If you know of any relationship
that is not currently right,
you are to endeavor yourself to mend it.
You are.
You're the one that's supposed to fix it.
If we won't, if I know
that something's wrong in a relationship
and I'm like a horse or a mule
that Psalm 32 says don't be that way -
don't be stubborn and refuse -
if I know something's wrong
and I won't fix it,
then I should stop
expecting God to speak to me;
I should stop reading books;
I should stop talking about missions;
I should stop all the talk
and first get things right
before I pursue anymore.
If God's shown me something
and I don't walk in the light of it -
I don't obey what He's shown me -
why should He say anymore to me?
Why if He puts a finger on me
about a relationship
and I know it's got to be right -
I know for sure
if John Dees and I -
which we've never had any of this -
but if we had a dilemma in our relationship
and we both knew something wasn't right between us -
I had hurt him, I had sinned against him,
or the other way around,
and we both knew we were going to
see each other today for the first time,
I promise you,
he would be coming to me,
I'd be coming to him
and we would get it right
before we started singing, wouldn't we?
How easy it is to come into church
and a relationship not be right
and then we want to sing the songs of God.
If you come to worship
and you come to bring your gift to the altar
and there remember that your brother
has ought against you,
stop your singing, stop your worship.
Go get it right and then come
and offer your gift.
How about it?
Is every relationship right?
You ought not to go to bed tonight
without making sure of it
because your bones might start rotting
and your strength might start drying up
like the heat of the summer.
If you keep silent about it -
it seems like we heard that not long ago.
You see, what happens is -
here's what we do.
There's a problem in a relationship
and we begin to rationalize and justify
and make mental excuses.
"Well, it will take care of itself."
No, it won't.
"Well, it will create more problems
than it will solve if I go to him."
No, it won't.
"Well, it's just going to have to be that way."
No, it doesn't.
"Well, there's been too much time passed."
No, there hasn't.
"Well, there's too many differences between us."
No, there are not.
Maybe I've left out your excuse,
but still the answer is
it is always right, always right,
to make things right.
It is always wrong to leave a relationship
damaged somehow.
And the reason some true Christians
won't get relationships right -
I think there's three major reasons.
Number one, it's too scary.
It's scary to go to someone
and say, brother,
I think there's been something between us.
It isn't right.
I'm sorry. I don't want that to be that way.
It's scary to do that, isn't it?
It is.
It's fearful.
It's way outside some people's comfort zones to do that.
It scares people to initiate making things right.
Secondly, it's too painful to go
and to say, listen,
we've not been right in our relationship.
It's too painful for some people.
Thirdly, some people are just too proud.
They want to leave it on the other person.
The other person may not even know there's a problem.
And you've wronged them,
and you feel like you've sinned against them,
or you feel legitimately that they did wrong you,
but you're too proud to go.
Too scared, too painful, too proud.
And so you leave it undone.
Listen, things undealt with
will only do damage down the road.
To hear the remainder of the sermon,
search for "Every Relationship Right."