Persecution, Power and Prayer

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Power Evangelism - Healing and Preaching

A Supernatural Community

The Gospel - The Punch Line of Pentecost

CLJ English 141026

this morning you know I I feel a bit

apologetic in a sense because I speak to

you so seldom as part of our

congregation and I would love to just be

able to share something very light and

and easy to absorb and not uncomfortable

but but the Lord has put in my heart a

burden to speak a word that is a serious

and a bit heavy and sometimes someone

might interpret as confrontational even

but as a pastor I I do feel that I am

accountable to the Lord to speak the

Word of God even when it is

uncomfortable for me to proclaim it for

our people even to hear it and so this

is a the reason why I I do feel a bit

uncomfortable though I know that this is

of God and in a sense I ultimately don't

apologize for announcing the word of the

Lord nevertheless I decided last week as

a matter of fact to alter a series of

sermons that I was preaching at the the

Latino part of our congregation to

preach a sermon on a different topic

from the series that I was approaching

and that parentheses was caused by an

event that took place here in America

just a few days ago which I do feel has

historic implications and that the

Church of Jesus Christ that needs to

address and that every pastor in America

really is required in us in a sense to

speak to the congregation about this

particular event and so I want to place

my comments in the context of that event

and I will describe it for you and I

hope that you will see how urgent it is

for us to be clear as to the

implications of this particular event it

has implications for

the cherished issue of religious liberty

in America the the freedom and the right

that religious people now use that word

religious in the sense of in the general

sense I'm not just saying about

Christians but whether it's Hindus or

Muslims or Christians or Buddhists the

right that they have to proclaim truth

according to their scriptures that they

hold the deer and that they cherish and

to do it respectfully but that is the

freedom that our Constitution guarantees

under the First Amendment the freedom of

speech and it is it is a principle that

many secular organizations like the ACLU

American Civil Liberties Union spend

huge amounts of money and time and

energy protecting and they protect the

right of Nazis to speak about their

beliefs or of racists of the most

extreme sort because they believe that

this principle of a liberty of speech

and liberty of conscience is such a

foundational pillar of a democratic

society and that if that pillar is

threatened somehow or limited the very

nature of our society would be altered

and so Christians fall within that

freedom that's all I'm saying and

Christians should have the right and the

freedom to proclaim truth especially

within the confines of the walls of a

church and the intimacy of a Christian

community but the fact is that in

America even that right is now being

questioned and it will continue to be

questioned in ever deeper more profound

ways and we need to resist that and we

need to declare our absolute opposition

to it so what what brings me to this

point before I even enter into the word

although we are already in the word but

I want to use some texts as a foundation

because everything needs to be supported

by the Word of God but I'm just a few

days ago the mayor of Houston who

happens to be a lesbian woman that's a

redundancy she's a lesbian period but

sometimes you kind of want to smooth out

lesbian sounds too kind of heavy

sometimes but she happens to be a

lesbian and a very committed militant

lesbian she makes no bones about the

fact that she is militant about her

sexuality and that she sees her

opportunity as a mayor of a major city

as a place for her to defend the rights

of LGBT people and she has no apologies

about the fact that she will use her

pulpit in every possible way to advance

the interests of the homosexual

community and so recently the the city

of Houston in a very unilateral fashion

without consulting its citizens decided

to establish a ordinance that among

other things allows for example people

of any sex to enter a bathroom of the

opposite sex if they feel that their

identity their sexual identity not their

physical identity but their sexual

identity in the sense of their mind

allows them to so that means that a man

who may feel disposed to as a woman has

a right to enter a bathroom for women

and be free of any kind of attack from

the law about it or a woman feels she

may be transgender may be simply an

individual who feels that that's my

right and they are free to do that and

other elements that impinge in a very

dramatic sort of way on the rights of

citizens as a whole and Christian

citizens or I for example whether I wear

an atheist or a Christian the idea that

man has the right to enter a bathroom

where my wife or my daughters are doing

whatever need they had got to take care

of is absolutely threatening and

scandalous regardless of my religious

beliefs but this is the kind of

scandalous

teaching that is being promoted in our

time which makes us wonder I mean a

society gone mad there are so many crazy

things being proposed that today in

society not just around the issue of

sexuality that you do wonder and it

makes me think of what the what the

Bible says that us men become more

distance from the image of God as they

they refuse to acknowledge the dignity

of God God gives them over to a mind

that that is deficient and defective a

mind that proclaims and does things that

are not convenient not healthy for the

well-being of society it is a mind that

can function very well in technological

and scientific and philosophical areas

but somehow in the areas that pertain to

human behavior and human relationships

is totally depraved and totally

dysfunctional and I think we're

beginning to see that in ever clearer

ways in our time through the

proclamation of such laws that are

evidently are contrary to the health of

our society so the city of Houston

decided to unilaterally declare this

right and this ordinance not consulting

citizens not asking them for their

opinion not submitting it to a vote

simply because it has the right to do so

a group of pastors decided to challenge

that law through the only democratic

channel that existed still because once

the city used that mechanism the only

channel to bring down that law that

ordinance was through a petition a

citizen's petition that would bring that

law into question through a proposition

for the citizenship to vote upon now it

seems to me a perfectly good right a

perfect mechanism that America

recognizes that is legitimate for

citizens of diverse opinions to settle

their differences through the booth of

voting and so these are pastors

following the law decided to do what

needed to be done which is to procure

17,000 I think 70,000 plus signatures

from citizens

that then would enable that law to be to

be a proposition to be placed for voters

to decide in a Democratic Society what

would be done about that ordinance the

proponents of this proposition not only

collect the 17,000 they collected fifty

thousand three times the amount required

because we have known through previous

experience that we need to be redundant

because these individuals who are

proposing a proposal is laws will always

seek to disqualify many of these

petitions we wanted to be redundant

50,000 petitions plus were collected and

incredibly the city determined that the

vast minus Sigma chures were invalid and

illegitimate through an arbitrary

decision how could I know because I have

participated in one of these petitions

years ago here in the city and how

careful we were to make sure that the

petitions that were submitted stood the

test of a scrutiny and yet it was clear

that this was a bold arbitrary move to

disenfranchise citizens and to prevent

them from being able to register their

beliefs through legal normal democratic

channels and that says something about

America in the direction that we are

going in unless we are clear in standing

up against this creeping dictatorship

that we find ourselves in in America the

the signatures were disqualified and it

was determined that there weren't enough

enough of them to justify proposition

coming before the citizenship five

pastors in the city decided to sue the

city to force them to go through the

proper channels to truly decide whether

these petitions these signatures were

invalid or not to call the city to task

for being so arbitrary and this is where

it brings us through this is the mayor

the day the city because now the mayor

because of the Opera that her decision

cause is not denying that she was

involved in this thing which is totally

it just defies the imagination to think

that the mayor would not know about

something as significant but the city

decided to subpoena five pastors to

submit force them to submit their

sermons and all communications within

the church that pertained to the issue

of homosexuality for scrutiny which if

you know anything about American law is

such a brazen violation of human rights

and such an attack on our human rights

and that it really was designed not to

for some sort of objective examination

of their papers because now there was a

legal process involved but really it was

designed to intimidate to muzzle to shut

up people of religious conviction and to

tell them if you dare to speak out

against these things you are next and

the state has the right to control what

you say even within the intimacy of your

sanctuary and of course this this was

such a brazen violation that there was

an uproar and pastors and other it has

created a national scandal and the mayor

seeing this backtracked and of course

some of her underlings very dutifully

fell under sword and said no she didn't

know about it and it was us doing it and

you know that's not what we intended to

do blah blah blah and they've been

trying to backtrack and to kind of

minimize the reach that they were really

seeking to attain through this

intervention and I believe that this

this move of a mayor of a major city in

America this wanton violation of the

rights of American citizens and

believing citizens is so such a

violation it reaches such a point of

scandal that we must observe it as a

historic moment in American life in an

American history it is a defining moment

and that shows the true intent and the

true

sort of inclination of this movement to

not only obtain rights to live and to

express itself but also to kill the

rights of others in order for it to just

possess and be free to do all that I

wants to do which is really ultimately

it will destroy our nation it will

undermine the fabric of our nation our

children our young people the moral

standards of our culture the limits that

every society needs to put on fallen

human nature I need laws I need them my

friends I need the accountability that

you provide for me because if left to my

own designs I would be a mess and I

would make a mess we all need

accountability we all need laws the

moment that I society in the name of

love and freedom abandons limitations

for the fallenness of human nature at

that moment that society is consigning

yourself to utter destruction ultimate

debilitation and so this is why I feel

this is so urgent that for us to just

camp simply go as life as usual and to

continue preaching nice the sermons

about God loves you and you know he has

good intentions for I believe in that we

just proclaimed that this morning would

be to really be neglectful of our duty

citizens Christian believers need to be

alerted to what is going on in America

we need to be emboldened we need to be

affirmed affirmed in our own beliefs in

our own convictions and pastors need to

be released to proclaim the Word of God

which is a medicine that that cleanses

and that that heals it's caustic yes

it's it's it's it creates conflict

within us but it heals because it is the

truth of God and so this is the

environment that we are living in today

and this is this the environment in the

environment that the Church of Christ is

preaching the Word of God it's not a

neutral environment in neutral times

when there's not the flux and the

questioning of

morality that we are facing in our

nation in the world the church can

afford to preach normal sermons quote

unquote maintenance sermons but in times

of change in times of radical

transformation the Church of Jesus

Christ needs to inform its believers

about the foundations that they require

in order to make the decisions that they

need to make in the everyday world am I

making myself up or maybe into too

complex and too confusing saying what

I'm saying in other words in the time of

a radical questioning of Christian

values the Church of Jesus Christ its

duty is to declare those values at the

very least among believers but also I

think in the outer culture as well in

order to heal the culture to be a

prophetic presence in the culture I am

reminded of the words of a psalm 2 in

this context in the context of the world

that we are living in where the psalmist

rhetorically quest asks why do the

nation's conspire and the people's plot

in vain psalm to the kings of the earth

take their stand and the rulers gathered

together against the Lord and against

his anointed one you know what we are

seeing in America right now is precisely

the authorities of this nation the legal

authorities the judicial authorities the

political authorities standing against

the Word of God in a nation that has

historically always supported the Word

of God and let me can let me make a

parenthesis here many people say well

America has never been a Christian

nation well in a sense that may be true

but I can tell you this that America has

always been a god-fearing nation America

may not be a perfect nation America may

not have been led always by Orthodox

believers such as in the time of the

Enlightenment or the 18th century with

the founding fathers but if you examine

their writings have you examined the

flow of American history you see a

nation that has always had the fear of

God and the fear of the Bible in it its

leaders may not have been perf

its leaders may not have been fully

Orthodox but they always assumed a

judeo-christian context for the laws

that were being proclaimed what is

happening now is that that generic

judeo-christian context within which

America has always float is being

questioned and is being rejected by the

rulers by the leaders of this nation by

the judicial rulers by by the political

rulers of this nation and the people are

being left out of the decision-making

process that a democracy presupposes and

requires so the Bible looking thousands

of years before our time prophetically

sees a time when the rulers of the earth

will get together and confirm among

themselves to conspire and to sort of

establish a mutiny against the the Lord

and against his anointed when it's

interesting this is a messianic sound by

the way who is God's anointed one Jesus

Christ meshia may see a messiah means

anointed and most commentators of the

Bible will will agree that this Psalm

prophetic alee points to rebellion not

only against God but also against his

chosen ruler with Jesus Christ and so it

says the rulers gathered together to

confer to conspire and and this is what

they say in the minds and in their

little covens as they get together they

say let us break their chains they say

and throw off their feathers break what

chains not that not the change that

destroy but the loving chains that that

is they see it as a chain we see it as

headings for safety that the Word of God

provides and these individuals who have

rebelled in their heart now against the

law of God and see it as a chain they

say let's break that chain let's break

away from it let's free ourselves from

this burn

of moral law in the moral belief and

let's be free to do whatever we want let

me tell you rebellion rebelliousness is

at the very center of the human heart it

is the source of every evil that has

taken place in human history beginning

with the first rebellion in the Garden

of Eden no even before that the first

rebellion was Lucifer against God this

is why God so hates rebellion he says a

king to witchcraft because he knows that

the you know the rebellious in the heart

is this this resistance to full of the

being i'm going to call whether it's a

demonic or a human being to submit

himself to the lordship of god to

acknowledge his creature ness if you

will and to acknowledge that there's a

Creator who has sovereignty over who you

are and what you do and that rebellious

is that teenage rebelliousness in the

human heart is the reason for all the

tragedy in the universe the fallenness

of even the cosmos itself and this is

what we see today in the 21st century

where the human beings have acquired a

level of sophistication and knowledge

and technological dominion that they now

feel strong enough and adult enough to

rebel against the lordship of god and

his chosen messiah and we see that in

the question that is taking place in

sexuality in morality in our

understanding of society human beings

now feel that they can invent themselves

we see this everything is being

manipulated is they human beings of the

the potential right now two to play with

and reconfigure the genetic makeup of

the human being that is our that is our

next barrier that is our next journey

the manipulation of the very essence

that of a human being and so we have

extended that into a capacity perceived

capacity to also change our sexuality to

reinvent society as a whole to sort of

everything is up for grabs in our time

and by the way this is not the first

time that

of social questioning and that social

rebelliousness it also took place in

this is what the course Babel you know

where we human beings achieve such a

level of sophistication we don't really

know exactly what that meant in that

time that they felt they wanted to

construct a tower to their credit into

their glory because this rebellious

pneus every time you feel

self-sufficient you feel I don't need

God anymore and so God what did he do he

confused the languages God said you know

these human beings that I've created

they have such potential such power I

have endowed them with such creativity

that have left to themselves that's not

telling what they will do god knows what

he has put in us yes we are highly

creative very powerful but without the

love of God and the hedge protection of

god we can destroy ourselves because

wisdom turns to mere intelligence than

and mere intelligence kills and destroys

so God confused mankind and this is the

the origin of so many the tongues of

diversity of tongues according to the

Bible and so we are living in a similar

time but I think much more sophisticated

where human beings have achieved such a

level of sophistication that we feel

that we can now again seek to question

God and the Thomas says you know they

say let us break their chains let us

overthrow their feathers and this is

God's reaction through the prophetic

lengths of the summit he says the one

and throned in heaven laughs the Lord

scoffs makes fun of them you know the

first reaction of goddess who are these

weaklings to think that they can

question me and he laughs at the the

ridiculousness of their pretensions

because it's so so grandiose that it's

ridiculous and it's laughable but then

the second reaction is anger since then

he rebukes them in his anger and

terrifies them in his wrath saying i

have installed my King on Zion my holy

hill you know there is there is a holy

anger that God experiences when we

questioned his glory and his lordship

and I think this society this world

right now is beginning to experience

some of the consequences of their

questioning I think America is beginning

to experience that I have never in my

whole life experienced the kind of

turmoil that this world is experiencing

now I am I am flabbergasted I've studied

history I've read history and I don't

think there has ever been a period in

human history of such turmoil how's the

one that we are experiencing right now

whether it's in the Middle East Iran

Iraq Afghanistan Israel and the

Palestinian situation Egypt whether it's

in Europe the Ukraine crisis Russia sort

of raising its head once more and

seeking to become a dominant power again

no matter what the cause whether it's

North Korea developing full capacity for

nuclear destruction such a neurotic

society having nuclear weapons in their

hand it's absolutely beyond me and we

see China which is a sinister presence i

mean i love my Chinese brothers and

sisters but the government and the

philosophy that animates the government

which is a godless philosophy coupled

with incredible financial power and they

desired again to assert itself in the

whole indian ocean or in the Pacific Rim

countries and in the philippines and

japan and so on japan is probably going

to arm itself again after a second world

war it refused to to our midst of what

now in the threats of before the threats

of china it's seeking also to arm itself

again and china is seeking to compete

with the united states in africa and

latin america and buying every piece of

land that they can and seeking control

and arming itself in for nuclear

capacity they are they already have it

in spades everywhere Isis and Ebola I

mean that the level of turmoil in

the world is absolutely astounding in

our time and the level of change and of

questioning in our time is unprecedented

and in America we see all of this stuff

that's happening in the international

world is coupled with the the demise of

American influence which has always been

a good influence in the world and the

people of the world have always sought

America for the solution they still do

to a certain degree but they also now

see America as a fallen giant not worthy

of respect because America is losing its

influence and becoming a minor power

because of the fact that they have

abandoned the God that made America

possible in the first place we have

abandoned the moorings that these dis

godly feathers that kept kept us safe we

have abandoned those and so this in the

world the problem of the world is being

increased by the fact that this

influence which is never perfect but it

was very good it's also on the decrease

in significant sort of way so it is this

this this God who has inscribed his law

in our psyche in our genetic makeup we

will never be able to break the fetters

quote unquote of God's intent because it

is written in our biological laws a

woman knows that the God the law of God

is inscribed in her just as a man does

as well we may we may forces us but the

fact it's always be that a woman gives

birth that a man generally has more hair

in his body than a woman or that their

voice are a few degrees lower like we

have we have God's law inscribed in or

something there are certain binary laws

that govern the way that we we move in

the way that we do things and when we

violate those things we are acting

according against the very green of our

being and so what we see in America this

questioning I think you know other

countries make question judeo-christian

values and not experience the kind of

turmoil that America will experience why

because America has a godly passed on

its head it's like a child that rebels

against God after growing in a loving

Christian home that child will suffer

the the you know the kingdom of animal

will be putting pressure on that child

because the law of God is describing

their heart and so that child is

rebelliousness would be an issue with

God now somebody who didn't grow up in

that kind of environment God may not

have really any dealings or any purposes

in their life but when you have grown up

way under the under the shadow of God

and His laws when you rebel against it

it has tripled the consequences and

America has always been there was a

there were covenants that were

established there there are pacts that

were established centuries ago and God

has a very good memory and when we rebel

against those things we pay the price

for it and so what we see now is that we

need to in it because of the love that

compels us and because of the way the

world is constructed Christians we need

to speak the truth in order to heal the

nation's because as the nation's rebel

against the cosmic law against

biological law against the laws that

have been structured into the very life

of the universe they are kicking a knife

they're kicking something that is has

the potential to kill them as they rebel

against it and and the fact that we love

people many people say that Christians

are hateful that we are self-righteous

that we are judgmental because they

think that to love is simply to accept

there's this idea that if we are truly

Christian then we will accept everything

that comes our way that will simply

affirm everyone well I I don't see that

in Jesus Christ I don't see that

anywhere in the gospel you know when I

look at Jesus Christ and his character

when I see his ministry when I see his

words when I read his sermons I see a

man God committed to truth and if he had

to say if that truth offended then so be

it actually that truth offended so much

that he ended up on the cross and this

idea of a Jesus that love so much that

he simply says be who you are and don't

worry about it is so diametrically

opposed to the true nature of Jesus and

of the gospel that I cannot contemplate

how even some Christians can enter into

that belief as well and some this today

we have so many believers Christian

believers you know ingesting and

accepting that demonic belief that if

you were a Christian you will simply

accept everything I accept everyone but

I don't accept everything I love

everyone i know that i'm the first one

who needs God's grace in my life and

when I speak the truth of God I speak at

knowing that that truth first cuts

through me and kills me and calls me to

reconfigure my life and then I announce

it my dear brothers assistance let us

not accept this idea that in order for

us to be loving we have to deny truth

you know I think Christians today need

intense psychotherapy we need to sit

down in silence before God and revisit

the things that we believe our

commitment to the kingdom our commitment

to the truth of God to God's Word and we

need to say am I going to put the

opinion of men in a superior place of

the opinion of God about my life and

about myself we need to come to a crisis

point where we have to ask ourselves

which authority am I going to accept as

the guiding force in my life is that the

Word of God or is it the opinions of men

and if we can come to the

crisis oriented decision that no I want

to live by the Word of God then we must

choose a path of sometimes martyrdom

sometimes aloneness but it's a path of

great satisfaction knowing that we are

living authentically that we are living

with integrity that we are living in

unity with what we profess with our

mouths and we live with our minds the

Christian path is a path of loneliness

many times my dear brothers and sisters

the God did not call us to an easy path

the church and the Word of God will

always be in enmity with the world you

know I think in our desire to fit to be

a winsome and attractive to the world

many times we have decided to throw

overboard the distinctives of the

Christian faith you cannot do that for

the church to be truly the Church of

Jesus Christ that must stand on the Word

of God and then invite others to come

and join them and join us in that

embrace but the world the Bible the

Bible tells us clearly that there will

always be enmity there will always be

friction and conflict between the light

that the Word of God offers and the

darkness that rules the world and I

think that today modern Christians many

modern Christians believe that we can

improve on God's marketing strategies

I've somehow we take away those things

are scandalized the world as somehow the

world then will come into our churches

and that is the most misguided

treacherous belief that you can ever

imagine the Church of Jesus Christ has

always thrived on scandal let me tell

you that the first candle is the scandal

of the cross you know that is a

stumbling block you know the Bible says

that Jesus Christ is a stumbling block

the cross is a stumbling block

in order to get into the kingdom you

have to go through that stumbling block

if you don't want to go through it then

you stay on the other side you know

people are scandalized by the fact that

you know Jesus Christ had to die on a

cross in order for humankind to be

reconciled with God and that we also

have to go through our own cross every

day in order to please God I believe

that the most powerful instrument for

the propagation of the gospel the very

seat of the power of the church and the

authority and the vitality in the help

of the church is scandal the scandal of

the cross the scandal of holiness the

call of God to conform ourselves to his

word when a church lovingly accepts the

Word of God and proclaims the Word of

God that church will be whole it will be

healed it will be strong it will have

authority it will be heard the Holy

Spirit will dwell within it why do you

think that there are so many liberal

churches that have thrown away that the

orthodoxy of the Christian faith why are

they dying out why are they evangelical

II evangelistic Lee neutered why are

they incapable of reproducing themselves

because the only thing that gives us the

capacity to reproduce ourselves is the

presence of the Holy Spirit the the

approval of the God and that approval

only comes and we remain within its word

one of the reasons why I think that we

we cannot simply neutrally say oh you

know what we will become and we will

become affirming to homosexuality or

whatever it is to it can be just simply

people you know all the different

perversions it can be you know adultery

it can be you know gambling it can be a

mean spirit that can be vindictiveness

it can be a pressing your loved ones you

know it's not just the sexual I

acknowledge that but you know we we need

to be able

to question every one every kind of

behavior that goes against what the Word

of God has declared we need to be free

we need to understand that this this is

the protective element of God for the

church when a church naked neglects the

knives rejects these beliefs it's not a

neutral decision it has implications for

the presence of the Holy Spirit when a

Christian when a church decides to just

assume that that's well that has nothing

just a minor decision you know what

happens really what the op shoot of it

is that we grieve the Holy Spirit and

the Holy Spirit then it becomes distant

from that community that is why for me

the call to holiness even though it's

such an agonizing thing should never be

abandoned by a community or by an

individual that embraces Jesus Christ

because that call to holiness is the

guarantee that the Holy Spirit will feel

comfortable dwelling within me and

within this building so we must

understand that the health the

survivability of a church depends on its

capacity to please the Holy Spirit

through what it declares everyday and

what it seeks to honor we are not a

perfect community by any means we are

all broken our marriages are broken our

homes are broken our minds are broken I

shudder to think that you may put a

microphone to my brain and know what I'm

thinking right now even I know who I am

but that does not prevent me however

from announcing and declaring the truth

of God you see there's this idea this

intimidating of technique that is being

used today somehow all your imperfect

you know you and I here Christian saying

that all the time oh you know you're a

sinner you do this you do that you're

hypocrites and there for you to just

shut up and stop announcing the Word of

God that is a demonic ploy the Church of

Jesus Christ has always been imperfect

the

ferences that we know that our

imperfection is covered by the blood of

Jesus Christ and we invite other sinners

like we do to acknowledge their own sin

and to come into this vessel of struggle

to you know do God's work in our lives

with the help of the Holy Spirit and

every day I have to inject myself with a

new dose of the gods grace every morning

and every night and several times a day

I have to come before the Lord say Lord

I'm a broken human being i need your

grace I admit it like the psalmist says

I acknowledge my sins there ever before

me I have broken your law but even as we

admit our brokenness and I think the

Church of Jesus Christ needs to admit

its brokenness we need to be a community

of transparency we need to be a humble

community we need to let people know

that we acknowledge that we are broken

that we have not fulfilled God's

expectations of us but even then we have

to say yes but God you call us to

holiness you call us to integrity and we

have to embrace the agony of the

Christian life my brothers and sisters

were I am landing right now I'm closing

up but um what I'm saying is that

America is engaged in in a in a very

dangerous experiment and we the

homosexual the militant homosexual lobby

and I used that word very deliberately I

wish had more time to unpack these terms

but the militant homosexual lobby in

America has always said you know all

that we are seeking is for the right to

be who we are and not to be oppressed

but really that claim has now turned

into in order for us to be who we are

you need to shut up about who you are

the idea of living that live has been

changed now in to die and let live and

we cannot accept this let me just read

something as I say I wish had enough

time to unpack all of these things this

is a statement from a scholar a legal

scholar who happens to be a lesbian and

who is one of the most honest scholars

that i have found who really say what

what really this is all about it's not

about

you know I went to the state house one

day and I heard somebody say well you

know gay marriage is the law of the land

now and the sky has not fallen well let

me tell you the sky has fallen and that

statement is only being used to put us

into sleep so that we then will allow

this thing to continue creeping every

day more and more that the homosexual

movement becomes more and more daring in

its invasiveness in its imperialistic

aspirations to just process and America

must decide between gay rights or human

rights in that day we have made it into

one thing we have now the biggest

achievement of the homosexual one has

been to cover itself with the cloak of

Human Rights once Americans accept that

that claim of gay rights and human

rights being the same thing the battle

was lost for all believing Christians

and that is the one thing that still

needs its it's been presented as

something that has already solved it's

beyond questioning it's still very much

controversial it has not been proven

that homosexuality is an inherent trait

of the human being to qualified as a

human right to Christians and to so many

other people it is a choice it is a

lifestyle that you have chosen to adopt

just as I could adopt any other kind of

lifestyle and I cannot claim that

society should reconfigure itself to

accept my my choice my lifestyle but

here's what this legal scholar says and

it's it's legal terminology but I wanted

to show you something about you know the

complexity of this issue this is where

honesty compels and the fact that this

is being expressed by a lesbian person

who is fully committed to homosexual

rights it should convince us of what

really what we are up against that it's

a choice between our rights the rights

of every religious person in America or

in the world to be able to live

according to their profound inviolable

beliefs or the

rider homosexuals to live according to

their practice and their beliefs which

requires that the society the culture be

reconstituted in every area housing

employment religious life marriage

education of our children the power of

the state to control the intimacy of the

life of every citizen all of these

things are implicated in this issue of

gay rights this is what she writes she

says ensuring that LGBT people by the

way and now it's not just LGBT it's

LGBTQ it used to be simply LG but then a

bee was added to it and then after the

bee was added a tea was added to it and

now a queue has been added to it I

suppose we're going to go into uvwxyz at

some point as well because you know what

happens as this Lobby keep gains

confidence and power it keeps increasing

the reach it has always been said that

this this movement would end up with a

polygamy and that is exactly what we're

seeing in America right now increase of

polygamy and in the fight for polygamy

and you may be offended by what I'm

going to say but that also this is this

has been said 30 40 50 years ago the

ultimate is also for the rule of

pedophilia of people minors on the race

to be able to engage in homosexual

activity to be made the law of the land

as well now I know that may strike some

of your scandalous but read more about

that there is nothing that I have seen

in the trajectory of this process to

contradict that fact once you abandon

some very foundational areas what is

there to hold back anything else if all

that you have to defend your moral

beliefs is reason then everything is

open to questioning incest for example

why should I society be concerned about

incest if it's not concerned about

bestiality or homosexuality or anything

else it's stupid it really is completely

contradictory and yet in America where

it was oh yeah you can allow all these

of the laws about instance no never why

let's open the doors completely to every

possible change in every possible

questioning all right pass them around

they get to the text listen to this I

can give you her name chive fell below

as well you know you can find her in the

internet she's a major legal scholars is

ensuring that LGBT people can live

honestly and safely in all aspects of

their social lives requires that society

set a baseline of non discrimination on

the grounds of sexual orientation and

the gender identity you're gonna have to

process yourselves it's complex language

but you know saying that the foundation

has to be no discrimination in according

to sexuality if we're going to allow

homosexuals to live according to their

design if individual business owners

service providers and employers

including their Christian colleges like

Gordon College is right right now facing

the possibility of its own accreditation

being removed because of a minor

petition that the president I mean the

board of trustees of trustees of corn

college I know the intimacy of this

process but Gordon College a Christian

institution with clear statements about

its Christian beliefs is now facing the

possibility slimmers that might be of

having its accreditation removed because

the the president simply signed a law

President Michael Lindsey asking

President Obama to allow Christian

colleges to be to remain true to their

Christian beliefs in employment

practices but what you're saying is you

know if individual business owners

service providers i'm going to add

college at christian colleges christian

nonprofit agencies could easily exempt

themselves from such laws by make

incredible claims that their belief

liberty is burdened by the law LGBT

people would remain constantly

vulnerable to surprise discrimination in

other words unless all these

institutions are stripped of the right

to remain true to their beliefs then

LGBT people will suffer and they will be

discriminated against oh we cannot

louder that's the the subtext here she

says if I am denied a job an apartment a

room at a hotel a table at a restaurant

or a procedure by a doctor because I am

a lesbian that is a deep intense and the

tangible hurt that hurt is not

alleviated because I might be able to go

down the street and get a job an

apartment the hotel room a restaurant

table or a medical procedure from

someone else in other words you know the

fact that I can just you know said well

I can't provide it to you go someplace

else because I'm a Christian she says

that's not enough for that person to say

no the assault to my dignity and my

sense of safety in the world occurs when

the initial denial happens that assault

is not mitigated by the fact that others

might not treat me in the same way thus

for all my sympathy for the evangelical

Christian couple who may wish to run a

bed-and-breakfast from which they can

exclude unmarried straight couples and

all gay couples this is a point where i

believe the zero-sum nature of the game

inevitably comes into play in other

words is either or it's not both hand

you know it's either either the society

is fully on the side of LGBT rights or

it's against it there's no middle way

and that is exactly the point about you

know homosexuals you may say I love you

God has designed you I will respect your

rights but you are wrong as soon as you

say that you're against them the whole

homosexual movement is predicated on

this idea you're either a hundred

percent for me for me or a hundred

percent against me and unfortunately the

legal system in America is adopting that

same either or attitude and mentality so

that anybody who doesn't conform to that

new way of looking at things is

violating the law and will be punished

for it so this the power I believe the

zero-sum nature of the game inevitably

comes into play and in making the

decision in this zero-sum game I am

convinced society should come down on

the side of protecting the liberty of

LGBT people once individuals choose to

enter the stream of economic commerce by

opening commercial establishment

or any other kind of establishment that

has to deal with the public whether it's

a college or a church not a Christian on

profit whatever once you once you step

out of the confines of a church and you

step out into the world out there you're

in no man's land that's what is being

said here i believe it is legitimate to

require that they play by certain rules

as the court observed in Smith versus

fair employment housing commission quote

to permit Smith to discriminate would

sacrifice the rights of her prospective

tenants to have equal access to public

accommodations and their legal and

dignity interests in freedom from

discrimination based on personal

characteristics and closing here a

number of writers have made the argument

that entering the stream of Commerce

should legitimately subject and

enterprise to risk civil rights laws

commerce should not be clothed with

fundamental or First Amendment freedom

in other words that is the point you see

the moment that you step into any kind

of interaction with the outside world

give up any First Amendment rights

freedom of speech freedom of religion

freedom of whatever is related to your

conscience which is such a scandalous

such an illegitimate principle that it

baffles me that you know that the

Americans could be and the Christians

could somehow contemplate this

peacefully and even sometimes cooperate

with the implications of this trajectory

commerce should not be cloaked the

fundamental of First Amendment freedom

to exclude members on any basis they see

fit this is the the court supreme court

if the government tolerated the private

exclusionary policies of such

individuals in the commercial sector

such toleration would necessarily come

at the cost of gay people sense of

belonging and safety in society this is

I put this in both ways just as we do

not tolerate private racial beliefs that

adversely affect african-americans in

the commercial arena even if such

beliefs are based on religious views

we should similarily or similarly not

tolerate private beliefs about sexual

orientation and gender identity that

adversely affect LGBT people so you see

my dear friends and please come come

forward I want to give you hope that I'm

finishing I'm gonna ask whether the

worship people to come up you see this

conflation this putting together of

african-american the african-american

civil rights movement and the fact that

the government had to intervene right I

believe rightfully so to ensure the

rights of african-americans against

discrimination and racism its own here

in America now has come back to bite us

through the manipulation of that same

concept in its application to the

homosexual movement and they're not the

same they're not the same I would have

to give you another sermon you know how

to prove why it's not the same but I

would close perhaps with a pastoral

another pastoral observation which is

the following which is that in a sense

you know the Christian community is now

paying for all the discrimination that

we have accepted here in America against

african-americans to the point that

instead of using the Bible to renounce

racism it had to be done to the shame of

the Church of Jesus Christ it had to be

done by the secular authorities for us

because in many parts of the America

Bible believing Christians saw no

contradiction between denigrating and

and discriminating against African

American brothers and sisters and their

Christian beliefs so you see the justice

sometimes of how God works today that

failure that moral failure of big

sectors of the American church

and having forced the secular

authorities to violate you know

democratic principles in a way in order

to ensure that this significant sector

of America would receive its legal

rights as they rightfully required has

now been employed to oppress us and this

is what this is what we have to

understand you know the God is a God of

justice and he loves his church but he

will also judge us when we fail to be

true to his truth into his laws and we

will ultimately have to pay a price

America had to pay a huge price for

slavery in the Civil War and many people

including President Lincoln saw the

Civil War as retribution from a just God

against all the inhumanity that was

perpetrated against African and African

Americans throughout many many decades

of American slavery and now I think in a

way we as Christians are paying the

price because we have provided the

secular movement this destructive

mentality a powerful argument to violate

democratic principles and to oppress us

and that's a call for me and for you to

always live in the truth of God no

matter what the cost no matter what the

cost you know the southern states for

many many years refuse to deal with

slavery because they said you know we're

addicted to slavery our whole economic

system is predicated on slavery if we

gave up slavery we would bankrupt

ourselves and so they chose money over

truth

and they had to pay the price if I

choose now in the 21st century comfort

over truth I will have to pay the same

price we cannot do that people of God we

must always be humble we must always be

client to the truth of God wherever it

leads and in this time we must again say

Lord am I going to follow the truth of

your word or the convenience of being

popular and I know that we all in our

heart I do hope that all of us are

saying as for me and my house we will

serve the Lord we will be true to the

word of God so I just urge you to be

praying full I urge you to be deliberate

I urge you to study the Word of God I

urge you to examine your conscience I

urge you to be courageous I urge you to

know the Word of God to be wise in the

things that you need to be wise in such

as the definition of love such as the

definition of Christianity such as how

you understand the vertical nature of

the character of Jesus Christ the

integrity that you choose to live in in

your life and what that implies for your

life these are times and we can no

longer afford to just play Church these

are times when we are being required to

be mature like never before and to know

why we believe and to know what we

believe it's a time for soberness it's a

time for great great sense of agony

within us and of martyrdom if necessary

knowing that living the Christian life

and the Christian identity is a ganic

it's agonizing it's not an easy life you

always I hope I'm almost questioning

myself Lord am i doing the right thing

should I just chalk this as well and

just embrace what's going on I'm always

questioning myself because I want to be

just I want to be I want to be loving

time and time again the Word of God

tells me no stay in what you have

believed

stay what you have believed let the tone

of my son his character his complexity

be the guiding force in your life set

your tone to him not to the world tune

your personality in your ministry and

your life and your conversation and your

words and your character to knit

according to the standard of the Word of

God and then let God align the world

around you if the Church of Jesus Christ

remains true to the Word of God the

church of jesus christ will prevail and

people will come flocking into the

church broken and needy to be repaired

and to be blessed and to be healed and

reconfigured according to the Word of

God but we must remain firm until that

day happens the Bible says that in the

evil day we stand firmly and when the

day has passed when that evil day has

passed we shall hopefully be found still

standing I ask you this morning people

of God stand and why don't I I else I

can invite you if you feel that this

word resonates with your spirit why

don't you stand you don't have to stand

but if you feel that it does resonate

with you let us stand so that the Holy

Spirit might see our church and might

and let this be a declaration Holy

Spirit of God we ask that you see us

right now and have mercy on us have

mercy on us Lord

we declare that the gospel is a gospel

of love but it's also a gospel of truth

and we want to be a congregation of love

and of truth Lord we acknowledge that we

are sinners in need of your constant

grace we are prone to break your law and

that we are far from perfect and so we

come before you needy and broken and we

ask Jesus that you would clothe us with

your justice that you would protect our

church that this church would always be

a haven and a refuge for those who are

needing the restoration of the kingdom

of God that we will be perceived as a

church of love and of righteousness and

a church of humility as well we thank

you for all the broken people including

myself that you bring every day into

this church and for the fact that here

we can find healing and that we are

seeking healing that we will have to

seek it on to the very end of our lives

thank you Father thank you for Jesus

Christ thank you because in him in his

gospel there is hope

there's hope to break every chain and

every obstacle that that impedes us

reaching that maximum potential that

Jesus Christ came to release I bless my

brothers and sisters I proclaim your

piece this morning I proclaim lightness

of spirit I proclaim joy I proclaim hope

and in a sense of being centered in you

lord thank you for this time thank you

for the privilege of knowing Jesus

Christ thank you for the security that

we find in your word teachers are will

be true and faithful to that word in

Jesus name we pray and the people of God

say man I bless you in the name of Jesus

this morning praise the Lord

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit - A Prophetic Sign

The Fire Falls - The Church Ignites through the Presence of the Spirit

Self Doubt - A Fatal Flaw or Window to Faith

and in the morning I will send you on

your way and will tell you all that is

in your heart as for the donkeys you

lost three days ago don't worry about

them they have been found and to whom is

all the desire of Israel turned if not

to you and to your whole family line now

Saul answered but am I not a benja might

from the smallest tribe of Israel is not

my clan the least of all the clans of

the tribe of Benjamin why do you say

such a thing to me and then it goes on

to say that Samuel invited him to eat

that day and went on to explain to him

his calling let's pray dear God I thank

you that you have a destiny for each one

of us you have a calling you have a

purpose I thank you Lord that even

though we usually stumble into our

destiny without realizing it God that

you know what you're doing we may feel

like we're lost but we're not we're

right where we're supposed to be because

you're looking for us and I thank you

that you have a plan for us but God

sometimes it's hard for us to believe

that sometimes all we can see is our own

problems and shortcomings and I pray God

that today you would teach us how to

overcome our fears and our self doubt

and learn to depend on the Great God

speak to us today I pray in Jesus name

Amen man Saul was not so happy about

what the prophet Samuel told him right

he didn't answer saying yeah you're

right I always thought I was supposed to

be a king now some of us have that

problem many of us don't have a low self

esteem we have a it appropriately big

self esteem that God needs to Humble us

I would say all of us are in that

category in some way right

but look at what happens with Saul he's

like it can't be me you can't be talking

about me and he had excuses he had

reasons why God couldn't use him he said

am I not a benja might from the smallest

tribe of Israel the tribe of Benjamin

was famous or i should say infamous in

israel because it was a tribe that a few

about a hundred years earlier had

committed some of the most horrible

atrocities and if you were a benja might

it was like 'hey you're from the tribe

of Benjamin you since I'm a benja might

you can't be talking about me and not

only am i from this bad tribe in Israel

but I'm from the smallest family in that

tribe how can you say these things to me

now it's interesting cuz Saul was a tall

man he was an impressive man but he was

a man with a profoundly low self esteem

he had a sense of inferiority about

himself it was interesting because

little later a couple weeks later the

prophet Samuel gathered all the people

to draw lots to pick the next king to

confirm that it was going to be saw and

they drew lots from all the people in

Israel narrowing it down from tribe to

tribe to tribe to Family to Family to

Family and finally by lot Saul was

chosen what a coincidence huh the

prophet Samuel wasn't worried he knew

God chose that guy now we're going to

draw lots and the lot will fall to Saul

so when the time came to choose all all

the people were gathered we're going to

pick our next king I wonder who it's

going to be and then the lot falls to

Saul son of Kish it was like Saul Saul

we're so just look at there's a mumbling

going on Saul we're so well so too and

they and they started looking for him

you know where they found him hiding

among the baggage it's like he's high

he's hiding in the bathroom hiding in

the bathroom what was he afraid of and

so they just all get out of the baggage

you're supposed to be king he's like

yeah right

Yeah right I'm King you know it pulled

him out he calls out there and he was a

head taller than everyone else and the

prophet Samuel says look at your new

king and he's standing there he's just

got to be dying thinking I would really

much rather be hiding in the bathroom

right now he's like I can't do this I'm

not that guy he felt insecure he felt

afraid he had a sense of his own

inadequacy now that should remind us of

someone else you know the prophet Samuel

put it this way he said God called you

to be king even though you were small in

your own eyes even though you were small

in your own eyes he was a tall man but

he saw himself like this so I'm self

small do any of us do that any of us may

be thinking yeah I'm yeah oh we can see

where our weaknesses right you look in

the mirror at all you can see are the

the blemishes all right everyone else

they say you're looking pretty good

today you're like I don't feel like I've

looking pretty good you ever think you

have excuses not to do what God calls

you to do no it can't be me I'm too

young do we have any any people under

the age of 18 in this room they have

made teenagers or kids no could say no

not me I'm too young can't be me or

someone else who might say but you don't

know what I've done you don't know my

past you don't know my struggles you

don't know my problems God says yes you

yes you Moses said I can't do it I don't

know how to talk I stutter and God's

like uh no excuses no excuses God calls

people who sometimes feel inadequate in

themselves if we read this text it

should remind us of another man who was

called about a hundred years earlier to

do some amazing things in the tribe of

Israel and he answered in a almost

exactly the same way and I believe that

the Bible wants us to connect this text

with that one so let's take a look in

the book of Judges chapter six judges

chapter six disco go back a couple books

judges chap

six this is a book about a series of

military leaders in the people of Israel

tribe of Israel who would who would

raise up and be great deliverers and

great leaders and how God would deliver

his people and this is the story about

how God called one of the greatest

warriors and leaders in the entire

history of Israel a man named Gideon you

ever heard of Gideon before yeah yeah he

leaves Bibles in hotel rooms right he

put some right and well this is what

that's named after right this guy Gideon

judges 6 verse 11 now this was a time

before I i start judges 611 this was a

time during incredible oppression in the

people of israel the people of Israel

were under the oppression of a nation

called Midian and the Midianites would

come in and would steal all their bread

they would bring all their camels and

all their armies like a multitude like

they said it's like the sand on the

seashore and they would devour all the

crops and all the grass and the people

of Israel were being starved to death by

Midian it was a time of terrible

oppression and so we find Gideon in the

middle of this in verse 11 it says the

angel of the Lord came and sat down

under the oak in Oprah that belonged to

joash the Abbey as right where his son

Gideon was threshing wheat in a

winepress to keep it from the Midianites

ok I want to stop right there for a

second anyone know about threshing wheat

I don't know about threshing wheat you

know I didn't learn that in the town in

Connecticut I grew up in and they didn't

teach it to me in seminary here in

Boston either so let's talk about

threshing wheat wheat is a like a stalk

of wheat right they would take the wheat

everyone in Israel everyone in the

ancient world knew about threshing wheat

you would take the wheat and it's got

the colonel on it but it's also got the

stock and it's got chaff and so they

would bring it to a place called a

threshing floor and they would have a

long like instrument sort of like a long

stick like a threshing stick and they or

they call it a fork

sometimes it would be pronged and they

would put the weed up in the air and

they would whack it with the threshing

stick and it would knock the wheat so

that the heavy part the colonel would

fall to the ground and the chaff the the

light part of the wheat would just blow

away and they'd sweep it away and at the

end you've got a nice pile of wheat

kernels that you can use to make bread

it's called threshing wheat the main

thing you need to Thresh wheat is an

open space that's nice and big where you

can swing and you can hit it must have

been a lot of fun you know kinda like

demolishing you know you get to demolish

things every now and then you know

that's okay it's kind of fun right there

back in that week getting out their

aggressions getting up and but what you

need is open space and you also need a

breezy air to blow the wheat to blow the

chaff right so you need some wind or you

need a breeze now Gideon was threshing

wheat do you notice where he was

thrashing the wheat verse 11 is it says

he was threshing wheat not on a

threshing floor a nice open threshing

floor but in a wine press and when here

ever pressed wine we might have one or

two there's always somebody who went to

France or chili and stomped and now I

never did that right I know that you did

you see you seen on TV what they would

do is they would put the grapes in a

wine press and wine presses in those

days they would dig them into the ground

sort of like a like a 6-foot deep like a

well like a pit a circular small thing

so one person could fit in there and

just jump up and down on the week right

on the the grapes and make it sound

again it sounds like fun yeah I want to

go do I want to try some of this someday

right and they're stomping on the grapes

it was a pit in the ground that was a

circular enclosed concrete kind of pit

they found some of them look up google

wine press ancient wine press and you'll

see some pictures of wine presses from

this time you can actually see it I

should have projected it next time so

it's a circular thing so Gideon was

threshing wheat in a little wine press

and closed wine press do you see

the problem you see the problem when you

need to Thresh wheat is a place where

you can swing and hit stuff and there's

wind a wine press it's Underground he

was doing it why was he doing that he's

hiding he was hiding from the Midianites

because if they saw him doing what he's

doing they're going to confiscate the

grain so he has to hide underground and

try to Thresh wheat the only comparison

I could think of and some of you could

probably come up with a better one it's

kind of like trying to fly a kite in

your basement right try to fly the kite

in the basement and you got the kite and

you throw it up in the air ha it is

still not working I'm still it you're

trying to fly kite in the basement maybe

you should find a windy place maybe an

open place right that's what Gideon was

doing it was ludicrous it was something

that in the ancient world they would

have read this and they would have

actually it would have evoked a laugh he

was threshing wheat in a wine press so

at this moment the angel of the Lord

came to him and sat down right near

there under a tree in Oprah Gideon was

threshing the weed now in verse 12 we'll

go back to the text when the angel of

the Lord appeared to Gideon he said now

first of all what do you expect him to

say what are you doing in a wine press

crushing week right he doesn't say that

though he says the Lord is with you

mighty warrior how about that i would

think that god would say what are you

doing down there this is so pathetic

you're trying to fly a kite in the

basement you're trying to Thresh but

instead the angel of the Lord now when

we're talking about the angel of the

Lord here there are different kinds of

angels all right there are some angels

that would appear to people that are

glowing spiritual beings that would

terrify people and they would fall down

but then sometimes God's angels appear

as human figures and people don't even

know they're angels at first that's why

the Bible says that some people have in

showing hospitality entertained angels

without realizing it like Abraham did

like some of us may have done angel

sometimes can be just a guy right there

a person and you don't recognize them so

that's the case here and it's a specific

angel it's the

angel of the Lord who I believe actually

might just be Jesus invading human

history before he was incarnated but

that's that's just me so the angel is

sitting there and looks down at him and

instead of saying what do you think

you're doing down there he says the Lord

is with you mighty warrior how about

that how about that see the angel didn't

see a scared man cowering in a pit the

angel of the Lord saw who this person

was in God's eyes he saw you are a man

of courage you're a man of Valor you are

the real thing now what would your

response be might be excuse me and in

fact that's exactly what Gideon says he

says excuse me sir look at this verse 13

a pardon me my lord or excuse me sir

literally getting reply but if the Lord

is with us what am i doing threshing

wheat in a wine press doesn't exactly

say that he says if the Lord is with us

why has all this happened to us where

are all of God's wonders that our

ancestors told us about when they said

did not the Lord bring us up out of

Egypt but now the Lord has abandoned us

and has given us into the hand of Midian

how about that now you got to keep in

mind the conversation is going on when i

get into the baptist the baptismal here

i'm going to be cut down low i'm going

to be talking to you guys and I'm going

to be like this imagine he's kind of

underground right so he's looking up out

of this pit the Angels sort of sitting

there looking down and he's like if God

is with us then why are we so oppressed

have you ever felt that way you know

someone says you ever come to church and

people say God is with you and you like

I believe that but it's hard for me to

believe that right now you ever felt

like if God is with me then why is my

life such a mess you ever felt that way

that's the way Gideon felt if God is

with me then why are we a

by her enemies why am I trying to fly a

kite in my basement why am I here trying

to Thresh wheat in a wine press and so

he's saying where's god I've heard

stories about God I heard stories about

how God delivered his people from Egypt

he separated the waters and the people

walked through and the awesome God of

the Exodus I heard stories about the God

who appeared a Mount Sinai fire and

thunder and lightning and that's the god

I want to see but right now I don't see

that God anywhere so you always gotta

wonder if Gideon thinks are you mocking

me you making fun of me God is with you

it's like you know it's like it's like

you just strikeout you're playing

baseball you strike out your helmet

comes flying off you stumble back into

the dugout and they say you're the best

God is with you Slugger and you're like

you making fun of me here are you

mocking me God isn't mocking him and by

the way let me just say I don't believe

in false praise right I don't believe

that we need to lie to people and tell

them they're good at something when

they're not necessarily right right we

don't have to do that that's not helpful

my son the other day he was doing some

karate moves in the in the in the living

room and you know he was he was looking

good I was like Noah you know it's not

just cuz I'm your dad you are looking

good that is those are good moves and

he's like you know he's looking good

then you through on his soccer uniform

and we went to his soccer game there's a

different different experience anyone

ever seen peanuts this is this is

terrible someday he's gonna watch this

online and he is gonna let me have it

you know I just roast him every Sunday

but you ever seen peanuts where Lucy is

holding the football for Charlie Brown

and Charlie Brown comes and and and she

pulls it away and he goes flying any

lands on his back that's kind of like my

son playing soccer you know he whiffs

ends up on his back and then Illinois

people don't just leave him there though

a bunch of first and second graders

gather around him and just kick the

fing out of him you know and and then

because they're going for the ball of

course but they can't see their their

six you know they're just kicking

whatever is on the ground at that moment

and then he gets up and he's all you

know dusty and kind of staggers back to

the game it's after the game I'm not

gonna tell him you're the best soccer

player in the world I wouldn't be too

bad you know I say you you really you

ran around out there you you really ran

you you got dirty you you you almost

kicked that ball you connected once I

did you know okay so I'm gonna tell the

truth you know but um praise the Lord

you do what you gotta do right its life

its life you know it's just life is just

a reality the angel of the Lord is

looking at Gideon and says the Lord is

with you mighty warrior and he's like

whatever you are you big what's going on

here you really talking to me now look

at what Gideon now the conversation goes

on it goes to another level okay goes to

another level look at what happens next

it says then the Lord turned to him in

in the original I think it says the Lord

looked at him and said go now about what

I'm visualizing here Gideon is down low

he's in the winepress the angel is

sitting up there the Angels looking like

a guy he still thinks it's just a person

then the angel sort of does this and

sort of looks at him and is staring

right into his eyes and this is the

moment when Gideon gets the first close

look at this man's eyes and I think he

starts realizing maybe this just isn't

some random person look at what he says

the Lord turned two men said go in the

strength you have and save Israel out of

midians hand am I not sending you but I

think at this moment Gideon starts

getting chills and he realizes what if

this isn't just a guy what if this is

something other than a person what if

this is an angel what if this is God

talking to me and so he says go take

what strength you have and just go and

I will help you you will save and save

Israel out of medians hands i'm sending

you now Gideon answers in verse 15 again

excuse me sir or pardon me my lord

Gideon reply but how can I save Israel

my clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I

am the least in my family that sound

familiar just like King Saul how can I

do this and I'm remember he's looking up

at this guy he's down they look at how

can I do this I'm from the smallest clan

in Israel apparently Manasseh was the

smallest and I am the loser of my family

anyone feel like you're from a messed-up

family and you're the loser that in the

name of Jesus we rebuke that title

because some people live with that fence

black sheep I'm the black sheep I'm the

rebel my brothers and sisters they're

good at school me oh well I'm good for

drinking you know or I'm good for

whatever i'm good for fighting or I'm

good for and you walk and you live your

life with this label on your forehead

that says I am the loser in Spanish

there's an interesting saying to be a me

siento me trata como ser o a la

izquierda un cero allies Kiera yeah it's

really hard just to swallow that means

in English they treat me like a zero and

not just any zero but a zero on the left

less than nothing so it's like go to the

zero and go left which you're in the

negative integers that's me you said all

I see are just some people live like

that Gideon felt that way how can I do

this I just can't do it that sense of

inferiority that sense of inadequacy I

just don't know if I can do what I'm

supposed to do I know my weaknesses and

failings now I want to say something and

this is where we're going to go with

this this is different from humility

humility is a good thing humility gives

you confidence inferiority or in

security is based on fear and cripples

us there's a difference between the two

see humility is good in fact anybody

that God will use he will humble you

first he will humble you before use you

pride goes when you know the proverb

pride goeth before a fall God will

humble those who uses he's done it with

all his great servants throughout

history Moses felt like he was going to

be a great leader but he even presumed

he killed an Egyptian to try to deliver

his people and be a great hero he grew

up in Pharaohs household and he had to

flee to the desert and live in the

desert for 40 years before he was humble

enough for God to use him some people

are too proud to be used by God there's

too much of them they've got a they need

some humble pie therapy they need to

touch bottom before God can use them

that ego that pride that self will needs

to be broken the Apostle Paul talked

about the thorn in his flesh you ever

heard of that he talked about how God

gave me great revelations of heaven but

to keep me humble God has given me a

thorn in my flesh to keep me humble

otherwise I would become too proud

anyone here have a thorn in your flesh

no no looking next to you you know any1

have a thorn in your flesh where you

feel that inadequacy no Peter you know

the story of the Apostle Peter when

Jesus said you're all going to going to

abandon me what did Peter say said I'll

never abandon you lord he was he was

cocky he was confident / self-confident

even if everyone else denies you I never

will and Jesus looked at min said Peter

before the Sun sets tonight you will

deny three times that you even knew me

he says no even if I have to die with

you see Peter needed some good failure

before he could be a great leader he

needed to be broken needed to be humble

I will guarantee anybody you know who

really

has power in the things of God who's

really used by God has been humbled by

God in some way you might not see what

they've gone through or what they're

going through but there's something that

God is using to Humble them or to break

them or to keep them humble because God

uses broken vessels I've heard of it

this way Jacob you heard the story of

Jacob in the Old Testament was a very

self-confident man who was very

deceptive he would do all kinds of he

was kind of tricky right there came a

moment when his tricks and problems

caught up with him and the angel of the

Lord I wonder if it was the same one

appeared to Jacob and they wrestled all

night you ever heard that story of Jacob

wrestling with an angel all night you

see for many of us when God calls us he

needs to wrestle with us cuz we are too

strong in ourselves and wrestling all

night and at the end of the night Jacob

wouldn't let go and he says I won't let

you go unless you bless me and the angel

said you have struggled with God and men

and Neville and have overcome so he

changed his name from Jacob to Israel

which means the one who struggles with

God but then God or the angel hit his

hip so that he was limping and the Bible

says as the Sun was rising that Jacob

was walking along with a limp and he

walked the rest of his life with a limp

for God to use us in some way we have to

walk with a limp we have to be broken we

have to be humbled but that is different

from being insecure you see insecurity

or fearfulness can lead us in some

terrible directions insecurities can

kill you it can kill you fear and

insecurity can turn you into a monster

it really can it is not humility

humility is good

it's based on fear of God in security is

based on fear of people fear of failure

fear of what if fear can be our greatest

enemy now I want to go back to Saul and

think about his life a little bit Saul

okay so are you with me I'm talking

about a lot of different stories right

so we're talking mainly about two kings

or king and a leader Saul and Gideon

both started their life insecure and

fearful but their lives ended in

radically different ways so Gideon went

on to be a great leader for God Saul

went on to be one of the worst tyrants

ever recorded in the Bible because he

didn't know how to handle his fears and

his insecurities if you wonder about the

dangers of fear and insecurity just ask

yourself have you ever had a boss or a

supervisor who is insecure now have you

ever had someone in authority over you

who is insecure and because of their own

insecurities they will cut off your head

if they need to to protect themselves

you ever done insecure people in

authority can be very dangerous that's

what happened with King Saul what

happened with him is he allowed his

fearfulness and insecurities to motivate

him to take things into his own hands

rather than to relax and trust God

there's an interesting story a little

later after Saul became king so you're

still with me I'm telling a lot of

stories today you with me Saul was

called to go to war and to do a great

battle and the prophet Samuel said

you've gotta wait for me until I come

and do the sacrifice so King Saul is

waiting and waiting and Saul doesn't

show up and he's waiting waiting waiting

people his men are starting to desert

and the enemy is right there and so in

his fear he said bring me the sacrifice

and he offered the sacrifice to God as

if offered the sacrifice would be a good

luck charm

rather than obeying God's instructions

Samuel comes and says because you have

disobeyed God God has rejected you as

king you see Saul in his fear and

anxiety he took things into his own

hands rather than taking a deep breath

and doing things God's Way have you ever

found in your own life that when we act

out of fear and worry and we act quickly

and we rush we make mistakes sometimes

we need to take a break take a deep

breath slow down and say what does God

want me to do I'm not going to act out

of my fears but I'm going to act out of

faith now things got worse for Saul

because later God called him to do

another battle and it's kind of a

confusing story that will study some day

but God called him to to fully destroy a

city that was a evil city that God was

using Israel as a instrument of judgment

against them and saw rather than

destroying everything he took some of

the best cattle and sheep and he took

them to an altar at the worship center

of Israel to do an offering a public

sacrifice for God on the way he stopped

just long enough to build a monument for

himself to build a monument in his own

honor and then he's going to do this

great sacrifice look at the great

victory I have achieved Samuel comes

along and said didn't God tell you to

destroy everything and sounds like yeah

I did I did then he says what is this

bleeding of sheep in my ears then what

is this lowing of cows oh well those are

for the sacrifice and Samuel site says

obedience is better than sacrifice what

do you think God is like a magic charm

that somehow you if you offer a

sacrifice it covers over all your

disobedience you see Saul viewed God as

a good luck charm that he could use

instead of Saul letting God be God and

make him great he tried to be great

himself and use god as a good luck charm

in the

process there are some people who use

church that way I was really like that

before i became a christian i used to

say rosaries every night right and i'm

not trying to criticize any religious

background going to it but I would do it

as a good luck charm especially if I had

a baseball game the next day and I

really wanted to win okay I'll say a

whole rosary it's not weird there's a

weird 14 year old and that says but i

was using religion as good luck right

Saul was like that and he was letting

his own insecurities motivate him to

seek to validate himself in

inappropriate ways build a monument in

his own honor try to make himself great

in the wrong way and then when David

came along and started having success in

battle King Saul became profoundly

envious and jealous of him because he

felt insecure no I got to keep him down

because here I've got to be the king and

out of his own insecurities he would be

competitive and political against David

and even tried to kill him sometimes

David would be playing the harp in an

evil spirit of jealousy would come upon

soul and he'd throw his spirit to the

wall and try to pin David to the wall

remember how we talked about a couple

weeks people with anger issues probably

shouldn't own a spear right because you

never know what you'll deal with it will

saul was like that so in his insecurity

he felt the need to keep other people

down he felt the need to be competitive

and be envious his life ends in a

terrible way he becomes an abuser and a

tyrant in Israel and a profoundly

dangerous person I believe many of the

dictators in countries that oppress

others are people who are very insecure

themselves or their group and they need

to bolster themselves by putting others

down thinking Saul did that now here's

where I'm going with this our

insecurities can be our fatal flaw if

we're not careful it can lead us

to be envious of others to be jealous to

be competitive it can lead us to try to

bolster ourselves in ways that are

inappropriate it can lead us to fight I

think a lot of the violence that happens

on the street as a result of insecurity

and sensitivity why did he look at me

that way why did he say that gotta fight

insecure now thank God there is another

path we can take Gideon instead of

building a monument to himself now I

want to go back to Gideon you know what

he did after this encounter with the

angel Gideon built an altar for God to

worship God and I want to challenge you

today instead of building a monument to

yourself to try to prove yourself focus

on building an altar so that you worship

God because Gideon realized I don't have

to be great if I worship a great God if

I'm insecure and fearful that's okay the

weaker the better the Apostle Paul said

I delight in my weaknesses because when

I am weak then I am strong i boast about

my weaknesses so that the power of

Christ can be manifest in me if you feel

weak if you feel inadequate then that is

a good thing because that means God can

be great and powerful in you you don't

have to be great you don't have to prove

yourself you don't have to fight because

you have a big scary God who is fighting

for you amen that is the key to

overcoming this weakness and this

fearfulness and this in security of

knowing i am not going to make myself

anything i am going to touch base with

god and let him be powerful through me

i'll let him be great through me you

know it's kind of weird the answer to

fear this is going to be very strange is

fear okay the answer to fear is fear

Gideon when he realized that the man he

was talking to was

angel of God he brought a sacrifice that

he put it he bought some food put it on

a rock it was consumed by fire and then

the guy disappeared and Gideon said I've

been talking to the angel of the Lord

face to face I'm gonna die and God said

don't worry you're not going to die you

see he realized this was God and he was

afraid that is a good fear it's better

to be afraid of God than of anything

else because when we fear God we fear a

God who is great and who is awesome and

who is thankfully on our side it's weird

jesus said do not be afraid of people

who can kill your body I'll tell you who

you should fear fear the one who can

throw body and soul into hell it's not

weird but if I'm afraid of God because

God is so awesome he's so big but I know

that that God is on my side he's behind

me then I don't have to be afraid of

anything else because you just gonna

have to deal with my my big brother

who's behind me here defending me that's

what King David said he said you come at

me with your spear and your armor

Goliath I come at you in the name of the

Lord Almighty whom you have defied this

day so I don't have to be afraid because

my god is a scary God and he's fighting

for me now i'm gonna i'm going to

dismiss our baptism people it's time for

you to go downstairs you just have to

catch this online because please I

getting to the happy part please I do

watch it online okay baptism people can

go downstairs Gideon learned that the

answer to his insecurities was to see

how big and awesome God was now I want

to look again at judges six judges

chapter six he built the altar and when

he built that altar and worshipped God

and he had an encounter with God he

named the altar something that I want to

focus on he named the altar jehova

sholom it says in at the end of judges

verse 6

or in judges 6 verse verse 23 the Lord

says peace you are not going to die and

Gideon build the altar and he named the

altar the Lord is peace when we know

that our God is awesome and that he is

with us then we can have peace because

it's not about me anymore it's about him

jehova sholom jehova sholom i invite you

when you feel like you are out of your

league when you feel like you just can't

do it to know that god will go with you

in whatever he's calling you to do and

he is an awesome scary God and there is

nothing that can come against you that

is scarier than him there is nothing

that you can challenge that is bigger

than him and so you go at it with a

confidence and a strength that is

courageous and is awesome now what I

have often found in my own life is that

sometimes God calls me to do the things

that I am most afraid of and you might

have that in your own life God may call

you to do things that you would least

expect you have to do things you think

you can't do and God will specifically

pick those things and put you in those

situations so that you learn that he is

bigger than your problems he's bigger

than your fears and that's what he did

with Gideon I want you to look with me a

judge's 634 and we're going to begin to

wrap it up with this although I need to

give them some time to change into their

robes down there Gideon 6 verse 34

Gideon said to God oh wait a minute oh

I'm in the wrong place sorry

734 no that's the wrong place to see

sorry well I'm just going to tell the

story then because I can't find it i

think i need new glasses here but Gideon

was called to go into battle after he

had this encounter with God right God

said the enemy's Midian and the

Amalekites came against Israel and God

said now is the time now is the time for

you to go into battle and the Bible says

that the Holy Spirit came upon Gideon

but he uses very interesting language

for it the type of anointing the word

that's used for it is it the Holy Spirit

clothed himself with Gideon the Holy

Spirit became Gideon almost kind of

clothed himself with Gideon and then

Gideon blew the trumpet and went into

battle and here's how I read that God

wants to do things on earth but he

chooses to clothe himself with people to

do it have you ever heard the phrase the

we are God's hands and his feet we are

God's mouth God looks for people that he

can work through and you become his

hands you become his feet now God could

just do it he could send an angel right

but for some reason he chooses to use

people to do great things in this world

he chooses to clothe himself with people

and that's what the spirit did with

Gideon he clothed himself with Gideon

it's night the the the the opposing army

covers the the hills like dick so many

camels it's just an amazing throng and

he's got 300 biggest losers with him and

he's got to attack the next day now God

knows that sometimes we're afraid

sometimes we don't know if we can do

what we're called to do so God says if

you're afraid in the middle of the night

I want you to take a walk Gideon go down

among the men and just wander around and

you're going to overhear some

thing that's going to encourage your

heart you ever seen there's a movie

about Henry the fifth a Shakespearean

play where where the king is wandering

among his men hidden that's what Gideon

was doing he just sort of wandered down

and he overheard a couple guys talking

and this guy's saying you're not going

to believe a dream I just had I dreamt

that a big enormous loaf of barley bread

roll down the hill and rolled into the

enemy camp and knocked over the enemy

tent and the ten fell down the guy says

it's got to be Gideon winning a great

victory what's up with a dream about

bread knocking over tents right but it

was all Gideon needed then he knew God

is speaking to me God is encouraging me

to go through with it see greatness and

obeying God isn't about being great it's

about being faithful it's about going

where you're supposed to go and doing

what you're supposed to do and if we put

ourselves at the right place obeying God

even though I feel like I can't do it

God promises I will meet you there my

power will be waiting for you right

there and I will channel through you and

great things will happen sort of like a

lightning rod no lightning is going to

strike the earth it doesn't just strike

the earth it looks for a conductor well

god is looking for conductors for people

who will be faithful where you will just

go where you're supposed to go do what

you're supposed to do and watch God move

through you so Gideon took his 300 men

and does anyone know the story did he

give them swords to fight with no no

he's okay guys here's what we going to

do for the battle you're going to take a

torch and they somehow had glass covers

for the torches made it kind of like a

lamp all right you can hold that in one

hand and in the other hand you're going

to hold a little shofar trumpet we got

300 of them here throw with your little

shofar and when I say a sword for the

Gideon for

for the Lord I don't want you to grab a

sword I want you to blow your your

trumpet so so so we've only got three

hundred guys unarmed guys and we're

gonna blow our little trumpets and we're

gonna win a battle you know Gideon had

asked a question at the beginning of all

this he said where is the god of the

exodus the God who delivered us from

Egypt the god who appeared on Mount

Sinai on Mount Sinai there was the sound

of trumpets blowing there was the sound

of thunder there was light flashing so

when he had these men break those

bottles and blow those trumpets he was

acting out the exodus he was saying the

presence of God is here the god of the

exodus where is he he's right here he's

the same God the same God that delivered

us from Egypt will give us the victory

in this battle it's not about me it's

about God and they did it and we know

the story all the enemy turned on each

other right there were two nations the

Amalekites the Midianites they turned on

each other they started fighting they

started killing each other and getting

with his 300 little guys that's when

they did pick up their swords and they

followed after the enemy it is

considered next to the exodus the

greatest military supernatural victory

in the history of Israel and in the book

it's talked about for the rest of the

Bible and here's where i'm going with

all of this God calls us to be like

Gideon and please not to be like Saul

when you feel like you can't do it when

you feel like there's all kinds of

reasons why you can't serve God the way

he's called you to do remember that God

calls you to just go and then he will

work through you to do great things so

instead of building a monument to prove

that I'm who I think I should be I can

build an altar and worship God and say

God it's not about my strength it's

about my weakness so that the power of

God can be manifest in me now we are

about to do a baptism here and in this

moment of baptism people are being

faithful to God

some people approached me and said I'm

not sure I'm good enough to get baptized

yet I'm not sure I'm good enough yet and

I tell you well do you believe in Jesus

as your Lord and Savior I mean if you

really given your heart to him you're

born again you believe in Jesus yes he's

forgiven your sins yes then you are

ready to get baptized

God's Providence - Chasing Donkeys, Stepping into our Destiny

Transformation through Fellowship

The Covenantal Nature of Love

First Samuel chapter 18 First Samuel 18

it's in the Old Testament in the

historical books go to Psalms and then

go left a few books and you'll get 1st

Samuel 18 and it's a book first and

second Samuel deal with King David among

other characters and as you know we have

been talking in recent weeks about the

idea of love what does it mean to be a

community of people what does it mean to

love one another for real not just in a

sentimental way but in a practical way

we walk through 1st corinthians and all

of those messages by the way are up on

the website you can there's a link there

to take you to a YouTube page where we

have those catalogued so I especially

would encourage everyone to listen to

sermons such as love is not rude now I'm

not saying you're rude but we should all

hear that message love does not delight

in evil but rejoices with the truth I

would want every member of this

community to hear that message these are

important seminole foundational messages

for us as a community of who we are of

what our spiritual church culture will

be but so I thought I was maybe moving

on from the concept of love but I think

I'm not quite done yet talking about

love so we're just going to keep going a

little bit and what I'd like to do is

look just briefly at a friendship in the

Old Testament famous friendship between

Jonathan and David the man who would

eventually become king david now next

week we're going to go into much more

detail about the dynamics of the

friendship and what it meant for them to

to love one another as friends we're

going to look at that much more detail

next week this week we're going to use

this as a launching pad for a particular

concept so we're going to read three

texts about this friendship between

Jonathan and King David and just so you

know Jonathan was the son of the king

that came before David he was the son of

King Saul he was supposed to be the next

king

but then God rejects all in his line and

chooses David and so you would expect

Jonathan and David to be enemies because

they're natural rivals but on the

contrary they become intimate friends

and committed to one another so we're

just going to read three texts about

their friendship and I'm going to ask

you two to try to figure something out

okay ready to do a little game here I

want you to look for a particular topic

a particular theme that is present in

every one of these texts okay you ready

to that First Samuel chapter 18 we'll

start with verse 1 2 3 it says after

David had finished talking with Saul

Jonathan became one in spirit with David

and he loved him as himself and from

that day Saul kept David with him and he

did not let him return to his father's

house and Jonathan made a covenant with

David because he loved him as himself

we'll go into more detail of that next

week skipping ahead to First Samuel

chapter 20 the next page for Samuel

chapter 20 verse 16 and 17 / Samuel 20

16 and 17 so Jonathan made a covenant

with the house of David saying may the

Lord call David's enemies to account and

Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out

of love for him because he loved him as

himself First Samuel 23 verse fifteen

through eighteen so next page first

samuel 23 well there's 15 18 now and

once you look for what comes up in all

three texts okay this is very tricky

very complicated First Samuel 23 verse

15 says while David was at whorish in

the desert of ziff he learned that Saul

had come out to take his life and Saul's

son Jonathan went to David at whorish

and helped him find strength in god

don't be afraid he said my father saw

will not lay a hand on you you

be a king over Israel and I will be

second to you even my father saw knows

this and the two of them made a covenant

before the Lord and then Jonathan went

home and David remained at whorish okay

now what did you hear in all three texts

the word covenant what I want to talk

about today is the coven ental nature of

love some of you are thinking what's a

covenant we'll get to that don't worry

but this for me is the framework in

which we should approach all of our

relationships let's pray together dear

God I pray that you would speak to us

today gotta thank you that you are a

covenant ill gotten you keep them lord I

thank you for the way you take care of

us and the way you have invested us God

with unique authority to make covenants

with one another and to love one another

in this way and that you honor the

covenants we make and so God I pray that

you would bless this reflection I pray

in Jesus name for simplicity for clarity

for anointing and God I pray that i

would live this out that we would live

this out amongst one another in our

homes and in all of society bless this

message speak to us Lord let the

Shepherd's voice be the one that your

people here in Jesus name Amen covenant

what I want to talk about today is that

covenants are written into the fabric of

creation itself just like we breathe air

if we're human we breathe oxygen in

order to be in relationship covenants

need to be part of that covenant oh love

Old Testament and New Testament God is a

covenant oh god I don't know what

Testament means ever wondered what does

Testament mean Testament means covenant

right it's a will it's the old covet

and the New Covenant the whole Bible is

about God's covenant to love for us and

how he calls us then to live that out

what I want to talk about today is that

loving people in a covenant away is part

of being human okay so let's start with

what in the world is a covenant what

does covenant mean what I'm going to say

is a covenant is a commitment we make

towards a person or a group that takes

God into account a covenant is an

agreement or a commitment that takes God

into account where I made promises to

you not just to you but to God who is

listening to those promises to and that

God then watches over how we behave in

our relationship towards one another a

covenant a covenant is an agreement in a

context that knows that it's not just

about me and you there is another who is

watching over us I am accountable not

just to you but to god there's a verse

where Jonathan says to David now he had

a real reason to make a covenant with

David we'll talk about this more next

week but after David becomes king what

could happen to Jonathan right Jonathan

knows God's going to make him King and

so he really wants to be sure that David

makes promises to him in the sight of

God so that he doesn't yeah okay so

let's read what Jonathan said to David

in First Samuel 2042 Jonathan said to

David go in peace for we have sworn

friendship with each other in the name

of the Lord saying the Lord is witness

between you and me and between your

descendants and my descendants forever

when we love people in a covenant away

it means the way I treat you is being

watched by God God is watching God cares

about what I say and do to you and that

means that it's a bigger relationship

it's a relationship not just with you

but with god as i connect to you so

covenants might be different right

some covenants may have economic

implications right you make a commitment

to pay a certain amount of money or

they're going to take the car away right

some of them are financial contracts

some of them might have family

implications or or affection or intimacy

into in terms of marriage covenants and

things like that some covenants are

conditional I and both parties need to

do their part some are unconditional

some covenants are bilateral some are

unilateral some covenants are good and

some are bad God makes it clear there

are some people you are not to enter

into covenant within a certain formal

way because it's only going to get you

in problems anyone ever signed a

document that afterwards you wished you

hadn't anyone gotten tangled up with a

business partner and later you're like

oops that was a bad idea bad covenant

God made it very clear to his people

when they went into the Promised Land do

not make covenants with the people in

that land they are they're just going to

drag you down so some covenants are

meant to be made formal some or not some

can be renewed I love it when when a

couple renews their wedding vows some

covenants can be revoked for whatever

for certain reasons if there are certain

violations some involve major

responsibilities that you're devoting

your whole life to a person and some are

much more limited in nature it's just an

arrangement or a commitment to do a

particular thing at a particular moment

there's different kinds of covenants but

what they all have in common is their

commitments that are made formally where

there are consequences where God is

watching or society is watching in some

way and that if the Covenant is not

fulfilled there's a problem so typically

a covenant has oaths and promises or

vows what I like to say to couples when

they're getting married before they say

their vows that a vow is a promise

you're not just making to the person but

you're making the God so your

faithfulness is not just to the person

but it's to God because you promised

both the person and God that you'll do

your part right so it's a it's that kind

of promise and it's a big it's a big

deal right anyone remember that if you

were married

once there you know what that's like do

you take this woman to be your lawfully

wedded wife to live together in the holy

estate of matrimony do you promise love

comfort honor and keep her and forsaking

all others to keep yourself only big

deal big promise big covenant that you

make in the sight of God now there's

other types of oaths and promises you

make right never sure if you've had to

give testimony in court you know before

you give testimony in court what do you

do raise your right hand do you swear to

tell the truth the whole truth and

nothing but the truth and do they still

say so help me God they still say that

right why because the whole idea could

take God out of the picture well then

who then what's the deal so even now

with everything they're trying to do our

society they can't do that because our

whole legal system is based on the

sacredness of an oath the sacredness of

a promise that you're going to tell the

truth and that we're going to use that

as evidence and so it's all based around

that the president takes an oath right

to preserve protect and defend the

Constitution of the United States and

his hands I'm the Bible still on the

Bible right it's still in a Bible you

know if they're making the the promise

right it's a vow I understand Sabharwal

lawyers take that do doctors take vows

we got some doctors floating around

doctors take vows of some sort that I

assume there's important stuff in that

vow I hope right I'll you doctors out

there that you'll do your best for us

right politicians civil servants we have

some police officers among us but I

won't point them out but police officers

take vows civil service exams

firefighters people who are serving

society make a promise that I will be

faithful to the community I'm serving

and it's an important promise it's a

promise they won't break because they

know or that they feel the importance of

because they're making it to God you

make a commitment you make a vow when

you sign a contract right you're signing

it and there are results if we violate

those vows right if we violate that

contract if you purchased a house or a

car there's all these scary documents

you have to sign

multiple times and there's people

witness and you sign it and there's

another one and another one another

you're like this feels really important

I'm starting to get nervous it starting

to get the feeling I can't back out of

this right yeah that's the idea it's an

important vow it's an important

commitment and there are consequences in

a covenant if the vow or the commitment

is violated there are our negative

consequences we already talked about a

financial contract you make a promise to

make certain payments and you get to

keep the car no payment no car right

unfortunately this way it worked

employment you you make as you sign a

contract you will fulfill certain

responsibilities and you get paid a

certain amount no work no job right

there's treaties there's that there's

consequences now usually these things

are so important the covenants have

ceremonies that come with them or

symbols or signs you make a wedding vow

and you wear this little ring around to

remember oh yeah yeah you're married I

say that to recent newlyweds getting

your brain formatted around the time

around the idea that you're not single

anymore might take a while right you've

got to look at that ring and remember oh

yeah don't forget to call don't forget

you know you're married right it's a new

way of thinking so you have a symbol to

remind you of the Covenant you made

there's other types of symbols it can be

as simple as a handshake right it could

be much bigger than that right there can

be there documents you sign we talked

about in the old world in the ancient

world when there was a covenant between

two countries they would often build a

pile of rocks and name it these rocks

are a testimony that we made a treaty

don't break the treaty and then they

would sit down you know what they would

often do is there cover dental ceremony

they would have a meal together isn't

that beautiful you know where the word

companion comes from this is in the lot

you know companion means con with pan

pond bread I on breaking breaking bread

together so a companion you break bread

together you have a meal a covenant

Emile the Lord's Supper is a covenant Oh

meal that we have with God where we eat

together with God

show that we're in a covenant ill

relationship with him there's all kinds

of symbol in the Bible how about a

rainbow right God makes a promise to

Noah and says I'm going to give you a

sign that you won't forget and that I

won't forget there's a rainbow in the

sky and every time I see the rainbow I'm

going to remember I'm not going to flood

the earth again like God needs to remind

himself right it's really more reminding

us that God is faithful to his promises

baptism right different types of

ceremonies are covenantal ceremonies

they're meant to be unforgettable if

it's a very important covenant having a

wedding usually there must be witnesses

they're watching you make this

commitment so when you try to wriggle

out of it there's people there's a I saw

you you signed or I saw you I was dinner

right next to you the whole idea of

witnesses yeah I did get married till I

was in I was in my mid 30s when I got

married I was in a lot of weddings

before I got married a lot a lot of

weddings I do all kinds of money on

tuxes all just tuxes okay whatever it

wasn't till my own that I realized the

importance of the witnesses that there

is a feeling that people are watching

that this is a public commitment that

you're making that promise not just to

the person but also to God but also to

that person's mom and dad also that

person's best friend also to all these

random people who are watching

commitment public covenants symbols

signs promises in the sight of God in

the ancient world in the Bible times now

the reason I'm talking about all this is

because the Bible is all formatted

around this idea of covenants now I'm

talking about a lot of theology here so

I can ask you to buckle in and stay with

me it's going to be important okay for

practical implications in the old world

Kings would make contracts in a very

interesting way a great king a powerful

King would make contracts with those who

became part of his empire lesser kings

that would have smaller dominions and it

would usually start with something

called they would follow a very specific

format for their contract between

it would start with a historical

prologue where one King would talk about

all the reasons why it's a good idea for

you to enter into this covenant because

I'm a good king I'm a powerful King I

can protect you I'm Abba nificent King I

didn't destroy you when I could have if

they would say these kinds of things so

it is to your benefit take on viene

estado en este pack though it is to your

benefit to be in this covenant

relationship and then they would usually

move on to the expectations that would

be on the vassal state or the lesser

King there were certain laws or

commandments that they would have to

follow in order to be inappropriate

relationship with the leading King and

they would often write these laws down

on tablets are there any bells going off

for you of places where laws in the

Bible are written on tablets well that

would happen between two kings they

would write down those laws and then

there would be certain blessings if you

keep this covenant if you obey these

laws there will be blessings the leader

king will protect you he will provide

for you he won't destroy you all kinds

of things and then there are curses

covenantal curses if you violate it so

they would go through this whole thing

and there would be a ceremony and

sometimes they would do this ceremony to

ratify the Covenant that would be so

vivid that you could never forget it you

ever heard the phrase to cut a deal we

cut a deal they cut a deal right you

ever wonder where that comes from I

believe it comes from the Bible it comes

from the Old Testament world where you

know what they would do to ratify the

governor this is kind of gross okay I

hope you haven't eaten just recently

right they would take animals they would

slaughter them they would cut them in

half and they would form an isle of the

cut pieces all that you know entrails

all the stuff you know it's messy it's

meant to be messy right the animals are

all lined up and the lesser King walks

through the parts and says if I violate

the terms of this covenant may I be like

one of these

whatevers that just things didn't go too

well for them it's a covenant it's a

self curse almost saying may I keep this

covenant or may I be like one of them so

it's a very severe thing unforgettable

and it's meant to shake them up a little

bit now this is going to become

important because God has this kind of

ceremony with Abraham at one point in

the Bible we're going to talk about that

a little later so there are covenants

now we see as I'm talking about this

laws a special bonded relationship the

whole Bible is about God entering into

this kind of covenant with the people of

Israel with Moses and there's a

historical prologue I am the Lord your

God who brought you up out of lead a jip

tout of the land of slavery you shall

have no other gods before me and God

gives them Commandments why just so

they'll obey a bunch of rules no so that

you will be my people and I will be your

God God is marrying his people he's

making a covenant with his people they

become one and it's a conditional

covenant if they violate the Covenant

and worship other gods they're going to

lose that privileged relationship

they're going to lose the land their

temple destroyed deported and that ended

up happening is you read the Bible so

God is a covenant Oh God a God who makes

promises and keeps them a God who makes

promises that are two way with people

you know it was even like that without

him and Eve wasn't it God blesses them

with the garden he puts them there he

provides for them but it was not

unconditional in the day you can have

this beautiful garden will have this

intimacy but there is one particular

tree the tree of the knowledge of good

and evil that's the one tree I don't

want you eating from right in the day

you eat of it you shall surely die

there's a covenant there's an agreement

that obviously is violated God makes

commitments I'd like you to go with me

to Genesis chapter 12 and I'd like you

to look with me at the Covenant that God

makes to Abraham it's the beginning of

it it goes on and on but Genesis chapter

2

says the Lord had said to Abram go from

your country leave your country your

people in your father's household and go

to the land that I will show you and

there are promises I will make you into

a great nation and I will bless you I

will make your name great and you will

be a blessing I will bless those who

bless you and whoever curses you I will

curse and all peoples on earth will be

blessed through you so Abram went as the

Lord had told him and he took his family

with him he was 75 years old how about

those promises I will make you into a

great nation and I will bless you anyone

attacks you and curses you I will curse

them I will fight your battles you give

up i will make your name great you'll be

famous through you and your descendants

all nations on earth will be will be

blessed God promises Abram of future a

destiny protection greatness provision

all kinds of blessings but it doesn't

come without something that Abram has to

do it's a two-way covenant right what

does Abram have to do for all this to be

fulfilled he's got to believe and go God

tells him you've got to leave home

you've got to leave your people your

father's household and go to the land

that I will show you he didn't even know

where he was going but he had to trust

that God was a faithful covenant Oh God

that God would fulfill his promises and

so Abram went God is a covenant to God

he enters into these relationships with

people throughout the Bible but there

was something that people had to do to

keep their part and if they didn't keep

their part there were consequences I

mentioned God's promise to the people of

Israel that if you you know I'm the Lord

your God you'll have no other gods

before me the first and most important

commandment and then he explains the

terms of the Covenant God gave them a

land he gave them a temple he gave them

his presence but he said if you violate

this covenant and worship other gods you

will lose everything I've given you and

you'll be deported to another land and

they were for

70 years God let their enemies defeat

them so God is a covenant Oh God and he

takes his covenants seriously that he

makes and we need to take his covenant

seriously too but there's another type

of of covenant that God makes and that's

what I want to talk about and then i'm

going to start bringing it home to how

we love one another some are wondering

okay what does this have to do with how

i love people and it's the Covenant it's

the concept of grace grace covenants see

all of these other covenants were

contingent on obedience God makes

promises and in order for those promises

to be fulfilled you must obey the rules

that God gives but God in His grace also

makes away so that even when people

violate the terms of the agreement he

picks up the penalty for them in other

words they don't do what they're

supposed to do there are consequences

and God finds a way to suffer those

consequences so that people can still

experience the blessings that were

promised remember how I talked about the

Covenant where they would separate the

animals and they would cut them right

and all the the person would walk

through God told Abram one night I want

you to take animals cut them put them in

pieces form an aisle and in the middle

of the night there was a deep darkness

that fell over Abram he fell into a deep

sleep and then he kind of has this

trance and he wakes up and he has a

vision he sees a flaming fire pot with

sort of a pot with with smoke coming out

of it remember I made that though I

won't repeat I was teaching this to my

kids once and my daughter was asking so

there was so God was smoking pot or

something kind of like no it was a

smoking pot God was a smoking pot any

what and thankfully she doesn't know

what that means but there's a smoking

pot that appeared along with a torch of

fire so there were two columns a column

of fire and a column of smoke and Abram

is there and God appears to him by the

way where else do we see a column of

smoke and a column of fire when God took

them out of Egypt he appeared to them as

a

pillar of fire in a pillar of smoke so

Abram is watching this and then God

makes promises to him your people will

be enslaved but I will take them out of

slavery I'll bring them to this land I

will give them this land and then

something amazing happens the the fire

the smoking pot and the burning torch

move through the pieces now can you see

how that is a shocking thing never in a

treaty or a covenant would the greater

King walk through the pieces it was

always the lesser king who would walk

through the pieces saying if I disobey

you can do this to me well God said I'm

going to do your part of this deal I'm

going to keep your part of the Covenant

and God Himself passes between the

pieces as if to say if the Covenant is

violated God is saying may I be broken

and bleeding as a consequence now the

covenant between God and Abram and then

God and Moses a little later is violated

and what happens to make it possible for

us to be forgiven the Bible says the

penalty of sin is death that is the

consequence of sinning of breaking the

eternal covenant with the eternal God

death and God says I will take the

penalty of your disobedience on myself

Jesus when he was at the Last Supper

said this wine is the this is the cup of

the New Covenant in my blood jesus said

this is my covenant my body broken for

you it's broken separated for you God

took the curse for us God enters into a

covenant with people that has an element

of grace grace means that God shows

favor on you even though you don't

deserve it grace means God doesn't just

give me he doesn't just not give me what

I deserve the punishment but he even

gives me the good I don't deserve but it

doesn't come without a cost

there needs to be death and sacrifice

God is a coven mental God now here's

where I'm going with this our

relationship with God can be based on

the assurance that God is faithful that

God makes promises and God will fulfill

those promises I can count on him no

matter what even if I am faithless God

remains faithful because he cannot deny

himself even when I sin and blow it God

is still there for me God made promises

you know I discovered something when I

was reading in Jeremiah chapter 31 about

the new covenant listen to this about

the new covenant you don't have to turn

there but Jeremiah 31 says the days are

coming declares the lord when i will

make a new covenant with the people of

Israel with the people of Judah it won't

be like the Covenant I made with their

ancestors when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt because they

broke my covenant though I was a husband

to them declares the Lord this is the

Covenant I will make with the people of

Israel after that time declares the lord

I will put my law in their minds and I

will write it on their hearts I will be

their God and they will be my people no

longer will someone teach his neighbor

saying no the Lord because they will all

know me from the least to the greatest

declares the Lord for I will forgive

their wickedness and remember their sins

no more and you know what's something I

noticed afterwards in the next part of

the text it says this it says this is

what the Lord says he who appoints the

Sun to shine by day who decrees the moon

and the stars to shine by night who

stirs up the see that its waves roared

lord almighty is his name only if these

decrees vanished from my sight declares

the Lord will Israel ever cease being a

nation before me isn't it amazing that

Israel is still a country after 5,000

years it's still there most nations from

5,000 years ago no longer exist Israel

still exists God is faithful to his

covenant no matter what he will come

through for his people maybe you are

someone who is painfully aware of the

ways you have failed

I hope we all are because none of us is

perfect we all have sinned and fall

short of the glory of God we can know

God is faithful to me not because of

anything I have done because I have

broken the Covenant but God is faithful

to keep my end of the Covenant for me he

is a faithful God he is a coven until

God just like he put the rainbow in the

sky and said I'll never flood the earth

again God says I am with you I will

never forsake you God is a covenant till

God now here's where I'm going with this

all right jesus said some amazing things

to his disciples after he washed their

feet and talked about the Covenant in

his blood jesus said in the same way I

have loved you so also you are to love

one another just like God is a coven

ental God and keeps his promises and it

shows grace we are to love people

covenant alee firmly in the sight of God

with a sense of commitment and sacrifice

we owe every person what the Bible calls

a debt of love listen to this in Romans

13 8 it says no let no debt remaining

remain outstanding among you except the

continuing debt to love one another for

whoever loves others has fulfilled the

law I owe you love I owe you love I have

a continuing debt to love you two love

each person that God has put in my life

now some people don't believe this

because they never signed a contract to

love right as some people you never

signed a contract saying I promise to

love Greg except for one of you you know

there's one of you that did that but not

another the rest of you whoever's behind

the Contras saying I have to love you

you know there's an interesting dialogue

that God had with a man named Cain the

beginning of the Bible you know the

story Adam and Eve cast out of the

garden they have two sons Cain and Abel

there's jealousy between them God is

pleased with Abel's offering not with

canes he's jealous he invites him out to

the field kills him God comes to Cain

and says Kane where is your brother Abel

how does Kane answer anyone remember the

answer what am I my brother's keeper I

don't remember signing a contract that

saying on my brother's keeper is that my

responsibility don't to watch out for my

brother yes he is your brother it

doesn't have to be an explicit covenant

it is an implicit covenant it comes with

the very nature of being a brother that

you are responsible for him you have a

duty to love him as opposed to the

opposite of killing you see there are

covenants that are implicit that you

never signed a document but you're

responsible anyway right I have the

honour sometimes of accompanying people

to their naturalization ceremony when

they become citizens praise God we have

many immigrants in our church I'd say

this group is about half immigrants some

of you have had the experience of going

and becoming a citizen and there's a vow

they have you take remember some of you

had to do it it's kind of a scary Val

you're promising really to fight wars it

sounds good but part of it is i abjure

or i renounce political loyalty to other

nations in favor of my loyalty to this

nation now they're having people make

that promise so that if there's a war

with the nation you came from you won't

fight for the right you could see why

that is right so let's say I've never

taken that vow I was never a naturalized

that I was just born in Connecticut kind

of blurring right is Connecticut run in

Connecticut there's no palm trees no

beaches no Connecticut House but I never

took a vow promising to be a citizen but

I am one by birthright praise praise the

Lord now does that mean because I never

took that vow that if there's a war and

I just decide you know say we go to war

with I can't take a country because

everyone's here from somewhere i went

there any country we're not from let's

say we go to war with canada i know we

got a few random canadians floating

around but I

say that lets say we decide okay war

Canada we really want we really want

that what's that Island were in of Green

Gables you know prince edward island we

want Prince Edward Island for our own

vacation spot we go to war with them and

let's say i decide i really like canada

I is it ok I never took the oath can I

go fight for Canada right you put but I

didn't sign anything there's an implicit

covenant by being a citizen you are

automatically responsible for certain

things well here's where I'm going with

this by being human it comes with your

humanity that you are and I am my

brother's keeper I have an implicit

covenant with each person on the face of

this earth when I encounter a human

being I am responsible to love that

human being but even my enemies like

didn't either with what did Jesus say

about the enemies shall love your

enemies pray for those who persecute you

bless those we are called till then now

some people ask that question but wait a

minute you know Jesus brought this up

again he said you shall love your

neighbor as you love yourself and there

was a lawyer in the crowd I don't know

if we have any lawyers among us but

there was a lawyer in the crowd said I'm

supposed to love my neighbor well I live

on a big street got a lot of neighbors I

don't like some of my neighbors who

exactly is my neighbor no now why does

he ask that question is he really

concerned about because I really want to

love my neighbor now why does he ask

that question he's trying to get out of

it by saying that how do you define who

my neighbor is he can't really defies

the person one house over two houses

over the whole street is the whole town

because you can't define it well then

I'm off the hook I don't really have to

do anything you know what Jesus does he

turns it around on him he tells a story

remember the story Jesus tells that

lawyer it's a story of a particular

person who was on a trip going to some

Jericho of course he was on the road to

Jericho he gets beaten up he's left for

dead he's mugged a priest and levite

passed by and ignore him and

hated despised Samaritan walks by and

has mercy on him takes care of him

brings him to the hotel washes his

wounds pays for them even when he goes

on business as I'll cover anything else

that happens and then at the end he asks

who was a neighbor to the person who was

beat up as well as the one who had mercy

on him but wait a minute that wasn't the

question he asked the question wasn't

who can I be a neighbor to the question

who is my neighbor Jesus says you're

asking the wrong question you're looking

to get a run away with the minimum to

get out of it to find a loophole Jesus

saying it should be different it should

be looking for opportunities to be a

neighbor any person God puts in my path

at that moment is my neighbor now you

can't take care of everyone in the world

of course we could take care of a lot of

people who can do a lot of good if we're

asking the right questions if we're

saying God who can I help who can I love

who can I serve today not just here but

in other countries of the world what can

I do and when a person is willing and

says to whom can I be a neighbor God

will pour out the the riches of heaven

on those people to be an amazing

neighbor to people they may be never

even met before who can I be I know I'm

in covenant with people I my brother's

keeper and I have a responsibility in

the sight of God to love people because

God loved me in that way he loved me

with grace he loved me covenant alee

okay now I want to talk about this a

little bit though because when I say

that you are in covenant with all people

I'm not saying that all of your

relationships with all people are

exactly the same right right everybody

is my neighbor but not everybody is my

wife amen it's pretty important to get

that straight folks pretty important

because there are some people who take

care of everybody else except the one

you've actually promised but

or you know just gotta get our even

within a family there are levels of

responsibility with levels of covenants

that we've made and that's okay the

Bible says for this reason a man will

leave his father and mother and cling to

his wife they'll become one flesh

primary this person is my number one

loyalty but we're to honor our mother

and father so that will live long in the

land and if we don't honor them were

worse than an unbeliever so there are

different responsibilities with even

within a family right you know often

we'll talk about this now even though we

have to give a hundred percent to take

care for those of you that have children

or taking care of kids that you've

adopted or that you're watching out for

we are responsible we're responsible to

take care of children because they can't

take care of themselves but the number

one person in your heart and affection

should be the spouse that's number one

the kids who comes like and ill get me

wrong I'm not say that your spouse is a

grown-up they should be able to feed

themselves I'm not saying that you don't

take you do take care of them but it's

we go through this every year when our

anniversary we ditch our kids for a

night so that we we steal away it's now

it's winter its snowy it's sub-zero and

we usually go to Maine so it's not like

we're you know having again it's not

like we're at a beach so yeah but for a

night and every every year is the same

thing those that look from the kids as

we're dumping them with great bachata

and gchat Grandma and Grandpa and

Japanese we're ditching them they're

there they're just and they're giving us

those puppy-dog eyes how can you do this

to me don't you love it's like mommy and

daddy got out of this it's hot okay now

I'm talking about marriage a lot but in

other relationships we have different

levels of relationship and God cares

about it Jesus himself had different

circles of intimacy with people right

there were the multitudes but he also

had the 70 that he sent in a special way

he had the 12 that he chose within the

12 he had three that he was especially

close to and I get the impression that

within the three he was close as friends

with John does that mean that Jesus

doesn't love me because I'm part of the

multitudes no not at all as a human

though there had to be circles of

intimacy so we're not talking about

everything being exactly the same

towards everyone but there is something

that is exactly the same towards your

spouse and your employer and the person

that you just bump into in the elevator

at work every single one of those people

is a human being created in the image of

God and you have an implicit coven ental

responsibility before God to love that

person in some way and God is watching

that's the same it revolutionizes the

way we see our different relationships

it can revolutionize how you approach

your job because you're responsible not

just to work for your boss but to love

your boss didn't isn't that taught about

in the book of Colossians serve your

boss as if you're serving who Jesus

himself she'd love you but in your job

how about the client you serve let's say

your job is to fix cars I hope you fixed

that car as if it were your mother's car

do you love your clients do you love the

people you work for now here's a toughy

sometimes okay love your boss that's a

that's a real tough one loving your

clients I think most people although

it's not so easy to work with the public

view work did a cash register people are

obnoxious to you right they don't see

you as a human sometimes they just see

you as you worked at a cash register

people just feel like they have a right

to be obnoxious to you called to love

each person across that's amazing it's

like how can that be it's even harder

though to love your coworkers how about

that one when there's office politics

and dynamics and they're difficult

they're out to get me there are two stab

me that happens with all of us in any

work setting there's toxic stuff there's

politics i am called coven entally to

love my coworker also doesn't mean i

can't look for a new job it took if you

could look for a new job if it's awful

but I'm just saying that we approach the

people around us in society as well

right how about our leaders we are

called i'm going to say not just to

honor we are called to love our governor

our president our mayor our selectmen

police fire department all to love them

and honor them pray for your leaders and

key

in those roles are called to to love

those they serve and God will hold them

to account there in a covenantal

relationship with society when they fail

that relationship God will deal with

them with that injustice how do we treat

people in society the Bible talks a lot

about the fatherless the widow the

Sojourner among you we are responsible

as we jesus said I was hungry and you

fed me I was sick and you took care of

me I was in prison and you came to visit

me trade know that you were visiting

someone in prison you're visiting Jesus

himself because you are covenantal

irresponsible to that person we should

view and it's an awesome thing when I

know that every person that comes in my

sphere God is watching and God cares

about how I treat them I'm covenant God

takes our covenant seriously in the Old

Testament when they would make covenants

they would use a phrase they would see

they would say may God deal with me be

it ever so severely and then they would

fill in the blank if I don't do XY and z

there's a feeling of responsibility you

know God has given us as human beings an

awesome power to make promises and keep

them and even if we make sometimes not

so smart promises by keeping them we

honor God you know there's a case in the

Old Testament where God has explicitly

commanded the people do not enter into

covenant with the nations of the

Canaanites that I'm going to do well

there was one Canaanite nation that knew

they were in trouble they were called

the Gibeonites and so they tricked the

Israelites and what they did they put on

old clothes they had moldy food and they

came pretending like they come from far

away and they asked Joshua to make a

covenant with them Joshua forgot to pray

the way he normally did they didn't seek

the Lord and they entered into a

covenant with them and then the next

week they discover wait a minute those

were Canaanites I'm were supposed to

make war on them we're not supposed to

make agreements with them but God said

not anymore you made a promise to them

you need to keep it

now hundreds of years later there was a

king king Saul Jonathan's father will

come back to that who made war on the

Gibeonites and God even hundreds of

years later remembered know you made a

promise you're violating it and so

because of that famine on the land God

takes our covenant seriously when we

interact with people coven entally when

i know i am going to treat this person

with love because god loves this person

and when I do it unto them I do it unto

God God is with us he is our witness

when I approach a person coven entally

and I say I am this person's brother and

I am my brother's keeper when I say I am

this person's neighbor and I will be a

neighbor to this person God is

witnessing now in order to witness

something by definition the witness is

present when we love in this way God is

present Jesus is there witnessing and

watching us god is love if we live in

love we live in God and God in us this

is how to cultivate intimacy with God

very often we talk about fast and pray

and read the Bible we're big believers

in that I hope you fast i hope you pray

i hope you read the Bible but loving one

another is the most powerful thing you

can do horizontally speaking to

cultivate the anointing of God in your

life when we love one another coven

entally God's power flows through us and

gives us the ability to do it wisely

powerfully and even with spiritual gifts

I really believe that when there is an

attitude of love in a community and

there is proper prayer and faith that

powerful miraculous gifts are unleashed

and I believe that is what God wants for

us here I'm going to invite the

musicians to come on up but I invite you

we talk about renewing vows in a wedding

or renewing a contract each of us has an

implicit covenant or responsibility to

the people around us I'm going to invite

you as we close this prayer time to

renew your covenant with God and with

the people around you

now this may have hit some very

sensitive chords because you may have

experienced some pain and some covenant

ille relationships god bless you some

covenantal relationships you've been in

know that God is a God of grace that he

is with you that he is there to empower

you to love your neighbor as you love

yourself we can do this guy's we can do

it we won't do it perfectly but we can

do this with God's power and Jesus can

shine through us as we do so I'm gonna

invite you to stand with me and let's

pray and we're going to pray and just

renew this sense of responsibility

before the Lord next week we'll talk

more specifically about Jonathan and

David but here it's just the idea that

goes behind a covenant ille relationship

and friendship god I thank you that you

are a coven ental god I thank you God

that your love for us is not just

sentimental God that it's not just

feelings but that you promise to be

there for us in the good times and the

bad times when we are pleasing to you

and also when we do things that

displease you I think that you have made

a promise to be our God and to forgive

us through Jesus Christ thank you that

you are a covenantal god and lord I pray

in Jesus name God that you would

revolutionize the way we view the people

around us God that we wouldn't just see

them as part of the scenery or it's just

or even worse as dangerous contaminants

to be protected against but that we

would see each person as a human being

made in your image to whom we are

responsible in your sight god I pray

that we would love people because of you

and through you and by your power and in

the name of jesus lord I pray in Jesus

name that you would help us especially

in the relationships where there is much

pain and maybe we've had to even

withdraw to protect ourselves in

different ways god I pray that even in

those complicated situations

that our heart could still have a

posture of love and forgiveness even in

the midst of the complexity of the evil

around us Lord father I pray Jesus that

you would enable us God to show love in

every level of the relationships of our

lives Lord God for our family for our

friends for the people in our church but

also God for the stranger God also for

the people who are far away and who are

suffering god I pray that we would be

before you as we love them and as we do

god I pray that you would be present not

just to witness what we're doing but to

empower what we're doing that you would

give us wisdom to love that you would

give us power to love Lord God and the

ability to love I pray God that this

church would be a coven ental community

Lord God it would be a place of profound

security God because we know that you're

our God and that we can count on you but

I pray also God that it would be a place

where people feel secure because they

know they can count on one another Lord

God they know that people will be

faithful to one another Lord because of

you I pray that this place would be a

refuge Lord Jesus a community into which

people can come and let down their guard

and find healing because love is in this

place because of you the people could

come as they are God with all their

brokenness with all their complexities

even with their prickly edges God and

they could experience grace because you

have kept both ends of the Covenant for

us Lord God let your love rain in this

place God that we would love because you

first loved us God that we would love as

Jesus loved us Lord don't let it be let

it be Lord send your spirit in your

power so that this could become a

reality in our lives in Jesus name Amen

you

Love - A Life that Counts

now they might you to open up to first

Corinthians chapter 13 we're going to be

kind of wrapping up something that we've

been talking about lately as you know

the past few months we've been talking

about what it means to be a community

what it means to be together is the

people of God specifically we've been

talking about the concept of love what

does love mean that the world has

sentimentalized love and in so doing has

cheapened it the love of God is

something strong it's something awesome

something powerful something with

backbone to it something that changes

lives and changes the world and that is

what we have been talking about and so

we're going to be kind of wrapping up

this little section out of first

Corinthians 13 but we are going to keep

talking about what it means to be a

community but we're going to read the

last section actually you know we'll do

since we're wrapping it up will read

from the beginning of first Corinthians

13 and and we'll start in the verse

right before 1st Corinthians 13 which is

first Corinthians 12 verse 31 and then

we'll end will spill over into 1st

Corinthians 14 verse 1 because it's all

part of a unit there okay so first

Corinthians 12 31 says eagerly desire

the greater gifts gifts of the Spirit

will talk about that and now I will show

you the most excellent way 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 it 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 but

where there are prophecies they will

cease where there are tongues they will

be stilled where there is knowledge it

will pass away for we know in part and

we prophesy in part but when perfection

comes the imperfect disappears when I

was a child I talked like a child I

thought like a child I reasoned like a

child when I became a man I put childish

ways behind me now we see but a poor

reflection as in a mirror then we shall

see face to face now I know in part then

I shall know fully even as I am fully

known and now these three remain faith

hope and love but the greatest of these

is love follow the way of love and

eagerly desire spiritual gifts and

especially the gift of prophecy let's

pray dear God I thank you that you have

been speaking to us over the past

several weeks about what love is really

about and God we're just scratching the

surface Lord like your word says we're

going to need a spiritual revelation to

open the eyes of our heart to see how

wide and and and long and high and deep

is the love of God that surpasses all

knowledge God I pray that we would spend

our lives studying what it means to love

the people around us god and that we

would become experts in this if there's

one thing we get right in life let it be

this God speak to us i pray lord i pray

that as we as we look at what you were

speaking in the original context and

what you speak to us god that your voice

would speak to each one of us it will be

the voice of the shepherd

speaking to our heart and it will become

part of us so be here with us we pray in

Jesus name Amen amen first Corinthians

13 we normally like I said last week

read this chapter where do you often

hear this chapter read often you hear in

weddings right and that is great every

wedding should read this people should

memorize it that's good right but the

original context of this was not talking

about weddings the original context was

in a church where they were experiencing

the power of the Holy Spirit there were

experiencing gifts of the Holy Spirit

and many people through their own

immaturity were misusing those gifts and

the Apostle Paul is showing them a more

excellent way of approaching life the

Holy Spirit is speaking to people saying

you've got a wrong perspective here and

so he teaches them about what it means

to approach life and ministry and people

from a disposition of love what does

that really mean and so it talks about

that all through this chapter and as the

Apostle Paul gets rolling in the spirits

anointing him to write this he just gets

into this poem about what love really is

love is patient love is kind and it's

beautiful we lose ourselves in it and we

have lost our self in it for quite some

time haven't we well now he's starting

to bring us back to the original context

in which he's writing that it's all

about how we connect to the people

around us in the context he's writing at

church and the key verse that

transitions it is in verse 8 love never

fails powerful verse isn't it it's sort

of a an exclamation point at the end of

this poem love is patient love is kind

at the end it always protects always

trusts always hopes always perseveres

love never fails you can see him

pounding the pulpit right praise God

love is powerful talks about how love

makes you powerful love is where your

authority comes from in life and it

talks about all the specific elements of

love that make us powerful people people

who could really make a difference in

the world around us talk to

love is patient and love is not easily

angered it keeps no record of wrongs

love bears all things for me that talks

about how love has a power to cancel the

negative energy around you not to get

all new agey or anything on us here but

how many of us know that sometimes the

atmosphere you move in is negative you

ever been in a negative environment you

ever been in a workplace where you have

to walk on eggshells because everyone's

biting each other in the back just

having negative energy you ever been in

a home that feels toxic sometimes where

you can't say or do anything right where

there's tension where there's anger well

love has the power to defuse the

negative energy in the air it's like a

magic pill that you drop it explodes and

dis diffuses neutralizes all the stink

in the air rapid you love works when

love is patient it's like that shock

absorber that absorbs it and diffuses it

and puts it on the cross love keeps no

record of wrongs love forgives love

doesn't hold the resentment have the

list of everything you've done to hurt

me love is slow to get angry it has the

long fuse and it's quick to forgive I'd

encourage you we have the sermons on all

of these up on the web page I encourage

you to take a look at it that love is

patient now not just canceling the

negative but love is powerful because

love has an ability to emit a I don't

want to get too weird on us here but

love when we have a loving attitude and

loving actions we change the

environments in which we move our homes

our workplaces our cities become more

positive because love is also kind love

is not rude love is not self-seeking and

it does things the loving energy changes

the atmosphere in the environment in

which you move I've used this

illustration before because I love it so

much but just imagine if our homes or

our workplaces that if all of the lights

were equipped with a dimmer switch and

every time

unloving words are spoken the lights dim

a little bit and every time loving words

are spoken they shine brightly imagine

that no well that's the way it is in the

spirit the Holy Spirit is grieved by the

lack of love and the holy spirit

rejoices when love is spoken and lived

in an environment we have the ability as

ambassadors of God to come into dark

places and let his light shine through

us it's an amazing thing love gives us

strength very often we thinking about

love as a feeling as sort of a

sentimental feeling you know the poetry

and the in Spanish the court ave la

poesía you know you've got the the

really depressing Pablo nehru the poetry

about how miserable they are because

love isn't working out whatever you got

you know that's fine that's beautiful

it's nice and gut-wrenching everyone

should read it but love is more than

just a feeling love has backbone love

does not delight in evil but rejoices

with the truth we talked about how love

is not a blind tolerance and acceptance

of everything around us that love

rejoices with the truth real love

doesn't mean that anything goes no we

talked about that when we talk about how

love does not delight in evil but

rejoices with the truth love has

backbone to it it has strength to it it

bears all things it endures all things

it's like a roof that won't cave in

because it's well-built it's like a

person with strong shoulders that can

bear a burden over the long haul a

person who says I will never give in I

will never give up because I love you

and I am here and I am not going

anywhere that's love that's love that's

that's what that vow so that's what that

commitment is and how do we do that

because love always hopes and love

always has faith that God is here and

he's able to make it work and I'm not

going to give up I'm gonna believe that

there is hope even for the likes of you

and me faith love sees people through

the eyes of faith we talked about that

last week how Jesus didn't just see a

tax collector or a sinful woman or a

prostitute he saw a woman who was going

to preach the gospel to thousands in her

town he's

a man who was going to write a gospel

instead of via tax collector Jesus had a

love that saw with eyes of faith love

makes us strong the word in the Greek

for love never fails is actually love

never falls that's the literal use of it

love never falls which is interesting

it's the word for fall is very rarely

used in a symbolic way talks about

falling away from it so it's giving the

image of somebody who's standing and

will not get knocked over there's a

strength to it there's a love that

persevere there's a love that just won't

give up on anything now it's also a

transitional verse love never falls or

it never falls away because then it goes

on to talk about other things in life

that are transient that our temporary

love is the one thing that will last not

just in this life but into the next have

you ever asked yourself the question is

what I do meaningful what is the purpose

of my life why do i do what i do there's

a great illustration that some writers

have used I think it was Stephen Covey

who talked to us some people spend their

whole life climbing the corporate ladder

and then they're at the top of the

ladder just to realize that the latter

was against the wrong wall why was I

climbing I'm climbing up a wall I don't

want to be against this wall where am I

no we don't want to come to the end of

our lives when it's time to die and

realize that we had never lived right

and isn't that what what another 19th

century poet said the whole idea is to

live our lives in a way that counts and

by the way can people hear me okay is

there is there a little echo or

something rear right no okay that's cool

just want to check on it I'm just not

used to wearing my astronaut apparatus

so trying to get used to this here so we

want to live our lives in a way that is

meaningful this text is saying that love

lasts love is eternal in nature it never

ends it will not pass away we think

about what has value in life when it

comes that our time to to pass from this

life and as some of you know I do a lot

of funerals in this church you know that

is sort of become my kind of Fame the

funeral guy and that's all right I'm

honored because in every funeral we

remember what really matters in life

does it really matter how much a person

earned how much is in their bank account

how much stuff they have does it matter

how many books they've written or how

famous they are does it matter even how

many people like them and how popular

they are at the end of the day what will

make my life meaningful I'm glad we have

young people here today young adults

because this is a question to ask now

now before you have gone out and wasted

20 30 40 years they ask if you're

already on the other end of those 20 or

30 or 40 years it's okay it's not too

late we can make a cow still but now is

the time to ask that question what am I

about as a person now and I don't want

to replace worldly achievement with

religious achievement right a person

could be very active in church and we're

going to see with the Corinthians hear

it even be very apparently spiritual and

still be wasting their time look at how

Corinthians begins if I speak in the

tongues of men and of angels but have

not love I'm only a resounding gong and

a clanging cymbal if I have the gift of

prophecy can fathom mysteries and all

knowledge and a faith that can move

mountains and have not love I'm nothing

even if someone is altruistic if I give

all I possess to the poor but I don't

have love I gain nothing God isn't going

to even judge your life based on what

you did for him it's why we do what we

do that makes it count it's possible to

be very active religiously and still be

missing the boat now I want to talk

first about the idea of spiritual gifts

because that's the context that Paul is

writing to you see the corinthians were

a very spiritual people God had given

them all kinds of spiritual powers

spiritual gifts and they were very in

by these gifts now I want to talk about

what spiritual gift means some people

might be asking the question what does

spiritual gift mean in the first place

when we're talking about spiritual gifts

we're talking about special spiritual

powers given to people to do things in

God's name you're going to see the youth

when we when we finish here they're

going to set up all these decorations

with superhero decorations they're doing

a superhero series well the spiritual

gifts kind of make you a superhero in

some way they give you some special

power a spiritual power to serve God I

really believe this folks now I know

this might sound crazy but I believe God

does miracles he does spiritual things

that are beyond our natural ability to

do in this chapter it says that some

people have the ability to speak in

tongues what is that all about why they

talk about tongues gross no no speaking

tongues means the ability to pray or

speak in a language that a person

doesn't even understand what they're

saying the Holy Spirit is enabling them

to speak or enabling them to pray now

then someone else might have the

spiritual power to translate what

they're saying and give a message or

maybe not maybe they're just going to

pray and worship with their spirit in a

language they don't even know isn't that

wild I never forget the first time I

heard that I was 16 years old I was

visiting a Pentecostal church in Cape

Cod and I was raised Catholic nice and

quiet right follow the liturgy and I'm

in this Pentecostal church I was a

little uncomfortable with all the

singing and all the emotionalism but

they talked a lot about the Bible they

seem to be people who really believed

what they talked about and I was

impressed i'll never forget one day near

the end of a sermon i started to feel

something strange I didn't know what I

was feeling and I'll never forget I felt

I felt moved I felt something unusual

and I'll never forget looking down at

the ground 16 years old thinking what is

going on in this room right now and then

the sermon ended and there was a quiet

and a woman stood up and started talking

in another language

and I thought you know she was latinas I

thought it must be Spanish it was an

awfully long time ago obviously I didn't

know what she was saying but I felt

something as she talked and then there

was quiet for a few minutes or for a few

seconds I should say and then and then

she spoke a message in English that now

I know was an interpretation of what she

had just said in some unknown language

and she gave a message and I just found

myself crying and I was like wow this is

for real God is right here see my view

of God was someone very far away not

someone that close I was witnessing the

gift of tongues and the gift of prophecy

where a person was translating the

message and delivering a message from

God for the people and it and it touched

my heart and it helped me begin to

change my world view and become a

Christian eventually so that's what

we're talking about here and I asked my

cousin about this who brought me I said

what was that all about and he says oh

well they were speaking in tongues and I

was like what what's what's that what

language was it because I don't know it

could have been any language or maybe

some angelic language and I'm like what

and then my next question was why why

would God even do that but then it

occurred to me that God is bigger than

my brain right so maybe our spirits can

pray and speak in ways that are above

our intellect supra intellectual not

anti-intellectual but beyond our ability

to understand and they just do something

in the spiritual realm and I thought

that's powerful and then we read here

the gift of prophecy is also mentioned

if I have the gift of prophecy in verse

2 and can fathom all mysteries and all

knowledge in other words there's a gift

of the Spirit where God gives people the

understanding to understand things that

God is saying that our mysterious that

they would have no way of knowing

otherwise and I've witnessed this too

I've had people come up to me and say

Greg you know I was praying for you and

this and that the other thing and they

tell me all these things

that I'm going through that they would

have no way of knowing and I'm like how

did you know that you you check my

emails you hiding on me you know in

order then you start getting a little

nervous like what else do they know you

know the gift of prophecy that God gives

people the ability to know some things

and to and to encourage people and

minister in the Bible we read of a

person who got a prophecy and warned

everyone that a famine is coming so be

sure to start storing up food and and

share it around and the early Christians

were blessed by that so that's the gift

of prophecy it talks about a gift of

faith where people just believe that God

can do miracles move mountains I know of

people in this church who have the gift

of faith they just believe God can do

anything now they just believe it like a

child they just know God can God can do

miracles I know one lady a Chilean

grandmother some of you might figure out

who it is as I talk who the car the car

was broken down because it was bone dry

no oil in the car they check its boy

it's smoking no oil bone dry she just

she just praise over the car commands

oil or whatever and to start that car

and they've all learned cuando la la la

20 basis know when grandma speaks you

obey and there's room and it starts you

know and they have miracles like this

and these kinds of things a gift of

faith that God can do miracles all this

to say these kinds of things were

happening in the Corinthian church now

we need a lot more of that today how we

need a lot more that going on but it was

happening there and people were so

excited about it that they got a little

bit confused about how they treated

these gifts of the Spirit can you

imagine if you have spiritual powers can

you see how that could go to your head

if you're not careful no just are

feeling like a superhero you see how

that could be a problem if someone has a

big ego or is not very mature or maybe

they might think because I have

spiritual gifts it automatically must

mean that I am a mature Christian and

everything I do is okay

the Corinthians were like that it became

a point of pride for them they became

arrogant about it they even became

competitive I'm more spiritual than you

I I got greater powers than you have and

they were even though they were very

spiritually powerful they were very

emotionally immature it's possible to be

that way and so the Apostle Paul is

saying I need to teach you a more

excellent approach and he teaches on the

concept of love because you're

approaching this thinking that these

spiritual powers you have are eternal

and the fact is one day they're all

going to end one day there will not be

any more gifts of the Holy Spirit they

just won't be necessary right there will

come a day and the apostle paul goes on

to teach about this there will come a

day if you look down with me in verse in

verse 8 love never fails but where there

are prophecies they will cease where

there are tongues they will be stilled

where there is knowledge as in

supernatural knowledge it will pass away

for we know in part and we prophesy in

part but when the perfection comes the

imperfect disappears when I was a child

I talked like a child I thought like a

child I reasoned like a child but when I

became a man I put childish ways behind

me now we see but a poor reflection as

in a mirror but then we shall see

face-to-face now I know in part but then

I will know fully even as I am fully

known see there will come a time when we

don't need the gifts of the Holy Spirit

anymore when they will come to an end

when the perfect comes when we see God

face to face they're not going to be

necessary anymore now I need to take a

moment here before I continue to let you

know that there are many churches out

there and theologians good ones who

believe the Bible who are Christians

like we r who do not believe that the

gifts of the Spirit are still going on

today they believe that the miraculous

powers of the Holy Spirit were for this

time

of that we read about in the Bible but

they ceased they ended their called

cessationists and part of their argument

is this text they say that when the

perfect comes the imperfect will

disappear tongues will be ceased

prophecy will pass away sort of like

when the New Covenant came which we do

believe that when the New Covenant came

there were certain things in the Old

Covenant that weren't necessary anymore

right in the Old Testament are you still

with me here in the Old Testament there

was a temple and there were sacrifices

and there were kosher laws about your

diet all kinds of important things

people had to do to be right with God

when the New Covenant came and fulfilled

all of the meaning of those things all

of the many of those things passed away

there was no more temple God allowed it

to be destroyed no more sacrifices

because Jesus is the perfect sacrifice

no more rules of ceremonial claim

cleansing because God cleans our heart

so certain things passed away and

there's a new beginning in the New

Covenant so what some people believe is

that the gifts of the Spirit were for

the time of the New Testament but then

when the New Testament was finished

those gifts passed away and ended and

their argument is that when the perfect

comes the imperfect will disappear and

so they believe when the perfect Bible

is fully written then the gifts of the

Holy Spirit aren't necessary anymore to

prove that the bible is true and that's

their argument and i'm sure i'm not

doing justice to it so if you're

watching the end video i'll do better

next time but that's basically what they

believe now our belief is that we have

to ask the question is is the perfect

that the Apostle Paul talking about

something that has already come is this

present state in which we are now living

perfect do we now see God face to face

do we know God fully even as he knows us

fully if this is it to folks that's

pretty depressing because I am expecting

a whole lot more

this when the perfect comes and I

believe that so was the Apostle Paul the

book first and second Corinthians talks

a lot about when God comes and brings

the perfect kingdom of God on earth if

you read near the end of first

Corinthians the Apostle Paul talks about

something called the resurrection when

our bodies will be physically risen and

these mortal bodies will be exchanged

for glorious spiritual bodies like the

one Jesus had when he rose from the dead

and he talks about how death will be

swallowed up by victory he talks at

another part in the book of first

Corinthians chapter 2 when he says no

eye has seen no ear has heard what God

has prepared for those who loved him the

Apostle Paul was expecting Jesus to come

back and set up heaven on earth and

there will be a new heaven and a new

earth and there will be new bodies and

will know God face-to-face he was

expecting it and I believe and if you

read in 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 the

Apostle Paul had had a glimpse of the

other side do you know the text i'm

talking about at one point the Apostle

Paul says that he was given the

opportunity he doesn't know if he was in

the body or out of the body to visit the

heavenly dimension and he says while I

was there or while this he talks about

it indirectly while i was there i heard

things that I'm not allowed to talk

about I saw things I'm not allowed to

tell you he saw a little bit of heaven

and now we have people nowadays writing

books about that right there's some

people who have experiences where they

tasted what it's like to be in the

presence of God so he knew that there's

something special coming that this our

sufferings now are earning an eternal

weight of glory that will outweigh

everything that we suffer here and it's

going to be amazing and I believe that

as Christians we could live with that

hope that when Jesus comes back that

there will be a new heaven and a new

earth and it's going to be amazing and

it's going to be glorious and there

won't be any need for gifts of the Holy

Spirit because who's going to need

healing anymore right the gift of

healing I believe we prayed for healing

just now and I believe that God can heal

physical bodies but guess what in heaven

no one's going to be sick so we're not

going to need any gifts of healing it's

just not going to be necessary how about

the gift of prophecy you know what God

gives you knowledge or revelation well

in heaven it's not going to be necessary

because God's going to be right there

face-to-face you're going to know

everything you need to know will know

fully even as we're fully known you see

now we know God like the Bible says

dimly as if we're looking through a

mirror now for them mirrors were not

what they are today for them a mirror

was a shined brass piece of metal that

you looked at and it gave you a

reflection but not a very good one so

when you look and they would talk about

looking through a mirror you see a

reflection but it's fuzzy it's not

perfect what he's saying is there's

going to come a time when our vision of

God is not going to be fuzzy anymore and

we're not going to need the gifts of the

spirit that help us to know God better

because we'll have him right in front of

us have you ever seen two people sitting

together in a restaurant both were their

phones out texting now maybe you have

been that couple it's okay you got to

check your stuff every now and then but

how would it be if a couple is sitting

there at the restaurant texting each

other because well rather than techne

sometimes maybe you just need to do that

and it's too hard to talk to send yer

send an email or something but how about

using facetime right okay that's kind of

okay you use FaceTime you can see the

person's face it's visit a good image of

the person you're talking to do you ever

use that facetime device and you look

and fig is my nose really that big it's

my face really totally at this weird

angle

when you're sitting down face-to-face

with a person you can put the iphone

down because you got the person right

there you don't have to text them you

don't have to email you don't have to

talk you don't have to use FaceTime

there there you've got them face-to-face

that's what heaven is going to be like

you see right now the gifts of the

Spirit are sort of ways mechanisms God's

given us to connect with God better to

use his power better but there's going

to come a time when it's not going to be

necessary anymore and we're going to

have God their face to face to face and

it's just not going to be necessary it's

going to be glorious now we are not

there yet and that's why we still need

these gifts of the Spirit as long as we

still have sick people who need to be

healed then I pray for the gift of

healing among us right as long as we are

still seeking to spread the gospel we

need all the power we can get to do that

right so the perfect has not yet come

but the Corinthians didn't view it that

way see for them they thought these

powers oh this is great and they were

obsessed with them and they were

egotistical about them and they needed a

paradigm shift they needed to view the

world through love as a more excellent

way the Apostle Paul uses the image of

growing up how many of us know that you

can be chronologically very old and be

emotionally very young and very immature

anyone experienced that any of us know

that we have a lot of growing up to do

well the Apostle Paul says it's time to

grow up when you were a child I thought

like a child I reasoned like a child

what was on your mind when you were a

kid what did you think about when you

were a kid you know I've been thinking

about my kids and what they think about

there was a good year of my son's life

when he mostly thought about Star Wars

he'd never seen it we didn't let him see

it we didn't tell him anything about it

but somehow he knew

thing and became an expert on Star Wars

and it was impossible to communicate

with the Gibby good you're tired the

teachers teaching he's like but what

does this have to do with Star Wars why

would I need to know this unless it's

going to connect with my magnificent

obsession my daughter right now my

daughter I brought one for you she is

obsessed with these do I have it oh good

see this here camera guy they're little

rubber band bracelets you see these are

the passion of my daughter right now

it's virtually all she thinks about

she's passionate about it she's intense

about it her world revolves around these

little rubber band bracelets and that's

ok cuz she is only 17 years old and not

just kidding she but imagine if she were

right imagine if she were then that

there would be a problem she is five

years old and it's okay that her life

revolves around colorful rubber bands

right here i'll let you see it

afterwards if you wants beautiful i love

it i would even wear it every now and

then because i am obligated to wear it

you see it's okay when your child to be

obsessed with things that are maybe not

so meaningful to an adult right that's

okay if you're five it's a problem if

you are 25 or 55 and you're still

obsessed with things that are not

meaningful spiritual maturity means that

i now orient my life around that which

matters sometimes we just replace little

rubber bands for big one's right we

replace little toys for big toys right

for houses and cars and careers and

status and position and we orient our

lives around these big toys and they're

just as meaningless as little rubber

bands now it was okay when you're a kid

but it's time to grow up it's time to

orient our lives around things that have

eternal significance so when it comes

time to die we don't feel that we've

never lived that we know that we have

based our life on that which is

important I have some bad news for you

it is possible even for a Christian to

waste your

time I almost wanted to say waste your

life but it's just too painful to say it

otherwise why would it say here that I

can have faith that moves mountains i

can give all I have to the poor but if I

have not love I gain nothing all these

religious activities can at the end of

the day be meaningless before God if

they lack the quality of love there's

another amazing text where the Apostle

Paul says there is one foundation that

you can build your life on and that's

Jesus Christ that's being a Christian if

I'm a Christian if I had that foundation

I know an eternity I'll be with God I'll

go to heaven but every person is going

to build in a different way no a person

can build with different kinds of

materials he says you can build with

wood and hay and straw you know sort of

like the the story of the three pigs it

kind of kind of thing or you can build

with costly stones with gold with silver

with bra with things that that are

lasting and the Bible says but on the

last day God will test everything we

have done with fire he will put our

structure that we've built through the

flames and only that which survives the

flames will go into the next into the

next dimension and I need to be careful

here there are some cultures and

traditions that bury their dead together

with their belongings in hope that they

can bring them you know if you go into

the tombs of the Egyptian mummies

they're surrounded by their riches in

hopes that they can bring these with

them we know I can't bring anything with

me no I can make it into the world and

that's the way we're going dust to dust

but with that said what we do in this

life does matter that if we build on the

right foundation of Jesus Christ with

golden works with with works that are

infused with love when God tests it with

fire it will survive

somehow what we do here will matter in

heaven and it'll be beautiful and we're

not talking about just trying to be rich

in heaven and a mercenary kind of way

but in a way of celebrating a pleasing

God and knowing that what I did here

matters in an eternal way that's a

powerful thing our lives can count and

there will be surprises there will be

some people that you have never heard of

or thought of who will be more famous

than Billy Graham in heaven who will

have mansions you'll be like but who is

this person well what they did matter to

God and there'll be others who build

great empires in the name of Christ and

Jesus will say depart from me I never

knew you it depends how we build no it's

time to grow up it's time to orient our

lives around that which really matters

the Apostle Paul says you Corinthians

are like kids and not in a good way now

it's good to be childlike and innocent

and playful that's fine i hope you enjoy

playing with rubber bands every now and

that no I hope it's good to see some

adults who can enjoy playing with toys

there's nothing wrong with that excuse

me I'll just have to remember what I'm

saying nope there's nothing wrong with

being childlike but what we're talking

about here is not being childish anymore

any possible says you Corinthians think

you're so mature because you have

spiritual powers but you have conflicts

you have factions you have groups you

have clicks you have politics and power

plays you're a bunch of babies you might

think you're spiritually mature but

you're just a bunch of children in the

worst sense of the work it's time to

grow up and I really believe that at the

end of the day sometimes it doesn't even

matter so much what we do but the love

that we put into what we do that makes

it something that is meaningful in God's

eyes and something that will eventually

survive the flames I want my life to

count now as this ends the Apostle Paul

he's talking about now and he's talking

about then and he says and now in verse

13

there are three things that really

matter in life faith hope and love these

three things remain that's really all

that life boils down to you know I was

talking to and I think he was in nine

year old boy who just come back from

camp and I said what did you talk about

in camp and he said God and soccer and I

was like perfect what else is there and

there was a pause and he said basketball

like well of course is also basketball

at the end of the day what matters faith

hope and love now faith because what we

believe matters our faith in Jesus

Christ I don't believe that generic

faith is good enough you know when we

talk about love here it's very important

to clarify I don't think that any person

who does loving things is automatically

pleasing to God we need to believe in

Jesus we need to believe in the right

God in the right way and put our faith

in Jesus and be saved faith matters and

now we don't see God but we believe in

him we walk by faith and not by sight

number two hope hope in the Bible is a

beautiful thing hope is not about just

wishful thinking sometimes we use the

word hope saying oh well i hope i hope

the Red Sox win I hope it's sunny

tomorrow you know I hope maybe it'll

happen maybe it won't hope in the Bible

is I have I am looking forward hopefully

towards what I know will come it's like

the Sun will rise tomorrow I know it and

I'm looking forward to it we have hope

in heaven it's important to think about

heaven because when we have hope in in

another life then that influence is how

we're going to live here in this life

what kind of people will be here because

what I do here will eventually be

evaluated there so faith hope and love

love sums up everything that God

requires of you in the way your to live

your life jesus said all the law and the

prophets can be boiled down into to come

thou shalt love the Lord thy God with

all your heart mind soul and strength

and love your neighbor as yourself all

of holiness all of the commandments are

summarized in love faith hope and love

that's all that matters in life if we're

going to grow up let's let that be the

axis and center of our life but they are

not equal you see just like the gifts of

the Holy Spirit will one day pass away

you know that faith and hope are not

eternal right right now we have faith in

God but we don't see him well what about

when we actually see God faith will not

be necessary anymore now we walk by

faith and not by sight then we will walk

by sight and not by faith all our faith

will be fulfilled how about hope hope is

something you look forward to well there

comes a time when you don't have to hope

anymore when you get what you were

looking forward to when we're with God

in heaven our hopes and dreams we'll all

be fulfilled in a spectacular way hope

won't be necessary anymore they will

pass away therefore now now these three

things remain faith hope and love but

there is one of these that still goes

into the next life you see love is is

the most important thing here and love

is also the most important thing there

and when I say there you know what I'm

talking about love is the oxygen of

heaven love is the language of heaven

love is going to be the air we breathe

there's going to be a feeling of

swimming in an ocean of love in heaven

and we're going to say God before my

ears had heard of you but now my eyes

have seen you God now god is love god is

love when we're in his presence and we

see him in His Majesty will fit God is

all about love why did I waste so much

of my time well let's not have to say

that let's make it count right now

let's put you know I've heard a

beautiful saying it's not about the

years of your life but the life in your

years isn't that beautiful well it's not

just a bit usually people interpret that

meaning i'm going to carpe day home I'm

gonna squeeze every drop out of life i'm

going to go skydiving i'm going to go

surfing and that's great you we should

enjoy the world that God has put us in

nothing wrong with that but it's not I

would change that a little bit saying

it's about the love in our years it's

about the love in what we do that we

make it count that if there is one thing

we do right it's this you know I'd like

to end by looking at first Corinthians

14 verse 1 it says follow the way of

love and eagerly desire the spiritual

gifts you know the word for following

there is the same word used for

persecuting it's the word used for what

the Apostle Paul did chasing down

Christians before he was the Apostle

Paul it's about chasing a fugitive you

ever seen that movie The Fugitive right

I know it's old but i love it i want to

you're like an FBI agent chasing down

someone and you will not be denied you

will find that person well that's the

word for following the way of love it's

the same word that the Apostle Paul used

when he said I forget what's behind and

I press on towards that wood which is

ahead to lay hold of him to press on to

pursue love let's let make this the

primary pursuit of our life I will learn

how to love I will learn how to be

patient I will learn how to be kind I

will learn how to not be self seeking I

will learn how not to delight in evil

but rejoices in the truth I will learn

to not keep a record of wrongs I will

learn to love it's never too late and

it's never too young make it count now

be a be if you're going to be a

superhero let it be a superhero of love

let it be someone whose love is so

powerful that it heals the people around

you let us make that commitment now

together with that we eagerly desire

spiritual gifts spiritual powers because

we're one

to love so bad I want to have all the

power I can to love in the best way I

can and that's why we pray for spiritual

gifts in the body of Christ and that's

what we're going to go with some future

messages we're going to talk about

spiritual gifts at spiritual powers and

how that fits into loving people in the

name of Jesus but I'd like to leave you

with this challenge and I'll invite the

musicians to come on up to make this

renewed commitment of saying god I want

my life to count now you might be 12

years old or you might be a little older

than that it's not too late it's not too

late to sign up for the University of

love right and that's God's school

usually the places God teaches us most

about love our situations where it is

difficult to love like marriage like the

workplace like the church when you have

to be with people who are not always

love the bowl that's where we learn how

to love well let's make a commitment

let's say God I want my life to mean

something in your eyes and I'm willing

to learn in the nitty-gritty I'm willing

to roll up my sleeves I'm willing to

sweat I want to become that kind of

person and it's never too young you can

be in middle school high school you can

be a young adults in the workplace or in

college and you can be a person who's

defined by love that can define you that

when people think of you that's what

they think of about you so let's pray

along those lines i invite you to stand

with me

and let's pray dear God I thank you that

we love because you first loved us got

on our own we couldn't do this but you

loved us God when we were still sinners

you died for us Lord you loved us when

we were at our most unlovable and I

thank you for the way you teach us to

love in that way father I thank you

Father that you do call us to be men and

women who are spiritually powerful who

live in a way that lasts into eternity

wherever we are whatever we're doing in

the workplace at school at home at

church on the street corner God that our

lives would be marked by the love of

Jesus Christ and that people would know

we are Christians by our love Lord God

father I pray in Jesus name that you

would unleash a power and a love among

us God like we have not seen yet God we

know that when the perfect comes the

imperfect will disappear but we want to

do some growing up here Lord God we want

to taste a little bit of heaven right

here right on this place at this time so

let it be Lord God let it be gone let us

learn how to do this let us learn how to

live in love let it be a verb a

practical thing and not just a feeling

that we seek to stir up in our emotions

god I thank you that this is a reality

Lord that is within our reach Lord God

this is not something far away it's

right there it's right there I pray God

that the fragrance of Christ would

accompany your people and lord I pray

especially Jesus that you would speak to

us about our sense of purpose and

calling in life Lord God father that

each one of us is not here by accident

God

we have a purpose Lord we have a purpose

to serve you father in whatever way you

called us each one of us it's going to

be different it's going to look

different for each one of us but I pray

we would discover our identity and our

mission as we learn to love the people

around us in the name of Jesus God let

people live in their destiny let them

live in the love that is eternal and it

will survive the flames one day in Jesus

name

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