Mark preached yesterday from 1 Corinthians 6:1-11. The basic idea: “If you sue your brother, everyone loses.”

Not many teenagers are actually going to be suing anyone, although it was an occasional threat around our house, when either my sisters or I demanded that the others share the last of the ice cream. So it was really helpful when Mark explained that the issue isn’t so much lawyers, but conflict as an experience; underneath every lawsuit is a relational conflict. In other words, many of us might not take someone to court, but the anger and bitterness that leads someone else to go to court might be there in our hearts, too. Mark gave us three points from these 11 verses to help us understand:

1. The problem (vv.1-8)
2. The danger (vv. 9-10)
3. The solution (v. 11)

I was especially helped when Mark explained the Apostle Paul’s rhetorical question, “Why not rather be wronged? ” Why not just overlook an offense? Here are a couple reasons:

• Because I want to be right
• Because I want the other person to know I’m right
• Because I want an apology
• Because I’m proud

Can you relate to any of these? I do any and all of them at some time or other. This is why it was so helpful for Mark to point us to the gospel in verse 11: “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” We’ve not only been set free from lawsuits by the gospel, we’ve been set free to forgive by the grace of God.

In his book, The Peacemaker, Ken Sande reminds us of the four promises of forgiveness:

• “I will not dwell on this incident.”
• “I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you.”
• “I will not talk to others about this incident.”
• “I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship.”

Talk to your parents if you are doing a good job extending forgiveness to them, to your siblings, to your friends. Be humble, and go back to people to forgive them if you need to.

If you sue, everyone loses. If you forgive, everyone wins.

Categories: Monday Matters, five15 blog