CRCF””5/29/11
Ronnie McBrayer
In the world in which we now live, where everything and everybody is so different than the Christian world that incubated and shaped us, how do we say anything that matters to those who do not know or follow Christ?
One of Soren Kierkegaard”™s legendary parables begins: “It happened that a fire broke out backstage at a theater.” Kierkegaard goes on to explain how the fire spread quickly and threatened to consume the entire building. One of the actors backstage at the theater that evening was a clown, and it fell upon him to go onto the stage and warn the public of the danger. He stepped onto the stage, dressed as he was, and the crowd began to laugh and applaud. He stopped them and gave his warning: “You are in great danger! Run for your life!” They laughed all the more. He repeated his warning, even more forcefully this time. The crowd laughed and shouted even louder. On and on this went, the clown growing more and more passionate and the crown more and more entertained. They did not take him seriously. “But after all,” Kierkegaard says, “he was only a clown.”
Why are we as Christians not taken seriously when we speak? Maybe it is because it doesn”™t matter what we say as much as it matters more how we live, and who we are? Then, and only then, will we have anything to say that is honest, credible, or effective to the society that surrounds us. It is a cliché, but there remains some truth in it: People don”™t care about what you know until they know how much you care. What matters at the end of the day, at the end of our careers, at the end of whatever time God gives us ”“ what matters is that we cared, and cared deeply, for the people who crossed our paths and that we served them as Christ served us.
The House of Love
Romans 12:9-21
God”™s love in Jesus is the house in which we live, and into which we invite our world!
Romans 12:9-21 (NLT)
9 Don”™t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God”™s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don”™t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don”™t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don”™t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the LORD.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don”™t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
God”™s love in Jesus is the house in which we live, and into which we invite our world!
Love must be . . .
1. GENUINE (9)
“without a mask”
NLT
9 Don”™t just pretend to love others. Really love them.
The Message
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it.
Hate hypocrisy in yourself! Be real in loving others!
Why?
Rom. 12:1-2 (NLT)
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice””the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don”™t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God”™s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Because it is GOD”™s love in Jesus!
Love must be . . .
2. DEVOTED (10)
NLT
10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
The Message
Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Devoted love is characterized by kindness/sweetness, honoring and giving preference to others.
Barbara Walters
The most consistently endearing human trait is warmth. Everybody responds to the person who radiates friendliness from a serene core. Such people are lovely to be around because they don”™t reject or belittle and, best of all, they bring out the best, most generous qualities in the people they encounter.
Ephesians 4:32-5:2 (NLT)
32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Love must be . . .
3. DILIGENT (11)
NLT
Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
The Message
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame.
Love is to be a continuous and sincere and intense labor for the good of others, all in service to Jesus!
Love must be . . .
4. JOYFUL (12a)
NLT
Rejoice in our confident hope.
The Message
Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant.
Hope maintains joy in spite of circumstances!
Love must be . . .
5. PERSEVERING (12b)
NLT
Be patient in trouble
The Message
Don’t quit in hard times
Hope strengthens us to persevere in tribulations!
Love must be . . .
6. PRAYERFUL (12c)
NLT
keep on praying
The Message
pray all the harder
Hope inspires prayer to the Father of hope!
Love must be . . .
7. PRACTICAL (13)
NLT
13 When God”™s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
The Message
Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Love that does not act in the meeting of the needs of others is not love!
James 2:15-16 (NLT)
15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”””but then you don”™t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
1 John 3:17-18 (NLT)
17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion””how can God”™s love be in that person?
18 Dear children, let”™s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
Love must be . . .
8. SYMPATHETIC (15)
NLT
Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down.
There”™s a difference between talking about unity and being unified! And it is the daily ups and downs that tell the tale!
1 Corinthians 12:26-27
And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
Love must be . . .
9. HUMBLE (16)
NLT
16 Live in harmony with each other. Don”™t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don”™t think you know it all!
The Message
Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Love must have another”™s best interest at heart”¦and must not pick and choose those others”¦or it”™s not love!
Philippians 2:3-5a
Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. 5-8Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all.
Love must be . . .
10. UNCONDITIONAL
(14, 17-21)
Love is never more Godly than when it is given to one”™s enemies!
NLT
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don”™t curse them; pray that God will bless them.
The Message
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath.
NLT
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don”™t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Romans 5:8
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Matthew 5:43-48
43 “You have heard the law that says, ”˜Love your neighbor”™ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Luke 10:29ff
29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by.
32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.
35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ”˜Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I”™ll pay you the next time I”™m here.”™
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
God”™s love in Jesus is the house in which we live, and into which we invite our world!
John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
Ronnie McBrayer
Taking a truly compassionate approach, where we see people as people ”“ living, breathing, laughing, crying, struggling but priceless creations in the image of God ”“ and not as statistics or votes or sales or dollars in the coffers or names on the roll or notches in our gun or people who will agree or oppose us ”“ this will infuse the church with credibility and integrity so needed in the world today.
God”™s love in Jesus is the house in which we live, and into which we invite our world!
Martina McBride Video (“Love”™s the Only House)