: and then you will find the words American Army officer,
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Speaker 2: trader period, and then some information about his past. But
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Speaker 2: those are the most important things. They don't fit together.
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Speaker 2: An American Army officer and trader. I don't go together. Ah,
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Speaker 2: until you come to Benedict Arnold than they do. Judas born, died,
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Speaker 2: disciple of Jesus' comma traitor period. That's what we have
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Speaker 2: in Judas. Now. The first thing I want to clarify
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Speaker 2: about Judas and Jesus makes it clear from the scripture
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Speaker 2: quotation is that he was committed to betraying. When he
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Speaker 2: came to the table that night, he had committed himself
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Speaker 2: to it. He wasn't a puppet of sovereignty. I might add,
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Speaker 2: Judas in his heart had made a decision to reject
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Speaker 2: the Savior. He had determined before he came to the table.
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Speaker 2: I will carry it through a little later on, when
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Speaker 2: Satan entered him. He became the puppet at that point
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Speaker 2: of the wicked one. But up until now, I see
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Speaker 2: Judas fulfilling scripture, not only in reality theoretically, but also
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Speaker 2: by choice on his own. He's already made his decision.
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Speaker 2: And the second thing I want to say is that
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Speaker 2: he was a first class hypocrite. Judas on the surface
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Speaker 2: looked like a disciple, but underneath he was a decaying,
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Speaker 2: sinful man. He was the traitor on the inside. Now,
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Speaker 2: there is no way under Heaven that you and I
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Speaker 2: can know the real heart of another person. God tells
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Speaker 2: us that man looks on the outward appearance, but God
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Speaker 2: looks on the heart. For all you know, you're sitting
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Speaker 2: next to someone that you have felt all of your life,
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Speaker 2: or perhaps a great deal of your time here at
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Speaker 2: the church, is a staunch believer in Jesus Christ. But
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Speaker 2: you don't know. You have no way of knowing the
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Speaker 2: real condition of anyone else's heart. But your own, because
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Speaker 2: you haven't the ability to x ray the soul like God.
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Speaker 2: And that's the way it was with the disciples, except
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Speaker 2: Jesus knew totally the condition of Judas. He had the
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Speaker 2: ability to see into his soul, and he knew in
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Speaker 2: his heart was the heart of a betrayer. But I
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Speaker 2: want you to see how he accepted him. That's what
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Speaker 2: I want you to glean. He didn't put him at
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Speaker 2: the back of the room. He didn't ask him to
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Speaker 2: eat outside on the porch. He was around the table.
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Speaker 2: Look at the treatment judas God. Look at the verse
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Speaker 2: twenty one. When Jesus said this, he became troubled in spirit,
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Speaker 2: and he testified, and he said, truly, truly, I say
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Speaker 2: to you that you will betray me. See that sentence.
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Speaker 2: The Greek says one from among you, meaning not just
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Speaker 2: one you run with, but one from this group. And
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Speaker 2: that provoked a question answer, period, Am I the one
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Speaker 2: the disciple, perhaps felt to wrote the book at the time.
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Speaker 2: Maybe John felt, well, I subconsciously, maybe going through motions
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Speaker 2: I don't realize being imperfect. Perhaps the last few days
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Speaker 2: have appeared as though I'm turning trader? Is it I?
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Speaker 2: And another one said, is am I the one? Matthew asked,
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Speaker 2: and John asked, And I imagine even Judas, with clean feet, asked,
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Speaker 2: is it I? You? See Verse twenty twenty two tells
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Speaker 2: us they were at a loss to know of which
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Speaker 2: one he was speaking. He was troubled, and they wanted
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Speaker 2: to know who is it? Who is the trader? Now,
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Speaker 2: the treatment that was given Judas is revealed in the
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Speaker 2: seating arrangement around the table that night. Maybe it was
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Speaker 2: in a U shape, or maybe it was in the
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Speaker 2: form of long palates that they rested on, but they
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Speaker 2: were reclining at a table. They leaned on an elbow
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Speaker 2: and ate with the free hand that they had. And
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Speaker 2: I want to show you something that is perhaps missed
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Speaker 2: by many who think of the Lord's table. Look, come
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Speaker 2: at verse twenty three. There was reclining on Jesus' breast,
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Speaker 2: one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Well. The identity
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Speaker 2: of that one is John, who wrote the book. He
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Speaker 2: refers to himself as the one Jesus loved. Now, more
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Speaker 2: than likely you have never eaten a supper leaning on
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Speaker 2: somebody else. We don't eat like that, but in those
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Speaker 2: days they did. They reclined. I wish I could demonstrate
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Speaker 2: it for you, but you need to lay down on
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Speaker 2: one side and rest on an elbow and have a
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Speaker 2: hand free to put food in your face. And that's
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Speaker 2: exactly the way they did it. So when you would
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Speaker 2: be close around the table, your head would be in
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Speaker 2: the upper torso area of the one next to you.
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Speaker 2: Got it. You just sort of got it together around
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Speaker 2: a meal, and that's what they did that evening. Now
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Speaker 2: we're told that John was in that area of Jesus's body.
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Speaker 2: Jesus is at the host place at the table, he's
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Speaker 2: in the middle, and John and Jesus are able to
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Speaker 2: have a close communion together. Here is John leaning on Jesus,
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Speaker 2: as it were, and you see in that inanimate position,
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Speaker 2: all he had to do was just sort of glance
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Speaker 2: up over his shoulders and Jesus could look down. They
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Speaker 2: could meet eye to eye, and it was just just
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Speaker 2: with this very slight word, you could communicate easily. You
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Speaker 2: just face to face, and that's what it means. Let's
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Speaker 2: read on verse twenty four. Simon Peter therefore gestured. Notice
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Speaker 2: that now see Jesus was troubled, and Simon didn't want
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Speaker 2: to probe Christ. And so he said to John. He
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Speaker 2: gestured to him, tell us who it is of whom
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Speaker 2: he is speaking sort of like this. Here's Simon, he said,
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Speaker 2: ask him who it is that kind of a thing.
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Speaker 2: Ask him, got it. He's across the table, Peter is
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Speaker 2: saying to John, ask him who it is? And so
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Speaker 2: John be over here by Jesus just sort of leans
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Speaker 2: up and says, who is it? Lord? It's It's just
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Speaker 2: the most beautiful description that John puts it. He just says, Lord,
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Speaker 2: come on, who is it? And so Jesus answers him
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Speaker 2: back verse twenty six. It is the one for whom
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Speaker 2: I shall dip the morsel and give it to him. Ah. Now,
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Speaker 2: Jesus says to John. He doesn't look up so that
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Speaker 2: everybody around the table gets the message, which explains why
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Speaker 2: they were confused. He just says to John, John, I'll
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Speaker 2: give him the morsel. It's bothered some people that the
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Speaker 2: disciples didn't all immediately understand the trader. Please understand two things.
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Speaker 2: First of all, Jesus never announced it loudly to everybody.
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Speaker 2: And secondly, Judas was the most trusted man of the band.
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Speaker 2: He held a money box. He'd be the last choice
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Speaker 2: anybody had. I have an ear problem, and I have
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Speaker 2: a perforation in my drum on the right ear, about
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Speaker 2: eighty percent to ninety percent perforation. So I have a
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Speaker 2: hard time hearing. And my family jabs me at times
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Speaker 2: because I go on with the problem and I don't
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Speaker 2: get the thing worked on. And so at times around
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Speaker 2: the table we'll be talking and I won't get what
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Speaker 2: one of the children says, and I'll say, oh, what
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Speaker 2: did you say? And the answer will be, get your
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Speaker 2: ear fixed. That's that's what I said, you know, get
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Speaker 2: it fixed. Well, it's sort of like that here, except
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Speaker 2: they weren't closed, so they couldn't hear in the table
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Speaker 2: maybe spread out a ways, and so they didn't hear
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Speaker 2: what he said. In fact, I don't think John even
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Speaker 2: got it together at the time, says I gave him
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Speaker 2: the morsel. One man writes this, it's a fine insight.
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Speaker 2: It is the place of Judas at the table that
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Speaker 2: is a special interest to the reader. It's quite clear
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Speaker 2: that Judas was in a position in which Jesus could
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Speaker 2: speak to him privately without the others overhearing it. There
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Speaker 2: is a kind of private conversation going on between Jesus
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Speaker 2: and John and Judas. Now, if that be so, there
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Speaker 2: is only one place in which Judas could be sitting.
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Speaker 2: He must have only he must have been sitting on
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Speaker 2: Jesus' left, so that just as John's head was in
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Speaker 2: Jesus' breast, now listen, jesus head was in judas breast.
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Speaker 2: And the revealing thing about all this is that the
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Speaker 2: place on the left of the host was the place
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Speaker 2: of highest honor kept for the most intimate friend. Ah.
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Speaker 2: But there's more than that. For the host to offer
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Speaker 2: the guest a special tidbit or marsel or morsel from
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Speaker 2: the dish was again a sign of special friendship. Isn't
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Speaker 2: that something? Here is Jesus at the table hosting the meal,
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Speaker 2: talking with John and saying, look, I'm going to dip
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Speaker 2: the morsel, and I'm going to give it to a
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Speaker 2: very special guest. How high was his AQ in the
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Speaker 2: scale of one to ten, I'd rank at about twelve.
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Speaker 2: What's a morsel? That? It was? Sort of a first
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Speaker 2: century sandwich, piece of unleavened bread, slab of roasted lamb,
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Speaker 2: some bitter herbs, another piece of bread dipped in the
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Speaker 2: caro chef the dip, and all of it spoke of
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Speaker 2: that relief from bondage in Egypt years ago, and dipping
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Speaker 2: it into it was like you dip a chip into
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Speaker 2: some onion dip or sour cream dip. They dipped it
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Speaker 2: in and then handed that morsel to a very special
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Speaker 2: guest at the table. You want to know the truth
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Speaker 2: about it. If the disciples had known how Judas wouldn't
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Speaker 2: have had a chance in a life time to live
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Speaker 2: through the meal. And if a Judas could be known
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Speaker 2: in this assembly, he hadn't got a chance because we
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Speaker 2: don't relate well with those that are different from ourselves,
29:21
Speaker 2: which is the whole point of the illustration I'm making.
29:25
Speaker 2: Jesus gave him the dip, and he took it, and
29:30
Speaker 2: I'm convinced he choked it down. But something happened. It
29:35
Speaker 2: says he took it and he gave it to Judas.
29:38
Speaker 2: The son of Simon is Scariot. No question, there's another
29:42
Speaker 2: Judas in the band, but he's not the one this is.
29:44
Speaker 2: This is Judas is Scariot. Notice verse twenty seven, there
29:48
Speaker 2: is a change in the in the traitor. Here we
29:51
Speaker 2: have a case of actual satanic possession. It's an incredible
29:57
Speaker 2: phenomenon must have been something to experience Satan. Then after
30:05
Speaker 2: the morsel, he then entered into him and noticed on
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Speaker 2: the heels of that very statement, Jesus says to him,
30:17
Speaker 2: what you do, do quickly. There's a change in acceptance,
30:23
Speaker 2: no longer acceptance. Why because at that moment it was
30:32
Speaker 2: a settled, absolute, determined conviction, filled with the presence of Satan,
30:40
Speaker 2: that betraying Christ was in fact his only goal. And
30:47
Speaker 2: he moved right on into the steps. In fact, it
30:50
Speaker 2: says he went out and it was night. The night
30:55
Speaker 2: was bright compared to the heart of Judas you see.
31:00
Speaker 2: I'm making an issue of it because there is a
31:02
Speaker 2: place where discernment steps in and says, no longer is
31:06
Speaker 2: there room for fellowship. And that's true in the family
31:09
Speaker 2: of God. May I add, and don't forget it, no
31:13
Speaker 2: matter how I may apply the message in broad liberal
31:17
Speaker 2: terms in a moment, don't forget what I'm saying right now.
31:21
Speaker 2: In the New Testament, it is clearly set forth that
31:25
Speaker 2: the church is to maintain a distinctive purity. If there
31:31
Speaker 2: are those that are engaged in a life of looseness,
31:37
Speaker 2: and attempts are made to restore them and they reject
31:42
Speaker 2: those attempts. Those individuals, in a spirit of humility on
31:47
Speaker 2: the part of the administrators, are to be set aside
31:51
Speaker 2: and disciplined. Second John tells us that the church cannot
31:58
Speaker 2: tolerate the cults that do not exalt Christ. In fact,
32:03
Speaker 2: it says, don't even open your doors to them, don't
32:07
Speaker 2: even fellowship with them. First Corinthians five clarifies that there
32:13
Speaker 2: was a man in the Assembly of Chrinth who was
32:16
Speaker 2: living in known sin, and Paul says, he needs to
32:20
Speaker 2: be put out from among you. So let it be
32:24
Speaker 2: clearly remembered that at times this matter of acceptance is
32:29
Speaker 2: to be gauged on the basis of scriptural discernment, and
32:34
Speaker 2: that is never easy to carry out, but it's necessary
32:40
Speaker 2: for the maintenance of purity. In fact, you could wrap
32:43
Speaker 2: it all up in the terms of First Corinthians fifteen
32:47
Speaker 2: thirty three. Bad company corrupts good morals, And on the
32:56
Speaker 2: basis of that basic principle, Jesus said to Judah, Judas,
33:01
Speaker 2: be on your way. You're committed to it, take off,
33:06
Speaker 2: do it fast. Now. Let me come back to the
33:10
Speaker 2: other side, and don't forget what I have just said.
33:13
Speaker 2: There is a place for restoration. There is a place
33:16
Speaker 2: for scriptural uncompromising restoration, at least the attempts to restore
33:24
Speaker 2: and if not followed through disciplining. Now, the reaction of
33:33
Speaker 2: the trader is that he left and carried out his plan,
33:36
Speaker 2: which was predictable. I want to apply this message in
33:41
Speaker 2: the area of fellowship, in the area of acceptance, in
33:49
Speaker 2: your heart and in mind. There are three areas that
33:53
Speaker 2: I would like to use as a basis for application,
33:58
Speaker 2: and I am concerned about all three, not simply here,
34:02
Speaker 2: but in Christian circles marked by a conservative doctrine. And
34:11
Speaker 2: I would not want that doctrinal stand to change in
34:13
Speaker 2: any way. That is the major tenants of our doctrinal position.
34:20
Speaker 2: But I think it is possible, and I would love
34:22
Speaker 2: to go on record as saying it is possible to
34:25
Speaker 2: have a conservative doctrine and a very liberal fellowship. And
34:31
Speaker 2: I in fact see that in the life of Jesus,
34:36
Speaker 2: surrounded by the doctrinal vultures of his day, the Pharisees,
34:43
Speaker 2: they couldn't believe that he rubbed shoulders with the sinners,
34:48
Speaker 2: sinners in their concept and had time for those that
34:53
Speaker 2: they simply didn't have room for. So here's the first.
34:56
Speaker 2: The first is an unwillingness to accept peace people without partiality.
35:03
Speaker 2: That's a first application. It is of concern to me
35:07
Speaker 2: as we begin to gauge ourselves in our aq, that
35:12
Speaker 2: we have marked off a prejudiced box. And before a
35:19
Speaker 2: person can enjoy fellowship just in our circles, he's got
35:26
Speaker 2: to get into the box and stay there. Look at
35:32
Speaker 2: James Chapter two, verses one through four, or a biblical basis,
35:39
Speaker 2: and then I'll even apply it down to the raw
35:44
Speaker 2: edge James two to one. My brethren, do not hold
35:50
Speaker 2: your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an
35:54
Speaker 2: attitude of personal favoritism. Look at that Our faith is
35:59
Speaker 2: in the Lord Jesusesus Christ, and may that never be confused.
36:03
Speaker 2: He is our Lord, he is our God, he is
36:06
Speaker 2: the pre eminent one. He's the head of the church.
36:10
Speaker 2: But holding on to that faith does not mean that
36:14
Speaker 2: you sustain an attitude of favoritism toward others. The next verse,
36:22
Speaker 2: if a man comes into your assembly with a gold
36:24
Speaker 2: ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes
36:29
Speaker 2: in a poor man in dirty clothes, got the picture.
36:34
Speaker 2: And you pay special attention to one who is wearing
36:37
Speaker 2: the fine clothes. Then and you say, here, sit in
36:42
Speaker 2: a good place. And you say to the poor man,
36:44
Speaker 2: you stand over there, or sit down by my footstool.
36:48
Speaker 2: Got it? Have you not made distinctions among yourselves and
36:53
Speaker 2: become judges with evil motives? Yes, you have the usher
36:59
Speaker 2: who sizes up a person and says, hey, he's got cash,
37:02
Speaker 2: let's give him a good seat. But then spot's minority
37:07
Speaker 2: and says, oh, man, what's he doing here? Sit down
37:11
Speaker 2: over there, preferably in the narthex, so you won't be
37:15
Speaker 2: in the way, you won't clutter up the place. Verse nine.
37:21
Speaker 2: If you show partiality, you're committing sin and you're convicted
37:26
Speaker 2: by the laws transgressors. Look at that. I know this
37:31
Speaker 2: is going to stretch some who hear this. For example,
37:35
Speaker 2: if an individual has a background of divorce, God help
37:41
Speaker 2: him finding fellowship in a church of a very strong
37:47
Speaker 2: conservative doctrine. If a person has a background of mental
37:54
Speaker 2: illness or emotional trauma, and that individual really and truly
38:00
Speaker 2: wants to be a part, but the story gets out,
38:05
Speaker 2: how can he ever possibly make it? If his lifestyle
38:10
Speaker 2: is different from yours, If he votes to the right
38:13
Speaker 2: further than you, or to the left further than you,
38:19
Speaker 2: or carries on a business that's different than yours. That's
38:23
Speaker 2: awfully hard for that person to feel absolutely a part
38:27
Speaker 2: of the ministry. You know where it even touches. If
38:30
Speaker 2: a person is never married and he's older. I had
38:35
Speaker 2: a man tell me whom I married some time ago,
38:38
Speaker 2: to a gal somewhat near his age. They were both
38:41
Speaker 2: in their thirties. He says, well, I'll tell you. One
38:43
Speaker 2: of the most difficult things to put up with is
38:45
Speaker 2: hearing people say what's wrong with you? What is your
38:52
Speaker 2: attitude toward an individual who has never been married and
38:57
Speaker 2: is in his thirties or forties. Something have to be
39:01
Speaker 2: wrong with them. I frankly know a lot more things
39:04
Speaker 2: wrong with those that have married in their twenties than
39:08
Speaker 2: some that are single in their thirties. If a person
39:14
Speaker 2: is mine already, it's pretty hard to wedge into this place,
39:20
Speaker 2: any place that holds to our doctrine. How about long hair?
39:28
Speaker 2: I know it hurts to hear it, but how about it.
39:33
Speaker 2: Heard about a fellow the other day that told his son, look, son,
39:36
Speaker 2: look up to your great granddad. Now there's a godly man,
39:39
Speaker 2: methodist minister. Now there's the guy to look up to
39:41
Speaker 2: and the kid was upstairs cleaning the attic came across
39:44
Speaker 2: a picture of his great granddad, hair down to his shoulders.
39:48
Speaker 2: The kid had long hair, so he says, hey, Dad,
39:50
Speaker 2: look here's my idol. Put the picture up. Sign. Don't
39:54
Speaker 2: fiddle around with that picture. No room for that. How
39:58
Speaker 2: come they got to cut their hair to certain li
40:01
Speaker 2: in the seventeen hundreds, it was one length. The nineteen hundreds,
40:05
Speaker 2: it's another. What's a big deal on the hair? You see?
40:11
Speaker 2: We cover that up though, we don't want that to
40:12
Speaker 2: be known. For example, the guy who wrote this poem,
40:16
Speaker 2: Paul's girl is rich and haughty. My girl is poor
40:20
Speaker 2: as clay. Paul's girl is young and pretty. My girl
40:25
Speaker 2: looks like a bail of hay. Paul's girl is smart
40:30
Speaker 2: and clever. My girl is dumb but good. But would
40:36
Speaker 2: I trade my girl for Paul's You bet your life
40:39
Speaker 2: I would. Oh, man, just give me a chance. But
40:48
Speaker 2: you know who doesn't know it is his girl? See
40:51
Speaker 2: he don't let her know that. We hide it. Oh,
41:00
Speaker 2: what's your attitude really toward people who just aren't like you?
41:05
Speaker 2: A bunch of while looking people coming into this place
41:08
Speaker 2: some Sunday sending down in the chair you've occupied or
41:11
Speaker 2: the few you've had for years and years, and take
41:13
Speaker 2: your spot. What's your attitude? How did that get in here?
41:19
Speaker 2: Or well I knew we were going liberal the way
41:27
Speaker 2: Swindle's been preaching lately. No wonder they're coming in like that,
41:31
Speaker 2: or is it? Man? I'm glad he's here to hear
41:34
Speaker 2: about Christ. Wow. I bet it's the first time in
41:39
Speaker 2: his life he's ever heard a clear cut message of
41:42
Speaker 2: the Savior. God help him to be responsive. Grade yourself,
41:53
Speaker 2: how high is your aq? Second? And unwillingness to accept
42:02
Speaker 2: another style without criticism, And unwillingness to accept another style
42:12
Speaker 2: of message without criticism. Now I'm not saying another message.
42:18
Speaker 2: I'm referring to a message that presents Jesus Christ as Lord,
42:24
Speaker 2: as pre eminent. He is the central figure of the
42:28
Speaker 2: Bible and therefore the central figure of the message. But
42:34
Speaker 2: it's put together in a different garb, and so you
42:39
Speaker 2: fight the problem of exclusivism. You know, I prefer this,
42:44
Speaker 2: and that's fine to prefer it, But you travel and
42:47
Speaker 2: you go to another area where there is a different
42:50
Speaker 2: kind of ministry, and if you don't watch it, you'll
42:53
Speaker 2: nitpick the message to death because of a few little differences,
42:58
Speaker 2: such as the guy wears a robe. Now, why would
43:04
Speaker 2: that affect us? If he wears a robe, What don't
43:06
Speaker 2: you care if he wears bermudas? What does it matter?
43:13
Speaker 2: What does it matter if the person has a different look,
43:16
Speaker 2: What does it matter if they don't believe in having
43:18
Speaker 2: a choir? Christ is preached. There's a pride of style.
43:25
Speaker 2: There's a pride of size, there's a pride of exclusive philosophy,
43:33
Speaker 2: even pride of personality or minor areas of theology. You
43:42
Speaker 2: discover a person is post trip. Wow, God, help him
43:48
Speaker 2: to be heard all the way through by you. Jesus
43:53
Speaker 2: said in Mark chapter nine. Oh, don't hinder them. Paul
43:58
Speaker 2: even says in Philippians, why block? Some are preaching out
44:01
Speaker 2: of a selfish motive. But Christ is preached. Oh may
44:07
Speaker 2: he be exalted. See there are some people who even
44:14
Speaker 2: say when they hear he, is he calvinistic? No, he
44:19
Speaker 2: doesn't have to be a Calvanian, that's all. Is he
44:24
Speaker 2: not calvinistic? That's the other side. I mean, you can't win.
44:29
Speaker 2: Oh how about the area of his plan toward the future,
44:34
Speaker 2: his whole scheme of eschatology. He's got a fit. I'm
44:40
Speaker 2: talking not about a pastor. I'm talking about group sharing.
44:45
Speaker 2: He's got to be in the box or we don't
44:48
Speaker 2: have room. You wonder why the lost world watches us
44:56
Speaker 2: like ducks and says, oh way, you know this needs
45:04
Speaker 2: some real soul searching. You know you feel that way.
45:08
Speaker 2: I'm just gutsy enough to say it. That's the difference,
45:11
Speaker 2: you know, That's what's going on. How deep down inside
45:18
Speaker 2: you don't have to be ecumenical to be liberal in
45:23
Speaker 2: your fellowship. God guard us against it. Those sterile places
45:31
Speaker 2: I know are doctrinally accurate right down to the last
45:36
Speaker 2: icicle of truth. There's a third while you're grading your paper.
45:45
Speaker 2: Unwillingness to accept offenses without holding a grudge. Wow, somebody
45:56
Speaker 2: hurts you around the church. Oh I'm never going back
46:01
Speaker 2: to that church. Well, they got people that just do
46:04
Speaker 2: you wrong. Well, I just have to say stick around,
46:09
Speaker 2: you'll have more wrong done. It'll just happen again. If
46:14
Speaker 2: you're looking for the perfect church, don't join it, you
46:17
Speaker 2: will run it. You see this whole area of offense.
46:26
Speaker 2: You know who suffers the most? You do because of
46:31
Speaker 2: an unforgiving spirit, and it eats like an acid. You
46:38
Speaker 2: know what Jesus washed Judas feet, would you, knowing in
46:44
Speaker 2: his heart that he would trade, he would be the
46:46
Speaker 2: trader says, give me a feed, Judas, Let's get him
46:49
Speaker 2: cleaned up. That's beautiful. What a forgiveness? You say, What
46:57
Speaker 2: in the world does this have to do with with missions? Well,
47:03
Speaker 2: I've just come in the back door. Frankly, i pulled
47:08
Speaker 2: a surprise tactic on you. You see, these are the
47:13
Speaker 2: reasons people don't go to the field. Personal prejudice, a
47:23
Speaker 2: different style. You've got to be broad to minister, or
47:31
Speaker 2: being willing to overlook petty things to get the job done.
47:34
Speaker 2: All the way through these fellas and guiles ministry this summer,
47:38
Speaker 2: i've heard them say, wow, I just had to go
47:40
Speaker 2: right on. It didn't fit like I planned. In fact,
47:43
Speaker 2: some things were sort of hurting. I went right on.
47:46
Speaker 2: You know what I fought with when I was in Venezuela.
47:49
Speaker 2: One of the things is the personal prejudice of the
47:52
Speaker 2: American mindset, and you have to give it up. Has
47:58
Speaker 2: to be under the cross, even the offenses. Lord, that
48:04
Speaker 2: person offended me. But may that helps me understand how
48:06
Speaker 2: you must have felt at the Cross when they covered
48:10
Speaker 2: your body with saliva, and they punched you until you
48:13
Speaker 2: no longer look like a human being in your face,
48:17
Speaker 2: and you died for them. Oh help me to know
48:22
Speaker 2: what it is like to go right on against those
48:27
Speaker 2: kinds of offenses. Thanks for designing it for me to
48:31
Speaker 2: learn this way. I'll tell you I may go down,
48:39
Speaker 2: but I go down swing it. I believe in this
48:42
Speaker 2: with all my heart. And you know what, I don't
48:47
Speaker 2: think it's that much different than what you really want
48:50
Speaker 2: to believe in. But you've been afraid. Relax. We're gonna
49:00
Speaker 2: keep on preaching this book and we're going to see
49:04
Speaker 2: lives changed, hopefully without some restrictions that keep people away.
49:13
Speaker 2: You don't even have to be something to fellowship at
49:17
Speaker 2: this place. You can just be a sinner like the
49:20
Speaker 2: preacher and come right on in. How high is your IQ?
49:31
Speaker 2: How high is your a Q? That's what really matters.
49:37
Speaker 2: That's about together this morning. A message like this obviously
49:48
Speaker 2: disserves some of you because you revealed it in your face,
49:54
Speaker 2: but there are some here that are touched by it.
50:00
Speaker 2: It's to you especially I direct these words. God might
50:06
Speaker 2: be getting your attention in this service and saying to you,
50:10
Speaker 2: I want you in my service outside the land of America.
50:20
Speaker 2: You're just forging out some plans in your mind and
50:23
Speaker 2: maybe just getting underway in a business or a profession.
50:26
Speaker 2: And you realize that's the reason I haven't really been
50:29
Speaker 2: sensitive to your world plan. Lord, I've just been basically selfish. Now,
50:46
Speaker 2: let me say, don't turn that off. That's what God's saying.
50:52
Speaker 2: You've never trusted the Lord Jesus, I can assure you.
50:55
Speaker 2: Only he can take away the prejudice and remove the
50:59
Speaker 2: bitterness of an offense. Only he can give you the
51:03
Speaker 2: flexibility of enjoying another style of someone who preaches the
51:09
Speaker 2: same Christ. Only he can broaden your shoulders and help
51:16
Speaker 2: you grow up. Let him do that, Let him come
51:24
Speaker 2: into your life, Let him take first place. You won't
51:31
Speaker 2: get out of balance, You'll get in balance. Lord, I
51:38
Speaker 2: thank you today for the context in which I'm able
51:48
Speaker 2: to preach, knowing that freedom is provided for this pulpit
51:58
Speaker 2: to declare the truth, and as best I see it,
52:04
Speaker 2: though it isn't what is normally given, I've told what
52:08
Speaker 2: I believe to be the truth, and I believe we
52:12
Speaker 2: have biblical basis for it. And therefore, though it's been
52:16
Speaker 2: gutsy and direct, I pray that it might reach some
52:24
Speaker 2: hearts that could not in any other way have been reached.
52:28
Speaker 2: Some are too far gone, they're in your hands. But
52:32
Speaker 2: there are some that are really on the cutting edge
52:36
Speaker 2: of becoming effective ambassadors, especially on their behalf. I pray
52:45
Speaker 2: and Lord teach us to know the joy of a
52:51
Speaker 2: lifestyle that's lived without the box, without bitterness, without the
53:01
Speaker 2: exclusive ic tendencies that so often characterize our ministry in
53:10
Speaker 2: our lives. For Jesus sake, we ask this.
53:20
Speaker 3: The preceding message, how High is Your AQ was copyrighted
53:24
Speaker 3: in nineteen seventy five, nineteen eighty seven, two thousand and
53:28
Speaker 3: twenty eighteen, and the sound recording was copyrighted in twenty
53:32
Speaker 3: eighteen by Charles R. Swindall, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide.
53:38
Speaker 3: Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.