First Be Reconciled to Your Brother

In one paragraph

This Sunday's message walked through steps eight and nine of the 12 steps, showing how biblical they are and how seriously Jesus takes broken relationships. Pastor Ray was joined by guest Ken Sandy, who added personal stories about what genuine reconciliation actually costs and what it produces. The service also included a launch of the small group Jamboreeapalooza, with an invitation to find or...

Read together

1. Psalm 107 opening encouragement about God's steadfast love satisfying the longing soul, and the redeemed saying so
2. 1 John 4:9-10 God showed His love by sending His Son so we might have eternal life; it is not that we loved God but that He loved us first and sent His Son as a sacrifice
3. 1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness
4. James 5:16 therefore be confessing your sins to each other and praying for each other so that you may be healed; the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective
5. John 5 the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been there thirty-eight years and Jesus asked him do you want to get well
6. John 3 Nicodemus passage used for step seven on humble submission and rebirth
7. Matthew 5:21-26 Sermon on the Mount teaching that anger and contempt make one answerable to judgment, and that one must be reconciled to a brother before presenting an offering at the altar
8. 1 John 1:3 benediction about declaring what was seen and heard so others may have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray described step six as being 'entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character,' and noted that some people want to hold onto a defect because it feels like a big part of who they are. What makes it so hard to let go of something we know is hurting us, and what has helped you move past that resistance?
2. The friend who helps people work the 12 steps suggested that the people we have harmed are basically 'everybody you have ever loved and everybody who has ever loved you.' Does that ring true to you, and what does it reveal about the nature of sin that we most often hurt the people closest to us?
3. Pastor Ray pointed to Matthew 5 where Jesus says to leave your offering at the altar and first go be reconciled to your brother. What does it say about how God views our worship that He connects it so directly to the state of our relationships?
4. Ken shared that five years after a conflict was technically resolved, he reread a letter he had written and finally saw the pride and lack of love in it, even though every word was factually accurate. Have you ever experienced a situation where you were right about the facts but still wrong in how you handled it, and what did that teach you?
5. Ken closed by saying that Matt, the man he called to ask forgiveness, died three months later, and that the rancher who reconciled with his neighbor after twenty years both broke down and cried. What is stopping you right now from reaching out to someone on your own list, and what would it take to act on that before it is too late?