Notes from the message at Harvest Bible Chapel Spring Lake on August 19, 2012
Scripture: Numbers 12
Critical attitudes, if left unaddressed, unadmonished, will
act as a contagious disease that is harmful to the body of Christ and to the
mission of God in glorifying Himself.
We benefit from constructive criticism, or analysis.
Criticism (destructive) – dwelling upon the perceived
faults of another with no view to their good.
Constructive criticism is with a view to another’s
good. It is sought after with the
purpose of finding a solution.
Perceived faults – how quick are we to assume things about
others that are simply not true! Why
destructive criticism can be so harmful…
1) Put off a critical attitude
Why do we put off a critical attitude? Because at...
·
its root is pride
Numbers 12:1 – Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against (critized) Moses…
No one is exempt from this sin. Miriam and Aaron had a long history of honoring
the Lord.
The problem was jealousy of Moses – for getting all the
credit. V. 2 – Has the LORD indeed spoken
only through Moses? Has He not spoken
through us as well?
When we don’t get the respect or credit we deserve, we’ll
have something to say about it. Call it
what is is – pride! When we are
criticizing it is because we are mad that we don’t have something that the
other has or we feel entitled to do something better than the other person ever
could.
Pride is me before you
and is at the root of our criticism.
·
Proverbs
11:2 – When pride comes, then comes
disgrace, but with the humble comes wisdom.
·
Proverbs
16:18 – Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Secondly, we need to put off criticism because…
·
Its offense is serious
v. 2 – And the LORD heard it. God
hears our criticisms! That should make
us quake! (And we don’t even have to be
saying it out loud…)
God points out to Miriam and Aaron the authority of Moses –
he is a prophet among prophets. He is
the prophet above prophets, and a man of humility, the most humble man on the
earth. vv. 3, 6-8 Why then were you not afraid to speak against
My servant, against Moses?
We should be fearful of criticizing because…
1.
when we criticize we are tearing down someone
who is made in the image of God.
2.
the believers that we criticize are being
molded, daily, into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
So when we criticize, we are tearing down what the Lord is
trying to build up.
Criticism angers the Lord.
v. 9
Thirdly, we need to put off criticism because…
·
Its result is humiliation
The judgment on Miriam was instant. God humiliated her with leprosy. Aaron repented right away. v. 11
Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this
sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned.”
If we are dishing out criticism left and right, we should
expect to be humbled.
We need to follow the example of Aaron and repent
immediately when our critical attitude is pointed out to us.
(Notice Moses, the one criticized against. He did not retaliate, but interceded on
behalf of Miriam. Another example to
follow…)
PUT OFF CRITICISM,
PUT ON LOVE
2. Put on an attitude
of Love
·
1
Corinthians 13:1-8
·
All truth and no love is brutality.
-All love and no truth is
hypocrisy.
Jesus Christ is the perfect balance of the two – John 1:14 – “…full of grace and truth.”
Grace is the greatest expression of love that the world has
ever seen.
·
Agape love is a self-less love: “You
before me” (Remember, pride is
“me before you”)
Is it possible to critique or analyze someone in a loving
way? Yes.
Critiquing turns into agape love when we step up and are
willing to help the person grow in the area that can be made better, or when we
step up to fill the gap that is lacking in our churches, instead of just being
critical about what is lacking. The
purpose is so that glory can go to God.
What about a major issue?
A sin issue? A doctrinal
issue? When is it appropriate to call
someone out on a perceived fault? How
should we approach in love?
·
On the majors – take Action Love
does not rejoice in iniquity – 1 Cor. 6
When do we come alongside and tell someone, “This isn’t
right. Can I help you refocus your life on Christ again? How do we know we are the person?
Three criteria that are helpful to know if you should step
in…
Ask these questions – Is it a critical path?
If our failure to take action will sacrifice a major
doctrinal issue, we need to take action.
If our failure to take action could result in a moral
failure by the person of concern, we need to take action.
If failure to take action could result in physical harm to
that person or their family, we need to take action.
Second question – Is it a chronic problem?
Is this over an issue that happened once, a long time ago,
that you haven’t been able to forgive?
Or, is it a recurring sin that never seems to go away? Is the issue habitual? Is the issue of an additive nature? Is it in time, destructive to the person’s
emotional, physical, or spiritual health?
If our failure to take action will result in the person being trapped
into sin, we need to take action.
Third question – Is it in close proximity to you?
This is a must, before we step in.
Is this person in your realm of influence? Would you be considered an authority figure
in this person’s life? Would I be ok if
that person approached me on something?
If failure to take action will result in a break in fellowship or familial
ties, we should take action.
There is a difference between judging someone, and a loving
confrontation - seeing someone who is stumbling and falling and we lovingly
confront them, for their betterment.
Taking them to God’s Word on the subject, focusing together our lives on
Christ…
Love is not
brutal. Love is patient, love is kind
and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act
unbecomingly; it does not seek its own way; it does not insist on its own way…
There is no place for a boisterous or obnoxious
confrontation. If we can’t approach
someone without exploding, we need to work on our heart first. The wrath of man does not produce the
righteousness of God.
If the issue meets those three criteria, the need to speak
truth comes secondary to the need to help and love.
What about minor things such as a personal preference? A cultural difference? A personality difference?
·
On the minors – Acceptance.
Be patient.
1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep fervent in your love for
one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
If you don’t know what to do in the moment, let love cover
it.
-Love is patient
-Love is not jealous
·
I will accept you, even when you are more
successful than me
-Love is not proud
·
I will accept you, even when you aren’t as
successful as me
-Love believes all things
·
Love will believe the best of others (I am not willing to have ears for what
others have said about you…)
Agape love endures all things; it never fails. You stick with that person, through it all,
to the very end.
The reason love never fails is that the root of love is the
gospel.
There is no greater expression of love than from our Lord
Jesus Christ.
He had every right to criticize and condemn us! Yet, He went to His death, taking our sins,
all the reasons we ought to be criticized, and He poured out His favor and
grace on us.
Agape love, the love of dying to self, self-sacrifice,
you-before-me love, is the fruit of the Spirit.
We don’t bear fruit unless we have the Spirit. Love is an expression of the fruit of the
Spirit. We don’t have the capacity to
agape love, apart from Jesus Christ as our Savior. Agape love is a supernatural love that is
only spawned out of a transformed life by the Word of God and the gospel of
Jesus Christ. If we do not believe that
it was our sin that put Jesus on the cross, if we do not know that Jesus came
and suffered death He didn’t deserve, because of us, if we do not know that He
defeated death, sin, and the power of sin, by rising and coming back to life,
we do not have the capacity to love.
We all need a Savior because we are all sinners. To criticize is to say that someone needs a
Savior more than we do. The people we
criticize need Jesus as much, not more, than we do. The only goodness in us, is Jesus in us. The church is the laughing stock to the world
when we devour each other with criticism.
Love is what will draw people to Christ.
If we bite and consume each other, we lose our mission. We stand together in shame, and not to the
glory of God. Let us come before the
throne of grace and repent of our criticism.
Cling to Jesus who is full of agape love, grace, and truth.
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