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TITLE: Elephant in the Living Room

TEXT: Acts 6:1-3
PROPOSITION: Ignoring a problem will not make it disappear.
QUESTION: Where?
KEY WORD: Examples
SCRIPTURE READING: Same

INTRODUCTION:

1. Title story – Enter living room – elephant – finger to lips – Shhhh! We don't talk about it.

2. Many try to ignore a problem and hope it will disappear. It won't!

3. Are there some elephants in your life?

Grecian Widows

1. Early church – busy teaching – baptizing (Acts 6:1-3)

2. Greek speaking widows – neglected, ignored

3. They were an elephant in the living room

4. Ignore it – it will get worse – meet it head on

Achan

1. Joshua 7:10-11

2. Achan stole – Spoils belong to victor (God)

3. Achan hid them in his tent and pretended all was OK

Church

1. Doctrinal issues

   1. Salvation – baptism

   2. Worship – music, LS, giving

2. Moral issues

   1. Abortion

   2. Homosexual – same-sex marriage

3. Internal stress

   1. Long-term grudges

   2. Personality clashes

Home / Family / Marriage

1. We often say “Skeletons in the closet”

2. Every family has a “horse thief” in their family tree

3. Today, there are families that have elephants in their living room

   1. Wild teens – on drugs, stealing, truancy

   2. Parents – argue, on drugs, alcoholic, violence, sexual abuse

Repentance

1. Matthew 18:17 – If he neglect to hear you – ignore your plea

2. Refuses to repent – give the brush off

3. He has an elephant in his living room

Salvation

1. Some even pretend they don't need salvation

2. Hebrews 2:3 – neglect so great a salvation

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