Jesus on Conflict
Talk 50 of 53 in the Series Matthew 2012-14 St Andrews Cathedral
The next talk in the Series is Jesus on Forgiveness
Matthew 18:15-20
- Christian Failure
- sin
- sin against you
- Failed Ways of Dealing with Failure
- about you and not to you
- permissive
- censorious
- The Four Steps
- privately
- witnessing
- publicly
- let him be to you
- Divine Judgment
- binding and loosing
- heaven and earth
- Love in Action
Phillip’s concluding prayer of the talk…
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for the Lord Jesus Christ, for his death and resurrection for us; that he didn’t come into the world to condemn the world but to save the world. We thank you Father for this because we deserve your condemnation and yet you have mercy upon us. We are sorry Father that we sin against you and our brothers and sisters. We are sorry for our failings and pray you will give us, by your Spirit, the grace to repent and apologise and to seek to be reconciled.
Father you know the hurts that we suffer from other people, using us, abusing us and not treating us properly. We pray heavenly Father that you would give to us that same generosity, that same graciousness, that same mercy and forgiveness that you have; that our concern would be for our enemies’ salvation and not for our own feelings; that we may speak to them for their benefit; that we may bring witnesses and the church to them for their benefit and not for ours; and that you would give us grace and wisdom to know how to do this.
And we pray too Father for your Spirit to take away from us those hurts that can’t be resolved in this world, knowing that you are in control and that all things will come to you and be dealt with by you properly in due time.
So heavenly Father we pray for your help. We beg your mercy that there be no conflicts amongst us, but when there are Father, we beg that you would enable us to do as our Lord has taught us so that we might bring honour and glory to him, even in our conflict. We ask it in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
