The following is from Montrose Baptist Church's AM worship service on November 15, 2009.
The closest I have ever come to perfection probably occurred when I was fourteen years old.
I am certain by now that you all now how passionately I love the game of baseball. In fact, it is one thing that I miss dearly. I miss practice. I miss the sweat. I miss the muffled sounds through the ear-holes of a helmet. I miss the feeling of a ball hitting the sweet spot of the bat. And most of all, I miss standing on a mound staring down a batter.
Now, I’ve never claimed to be perfect, but one evening in 1996, I came close. That particular evening we were playing the Falcons. It had been more than seventy-two hours since our previous game, so I was OK to pitch.
For some reason that evening, my fastball had a little extra pep. My curveball had a little extra break. And my change up actually slowed down. Through the first four innings, I recorded ten strikeouts and two putouts. There had not been a ball hit past the pitcher’s mound.
Through the fifth, things continued on the same path- and by the time the sixth inning rolled around, I was sitting alone at the end of a dugout. (It's baseball superstition)
Finally, the game had progressed to the point if we held the other team off for one more inning, the game would be called an inning early on account of the ten-run rule.
During the last inning, with one out, my hope of perfection ended. A ground ball rolled through the legs of our third baseman. It was not hit that hard- it just was not fielded.
All of that work went for not- and the record would not show perfection.
As I was working on this morning’s message last week, I began to think about that day and about our quest as Christian people to become perfect. We are called to work toward the fullness of the image of Christ. We are to continually strive toward eliminating any imperfection. Unfortunately, there are times when we hit a pebble- or a bump in the road and our best attempt at perfection fails.
And then there are times when I am reminded that even if I am perfect for one day, even if I succeed for this time- the game of life never ends.
We are a people that must constantly press on toward righteousness and maturity until we reach the fullness of the stature of Christ- until we become as He is, perfect.
I do not say this in judgment or condemnation, but I am certain that there is not one person in this building that has reached the pinnacle of perfection in life. I know that I cannot claim that. And so, we have work to do. We are left with further growth and maturity to attain.
I believe that Paul gives us a great understanding as to how to strive toward our calling.
Read text. (Philippians 3:12-16)
As we look at Paul’s epistle to the church at Philippi, we find Paul’s progress and approach to Christian growth. We find four steps that we must take in our pursuit of Christ’s perfection.
First, we must…
1.) Grasp Our Condition
“Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature…”
Before we can move any farther than mere infancy in our Christian faith, we must truly grasp our current condition. We must see ourselves as we really our- and that is Christians that have not yet reached perfection.
Just consider the author of this letter. Consider what this should say to you and me.
Paul, the man that authored the majority of the New Testament said that he had not already reached the goal. He was not fully mature.
We can even look at his list of accolades earlier in the chapter. He was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, and a Pharisee. It has even been suggested that Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin council. Paul- in terms of Jewish customs and law was faultless. This was a man that sat at the feet of Gamaliel. He was as close to perfect as humanity could get. However, he insists that he still has not reached the fullness of maturity in Christ.
Now, if Paul insists that he had not arrived, why do act as if we have?
None of us have completely digested the fullness of the knowledge of God. We still do not understand every facet of Scripture. And even if we did, there are none of us that are perfect in our adherence and obedience of that instruction.
As Christian believers, there is a time to look at ourselves in comparison to the lost world around us and feel accomplished. There is the temptation to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.
However, we must rediscover our need. We must rediscover humility.
Now, I realize that most of us- if not all of us would not hesitate to admit that we are in need of growth and maturity. However, I still believe that there is a struggle at times with truly grasping our condition. There is still a temptation, even in a small fashion, to pretend that we are farther along than we are.
Before we can grow any further, we must grasp our condition.
In addition to seeing ourselves as we really are, we must take the next step and…
2.) Grow Our Captivation
“…but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.”
Paul realized the he was not perfect. In spite of the nearly perfect life he lived under legalism, in spite of his best efforts, he still was not fully perfect and mature.
And in recognition of that fact, Paul said that he makes every effort to take hold of that maturity because he has been taken hold of by Jesus.
I believe this is a beautiful image. When I see this in my mind’s eye, I see a picture of Christ hand in hand with one of his children. And because He is holding on to His child’s hand, because He is walking with Him, He is drawing him closer to fullness of maturity in Him.
Paul is saying, “Because Jesus has hold of me, because He is walking with me, I am going to take every opportunity to draw closer to Him.”
I believe that it is interesting that Paul used the term “taken hold of” here. It also tends to communicate the picture of captivity. Yet it is consistent with Paul’s presentation of himself throughout the epistles. Paul almost always calls himself a bondservant, servant, or slave of the gospel.
Paul speaks about being taken hold of, yet it is not a restrictive, demeaning captivity that we would think of. Rather, it is the idea that Paul is completely captured by the love of Christ. He is captivated.
Now, I know that y’all are probably tired of hearing about me and Emily. However, when I see this phrase speaking about being taken hold of, it makes me think about the love that I share with Em.
When we started dating, even until now, there is something about that love that has me captivated. It keeps my attention. It deserves my affection. Because of that love, there is nothing that I would let stand between me and her.
I believe that is exactly the picture that Paul is presenting here. Because he is captivated by Christ’s love, he is doing everything in his power to remove all obstacles to their relationship.
We should be challenged by Paul. We too need to grow our captivation.
Let me simply ask: Where has our wonder gone? What has happened to our utter amazement with Christ’s love? We must be captivated by it so that we are actively pursuing our relationship with Christ.
Let me mention briefly, the easiest way to grow your captivation with Jesus is not some séance or attempt to manipulate your emotions. The easiest way to restore your captivation is to spend time with Him. Study His word. Pray and speak with Him. Serve Him. The more you are with Him, the more you will desire to be with Him.
If we want to grow in our maturity, if we want to pursue perfection in Jesus, we must grasp our condition. We must grow our captivation. Then we must be careful to…
3.) Guard Our Concentration
“Brothers, I do not consider myself to taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead…”
We must understand where we really stand in God’s eyes. We must seek to grow in our love for Him. We must be captivated by Him. And then we must be careful to guard our concentration.
Paul says that he forgets what is behind and reaches forward to what is ahead.
Now, there is the tendency to use this at New Years when talking about the opportunities God grants for new beginnings. In fact, I have even used this passage for that purpose here.
However, I don’t believe that is all that it is communicating. We look at it and talk about moving on from past failures. And I believe that you can use it in that context and still be maintaining Scriptural integrity.
Certainly our sinful pasts can be cause for crippling our service of Christ. There are plenty of people within the church that believe that they are unable to serve God- or even come to Him because of something that they did in their past.
We must be willing to quit looking back to those disappointments and failures. We must move beyond those shortcomings and allow our past to be the past and not our future.
Paul was a man that would certainly want to forget parts of his past. Paul had a Damascus road experience where God Himself questioned Paul as to why he was persecuting Him.
Paul was convinced that He was doing God’s work and will until then. I am certain that Paul would love to forget about those that he persecuted and imprisoned. I am certain that he would love to move beyond the fact that we were introduced to him in God's Word as he held coats and cheered on those that stoned Stephen.
Yet, I believe Paul was communicating more. When we look back at the beginning of Philippians 3, we find that section that we quoted earlier. We find that place where Paul gives us a list of his accolades and qualifications.
Paul was a man that would have a great deal to boast about. He would have reason, more than any of us, to feel as if he had reached a higher plane in his Christian experience.
However, I believe that Paul was actually saying, “I forget what is behind and move forward- not because the past is all horrible and sinful, but because I cannot allow myself to boast in my accomplishments and forget I still have work to do.”
As Christians, many of you have served God faithfully for decades. You have taught classes and served the church. You have grown in your faith. However, we cannot look back on our pasts and pretend that they are enough. Rather, we still have more climbing to do. We still have further to go before we reach full maturity and perfection.
As God’s people, we must be careful to guard our concentration. We cannot get so caught up in the past- and our successes and experiences that we fail to move forward now.
We must grasp our condition, grow our captivation, guard our concentration, and lastly…
4.) Groan in Our Call
“I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”
Paul understood where he stood with the Father. He understood his condition. And because of that fact, he was actively pursuing God’s call on his life. He was groaning in his call.
When Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi, I believe that it contained not just instruction, but imagery.
When Paul said that he pursues as his goal the prize of God’s call in Christ Jesus, I don’t see a man that decides to begrudgingly attend a worship service. I don’t see a man that reluctantly pulls out His Scriptures to fulfill his duty. I don’t see a man that shows any hesitancy.
Rather, he is pursuing his goal. He is running after Jesus with everything that is in him. He is praying faithfully. In fact, he can’t speak to the Father enough. He is studying God’s Word. He just can’t get enough. He wishes there was even more to it. He loves teaching and just being able to say the name Jesus.
This is a man that is excited about doing whatever God gives him the opportunity and privilege to do. He is going full-tilt toward his finish line.
And do you realize where Paul is in his race at this point?
Paul is in prison when he wrote this letter. He was in chains because of this gospel. Yet, he is still saying- whatever of my course I have left to run- I don’t care what the Romans do to me, I am going to pursue it with passion. I am going to give it my all- and I am going to love what I’m doing.
Paul is essentially the runner that has kept his eye on the finish line- and he is groaning- he is putting every ounce of energy he has into his pursuit of the call of Christ.
You know, when I read these words, its makes me ashamed. Here I am, a free man in a country that celebrates the greatest liberties of any nation, I am called to preach the gospel- I am given the opportunity of a relationship with Christ, and where is my passion? Where is the fervor in my life?
Ladies and gentlemen, we must groan in our call. We must pursue our Christian life with such energy and fervor that we have to depend on God for our strength.
I wonder what would happen if we approached our Christian calls with the same energy that we do sports- or family gatherings- or whatever our particular hobbies may be. What would life be like- what could God do if we passionately pursued Him the way we do other things?
I want to remind us this morning: We are not perfect. We have not yet arrived. There is still work to be done.
We must grow our captivation. We must be passionately in love with Jesus. We must keep our focus, not on our past victories or failures, but on what God has in store for us in the future. And we must groan in our call. We must run the race with everything we have.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Seek While He May Be Found
The following is from Montrose Baptist Church's AM worship service on November 8, 2009.
As we come to our time together this morning, I am going to begin a little differently. Rather than telling a story or opening with some other illustration, I want to ask you a couple of questions.
Please don’t answer these aloud, but truly consider them. Be honest with yourself. Your life depends on your honesty here.
Do you recall the time when you surrendered your heart and life to Jesus Christ? Do you remember the conviction of the Spirit, and your decision to yield? Do you recall your obedience through baptism? Is your life producing fruit that evidences your conversion?
Are you certain of God’s salvation in your life, or are you playing the church game? Are you keeping up appearances so that others will think you’re a good person? Do you wear a mask that only lasts until the end of service? Do you ever wonder what is missing in life?
What camp are you in?
If you have never experienced new life that comes in Christ, if you have never allowed Jesus to reign on the throne of your heart, I would invite you to note Isaiah’s words with me.
Read text. (Isaiah 55:6-7)
I am going to spare you a typical outline. We are not going to employ alliteration or try to create an acrostic. Rather, I believe that God’s Word is sufficient- and in this case, is best served by being preached without manipulation.
I’m afraid that the greatest act of disservice of any pastor toward the church body that he is called to serve is found in an assumptive attitude. It is too common that we approach the pulpit having made the assumption that everyone in the congregation has already made a decision to follow Christ. However, I do not believe that we can still make that assumption any longer. I am not trying to speak in a judgmental, condemning manner. I am not calling into question the authenticity of any person’s decision for Christ. However, I do believe that at times we are guilty of insisting that church members and attendees are saved because they are familiar faces and have been active in the body for so long. But we must reconsider.
There is a recent study out by renowned researcher George Barna. In this survey, Barna discovered that at least fifty percent of church-goers across America are probably lost. Approximately half of the current church could not recall a personal decision to follow Christ. Rather, they equated salvation with doing good works and following the Ten Commandments.
I believe that we would be well served to look at God’s invitation through His prophet Isaiah. I believe that we must honestly consider whether the day has ever come when we surrendered our lives to Christ.
If you are here this morning, and you have no idea what I am talking about- stick with me. If there is a void, something missing, in your life, this is for you. If you cannot remember a time when you gave your heart and life to Christ, listen to Isaiah’s words. We begin with…
6) “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him when He is near.”
The first thing that we need to understand this morning is the urgency of salvation. We are exhorted to seek God while He may be found. We must call out to Him while He is close by.
When I read this, I immediately thought about my limited experience in the garden behind the church. As you’ve heard before, Mr. RB planted a garden out back this past year. He grew a little of everything possible. And because of his work, my family enjoyed the fruits of his labor. We ate peas and potatoes, squash and tomatoes. We had watermelon and corn. There was a plethora of options that kept finding themselves on our back porch.
And while I still understand relatively little about growing a garden, I did learn this: There are times when you can find and enjoy certain vegetables, and then there are times when they simply are not there. For example, if I went seeking a watermelon on the vine, it would not be found right now.
While God is not a vegetable, there are times when He is available, and then a day will come when He is not. There will come a day when people will look for God, but He will not be found.
Presently, God’s availability for decision in our lives is limited by the breath in our bodies. God is close by. He is near so long as breath has not left our lungs. As long as there is life in our bodies, He is ready and waiting for you.
Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” We only have one life to live. We only have one chance to make a decision for Christ. And following our earthly lives, we will stand before God and His judgment.
We will determine who we live for, and we will answer for it one day. The only problem in that statement for the unrepentant unbeliever is that phrase “one day.” Our reality is that we simply don’t know when that day will come.
Just think about the atrocity this past week at Fort Hood in Texas. The victims of that day ranged from 62 years of age to just 19. A twenty-one-year-old PFC was three months pregnant at the time of the shooting. It is apparent that she was anticipating a family. I am certain that all of these intended to live long meaningful lives. However, their opportunity- their time for God to be near came to an early end.
We are told to call out to God when He is near. We must call while we still have opportunity.
While we are given that instruction, I want to make certain that you understand He is near this morning. We are told in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
We must call out while God is near. The time is pressing, but then Isaiah also explains the process.
7) “Let the wicked forsake His way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord…”
In addition to understanding the urgency of a decision, we must understand the mechanics of that decision as well. We must grasp the process.
Salvation is not equivalent to us merely understanding our need. It is not an elaborate personal attempt at behavior change. Rather, it is repentance.
It is a combination of the recognition of the true depravity of our sin with a willful determination to seek God’s help in changing our sinful lifestyles.
Before we can forsake our way, we must recognize that it is errant. Over and over again, I have heard the excuse, “Well, my life is not that bad. It isn’t as bad as other people around me.” Yet, Scripture teaches us differently. Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And then Romans 6:23 warns us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
When we examine our lifestyles, as bad as they may not seem to us, our actions demand the death penalty- and not just physical death, but eternal spiritual death.
That hatred that you have is equated to murder in God’s eyes. Lust is the same as adultery. Every lie, wayward word, evil action demands the full wrath of God.
Yet, we have the opportunity to escape that judgment. We must understand the truth of our sinful lives, and then we must repent.
Let me resort to a question in the FAITH outline. If we were driving down the road together and I asked you to turn, what would I be asking you to do?
(I would be asking you to change direction)
In Scripture, that is exactly what repentance is. It is changing direction. It is determining that the direction of your life is leading to a place that you don’t want to experience. It is making the decision to abandon your way and to go God’s direction.
Now, I realize that this is a scary process. To be quite honest, there are things that we find in our lives that are not going to be pleasant to try and rid ourselves of. In fact, it may prove painful and difficult. It may take more than what your physical power can muster. But that is where the beauty of this exhortation lies.
Isaiah begins by encouraging the people to seek God while He may be found and to call Him while He is near. And what we find is, when we are faithful to call out to seek God’s face and to call out to Him in need, He provides the strength we need, and He encourages and provides the transformation He desires.
The change in our physical actions will prove difficult, but then we may question: can we really change our thoughts?
Once again, it is possible because God is the provider and deliverer.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Who do you think renews your mind? Who allows your thought processes to change? It is God that produces the changes in our lives when we call out.
We note the pressing time frame. We understand the process. And when we are faithful to call out, to repent, to seek God’s face, then we find pardon.
7b) “And He will have mercy on Him; and to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
When we are faithful to seek the face of God, when we are willing to acknowledge our sinfulness and we come in humility and repentance, we find the promise of great mercy. We find that His grace is great enough to pardon our pasts.
Over and over again, I have talked with people that have insisted that God could not forgive their pasts. They have claimed that their sins were too big, their actions too evil and heinous for God to excuse.
However, we find in God’s Word, a promise that if we will call out to Him and turn from our evil actions and thoughts, He will abundantly pardon us.
He will settle the debt that we owe. He will restore us- and give us a fresh start.
Even with that promise apparent in Scripture, I know that there are those that would still be hesitant. But if you have difficulty trusting words in black and white, look at the examples we find through Scripture and life.
Paul, the man that authored the majority of the New Testament, was initially introduced to us as he held the coats of those that were stoning Stephen, God’s faithful witness. He was the one that was arresting and imprisoning Christian people, yet God changed His life and made Him the apostle to the Gentiles.
Simon was a zealot. He supported the idea of aggressive, violent overthrow of the Roman government. Yet God called him to serve, and he became part of the group closest to Jesus Christ.
I even have a distant relative that will remain nameless here. But, years ago, he was convicted of a crime that most would consider one of the worst things possible. He was found guilty of murder. He stabbed a man to death. And while society as a whole may have written him off, God didn’t. When he called out to God, God abundantly pardoned him. Now, he is not a murderer in a jail cell. Rather, he is an adopted child of God and the pastor of a growing church in our state.
There is nothing in this world bigger than God’s pardon and forgiveness. When we call out in need, God is faithful to hear our cry. He meets our confession with forgiveness and regeneration.
Perhaps this morning, you have been avoiding this confrontation between God’s desire to grant you new life and the necessary change that He demands. Maybe you have been running, believing that you could eventually avoid the topic long enough that God would simply cease to care.
If that is you this morning, then you need to hear this story.
In 1981, a Minnesota radio station reported a story about a stolen car in California. Police were staging an intense search for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner intended to use the crackers as rat bait. Now the police and the owner of the VW Bug were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car. So often, when we run from God, we believe that we are doing so to escape punishment- like this thief. But what we are actually doing is eluding His rescue.
If you are running, if you have never surrendered your heart and life to Christ and you keep claiming that you have plenty of time to make that decision, you are not escaping the penalty of your actions. You are merely dodging the hope of rescue.
Perhaps this morning, you are tired of running. Maybe you are ready to finally surrender. Perhaps you are seeking a rescue from life’s disappointments. All you have to do is call out to Him, repent, and receive His pardon.
Years ago, George Miller was convicted of robbing the US Mail Service. He was sentenced to be hanged for his crime. President Andrew Jackson issued him a presidential pardon, but Miller refused to accept it. This created a problem that required the input of the Supreme Court. After considering the case, the court ruled that a pardon was an opportunity, a slip of paper, but it was meaningless unless it was received.
Jesus has issued your pardon, but it is of no consequence if you refuse to accept His mercy.
As we come to our time of invitation, if you have never surrendered your heart and life to Christ, now is that time. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, the debt of your sin has been paid. Your pardon has been issued. However, it must be claimed. It must be received.
I would invite you. If you have never surrendered your life to Christ, I would love to pray and talk with you. Perhaps you claimed God’s pardon years ago, but you have failed to continue to seek Him and to serve Him, let me encourage a fresh commitment.
Maybe you have surrendered your heart and life and you are looking for a place to serve, if that is the case, we would love to have you. Whatever the decision you need to make, now is the time.
As we come to our time together this morning, I am going to begin a little differently. Rather than telling a story or opening with some other illustration, I want to ask you a couple of questions.
Please don’t answer these aloud, but truly consider them. Be honest with yourself. Your life depends on your honesty here.
Do you recall the time when you surrendered your heart and life to Jesus Christ? Do you remember the conviction of the Spirit, and your decision to yield? Do you recall your obedience through baptism? Is your life producing fruit that evidences your conversion?
Are you certain of God’s salvation in your life, or are you playing the church game? Are you keeping up appearances so that others will think you’re a good person? Do you wear a mask that only lasts until the end of service? Do you ever wonder what is missing in life?
What camp are you in?
If you have never experienced new life that comes in Christ, if you have never allowed Jesus to reign on the throne of your heart, I would invite you to note Isaiah’s words with me.
Read text. (Isaiah 55:6-7)
I am going to spare you a typical outline. We are not going to employ alliteration or try to create an acrostic. Rather, I believe that God’s Word is sufficient- and in this case, is best served by being preached without manipulation.
I’m afraid that the greatest act of disservice of any pastor toward the church body that he is called to serve is found in an assumptive attitude. It is too common that we approach the pulpit having made the assumption that everyone in the congregation has already made a decision to follow Christ. However, I do not believe that we can still make that assumption any longer. I am not trying to speak in a judgmental, condemning manner. I am not calling into question the authenticity of any person’s decision for Christ. However, I do believe that at times we are guilty of insisting that church members and attendees are saved because they are familiar faces and have been active in the body for so long. But we must reconsider.
There is a recent study out by renowned researcher George Barna. In this survey, Barna discovered that at least fifty percent of church-goers across America are probably lost. Approximately half of the current church could not recall a personal decision to follow Christ. Rather, they equated salvation with doing good works and following the Ten Commandments.
I believe that we would be well served to look at God’s invitation through His prophet Isaiah. I believe that we must honestly consider whether the day has ever come when we surrendered our lives to Christ.
If you are here this morning, and you have no idea what I am talking about- stick with me. If there is a void, something missing, in your life, this is for you. If you cannot remember a time when you gave your heart and life to Christ, listen to Isaiah’s words. We begin with…
6) “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him when He is near.”
The first thing that we need to understand this morning is the urgency of salvation. We are exhorted to seek God while He may be found. We must call out to Him while He is close by.
When I read this, I immediately thought about my limited experience in the garden behind the church. As you’ve heard before, Mr. RB planted a garden out back this past year. He grew a little of everything possible. And because of his work, my family enjoyed the fruits of his labor. We ate peas and potatoes, squash and tomatoes. We had watermelon and corn. There was a plethora of options that kept finding themselves on our back porch.
And while I still understand relatively little about growing a garden, I did learn this: There are times when you can find and enjoy certain vegetables, and then there are times when they simply are not there. For example, if I went seeking a watermelon on the vine, it would not be found right now.
While God is not a vegetable, there are times when He is available, and then a day will come when He is not. There will come a day when people will look for God, but He will not be found.
Presently, God’s availability for decision in our lives is limited by the breath in our bodies. God is close by. He is near so long as breath has not left our lungs. As long as there is life in our bodies, He is ready and waiting for you.
Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” We only have one life to live. We only have one chance to make a decision for Christ. And following our earthly lives, we will stand before God and His judgment.
We will determine who we live for, and we will answer for it one day. The only problem in that statement for the unrepentant unbeliever is that phrase “one day.” Our reality is that we simply don’t know when that day will come.
Just think about the atrocity this past week at Fort Hood in Texas. The victims of that day ranged from 62 years of age to just 19. A twenty-one-year-old PFC was three months pregnant at the time of the shooting. It is apparent that she was anticipating a family. I am certain that all of these intended to live long meaningful lives. However, their opportunity- their time for God to be near came to an early end.
We are told to call out to God when He is near. We must call while we still have opportunity.
While we are given that instruction, I want to make certain that you understand He is near this morning. We are told in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
We must call out while God is near. The time is pressing, but then Isaiah also explains the process.
7) “Let the wicked forsake His way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord…”
In addition to understanding the urgency of a decision, we must understand the mechanics of that decision as well. We must grasp the process.
Salvation is not equivalent to us merely understanding our need. It is not an elaborate personal attempt at behavior change. Rather, it is repentance.
It is a combination of the recognition of the true depravity of our sin with a willful determination to seek God’s help in changing our sinful lifestyles.
Before we can forsake our way, we must recognize that it is errant. Over and over again, I have heard the excuse, “Well, my life is not that bad. It isn’t as bad as other people around me.” Yet, Scripture teaches us differently. Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And then Romans 6:23 warns us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
When we examine our lifestyles, as bad as they may not seem to us, our actions demand the death penalty- and not just physical death, but eternal spiritual death.
That hatred that you have is equated to murder in God’s eyes. Lust is the same as adultery. Every lie, wayward word, evil action demands the full wrath of God.
Yet, we have the opportunity to escape that judgment. We must understand the truth of our sinful lives, and then we must repent.
Let me resort to a question in the FAITH outline. If we were driving down the road together and I asked you to turn, what would I be asking you to do?
(I would be asking you to change direction)
In Scripture, that is exactly what repentance is. It is changing direction. It is determining that the direction of your life is leading to a place that you don’t want to experience. It is making the decision to abandon your way and to go God’s direction.
Now, I realize that this is a scary process. To be quite honest, there are things that we find in our lives that are not going to be pleasant to try and rid ourselves of. In fact, it may prove painful and difficult. It may take more than what your physical power can muster. But that is where the beauty of this exhortation lies.
Isaiah begins by encouraging the people to seek God while He may be found and to call Him while He is near. And what we find is, when we are faithful to call out to seek God’s face and to call out to Him in need, He provides the strength we need, and He encourages and provides the transformation He desires.
The change in our physical actions will prove difficult, but then we may question: can we really change our thoughts?
Once again, it is possible because God is the provider and deliverer.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Who do you think renews your mind? Who allows your thought processes to change? It is God that produces the changes in our lives when we call out.
We note the pressing time frame. We understand the process. And when we are faithful to call out, to repent, to seek God’s face, then we find pardon.
7b) “And He will have mercy on Him; and to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
When we are faithful to seek the face of God, when we are willing to acknowledge our sinfulness and we come in humility and repentance, we find the promise of great mercy. We find that His grace is great enough to pardon our pasts.
Over and over again, I have talked with people that have insisted that God could not forgive their pasts. They have claimed that their sins were too big, their actions too evil and heinous for God to excuse.
However, we find in God’s Word, a promise that if we will call out to Him and turn from our evil actions and thoughts, He will abundantly pardon us.
He will settle the debt that we owe. He will restore us- and give us a fresh start.
Even with that promise apparent in Scripture, I know that there are those that would still be hesitant. But if you have difficulty trusting words in black and white, look at the examples we find through Scripture and life.
Paul, the man that authored the majority of the New Testament, was initially introduced to us as he held the coats of those that were stoning Stephen, God’s faithful witness. He was the one that was arresting and imprisoning Christian people, yet God changed His life and made Him the apostle to the Gentiles.
Simon was a zealot. He supported the idea of aggressive, violent overthrow of the Roman government. Yet God called him to serve, and he became part of the group closest to Jesus Christ.
I even have a distant relative that will remain nameless here. But, years ago, he was convicted of a crime that most would consider one of the worst things possible. He was found guilty of murder. He stabbed a man to death. And while society as a whole may have written him off, God didn’t. When he called out to God, God abundantly pardoned him. Now, he is not a murderer in a jail cell. Rather, he is an adopted child of God and the pastor of a growing church in our state.
There is nothing in this world bigger than God’s pardon and forgiveness. When we call out in need, God is faithful to hear our cry. He meets our confession with forgiveness and regeneration.
Perhaps this morning, you have been avoiding this confrontation between God’s desire to grant you new life and the necessary change that He demands. Maybe you have been running, believing that you could eventually avoid the topic long enough that God would simply cease to care.
If that is you this morning, then you need to hear this story.
In 1981, a Minnesota radio station reported a story about a stolen car in California. Police were staging an intense search for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner intended to use the crackers as rat bait. Now the police and the owner of the VW Bug were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car. So often, when we run from God, we believe that we are doing so to escape punishment- like this thief. But what we are actually doing is eluding His rescue.
If you are running, if you have never surrendered your heart and life to Christ and you keep claiming that you have plenty of time to make that decision, you are not escaping the penalty of your actions. You are merely dodging the hope of rescue.
Perhaps this morning, you are tired of running. Maybe you are ready to finally surrender. Perhaps you are seeking a rescue from life’s disappointments. All you have to do is call out to Him, repent, and receive His pardon.
Years ago, George Miller was convicted of robbing the US Mail Service. He was sentenced to be hanged for his crime. President Andrew Jackson issued him a presidential pardon, but Miller refused to accept it. This created a problem that required the input of the Supreme Court. After considering the case, the court ruled that a pardon was an opportunity, a slip of paper, but it was meaningless unless it was received.
Jesus has issued your pardon, but it is of no consequence if you refuse to accept His mercy.
As we come to our time of invitation, if you have never surrendered your heart and life to Christ, now is that time. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, the debt of your sin has been paid. Your pardon has been issued. However, it must be claimed. It must be received.
I would invite you. If you have never surrendered your life to Christ, I would love to pray and talk with you. Perhaps you claimed God’s pardon years ago, but you have failed to continue to seek Him and to serve Him, let me encourage a fresh commitment.
Maybe you have surrendered your heart and life and you are looking for a place to serve, if that is the case, we would love to have you. Whatever the decision you need to make, now is the time.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Defining Love
The following is from Montrose Baptist Church's PM worship service on November 1, 2009.
I am going to ask you to help us get started this evening. We are beginning our relationship focus on Sunday evenings that began with us showing Fireproof a couple of Sundays ago.
I do want to assure you, while there will be times when we are primarily focused on marital relationships, we are not going to ignore other relationships. We are still going to relate the principles to friendships, dating relationships, church relationships, and even our relationship with our Heavenly Father. I know that for some of you, your spouses have been at home with the Lord for some time, and we would not seek to overlook you in this time. It is my sincerest hope that we will simply learn to grow in our love for one another- regardless of the type of relationship we are involved in.
Let me ask you this question to get us started: How would you define love?
I need us to collaboratively come up with a definition for love.
(allow time for discussion- and compose corporate answer)
I believe that if we asked a group of varied ethnicities, family backgrounds, spiritual convictions, and age groups, we would come up with some distinctive differences in our opinions on love.
For example, listen to a couple of definitions provided by children.
“Love is when your puppy licks you in the face, even after you’ve left him alone all day.” –Mary Anne, age 4. “When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.”- Karen- age 7. “Love is when a girl puts on perfume, and a boy puts on shaving cologne, and they go out and smell each other.”- Karl, age 5. “Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.”- Emily, age 8. “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands have arthritis too. That’s love.”- Rebecca, age 8.
A teenage girl defined love as “always caring about someone, never wanting to be without them, and not being mad or staying mad at them.”
If we were to ask many adults, I doubt seriously that many would suggest something too different. In fact, in our modern society, far too many adults are prone to inappropriately use sex and love interchangeable.
While society today would not agree on a single definition, I believe that C.S. Lewis provides us with a definition that transcends time and follows Biblical principle. He said, “Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing...Love...is a deep unity maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habits reinforced by the grace which both partners ask and receive from God...On this love the engine of marriage is run; being in love was the explosion that started it.”
C.S. Lewis sought to reduce the entirety of Scriptural teaching to a simple statement. It is a deep unity that is maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habits reinforced by the grace which both partners ask and receive from God.
While I agree with his statement, and we will revisit it in a few moments, C.S. Lewis is not our authority. Even he has to be weighed against the unchanging standard of Scripture.
I would invite you to join with me in our quest to Discover the Definition of love.
Read text. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)
I am certain that many of you could nearly quote the entirety of that passage. It is a definition and description that we have grown accustomed to over the years. However, I believe that we need to truly investigate what it says about God’s gift of love.
We’ll break it down quickly.
Love is PATIENT. While we understand love to be affection or unity, we must recognize that it is patient. It is long-suffering. It is enduring.
I understand that there will be times when those that you love may anger you more quickly than anyone else. After all, you spend the greatest amount of time with them. However, true love, God’s perfect love is patient.
I look back across the years and realize that God tried to teach me that love is patient at an early age.
I may have shared this story with you before, but if so, you have to endure it one more time. When I was in 5th grade, there was this beautiful, smart, popular girl in my class. I was smitten to say the least. However, I had one problem. I was scared to even speak to her. On the last day of class, when everyone was signing class shirts, I was even afraid to approach this little girl to get her to sign mine.
At the close of that year, I lost my connection with her- her family moved away. However, in seventh grade, I remember the two girls that sat next to me in class making the comment that she had moved back to town. I was excited, but once again, I was terrified of speaking.
The years passed and in high school I once again had a class or two with her. But things still had not changed. Finally, following a football game my junior year of high school, my group of friends met she and her group of friends in a McDonalds after the game.
As things would have it- and after a friend broke confidence, this girl finally knew a little of how I felt. She asked me to escort her to Azalea Trail and we began to talk. Later that year, she was my date to the junior prom- but the understanding was very clear that we were JUST FRIENDS. Twice I asked her to date me, and twice I was shot down. Finally, on the first day of our senior year, she told me she loved me and we began dating soon after.
That little fifth grade beauty and I have been married for eight years now- but it took seven long years for that love to be shared.
Love is not dictated by time. Rather, it is patient and long-suffering. It is enduring.
It is also KIND. Love is not vindictive or manipulating. It is not the seeker of evil. Rather, it is kind. It seeks good.
Now, this may seem to be something that is universally understood. However, it is not always translated in practice. Let me ask you for just a moment: How do you speak to your spouse? How do you treat those you love?
This past Friday, I was visiting a hospice patient and watched as a husband scolded his wife for speaking while he was speaking. He paused, and she thought he was finished talking. However, he was in the middle of a story- and intended to finish.
I had to sit by while he embarrassed his poor wife in front of outside company. And I began to wonder, if he was so unkind to her in the presence of guests in the home, I can only imagine how he communicates his love on a regular basis.
While it may be difficult at times, love is kind.
It is also NOT JEALOUS. IT DOES NOT BRAG AND IS NOT ARROGANT.
While those statements all have varying connotations, they all speak to one truth. True love is not primarily concerned with oneself. In fact, true love is selfless.
I believe that we can look to Jesus for our example here. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
In Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, he evidenced the greatest love that man could ever know. He was not concerned with His own well-being. Rather, He was consumed by a love for His Father, for you, and for me. He was not arrogant. Rather, He made Himself to be a humble servant and took the sin of the world on His shoulders.
Jesus taught us that there is no “I” in love.
We could continue on through the rest of the passage, but it continues to reiterate the same themes. It expands and expounds on the selfless nature of love and then provides the promise that love will never fail.
C.S. Lewis said that love is a deep unity. And if you look at the Biblical definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13, you find that all of these descriptions point to unity.
Just consider this: Each of the descriptions that we find, “Love patient, kind, not jealous…”, point to the unselfish nature of true love. And what is the true cause of discord and disunity? Selfishness. When you remove self and personal entitlement from the equation, unity comes naturally.
Love is truly a deep unity as C.S. Lewis suggested. However, there is one more thing that we need to understand. In addition to DISCOVERING A DEFINITION for love, we must also DETERMINE ITS DIRECTION.
We have a short clip from Fireproof that we are going to watch quickly.
(show Michael's "you've got to lead your heart" clip)
I’m afraid that one of the problems that we have as a society is that that we have sought to reduce love to a mere emotion. We have subscribed to this idea that love is an unstoppable force that impacts who it wills and misses those less fortunate.
We imagine love to be that attraction that leaves the man and the woman gazing helplessly into one another’s eyes when they first meet. However, that is not love. That may be part of being in love, but that is not the fullness of love.
Unfortunately, our homes are being inundated with these ideas and images. We are teaching our youth that love is this intense feeling in the pit of your stomach. Even our adults think that love is dictated by emotion and feelings. And it is wrecking the home.
Do you know what the most common statement in marriage counseling is? What do you think most couples complain about when they seek professional help? The comment usually goes something like, “I just don’t feel the love like I used to.”
We don’t realize love is not about feeling. It is not an emotion. Rather, C.S. Lewis and the writers of Fireproof both uncover the same thing. You may recall in Lewis’ definition that “Love…is a deep unity maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habits reinforced by the grace which both partners ask and receive from God.”
Love is an act of the will. It is something that we can strengthen through our habits and our petition of God.
In the Fireproof clip that we just watched, Michael shared about his previous failed marriage. He said that he thought he was following his heart. But then he discovered that you must lead your heart.
There is a responsibility that you and I bear. We are called to determine who and how we are going to love. We must lead our hearts.
Just consider a couple of Scripture references. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 23:19 says, “Listen, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.” Colossians 3:1 says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above.”
Over and over again in God’s Word, we are taught that we can guard and determine the direction of our hearts. We can choose what we love and value. We can determine how we approach love.
Now, there are probably those that are thinking, “The heart wants what it wants.” However, that thought process is errant and to be quite honest, it is an excuse that we lean on.
When Scripture talks about setting your heart on something, it does not meant that we must physically turn the blood-pumping muscle in our chest in a particular direction. Rather, the heart is the seat of the emotion. We must turn our emotions, our desires in a particular direction.
When we start to substitute emotion in the place of heart, we understand that emotions are fickle. They are able to be manipulated and controlled.
We can determine the direction of our hearts.
If you determine to love someone and invest in them, you will discover that you relationship will deepen. It is not a matter of feeling, but of will.
Are you disappointed in your marital relationship? Determine that you will love more deeply and unconditionally, even when you don’t feel it. Are you struggling in your relationship with your family? Determine that you will love them, even when you don’t feel they deserve it. Are you finding difficulty with your friends and coworkers? Determine to love them in spite of what your emotions are suggesting.
Love is a decision that we must make- not just a feeling. When we make a conscious decision to love more freely, regardless of feeling or emotion, we will find that our emotions will eventually begin mimic what we have decided.
Let me share a story- to illustrate this, and we’ll close.
Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. “I do not only want to get ride of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me.”
Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan. “Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe that you love him. After you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that you’re getting a divorce. That will really hurt him.” With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, “Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!” And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting “as if.” For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing. When she didn’t return, Crane called, “Are you ready not to go through with the divorce?”
“Divorce?” she exclaimed. “Never! I discovered I really do love him.” Her actions changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often repeated deeds.
We must understand true love as believers. We must understand that it is a deep unity that comes from selfless, sacrificial concern. And we must determine the direction of our hearts.
As we come to our time of invitation, I want to ask once again: Is there a relationship in your life that is struggling? Maybe it’s marital, maybe it’s familial, maybe it’s simply a friendship. You are the only one that can determine to love.
If we are struggling in our relationships, we must make a commitment to love even when we don’t feel like it. We must determine to love regardless of what return we see.
Your relationships- and the depth of the love in them are completely up to you. So is there a relationship you need to change? Is there a person that you’re refusing love?
Make the decision to make the change tonight.
I am going to ask you to help us get started this evening. We are beginning our relationship focus on Sunday evenings that began with us showing Fireproof a couple of Sundays ago.
I do want to assure you, while there will be times when we are primarily focused on marital relationships, we are not going to ignore other relationships. We are still going to relate the principles to friendships, dating relationships, church relationships, and even our relationship with our Heavenly Father. I know that for some of you, your spouses have been at home with the Lord for some time, and we would not seek to overlook you in this time. It is my sincerest hope that we will simply learn to grow in our love for one another- regardless of the type of relationship we are involved in.
Let me ask you this question to get us started: How would you define love?
I need us to collaboratively come up with a definition for love.
(allow time for discussion- and compose corporate answer)
I believe that if we asked a group of varied ethnicities, family backgrounds, spiritual convictions, and age groups, we would come up with some distinctive differences in our opinions on love.
For example, listen to a couple of definitions provided by children.
“Love is when your puppy licks you in the face, even after you’ve left him alone all day.” –Mary Anne, age 4. “When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.”- Karen- age 7. “Love is when a girl puts on perfume, and a boy puts on shaving cologne, and they go out and smell each other.”- Karl, age 5. “Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.”- Emily, age 8. “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands have arthritis too. That’s love.”- Rebecca, age 8.
A teenage girl defined love as “always caring about someone, never wanting to be without them, and not being mad or staying mad at them.”
If we were to ask many adults, I doubt seriously that many would suggest something too different. In fact, in our modern society, far too many adults are prone to inappropriately use sex and love interchangeable.
While society today would not agree on a single definition, I believe that C.S. Lewis provides us with a definition that transcends time and follows Biblical principle. He said, “Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing...Love...is a deep unity maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habits reinforced by the grace which both partners ask and receive from God...On this love the engine of marriage is run; being in love was the explosion that started it.”
C.S. Lewis sought to reduce the entirety of Scriptural teaching to a simple statement. It is a deep unity that is maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habits reinforced by the grace which both partners ask and receive from God.
While I agree with his statement, and we will revisit it in a few moments, C.S. Lewis is not our authority. Even he has to be weighed against the unchanging standard of Scripture.
I would invite you to join with me in our quest to Discover the Definition of love.
Read text. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)
I am certain that many of you could nearly quote the entirety of that passage. It is a definition and description that we have grown accustomed to over the years. However, I believe that we need to truly investigate what it says about God’s gift of love.
We’ll break it down quickly.
Love is PATIENT. While we understand love to be affection or unity, we must recognize that it is patient. It is long-suffering. It is enduring.
I understand that there will be times when those that you love may anger you more quickly than anyone else. After all, you spend the greatest amount of time with them. However, true love, God’s perfect love is patient.
I look back across the years and realize that God tried to teach me that love is patient at an early age.
I may have shared this story with you before, but if so, you have to endure it one more time. When I was in 5th grade, there was this beautiful, smart, popular girl in my class. I was smitten to say the least. However, I had one problem. I was scared to even speak to her. On the last day of class, when everyone was signing class shirts, I was even afraid to approach this little girl to get her to sign mine.
At the close of that year, I lost my connection with her- her family moved away. However, in seventh grade, I remember the two girls that sat next to me in class making the comment that she had moved back to town. I was excited, but once again, I was terrified of speaking.
The years passed and in high school I once again had a class or two with her. But things still had not changed. Finally, following a football game my junior year of high school, my group of friends met she and her group of friends in a McDonalds after the game.
As things would have it- and after a friend broke confidence, this girl finally knew a little of how I felt. She asked me to escort her to Azalea Trail and we began to talk. Later that year, she was my date to the junior prom- but the understanding was very clear that we were JUST FRIENDS. Twice I asked her to date me, and twice I was shot down. Finally, on the first day of our senior year, she told me she loved me and we began dating soon after.
That little fifth grade beauty and I have been married for eight years now- but it took seven long years for that love to be shared.
Love is not dictated by time. Rather, it is patient and long-suffering. It is enduring.
It is also KIND. Love is not vindictive or manipulating. It is not the seeker of evil. Rather, it is kind. It seeks good.
Now, this may seem to be something that is universally understood. However, it is not always translated in practice. Let me ask you for just a moment: How do you speak to your spouse? How do you treat those you love?
This past Friday, I was visiting a hospice patient and watched as a husband scolded his wife for speaking while he was speaking. He paused, and she thought he was finished talking. However, he was in the middle of a story- and intended to finish.
I had to sit by while he embarrassed his poor wife in front of outside company. And I began to wonder, if he was so unkind to her in the presence of guests in the home, I can only imagine how he communicates his love on a regular basis.
While it may be difficult at times, love is kind.
It is also NOT JEALOUS. IT DOES NOT BRAG AND IS NOT ARROGANT.
While those statements all have varying connotations, they all speak to one truth. True love is not primarily concerned with oneself. In fact, true love is selfless.
I believe that we can look to Jesus for our example here. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
In Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, he evidenced the greatest love that man could ever know. He was not concerned with His own well-being. Rather, He was consumed by a love for His Father, for you, and for me. He was not arrogant. Rather, He made Himself to be a humble servant and took the sin of the world on His shoulders.
Jesus taught us that there is no “I” in love.
We could continue on through the rest of the passage, but it continues to reiterate the same themes. It expands and expounds on the selfless nature of love and then provides the promise that love will never fail.
C.S. Lewis said that love is a deep unity. And if you look at the Biblical definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13, you find that all of these descriptions point to unity.
Just consider this: Each of the descriptions that we find, “Love patient, kind, not jealous…”, point to the unselfish nature of true love. And what is the true cause of discord and disunity? Selfishness. When you remove self and personal entitlement from the equation, unity comes naturally.
Love is truly a deep unity as C.S. Lewis suggested. However, there is one more thing that we need to understand. In addition to DISCOVERING A DEFINITION for love, we must also DETERMINE ITS DIRECTION.
We have a short clip from Fireproof that we are going to watch quickly.
(show Michael's "you've got to lead your heart" clip)
I’m afraid that one of the problems that we have as a society is that that we have sought to reduce love to a mere emotion. We have subscribed to this idea that love is an unstoppable force that impacts who it wills and misses those less fortunate.
We imagine love to be that attraction that leaves the man and the woman gazing helplessly into one another’s eyes when they first meet. However, that is not love. That may be part of being in love, but that is not the fullness of love.
Unfortunately, our homes are being inundated with these ideas and images. We are teaching our youth that love is this intense feeling in the pit of your stomach. Even our adults think that love is dictated by emotion and feelings. And it is wrecking the home.
Do you know what the most common statement in marriage counseling is? What do you think most couples complain about when they seek professional help? The comment usually goes something like, “I just don’t feel the love like I used to.”
We don’t realize love is not about feeling. It is not an emotion. Rather, C.S. Lewis and the writers of Fireproof both uncover the same thing. You may recall in Lewis’ definition that “Love…is a deep unity maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habits reinforced by the grace which both partners ask and receive from God.”
Love is an act of the will. It is something that we can strengthen through our habits and our petition of God.
In the Fireproof clip that we just watched, Michael shared about his previous failed marriage. He said that he thought he was following his heart. But then he discovered that you must lead your heart.
There is a responsibility that you and I bear. We are called to determine who and how we are going to love. We must lead our hearts.
Just consider a couple of Scripture references. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 23:19 says, “Listen, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.” Colossians 3:1 says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above.”
Over and over again in God’s Word, we are taught that we can guard and determine the direction of our hearts. We can choose what we love and value. We can determine how we approach love.
Now, there are probably those that are thinking, “The heart wants what it wants.” However, that thought process is errant and to be quite honest, it is an excuse that we lean on.
When Scripture talks about setting your heart on something, it does not meant that we must physically turn the blood-pumping muscle in our chest in a particular direction. Rather, the heart is the seat of the emotion. We must turn our emotions, our desires in a particular direction.
When we start to substitute emotion in the place of heart, we understand that emotions are fickle. They are able to be manipulated and controlled.
We can determine the direction of our hearts.
If you determine to love someone and invest in them, you will discover that you relationship will deepen. It is not a matter of feeling, but of will.
Are you disappointed in your marital relationship? Determine that you will love more deeply and unconditionally, even when you don’t feel it. Are you struggling in your relationship with your family? Determine that you will love them, even when you don’t feel they deserve it. Are you finding difficulty with your friends and coworkers? Determine to love them in spite of what your emotions are suggesting.
Love is a decision that we must make- not just a feeling. When we make a conscious decision to love more freely, regardless of feeling or emotion, we will find that our emotions will eventually begin mimic what we have decided.
Let me share a story- to illustrate this, and we’ll close.
Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. “I do not only want to get ride of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me.”
Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan. “Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe that you love him. After you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that you’re getting a divorce. That will really hurt him.” With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, “Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!” And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting “as if.” For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing. When she didn’t return, Crane called, “Are you ready not to go through with the divorce?”
“Divorce?” she exclaimed. “Never! I discovered I really do love him.” Her actions changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often repeated deeds.
We must understand true love as believers. We must understand that it is a deep unity that comes from selfless, sacrificial concern. And we must determine the direction of our hearts.
As we come to our time of invitation, I want to ask once again: Is there a relationship in your life that is struggling? Maybe it’s marital, maybe it’s familial, maybe it’s simply a friendship. You are the only one that can determine to love.
If we are struggling in our relationships, we must make a commitment to love even when we don’t feel like it. We must determine to love regardless of what return we see.
Your relationships- and the depth of the love in them are completely up to you. So is there a relationship you need to change? Is there a person that you’re refusing love?
Make the decision to make the change tonight.
Immitating Immanuel
The following is from Montrose Baptist Church's AM worship service on October 25, 2009.
James Baldwin once said, “Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”
As a young and naïve parent, I never understood the truth of that statement. However, I am coming to learn the prominence of imitation over instruction.
Through the years, I have watched our children with amazement. The little things that they pick up on are both incredible and scary at the same time.
Perhaps one of my favorite memories involves Kate and her attempt to mimic Mom and Dad at bed time. I am certain that the parents in this room understand the difficulty of that dreadful hour. It is that time when parents become completely and utterly exhausted and the kids catch a second wind. At our children's current ages, it involves at least five or six trips to the bedroom to place a child back in bed and it is typically followed by an instruction, or perhaps a borderline threat, that they WILL NOT get back out of their bed.
For our kids, bedtime is often mistaken for the allotted time of the day to trash the bedrooms. They drag out clothes while looking for pajamas, move entire libraries worth of books and then might even try bungee jumping off of the beds using suspenders.
Now, Emily and I have really tried to work with our children. We have repeatedly given instruction. We have repeatedly offered discipline and correction. And without fail, it reaches that point where Mom or Dad walk into the room and make the following statement: “What happened in here?! Wait, I don't want to hear it! Y'all get in bed and lay down. Do not make me come back here again or everyone is getting a spanking.”
Now, have any of you other parents ever had an experience similar to that?
A few weeks ago, we were going through the normal nightly routine. The kids were going to the bathroom before climbing in and Sarah's room looked like they had already performed their nightly duty of destruction. Sarah climbed into bed. Eli made a pallet on Sarah's floor and Kate walked through the door on her way to her bed. Suddenly, Kate stops, puts her hands on her hips and then begins gesturing and speaking in her foreign language Pappy calls Swahili. I am still not certain what Kate said to Sarah and Eli, but I'm pretty sure she was taking care of Mom and Dad's address to the inhabitants of the pink bedroom.
Her familiarity with Mom and Dad's bedtime speech led to her imitation.
We could share all kinds of examples of kids that imitate their parents or elders. But that is not my express purpose this morning. Rather, I want to ask the question: What would happen if we began to imitate Immanuel- if we imitated Christ with the same kind of passion and accuracy as young children? What would happen in our churches and communities is God's people were true imitators of Christ?
We are going to look at the early church this morning and discover what happens when God's people are faithful to imitate Him.
Read text. (Acts 4:1-13)
By this time in the ministries of Peter and John, the face of the Christian church is rapidly growing and changing. Peter and John have witnessed the ascension of Christ. They have been gifted with the Holy Spirit and participated in the Day of Pentecost. Then, in returning to their worship and ministries, they have healed a lame man at the temple gate. You might recall their famed words, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” For all practical purposes, they are faithfully and powerfully imitating the ministry of Jesus. They are doing the things that He did in their midst and instructed them to do as well. They are answering their call to ministry and evidencing God's power.
Yet, it is not received by all. Through their example, we come to understand an important truth. The first thing that we must grasp about imitating Christ is this: If we are faithful to walk in His ways and follow His example, we will find...
1.) Adversity
“As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands of them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.” (v. 1-3)
For Peter and John, and for the rest of the disciples at some point during their ministries, faithful imitation of Christ was going to produce adversity and strife.
At this point, Peter and John have only done good and proclaimed the name of Jesus. They have just bestowed the gift of new life to a lame beggar from the temple gates. However, it is not producing praise and adoration from all those around. In fact, the Sadducees, the priests and the temple guards immediately seize them. They determine that they must stop this madness and blasphemy before it can go any farther.
Now, can you see this? The disciples, those that were teaching the truth of God and declaring the name of Jesus as God's Son, were met by the religious elite and essentially told to be quiet.
Now, there adversity didn't even come from outside the religious establishment. Rather, it can from God's own people. It came from people that should have understood the person of Jesus. It came from people that had devoted their life to studying the Scriptures.
When God's people were faithful to imitate His Son, they found adversity.
And this should not surprise us. Look at Jesus. He has been labeled as the most controversial figure in world history.
When Jesus spoke, taught, or demonstrated his power, He was attacked and threatened because of it. There was the time that He was led to a high place on a hill so that they could throw Him off. (Luke 4:29) Multiple times the Jews picked up stones to attempt to stone him. (John 8:59, John 10:31) He eventually surrendered His life on Calvary- as a direct result of the opposition and adversity of God's own people.
Jesus Himself promised the disciples that they were going to face adversity. John 7:7 says, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify that what it does is evil.” And then in John 15:18 we find Jesus saying, “If the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first.” While it might seem that these passages are contradictory, they are actually complimentary. The overall picture is simple. If we love Jesus and seek to imitate Him, the world is going to hate us. We are not going to be well-received.
As we are talking about imitating Immanuel this morning, we need to understand from the start that our imitation is not going to be without adversity. In fact, the more accurately you imitate Christ, the more severe the adversity is going to become.
While many view Christianity as a way to gain respect and good-standing in the community, true and complete imitation of Christ is going to cause some problems. It is going to produce a lack of understanding. If we truly and completely imitate Christ, there are those, even within the church, that are going to think that we are charismatic and crazy.
If Jesus was rejected, what makes us believe that we should be accepted and loved by all?
There will be adversity. However, while some don't understand our imitation of Christ, there will also be those that see its...
2.) Attraction
“But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.” (v. 4)
Peter and John were taken into custody because of their faithful imitation of Christ. However, while some didn't understand, others noted the attraction of their message and lifestyles.
While Peter and John were facing reprecussions for their faithful service and declaration, God was using them to build the church and further His kingdom.
We are told that the number of men came to be about five thousand. Now, there is some debate as to what this means. Some suggest that there were five thousand that were saved as a result of the miracle and Peter's declaration, while others contend that there were less than that.
If you recall, in Acts 2 through the Day of Pentecost, there were three thousand souls added to the number. Some might suggest that there were two thousand more added while others would argue that there were another five thousand. I don't know if the number is really that relevant. Rather, there is a promise that we find.
Because Peter and John were faithful to imitate Christ and serve Him faithfully, regardless of the immediate adversity they faced from some, there were those that were drawn to the hope and message of Christ.
I believe they perfectly illustrate the fact that loving imitation of Christ will produce results. Where some will view the message of Christ and His followers as threatening or even foolishness, there will be those that come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ because of the faithful imitation of God's people.
Just consider how effective they were without a thirty minute sermon. Their lifestyles- their imitation of Jesus when coupled with the power of the Holy Spirit led either two thousand or five thousand to be converted that day. Either way, when was the last time that you heard of a mass conversion such as that?
Imitation of Christ will produce adversity with some. Its attraction will be noted by others. While imitation of Jesus will produce a wide array of responses, our actions must also be coupled with...
3.) Attestation
“When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, 'By what power, or in what name, have you done this?' Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 'Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead- by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders but which became the chief cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.'” (v. 7-12)
We must remember, even while there were multitudes that responded to the message and demonstration of Peter and John, they are still in the custody of the religious leadership. They are still going to face accusation and questioning from those that don't agree with their testimony or cause.
They are held in protective custody- like criminals to face the accusation of the rulers. However, we do not find men that shrink from the opportunity. They do not abandon their responsibility when they are put in a difficult situation.
Rather, while looking the accusing, condemning audience in the eye- in a vulnerable place, Peter became overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit and declared the truth.
Now, I love Peter's address to the Council that he is facing. Peter begins by questioning what they are on trial for. He says, “if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man...” Peter basically calls into question the purpose and motivation of this trial. I am certain that he is trying to get this audience to question their own hearts.
But in typical Peter fashion, he follows this question with a rather bold declaration. He essentially says, “If we are on trial for a benefit done to a sick man... then just know that it was Jesus' name and power that performed this miracle. If you want someone to blame, keep on blaming Jesus.”
And while Peter was bold in his declaration, he continues to move into more dangerous territory. When standing before this council- probably the Sanhedrin that was made up of the high priest and seventy others- both Sadducee and Pharisee, Peter turns the finger of accusation.
He makes an exceedingly bold statement in the light of the company he was in. He assures them that this miracle was not done in the name of Satan or a demon- which is ironic considering the Sadducees on the council wouldn't have believed in them anyway! Instead, it was done in the name and power of Jesus Christ- the man that they had put to death. He is declaring Jesus' true messiahship here. And then to add a couple of exclamation points, he adds that it was “by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead...”
Once again, Peter is taking another jab at the Sadducee presence. The Sadducees were convinced that there were no angels or demons. Yet they questioned the disciples under what power they operated. Then the Sadducees also refused to believe in the idea of resurrection or eternal life- and so Peter adds for good measure that the person that grants them power is He that God raised from the dead.
But even still, the Holy Spirit is not done with Peter. Rather, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter argues with the very authority that the Sadducees and Pharisees claimed. He went forward further and quotes Psalm 118:22 speaking about the the stone the builders rejected.
Essentially, Peter was faithful with the message he was given and tells them, “You know, you are the religious elite. You are supposed to dedicate your life to understanding the intracacies of the law. You should know, better than anyone else, the message of Word of God (which was the Old Testament at this point). However, even you fail to realize that you are fulfilling prophecy. You are the foolish builders that are refusing to accept the cornerstone. Even still you are questioning the stability and strength of Jesus. Why can't you wake up and see that the Word of God is true, and it is speaking about you?”
Peter couples his imitation of Christian lifestyle with faithful declaration of the truth of God. After pointing out the errancies and inconsistencies in their own arguments, he gives them the plain and simple truth. He declares that there is no other name but Jesus, by which we must be saved.
While we don't have modern-day Sanhedrin councils, we must still be prepared to give an account of the one that grants us life. We still face those that refuse to accept the plain truth that is right in front of them. Especially in our modern religious atmosphere, we must stand firm in our declaration of Jesus as the only way to be saved.
Our actions must be coupled with attestation. We cannot refuse to speak.
Peter and John found adversity in their attempt to imitate Christ. They also found those that were attracted to the hope of the gospel. They were faithful in their attestation before the council. And lastly we find a certainty or an...
4.) Assurance
“Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.” (v. 13)
Because of their actions and declaration, even the unbelieving council understood a very important truth. They were certain that these men had been with Jesus.
When the Sadducees and the Pharisees look on and heard Peter's declaration, they were certain of two things. They first noticed that these men were uneducated and untrained.
Now, this did not mean that they were illiterate or ignorant. It does not mean that they were completely uneducated. Rather, they were not formally educated in a rabbinical school like those that were serving on the council. They should not have been as steeped in the Word of God as they were.
However, because of their time with Jesus, and because of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, they responded and defended the faith in a manner that was not expected.
When faced with two ordinary men that presented such an extraordinary argument and declaration, there was only one way they could explain this occasion. They recognized the boldness, clarity, and directness from one other person. This was the same power that they saw in Jesus Christ.
Now, think about what that must have been like for these “religious” men. These were probably the same men that had met to hear and sentence Jesus Himself. These were the same leaders that thought they had succeeded in silencing this “blasphemous” message. However, they are discovering the truth of the power of God.
Even those that refused to accept the message of Christ could see and understand the source of the disciples' power.
That is my favorite part of this entire story. While I loved Peter's argument, while we celebrate the addition of lives to the kingdom of God, there is something about that statement that causes me to marvel.
Of all of the things that could have been said, of all of the explanations that could have been made, even the unbelieving council knew that their power came from Jesus.
Let me ask the question: what would this community look like if those around us- even the unbelievers saw the power that was present in our lives and knew that we had been with Jesus?
What would happen, what would our services be like if it was obvious that God's people had been fellowshipping with Christ?
The disciples knew how to imitate Christ- they presented an accurate picture of His power and gospel, not because they spent years in a fancy school learning all the right answers, but because they had simply spent time with Jesus.
I am firmly convinced that as a Christian people- as “little Christs,” we are expected to imitate our Master. We should love with His love. We should serve with His heart. We should declare the truth with His passion. We should live with His standard.
However, we are never going to accurately imitate Christ if we fail to spend time with Him.
As we come to our time of invitation this morning, I want to ask you: Are you accurately imitating my Jesus? Does your life resemble His? Do people see His power in your life and marvel? Do even the unbelievers around you know that there is something special and different in your life?
If not, why not? What is it that needs to change for you to be found like Peter and John? What must you do for someone else to know that you have been with Jesus?
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