My Regard For Others

Introduction

Due to the large number of visitors we had this morning, we did indeed have a record crowd. Now we know what capacity is of our building, and that’s even though we had some members not here, Steve Brunfield. I realized Terry was here by herself, but she had all that family with her. Steve is in Alabama tonight, not far from where we were in the Auburn area, is asking me about a congregation over there, Perry Hill in Montgomery, where he’s going to be attending tonight. So I’ve had communication with Steve this afternoon. And I guess that means Terry went with family to Kleinwood tonight, and we’re just glad to get on the reciprocating end that our very own, Stephen and Xanthia have returned tonight and brought Bond along with them.

If you guys had been here this morning, we would have had what, 170. But that’s okay.

Perish the thought. After three years, Tony’s out of material. We’ve got to start repeating all the lessons now. Well no. But I preached this particular sermon, or I’m just going to say a version of it. I preached this particular sermon like the second week we were here. And the reason why I preached it at that time is I think it’s one of the most important lessons that I deliver. And you know, I’ve been preaching for 28 years. I got this idea while I was in Auburn, and I just think it is so important because it is such a challenging subject for believers. We do many things well in regard to restoring New Testament Christianity in our time. But I think if there is one particular struggle that the Lord’s people have in our time, is the very theme of this lesson tonight.

And so I don’t hesitate. I thought a few weeks ago, you know, I really need to preach those same thoughts again at Decker Frick. Not that any of you who were here, which is probably about only half of you anyway. Not that any of you who are here will probably remember. Oh, yeah, I remember that one. But even if you do, you need to hear these thoughts again because I need to hear them. And this will be the third time that Sherry and I and Brett have heard it. But I need it every time that I preach it. That’s how important that it is. And so those of you who are visiting, I realize this is the first time for you, but I know some of you can’t remember what I preached two weeks ago.

1. Continue to Marvel at the Master

One of the jobs that I have, and it’s a challenging one as well, is to encourage us to continue to marvel at the Master. I think it’s so very easy for us to become used to accustomed to the things that we’re involved in and to lose the wonder of it all. There are certain passages of Scripture that just have wow written all over them. And we should not lose a sense of that. We should never start treating this as ordinary and mundane and routine, and yet it’s so easy to lapse into that as we do this week after week. But what a marvelous statement that the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. A grace that instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself a people for his own possession.

Much like we read in 1 Peter 2 9, a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds. What other text I want to draw your attention to in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 as we begin these thoughts this evening. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. What marvelous statements are here found. Therefore, and by the way, before I get into this text, I’m really wanting to teach 2 Corinthians. I think I’m going to have to do it in the next quarter. And this is the heart of the message of 2 Corinthians. Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things passed away. Behold, new things have come. Now, all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

Namely that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself. The grace of God has appeared into all men, as we saw in Titus 2 and verse 11. But Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them. And he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. It’s the word that I am to preach. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made him who knew no sin to be sinned on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Now, this passage takes on a much different flavor when you consider the alienation of Paul with the Corinthian church, which is the substance of this letter anyway.

And the problems that they’re having being influenced by false workers and false apostles and their rejection of him. And so this reconciliation that Paul is longing for has not only to do with their relationship with God, but their relationship with his ambassador, the Apostle Paul. And that’s really where I’m going with some of these thoughts tonight. This is a marvelous phrase here in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 19, not counting their trespasses against them. So I want you to think about every sinner that has ever lived. And all of their heinous thoughts and deeds that have been committed against a holy God, not counting their trespasses against them. This reconciliation is indeed marvelous. God generously offers of himself to fix a huge mess that we ourselves could not fix.

We should appreciate a parent who exercises discipline of a wayward child, scolds, threatens, admonishes, thanks, yet still gives gifts of love, affirms love to that child. Our Heavenly Father does that perfectly toward us. And as recipients of such amazing kindness, we should absolutely be driven and compelled to humility, lowliness of mind, utter dependence upon him, tremendous and deep gratitude, sincere and fervent strivings to please him and to obey him. And yet we get away from this, we lose sight of this. Because again, we stop marveling at him. We should be driven to this because of such statements as we’ve read in Titus chapter 2 and in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. As Paul would say in Ephesians chapter 4, walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you have been called with all lowliness of mind, he says in Ephesians chapter 4 and in verse 2, with humility and gentleness, patience, showing forbearance to one another.

2. Let This Mind Be in You

We’re going to get to that. Showing forbearance to one another and diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And the fact that he has done so wondrously toward us should of necessity affect how we react to others. That’s a part of this text of Philippians chapter 2, where you might remember in verse 5, Paul says, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, his lowliness of mind, that he was willing to take on the form of a servant, or as the ESV says, and I just discovered this a week or two ago, he made himself nothing. I like that.

Even the death on the cross. But what he has just described in the first four verses is this mind of Christ that we need to develop ourselves. If there is any fellowship in the Spirit, well, of course there is. Of course, there is fellowship in the Spirit. Philippians chapter 2 and verse 1. And he says several things there, like consolation of love, affection and compassion. He says, Make my joy complete and be of the same mind, maintaining the same love. You see, our attitude toward others, and particularly brethren, flows out of how God has treated us. And our imitation of Jesus’ example and mind. The attitude that he had toward us in coming to earth and doing this business of reconciliation that we could not accomplish ourselves.

And this love for mankind has to be developed in us. And so we should maintain the same love, certainly with our brethren, united in spirit, intent on one purpose, and do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit but this. But with humility of mind.

Not merely looking upon your own interests, but also the interest of others. I read those verses a lot because much like the tongue in James chapter 3, which no man can tame, these are challenges which are difficult to tame as well. To possess such humility of mind, to regard others as more important than ourselves, or the King James Version says, esteem others better than ourselves. How challenging that is on an ongoing basis. And I’m about to explain to you why that is. Well, as I strive to be like him and to honor him and obey him and exalt him and please him and serve him. Do I think about things and do I think about people the way he does? God is no respecter of persons.

In every nation. He who fears God and does what is right is welcome to him. Who does that leave out? That’s everybody. God would have all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 4 tells us. Prayer to be made on behalf of all men. Wow, that’s pretty all inclusive, isn’t it? Pretty comprehensive. And then this the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So do I want what God wants? Do I have the mind of Christ? As demonstrated in Philippians chapter 2. And is it demonstrated in my attitude and in my treatment of others?

3. What Is Man?

And so I want to begin tonight with this question. What is man? This is my man, my unnamed, unfaced man. Man. Any man. Or woman for that matter. Who is this person? In Philippians, Psalms, rather, chapter 8. In that psalm that begins and ends with, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent or majestic is your name in all the earth. And when the psalmist David is looking into the heavens, as he no doubt did as he was shepherding his sheep at night. And he would look up into the heavens and the stars and consider the magnitude of creation, he was compelled to ask the question. What is man? That thou art mindful of him. Do you sometimes struggle with that? I go about my daily life sometimes, God is willing to listen to me?

Me? I am one person. And you don’t get the feel of this when you live in Auburn, Alabama, where there’s only 50,000 people. But when you’re living in the Houston area in this massive throng of humanity that you’re among, and you get the sense of it when you’re on the major thoroughfares here. Look at all these people. There’s people everywhere. And God, the creator of the universe, takes time for me. And listen, what is man? We are the pinnacle of this massive and wonderful work of creation. Aren’t you glad that you’re a man and not a bird? Oh, he takes care of the birds. Not one of them falls to the ground apart from our heavenly Father. But aren’t you glad? I mean, birds can be cute and all, but I’m glad I’m not a bird.

Or a dog. Oh, I know. Dogs are man’s best friend, and we treat our dogs and cats like they’re kings now. Pets have it great in the 21st century. But would you want to trade place with your dog? Or your cat? Or a frog. Man, aren’t you glad you’re not a frog? Man, it’s great to be man. Why is that? Because we are in a special way, God’s pinnacle of creation. Every man, every person is God’s handiwork. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. David would say again in Psalm 139, verses 13 through 16, when he considers the great works that God has done, skillfully wrought in the depths. Are we the marvelous nature of human childbirth? Even from the earliest stages of the child growing in the womb, and we see those ultrasound pictures that my wife is doing now.

And we see those ultrasound pictures of these one month old children. We can already see the human form develop. Remarkable. Fast. God’s handiwork. And what is man? We are sustained by him on a daily basis. You woke up today only because of him. You know, if God decided, I’m just going to remove the oxygen. Sorry, you’re dead. That’s it. It’s over. We take that for granted. We act like it’s just there because it’s there. It was an accident, cosmic accident. That’s what evolution says. Are you kidding me? This is God’s handiwork. We get up and we breathe. We’ve got these amazing things called lungs that we use. He sustains our lives. In him we live and move. And how about very being? Paul wasn’t just talking about Christians when he said that at Athens in Acts 17.

He’s saying, every human being, all of us. We live and breathe because of him. And furthermore, we are made in his image. Genesis chapter 1, let us make man in our image. And all that goes with that is so the ramifications are so incredible. Our sense of aught. The fact that we are moral beings with standards. Incredible testimony to the handiwork of our God. And certainly, as we have seen in these passages in Titus 2 and 2 Corinthians 5, and of course the very familiar text of John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish for that everlasting life. That is true of every single human being that has ever lived. All four of these things are true of man.

4. Our Evaluations of Men

All men. However, our evaluations of men are often affected by a lot of other things, aren’t they? We tend to be affected in our treatment of others and our evaluation of others, sometimes on the basis of their education, whether they have a degree or not, or where their degree is from, like AM versus Texas. Sorry, Lee. And not only that, oh, we’re even more greatly affected by this. Affluence. Sometimes we’re affected by somebody that we know makes the big salary, sits in the big chair. There’s a story like that in the New Testament, James chapter 2, when he talks about the rich man who comes and you’re saying, Oh, come sit down here at the findest seat. And the poor man comes in and he’s neglected.

He sits in the back. Doesn’t get the same kind of respect and treatment that the rich man gets. Oh, this is so much. And some people are just flat intimidated by these two categories. Somebody with these things. As they used to say back in the country, and where I grew up, he puts his pants on the same way that you do. Isn’t that right? Ethnicity. The color of our skin. The place of our citizenship, the country that we live in. Even gender makes a difference. Some people treat others shabbily because she’s a female. Treated on just a little bit lesser rung because she’s a female. There’s not as much of that. Our society become a little more enlightened in this regard, but still sometimes that affects the way others are treated.

Gender, or how we perceive their intelligence. IQ. Some of us are not as smart as others, and that’s just heritage. That’s just genetics. We can improve that, of course, by study. And so some people have more knowledge. And that’s true even in a spiritual sense. Some people know more Bible than other people do. Some people have a better memory than other people, so they’re able to quote more scripture or whatever, but knowledge varies among individuals, and that affects how we regard people. Again, going along with affluence, the idea of how many things someone has, even someone’s age. We sometimes attribute a lack of wisdom and foolishness to one who is young and wisdom to one who is older. I’ll tell you, I’ve seen cases where I knew some young men and some young ladies with more wisdom than those who are much older than them.

And we’re making much smarter decisions than those older than them. That doesn’t always, that doesn’t always run true. Oh, and this is a big one in our time. How people perceive your handsomeness or beauty, the looks of someone, whether they’re pretty or ugly. And then this is huge among believers, and that is the number and nature of your sins. It’s almost like, you know, my sins aren’t as bad as someone else’s. I haven’t made a big splash in regard to my sins, and so that puts me on a little bit higher rung than someone else. But I’ll tell you what we need to remember that what truly matters in the whole scheme of things are these first four things. Every person is God’s handiwork. Every person is sustained by him.

Every person is made in his image, and every person is the object of God’s love. And that’s true whether this person is your best friend in the world or they’re your worst enemy. And isn’t this borne out by Jesus’ statement? Love your enemies. Why? Because this is an object of God’s love. This is someone that God desires, if at all possible, that they could somehow come to repentance and be saved. Pray for your enemies. It’s a lot easier to pray for your friends. And we need to make sure we’re doing that. Because they are objects of God’s love and they need my prayers. And praying for others is selfless, and that’s good for us. We need to do things that are selfless to train ourselves to be more like Christ.

And so we’re admonished to pray for others, even to pray for our enemies, because Christ showed scarcely for a righteous man would one dare to die, Paul says in Romans chapter 6. But God demonstrated his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Think of your worst enemy. Dad, don’t you think of me? If you think of your worst enemy, how do you regard him or her? How long has it been since you prayed for him or for her? Some of us might think, well, I haven’t really spent enough time praying for my friends and praying for my brothers and sisters in Christ. And that may be true. We need to work on that, but we need to be praying for our enemies.

5. Where This Lesson Comes Home: With Each Other

And that’s true. These things are true if this is your spouse, who can sometimes be your worst enemy. Or your parents, who can sometimes be annoying with all their rules and standards and regulations. Or your children as they have to learn the ropes in life. And sometimes there are a few challenges along the way, foolish things that are done. And mistakes that they make. But we’re talking about every single relationship here. And we’re talking about whether individuals are saved or they are lost. Because the lost God wants to be saved, and the saved, he wants to stay that way. Well, let me tell you where this lesson really comes home for us, and that is with each other. Showbear forbearance to one another in love. Let your forbearing spirit be known unto all men.

Philippians chapter 4 and verse 5. Are you ready for this? Let me tell you who this image is right here, this person. Tonight. He or she is the most annoying person in this church.

Now that may vary from individual to individual. Whoever this person is, the most okay, let’s choose most annoying member to me. Look, all of us can’t be as winsome and charismatic as Woody. Jared, I still can’t believe you didn’t. Okay. Whoever this annoying person is. And maybe it’s me. I hope not. But it could be. How am I going to treat this person? Wish they didn’t exist. Wish they’d go away. Find another church. They’re annoying, you see. I tell you, when you’re a preacher, you find out the people that annoy other people. What do we take the time to think? This person is God’s handiwork, sustained by him, made in his image, the object of God’s love, despite all those other things that we mentioned a moment ago.

And yes, even me, as your preacher. Preachers are put in a tough position of having to say things that are not always popular. Maybe a lot of my messages go over really well with you, but I may have to say some things time to time that put a burr in your saddle, challenge you to change or do better. It stains a little bit. And some people can react very negatively to the messenger when that happens. But you can think of this person, or whether it’s one of the elders as they’re trying to shepherd the block, these people, they’re trying to do what God has bid them do. They too, made in the image of God, all these other things. How are we regarding them? 2 Timothy chapter 2.

How do we treat people who find themselves in error? The Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all.

With gentleness, correcting those who are in opposition. If perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, that they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. You know, sometimes things happen, and you just want to get right up in someone’s face. Set them straight. And I’ll tell you, when you get like that, there is a rush of adrenaline that goes with it. Why do people do that? Because there’s an excitement, there’s an intensity to that. And we want someone to get right over their face. Is this the best way? That’s the best way to fix the problem. Have I really? Have I really esteemed this person better than myself?

Have I put myself in this person’s position?

6. How We Need to Regard Ourselves

Guilty. I failed here. This is difficult. And so I want to finish by talking to you about you. I said me, but it’s really you. This is you. And here’s how we need to regard ourselves. And I think that’s part of the problem in our treatment and regard for others. How do we see ourselves? And I’ll tell you what we are. We’re very temporary. We are God dependent. And we’re to be vessels for servants. And that’s why Paul was who he was. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. You know, this passage is not against self-esteem. But this passage is telling us that we need to understand that I am only something because of him. I have a lot of baggage in my past.

And it doesn’t matter whether I’m talking the number and nature of sins, it doesn’t matter whether I’m talking about one sins or five sins or a hundred sins. There’s baggage back there. And God fixed that for me through Jesus Christ. And I am only something because of him, and I just can’t afford to get too big for my pants. As we say. And by the grace of God, I am what I am. All that I am and ever hope to be is because of him. And I would say our struggles in relation to others, when they really start getting under our skin and annoying us to ever loving death, we stop looking at ourselves for who and what we really are. And that we are only something because of him.

Conclusion

God help us to do better in our evaluations of others and our evaluations of ourselves. Who are these others that I’m talking about? Everybody. But particularly our brothers and sisters in Christ. Well, now we should begin to grasp the verses earlier in 2 Timothy chapter 2. As he says, Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands having this seal. The Lord knows those who are his.

Now flee from youthful lust and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. And there we all are together. We are so blessed to be vessels for honor, useful to the Master. Let us properly regard ourselves so that we can properly regard and treat others in the world and in his church. Let us truly esteem others better than ourselves. If you’re in this audience tonight and you’re not a Christian, you need to be impressed with what God did to make your salvation a possibility. The fact that your sins, as awful as they are, as they stand against the backdrop of the person of God and all of his holiness, isn’t it a marvelous thing that he wants us to be reconciled to him?

Is there somebody in this audience tonight who has not yet been reconciled to him? Your sins still stand on your account. You’re not ready to meet him on the day of judgment. You’re subject to his invitation to come and be cleansed tonight. Come now as we stand and we sing.