Love is Stubborn

first Corinthians 13 we'll go ahead and

just read it in its context this time

beginning in verse 1 1st Corinthians

chapter 13 verse 1 says if I speak in

the tongues of men and of angels but

have not love I am only a resounding

gong or a clanging cymbal if I have the

gift of prophecy and can fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge and if I

have a faith that can move mountains but

have not love I am nothing if I give all

I possess to the poor and surrender my

body to the flames but have not love I

gain nothing love is patient love is

kind it does not envy it does not boast

it is not proud it is not rude it is not

self-seeking it is not easily angered

love keeps no record of wrongs love does

not delight in evil but rejoices with

the truth it always protects always

trusts always hopes always perseveres

love never fails we'll stop there and

we'll finish up the last half of the

chapter next week dear God I thank you

thank you Father for the power of love

god I thank you that at the end of all

things our lives will be evaluated

before you're awesome thrown by the

quality of our love father I pray that

this concept would continue to move out

of the realm of being a sentimental idea

and be concrete an action-oriented for

us that we would learn how to love that

we would discover how wide and deep and

long and highs the love of God Lord

Jesus that we would swim in your ocean

of love that we would live it out in

practical ways and God speak to us now

speak to me God take this awesome truth

Lord and bring it home as only you can

do in Jesus name

amen and amen so we've already talked

about how love is not rude how love is

patient remember we talked about love

being like the shock absorbers talk to

how love is kind we spoke about how love

does not delight in evil but rejoices

with the truth about how love stands for

something love is not equal to a blind

tolerance we've talked about some very

difficult issues by the way all of this

is available on the website you can

click in and there's a whole menu of

these that we're now recording so feel

free to check them out but today we're

sort of reading the last verse that ends

the poetic part in a way or a particular

part of this poem verse 7 is where we're

going to focus says love always protects

always trusts always hopes always

perseveres in the King James it says

love beareth all things believeth all

things hopeth all things endureth all

things love bears all things believes

all things hopes all things endures all

things Eugene Peterson put it this way

put love puts up with anything love

trust God always love always looks for

the best love never looks back but keeps

going to the end todo lo que todo lo

sufre no todo lo sufre todo lo crato doe

Louis para todo lo support us if you

want to speak Spanish with it this is a

powerful verse it ends with a punch with

four punches it's sort of a poem that's

meant to end with that if you do music

it's the idea of a staccato kind of

rhythm kind of bang bang bang bang God

is hammering something to us the Greek

really captures it you're going to learn

a little Greek today huh not just so

that we can be pedantic but because it

sounds cool in Greek it is Ponte Steg a

Ponte be stay away panted biz de Ponte

OBO many to hear the rhythm it's almost

a rocking kind of rhythm a hammering

kind of rhythm let's say it

okay the word panita means everything

all things you say with me Ponte pant

it's like the Spanish deauville Spanish

this captures it English kind of always

in all things I don't know it does this

doesn't quite got that punch Ponte say

with me steg a Ponte to stay away ponte

el pase de Ponte Hoople many there's

that banging that hammering always net

always trusts always hopes always

perseveres all things love is a powerful

thing love is a stubborn thing love has

some attitude love is not just a

sentimental feeling love has a

fierceness to it love has an intensity

that will not give up that will not give

in that never looks back and never looks

down love is intense love is powerful

love gives us backbone and fire and

passion in life for the people that God

has put around us and that's what we're

going to talk about today stubborn love

tough love intense love punching love in

a good way not that poetically since

we're looking at the poetic part of this

it's a chiasm if in poetry terminology

there's a particular form that they'll

use sometimes called a chiasm where it

will begin and end on the same note and

there will be symmetry in the middle so

it begins with something a and then it

goes on to another idea be and then it

mirrors that and then another B and then

an a so it goes a BBA it begins with an

idea then it goes to an idea and then it

stays with that same idea and then it

ends where it began have I lost you I

just lost you let me try it with colors

here I thought of it this way it starts

with yellow i'm going to say yellow

because that's the color I like then it

goes to purple then it's purple again

and then it ends with yellow again so

it's sort of a chiasm it's a unit it all

goes together and we see that in this

verse love bears all things love

leaves all things love trusts all things

and love endures all things so the

beginning and the end go together it's

like a sandwich right it begins and ends

with bearing or enduring or supporting

all things and in the middle there's the

attitude of love trusting and believing

and those two go together so we're going

to talk about this as a unit today we're

going to talk about how love is hard and

intense and also tender and hopeful they

go together I've put it this way in the

past love has a thick skin and a soft

heart love is tough and love is tender

love is intense but also has a soft

welcoming attitude to it and the two

have to go together intensity without

love results in sort of a legalistic

kind of sterile intensity that just

comes on hard but the feeling of

tenderness without strength just comes

across as a sentimental feeling love is

not mushy love is strong love is

stubborn it's also hopeful and trusting

so let's start with the first and last

word in verse 7 here so verse 7 chapter

13 love always the NIV translates it

love always protects and then in the

last part of it it says love always

perseveres in the King James it's a love

bears all things what does it say and at

the end it says love endures all things

let's talk about that a little bit the

first word there love bears all things

or love always protects is a very

interesting word in Greek it's the word

steg a it's the word used for patching a

roof in New England not really but I'm

going to pretend it's in New England if

you have a roof with holes in it in New

England there's going to be some

problems right sometimes there's that

hard rain there's the blowing storms the

the wind this word has to do with a roof

that is air water tight that it has been

sealed and it is so strong that it can

handle intense amounts of rain and

elements and wind blowing against it it

can bear up under the elements love is

like that that's why the NIV translates

it love always protects they have that

idea of love shielding or protecting

those underneath it but I think the

emphasis is more that love is so

determined so so strong that it can bear

with a lot of difficulties and doesn't

give in love doesn't cave in under the

challenges and the difficulties that

come love is strong the last word in

that verse is love always persevere zor

love endures all things it's a word the

word in greek is who poem na it means

remains under a load you ever carried a

load that is so heavy you feel like it's

going to break your back well the word

here is love is so determined that it

remains under load and indoors a heavy

load for the benefit of the person that

is loved so love bears all things love

endures all things let's start with the

first one there love bears all things

this is very appropriate because this

speaks to the love that goes into a

missionary who is determined to bless

the people around them no matter what

love bears all things a great way of

putting it love puts up with anything

love puts up with anything how many

people know that when you love someone

there is a lot to be put up with if

you're really going to love them there

is a lot to be born with the couples are

all kind of giving each other a look

there are things to be tolerated there

are things to be born with it's like a

roof well it's going to snow if you have

a roof it is going to snow

that roof it's going to rain on that

roof it's going to sleet on that roof

it's not it has to be strong or it will

cave in the love is like that love has

to put up with a lot let's look back at

first Corinthians chapter nine couple

chapters back same boat same letter the

Apostle Paul uses this word when he

talks about the love that he has for the

Corinthians and look at how he puts it

he's talking about a controversy that

goes on because certain certain

creatures accepted payment from the

Corinthians and the Apostle Paul did not

and he argues that a missionary as a

missionary that who was a full-time

missionary that it was his right to

receive his living from his preaching

that it was his right to do that it

wasn't wrong for him to expect to

receive his salary from what he does

that he had a right to that but he says

he chose not to exercise that right in

order not to put any stumbling block in

the way of his ministry with the people

and look at what he says he says in

verse 12 first Corinthians 9 verse 12 he

says if others have this right of

support from you shouldn't we have it

all the more but we did not use this

right on the contrary we put up with

anything rather than hinder the gospel

of Christ same word steg a weeb or

anything don't you know that those who

work in the temple get their food from

the temple those who serve at the altar

share and what is offered on the altar

in the same way the Lord has commanded

that those who preach the gospel should

receive their living from the gospel but

verse 15 but I have not used any of

these rights now i'm not writing this in

the hope that you will do such things

for me i'd rather die than anyone

deprive me of this boast yet when I

preach the gospel I cannot boast for I'm

compelled to preach woe to me if I do

not preach the gospel it says if I

preach voluntarily I have a reward if

not voluntarily I'm simply discharging

the trust committed to me what then is

my

or just this that in preaching the

gospel I may offer it free of charge and

so not make use of my rights in

preaching it see how often he used the

words his rights he says he willingly

yielded his rights out of love for the

Corinthians love does that love does

that know we talk a lot and it's

important that we do about human rights

that people have certain rights to

politicals they have civil rights their

human rights there's nothing wrong with

insisting on that but when it comes to a

loving relationship if a person

approaches the relationship insisting on

what they have a right to things are not

going to go very well the whole idea is

yielding your rights for the benefit of

the person you love the team that's

going to Honduras it would have been

perfectly appropriate for them to raise

support to cover their own expenses

perfectly appropriate nothing wrong with

that but they yield did that out of love

for the people that they were going to

serve now wouldn't have been unloving to

do otherwise but love motivate this

yielding of your rights for the benefit

of the other person in a marriage

ceremony there is a covenant that is

repeated and by the way I want to

specify I'm not aiming this at anybody

right I always have to say that right if

the shoe fits do please wear it but I'm

not like you know aiming it at people

but in a marriage ceremony they repeat

certain rights you know they make a

commitment to the other person and it's

it's beautiful vows promises made in the

presence of you know to love to have and

to hold from this day forward in bed for

better what is it for better or for no

for better for better is what we want

because expecting it to make me happy

and fulfilled right for better or for

for richer or for but wait a minute he

doesn't make enough money so I'm out of

here richer for poorer for better for

worse for richer in sickness and in no

but he's sickness and in health wow that

commitment that vow that no matter what

I will put up with love bears all things

I will put up with the sniffles I will

put up with the bingo bada-boom all the

things that we bear with that love

yields it's right for the good of the

others now that translates into ministry

we approach ministry not for what will

get out of it but for what we can give

into the lives of the people we come to

serve no matter what supporting bearing

with all things look what the Apostle

Paul says is that I decided to make

myself a slave to everyone even though I

belong to no man why to win as many as

possible this is verse 19 and then in

verse 20 the Apostle Paul says to the

Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews

to those under the law I became like one

under the law though I myself am not

under the law so as to win those under

the law to those not having the law

became like one not having the law

though I'm not free from God's law but

under Chrysler why so as to win those

not having law to the week I became weak

to win the week I have become all things

to all people so that by all possible

means I might save some I do all this

for the sake of the gospel that I might

share its blessings yielding his rights

he's like if I have to become Jewish if

I have to keep kosher if I have to take

a vow and shave my head I'll do it and

he did by the way and if I Dwight to win

an Orthodox Jew the Apostle Paul then

says but I'm willing to do whatever I

have to do to win a Gentile here let's

have some bacon and eggs I I'm not gonna

be if keeping the law is going to impede

them from hearing my message I won't do

that whatever it takes I will do what I

have to do for the benefit of the person

I am reaching out to that's why I

respect different kinds of ministry in

the city some people who who minister

wearing the fancy suit downtown some

people who minister in Harvard Square

who have a mohawk and tattoos I'm not

going to judge them they're trying to

win people with mohawks at tattoos right

and I'm not going to judge the person

who wears the suit and reaches out to

two people working

in in the businesses downtown God has

put them there to win as many as

possible the idea is love is saying I

will put up with anything I have to to

reach this person love bears all things

supports all things there's a

stubbornness to it Haddon Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon preached hunt a couple

hundred years ago this same text talking

about the idea of Love's Labour's that

love has to work at it love is not going

to be easy and pleasant all the time

love is going to suffer sometimes gonna

have to put up with some things there's

going to be rain storms they're going to

be elements to be born with what are

some of the things that come against

love or relationship the enemy himself

will come against its Satan will throw

anything he can to undermine the love

you will have four people people you

love will make your life difficult there

will be things you can have to tolerate

from them you're trying to love them and

they're being difficult maybe you're

being difficult to but you're more

noticing them being difficult but love

puts up with anything love bears all

things we will have that strength but it

takes work it takes covering up the leak

leaks it takes being intense and saying

I am willing to suffer because of a

higher purpose a little later in the

same text the Apostle Paul uses the

image of an athlete in verse 24 of first

Corinthians chapter 9 he says do you not

know that in a race all the runners run

but only one gets the prize run in such

a way is to get the prize everyone who

competes in the games goes into strict

training they do it to get a crown that

will not last but we do it to get a

crown that will last forever therefore I

do not run like a man running aimlessly

I do not fight like a man beating the

air no I beat my body and make it my

slave so that after i have preached to

others i myself will not be disqualified

for the prize

someone in training to be an athlete has

to suffer they have to put up with a lot

right they have to abstain they're not

they can't go out for beer and pizza

with their friends why because they've

got to compete in a race and that's what

love is like love says I know it would

be easier to not put up with all I have

to put up with from this person but I

love them that's what a mother does

right changing all those diapers then

when they're a teenager role in their

eyes at you right maybe they're an adult

still rolling their eyes ii love puts up

with it love says I am committed and I

will stick with you love is stubborn

love is intense love indoors under the

burden of love that image of staying

under love is tough love suffers for the

good of the other person if you'll go

with me to Isaiah 50 verse for Isaiah 50

verse 4 it talks about the attitude

prophetically it's talking about the

attitude of Jesus in the future as our

Savior Isaiah 50 and verse for this as

the sovereign Lord has given me an

instructed tongue to know the word that

sustains the weary he wakens me morning

by morning he wakens my ear to listen

like one being taught the sovereign Lord

has opened my ears and I have not been

rebellious I have not drawn back verse 6

I offered my back to those who beat me

my cheeks to those who pulled out my

beard I did not hide my face from

mocking and spitting because the

sovereign Lord helps me I will not be

disgraced therefore I have set my face

like flint and i know i will not be put

to shame he vindicates me as near love

has to set your face like flint and say

no matter what I'm going to hang in here

now I need to put a caveat in here this

is Jesus suffering for the people he

came to save I do not believe that a

person I always need to put this in

needs to willing

he suffer physical abuse out of love for

a person that they're with we don't

teach that here we don't say that you

need to do that in order to be faithful

when there's physical abuse a person

needs to be safe from that okay I need

to say that but in general the attitude

of love says I am going to hang in there

I'm going to bear up what I have to do

and especially in ministry all true

ministry all true service whether you're

a Sunday school teacher with children

whether you're going on mission trips

whether you're serving as an usher it

means you will have to put up with pain

even from the people you serve and that

pain endured results in something

positive for the people you've come to

serve a person shouldn't expect to be

finding just fulfillment from what they

do although guess what happens you

suffer for the people you're serving you

take it for them and you give yourself

for them and there are surprises that

come with it there is abundant life

there is joy that comes with it but it

doesn't come by taking shortcuts around

sacrificial love I'd like to take

another look at this word to endure the

Apostle Paul puts it this way in second

Timothy chapter 2 verse 10 he is in jail

his disciples are wondering you've just

been preaching the gospel and it landed

you in jail it's no fair what's your

attitude going to be the Apostle Paul

says I endure everything in 2nd Timothy

2 10 I endure everything for the sake of

the elect that they too may obtain the

salvation that is in Christ Jesus with

eternal glory he could suffer being

imprisoned because he knew why he was

there he knew for whom he was there he

says I am in jail chained like a

criminal because I know that God's Word

is not chained I can be here behind bars

because I know

that there's a purpose to it there are

people who will be blessed because I'm

suffering for them he refers to them as

the elect the ones that God has chosen

that they may obtain salvation that is

in Christ Jesus with eternal glory see

he has his eyes on the prize he has a

vision of what these people can become

someday if he will hang in there and if

he'll suffer for them he sees them

through eyes of faith and that brings us

to the inside of the poem it says love

bears all things love believes all

things love hopes all things and love

endures all things how can we put up

with everything how can we endure

because we have hope and we have faith

that it will pay off we know that God

can change people that he can bless them

that he can give them a new beginning so

we don't give up on them love never

gives up on people have you ever been

tempted to give up on somebody sometimes

for very small reasons you might be

tempted to say this person ja basta I've

had enough of them that's enough I've

had it with them sometimes you say in a

little way sometimes in a big way what

this verse is saying love never gives up

on people because of the faith and hope

that we have that God has a purpose for

them I'd like you to go with me to

Hebrews chapter 12 there's a beautiful

verse have you ever wondered how Jesus

could go to the cross how could he do it

he knew what he was going to suffer he

knew what he was going to go through but

he did it anyway how did he do it how

did he find the strength to go through

with what he had to do it says in

Hebrews 12 verse 1 and 2 we'll start

with that it says therefore since we're

surrounded by such a great cloud of

witnesses let us throw off everything

that hinders and the sin that so easily

entangle and let us run with

perseverance the race

out for us in other words don't give up

it's like you're running a marathon

don't give up verse 2 let us fix our

eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter

of our faith who for the joy set before

him endured the cross scorning its shame

and sat down at the right hand of the

throne of god jesus could go through the

cross for the joy set before him because

he knew on the other side of the pain

joy was waiting for him he how what kind

of joy was waiting for him have you ever

heard the song that says that Jesus

endured the shame and he did it all for

you or did it all for me I don't know

exactly how it goes but there's a chorus

that says that he took the shame he took

it all he did it all and he thought of

you and he thought of me when he did it

I always had a hard time singing that

because I felt like it was kind of

self-centered that's right so you mean

Jesus was thinking about me when he was

on the cross you know I wasn't even born

yet couple thousand years later and even

then there seemed to be a lot of people

he might have been thinking about but it

is not unbiblical it says for the joy

set before him Jesus endured the shame

what joy the joy of seeing the people

whose lives would change and be saved

because of he was suffering it's why the

Apostle Paul was willing to be in jail

because he knew that the people i am

here to serve one day we'll know god and

will shine with his glory and i will see

them in heaven what does this faith and

this hope refer to sometimes we read

this saying love believes all things you

ever wondered what does that mean love

believes all things that mean love is

gullible does that mean if you love

someone you believe anything they're

going to tell you if you have a teenager

I don't recommend that kind of love does

it mean we just blindly accept anything

a sort of a gullible innocent in

Hannibal kind of thing no it's not

necessarily unconditionally believing in

people even although that's a powerful

thing I would say have you ever had a

teacher who really

believes in you they see the potential

you have and they believe in you they

expect great things for you it motivates

you doesn't it or if you have a coach

you I know you can do this I have high

hopes for you it's a beautiful thing the

kind of faith and hope that's being

talked about here is even greater than

that it's saying I believe that you have

a future that there's hope for you not

just because of you but because of the

God who loves you I believe you have a

future because God knows the plans he

has for you plans to give you a hope and

a future and not to harm you and because

of the god I serve I know there's hope

for you and I won't give up on you

because love believes in the midst of

all things and has hope in the midst of

all things seeing people through eyes of

faith that you see people and you say i

know i believe and expect that god will

do something wonderful in this person

and so it's worth suffering for them

it's worth putting up with the garbage I

will endure because I believe that God

has a good purpose for them and I'll

hang in there it can be hard to do that

sometimes are there some people you know

maybe where it's hard to have hope for

them it's hard to believe that God has a

purpose for them even know I mean maybe

you believe it intellectually you said

of course God loves everybody he has a

purpose for them but there are some

people that are just so difficult they

seem so far gone that's hard to believe

God knows that and that's why in his

word he talks about seeing people

through eyes of faith rather than from a

worldly perspective we know that if

someone is in Christ there a new

creation the old has gone the new has

come and we know that anybody can become

that new creation and even once having

become a new creation God is able to

complete the good work that he's begun

in them God isn't done with them

sometimes I'll have people try to

complain to me about other people in

church isn't that shocking that that

would happen how could there be

conflicts in church they'll complain

they'll say but so and so they're in

church but they're really you know not a

nice person or whatever

the benefit of having been here for a

long time is that I know people for a

long time sometimes and I said well you

should have seen him before it was much

worse they've come a long way bear with

them it gives me hope it gives us hope

because I see where God has brought

people from I see how they've changed I

know that it works this gospel that we

believe it really works sometimes it's

hard to picture someone as a Christian

we need to ask God for a love that

believes all things are possible in him

a love that has a hope Jesus was like

that right he called some rough

fishermen Peter James John he saw

apostles other people maybe saw Simon

right I suspect that Simon Peter had

rather colorful language before he

became a follower of Jesus I don't know

why I imagine that maybe it's because he

was a fisherman in the ancient world I

don't know but jesus said you're not

just going to be Simon you're going to

be Peter the rock and on this rock I'll

build my church there was a tax

collector that everybody hated a corrupt

collaborator with a corrupt imperial

government named Levi and he was sitting

at his tax collectors booth and Jesus

saw Matthew he said you know let's

change this name from Levi to Matthew

come follow me he saw him with eyes of

faith he saw who he could become he

believed all things were possible for

that person Jesus bumped into a woman at

a well one day you know the story he's

in Samaria he bumps into a woman it's

the middle of the day it's high noon

normal women don't go to the well at

noon it's too hot you go in the morning

or you go at night but she was there

alone probably as an outcast to be away

from everyone a woman who had lived a

dissolute life Jesus saw that this woman

is worth getting to know this woman is

worth talking to about leaving water and

not just the water she's getting out of

a well there's a hope for her there's a

future for this person now he dealt with

her he did say go call your husband

remember that part of the story and

she's like

husband um don't have one at the moment

and he's like yes you've had several and

the guy who a guy you're shacking up

with now isn't your husband etc etc and

but you know what she didn't take it as

condemnation because she knew this man

takes me seriously enough to talk to me

even though it's kind of scandalous for

him to do so a good Jewish rabbi doesn't

strike up a conversation with a woman of

ill repute on the street but Jesus

didn't let social convention convention

stop them because love puts up with

anything love and doors anything love

believes in the potential of people love

has hoped for them because God has hoped

for them and this woman went and

single-handedly shared her story and the

whole town came to hear about Jesus he

stayed for two days a revival breaks out

because of this woman Mary Magdalene a

woman who had worked as a prostitute

Jesus had to cast not just one demon out

of her he had the cast seven demons out

of this woman we believe in that here by

the way it must have been one of those

crazy all night banging things where are

you know if I can you ever seen those

but it happens it happens even here

casting demons he had to cast seven

demons out of this woman she became one

of the chosen few who was with him at

the foot of the cross all most of the

men ran away but Mary Magdalene they're

right next to marry Jesus's mother

didn't run away Jesus saw her with eyes

of faith love believes all things love

hopes all things for people love knows

that God can do it in this person's life

and I will not give up on them because I

know that one day this person could be

before God in glory this person can be a

servant of the Living God sometimes it's

hard to picture it's hard to imagine and

our tendency is to give up and that's

why we need to ask God for a spirit of

faith and i hope the Apostle Paul says

our hope for you is firm because we know

that just as you share in our sufferings

you also will share in our comfort Paul

didn't give up Paul had hope in people

and so should we now part of that hoping

and believe

leaving means that you approach people

with an attitude that says I want God to

bless you I want your life to go in a

good direction and I believe it's

possible now sometimes there are people

that you might not want to be successful

and blessed doesn't this sound

scandalous when you are watching a

soccer game and maybe you're choosing

one of the teams to win do you are you

hoping good things for that other team

no I want him to be healthy and happy I

just want him to lose this game then I

wanted to go home and be blessed right

you kind of feel like as a Christian

it's kind of you know especially when

you're in a visiting stadium i'll never

forget i was watching an angels game in

Los Angeles with my wife and they happen

oh thank you that's nice of you I'm

watching an Angels game and they happen

to be locked in a tight pennant race

with with the Red Sox right and i'm

watching the Angels play they're not

playing the Red Sox they're playing some

other team and there's ten you know tens

of thousands of people in the stadium

little children and in my heart I'm

wanting them to go home sad and I'm like

I felt conflicted a little like I want

the home team to lose that you know they

show that when when result when brazil

lost they showed all those kids crying

all those little Brazilian they always

zero in on the kid crying and like look

I'm sorry I don't want the kid to cry I

just want it's a shame their team has to

lose I just want okay where am I going

with all this if love hopes the best for

people it's hard to hope that God will

bless a person with whom I am engaged in

competition see where I'm going with

that many times in life we believe the

people around us are not just people

their rivals their competitors

especially at work someone else at work

is prospered their work is noticed their

advanced we feel like it might in some

way demean or diminish us that's the

root of all kinds of gossip right

passing along a fail you're passing

along something negative someone's on

why because we believe it promotes our

own position

love though isn't like that obviously

love hopes you know i love the way

Steven cut a covey puts it life doesn't

have to be one big competition it

doesn't have to be the good guys and the

bad guys I can hope the best even for

someone who might be on the other side

of the field and that's why Christian

Asheville athletes they're very good at

that I think a lot of good christian

athletes are able to even verbalize that

that that yes they want to win but

there's still a heart of blessing

towards their opponent but so often in

life we view life is a big competition

we view people around us as rivals

rather than hoping the best for them we

want to give up on people give up on

certain people in certain situations and

just not even deal with it anymore but

love believes all things love hopes all

things and that motivates an attitude to

persevere and to endure that is a

powerful thing I'd like to wrap it up

with a couple testimonies 33 different

testimonies one is of some dear friends

of mine who have a daughter teenage

daughter who is experiencing extreme

rebellion and is engaged in types of

behavior that are extremely destructive

and these are good parents these are

good people they love their daughter

right they really do and they've done

the best things have just happened this

way this part this kid is just given it

in their in their face all the time all

the time and they use a particular

phrase that just touched me so deeply

it's the phrase of I want to continue

constantly moving towards her in love

food and that's a phrase they repeat I

want to move towards her in love towards

her in love rather than away in

rejection that doesn't mean that some

tough love and discipline might not be

applied but it's a heart attitude of

saying I will not give up on my kit I

will not give up on her I don't care

what she's done I don't care what's

going on out there I will continue to

move towards her in love love

puts up with anything love endures

anything love believes all things hopes

all things and I know it's going to pay

off this girl is going to be okay

somehow somehow some way it will work

because love never fails that kind of

love is a powerful love it's a love that

cuts through there's a great book that

all of you should read this will be

testimony number two written by Dave

Wilkerson called the cross and the

Switchblade right cross in the

Switchblade don't see the movie okay

sorry about the movie it was Pat Boone

he couldn't help it but the book the

book read the book okay the cross and

the Switchblade it's about the founding

of Teen Challenge ministries it's about

a a country Pastor Dave Wilkerson in

Pennsylvania who one day he was looking

at a picture of kids on trial for some

sort of violent crime in his in his

study and for some reason he found

himself just weeping and this the tears

were all over this magazine is like what

is going on and in his heart he knew

I've got to go to the city and I've got

to talk to those kids he went to New

York City he was very much a country

pastor he was a fish out of water but he

went tried to meet the kids couldn't but

just out on a street corner he met some

other kids who were involved in drugs

and crime on the streets and he just got

to know one kid after another and he got

to know one particular kid named Nikki

who was especially hateful a kid who

would talk about how when he would do

violent things he would find himself

laughing and he didn't know why this was

a kid who was really bad off and at one

point he engaged with this kid and he

formed a relationship and he got to know

him and the kid wants threatened I'm

going to cut you into a thousand pieces

and he answered sounds corny but ask any

teen challenge graduate and they'll

quote this verbatim you can cut me into

a thousand pieces and every piece will

still love you a skinny teen challenge

graduate they've all heard that line

because he started the Tea Challenge

program every piece of love you love

never gives up love is stubborn love

it's intense love believes love has hope

that there's hope for you that boy named

Nikki ended up becoming Nicky Cruz I

don't have you ever heard of him

that he has written a lot of books and

preached a lot of people to a lot of

people millions of people and I've heard

to put this way he could just read the

telephone book and you'll want to cry

and accept Jesus he's got that kind of

anointing Nicky Cruz why because of love

the thing is when there is love that

kind of real love not just sentimental

love but committed love believing love

hopeful love there is a spiritual

anointing that flows through that first

Corinthians 13 we read this at weddings

don't we but you know it wasn't written

for weddings it was written for people

who want to move in the power of the

Holy Spirit even though it applies very

well to marriage it was written for

people who were learning how to use the

gifts of the Holy Spirit the gift of

miraculous healing the gift of tongues

the gift of prophecy the gift of

teaching the gift of service all kinds

of powers of the holy spirit and love

was used in this chapter first

Corinthians chapter 12 is about the

supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit

sue first Corinthians 14 is about the

supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit

and first Corinthians 13 is about love

love is the channel through which the

power flows when you love people with

this kind of love there is a spiritual

power that flows through it that makes a

difference in people's lives it works

love works the gospel works Jesus works

through people the final testimony i

want to share is one from Acts chapter 7

we won't look it up but is the case of

the first martyr in the Christian Church

his name was Steven and people were

throwing they were stoning him for being

a Christian throwing rocks at him the

people who were throwing the rocks had

put all their tunics aside and there was

a young man watching or there was a

particular Jewish Pharisee watching

those tunics and everyone else was

throwing the rocks at this man killing

him and as he was dying the Bible says

he looked up to heaven his face glowed

with the glory of God and he said I see

heaven opened icg

Jesus at the right hand and he says Lord

do not hold this sin against them he

loved even the people who were

persecuting him now many of us know that

the young man who was guarding the coat

of the people who are throwing the

stones was a very passionate young

Pharisee named Saul just a chapter later

we read about how God knocked this man

down on the road and said Saul Saul why

do you persecute me who are you lord I

am Jesus whom you're persecuting you're

going to be my chosen vessel to the

Gentiles saw becomes Paul as in the

Apostle Paul who wrote the Bible how did

he get saved I believe that God heard

Stephens prayer God heard him say God

don't hold the sin against him because

love endures all things love bears all

things love always hopes love always

trusts and believes that God can do it

in people's lives and God did I

encourage you to have this kind of love

for the people around you a tenacious

love a fierce love a dedicated love

where you approach people and they see

in your eyes a certain fire of

benevolence and goodwill and care and

kindness and faith that says I will not

give up on you and you just watch what

God does through you people who everyone

else will give up on you will not give

up on them and God will do the work in

their life through you let that kind of

love be in this ministry so that

everybody who visits here bumps into

people and in every set of eyes they see

that love that hope that faith that

intensity let that define us as a people

amen that's something we want that's

what I want I wanted for me and I want

it for us so let's pray for this i

invite you to stand Lord Jesus I thank

you that you modeled this kind of love

for us the love of the Good Samaritan

whose eyes saw a person who was beaten

up and broken with eyes of care

in kindness faith and hope and even in

the cloudiness that glow cut through and

Lord Jesus I thank you that that's what

you did when you suffered for us on the

cross that love lays down its life for

its neighbor and Jesus I pray that we

would lay down our lives for the people

around us and the people that you have

called us to serve God I pray for fierce

love I pray for stubborn love God I pray

in Jesus name that you would teach us

how to patch the roof of our love so

that when the elements come against it

that we can bear up and put up with

anything to stay firm with a person god

show us the leaks in our own attitude

that allow the annoyances and the

problems to cause us to give up on

people too easily and God I pray right

now in Jesus name by the power of your

Holy Spirit that you would bring to mind

a person or people whom you are calling

us to love in that way maybe it's

somebody that we are tempted to give up

on maybe it's somebody who has led us

down and we've just had it and no more

we're just going to give up god I pray

that you would fill us with a fierce

faith for them with a hope against hope

Lord God that sees things that are not

as though they were that gives life to

the dead god I pray also Jesus that we

would have this kind of eye of the tiger

this dedicated love towards the people

that are closest to us Lord in our homes

and our families God that we wouldn't

give up that we wouldn't let go we

wouldn't look back let it be Lord Jesus

let your love rule powerfully through us

let your anointing flow through this

love God let people experience

deliverance and thrive around us Lord

God let your life giving energy flow we

pray all this in Jesus name Amen

you

"Struggle is part of God's plan." Brandt Gillespie

it's been so much prayer and praised and

joy in this house this day I could look

over there and I could see a smile from

ear to ear on her brother because he's

just received something special from God

it really is our portion we actually can

anticipate that and just be a part of

what our hearts not only yearn for but

in an appropriate way not not in a way

where were we're we're looking as as

though God's got to bless me you know we

never want to be presumptuous about the

presence of the Lord you know there's

illustrations in the Bible that are

clear that figures in the Bible didn't

even know they weren't aware that the

Spirit of the Lord had departed from

them and so we want to always be in a

posture of appreciation of valuing what

the presence of God can bring to be in

that appropriate posture of expectation

saying lord I know you have something

for me today I didn't just come here I

didn't just sit in this seat I didn't

just find myself in this moment because

it's part of the drill and it's part of

the routine but Lord you have a purpose

and you've brought me here in your

purpose to be able to be in a place of

receiving from him

so we just enter into this day from that

kind of a posture and we say holy spirit

continue continue in us Father I ask

that you would put salt on our tongues

the salt the Spirit gives that salt that

causes us to be thirsty you know we're

not always thirsty we sometimes feel

very satisfied but this morning would

you just join me in asking the Lord to

rekindle the thirst that our souls would

thirst after him because he says those

at hunger and thirst shall be filled

shall be filled so father we just thank

you that it is your desire it is your

pleasure to Minister your life to assist

your people but Lord we ask that you

would put that salt on our tongues

father that our spirit man would begin

to internally rise up and reach out and

lay hold on the truths lay hold on the

things that you want to give us God we

just ask father that you would

accomplish this because you can and Lord

we can be on the receiving end we've

done it before we know it's available

and so lord I just pray that you will

just settle in this place Holy Spirit

you're the teacher you said that we

would have no need that any man should

teach us

but you Holy Spirit would be the teacher

so we invite you to come into this place

and be our teacher thank you Father

thank you Father in fact I'm going to

give you a charge right now you have the

Liberty in this place not to listen to

me I want you to listen to the spirit of

god you don't have to hear one word that

I say what I say doesn't matter I'm not

saying it's not important I'm saying

what is important is what the Spirit of

God wants to speak to you if your mind

goes elsewhere as guided by the Holy

Spirit I rejoice with you go go get what

God has for you today so that your inner

man will receive what he wants to give

and what he wants to deliver into you

and to your soul so that you will be

rich rich by hearing and hearing the

Word of God now for those of you that

need a little bit direction i will share

a message and in this message I want to

just go back to the year was nineteen

eighty-four I had pastored for about six

and a half years in western New York had

planted our first church that I was

actually the pastor off and had come to

what was the end of that season about to

come over to from Grand Island New York

over to quincy massachusetts where I'd

been called to pasture in an assembly of

god church over over there and and we

put in about eight years over there but

we were in this period of transition and

and the Lord opened this opportunity for

me to go down to Brazil and I had the

privilege of being actually sent there

by if you can believe this of all things

the Rotary Club who would know the

Rotary Club they sent me to study the

ministry in Brazil for five weeks and if

any of you know anything about Brazil I

mean we know a little bit about it

because what's happened there the last

the last month or so but anybody knows

much about Brazil you would know that

there is really some phenomenal things

that are happening they're spiritually

and they were happening there

spiritually at that time as well I I

remember preaching in this in this

church in rio de janeiro and the

missionary old brother Olsen who had

brought me was sitting on this side of

me and the pastor of the church was

sitting on this side of me and before I

preached I leaned over and I was talking

to the pastor who spoke very broken

English and I asked him I says how many

do you have in your congregation and he

said 700,000 and I mean the church was

big but it wasn't that big and it was

like I didn't get it so I leaned over to

the other side and I said to old brother

Olsen I said he says he's got seven

hundred thousand in his church how many

does he really have and he said well

give or take a hundred thousand he's

about right

give or take a hundred thousand how do

you get your head around that well the

way I got my head around it was simply

to find out but that was a mother church

in what they count as everything that's

come out of that church all these

daughter churches they are part of that

church there under that church and

actually in their authority structures

amazingly they were they actually

functioned under that authority and they

were able to like on the Monday

afterwards got together with the 300

daughter churches in Rio alone that was

there and they gave them assignments you

go here you do that you did this knew

that I don't know and off they went and

they executed it and they had they had

churches literally in every nook and

cranny of that area in fact that was one

of the 13 large quote-unquote the column

ministerios and there were 13 within the

Assemblies of God that make up the

Assemblies of God in you know in that in

that nation that's just how they do it

down there I mean it's so different it's

just different but they think that's all

their church and I was preaching and

talking with a man whose name was Don

stamps and I I went to this Hacienda

that he had on this beautiful plane and

you know you think of Brazil as being

you know hot or whatever buddy it wasn't

there it was just it was on it was

elevated and it was dry and beautiful

blue skies and these lovely clouds that

would come and just you know it was just

a really beautiful no insects to speak

of he didn't have screens he would came

out and he had as all of his books and

all of his learning and all of his

education and he was down there to be

able to write the the study notes for

the entire lat

culture in and so he was American but he

went down there he learned Portuguese he

learned Spanish and he became this

wonderful resource and and the

culminating work of his life was this

Latin American study bible and the study

note that he knew that he had to take

this work extremely seriously extremely

seriously because he recognized that

people don't just read the Word of God

but they read those notes and those

notes inform them and shape the

understandings that go along with the

scriptures and Don stamps said to me as

we along with his two sons were out on

horses riding he did this in the

evenings okay he would go out and that

would be his break that would be a kind

of enjoyment so we went out on these

horses and we're just kind of walking

got a quick pace with just kind of

walking along and he says to me he said

if anyone tells you that the Bible that

all you need to do is just read it and

it's plain and simple to understand you

said they're crazy they've never read

the Bible now that's not to suggest that

the plain reading of the Bible doesn't

make sense and I don't want to get off

into some weird doctrine or kind of get

your mind look looking like you know the

Bible is so complex it nobody can

understand it but it's not easy there

are things in the Bible but it does take

a deep sense of agonizing with wrassling

for comprehending and taking into your

spirit what is the intent of those

scriptures what is the point of those

scriptures what are those two things

that are being said at the same time

that sound opposite to each other what

is that

about i remember when i was up at some

classes at gordon-conwell and i was

driving down 128 and as I was coming

back to the church in Quincy I remember

getting this knock you off your horse

revelation anybody ever had one of those

like Paul you know where all of a sudden

you're going along you're trotting along

you're thinking that your understandings

are this way and then something happens

and B you get a whole revelation that is

transformative that happened to me on

128 as I was driving down and I we've

been wrassling in some of the classes

and in some of the understandings trying

to kind of figure out the difference and

this of course was you know the classic

one the one about justification by faith

and and and and God His sovereignty and

us and our are entering into this union

with God by the will of man and it's not

you know God's will that any should

perish but all should come to him and

and and it sounds like opposite things

and God spoke to me and he said you know

what every great truth is held in these

tension points and our understandings

because they're limited float oh we kind

of lean to one side and we kind of move

over and lean to another side in our

understandings and we need to do that we

need to do that I don't want to make it

too complex but what that's pointing to

the fact is that struggle is a part of

God's plan

format write that one down if you want

struggle is part of God's plan for man

you have to struggle Hebrews chapter 4

verse 11 says in the King James Version

I'm going to read it in three different

versions and it's also the same thing it

says let us labor therefore to enter

into that rest now isn't that in

congruent labor work to rest well it's

there again and again but it's so true

so let us say try as hard as you can

this is the English revised version try

as hard as you can to enter God's place

of rest and then the NIV says let us

therefore make every effort to enter

rest what that's talking about is this

struggle that we must partake of that we

must be a part off the struggle of

everything from the little chick inside

the egg I mean that little chick inside

the egg grows up until it can't have any

more room and it's just got to get out

and it starts pecking away just and it

breaks open that egg and the egg which

was its protection and the egg which was

this encasement for it to grow safely

becomes a prism and it's got to break

out of it it's got to struggle it's got

to break out of it you think of the pupa

as part of the cocoon mechanism in going

from a caterpillar to the pupa stage to

the butterfly

now I've heard it said that if you

literally take and you cut open that

pupa case so as to release the butterfly

without the struggle it will die it will

die it needs the struggle in order to

get the strength you wonder why on earth

you have to go through the struggles

there are struggles in life there's no

way around it it's part of God's plan

it's part of God's work it's the way

life happens and you have to struggle if

you don't struggle you'll not enter into

his rest you've gotta work and labor to

comprehend things that are complex

things that are difficult things that

are past finding out and you know what

here's a little secret you'll never get

there in the end because it keeps

getting infinitely mysterious as part of

God's purpose isn't it odd that the God

of all creation who wants us to know him

hides from us and reveals in little bits

what we need to know in the moment to

keep us pressing in it's just how it

happens it's his wisdom and it's his

love if he gave it all to us if he gave

us full bore full revelation we'd be

dead I mean look at Moses wanting to see

God and I suppose in the Bible there's

nobody who actually saw more of God and

Moses in the physical

how did God reveal himself he says you

just stand there behind the rock and I

will slip around here so you just see

just back hurt me cuz if you get to see

all of me you can't live the holiness

the righteousness the might the power

it's just so overwhelming our flesh

can't stand in the presence of holy God

because we are carne carnal we are flesh

will fry I want to tell you about a

probably one of the greatest theological

and spiritual questions that I've had to

grapple with through the years I am

aware of and know a little bit about the

Great Commission GUI and all the world

and preach the gospel to every creature

mark 16 15 and the great commandment

which is Matthew 22 verses 37 to 39 thou

shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy

heart with all thy soul with all their

mind this is the first and Great

Commandment and the second is like unto

it thou shalt love thy neighbor as

thyself I'm even aware of the new

commandment and I don't know if any of

you have read the book that has been

written by Gaylord ends who is a pastor

and an eloquent teacher about the new

commandment that was almost a forgotten

part of our christology and our

understanding our ecclesiology of the

church but in John chapter 13 verses 34

and 35 a new commandment I give unto you

that you love one another as I have

loved you that you love one another

by this mesh al all men know that you

are my disciples if you have love for

one another I understand the Commission

the Commandant and the new commandment

but the question in my mind that I've

struggled with and I struggled with it

deeply is how could Jesus how could he

come to the earth and give the greatest

truth that the earth has ever seen and

then leave it in the hands of very

flawed broken human beings I struggled

with that a lot I struggle with it every

time I see a preacher fall I've fallen

so I know I struggle when I see the fal

ability of our humanity trying to

communicate and hold dearly these

essential truths that set the captives

free the heal the brokenhearted the do

all these mighty miracles and works

think with me about this dilemma for a

few minutes if this the most important

message to the planet given by the

creator of all things is put into the

hands of the likes of us what hope is

there or hopeless you know what I know

what we do we're we're just we're Rex

you know it's not all right I'm going

somewhere with this

but we are we are look at I want I want

you to look with me yet at Peter for

instance especially look at at Jesus

leaving his message in the hands of

Peter I mean if you were the god of the

universe and you were going to leave

your message to the earth in somebody's

hands wouldn't you look for the most

wise and brilliant articulator all that

message wouldn't you look for somebody

who was a studied individual who is

serious had a sense of gravitas whoo-hoo

really accepted the responsibility and

and shouldered it well I mean wouldn't

you do that what's wrong with God

nothing nothing

think with me about this think about

Peter here he is braggadocious Peter

saying Lord I'll never leave you I'll

never forsake you and then just a few

hours later here he comes at the trial

of Jesus and this little girl says to

him and Luke 22 verses 54 through 62 I'm

not going to read all of it aren't you

this man Jesus who is now on trial don't

weren't you with him I'm sure I saw you

with him just a while ago and then this

brash Peter who had been out there you

know defending Jesus cutting off the ear

of the high priests servant you know

think about it here we go again he says

no I never knew him I never knew and

then it happened again and and you can

read the entire set of scriptures there

that I've articulated and talked about

up to up to verse 62 where it says three

times different people confronted him

and three times he denied him and then

we see how Jesus turned around and he

looked and it said his eyes caught Peter

and he realized he heard the cock crow

and said three times you will deny me

before the cock crows and they heard the

rooster do his thing the eyes met and

it's modem in the heart and he began to

weep and he turned and we know that

Peter Peter did many things of similar

foolishness it didn't just end there he

had to be challenged by Paul and I don't

want to go on and the labor Peter but

all of these people all of them

who follow Jesus they were really a

ragtag bunch they weren't brilliant

people they were fishermen they're

common now what was Jesus thinking why

was he doing this lesson number one is

it's not about us it's not about us the

brilliance of what God did with the

message of the gospel is he put the

power in the message not in the

messenger the power is in the message

that was one of those lightbulb moments

that came to me is it's not about us as

the courier's are the carriers it's

about the message it's about the truth

that is being articulated the power of

Christ is in the message it is the power

like an in Matthew 9 verse 6 the power

to heal bodies but that ye shall know

that the Son of man hath power on earth

to forgive sins then saith he to the

sick of the palsy rise take up your bed

and walk and he did the power is in the

word the power is in the message Matthew

10 verse 1 where he gave them the power

the disciples that says he gave them

power against unclean spirits to cast

them out and to heal all manner of

sickness and disease that's the power

that's in the message God said you can

do this and you can I can the power is

in the word the power is not in the

people the power is in the Word of God

and its articulation under

the unction under the anointing like all

I want is for you to be under the

anointing because the Holy Spirit will

teach you if you get under the anointing

of God's Spirit you will be alive alive

you'll be transformed you'll be changed

you'll go through metamorphose you'll

have to struggle to get there but you

become powerful in him lesson number two

although it's not about us but about the

power that is in us yet we still have

the responsibility and the pleasure of

cooperating with being led by the Holy

Spirit so that he can do his work

through us he'll do it he's waiting to

do it he actually is wanting to do it

and there's a piece and a part of it

that we play we play it because the word

gets into US and the word changes us it

transforms us it renews us it makes us

mighty and strong and lesson number

three God knew that he could leave the

gospel in the hands of inadequate people

like us because the power is in the

gospel the power is in the gospel that

my friend is truly the greatest miracle

of all time and eternity that God would

do like he does in in creation like he

does with people you know you you think

of the seed of a human being

an egg and a sperm and it becomes that

zygote and it grows and inside of a

woman's body and it becomes that fetus

and that it becomes a baby in there and

then his birth then it becomes a living

breathing human being like we all are

that is God's Way God did that by

sending Jesus into the earth and he

liked the DNA code brings that into

humankind and when we are exposed to the

Word of God when we are exposed to the

message of God when we are touched all

of a sudden it hooks up in us and we

begin to change we can't help it we can

fight it and some of us do but

ultimately the power of God and the

gospel is so irrepressible it can't stop

the kingdoms of our Lord and of his

Christ are going to come to earth and

become the kingdoms of our God and King

here and he will rule and reign for all

eternity all of creation is groaning all

of creation according to Romans is in

this tension this struggle waiting for

the manifestation of the sons of God you

know what or hey you're a son of God

when you walk in the anointing there's

power all around your life

Sheldon power power through you David

power power Steve power power Marcus

power in your life you know we we

struggle because it's like Wyatt said

thinks of logs like I don't feel

powerful and ed and we aren't we're not

different than Peter we're not but the

power of God at work in us will do the

miracles will do astounding things will

cause mighty acts Charlotte and I are

going to go this summer in we're gonna

be here next week but we're going to

leave on the monday probably we might

leave sunday afternoon or evening but

we're going to leave we're going to go

up to the gaspé Peninsula in Quebec

when we were young people we went there

and we did work with the establishing of

churches we took young people with us

from all over the United States and

Canada and we've had teams we had as

many as the smallest team was I think 25

and the largest was about 50 that we

could handle on these teams every summer

we did this summer after summer after

summer and we went and we would go in

and we do prayer in the morning and

teaching afternoon would be door-to-door

evangelism in some town or city that we

were focusing on and in the evenings we

would do street ministry we be out there

singing and preaching and making a noise

and people would come around to see what

these weird English people were doing in

Quebec you know and we had this this I

heard stories of this one but I wasn't

there at this

but but of this this little priest on a

scooter coming around and saying you

know don't listen to them don't listen

to them their accountant but we just

preached the gospel we just hey listen

I've come a long ways in my love for

Catholic people and so I don't think

that I'm judging Catholic people and

being negative towards them because I'll

tell you i have seen God work in

Catholic people and them be on fire for

God absolutely on fire for God in fact

i'll make an advertisement if you get a

chance to go to the lift ministries

catholic service that they have in

milton on a tuesday evening once a month

where they have a worship service you

will be blessed out of your socks so I

mean a lot of things have changed and

God's at work in a lot of different ways

and I that would take me a whole other

message to talk about what I see as as

God's divine way of doing different

things through different people through

different agencies to accomplish his

divine purpose that is really Universal

it's way beyond how we can get it but he

doesn't he doesn't but anyway here we

were out there preaching and singing and

testifying and one person who'd get a

mic and we get up and we preach and talk

and you know people come around and they

look and think you're weird and that but

but we just love them and we just

preached the gospel and you know what of

the five churches we planted for are

thriving and one of the churches that we

try to create kind of like a mission

station send out sin and the mole on the

north coast of the of the gaspé

peninsula didn't really take hold but

now it's got a church you know and so

we're going to go back and we're going

to be with these churches and these

pastors

stay at the property that we had our

outreach center at and we ended up

giving it over to them and they use it

as a camp now to be able to do their

outreach of working there and and to

bless them and as a family camp there so

we're gonna go and enjoy you know what

we were just kids went behind their ears

you know we just didn't know what we

were doing it didn't matter it really

didn't matter you know the team's going

to Honduras you can think oh who are we

you know I don't have much to say you

know I what's ya look get over it you're

carrying a treasure you're carrying a

treasure it's not about you it's not

about you by god it's not about you I

mean if it were about you who love me

what I forget it you know God and his

work and his message would never have

worked it were about us but it's not we

just have to say it we just have to tell

it we just have to point to him if we do

that you'll do the work he'll do the

work he'll do the work what do I want

you to do here in these moments that we

have left I got a couple of things that

I'd like to make us suggestions I want

you to begin to ask the Lord to help you

flee the fear of failure a lot of us

don't dispense the Word of God because

we feel like you know where either a

failure or we might fail and we might

let somebody down so i don't i don't

think i want to tell them this powerful

message that Jesus can set them free

that Jesus can heal them I'm gonna ask

you just to give some thought to that

would you would you just begin to kind

of look in your heart and ask have I

been afraid to really be bold in telling

about Jesus and his love what he can do

and if you have been I'm going to invite

you to just lay that aside reject that

and say I'm not going to give place to

any fear of failure in my life we've all

failed God we've talked about it God

uses flawed people to get his work done

so don't worry about it and I want you

to press on to know the Lord to learn

how to listen to his still small voice

and the voice of his spirit realizing

that you can blow it and that you likely

will but not have that be an inhibiting

factor then I want to ask you to begin

to be confident to take risks you know

it is attributed to Martin Luther this

statement love God and sin boldly

doesn't that seem like an oxymoron seems

like a disconnect it's not it's really a

good word it really is love God love him

and if you sin don't be afraid of it I

mean sin is not have any rule over you

under God I'm not making excuses here

don't misunderstand what I'm saying okay

don't misunderstand what I'm saying but

you know where we get trapped is that we

sin privately quietly hidden and then it

has control over us because we we don't

want anybody to know and we want to keep

that so put it out there deal with it

get God to work in your life who some

folk here with Living Waters ministry I

tell you it's a great ministry I've been

through it I've taught in it we know

that it works really you got issues in

your life just get to work but don't

stop living for God in the midst of it

don't stop administering His grace well

you have to work through the struggles

of your development if you waited until

you are all right before you declare him

you'll never declare him so declare him

declare his power declare what he can do

now this this week I i was i was down in

DC in fact we didn't get the entire

shoot done so i got to go back tomorrow

morning at seven-thirty and we were

we're on a site survey in baltimore

before this broadcast that is going to

be done on September the 14th it's

called star-spangled sunday it's going

to be we're going to be doing the

broadcast out of Charlotte North

Carolina vote with FRC family research

council and tony Perkins will be the

host of it he's the head of that

ministry but we were shooting pieces of

it at Fort McHenry in Baltimore because

that's where the poem was written for

the star-spangled banner

from Francis Scott Key and I don't need

to give you a history lesson right now

because it'd probably be a little longer

a little late but but how how that he

was there and he was looking in over the

British ships that were doing the

bombardment of fort mchenry and then the

flag the guy who was the major of the

garrison hoisted up this huge flag and

we actually went to the house where

Betsy Ross actually it sewed it and we

did a little piece with a reenactor and

it'll be in that you know it'll be part

of a part of the program that comes up

on the on the 14th but but anyway he's

looking and they hoist this huge flag it

was 30 feet tall and 42 feet wide and

the flag was still there in the morning

and that's what the star-spangled banner

is written around and about it comes out

of that incident and it's 200 years

since that battle on the seven September

the 14th and so that's why they're

calling a star-spangled Sunday but we

were doing a site survey and trying to

park my van and this guy who was

homeless and had had a few to drink came

up but he wasn't trying to hustle me it

was just interesting it was just

different and because I I grew up my

parents were salvation army officers and

I grew up kind of where there was a lot

of conniving that went on to get money

and they mark the salvation army and

they went there and as I as a kid kind

of gave away money to some of these

people and I felt we kind of used so I

got a little bit of a jadedness in my

heart against some of some of that the

shenanigans that sort of goes in and

around that this young man

I don't know what it was except that the

Spirit of the Lord spoke to me and he

said don't just put him off take some

time and so I I had him come with me

over I dropped off the others for lunch

and and I trot over there with this this

young man or to the place where we're

having lunch I said hey make room for

women and they're kind of looking at me

like you know what what are you doing

you know but I felt really directed of

the Lord now hear me I've never done

this before so it's not like I do this

all the time but I was directed of the

Lord for this young man's soul and we

sat down and the man who was sitting

next to me on on my right hand side this

young man J Justin was on on my left and

the and the man his name was b.o.b e al

l is his last his last name and he was

he kind of a had worked with Campus

Crusade for Christ for a lot of years

and so he and I were just in

conversation with this young man and we

began to talk and this this man this mr.

Beale he knew a fella who it worked in

the mission there in baltimore had

pastored a very large and a very

successful church and just felt like God

had something else for him and so he

just stepped down from that church and

he just started a ministry in the inner

city of Baltimore and so this young man

knew him and had a positive sense about

him so when we were sharing and talking

to him about the Lord God was at work it

was one of those God things that you

could just see actually unfolding and

actually happening so I didn't see him

make a prayer of commitment to Jesus

Christ

but I know that the gospel was planted

in his soul and he said he prays every

day you know what he's just another man

in process that's what I believe he's

just another man and process but they

were able to hook up and hook up him

with that with that man who runs the

mission and and God's gonna put his arm

around that young man just like i did to

bio a meal and gods going to Stewart and

Shepherd him through a process in life

you know why i have confidence in that

because he did it in those churches that

we planted in quebec years and years and

years ago and now we're going back to

see them that's the gospel so don't

think oh I don't have anything to say

yes you do yes you do and don't be

afraid of saying it God's gonna cause

you to be a mighty missionary you know

God had God had one son and he was a

missionary he set him to earth right

we're gonna be like him as we press in

we're going to be more and more like him

worship team would you come on up I do

want you to do that examining with me

flee the fear of failure cast your cares

on him repent of thinking that I'm not

good enough I can't articulate well

enough I can't defend the faith strong

enough I don't know how to share the

gospel effectively

just do it I like Nike huh I just do it

just do it and allow the Holy Spirit to

have his way I'll be confident in God

take risks take risks

"Embracing the Holy Spirit for a Victorious Christian Life" - June 29, 2014

Love Does not Delight in Evil; but Rejoices with the Truth - June 22, 2014

The Heart of the Father - June 15, 2014

all right Lord bless you all what a

privilege to be here on this on this

Father's Day I'll invite you to please

open to Luke chapter 15 I'll tell you

something interesting about this morning

sermon the Lord actually gave me this

sermon I there's a reason why I keep I

keep journals around and and when I see

the Lord when I hear the Lord calling me

hopefully the Lord will give me

sufficient warning that he's calling me

to my eternal home so I could send about

15 crates of journals to the care of

pastor Greg too I don't know to give to

the Smithsonian Institute or something

but meanwhile they're quite useful to me

because it reminds me of my

conversations with the Lord and they

remind me of the Lord responding it's a

sort of a transcript of our

conversations the Lord actually gave me

this sermon I'm preaching it on Father's

Day but the Lord actually gave me this

word back in February februari eighth

and the moment I received that word you

know in my living room doing that

devotional I knew in my spirit that that

was that word was meant for this

particular fellowship I I knew I had to

share it at one point or another here

and just a word about that as we pray

you know the reality I feel so bad for

dad sometimes because isn't it always

always the case Mother's Day Holy Smoke

you know you would think every woman in

the congregation was Mother Teresa

and the sisters of the church know

better and dad's boy I mean I use I used

to go to church man dad's got beat up

real bad on Father's Day that's what we

would get on father anybody ever go to a

church like that y'all step up do right

thing do what you gotta do thank you

Pastor happy Father's Day to you too

yeah but the truth is we've had all

kinds of father some of us have had

marvelous dance exemplary God's

sacrificial dads dads who really

incarnated fatherhood in such wonderful

ways many others we have very imperfect

debts of some extremely extremely

imperfect dads and we're reminded of

their imperfections every time we shave

in the morning because there they are

right there staring back at us we've

become in many ways this man and the

glory of God has over Layton over that

and we've become all the more aware of

God's grace ironically because of this

imperfect man others of us will tell the

other two-thirds of the room guys don't

complain at least you met your dad he

had one my dad just a few wondering

where I was you know my dad I you know I

them to this day it's days like this you

know when you when you have a dad and

God calls them home just like your first

Mother's day without a mom here you know

you never so my dad was somewhere

between dad number one number two just

as I am I guess I'll be completely

honest with you but you're here we are

here sir

for something else and someone else some

of us come here precisely all of us come

here and pursuit of some very important

stuff at one point or another we need

healing frankly or we need the Lord to

illuminate us for something or we need

we need this we need were lonely we need

the fellowship of saints an inheritance

from the Holy Father we need we need

that if you come here in pursuit of that

I promise you you're going to find what

you're looking for in Jesus name I

declare that over you but if you come

here looking for the Father's heart

seeking the Father's heart that the

Father's heart may be revealed to you

you're going to find everything you're

looking for and more my prayer amid my

infirmities as a human filter of this

beautiful word is that somehow here

whether through what you hear or in

between these lines or even despite what

you hear the Father's heart may be

revealed to you it's a passage that

we're all familiar with a story that

many of us heard in Sunday school that

we find in Luke chapter 15 verse 11

Jesus continued there was a man who had

two sons the younger one said to his

father father give me my share of the

estate so he divided his property

between them not long after that the

younger son got together all he had and

said offer a distant country and there

squandered his wealth in wild living

don't you just love that Spanish to

translate I wish they would translate it

verbatim in spanish la vida loca I mean

that's what it is in the greek wouldnt

it be cool if they did that after he had

and everything there was a severe famine

in that whole country and he began to be

in need so he went and he hired himself

to a citizen of that country who sent

him to his fields to feed pigs which is

an extreme and dignity for a Jewish

young man he longed to fill his stomach

with the pods that the pigs were eating

but no one gave him anything when he

came to his senses he said how many of

my father's hired men have food to spare

and Here I am starving to death I will

set out and go back to my father and say

to him father I have sinned against

heaven and against you I'm no longer

worthy to be called your son make me

like one of your hired men so he got up

and went to his father but while he was

still a long way off his father saw him

and was filled with compassion for him

he ran to his son threw his arms around

him and kissed him the son said to him

father I have sinned against heaven and

against you I'm no longer worthy to be

called your son but the father said to

his servants quick bring me the best

robe and put it on him put a ring on his

finger and sandals on his feet bring the

fattened calf and kill it let's have a

feast and celebrate for this son of mine

was dead and is alive again he was lost

and is found so they began to celebrate

meanwhile the older son was in the field

when he came near to the house he heard

music and dancing so he called one of

the servants over and asked him what was

going on your brother has come he

replied and your father has killed the

fattened calf because he has found him

back safe and sound

the older brother became angry and

refused to go in so his father went out

and pleaded with him a father with two

sons and both of these guys both of

these sons are in trouble I'm reading

from the NIV the title that the NIV

editors have for this portion is the

parable of the lost son we're actually

going to be speaking about both sons but

you might be reading from attacks

perhaps even the King James that it has

entitled this section the editors have

been titled it the prodigal son and you

have known this as the prodigal son

coming from the word prodigal which

means literally extravagant we never use

it's one of those words try that in a

you know try that and it's in a

boardroom meeting or or you know you

don't use the word prodigal anymore in

fact the word prodigal in them in modern

parlance refers now almost exclusively

to this tale to this young man but

prodigal really what to define prodigal

means extravagant in the way you invest

it doesn't necessarily need to be a bad

thing its extravagant in the way you

invest or you spend or in this case

waste your property what's wrong what's

yours and Tim Keller wrote an

interesting book a pastor in a hue of a

huge church in you in New York City the

prodigal father I recommend it to you

it's on one of those guys that will

recommend you books he hasn't quite yet

read the Lord is my witness I recommend

it to you my wife has read it I guess

that's half of me has read that all

right and I've heard him speak about it

in purpose in person okay so that counts

I heard him preach about it I was in the

room and I heard Tim Keller preach about

this so

all that counts so Tim Keller in his

book the prodigal father actually argues

that the true prodigal in the story is

the father not the Sun the true tale of

extravagance is the father and I having

read this I tend to agree and it the

tale begins the story of these two sons

and by the way you'll notice I'm going

to tell you up front I believe I would

wager that we have both sons represented

in this room right now where can I look

so I'm not looking at anybody look at

the hosts of heaven there are two sons

in the story both for them are

represented in this tale and represented

in this room I honestly believe that I

honestly believe that and it begins see

verses 11 and 12 there was a man who had

two sons the younger son said to his

father father give me my share of the

inheritance it actually begins this

story two chairs begins with this this

house that that is this household that

is predominant for two things it's known

for two things number one property

property actually figures very early on

and it's very important here on

inheritance and estate represented by

abundance there's livestock there's

apparently a farm there are servants you

could guess there's some income involved

here there's money one so it's we so as

the story begins the two key elements

here are a the property the inheritance

and in this house there is somebody who

administers or governs over this

property and who actually who is

actually responsible for the

administration of this property and that

is the father you have

stuff or property and you have the

father those that these are actually two

integrated streams throughout this story

let's start with let's start with the

stuff let's start with with with

examining this stuff let's start with

examining the property because there's

so much emphasis emphasis on that the

younger son asks I want my share of the

estate I want my share of this property

and that word that you see you know

translated and it's alternatively

translated property it's a toner

alternatively translated estate in the

Greek that is well in the case that it

uses here tom beyond and the accusative

say in it and it's uh and and it's

infinitive it is tongue bios or the life

the life bios the life and what it means

is this it's actually illegal to a in

the classical Greek this was a legal

term having to do with with you know the

I know the lawyer in me is loving this

because i had this class in law school

never used it michelle may use it more

than I do I I hardly I hardly touch this

stuff but I sir oh I remember that it

was on the bar that's right so the term

in Greek the life means it's a legal

term and what it literally means is that

this property so say it's a an

inheritance a it's some farm that you

leave somebody say it's your you know

your your favorite watch but this

property is representative of the life

literally the bios the life of the donor

it is a product and what they mean is

this and this is true to this day it is

in fact the spinal cord of all trust in

the state's law even now into

14 and it means this nobody earns an

inheritance legally or spiritually you

didn't earn it you didn't earn it it is

the product of the bios the sweat the

work the genius the investments the

risks and the toil of the donor that

stuff was a product of something that

came out of the life of another human

being and that person chooses to give it

to you you haven't earned it it's

impossible to earn an inheritance

legally because you didn't work for it

belongs to it's the product of the life

of someone else and that's present that

precisely what you would expect out of

scripture doesn't the word say that

every good and perfect gift comes from

where comes from above from the father

of heavenly lights and each of us we all

enjoy a Tom BIOS a bios from our Father

Heavenly Father we all have an

inheritance from our Heavenly Father a

functional brain let's start with that

the breath in your lungs the capacity to

dream and to plan the ability to think

around the corner that's a gift from the

Lord your your your hamster does not

have that but you do and some of us have

been given a little bit more some of us

have so you know God has thrown us a

couple of extra stuff that's just I mean

that that would be enough to make it on

the surface of this planet but God

this extravagant prodigal god some of it

gives us gives us you know a couple of

Benny's some of us have a family some of

us have been given children some of us

have been given a wife some of us

actually have the key to our own space

our apartment or house and then if that

weren't enough this prodigal dad he just

keeps giving us gifts like some of us

are remarkably creative where poets like

my brother Shelton or we read well like

my brother Shelton are we sing like my

sister Chantal or we danced like my

sister kennis I'm praying in Jesus name

that we see you up your booking it soon

in the name of Jesus we love you

creative some of us are really really

good with our hands this altar is

brought to you by the creative gifts of

some important people in this sanction

in this in this church that we often

take for granted but everything here my

god this building you should have seen

it in 1993 and you should see it I mean

looking at now there are people who went

literally making this place it's a labor

of love you never hear them you know

ministering very seldomly you don't see

them up front they don't need one of

these this was their ministry and they

did it with as much anointing and love

the Holy ABS of this congregation that's

a gift we've all received a gift and

inheritance that makes sense in the

context of home and this kid this young

man asked his father for his inheritance

his BIOS while his dad is alive which is

extremely wet rare in Jewish culture

that's a huge no-no in Jewish culture

this far

other could have just done so he could

have disinherited him in that spot but

his father gives it to him can you

believe it that's one of the first

remarkable scandalous things about this

story is that his this kid has the

temerity to ask his dad I want I want

what I I want what's coming to me now

and his dad gives it to him go on ahead

verse 12 the younger one said to his

father give me my share of the estate so

he divided his property between them in

other words he didn't he doesn't just

give the younger son his property he

gives a property also to the older son

who by the way is entitled to two-thirds

of the property or twice the property of

the younger son in other words a double

portion so the older son gets a double

portion the younger son gets his estate

his part of the estate verse 13 not long

after that the younger son got together

all he had and set off for a distant

country where is that the Bible doesn't

tell us it's far from where ever was he

was and then squandered his wealth in

wild living two things that we can learn

from this number one you could already

pick up these two things from Scripture

number one about our stuff say with me

nothing oh come on yeah this is this

work work we're about to Coastal's we

know how to do call and response tell

your neighbor nothing that's what I Sam

get it right that's how it's done all

right nut that's right they tell your

neighbor thing I got to remember that

tell your neighbor nothing nothing we

have will last

none of our stuff will last this

includes your physical health this

includes the car and the lot this

includes guys your your your your frame

of mind this includes your your breath

in your lungs none of the hour prior are

cherished property well you can't

protect any of it we can lose it all at

a moment's notice it's extinct it's it's

fungible that's another wonderful trusts

and estates word anything that you can

give to somebody else anything you can

give away is by its nature fungible you

can lose it lesson number one lesson

number two free will guys this prodigal

father gives him his inheritance watches

the Sun get up and leave he lets us he

will let you your heavenly Father will

let you administer or invest or use or

grow in or absolutely squander the BIOS

the stuff of life that the Lord has

given you he'll let you why because he

loves you he trusts you he respects you

he respects you and it is in this

fashion that we learn we learn as we

administer the stuff that God has given

us we learn and this kid did some

serious learning verse 14 after he had

spent everything there was a severe

famine in that whole country and he

began to be in need so he went and he

hired himself out to a citizen of that

country who

who sent him to his fields to feed pigs

he longed to fill his stomach with the

pods that the pigs were eating but no

one gave him anything he's far from home

far from for the protection of his

father how many of us have ever been

there you ever been there you know what

that place is like anybody in this

industry I'll be I'll I'll help you with

this I know I've been there it's not a

fun place it it is no one can you cannot

expect to come to anything good they're

far from the protection of the Father

Satan is there too with one mission in

mind which is to help us forget we were

ever a son help us forget there was ever

a home and the first thing he does as he

wears away at your dignity here's this

Jewish young man son of a proper deed

father and some i think the word fits

well here god forsaken place doing

things he never imagined in his life he

would ever do just things that would I

mean if he was with his buddies he did

not you know I'm sure when he was

growing up at his bar mitzvah when they

talked about well what do you what are

you going to do when you grow up one I'm

gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna feed pigs for

a living and I'm gonna I'm going to envy

what they feed these things like that

was his am no kid grows up no mother's

son grows up with those ambitions by the

way bipods there were these care

seeds that in in this agrarian society

that they fed pigs in the ancient world

and they in particularly near East it

was known throughout the ancient world

and the only time that you they were

they were seldom digested by humans the

only time humans in this society in the

the in the Near Eastern society it fed

on them was in times of extreme hunger

when all other crops failed when there

was nothing why because they gave you

the sensation of filling your stomach

but they were almost utterly free of any

kind of nourishment they would fit they

would fill the hole but there was no

there was no it wasn't in there was no

nutritious there was no nutrit nutrition

there was no nutrient coming from it and

so many of us when we were out there we

had to fill our whole with something so

many of us spend that kind of time just

you know we go from one experience of

feeding on pods feeding on pods going

from one experience to another you know

today this party tomorrow this

relationship tomorrow okay let's swing

over here to this religious experience

this a SRAM somewhere else and let you

know let's let's figure out my zone I

let then you go from that to this other

experience and you were going from pod

the pod you just just you know pastor

Santa hat I was hungry I was hungry

pastor Sam and I fed pigs

I had to do what I had to do it's

shameful I'm sorry I don't know it's

nothing that I'm going to be proud of

ever but have you ever had to do that

pastor Sam just because I was I was

hungry I had if I had to fill the hole I

had to do something to survive don't you

think your heavenly Father knows that he

knows what that's like and the entire

time your heavenly father is watching

the road pining for you grieving over

you worrying about you morning you

praying you come home let's talk about

him for a little bit because this

parable has more to do with the heart of

the father it has more to do with the

heart of the father than anything else

and that's the whole point you know when

this chapter opens there are some folks

Pharisees the religious leaders who

commented to Jesus and not not

complement rly this guy this man

welcomes sinners and eats with them

verse 2 in fact this is a running theme

in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 5

there's a group of religious leaders who

who approached Jesus and asked him why

do you welcome sinners and eat with them

and break bread with them it's a running

theme throughout the Gospel of Luke

which is directed by the way at Gentiles

which is because you know Gentiles were

everyone who was not Jewish when you

hear Gentiles in Scripture there it's

usually not it's

that's not a complementary term either

it usually means not just the fact that

you were not Jewish but everything that

went with that they were a dollar ters

they were they were into everything they

experimented with everything they were

about everything but the god of the

universe why on earth do you break bread

with those people Jesus why do you eat

with sinners and in response the Lord

tells them these stories he's he

responds with a parable now a parable is

a way of trying to explain remarkably

complex eternal truths to finite human

beings not unlike trying to explain

really crazy things mommy where do

babies come from to a child how do you

respond to some of the things when a

child asked it's it's it is very

analogous you know it puts Jesus in the

same spot that you're in when your

four-year-old ask you things like daddy

why do you love mommy and there's

something daddy can say and there's a

lot of stuff daddy cannot say unless you

know you know he's totally inebriated

but he there's some things that daddy

should not say or it's trying to explain

to a Martian love love I hear this word

love what is that could you explain to

me what love is what do you do do you

you know do you go to Pandora write the

word love and have him here like half a

million songs and poems and so you know

how hard it has been for the human race

to try to explain love

to each other let alone to someone who

has no frame of reference to what this

means that is the spot Jesus is in how

do you explain what's going on in God's

heart and in the heart of the father to

repeat to someone like this is to

someone like this way are you why do I

break bread with sinners are you not are

you kidding me why do I break bread with

sinners okay how do i how do I where do

I start knowing that if this kid or in

this case this Pharisee gets ten percent

of it we're good there's a lot here that

still locked up in the heart of the Lord

in the heart of the father we're all

living through we're all looking at God

through a glass like the darkling my

friends all we're seeing his shadows and

images it's enough to thrill our hearts

it's enough to blow our minds it's a

loft introduces the tears but all we're

getting is glimpses of his majesty what

he's really about his heart we've yet to

really feel we've not felt his hog yet

and I'm waiting for my when he when he

when we see him but right now we are

content with receiving these fragments

of Revelation and the Lord says look why

do I dude the father is heartsick why do

I break bread with sinners let's see and

he tells him a series of stories says if

you if I had you know if you had nine if

you if you had ten drachmas and you lose

one you have nine like this with the

first Powerball in looper in Luke 15

you're going are you going to be content

with those nine drachmas or okay

oh it you win you lose no you tear the

house around until you find that last

drachma or if you had a hundred sheep

you lose a sheep what Shepherd worthy of

the name Shepherd is going to be content

with watching one of the Sheep wander

off and die no you leave the rest of the

flock you leave the ninety-nine you go

off over hill over Dale in the rain and

wherever you need to go you find that

sheep and you bring that cheap safe and

sound because that's your job as a

shepherd if you can understand that and

you can understand that that kid is not

expendable you're not expendable either

you matter to the Lord there's nobody

anonymous to God especially if you find

yourself in a far country until your

home this God will pray and intercede

and wait and let nature take its course

he'll let nature take its course not it

makes your take its course which means

you're going to be hungry and you're

going to suffer human little humiliation

and you're going to go through the dregs

and you're going to know what that feels

like not because he doesn't love you but

because he cannot force you to come home

he created you with free will he did not

create a robot he did not create a slave

Satan would be content with you being a

slave you've got the wrong God in mind

if you think that God can force you

compel you to come home you have

I'm mistaken with somebody else God is

not going to force you he is not going

to compel you to come home his nature

won't allow it his love for you won't

allow it he instead will pray that his

nature takes its course you come to your

senses as the NIV translates it I prefer

actually the way it's translated in the

in the new evidence you nintendo co not

in the spanish a que diga in the reina

valera in the spanish version because

it's actually very close to the Greek

the Greek for that phrase came to his

senses ace a con el phone actually

literally means he came to himself he

comes to himself what happens at that

point and it's very close to the Jewish

idea of repentance that we see

underlying scripture to come to yourself

means i know a dawns on me for the first

time Who I am in relationship to my god

what he means to me and it awakens us

through the idea that without him I I am

dead I am lost and I need him he's my

Heavenly Father and I am fragile and I

would be nuts not to be in his presence

and this kid comes to him census verse

17 when he came to his senses he said

how many of my father's hired men have

food to spare and Here I am starving to

death I will set out and go to my father

and say to him father I've sinned

against heaven and against you I'm no

longer worth

to be called your son take note of this

make me like one of your hired men so he

got up and went to his father this

younger son comes to his senses and he

says and you the key here is that phrase

you come to yourself you come to your

senses you realize who you are a

relationship with your God when you

start with when you declare listen I'm

not I'm not worthy even of being called

your son make me like one of your hired

men holding a little this is I mean

notice we're not talking servant there

he says I would be content you know what

a hired men ahern a little did in those

days was basically somebody who was a

day laborer who worked for bed and for

hire you know a meal at the end of the

day of bolas oops oatmeal in the morning

a bed to sleep in I'll be content to do

that I'll be dad I would be content to

wash the dishes I'll be content to plow

the field I'll be content to take out

you know to clean out the barn I'll be

content to do anything just don't let me

leave your presence I do now ever want

to find myself far from home he comes to

his senses his father of course had

other ideas verse 20 so he got up and

went to his father but while he was

still a long way off his father saw him

and was filled with compassion for him

he ran to his son threw his arms around

him and kissed him the son said to him

as he had planned father I have sinned

against heaven and against you I'm no

longer worthy to be called your son but

the father said to his servants quick

bring the best row which represents

covering his shame cover covering his

filth not unlike a vision that you see

in Zachariah chapter 3 cut covering

covering him covering covering god knows

what he looked like her he got there

bring the best robe and put it on him

put a ring on his finger representing

Authority this is not just anybody in

this house this is my son you will treat

him as you treat me authority the the

church word for that is anointing by the

way anointing put a ring on his fingers

sandals on his feet distinguishing him

from slaves and servants who walked

around barefoot bring the fattened calf

and kill it provision provision the Lord

providing for us let's have a feast and

celebrate for this son of mine was dead

and is alive again he was lost and is

found so they began to celebrate you

know this is conduct unbecoming of a

Jewish father on a couple of levels

number one legally once this father

gives the inheritance away to a son to a

living son he is by all legal means dead

to him he's really he's not a part of

the estate legally there's no you know

the father you're you struck out on your

own there's a horizontal relationship

now with the father but but here this

dad gets up sees the kid coming down the

road and which is why we know that this

kid this father's pining for him he's

literally can you imagine him watching

the road day after day is it today will

they come today maybe

tomorrow there's still a couple of hours

left of daylight get up at dawn is he

there did you see anybody on the road

did y'all notice did y'all notice anyone

and everyone everyone in the house

moo-hoo anyone was let me know anyone

comes down the road they knew that the

old man was still looking for this kid

people in the washroom people in the

kitchen were all talking about this

everybody knew this kids business it was

the scandal of the house the kid shows

up the dad goes nuts he leaves his stool

runs after him daddy's a good

self-respecting daddy does not do that

he doesn't care runs to him grabs him

and it's not you know and he throws a

good old-fashioned Pentecostal Puerto

Rican party I mean this is this was not

this was crazy this was a the word for

music that you see in Scripture there is

literally seen for Nia as in Symphony is

this is correct the wedding yesterday

right okay let's start with the

horse-drawn carriage and make our way

down and here we are we're having such a

wonderful time and we thought we thought

I mean it was and this couple deserved

it really it's couple deserved it but

all of a sudden we hear when changing

Boone Jeong Jeong Jeong Jeong Boone

janta and out of the Isles comes a

mariachi band drop it to the cords and

then we are

jaja bruta to do touch I mean they spent

some time and keep in Texas and he says

you either you go big or go home you

know but then so I imagine this father I

imagine you know a mariachi band at this

thing and his brother this is wonderful

right praise God the Bible says over and

over there is rejoicing in heaven when

the kid comes home rejoicing in heaven

when the kids comes home folks I rest my

case this is what we mean by rejoice

this is what you mean to your heavenly

Father I pray in Jesus name that the

heart of the father be revealed with you

that you mean this to him and all is

cool all is perfect all is wonderful my

son came home right except there's two

sons we're not done with this tale

there's two sons meanwhile the older son

was in the field when he came near the

house he heard music and dancing dorada

jihad so he called one of the servants

and asked him what's going on your

brother has come he replied and your

father has killed the fattened calf

because he has him back safe and sound

the older brother became angry and he

refused to go in so his father went out

and pleaded with him you see are you

getting a nature of how humble this this

man is he's the father of the estate his

his his younger son has come back from

the dead and when his older son refuses

to come in he

leaves that party to end goes out to

plead with him our Heavenly Father is a

one of the humblest beings in the

universe but he answered his father look

all these years I've been slaving for

you isn't that an interesting word

slaving for you will pick up on that and

never disobeyed your orders yet you

never gave me even a young goat so I

could celebrate with my friends if

pastor Sam is imitating him well is for

a good reason but when this son of yours

who has squandered your property where

prostitutes comes home you kill the

fatted calf for him my son see that word

son in this text in the original you'll

see two words for son one is the very

neutral word wheels which just means

male progeny my son a a male child or

male progeny this in Spanish it's so

much easier because we have mean you and

we have many mini it might even be I

mean the best way to translate this for

you is actually to say son with us you

know with a southern accent my son my

child the word is deccan on my child

you're always with me everything I have

is yours but we had to celebrate and be

glad because the brother this brother of

yours was dead and is alive again he was

lost and his phone some of us have been

this guy actually some of us have been

both of them right it's not on it is not

out of bounds to actually have been both

of these sons

to have been the younger son at one

point and then you morph into the older

son it is totally possible to be both in

this tale and this guy is in trouble too

he's religious you know I've never

disobeyed you he's dutiful faithful I've

slaved for you all these years he never

leaves the house but you know what he's

never a part of it either he never

leaves the house but he's never a part

of it either there's no joy there's no

real love even no real intimacy with the

father he's in the house sees his father

day to day brushes shoulders with his

father goes out and serves his father

does things for his father does things

in the name of his father but doesn't

know the man has no intimacy with him

you know what he's no different in many

ways in part of his heart he's no

different from his younger brother in

this respect they're both after the

inheritance that's what really all they

were matters to them is the stuff except

with this guy with the older son he

believes he has a right to it he

believes he's earned it he believes that

it's his as a matter of justice he

believes that it's his as a matter of

right not as a matter of grace not as

the bios from his dad everything his

father says all that I have is yours

doesn't dawn on him

in the house but no joy in the house but

there's no intimacy with his hiring

father in the house but because he's

never known grace all that I have is

yours my nanny my child it's impossible

for him to show grace to somebody else

to extend grace to somebody else my my

prescription for this older son is the

same prescription for the younger son

this kid just needs a hug from his death

I pray for the older sons in the room

that as you journey here you realize

just how much your heavenly father has

poured himself into you and that you

lose nothing in fact you gain so much

more by just pouring yourself back into

him I'll invite island by our

worshippers

to join us

how's this for a wonderful midlife

discovery life is way too short not to

experience the heart of the father

life is way too short not to make the

father's heart your priority

you

Love Keeps no Record of Wrongs - June 8, 2014

that invite should open your Bibles to

the book of first Corinthians chapter

thirteen as you remember we're talking

about issues related to community what

does it mean to have relationships with

each other what does it mean to be a

Christian community and so first

Corinthians 13 talks about the heart of

the matter it talks about love what does

it mean to really love one another very

often in society and in music and in

movies love is considered a feeling

that's sentimental but what does it

really mean in the nitty-gritty what

does it mean to love one another and

thank God he doesn't leave it to our

imagination first Corinthians 13 he gets

very specific with us about what love

means I don't remember what I talked

about a couple weeks ago love is not

rude remember that love is not rude we

talked for a whole day about rudeness

and how love is not rude now I hope

nobody pulled that out and used it on

their spouse or their kids or their

mother and said love is not rude these

are meant more for us to apply to our

lives not necessarily to apply to the

lives of others right but to our own

lives and another as we get into these

sermons sometimes people might think was

was Greg talking about that because of

you know what I said or what I just want

to let you know it just happens to be

next in the text okay whatever i'm

preaching I'm not aiming it at a person

in particular but with that said if the

shoe fits by all means first Corinthians

13 let's keep going here verse 5 still

verse 5 and we're actually gonna skip a

phrase and come back to that later and

we'll skip ahead to the right in the

middle of the verse it says love is not

rude it is not self-seeking it is not

easily angered it keeps no record of

wrongs love is not easily angered it

keeps no record of

let's pray for that father in Jesus name

I thank you that your love is true love

God and in Jesus name we set aside the

preconceptions we might have about love

sentimental idealistic imaginary

concepts of beautiful feelings and

fireworks god I thank you for the

sensation of being in love I thank you

for the wonder of loving a little infant

but God I also thank you for the daily

love that we express to people day by

day over the long term where the rubber

hits the road and I thank you that that

is every bit as glorious as the kinds of

emotional love their celebrated in the

movies and God I pray that we would be

men and women who are primarily

characterized by love father that if

there is one thing we get right in our

lives alongside the gospel the true

gospel of knowing Jesus let it be this

when we come before your throne let us

be judged and evaluated on the quality

of our love for the people that you have

sent us to serve Lord God let us get

this right as much as we possibly can

and let this reflection together be one

small part of our preparation together

to be more and more the men and women

that you've called us to be in the

community you've called us to be that we

would be a church God in a the English

expression of Lion of Judah that is

characterized by love Lord God let this

not just be words let it be a reality

that people can feel and observe among

us Lord God so speak to us speak through

us I pray in Jesus name Amen love is not

easily angered love is not provoked love

keeps no record of wrongs in the King

James love thinketh no evil we'll talk

about what that means in Spanish el amor

no se Rita no guarda rank or love is not

irritable nor

resentful anyone ever been irritable

anyone irritable today do you don't have

to admit it we don't need to see hands

go up resentful now this is talking

about anger how we process anger in our

lives the little irritations and the

things that make us angry that we

remember they made us angry and we've

got them written down in a mental list

that we carry around and review from

time to time love is not easily angered

love keeps no record of wrongs and I

want to start by saying that if you say

you've never been annoyed first of all

you're lying okay and it's a good thing

you'll be lying because someone who

doesn't get annoyed is not alive right

you're either a robot or you're a very

strange person could you imagine a

person who is so tranquil that nothing

ever bothers them nothing ever ever ever

ruffles their feathers that person would

actually give you the creeps no because

you like something's wrong with them

what are they up to it would be a very

creepy thing the real villains and the

movies are usually people who seem

unflappable that's weird unruffle they

don't get upset normal people get

annoyed sometimes normal people get

angry sometimes okay that's normal

that's healthy that's human God gets

angry sometimes there are things that

annoy Jesus the question is what do we

get angry about and what do we do with

the anger or the annoyance once we have

it now one thing I want to also say in

Spanish there's a great saying CUDA are

saying salud which is basically curing

yourself when you're already healthy it

means you're doing a disclaimer I don't

want us to come out of this message

thinking we all need to be you know if

you've heard the phrase serenity now you

ever seen anyone ever watched Seinfeld

you don't have to admit it it's like the

only TV show i refer to

it was occurring to me as I was thinking

of using this illustration people are

gonna think you're not Greg haven't you

watch TV since the 90s you know and have

you seen anything you know since then

you know it's all I got okay it's all I

god I haven't seen a whole lot more

there is a character in this TV show

this seinfeld TV show named Kramer you

might remember right everyone's got a

Kramer in his life right I'm someone's

Kramer we all have Kramer right is a

very flaky person he decided one day he

was going to adopt a self-help

philosophy called serenity now serenity

now whenever he was upset deep breath

serenity now serenity now I am NOT

annoyed serenity now he even went out

and bought or he got AAA screamed or

even though he lived in an apartment in

Manhattan he got a screen door like and

put it on his front door to pretend he

was like it was like a porch of a

Midwestern neighborhood Alice you know

peaceful serenity now serenity now and

then every time don't go wrong he's it's

ok doesn't bother me things don't bother

me anymore I've learned the secret of

serenity you know it's like a cult right

serenity now and one day he was sitting

out in front of his screen door and and

the neighbors came by and noticed that

some people had vandalized the screen

door they spray-painted they put some

insects ok it's just those kids hot

those kids serenity now serenity now

doesn't bother me then a little later in

the show right he's sitting in his lawn

chair right he had a lawn like a porch

chair that he put in front of his door

in this apartment building and he's

sitting there and his neighbor comes out

and notices that now the kids had not

just vandalized the door they had

vandalized him there was shaving cream

all over him and the door there was

toilet paper all over him and spray

paint and he was just sitting there this

right now Serena

serenity now and the neighbors like

Kramer you are right in there you all

right uh yeah that's the kids serenity

now serenity now a little later in the

show some other character in the show

had ten computer stored in the apartment

because he was selling them and Kramer

one point just yelled serenity now and

just goes nuts and you hear these

explosions and these breaking said he

basically destroyed 10 computers sir

heading a bad measure he came in the

room all relaxed and happy and of course

his neighbor's deficit he just destroyed

10 computers and he's like yeah I owe

you one buddy and he's happy right that

is not what I am encouraging us to do

okay cuz when you explode I don't want

to be there for the explosion all right

serenity now is not the teaching on love

we're talking about here okay what I

don't want is it's normal when somebody

vandalize is something that's yours for

you to be annoyed by that they've

crossed a boundary if somebody

vandalizes you I certainly hope you get

annoyed and offended if you're a healthy

person a person who doesn't get bothered

when somebody crosses your boundaries

and does something inappropriate to you

is not a healthy person they don't

respect themselves they don't value

themselves okay so I'm not saying that

people never get angry and the Bible

doesn't call us to never get angry does

a great verse Ephesians 4 26 and maybe

they can find it up there oh we've got

some real we got the gangway we have the

dream team up there on projections so I

know we got Frank back and everybody and

the beautiful couple so the verse

Ephesians 4 verse 26 in your anger do

not sin and do not let the Sun go down

on your anger don't give the devil a

foothold be an eighth the literal in the

King James it says be ye angry get angry

that's ok but don't sin and don't let

the Sun go down on your anger don't hold

it don't hold that resentment to the

next day because that gives the devil a

foothold in your life

in your relationships now many of us we

don't just hold anger from one day to

another we hold it from one week to

another one month to another one year

hundreds and thousands of times the sun

goes down on our anger and it becomes

part of us so anger is not sinful in and

of itself it's what we do with it it's

learning to cultivate a calm generous

posture towards the people around us so

that I'm not a bomb ready to explode

remember the word we learned for

patients a few weeks ago I taught you

some Greek here mackerel foo may anyone

remember what it means literally macro

long sume in greek through mail burn

long burn long fuse slow burn it's that

you don't explode quickly there's a long

slow burn before you're going to get

angry you don't get angry quickly you're

not ready to explode at people there's a

great verse James 119 James 119 that

says each of you should take note of

this let each of you be quick to listen

quick to listen what are we usually

quick to do quick the talk you know

quick to listen slow to speak and slow

to become angry you should be a person

that people can say yeah he can get

angry or she can get angry but they

don't get angry easily and then they

don't stay angry for long because that's

the point it's not about getting angry

it's that we get angry too quickly and

we stay angry too long that's the

problem right so let's talk about that

let's start with getting angry too

quickly love a la moda no say Rita the

literal word in the Greek is is not

provoked it's it's a word that it means

cutting alongside cutting close the

image is somebody's poking you any

siblings do that to each other I know

too

little human beings in my house that

will poke one another until the other

one reacts right and that's the goal to

get them to react right you poke until

the person is provoked as I stop that

someone's poking you there jabbing at

you to provoke a reaction now actually

in the in the New Testament that word is

not very common but it is used once of a

good thing you know by the way the

thumping upstairs means it's a bunch of

kids jumping up and down praising Jesus

isn't that great in that case it's not a

herd of we don't keep you know animals

up there although they do behave like

chivos seen lay much of the time if

you're that worried goats without law

but the thumping upstairs so when we

hear that we just like praise god this

whole building is just rocking with

praise for Jesus right so it's like

background worship for us so that's

that's cool I have no problem with that

serenity now sometimes we do need to

talk ourselves into these things right

it's okay it's okay poking providing the

the other word for this word for being

provoked or being annoyed is used of the

Apostle Paul when he was in Athens the

night is he he had a night to kick

around when he got there I'm just wander

around the city and he saw all these

idols all over the place and the Bible

said his spirit was provoked within him

and then he went on to preach in the ER

Appa ghus so there are some things this

should provoke us that should bother us

I believe that's what the word used of

Samson when he was in the Philistine

camp one of his better moments not his

not so better moment one of his better

moments when he was in the Philistine

camp and he said the spirit stirred

within him the word in Hebrew is stirred

in an annoying way like stirred him up

like started bothering him because he

was seeing the idols there there should

be some when you see evil around you in

the world it should bother us it should

provoke us right so that's okay that

kind of provocation but usually we're

not provoked because God's honor is

offended why are we usually provoked

someone has pushed our button someone's

offended our on or

someone has annoyed us in some way we've

all got buttons okay we've all got

buttons that can be pushed right the

problem is we have too many buttons some

of us are covered with buttons you just

touch a boom you hit a button boma hey

see the idea is stepping on someone's

toes right you ever heard that phrase in

English those of you that are second

language speakers are learning a bunch

of idioms today to say stepping someone

steps on your toes means pay molesta

they annoy you the problem is some of us

have very big toes to get stepped on

very easily we're quick to the horn in

traffic were quick to become angry super

sensitive thin-skinned irritable

explosive volatile easily offended okay

if anyone can identify with this we're

moving along now again I want to say

again that getting annoyed sometimes is

a good thing Jesus I believe when he got

angry and he tipped over the tables in

the temple he the night before he had

gone just like Colin Athens he looked

around he saw these people setting up

tables of money changers in the courts

that were for the Gentiles to come and

pray and the weak and the sick and other

people who were ceremony and cleaned to

come and pray and they had filled those

courts with tables so that people

couldn't come and pray and they were

turning the house of God into a den of

thieves Jesus was annoyed by that he was

angry by that he made a whip can you

just imagine what the apostles must have

thought that night they're all around

the campfire relaxing Jesus what would

what are you working on over there oh

nothing it looks like you're weaving

something together that's just my whip

whip yeah I'm just going to go to the

temple tomorrow and I'm going to be

needing my whip I got some whipping to

do over there now people say those were

used on the animals that needed to be

moved along I don't know Jesus didn't

just fly off the handle because somebody

looked at him funny he didn't fly off

the handle because someone may be

offended him he said the Bible says

he'll for thy house will consume

me the house of God is to be a holy

place they were abusing his father's

house they were abusing the people of

God that's worth getting angry about so

we should be provoked for the right

reasons not for the wrong reasons now

let's talk about this a little bit more

why do we get annoyed why do things

bother us so much what pushes your

buttons traffic tailgaters slow drivers

if anyone thinks they don't get an

annoyed to spend some time caring for

young children and the most calm person

might lose his temper now and again your

spouse your boss what are the things

that annoy you in your life we're

talking about just to review love is not

easily angered love does not keep a

record of wrongs okay tell a little

story little family story we were in the

bathroom having our nighttime routine

and this was a great night we were all

together it's pretty rare all four of us

there and teeth are getting brushed and

people getting clean and and my little

my little five-year-old she was she was

four at the time little girl who tends

to be a very dramatic child right one

might almost say drama princess you know

this is it very dramatic she feels

things deeply and intensely and she

asked can I she was renting her mouth

with some of the the mouthwash right and

she asked can I drink this and we said

you know no that's just for rinsing then

you spit it out and then we're doing our

stuff and then we look over here ahh and

we see head back mouth open whaley LA

and tears streaming down those enormous

cheeks because she couldn't drink the

mouthwash and we were genuinely shocked

we were like whoa she still she

surprised us she was easily angered why

was she so easily angered well she was

very tired right she probably had a hard

day maybe she was a little sick and

she's she was she's four years old you

know she for and she so those the

problem is some of us are 44 or more

and we still weep over the mouthwash we

just make a big deal Nick here's another

saying for those of you second language

english learners making a mountain out

of a little molehill you take a molehill

o our god or satan vaso de agua right

you take a little thing and you make it

very very big now we do that sometimes

because we're tired some of us live a

lifestyle where we are chronically tired

no I have learned never to make a

life-changing decision on mondays okay

that's my crash a day the adrenaline of

sunday is and I'm crashing I'm tired and

I've learned whatever I'm thinking or

feeling do not put it in writing and do

not verbalize it because you won't feel

the same way tomorrow when we're tired

we're more easily angered that we all

have our own times where we're more

tired when we're tight think about it

certain muscles hurt more when you poke

them if they're extremely tight if

they're cramping up right so if you're

tight if you're tense if you're anxious

if you're in a hurry or you're nervous

about something BAM you'll just so

there's that anxiety that tightness

where we're in a hurry we're anxious

we're frustrated maybe because I can't

do this thing and then someone says

something in BAM we're easily angered at

them right so sometimes we're tired

sometimes we're tight sometimes a

certain spot hurts when you poke it

because it's been hurt before right you

have a tender spot because you got a

bruise there someone pokes you out

because it's very sensitive it's

touching a sore spot in your life well

some of us have been wounded in our

lives by people and there's things that

bother us easily because it reminds us

of something but wait a minute but he's

not that person doesn't matter he

reminds me of them and we react quickly

right because of we're sensitive a lot

of the violence that happens on the

street is because in a lot of the people

who have committed violent crime it's

because they struggle with being very

sensitive some of them are called to be

great counselors because they have

sensitive hearts but they

haven't yet gotten it submitted to the

Lord and they're too sensitive somebody

looked at me funny got a fight you know

somebody said something uh what do you

mean by that violent a lot of the

violence in our society is committed not

by hard people but by sensitive people

who just need to learn to submit that to

the Lord and then that sensitivity to

can make them just help do beautiful

things for the world so I've seen that

praise god I see that an awful lot

actually also sometimes we are easily

angered because we're insecure somebody

looks at me funny and I'm already a

little unsure of myself so I immediately

think he's looking at me that way

because he thinks he thinks I'm ugly

what it thinks is because of this is

because of that is because there's a

certain insecurity and you assume the

worst right instead of being secured

knowing I'm all right somebody looks at

me funny maybe they're having a bad day

right maybe it's not maybe it has

nothing to do with me maybe they're just

grumpy people and they would look at

anything funny but no we're sensitive so

we get angry quickly sometimes we're too

self-absorbed or like you know and we're

so into ourselves we have trouble

thinking of why a person might be doing

something many reasons we can be very

sensitive and easily angered now here's

where I'm going with this often we think

it is selfish to take care of ourselves

no to rest to take a break to take a day

off to take a nap but sometimes by you

taking care of yourself it's the most

loving thing you can do for the people

around you because what is the

atmosphere of your life right are you

the kind of person that when you come

home or you come into a place there's

this cloud around you and everyone or

because you're easily angered and

everyone around you how do they have to

behave gotta walk on his another say

you're learning oh I hope you're keeping

notes they you're probably not learning

it but you're getting a lot of good

idioms if you're learn walk on eggshells

can be nada sobre punta dito so i think

it is in spanish you got to be super

careful got to be really careful because

this person might get offended you got

to be careful around him you want people

to walk on egg

shells around you well it's better than

them giving you a hard time right some

of us cultivate grumpiness so everyone

else will be off ballads cuz well at

least they're not going to mess with me

that way let them be afraid of me right

and I could understand what could

motivate that but the whole idea they

might be careful around you but they're

not really gonna love you don't fear you

they'll fear you maybe they'll be polite

to you but is that really what we want

as Christians I don't I mean yes we

should expect respect and we should

demand it but at the same time you want

people to feel free with you that they

can relax that in your presence people

can take a deep breath their muscles can

unwind and they can open up to you

that's what we want we want to be that

kind of person we want to be a safe

person a person who cultivates calmness

and generosity if you'll turn with me to

Philippians chapter 4 Philippians

chapter 4 there's some great verses

about how to do this Philippians 4 these

verses are written to two strong female

Christian leaders who were embroiled in

a good old fashioned church fight no you

know you ever seen a church fight know

if you're a visitor and you're not a

Christian or you're new to us I hate to

break this to you fight can and do

happen in church they shouldn't but they

do feed their conflicts happen right and

there was a biggie here in the early

church so before we think we're so bad

remember that this has been going on a

long time it's what we do with it

Philippians chapter 4 verse to the

Apostle Paul is pleading with these

ladies I plead with you you odia and I

plead with sin tu que to agree with each

other in the Lord yes and I ask you a

leo fellow some lead or a person who's

trying to mediate help these women

who've contended at my side in the cause

of the gospel along with Clement and the

rest of my fellow workers whose names

are written in the book of life and then

he talks about how to change the

atmosphere because it sounds like this

conflict had spread and produced a tense

atmosphere have you ever been in a

of tension maybe at work or a home or a

church where there's a tension in the

air every little thing becomes a big

thing every little comment becomes a big

conflict tension it's not a free

atmosphere so the Apostle Paul is

teaching them how to cultivate a

different atmosphere and atmosphere of

freedom of love he says in verse 4

rejoice in the Lord always I will say it

again rejoice let's get a little humor

in this let's get some laughter let's

not take ourselves or others as

seriously as we do sometimes just need

to relax it's not the end of the world

everything is going to work out we're

going to be okay all right rejoice in

the Lord always then it says let your

gentleness be evident to all you might

be strong but you're not going to use

that strength in a negative way be

gentle the Lord is near it's God's

presence that cultivates that verse 6 do

not be anxious about anything but in

everything by prayer and petition with

Thanksgiving present your requests to

God and the peace of God that passes all

understanding will guard your hearts and

your minds in Christ Jesus as we take

those things we're stressed about we

pray about it instead of complaining we

give thanks and suddenly the air starts

to lighten and we start to feel a little

more relaxed and the atmosphere becomes

more free and we're less easily angered

and finally it says brothers whatever is

true whatever is noble whatever is right

whatever is pure whatever is lovely

whatever is admirable if anything is

excellent or praiseworthy think about

such things you know I've always read

this verse as trying to cultivate a

positive attitude in life and thinking

just about the positive in the world and

I think that's okay you know to some

degree but this is a context of

resolving a personal conflict so instead

of thinking about all the things you are

angry about it about that person all the

things you hate about that person well

is there anything good about them at all

that you can think of anything nice

about this lady anything positive

excellent praiseworthy noble let's think

about such things the word for think

there is the same word that is used in

first Corinthians 13 5 when it says love

does not keep a record of wrongs love

doesn't think about evil in the sense of

attributing evil we're going to come

back to this so cultivating a peaceful

atmosphere that my life would be such

that creates an atmosphere of freedom

and peace of generosity I learned how to

breathe in the Lord where the verse said

that says be still and know that I am

God I will be exalted in the nation's I

will be exalted in the earth God is

saying I am on my throne you can be

still there's another verse in Isaiah 32

verse 10 that says in repentance and

rest is your salvation in quietness and

Trust is your hope but then it says you

would have none of it you got on horses

and you're running around trying to get

help somewhere else cuz if you just take

a deep breath trust me I really can't

take care of things and that helps us

have an attitude that is not explosive

and easily irritated hey man we ready to

pray for that breathe it in breathe it

in okay I'm not aiming but the shoe is

fitting so please let's put it on now

let's move on the second half of first

Corinthians 15 says love keeps no record

of wrongs now again remember we said the

problem is not getting angry the problem

is that we get angry too quickly we

already talked about that and it also is

that we stay angry too long we keep a

record of wrongs you know there are

psychologists who are not Christians and

it's it's actually in style today in the

psychological field to talk about the

concept of forgiveness that's become a

hot topic can you believe it Christians

have been you know we've been working on

this for an awfully long time and now

secular psychology is seeing all the

health benefits of forgiveness and

here's the issue

anger is a good thing right we already

talked about it anger is from God it's a

mechanism God's given us to defend

ourselves when we're under attack right

if a Lions attacking you you're angry at

your fighting and your adrenaline goes

up and you fight and you focus or you

run away so anger is part of God's

survival mechanism in us but that

emotion is not supposed to human body is

not designed to carry anger except in

very small short doses to get angry and

to stay angry or to get angry too often

is like taking a drug that you're

overdosing on a drug that actually hurts

your body it puts you at risk for heart

disease put you at risk for high blood

pressure it puts you at risk for

digestive ailments for sleep disorders

all kinds of bad things happen when we

get angry and when we stay angry for too

long so even secular psychologists are

saying you know we need to learn to not

keep a record of wrongs towards other

people and that is what the verse says I

mean it's an interesting word that's

used for keeping a record of wrongs it's

the word log is this thigh which is a

word it's a mathematical accounting word

it means love doesn't take the wrong

that someone has committed into account

as love is dealing with that person let

me talk about this a little more I do I

don't know if we have any accountants in

the room but apparently the fiscal year

I did not do especially well into my

economics class but the fiscal year

ended last like a few days ago like a

week or so ago May thirtieth or

something and so sometimes people would

there are expenses that are incurred in

a business like maybe they paid for

something or wrote a check in may of

2014 but it's not cleared until June so

they need to decide as an accountant

under what year are we going to reckon

are we going to put that expense are we

going to put it under 2014 or 2015

expense but where am I going to put it

where are we going to write it down and

that makes a difference that's sort of

what this verse is saying love doesn't

take an evil committed and write it down

on like a mental accounting ledger that

we have as we deal with people see what

most of us do naturally intuitively is

when a person has done some things

especially to you to bother you you keep

you make a mental note of it may be more

than a mental note and you write it down

in your brain and every time you're

dealing with that person you're just

thinking I remember when you did this

that and the other thing and I do you

remember now to some degree that's a

good thing okay if somebody has like

been mean to you five times there's no

reason to give an opportunity to do it a

sixth time please okay so to some degree

there's nothing wrong with being wise

but it's a problem in a relationship

where you're trying to grow with a

person and all you can remember is what

she did five years ago or what he did 15

years ago and then like a prosecuting

attorney we pull it out and say remember

what you did this and that the other

thing it's like wait a minute we're

talking about I burnt the eggs this

morning and you're talking about when I

you know made a mistake 10 years ago and

we remember and we keep a record of

wrongs God is saying love takes out an

eraser and erases the list of grievances

and says clean slate let's start from

scratch here ok there's the word for it

is forgiveness for giving us interesting

one of the translations of this verse

love is not irritable or resentful if

you look up the etymology of the word to

resent is from santee day in in Latin

Spanish you know senti it or feel re you

feel it again when we resent we have

resentment the person who committed that

the grievance against us doesn't suffer

who suffers I'm the one who suffer

because I'm carrying what they did to me

I'm feeling it again and again and again

it's almost like I'm letting him hurt me

over and over and over again I'm not

getting anywhere the person went on with

their life I'm the one who's here

nursing it holding on to it letting it

make contort distort my emotions in my

feelings and God says erase the record

of wrongs learn to forgive now that's

something I want to talk about here as

we begin to to bring this home this is a

biblical concept forgive one another

just as god in christ forgave you this

is not just so we'll be healthy this is

a profoundly important commandment that

God Himself gave us if you look at the

lord's prayer itself you know that our

Father our Father who art in heaven

hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come

there's a pretty important part of it

forgive us our trespasses anyone

remember how the rest of it goes as we

forgive those who trespass against us

you can mutter it it's okay we can do

that we're Protestants but we can we can

say the Lord's Prayer still Rockets okay

it's art friar do you forgive us our

trespasses as we forgive those who

trespass against us now if you're

praying that prayer every day it means

every day you're forgiving people you're

thinking about people who annoy you on a

daily basis and if nobody annoys you on

a daily basis you're living on a desert

island all by yourself because if you're

with people then someone's going to

bother you and in church by the way if

no if no one in church has annoyed you

yet it's your first day here it really

is because and even if it's your first

day someone's probably annoyed you since

you got here right it's it's human its

natural that's why we need to forgive on

a daily basis I call that our daily

hygiene forgiveness just like how often

do you brush your teeth right I hope at

least a couple times a day right how

often why well because you eat every day

the teeth get dirty got to keep them

clean if forgiveness is the same

every day we get dirty with annoyances

every day gotta brush the brush those

teeth every day forgive us our

trespasses as we forgive those who

trespass against us another word for

this debt forgive us our debts what i

owe you god there's people when they've

wrong to me they owe me I said well I'm

gonna be like an accountant I'm gonna

cancel that debt they don't know me

anymore so on a daily basis now there's

a parable you know the parable of the

unforgiving servant and we know that

story Jesus told very intense story

about a servant who owed I don't know

what was the amount it was they owed a

hundred bucks they couldn't pay it in

those days you don't pay your debt you

could go to jail he begs the the the the

person he owes the the lender says

please forgive the debt I oh please

don't send me in my family to jail the

man says I forgive your debt I forgive

it the guy oh no I'm sorry I told the

story totally wrong here you're willing

to take a step back with me he didn't Oh

100 bucks he owed a hundred thousand

dollars right okay we're talking major

student loans going on here right only

you know hundred thousand dollars he

owed a debt he could never possibly pay

in his lifetime he was in danger of

going to jail and the lender forgave his

debt and he goes out joyful and happy

and then he finds somebody who who did

Oh him a hundred bucks and he says give

me the hundred bucks you owe me and the

guys I don't have it just give me a week

please I've got to go to work ya know to

jail he sends that guy to jail says no

you owe me and you're going to jail

until you pay the last penny now the man

who forgave him a hundred thousand

dollars called him in angry about it and

says I forgave you for a hundred

thousand dollars you wouldn't forgive

this man for 100 very often we won't

forgive because we don't realize how

much we have been forgiven we think

we're nice people who maybe deserve

God's love you don't deserve God's love

I don't deserve God's love we all have

sinned and fall short of the glory of

God God has forgiven us

and so if God has forgiven me so a debt

I couldn't pay then how much more should

I forgive others this is a profoundly

important thing now I want to talk a

little bit about what forgiveness is not

forgiveness is not the same thing as

reconciliation okay I don't need a

person to come and say they're sorry for

me to forgive them that's important to

know because there are some people who

do bad things who are not sorry right

now it's easier to forgive if someone

comes and says I'm so sorry I did that

it's much easier to forgive and we can

actually be reconciled and be friends

again but forgiveness is not about the

person who wronged me forgiveness is

about me I'm carrying this anger I want

to let it go so I can forgive

unilaterally even if they're not sorry I

can say God this is between me and you I

forgive them I let it go I don't need to

wait for them to be repentant which is a

good thing because some people are never

going to be sorry and I shouldn't have

to carry around bitterness or the wounds

that people have done just because that

person doesn't know enough to be sorry

for what they did forgiveness is not the

same as reconciliation there are some

people you should never be friends with

again okay there are some people who are

just plain out dangerous people and God

does not call you to let yourself be

abused okay there are some people who

what they did is so serious that that

relationship needs to be separate and

God wouldn't want there to be friendship

again especially this is a biggie in the

Facebook age right maybe you want to

reconcile with a member of the opposite

sex that you hurt 20 years ago and now

for facebook you can have access to

being in touch with them again maybe you

want to apologize to them maybe just

apologized to God and don't write them

because what's done is done you move on

they move on you don't need no friending

ex-flame it's okay now I can say this

because I'm I'm not on Facebook so if

you're doing it I don't know you're

doing it you know I'm blissfully

ignorant for the moment about that but

there are some people we need to not be

in contact with forgiveness is not

reconciliation but you can still forgive

you can still forgive okay and let it go

forgiveness is not condoning you don't

need to say oh well what they did really

isn't that bad so I'll erase it it

wasn't a big deal they didn't really

know maybe what they did was bad but

you're forgiving it anyway forgiveness

is not the same as seeking justice or

not seeking justice now let me explain

what I mean there are people who may be

victims of crimes and you need in your

heart to forgive the perpetrator so that

you can move on in life does that mean

you don't press charges I think that is

not the same thing when a person commits

a crime there's a debt to the person

that they victimized there's a debt also

to all of us to society that's where the

justice system comes in and there's also

a debt to God forgiveness means I

canceled my debt the debt you owe me but

you still may owe a debt to Caesar and

you certainly owe a debt to God and

that's between you and God and that's

between you and the government and and

that's those are different things that

go on justice God God says it is mine to

avenge what he says is don't take

justice into your own hands let the

government take care of justice which

hopefully they do they can at least

approximate it we pray and we insist on

the best we can and God we know is a

righteous judge and he will take care of

things in the end of the day and that's

between the person and God so now I

don't have to do it so forgive forgive

the debt I owe and maybe forgive

yourself there are some people here who

need to forgive themselves for things

they did

but they just can't let go of let it go

love others love God love yourself let

it go let it be a race let it be erased

God wants to erase it now so I would

talk about it this way forgiveness is

letting go you know it's interesting I'm

going to start with a secular definition

and then I'm going to bring a God

definition in okay secular definition

forgiveness for secular psychologists

these days there's especially a guy

named Luskan out in San Francisco that

you he's pretty good in this he says

forgiveness is letting go of the past I

always thought I wanted and deserved

okay it's letting go because of negative

things that people did to me or that

happen I didn't get to experience

certain things or experienced and bad

things I shouldn't have and I'm bitter

about that forgiveness is letting go of

the past recognizing there's nothing I

can do in the present to change the past

I'm going to let it go and I'm going to

live today fresh and I will Christianize

it the mercies of God are new every

morning great is thy faithfulness I can

have a new beginning today whatever

happened yesterday or last year 10 years

ago I can't change that but today I can

hear his voice today I can enter his

rest today let it go let it go but the

gospel goes much further than that the

gospel is about canceling a debt and

Jesus even says love your enemies and

pray for those that persecute you bless

and do not curse praying Jesus modeled

it for us on the cross when he said

Father forgive them they don't know what

they're doing it's like there's an image

of letting go of bitterness it's like

resentment is a tight fist they

shouldn't have done it I deserve to be

angry forgiveness is letting go of the

right to be angry god I let go I put

them in your hands I cancel the debt

forgiving and we see that not just Jesus

but if you've read the story of Stephen

in the Bible a man who was martyred they

were throwing stones at him Stephen

because he was preaching the gospel

as he was dying he said father do not

hold this sin against them you know who

one of the people they're supporting the

execution was a young man named Saul who

a couple chapters later God knocked him

down and said Saul Saul why do you

persecute me and he became the Apostle

Paul I believe that was an answer to

Stevens prayer when he prayed father

don't hold this sin against them I

forgive them bless them instead of

punishing them for this and he forgave

now that's big forgiveness now we talked

about brushing your teeth well this is

major dental work okay some of you know

the difference we all need to forgive

every day the little stuff the little

annoyances in a marriage and a family

and a household on the streets of Boston

at work the little things that's an

ongoing daily hygiene but we also many

of us have major major things we need to

forgive and that is not easy I believe

forgiveness is not a moment it's a

process and it's not a feeling it's a

decision by faith just say God I let go

of this before you and with time

sometimes it takes years but with time

those feelings will change and you will

feel free but it might not happen

tomorrow doesn't mean you didn't you

weren't sincere and forgiving it just

means it's a process that you need to do

over and over again and with time you're

going to be a new person you're going to

be free and I want to end with this

story and I'll invite the musicians

because after this will transition right

out of this but I want to tell a story

of something that happened when I was

traveling around Latin America I was in

the country of Nicaragua do we have any

Nicaraguans here right now no we do have

a Nicaraguan member of the church she

they're just not here today the English

ministry i mean i was in nicaragua and

for those of you most of you know the

history there was a time of terrible war

in the 70s and 80s in nicaragua between

the Sandinistas and the Contras

sandanista government took over there

was conference room there was revolution

against them it was a time of terrible

terrible bloodshed with atrocities on

both sides many of you know about this

very well

I was in Nicaragua 1998 so it was about

it was it was about eight years after

the war had pretty much died down but

the memories were fresh right you go to

a war-torn country people remember they

all have stories to tell and on this

trip it was my goal to meet as many

people as possible to learn about the

country's learn about the culture see

what God would teach me if I went to a

church and I was totally on my own in

Nicaragua and I just went to a church

and I met the pastor afterwards it was a

small church and the pastor was a

diminutive man he was he was short he

was it was just a beautiful man of God

beautiful preacher and afterwards I just

got to know him and and he said hey you

want to have lunch and I was like yeah

do i yeah so we went out for lunch and

so I'm sitting with this Nicaraguan

pastor we're having lunch and what I

usually did on this trip is I would ask

people all kinds of questions about

their life about their country about

their story and it's not that I was

being nosy is I was really in a learning

mode right and this guy was like he was

being very evasive with me he wasn't

really telling me his testimony he

wasn't really telling me his story and I

did get a duh it took me a while to

figure out maybe he doesn't want to talk

about it he was me kind of evasive so I

gave him I decided to give him some

space but a little bit into the meal I

don't know what happened but he somehow

decided he was going to trust me right

he decided he was going to tell his

story and he just started talking and he

told me that as a as a boy in Nicaragua

he and his mother had fled the country

and gone to Honduras to undo to us and

they were there and while they were

there his father was captured by the by

the sandanista government I'm not doing

this to make any kind of political

statement there were atrocities on both

sides of that terrible war but his

father was captured and was was tortured

and killed and this happened in his town

there are people who people he knew who

knew who did it he didn't know who did

it but he knew it was like he could have

found out pretty easily was not far away

he was a kid at the time I think he was

about 11 12 you know

he decided he was going to join their

work on three camps in Honduras where

they were training young men to go back

and and promote the the revolution

against the sandanista government and he

decided I'm going to be a contra and he

joins the camps right and he's training

and as a kid 13-14 training for war you

know children and war so he was training

for this and he's telling me a story and

he said I was going to go back and I was

going to get revenge for what they did

to my father and and he was sharing this

with me but when he was 14 he and his

mother started going to a church and

they became Christians right and he

decided maybe I'll wait a couple years

and then I'll go back and do it even

though he was a Christian he was still

decided to stick with his plan but then

he got baptized then he started praying

then he started coming to the altar and

crying and praying get filled with the

Holy Spirit and next thing you know he

was just like well maybe I won't go back

and join coming here I'll just stay here

and keep growing spiritually and he

stayed there for many years grew as a

Christian went back as a young young man

and he was so such a non-fire Christian

he quickly became a pastor and the

churches were decimated during that time

he became a pastor right away and he was

telling me the story and I will never

forget this moment he's looking across

it was one of those life-changing

moments he's looking across at me and

and he said I have forgiven them he said

when I when I went back there are people

who offered my mother and me to get

revenge they said we know who did it

will take care of it for you just pay us

and we'll do it and his mother said no

thank you and he said no thank you and

he said I have forgiven those people and

he will never forget you staring him

he's looking cuz now we're not eating

right I put down the fork along he's

just staring at me and he got this glow

this this Jesus glow coming out of his

face and he's saying I have forgiven

them and he said one day I will find

those men and I will share the gospel of

Jesus Christ with those men and they

will get saved

and I was just like and I just thought

you know there's a verse that says where

Jesus said blessed are the eyes that see

what you see blessed are the ears that

hear what you hear this doesn't happen

without the gospel this doesn't happen

without Jesus but it happened it was

real I met this guy I know he meant it

and in his church now in this war-torn

country there are people who were on

both sides of that conflict worshiping

Jesus together in his church which is

part of what doesn't tell his story very

often right cuz there's a pastor he

can't be over identified with one side

or the other but he pastors now people

who politically were all over the

spectrum a man of God joy love shining

from and one of the healthiest most

anointed people I've ever met my life

that can be our story too we can do this

we can't do it on our own but with with

the gospel with Jesus in our hearts we

can forgive we can let go of things and

a lot of us is that connecting the being

easily angered with the holding of

record of wrongs a lot of us are easily

angered because of a lack of forgiveness

from before so we're still tight they're

still anger the free-floating anger

we're carrying let it go let it go let

it go to Jesus maybe the person you need

to forgive you don't know where they are

the person you need to forgive may not

even be living but you can do it you can

let let it go in God's hands erase that

record of wrongs let God kill your heart

"An Undivided Heart" - Marion Skeete - May 24, 2014

"Love is not Rude" - May 18, 2014

first Corinthians chapter 13 so we've

been talking about issues related to

community what does it mean to be

together to share life together what

does it mean to be a not just people who

happen to come to the same building once

a week or twice a week but to be people

who have relationship with one another

who know each other who are a community

now that's something that doesn't happen

overnight it's a process but it's an

important one because the body of Christ

is an organic thing is we connect to the

body of Christ the life and energy of

Jesus flows into us so it's not

negotiable can't be a Christian alone

any more than you can be married alone

it's got to be in community we're meant

to be together we're a body the body of

Christ one part of the body if it gets

cut off the body will be crippled it may

survive it'll be crippled but that

member will die we need one another and

so that's why it's so important for us

to be talking about this and we've been

talking especially about love and what

that means if there is one thing that we

get right as a church I really hope it's

this that we would love one another that

we would know what that means love is

something that is worth thinking about

it's worth studying it's worth working

at because it won't just be some

ethereal idea some emotional sentimental

thing that has no implications for our

daily life so it's worth taking time to

meditate on what love really means and

what does it mean to be a person that is

defined by this so first Corinthians 13

we've already read about how love is

patient and love is kind and now we're

going to start in ruin verse 5 so first

Corinthians 13 verse 5 there is no

projection but you can find it in your

Bible first Corinthians 13 verse 5 it

says and it's talking about love it says

it is not rude

kicked them that's it for today that's

our text unless someone wants to go on I

think we I think that'll be plenty for

one day huh let's stop there love is not

rude father I pray in Jesus name God

that you would speak to us in this time

God that as a result of what we think

about and talk about here together

father that we would be more loving that

we would be like Jesus Lord God that

people would see the presence of God in

our lives more I thank you that love is

not rude in Jesus name in the King James

it says love does not became behaved

unseemly in Spanish no hace nada in

David all right nalan debido love does

not I love a translation that says love

does not dishonor another person if you

think that's what rudeness does isn't it

when we're rude we in some way dishonor

or lower the other person we bring them

down a notch we do not dishonor belittle

degrade put down love is not a jerk

excuse me anyone here a jerk sometimes I

think we all are just ask your spouse

your your sometimes you know no no

pointing no pointing this verse the word

in greek is only use really one other

place in the new testament in the in its

exact form and that's in first

Corinthians chapter seven verse 36 it's

right near there if you want to turn to

it first Corinthians 7 36 and it's

talking about relationship between

people who are dating or engaged to be

married and it's talking about different

you know levels of appropriateness and

what does it mean to behave

appropriately for a dating couple and it

speaks to

them and it says in first Corinthians

736 if anyone is worried that he might

not be acting honorably toward the

virgin he is engaged to so that's the

word the same word from first

Corinthians 13 5 for rudeness if anyone

is worried that he is being rude or

acting dishonorably toward the virgin

he's engaged to and if his passions are

too strong and he feels he ought to

marry he should do as he wants he's not

sending they should get married so

that's the other context for this isn't

that interesting rudeness here in this

context is crossing a limit violating

the space of the other person going too

far and we're not going to take the

sermon in that direction but it is

talking about how to respect the dignity

and the honor and the space of the other

person when we're rude we violate

people's boundaries we go too far in

some way in what we say in what we do in

how we act we're rude there's a lack I

think the key word in honoring a person

is respecting them that love respects

the other person love notices and

observes the dignity of the person that

is there and that results in courtesy

and politeness and good attention love

is not rude you know often I think when

we think about being polite and being

courteous we think of being super formal

we think of being tight we think of

being stodgy even the last thing you

think about is someone telling a joke

and relaxing and being themselves I

don't think that's what God wants from

us I don't think that Christians need to

be uptight and religious all the time

that's not what I'm talking about you

know it's interesting just this week I

had opportunity to hang out with some

off-duty state troopers some of you

might know the context in which this

happen

was hanging out with these guys and some

of their language was rather colorful

wouldn't you say those of you rather

salty would might say I'm not saying

that a Christian needs to be like huh

scandalize I can't be here no I'm not

saying that Christians can never tell a

joke or laugh at themselves or even

maybe indulge in a good old-fashioned

bathroom humor every now and then if you

have toddlers I hope there's plenty of

that going on in your household within

appropriate boundaries but we can be

ourselves when it talks about love not

being rude and love respecting and

honoring the other people I don't think

that means we need to walk on eggshells

with each other right and be so careful

that you can't really talk freely you

can't be yourself how about that parable

where Jesus says he's teaching us to ask

boldly of him and he says imagine one of

you has a friend who knocks on the door

at midnight and says I have people

who've come on a journey and I have no

bread to put before them it's the middle

of the night and he's knocking and you

say I'm in bad leave me alone it says

you won't that you won't get up and give

him the bread because he's your friend

but because of his boldness his

impudence his shamelessness he's even

pushing the envelope you'll get up and

give them the bread anyone have a friend

like that who can just be themselves

with they can barge in and it's okay I

hope so i think is there's intimacy and

freedom we don't have to walk on

eggshells with each other right we can

we can be ourselves we can be free we

can be loose we can dialogue freely so

with all of that said though there does

need to be a realization of what loving

courtesy and respect is I'm not talking

about a politeness that is based on fear

gotta be careful I don't offend got to

be careful because I might get them

angry at me that's a politeness that's

based on fear what we're talking about

is courtesy that is love motivated it's

not based on I'm afraid

do the wrong thing but I really want to

do the right thing by this person

because this person is a child of the

Living God they're a precious valuable

person that is worthy of all kinds of

good attention and respect and I want to

trip over myself to honor that person

because they deserve it because the

image of God is in them now that's a

different attitude isn't it now there's

freedom and there's joy in it but

there's also politeness and courtesy and

not rudeness so let's talk a little bit

about the different reasons why we are

rude sometimes why are we rude we are

all rude sometimes if you think you're

never rude then you're the worst kind of

rude because you don't know that you're

being rude so we'll be talking about

that okay that's going to be one of my

points here the person who doesn't know

they're being rude right sometimes you

think we're being funny sometimes you

think we're being assertive we're being

bold we're being prophetic we think it's

tough love we think I'm just making my

point really just being rude right don't

we do that sometimes I want to use as

our case study a particular incident of

rudeness that each one of us who drives

has perhaps too experienced okay you're

on one of our lovely streets and

somebody cuts you off in traffic it's

dangerous there could have caused an

accident think to cut you off how rude

anyone ever experienced that anyone ever

done ugly one no no hands raised this

isn't confession time why does a person

do that why are we rude sometimes and I

defined it into four different reasons

okay there's probably a lot more but

we're just going to talk about for today

one because the person doesn't remember

that there's another person in that car

okay now if you ask them they'll say

well of course I know there's a driver

but it's easier to be rude to someone

who's in a car isn't it because you're

you're not seeing

person right there are people who would

never elbow another person out of the

way on the street that would not even

think about cutting that same person off

in traffic why because they're in a car

you can't see them you forget there's a

person there in a sense they are

depersonalized dehumanized it's really

the first step of any kind of evil

towards other people is somehow

forgetting that they're a person that

they're humans so that's one reason

we'll talk about that number two

sometimes people will cut off people in

traffic without meaning to they don't

even know they did it maybe the other

car was in their blind spot you ever

done that don't you wish you had a horn

that could talk it's a excuse me I'm

really sorry i just did that I didn't

mean to have a nice day god bless you

please don't notice that bumper sticker

on the back of my car really Christians

are not like this normally you know it

happens it happens by accident sometimes

people just don't know why don't they

know well maybe they're in a hurry maybe

they're not paying attention I think

many times we are rude to other people

because we're distracted we're just not

paying attention and so we're rude

without even realizing it and we need to

become more self-aware that's number two

number three I think cars sometimes cut

off other cars simply because they

believe that they're more important

their right to get there first matters

more than the other person's they really

just they just don't care there there

it's what they it's not that they want

to be mean they just want what they want

and unfortunately you happen to be there

so I had to cut you off sorry just came

with a territory and then that's number

three number four I think sometimes

people cut off people in traffic and a

rude in this way because they

intentionally are mean people because

they have learned to this to survive in

this world I better cut them off before

they cut me off no that's the way you

survive if I start letting people in

there going to walk all over

me in Boston you gotta drive

aggressively got to hurt them before

they hurt you we'll talk about that

because that is also why many of us are

rude especially when we're engaging in

conflicts because we have learned that

to survive it's not just about resolving

a conflict I've got to put that person

down before they can get me and we've

learned that as a survival mechanism but

it's really rudeness and it's not love

and it's not survival either so we'll

talk about that so those are the four

reasons that I've picked for rudeness

there's probably plenty of others and if

you have some ideas let me know

afterwards and I will steal from you for

the next time i preached this sermon I

didn't mean to be rude we are rude

number one because we sometimes forget

that there's a person in that car we

forget the humanity of the other person

right love is to honor a person simply

because they are a human being and we

never read the Ten Commandments right

we're celebrating you know Ten

Commandments honour thy father and thy

mother that it may go well with you in

the land he may live long and prosper

you know honor the word for that in the

Hebrew and I've no I'm sure I'll get it

wrong but it comes from the same word

for glory kaval which is is the word for

glory like the glory of the Lord and it

means glow a so glorified kavod the root

of that has to do with weightiness or

heaviness so honoring your parents means

taking them seriously not taking them

lightly this person matters this is a

person to be taken seriously it's a

person to be honored why because they're

your parents and that's just the way it

should be but we are called to honor

every human being on the face of the

earth because we believe as Christians

that every person is created in the

image of God that every human being

bears within them a reflection of the

God who made them and because of that

they inherently deserve honor and

respect just because they're human it

doesn't matter how they behave

it doesn't matter what they look like

what nation they're from or how they are

dressed it doesn't matter their social

status if they are human beings they are

worthy of respect simply because of

their humanity now Satan who comes to

steal kill and destroy has sought to

distort the image of God and people to

deface them to twist them into to lower

their dignity that they behind lowes we

would say in Spanish but God comes that

we might have life and have it

abundantly that God would restore the

dignity of humanity and part of how we

do that is by respecting people and we

do that in society all the time right we

respect certain people because of the

office they hold we should respect and

honor the president the governor the

mayor different ruling officials police

force we should respect because of the

office they hold and what they represent

you may voted for the other guy or gal

but it doesn't matter they hold the

office you respect them because of the

office they hold right same thing with

people doesn't matter who they are this

person before you are next to you is a

profoundly important person and we need

to treat them with courtesy and respect

now this gets to be a challenge with

people that are looked down upon in our

society if you have your Bible and you

could turn to the book of James chapter

2 James to James chapter to look at what

the Apostle James says to the Christians

about how they treat people who come in

from the streets the way they look James

2126 my brothers and sisters believers

in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must

not show favoritism in Spanish accep

seond a better sona's suppose a man

comes into your meeting wearing a gold

ring and fine clothes and a poor man in

filthy old clothes also comes in now I'm

in verse 3 of James chapter 2 if you

show special attention

to the one wearing fine clothes and say

here's a good seat for you but to the

poor man you stand there or sit on the

floor by my feet have you not

discriminated among yourselves and

become judges with either evil thoughts

listen my dear brothers and sisters has

not God chosen those who are poor in the

eyes of the world to be rich in faith to

inherit the kingdom he promised those

who love Him but you have dishonored the

poor that speaks for itself doesn't it

very practical words to a church we have

the privilege and honor of being a

church where people will drop in a lot

and I pray and hope that we will be a

community where everyone who comes here

experiences respect and honor that when

they come here they know I am safe in

this place I will be treated well

doesn't matter how I am dressed or I

don't have to know how to but I will be

received with dignity and that includes

how we address people how we speak to

them how we there should be a feeling

that each person who comes is an honored

guest now that also doesn't mean that

we're condescending or patronizing to

people right you treat people as people

manda man woman a woman this is a human

being before me in fact when we are rude

the Apostle Paul says that it's as if we

are defiling a temple would anyone here

take spray paint and just spray paint

here you know sometimes you know bigots

or people who do horrible things will

deface places of worship right you would

never dream of doing that would you

dream of maybe putting down though

someone you know in church that you

think is not really a very nice person

and you put them down in the way you

talk about them and treat them maybe you

might church fights happen it happens

the Apostle Paul says that you as the

church are the Temple of the Holy Spirit

and anyone who destroys order

cases God's temple God will destroy him

when I speak negatively about a brother

or sister in Christ it's as if I took

spray paint and vandalized the church

building but much worse because this is

a building where God's people meet it's

a beautiful it's an important building

its space we've set aside to the

purposes of God but the Holy Spirit

actually lives inside of Christians real

temples each person and as a community

we are the temple right then time simple

and to speak poorly of members of that

temple is to deface the structure in

which God's Spirit dwells rudeness is

does that so what I would encourage us

to do here with this point number one

you're driving along remember there's a

person in the car remember that there is

an image of God inside the human being

before you and even the person who is

mean to you even that boss at work they

are image bearers of the Living God

number one number two sometimes we are

rude simply because we are clueless we

don't even know we're being rude we're

rude by accident sort of like the

absent-minded professor who's lost in

his own thoughts I one of my favorite

absent-minded professors I had in

seminary legendary for this once bumped

into a student of his on the street

corner they talked for a couple minutes

and then he said excuse me which way was

I going when we bumped into each other

that way oh good I've eaten lunch

already okay and he kept walking he

wasn't sure if he'd even had lunch yet

he did remember which way he was going

because he was thinking important

thoughts right now sometimes when people

are absent-minded you walk through a

door in the door slams shut on the

elderly lady behind you anyone ever done

that and then you like don't what did I

do anyone ever seen your husband or your

kid do that I did you didn't see what

you were just rude to that person I

didn't even realize you're absent-minded

you just want to thinking kids do this

all the time right a big part of raising

kids is simply teaching them what's rude

and what's

not yeah that's rude when you do that

right you shouldn't need to tell them

but you do it does not come naturally

right we're rude sometimes simply

because we're unaware of it now this can

become very serious when our absent

mindedness can denigrate or humiliate

other people we read our verse from the

book of Corinthians does anyone know the

context where the the teaching on the

Lord's Supper happens in the book of

Corinthians you ever read that with you

know the words we read this I received

what I receive from the Lord I also

passed along to you that on the night he

was betrayed Jesus took bread and broke

it you know that text it comes from a

text where the Apostle Paul is teaching

about rudeness in the church and about

rudeness during the Lord's Supper itself

anyone ever been to a potluck dinner

where you go and everyone brings food in

those days they would celebrate the

Lord's Supper at a potluck dinner

everyone would bring food and you would

sit down with your families and groups

and everyone would eat and then at one

point they would pause and they would

consecrate the meal to the Lord and they

would remember Jesus's body sacrificed

on the cross for us there Lord's Supper

was part of a what they would call love

feast a full meal right but there was a

problem in Corinth some people would sit

at tables with their friends and they

would eat and eat and eat and there

would be a poor person who didn't have

any food sitting there alone at a table

during the Lord's Supper itself

humiliated you ever sat at a table all

by I know I'm asking a lot of questions

forgive me you ever sat at a table all

by yourself when you're maybe you were a

new student in college you didn't know

anybody and you sat at the table by

yourself and everyone else seems to have

friends everyone but you and you're

sitting there alone feeling like you

stick out well that was happening at the

Lord's Supper in Corinth there were

people who would sit alone and go hungry

while other people would just pig out

and even get drunk at the Lord's feast

the Apostle Paul says that that is

participating in the Lord's Supper in

and onward

the manor and be careful because you're

sinning against the body and blood of

the Lord when you do that that's the

context of that warning they were being

rude at the Lord's Supper you know what

I think I think some people knew what

they were doing they just didn't care

right they just said all those people

will forget them anyway but I think some

people didn't realize just how rude they

were being because they were really into

their conversation they were really into

their table right they had their friends

their their reading they're talking and

they didn't even notice the person

sitting alone over there I would

encourage us to pay attention especially

a church but all the time to that one

person who might be sitting off alone or

look sad or look like they need a

greeting and not be just so wrapped up

in my own close circle of acquaintances

that I forget that we may be

unintentionally being rude now

especially in a community such as this

where it's a mixed community there's

people from all over a lot of people

barely know anyone yet this takes a lot

of work and I hope we come to church on

a mission saying I am going to find

someone to make them feel welcome in

this church today I'm on a mission and

so I'd encourage you be careful that

we're not unintentionally rude it

happens all the time but if you're

driving and you cut someone off because

you don't notice them why it's usually

because you're either you're in a hurry

you got to get there so you cut someone

off without realizing it or you're not

paying attention you're listening to the

music or whatever and you're just not

paying attention part of courtesy and

politeness and honoring people means

slow down and notice the people around

you just notice them it takes some

effort but eventually becomes a skill

that we learn Jesus was an expert at

this remember the story where he was in

a hurry to get to a house to heal a

little girl who was dying and she was

only 12 and it was a big crowd of people

and they were pushing through the crowd

and a lady who was bleeding touched him

she'd been bleeding for 12 years and she

said if I just touched the hem of His

garment

healed she touched him and was healed

and then she disappeared in the crowd

jesus said enough of this pushing and

shoving I'm gonna stop and I'm going to

notice the human being who just touched

me somebody touched me and people like

everybody's pushing and shoving how can

you say somebody touched me says no

somebody touched me with faith and he

waited until that woman came and told

her story they said precious daughter

your faith has healed you go in peace

Jesus saw the human being he slowed down

and he stopped to show honor to a person

who had been dishonored and rejected in

society for 12 years I'd encourage you

to slow down a little bit take the

earphones out and pay attention to the

people around you they're human beings

to be honored now another reason that

we're sometimes rude without realizing

it is because we come from different

cultures right now forgive me I know I

talked about this a lot but it's very

important so we have to talk about this

a lot we come from different cultures

and you know sometimes what's okay in

dorchester is not okay in Tokyo or in

Nigeria or even in Atlanta or LA what's

okay in one culture might be very rude

in another culture right and it could be

every how about eye contact right in in

at least in North American euro

Caucasian if you're not looking someone

in the eye you're being rude you're not

listening but there are some cultures

where the child looks the mother and the

island says don't you look at me in the

eye like that you're being rude this

poor kid is getting one message at

school at another at home I contact I

had dear friends at seminary who were

from Japan we're also eye contact was

you know it was considered kind of rude

to just look at someone especially male

females very intimate and and but they

learned that you need to make eye

contact in the United States so they

would sit and they would just stare at

you lay they really working hard they're

like I'm trying to be polite

but it feels so rude right there are

some cultures where laughing out loud is

rude we're showing your mouth when

you're laughing is rude and so you have

to cover your mouth as you laugh right

and there's others where i just opened

the mountain laughs it's okay

differences in cultures you know in

japanese american culture it is polite

to slurp your soup you know that you

know that today a man's got some

slurpers here yeah it's not polite in

your house don't don't do it there but

it is polite it means you like the soup

you like the soup I've heard there some

cultures I don't know which ones where

after you finish a meal it's the best

compliment you could give the cook just

to sit back and cut loose with a nice

big belch that's polite but then you try

it somewhere else and it doesn't go over

as well you get the point I'm making

it's a mess a multicultural community is

a mess it's a it is a hodgepodge of

offenses and misunderstandings and when

somebody is violating one of your

cultural norms usually the last thing

you're going to think is oh well maybe

they're like that in their culture

you're not going to think that you know

what you're going to think you think why

are they being so rude that's what

you're going to think we need to learn

if we want to be the church the way

we're called to be our church we're

going to need to learn to give people

the benefit of the doubt the Bible says

love covers a multitude of sins and

offenses it means when someone seems to

be being rude you step back and you

think maybe they just don't know any

better way back you got to be careful

because you don't be like well he's a

gringo maybe he just doesn't know you

can't be like that because then you know

you don't want to be condescending but

you want to give people the benefit of

the doubt but it also means if this is

going to work then we're going to have

to work at it you're going to have to

learn it slurping your soup it may be

its fine at home but you can't do it in

other households just going to have to

learn because if you want to honor the

person before you love is not

rude love needs to sometimes sacrifice

what you think is okay in order to be

polite so many times were rude simply

because we don't know any better and we

all make mistakes and hopefully we can

be an atmosphere where we can laugh at

ourselves and be gracious with each

other so we don't have to walk on

eggshells we can be free to make some

mistakes and forgive each other now part

of it though means giving up my right to

do things my way reason number three for

cutting people off is I have a right to

the road and no one else does I'm in a

hurry I gotta cut them off I have a

right to do this a big part of honoring

other people is yielding your right to

express yourself as you think you need

to in honor of what the people around

you need now let me give some examples

here in the in the community of corinth

and i'm using them a lot because they

were very rude we know from the 50 and

the Apostle Paul wrote this to the

Corinthians there were people who had

the gift of tongues right we've talked

about that here it's a gift of the Holy

Spirit where a person can pray in a

language they don't even understand it's

a beautiful thing it activates their

spirit it helps them worship God in a in

a language that only their spirit

understands a beautiful thing we

encourage that here but in that church

sometimes people would speak in tongues

really loudly and they would sort of

take over the service and then someone

would start speaking in tongues over

them and it becomes sort of dueling

tongue speakers right and it become kind

of a tongue speaking contest took our

visitors are like what church I've i

just added but people would think and

why did they do that now there might

have been a variety of reasons but they

might have thought I can't help it the

Holy Spirit is in me I have to I have to

pray the way I need to pray says but the

Apostle Paul says what about the people

around you what about the visitors who

come in we're going to think you're just

crazy they're not going to know what

you're doing the Apostle Paul says that

that's in the Bible visitors are going

to come and think you're crazy that is

directly in the Greek first Corinthians

14 you can

we being aware of the people around us

and giving up my right to express myself

in favor of politeness to the community

that's love now all of that within

reason I still got to be me right I'm

never going to be a Latino I tried to

for like 15 years i pretended i was a

Latino and tried to and I didn't fool

anybody I'm a-gettin I say I'm a gringo

confundido I tried this didn't work say

okay at the end of the day I'm I am Who

I am and I by the grace of God and I'm

not going to pretend on something

different okay but all of that with an

awareness that I may need to adjust ways

I do things out of deference to the

people around me that's love love is not

rude now another example of that in

Corinth food offered to idols in those

days you didn't just go to the grocery

store to buy meat you went to the temple

markets where animals have been

sacrificed to idols and then they would

sell the leftover meat in meat markets

and people would buy their meat and eat

it now there were some Christians who

were scandalized by this they said I

can't eat meat from an animal that's

been sacrificed to an idle no it would

defile me now there were other

Christians like the Apostle Paul who

said well I didn't offer the animal to

an idol I didn't worship the idol but I

like me and God made that cow no matter

what they did with it and I want to eat

it right and so the Apostle Paul said no

problem by the meat eat the meat enjoy

it and that's okay right because the

earth is the Lord and the fullness

thereof but then what about the person

who thinks oh no they're scandalized by

this the Apostle Paul and other

Christians had a decision to make is he

free to eat me yes he can do what he

wants he's not doing anything wrong but

what if him eating me is going to

scandalize his Christian brother or

sister who

for that person it is sin god bless you

had to be politely love is not rude so I

sorry about that but and they had to

decide it's not about my freedom to eat

whatever I want it's about what this

person needs what's going to bless the

people around me right so he is he free

yes he could eat meat if he wanted to

but he intentionally adjusts his own

freedom out of deference for the people

around him we have to do that all the

time if we want to love the people

around us now again gotta be you you

don't let what you know is good be

spoken of as evil don't let someone

condemn you when they find out you eat

meat at home so well it's you know I

this is what I believe but don't

intentionally scandalize another person

be aware of your context now finally

part of it too and then I have one other

point out too that we are rude because

we assert our right to say whatever we

think right anyone like that and said

though I speak the truth yo hablo live

at her Dobb he know where they had

canale my body I see soy I'm gonna speak

the truth no one's gonna stop me right

why do I was going to Spanish when I do

an attitude what's up with that why do I

always do that because it just doesn't

translate it doesn't translate you know

the some words just don't translate into

English people who think I have the

right to say what I think it's America

right free country I can say what I

think especially if you're a Christian

speak the truth we gotta preach you know

I think very often people in society who

are not from Christian churches don't

like Christianity not because of what we

believe but because we believe it in an

obnoxious way we say what we think

rudely we put others down there's rude

what does Peter say there's a great

verse about this in second Peter here

I'll find it well I guess I don't have

it yeah 2nd Peter 3 14 and 15 but even

if you should suffer for what is right

you're blessed it says but in your

hearts Revere Christ is Lord

always be prepared to give an answer to

everyone who asks you to give the reason

for the hope that you have but do this

with gentleness and respect keeping a

clear conscious conscience so that those

who speak maliciously against your good

behavior in Christ should be ashamed of

their slander in other words if

someone's going to hate you because

you're a Christian let it be because

you're a Christian and not because

you're rude about being a Christian

right that you can disagree and speak

what you think but do it with gentleness

and respect for the other person now I

was thinking about this as I was

thinking about one of Jesus's sermons to

the Pharisees remember what did Jesus

call the Pharisees where the Pharisees

were the hypocritical religious leaders

of his day and he said you brood of

vipers who warned you to flee from the

coming wrath John the Baptist too and I

thought well is that polite calling them

a brood but if I were Jesus's PR guy I

might come out with a little statement

afterwards trying to you know soften and

Jesus like no no brood of vipers just

like when I'm translating for Roberto

sometimes you notice that such as he'll

say something and I'll translate and be

like no no I was being a little harsher

than that then he'll let people have it

you know was Jesus being rude no Jesus

was being prophetic okay like the

prophets of old Jeremiah you know

Ezekiel Elijah sometimes people need

harsh medicine they need a wake-up call

they need someone to shake them okay so

some of you may say well I'm a prophet

to your not Jeremiah you're not a zekiel

and you're certainly not Jesus okay they

can do that I'm not saying we never give

people a hard truth though okay we need

to sometimes the truth hurts sometimes

and there's nothing you can do about it

but does the truth intentionally demean

or belittle another person does it shame

another person insult in in Ephesians it

says speak

truth in love in love so we need yes you

have a right to tell the truth I hope

you tell the truth but we need to speak

the truth in love in a way that is

respectful and honoring to the people

around us finally so we've talked about

the reasons for being rude one because

you forget there's a person in the car

that's why you cut them off number two

because you're absent-minded you don't

even realize you're being rude number

three because you insist on your right

your right to express yourself your

right to say what you think number four

sometimes we are rude simply to be mean

if we're honest right simply to be mean

we've learned that I got to hurt them

before they hurt me got to put them down

to sort of make myself feel safe and in

a high position it's the root of

bullying really in racism and all kinds

of oppression most significant racism if

you study history significant racist

movements like you know in the in the US

19th century Jim Crow Europe you know

Germany the anti-semitism most of these

major racist movements are based on a

fundamental insecurity know a certain

group feels insecure about itself needs

to find a victim to blame a scapegoat

put them down to make our group feel

better right the root of bullying and

meanness and rudeness is very often fear

and insecurity you've been hurt you've

learned you've got a fight and you got

to be mean or otherwise they're going to

walk all over you now that is not

assertiveness because there is a place

for assertiveness there's a place for

strength but that's different from being

rude it's different from denigrating or

humiliating another person so sometimes

we're rude simply to put the other

person down or sometimes were rude to

hurt them back when you're in an

argument or a discussion with someone

right they said something you got to

give it right back to them Bam Bam Bam

Bam and it escalates it it escalates and

escalates and then certain things are

said that can never be taken back right

I heard of a great activity done with

little kids in a summer camp take them

outside onto the field give them all a

little tube of toothpaste out on a field

outside right and now say okay now

everybody squirt the tooth paste into

your hands they squirt it all into their

hands and they're all having fun it's

like you mean I'm allowed to do this

yeah yeah squirt it into their hands I

quickie now everybody I wanted to take

the toothpaste and put it back in the

tube okay and we'll have a race and

they're all trying to get it back in the

two and of course it doesn't work and it

gets very messy and here's the lesson

our words are like that once they're out

it's very messy trying to get your words

back in the tube I would encourage you

to learn how to fight fair okay

especially in your household there are

rules for a fair fight take discipleship

level three lesson whatever there are

two pages of rules for a fair fight it's

okay to have a discussion or an argument

or even an argument we're but there are

rules of respect that if you observe

those then once it the dust settles you

haven't wounded the relationship in a

more profound way love is not rude now

that takes learning and it takes effort

because how do sometimes you're angry

sometimes people are bad and you're

having a dialogue with them but if we

learn how to stand up with assertiveness

but still respect the dignity of that

other person while then love reigns in

the household and we can do that we can

learn how to do that we will make

mistakes you will be rude if you drive

in Boston at some point you will cut

someone off either one day you'll be in

a bad mood you just decide you hate

Toyota's and you'll just cut off a

Toyota I don't know why or maybe you'll

be not paying attention so I'm going to

be in your blind spot maybe you'll be in

a hurry whatever maybe it'll happen we

are going to be rude sometimes

but God can help us be different the

love of Christ is stronger than the

flesh it's stronger than the situations

we face and we can reflect Jesus in

practical ways as we learn to honor the

people around us and to love them as God

loved us amen so I would call us this

week pray about this slow down notice

the people around you and let God begin

to make us loving not just in a

sentimental feeling kind of way but

where the rubber hits the road love is

not rude

Jonatán Toledo shares Mother's Day 140511

"Psalm 1 - A Rooted Life" - April 27, 2014

"Forget not all His Benefits" - Pastor Miranda - March 30, 2014

"Love does not Envy" - March 23, 2014

"Supernatural Mentality - Part II" - March 16, 2014

"A Supernatural Mentality" - The DNA of CLJ - March 9, 2014

"Radical Discipleship" - Pastor Roberto Miranda - February 23, 2014

"Love is Patient" - February 9, 2014

"Radical Us" - the DNA of CLJ - January 26, 2014

"First Altars: A Kingdom Mentality" - January 19, 2014