HIMK 3
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Greeting/ Intro - ask everyone to move up
Crazy Year
Where we’ve been: division, hurt, confusion, uncertainty
Where we are: healing, settling, uncertainty
Where we are going: decisions, moving, going, growing
1 Corinthians 13
At the end of chapter 12, Paul is speaking about diversity in the church. Each one of us has been given gifts for service and they are all different, which makes each of us different. Because of that, we sometimes glorify one gift over another or one style over another.
One style of music over another, preaching, church structure, missions, evangelism. I know there are some of you in here this morning that weren't very impressed or excited about the music that was given today. (I'm not going to ask you to raise your hands, we have had enough division in this church already. We don't need anymore.) It wasn't your preferred style, maybe you weren't familiar with the songs, or maybe you are critical of the talent that's up here. But I guarantee you, there are people in here this morning that think today was of the most worshipful services we've ever had.
Regardless of your view on the subject, the truth is: our preferences do not matter. At least they aren't supposed to matter. But we gather here every week and I gotta tell you, it's difficult at times to be up on this platform. Preaching, singing, no response sometimes comes with a pressure to perform. I gotta preach better, we have to play better. Which then takes us away from the reason we were called to gather together in the first place. WORSHIP. WORSHIP IS A PRODUCT OF LOVE.
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
It doesn't matter how great a preacher we get or how talented a musician we get or how educated our staff is, if there is not love in their hearts, then it is all for nothing. If the staff has no love for its congregation and is only here to do a job and collect a paycheck, then we are wasting our time.
Here's where I step on some toes. This is not only true for the staff. It is just as true for the body, which includes every one of us. If we have no love for the people around us, then we are just wasting our time here. Without love for those around us, love for each other and most of all, an overwhelming, unselfish love for God and our Christ, then we gather in vain. We gather just to hear our own voices and we profit nothing for ourselves or for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let’s talk about love for just a little bit.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
What would you give to see your sons and daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren raise their hands in worship to their Creator? What would we sacrifice to see our parents and grandparents be able to lift their voices in praise of God Almighty? What is that worth to you? Would you give anything?
What would you give to see your sons and daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren raise their hands in worship to their Creator? What would we sacrifice to see our parents and grandparents be able to lift their voices in praise of God Almighty? What is that worth to you? Would you give anything?
What would you be willing to do so that your neighbors came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. To see their lives changed so drastically that you knew only God could be responsible for it! Is that something you would want to see?
What would it be worth to you to see the people at your jobs and workplaces have their hearts so on fire for Christ that you didn't even recognize them anymore? What is that worth to us?
Many of us in here today say that we would be overjoyed to see these things happen and we would do whatever we could to see it come true........as long as we don't change the music at church, as long as I don't have to actually go and talk to other people about Jesus. As long as I don't have to rearrange anything in my life, I'm all for it!
Love is not selfish, it rejoices in truth. It is the most important commandment because out of it flows everything else with the right motive! We can do so many other things out of obligation, fear, selfishness, but when they are done out of love, everything changes.
Our lives change, our families change, our friendships change, our gatherings in this building change, and our interactions with others change because we are no longer worried or focused on how we will be affected, but we move forward out of the love we have for them!
Everything else is temporary.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
All of the things we have created for ourselves will pass away. All of things we think we know today won't matter when we are gone. Everything we understand about God will be fully revealed when are taken home. And I can guarantee you that God does not care about what style worship services we had or what denomination we were under or even what type of structure we used to govern our business. All of these things are temporary.
UNDERSTAND THIS! I'm a baptist and don't see that changing. Baptist born.........In order to be good stewards of the resources we have been blessed with, we have to watch over them and have these structures and policies in place. When we make staff decisions, we have to be diligent and make sure we have the people in place who are called by God, capable to do the work and committed to a life of ministry, doctrinally sound. All of these things are very, very important. But they are not the most important.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
But it amounts to nothing to have all of things in place if we as a body do not have the love Jesus Christ in our hearts.
Without that love, then this becomes a performance. It becomes a weekly production designed to impress you with music and speeches and visual effects. Come to our church, we have a great band and an exciting preacher. And if that is what you want, then that's easy. We can become slaves to tradition (doing it the way we’ve always done it) or slaves to cultural trends (only doing what’s popular at the time). We can play worldly music and you can get a preacher up here that preaches success and health and happiness and I promise, people will come and these pews will be full of people who look just like you. But it won't be real. It will be temporary like everything else because it’s founded and based on the temporary, and you will make no difference in Kingdom of Heaven. I say 'you' because I won't be here for that.
I don't believe God created me or called me to be comfortable or to chase temporary things. I believe He has put me here to be the vessel for which His love is poured into for all the world to see. And I believe you were put here for that same reason. You should believe that as well.
It's His love pouring out into the world through us that attracts others to Him. It's the overflow of His love through us that sets us apart from all other things and gets people's attention. It's you and I being the reflection of Jesus to those around us that changes world around us. When we can show that love, when we can live on fire for Jesus, when we are more concerned for the eternity of those around us than for our own interests, then it doesn't matter what style of preaching we have, it doesn't matter what style of music we have, people will not care about labels or genres or production or performance because WE will be so focused on Jesus that He is all we will see!
But we have to start right here. Before we go can go off and change the world, we have to make sure we have the thing we are trying give away. We have to have the love of Jesus within us before it can flow through us. We have to be able to love our family before we can love a stranger.