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[1532.16 --> 1533.44] certain individuals
[1533.44 --> 1534.98] that they have conflict with
[1534.98 --> 1535.96] or certain groups
[1535.96 --> 1537.08] that they have conflict with.
[1537.70 --> 1538.94] And you can sort of imagine
[1538.94 --> 1539.76] what would happen.
[1541.04 --> 1542.30] In some infamous cases,
[1542.44 --> 1543.38] people would stand up
[1543.38 --> 1544.12] in the middle of the sermon
[1544.12 --> 1545.12] and start screaming back
[1545.12 --> 1546.38] at the pastor
[1546.38 --> 1546.68] and saying,
[1546.94 --> 1547.94] you can't do that!
[1548.14 --> 1549.38] You can't say that there!
[1549.38 --> 1552.26] Don't get any ideas here.
[1554.00 --> 1555.48] But think and imagine
[1555.48 --> 1556.82] like a heated debate
[1556.82 --> 1558.34] in a House of Commons meeting.
[1560.84 --> 1562.12] But think about it.
[1562.50 --> 1563.40] If the church,
[1563.48 --> 1564.20] and nothing against
[1564.20 --> 1565.04] our politicians,
[1565.90 --> 1566.98] but if the church
[1566.98 --> 1568.24] as the body of believers
[1568.24 --> 1569.42] reflects exactly
[1569.42 --> 1570.72] what the politicians do
[1570.72 --> 1571.60] in the House of Commons,
[1571.98 --> 1573.06] what sort of witness
[1573.06 --> 1574.40] is the body of Christ
[1574.40 --> 1575.48] for the world?
[1575.48 --> 1578.20] And I hope you can see
[1578.20 --> 1578.62] the connection
[1578.62 --> 1579.50] to Paul's warning
[1579.50 --> 1580.18] for us here.
[1580.74 --> 1581.46] As Paul says
[1581.46 --> 1582.36] in Galatians 6,
[1583.28 --> 1584.94] be careful in your rebukes
[1584.94 --> 1586.06] of the sins, church.
[1587.00 --> 1588.24] Be careful when you
[1588.24 --> 1589.24] confront the sins
[1589.24 --> 1590.06] of your own brother
[1590.06 --> 1590.60] or sister.
[1591.00 --> 1591.28] Why?
[1591.68 --> 1593.28] Because in your rebuke,
[1593.68 --> 1594.20] in other words,
[1594.28 --> 1595.02] in your anger
[1595.02 --> 1596.12] against that sin,
[1596.42 --> 1597.10] and rightly so,
[1597.16 --> 1598.06] we should be angry
[1598.06 --> 1599.02] against sins
[1599.02 --> 1599.54] that are committed
[1599.54 --> 1600.22] in the church.
[1601.14 --> 1602.68] But in that anger,
[1603.02 --> 1604.38] it is so easy
[1604.38 --> 1605.68] and so tempting
[1605.68 --> 1607.42] to sin out of that anger.
[1610.22 --> 1611.32] An early church father
[1611.32 --> 1612.14] says it so well.
[1612.28 --> 1612.98] St. Augustine,
[1613.72 --> 1614.76] touching on this topic,
[1614.86 --> 1615.56] he says this,
[1616.26 --> 1616.80] So then,
[1616.94 --> 1618.32] be neither consenting
[1618.32 --> 1618.90] to evil
[1618.90 --> 1620.94] so as to approve sin,
[1621.66 --> 1623.20] nor negligent
[1623.20 --> 1624.76] so as not to reprove it
[1624.76 --> 1625.68] and just avoid it,
[1626.74 --> 1627.98] nor proud
[1627.98 --> 1629.60] so as to reprove it
[1629.60 --> 1631.24] in a tone of insult.
[1632.96 --> 1634.34] This is hard work.
[1635.34 --> 1635.84] Forgiveness
[1635.84 --> 1636.70] and reconciliation.
[1637.82 --> 1638.70] Even John Calvin,
[1638.88 --> 1640.34] one of the early theologians,
[1640.42 --> 1640.76] he's like,
[1641.14 --> 1642.52] one of the hardest things
[1642.52 --> 1643.00] to do
[1643.00 --> 1644.94] is to care
[1644.94 --> 1646.96] and also reprove
[1646.96 --> 1647.98] a fellow brother
[1647.98 --> 1648.94] or sister in the church.
[1649.22 --> 1650.60] It's one of the hardest things
[1650.60 --> 1651.52] to do in the church.
[1653.20 --> 1653.94] As mentioned
[1653.94 --> 1654.36] at the beginning
[1654.36 --> 1654.90] of my sermon,
[1655.56 --> 1657.04] it's much easier
[1657.04 --> 1658.24] to avoid accountability
[1658.24 --> 1659.82] or reprove someone's
[1659.82 --> 1660.70] unhealthy patterns
[1660.70 --> 1661.82] and just let them be.
[1661.92 --> 1662.92] That's just much easier.
[1663.78 --> 1664.26] And besides,
[1664.58 --> 1665.74] that's what the culture,
[1666.06 --> 1667.26] our individualistic culture
[1667.26 --> 1668.48] today tells us anyways.
[1669.04 --> 1669.56] Remember from
[1669.56 --> 1670.44] our Good Fight series,