SERMON: SEARCHING FOR BURIED TREASURE

11 May 2014

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bible to Matthew 13:44-46

Matthew 13:44-46 (NIV)

44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

            -- as far back as I can remember, I have been fascinated with the idea of finding a buried treasure -- of stumbling on a parchment map hidden in the back of an old book, with a definitive "X" marking the spot of wealth untold

            -- this fascination was only reinforced when I learned in Georgia History that the infamous pirate Edward Teach -- Blackbeard himself -- used to sail along the coast and rivers of Georgia -- and rumor had it that he had buried some of his treasure on a Georgia island -- treasure that has not been recovered to this day -- it's still out there somewhere -- and maybe, just maybe, I would be the one to find it

            -- it seems like everyone is just as fascinated as me with the idea of finding a lost treasure -- I think that's one reason movies like "Indiana Jones," "National Treasure," and "The Goonies" are so popular -- it's not really outside the realm of possibility for us to actually stumble on a real, buried treasure -- people really do find buried treasure, even in our day and time

            -- and, as Kim can attest, for the past two weeks I've been driving her and my friends and family crazy about this idea of buried treasure because I just learned of a modern-day treasure hunt that has been going on for the past few years

            -- Forrest Fenn is an author and art dealer in the southwestern U.S. whose life reads like a character from an Indiana Jones movie -- growing up hiking and camping in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains -- exploring areas few people had ever been to -- becoming a fighter pilot and amateur archeologist -- discovering and excavating archeological finds all over the world, from the Philippine Islands to the deserts of New Mexico

            -- as Forrest was approaching the end of his life and began to experience some severe medical conditions, he wanted to leave a legacy that would be more lasting and enduring than simply the books he had written and the art he had collected -- he gathered up a small chest -- 10 inches by 10 inches -- and filled it with gold coins and precious stones and other valuable artifacts

            -- he carried it out into the wilds of the Rockies and set it down and walked away -- he then crafted a poem that contains all the clues necessary to find the hidden treasure -- and invited everyone to join in the chase for the gold

            -- whoever finds the chest, gets to keep it and all the valuables -- best estimates put the value of the chest at between $2 and $7 million dollars

            -- and while Forrest has added a clues and hints along the way in interviews and on blogs and in his 2010 memoir, "The Thrill of the Chase," over the past four years, no one has been able to find it -- it's still there

            -- all you have to do is decipher the poem, figure out where "X" is, and retrieve the hidden treasure

            -- this morning finds us in Matthew Chapter 13, where Matthew gives us a collection of parables from Jesus about the kingdom of heaven -- we've looked at several of these already in the time we've been together here at Koinonia, and I'm sure you are very familiar with the rest

            -- it's in this chapter we find the parable of the sower and the seed -- the parable of the wheat and the tares -- and the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast

            -- this morning I want us to take a moment to discuss two parables Jesus gave us about finding treasure -- the first was a treasure hidden in the field -- the second, the pearl of great price

            -- so, if you would, join me again at Matthew 13:44 and let's look at these together

II.  Scripture Lesson (Matthew 13:44-46)

            -- verse 44

 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

            -- the parable of the hidden treasure is a very straight-forward parable -- as Jesus tells us here, a man goes out into a field, finds a buried treasure, covers it up again, and then buys the field and keeps the treasure for himself

            -- now when we read this, it just sounds wrong to us, doesn't it? -- just this week I had someone tell me they thought the man in the story was dishonest in his actions -- an honest man, he said, would have gone to the owner and told them about the treasure since it was hidden on their property and rightfully belonged to them

            -- but here we see the difference between Roman law and Jewish law -- and we are Romans -- we are the descendants of the Roman empire -- our law and our culture and even our language and world-view -- our way of looking at and understanding this world -- all come from the Romans

            -- and yes, in our mind, the actions of this man appear to be dishonest, if not outright illegal -- that's based on our Roman heritage -- that's based on our way of thinking and understanding

            -- but when you study the Bible, you have to keep in mind the audience and how they received the message originally -- in order to properly understand and interpret the Bible and then apply it to our lives, you have to think of the context -- not just what it says -- but what it meant to the original reader -- before you do anything else with the text

            -- in this case, Matthew tells us the audience for this parable was Jesus' disciples -- Jewish men -- raised in Jewish tradition -- steeped in Jewish law -- they would immediately understand what Jesus was saying in this parable, and to them, the actions of the man would not be dishonest, but would be perfectly in keeping with the law of the Jews

            -- as William Barclay pointed out in his commentary on these parables, "in regard to hidden treasure Jewish Rabbinic law was quite clear" -- it stated, and I quote, "What finds belong to the finder, and what finds must one cause to be proclaimed? -- These finds belong to the finder--if a man finds scattered fruit, scattered money...these belong to the finder."

            -- in other words, the man who found the treasure hidden in the field had the right to keep what he had found according to the law -- in fact, a dishonest man would never have purchased the field -- he would have just kept the treasure and not said anything

            -- you've got to keep in mind it was a common practice in first century Palestine for people to bury their treasure for safe-keeping -- think about the parable of the talents -- the one servant who didn't use his talents as the master wanted kept them safe by burying them and digging them up when the master returned

            -- the thing about burying treasure is sometimes the treasure gets lost -- as apparently in this case -- if the owner of the field knew the treasure was there, he would have dug it up and moved it before he had the man work in the field -- more than likely, this was a treasure buried before the current owner possessed the field, and he had no idea it was there in the first place

            -- but, that's getting in the weeds -- the point of the parable remains -- the kingdom of heaven is like a buried treasure that a man finds in a field -- a treasure that is so valuable and so desirable that the man goes and sells all he has in order to purchase the field and claim it for his own

            -- the second parable is very similar to this one -- look at verse 45-46

45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

            -- in this case, the finder of the treasure is a merchant who is actively looking for fine pearls -- and when he finds a pearl that is more valuable than all of the others, he sells all he has in order to buy this one great pearl -- the pearl of great price

            -- the point of this parable parallels that of the first -- when a treasure of great price is discovered, the finder sells all he has in order to acquire the treasure he has found

            -- now I'm sure you've heard these parables taught in the past -- and I'm sure the interpretation of these parables has always been similar -- the actor in the parable -- the man who finds the treasure in the field and the merchant seeking fine pearls -- represent you and me -- sinners seeking eternal life

            -- and the interpretation we're given is that when we find eternal life through Christ, we are to sell all we have -- to give ourselves completely to Him -- in order to claim the treasure of the kingdom of heaven for our own

            -- however, just like we learned in the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the yeast, the popular interpretation may not be the correct interpretation

            -- let's think for a moment about how these parables are usually interpreted and let's see where the popular interpretation just might not be right

            -- the first place we find problems with the popular interpretation is in the definition of the actor in the parable

            -- while these parables are similar, there are differences among them

            -- in the first parable, the man finds the treasure in the field while he is working in the field, going about his daily labors -- the interpretation you usually hear is that we find God in the every day -- that we find God, not only at church, but also in the ways and byways of life

            -- in the second parable, the merchant is actively seeking fine pearls -- he is looking for a pearl of great price -- and when he finds it, he sells all he has to buy it -- the interpretation here is that we find God when we seek Him -- that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us, which we read in James 4:8

            -- as I said, in both cases, we are told by most commentators that the actor in the parable is us -- you and me -- sinners in need for forgiveness and eternal life

            -- in one parable the sinner stumbles over the kingdom of God in the field -- in the other, the sinner is actively seeking God when he finds the pearl of great price

            -- everybody with me?

            -- the only problem with the popular interpretation is that we can't find God on our own -- the Bible tells us we have no desire to find God because our hearts are wicked and deceitful above all things -- Romans 5:10 says that we are actually enemies of God -- "the natural man has no ability to come to God" on his own

            -- in other words, in our natural state we aren't looking for God -- we don't have any desire to find God -- and even if we tripped over God in a field or found Him hidden in a market, we wouldn't care

            -- how many people have you talked to who have no interest at all in Jesus? -- how many people have you talked to who just don't care about religion or the Bible or any other trapping of Christianity? -- there's a reason for that

            -- in John 6:44 Jesus says "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." -- no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him

            -- to put it another way, no one is going to look for God unless God first calls him through His prevenient grace -- the grace that reaches out to us before we are saved -- the grace that woos us to the cross -- the grace that makes us aware of our lostness and our need for salvation -- without God calling us in the first place, no one would even know there was a treasure available that offered eternal life

            -- let me give you an example of what I'm talking about -- several years ago Kim and I were trying to find a small station wagon she could use to haul dogs in -- and we saw one listed in the paper at an estate sale, so we went to go look at it

            -- we walked through the house and everything was for sale -- they had taken the pictures down and leaned them against the wall by the front door and we just glanced at them as we walked past looking for the owner -- we found him -- drove the car -- and ended up buying it

            -- a few weeks later we found out someone had found a treasure in that house -- they had discovered an original lithograph of the Washington Monument -- an artist's proof that had been made by the designer for approval before construction -- it had been signed on the back by several prominent early politicians -- I forget the value of the picture, but it was worth thousands of dollars

            -- and Kim and I walked right past it -- we walked right past a treasure -- inches from our knees -- why? -- we didn't know it existed -- we had no idea it was there -- because we weren't aware of it, we didn't look for it -- and even if we had stumbled across it, like something hidden in a field, we would not have recognized its value

            -- this is the problem with the common interpretation of this parable -- the natural man is not going to be looking for or recognizing the kingdom of God

            -- the second problem with this parable is what the actor does when he finds the hidden treasure or the pearl of great price -- in both cases, we are told the actor sells all he has to buy the field or to buy the pearl -- the interpretation is that we must give all we have to Jesus in order to find eternal life -- in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven

            -- now, I hope you can gather what is wrong with this interpretation now that you're looking at this parable with discerning eyes

            -- Ephesians 2:8-9 -- "For it is by grace you have been saved -- through faith -- and this not of yourself -- it is the gift of God -- not by works -- so that no one can boast"

            -- we are saved by grace through faith -- not by works -- as we often proclaim, "you can't buy your way to heaven -- you can't do enough good things to get to heaven -- you can only get to heaven through faith in Jesus"

            -- now, I don't know about you, but when I read here we are to go and sell all we have to buy the field with the hidden treasure or to buy the pearl of great price, that sure sounds like it's telling me we have to buy our way to heaven

            -- of course, the commentators are quick to say that's not what it means -- they say what Jesus meant is we should make any sacrifice necessary and give up whatever we need to in order to gain eternal life -- as Barclay said in his commentary, you have to be willing to give up everything in order to gain the treasure

            -- but they're skirting around the literal meaning in order to make sure their interpretation lines up with doctrine -- in other words, "this parable can't really mean you sell all you have to buy the field or to buy the pearl because you can't buy your way to heaven, so this is what it really means"

            -- but when I read it, it seems to be clear that Jesus says both the man and the merchant sold all they had so they could buy the treasure with their resources on hand -- they sacrificed all they had to buy the treasure -- and this just does not line up with the foundations of our faith -- "for it is by grace you have been saved -- through faith -- not by works"

            -- also, to further confound the issue, Isaiah told us in Isaiah 64:6 that our righteous acts are like filthy rags -- we don't even have the money to buy the field if we wanted to -- even the richest man in the world -- even the best man you know -- isn't good enough or rich enough to atone for their sin -- so how could we buy the field or the pearl in the first place?

            -- so, if the common interpretation is not right, then what is the better interpretation? -- let's think about this logically

            -- first, who is the audience? -- to whom did Jesus tell this parable?

            -- Matthew tells us these two parables were given to His disciples -- they were not given to the crowd -- and that means the teachings of this parable were not for the crowd, but for Jesus' chosen disciples -- the men who would build His church on earth after His death and resurrection

            -- so, secondly, what is the message of the parable? -- what is it that Jesus is trying to get across to these men? -- He's telling them the reason He came -- in these parables, Jesus outlines to His closest followers the purpose for the incarnation, for the cross, and for the resurrection

            -- let's consider with new and discerning eyes what the various parts of these parables might be

            -- in the first parable, a man goes out into the field, finds a buried treasure, and sells all he has to acquire the field and possess the treasure

            -- what is the field? -- the field is the world -- the field represents the world -- you could even make the case the field represents the Gentile world, because the next parable deals with the Jews

            -- so who's the man? -- we've already pointed out that it can't be us because we aren't looking for God in the first place -- and, even if we were, we don't have money to buy the field even if we wanted to -- so who has the resources to buy the field? -- who is the man? -- it's Jesus -- Jesus is the man -- or, as He called Himself, the Son of Man

            -- then what's the treasure? -- what is of such great price that He would sell all He had to gain it? -- it's us -- it's you and me and all the other people in this world -- Jesus came to earth looking for us and when He found us, He gave all He had -- even His very own body and blood on the cross of Calvary -- to redeem us from the curse and to offer forgiveness for our sins

            -- as it says in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall have eternal life"

            -- Jesus paid it all because He loved us and considered us a treasure of inestimable value

            -- but what about the merchant looking for fine pearls? -- what's up with that?

            -- once again, Jesus is the merchant -- He's the only one who could afford to buy us -- the pearl of great price -- He's the only one who could sell all He had to redeem us

            -- the difference between this parable and the parable of the hidden treasure is location, location, location -- in the first parable, Jesus is looking in the world for those who will believe in Him -- who will respond to God's prevenient grace and put their faith in His atoning sacrifice on the cross

            -- in the second parable, Jesus is searching within the Jewish faith for those who believe and long for the true Messiah -- not the Messiah of their own making -- hidden within the pearls of God's chosen people are those men and women like the Apostle Paul and John and Peter who are pearls of great price -- who recognize and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior -- who respond to His call for salvation

            -- I think John hits the nail on the head as to the meaning of these parables in John 1:10-14 -- listen as I read that for you

John 1:10-14 (NIV)

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--

13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

III.  Closing

            -- okay, so now that I've turned these parables upside-down for you, what does it mean? -- what are you to take from this interpretation of Jesus' parables of the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price?

            -- it simply comes down to this -- you are loved -- in the eyes of God you are a beloved treasure -- a treasure of inestimable value -- you are worth so much to the God and Creator of this universe that He sent His only Son to save you and redeem you

            -- Jesus gave all He had to purchase you -- to redeem you from your life of sin and death -- to claim you as His own and make you part of the kingdom of heaven

            -- regardless of what the world may say about you -- regardless of what others may think or how they may judge you -- God knows your worth -- God knows your value -- and He moved heaven and earth to find you and call you and draw you to Him

            -- perhaps He's still calling some of you today -- perhaps His voice is still wooing you from your place of lostness in this world -- perhaps He's still waiting for you to come and let Him redeem you and forgive you of your sins

            -- if so, then let me encourage you to respond to His call -- all you have to do is put your faith in Jesus and His atoning death on the cross -- believe that He is the Son of God and that He died for you to pay the price for sins and that He rose again on the third day to prove His victory over sin and death

            -- that's it -- that's all it takes for you to experience forgiveness and freedom and life in the kingdom of heaven

            -- so let us close now in prayer, thanking God for His grace and for His Son, who gave all He had just for us

            -- let's pray

SERMON: THE PORTRAIT OF A CHRISTIAN

18 May 2014

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Colossians 4:7-18

Colossians 4:7-18 (NIV)

7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.

9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)

11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.

12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.

15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.

17 Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord."

18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

            -- a couple of years ago, a parishioner at a small church in Spain grew concerned over the environmental damage occurring to the Ecce Homo – "Behold the Man" -- a fresco of Jesus that was had been painted on the wall of her church in the late 19th century -- and, like me, if you're not sure what a fresco is, a fresco is a painting done with watercolors on wet plaster that permeates the plaster and becomes fixed in place forever as it dries

            -- this elderly parishioner wanted to restore the painting to its former glory, but rather than hiring a professional to come in and restore it, she decided to do it herself -- the results -- it is safe to say -- were not necessarily what she had hoped for

         

            -- thinking about this botched restoration of the portrait of Christ, it made me wonder how we present Christ to our world today -- it has been said that every day, we paint a picture of Christ for others through our lives, our actions, and our words -- but what do they see when they look at us? -- are they drawn to the cross and the person of Christ because of who we are? -- or do they turn away in revulsion because of what they see?

            -- God loves beautiful people -- but the beauty God loves is the beauty on the inside rather than the beauty on the outside -- it is the beauty within that draws people to God -- not the externalities we so typically portray to the world

            -- think about it -- Jesus' harshest rebukes in the Bible were for the Pharisees -- followers of God who outwardly followed the Law to perfection, but inside were far from Him -- followers who looked good on the outside, but were dirty and unclean on the inside -- the picture of God they presented to the world was not flattering at all

            -- it reminds me of Oscar Wilde's only novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" -- this novel tells the story of a young man named Dorian Gray who is so beautiful and so perfect in his appearance that an artist asks to paint a portrait of him

            -- as the artist works on the portrait, Dorian becomes convinced that he is truly so beautiful and so perfect that nothing else matters except maintaining his beautiful appearance and fulfilling all of his wants and desires, no matter how sinful or how debauched they might be

            -- realizing that one day he will begin to get old and his beauty will fade, Dorian cries out, expressing his desire to sell his very soul in exchange for maintaining his appearance -- Dorian's wish comes true with a unique twist -- as he grows older and falls into sin after sin, his external appearance never changes but the portrait that the artist painted changes and displays the true appearance and nature of Dorian's heart

            -- throughout the years, Dorian would gaze at the portrait which served as a reminder of the effect of his actions upon his soul, with each sin displayed as a disfigurement of his form or through a sign of aging -- so, while Dorian remained as beautiful and youthful as ever on the outside to those around him, the portrait showed the true picture of who he was on the inside

            -- when Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, He was showing the world who they truly were on the inside -- and He told His followers to be something different -- to not follow the path of the Pharisees, but to become beautiful people in their own regard -- not focusing on outward appearances, but focusing on the heart -- Jesus taught that what makes a person truly attractive to others is not how you look, but who you are

            -- to follow Christ -- to live according to His word -- means that you become beautiful on the inside -- and if you do that, your outside will begin to reflect the true beauty that lays within

            -- so as we turn again to this passage in Colossians, I want you to reflect on this thought -- what picture of Christ are we presenting to our world today? -- or, better yet, what picture of Christ should we be presenting to the world today?

II.  The Portrait of a Christian

            -- in this passage from Paul's letter to the church at Colossae, he draws for us the portrait of a true Christian

            -- before we turn back to this passage, let me give you the context -- scholars believe that Paul typically did not write his own letters -- meaning that Paul did not put pen to paper -- but would dictate the letters to the churches while a scribe would write them down

            -- and that's just such a beautiful picture in my mind -- this letter to the church at Colossae was written while Paul was a prisoner in Rome -- and I can see him pacing around his home there -- chained to a Roman soldier -- pouring out his heart and preaching to an invisible audience while the scribe recorded every word that Paul uttered

            -- most scholars believe that Paul would take the finished letter in hand and would read it to himself again -- making sure it was accurate and captured his thoughts for the various churches -- and when he was satisfied, he would add a final closing to the letter in his own hand -- putting pen to paper as he greeted and encouraged individuals in the church that he knew

            -- that's exactly what we see here in this letter to the Colossians in verses 7-18 of Chapter 4 -- here Paul gives messages specifically to people in Colossae and Laodicea that he personally knew and mentions by name several others who were helping him in his ministry

            -- let's look back at this together and see what we can learn from them about being a portrait of Christ to this world

            -- verse 7-11

7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.

9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)

11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.

            -- in reading these verses, the very first thing that just leaps out me is the word "brother" -- growing up in Methodist Churches, we didn't use "brother" and "sister" to refer to each other and we didn't call our pastor "brother" -- but after I left home and began visiting other churches in other denominations, I have attended a few where this a common practice -- everyone is introduced as "Brother so-and-so" or "Sister so-and-so" -- in fact, when I was a pastor in the Methodist Church, there were several in my congregation who insisted on calling me "brother" because of my position in the church

            -- and, you know, I always found it somewhat humorous and archaic -- it made me think of the stereotype of the old southern Christian that you see in old movies or satired in our media today

            -- but in recent years, I have come to a new understanding about this term -- it began a few years ago when the earthquake struck Haiti -- I remember the DJ on the Christian station appealing to his listeners to send donations to help the earthquake relief

            -- he said, "When I've asked people to send money to Haiti, a lot of the times they tell me, 'We're saving this money for a family emergency.'" -- and, to be honest, I kind of felt the same way -- then he said something in his appeal that really cut me to the quick -- he went on and said, "This is a family emergency -- if you are a Christian, then the believers in Haiti are your family, and they need your help -- they are your brothers and sisters and they need you"

            -- and, you know, we say that, but we don't really act like that -- we call them brother and sister, but we don't regard them the same as flesh and blood -- but we should

            -- when I perform marriage ceremonies, I always make the point in my message that the allegiance of the groom and bride are changing at the moment their vows are said -- their most important relationship is no longer as son and daughter, but as husband and wife -- their family is changed because of who they are becoming

            -- it's the same with Christians -- we hear about that in other countries, where people converting from Islam and other religions to Christianity are excluded from their family because of who they have become -- when they become a Christian, they have no family but Christ -- no family but Christians -- and that's something we should keep in mind

            -- I ran across an essay the other day called "The Apology of Aristedes the Philospher" -- he wrote this essay to the emperor of Rome to explain to him who Christians were -- and he speaks to this very point we see Paul making in this passage when he calls these men his brothers

            -- Aristedes wrote:  "Through love towards [others] they persuade them to become Christians, and when they have done so, they call them brethren without distinction -- And when they see a stranger, they take him in to their homes and rejoice over him as a very brother -- for they do not call them brethren after the flesh, but brethren after the spirit and in God."

            -- when we think about who we are to be in Christ and the portrait of Him we are painting for others, we need to keep this thought in mind

            -- the second thing that just leaps out at us in these verses are the words "faithful minister and servant" -- faithful -- someone who keeps their promises -- who does what they say they will do -- who finishes their assignment

            -- Paul calls Tychicus and Onesimus here "faithful ministers and servants" -- they always ministered to others -- they always served others -- they met the needs of their family -- when a need arose, you could count on them to be there -- when someone was in trouble, they didn't hesitate to respond

            -- remember where Paul is -- he's in chains -- he's in a Roman prison -- yet Tychicus and Onesimus continued to serve him in that place -- they ministered to him and comforted him and extended God's grace in whatever way they could to both Paul and the community of believers in Rome and abroad

            -- faithful minister and servant -- another brush stroke with which to paint our portrait as a Christian

            -- verse 12-18

12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.

15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.

17 Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord."

18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

            -- let me close by focusing on one person in this section -- Epaphras

            -- Epaphras is one of my favorite Christians in the Bible, although you'll miss him if you're not careful -- he is mentioned several times in Paul's letters -- both here in Colossians and in the letter to Philemon -- Paul calls Epaphras his dear fellow servant -- his fellow prisoner in Christ -- someone who was with Paul in Rome and who ministered with Paul and to Paul in that place  -- someone who obviously meant a great deal to Paul

            -- Paul writes here that Epaphras was "one of you" -- now that has a couple of different meanings

            -- first, Epaphras was one of them because he was from Colossae -- he was their own -- he could be trusted

            -- you know it means something when someone is "one of you" -- it gives them a little more credibility -- a little more respect -- let me give you an example -- a few years ago at work, we were needing to get access to the farmer's land north of the base -- there was a flock of birds that was roosting on his property and they were a hazard to our planes and we wanted to go on his property and chase them away -- so the guy that we hired to specifically work on bird problems like this went to the farmer's house and knocked on his door and was abruptly turned away -- the farmer refused to talk to him

            -- so he called me and asked me to go with him -- I went and we knocked on the farmer's door and when he opened it, he gave us that look -- that one that says, "I don't trust you and I don't want to talk to you" -- but when I started to talk to him, his demeanor completely changed -- he realized we were kindred spirits -- he asked me where I was from and when he found out I was from Adel, we started comparing notes and turns out that we had friends in common -- and before long, I had secured permission to go on his land -- not because I'm a smooth-tongued devil or because I had a persuasive argument -- nope, it was simply because I was one of his own -- I was a local farmer boy who happened to work for the Air Force and so he trusted me

            -- that's what Paul's saying here when he says that Epaphras was "one of you" -- Paul had never been to Colossae -- he had never met most of the people in the church there -- but he says, you can trust me because I know Epaphras -- he's "one of you" -- he can vouch for me and my message

            -- now, like I said, that phrase has another meaning, too -- Epaphras was one of them in position -- he was not an apostle or prophet -- he was not a professional minister -- he was not an ordained elder -- he was simply one of them -- just an ordinary saint who followed the example of Christ

            -- now there's important lesson there to realize as we look at this portrait of a true Christian -- the most effective ministers are not the professionals -- the people who touch lives and really make a difference in the world are not the pastors and prophets -- not the ordained elders -- but the common, everyday men and women who sit in the pews on Sunday mornings and who follow the teachings of Christ

            -- remember that it was professionals who built the Titanic -- it was an amateur who built the ark -- God doesn't want to use you because you are a professional -- He wants to use you because you are one of them -- you can speak with credibility and with truth because people will trust you -- this means that you don't have to travel to Papua, New Guinea, or the Honduras or anywhere else to be an effective minister of the gospel -- all you have to do is minister to the people around you -- to the people that you know -- to your family in Christ -- that's what Epaphras did and that's why we know his name today

            -- Paul writes that Epaphras was a "servant of Christ Jesus" -- because he was one of them, he cared about them and ministered the gospel of grace to them -- in Colossians 1:6-7 Paul says that the church of  Colossae was started because of Epaphras -- scholars believe that Epaphras founded the church while Paul was ministering in Ephesus -- it is likely that Epaphras was converted in Ephesus and brought the gospel with him to Colossae

            -- Epaphras painted a portrait of Christ by ministering in three distinctive ways:

            -- first, he was an evangelist -- in Colossians 1:6, Paul writes that the church of Colossae heard the gospel from him -- he didn't keep his faith private, but he shared it with those he loved

            -- you know, I've heard people say that God didn't call them to be an evangelist or that they spread the message of Christ through their actions -- that may be true in one sense, but at some point, you have to open your mouth -- at some point, you have to tell them what you believe and why you are doing what you are doing

            -- that's all that Epaphras did -- he told his friends and neighbors about the joy that he found in Christ -- about the salvation that Jesus' death and resurrection made possible -- and they responded and believed because they trusted him and could see it played out in his life -- after all, he was one of them

            -- you don't have to be a professional to tell others about Jesus -- you don't have to know the plan of salvation from the Romans Road or the Four Spiritual Laws -- you just need to tell others what you believe and why -- maybe that's something that God is calling you to today

            -- secondly, Epaphras was a teacher -- In Colossians 1:7, Paul says that the church at Colossae learned what it meant to be a Christian from Epaphras -- regardless of whether this means that Epaphras specifically discipled and mentored other Christians there in Colossae or whether he just showed them by example, the truth remains -- he taught them how to live as a true Christian in a pagan society

            -- we teach people everyday, whether we mean to or not -- our words and our actions and our behavior paint a picture that instructs people on what we believe and what we hold important in our lives -- we need to be careful to make sure that we are leading people to Christ with our actions -- that we are teaching people how to obey the word of God -- rather than teaching them the wrong things

            -- teaching others is something that Christ called all of us to -- whether professional or amateur -- whether clergy or laity -- in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said to go and make disciples and to "teach them" everything that He had commanded us to do

            -- Epaphras was a teacher of Christ -- and his lessons built the church at Colossae on a firm foundation

            -- finally, Epaphras was a warrior -- Paul tells us here that Epaphras "wrestled" or "labored fervently" in prayer for the church at Colossae -- the Greek word that is used here is where we get our term "agony" -- it was used to describe wrestlers in the Greek gymnastic games who strained and struggled and wrestled with their opponents to overcome them

            -- Epaphras wrestled in prayer for the Christians at Colossae -- not only did he speak the word of God to them -- not only did he teach them what it meant to be a Christian -- but he interceded on their behalf before the throne of God -- through his agonizing prayers, he fought against the rulers and the powers and the spiritual forces of evil that were coming against the church -- Epaphras stood on the front lines of a battle -- not a physical battle, but a spiritual battle -- he wrestled for the souls of men

            -- specifically, Paul says that he worked hard for them and prayed that they would stand firm in the will of God -- that they would become mature and perfected in Christ -- growing more and more like Jesus every day -- and he prayed for their spiritual assurance -- that they would know beyond the shadow of a doubt that they belonged to Christ -- that Jesus was a real presence in their lives -- and that they had been saved through the death and resurrection of Christ

            -- what a difference we see between the portraits of Tychicus and Onesimus and Epaphras and the Pharisees that Jesus rebuked -- the Pharisees put forth an image of beauty and perfection that was only skin-deep and had no real impact on their world -- while these men put forth a picture of Christ

            -- these were men who truly followed God -- men who were beautiful inside and out -- who spent their time and focus on the needs of others -- who were faithful servants and ministers -- who shared with them the message of Christ -- who taught them what it meant to follow Jesus -- and who wrestled for them in prayer

            -- these men painted a portrait of Christ that continues to impact the world to this day -- we are called to do the same

III. Closing

            -- I want to close by sharing with you a story from Eugene Peterson, the pastor who translated the paraphrase that is called "The Message" -- in his writings, Peterson shares a story about meeting a German immigrant to New York when he was in seminary

            -- this immigrant -- an accomplished artist -- hated Christians because of what he had seen them do in Germany during the time of Hitler -- he hated the church -- and he thought Christians were hypocrites -- all of them -- Peterson included

            -- Peterson wrote, "The Christians he had known had all collaborated with and blessed the Nazis -- the Christians he had known were responsible for the death camps and the cremation of six million Jews -- the Christians he had known had turned his beloved Germany into a pagan war machine -- [so] the word "Christian" was associated in [his friend's mind] with state church Christians who had been baptized and took communion and played Mozart all the while they led the nation into atrocities on a scale larger than anything the world had yet seen."

            -- Peterson said his friend made a partial exception for him and said that he wasn't all bad because they were able to be friends -- one day, Peterson's friend offered to paint a portrait of Peterson as a present because of their friendship -- as he worked on the portrait, he refused to let Peterson see it until it was done -- when it was done, he let Peterson see it

            -- it was not what Peterson expected -- the portrait that his friend had made was not what Peterson looked like on the outside but what his friend thought Christians looked like on the inside

            -- the eyes were flat and empty and Peterson's face was portrayed as gaunt and unhealthy and unkind -- not a flattering portrait by any means -- and remember, the artist considered Peterson a friend, so imagine what a portrait of another Christian might look like

            -- Peterson kept the portrait and writes that he has it to this day -- he keeps it in a closet and takes it out from time to time as a reminder of what he can become if he is not careful to follow Christ with his whole heart -- he looks at the picture and then he looks at his heart and tries to make sure that they do not match [Source: Eugene H. Peterson, Leadership, Vol. 6, no. 3.]

            -- each and every day, we paint a portrait of who we are on the inside for those around us -- our challenge is to paint a picture with the brush of Christ -- to live our lives in such a way that those around us are changed for the better and are drawn to the Savior's embrace

            -- every day, we have a choice -- we can either live lives and leave a portrait like the Pharisees -- clean on the outside but dirty within

            -- or we can live lives like Tychicus and Onesimus and Epaphras -- clean and righteous and holy inside and out -- and leave a portrait of grace that will change lives forever

            -- I pray that we choose to walk the path of the faithful servant and minister -- the path of Christ -- and that the picture that we paint for those around us brings them joy and peace for eternity

            -- let us pray

SERMON: COVENANT OF LOVE

1 June 2014

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 1 John 4:7-19

1 John 4:7-19 (NIV)

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us.

            -- Larissa met Ian at college in 2005 -- they had dated for about 10 months and were deeply in love when he was in a tragic car accident and suffered severe brain damage -- she moved in with his family and helped as his live-in caretaker and tried to continue her relationship with Ian

            -- they even went on dates together, although Ian couldn't talk and couldn't eat -- but even though he couldn't talk, she knew he loved her and she knew where he had wanted the relationship to go before his accident -- he had been ring shopping and they had talked about marriage and a life together

            -- but Larissa was faced with a challenge -- now that Ian was profoundly disabled, everything had changed -- he would never be able to fulfill the normal roles of a husband in their relationship -- he would not be able to provide for her and protect her -- he would not be able to give her children -- rather than taking care of her, Ian would need a caretaker for the rest of his life, and that would fall on her as his wife -- what should she do?

            -- I know what most people would do -- most people would abandon the relationship, and no one would fault them -- we see it every day, and for lesser reasons than this -- marriages and relationships break up because someone isn't happy or because someone doesn't feel in love any longer

            -- we live in a culture fixated on love -- we see it pictured in our movies -- we hear it idolized in our songs -- it dominates what we think and believe and do as a nation -- but the image of love that most of us have is not real love -- it's Hollywood love -- it's storybook romance -- it's emotional -- it feels good for the moment -- but it won't last because there's no true commitment to relationship

            -- Dan Seaborn with "Winning at Home" ministries once spoke about a woman in the Midwest who divorced her husband because he didn't love her like a character in a movie -- she had just watched the movie, "The Bridges of Madison County," with Clint Eastwood -- and as she watched that movie, she thought to herself that her husband would never love her in that way -- he would never make her happy like that -- so she decided to divorce him and find someone who would -- that's what she actually put on her divorce papers -- "He doesn't love me like Robert Kincaid loved Francesca in 'The Bridges of Madison County'"

            -- this is the picture of love that a lot of us have learned -- and when we try to build a marriage or another relationship on this image of love, it just won't work

            -- this isn't love -- this is infatuation -- and once things get hard -- once that initial feeling of being "in love" goes away -- people quit and move on to the next superficial relationship

            -- given a situation like Larissa and Ian, there's no question as to what most people would think she should do -- of course she would continue to love him all her life -- but marry him? -- who would ever consider that? -- what family would ever think that was a good idea for their daughter?

            -- but Larissa was not like everyone else -- she stayed committed to her relationship with Ian even through his disabling accident -- and she was a realist about it -- she knew they could not get married if Ian could not communicate with her, but until then, she would live with his family and continue to help take care of him -- and, over time, Ian started to get better

            -- he began to be able to speak, although it was difficult to understand him -- but once Ian began communicating and progressing in his recovery, Ian was able to confirm his commitment to Larissa and his desire to marry her -- Larissa and Ian pursued engagement, went through premarital counseling, and were married last year

            -- by the way, if you want to see more about Larissa and Ian, I have posted a video about their relationship on our Koinonia Facebook page, and I'll put up a link on my blog site

[CLICK HERE TO SEE LARISSA AND IAN'S VIDEO]

            -- but let me ask you this -- what does it take to love like this? -- how is this possible in our day and time?

II.  The Covenant of Love

            -- the other day, while I was preparing for our Bible study in the Book of Daniel, I had one of those moments where I saw something in the Scriptures I had never seen before

            -- in Daniel 9:4, Daniel is praying to God on behalf of Israel with these words, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with all who love Him and obey His commands"

            -- and although I have read that verse many times in the past, the words, "covenant of love," just leaped from the pages

            -- now we're familiar with God's covenants -- God's unilateral promises to us that were given throughout the Scriptures -- we've talked about them before -- God's covenant with Noah and with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the nation of Israel -- the new covenant given through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus -- I've taught about covenants -- I've studied covenants, but for some reason, I had never noticed that phrase -- "covenant of love" -- before

            -- so I did a word search in the Bible, and lo and behold, it was everywhere -- as far back as Deuteronomy 7:9, when God was giving the law to Moses -- "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him."

            -- Psalm 105:8 -- He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love" -- 1 Kings 8:23 and 2 Chronicles 6:14 -- "You who keep Your covenant of love" -- Nehemiah 1:5 -- "The great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of love"

            -- I asked you how Larissa was able to do what she did -- how she was willing to marry Ian and take on the role of caretaker and provider for their family in a situation most people would have walked away from? -- I think the key is in this phrase -- the covenant of love -- and the answer is in this passage from 1 John 4

            -- over the last several years, I have really begun to understand that Christianity is all about relationship -- that it does not make sense without relationship -- you simply cannot be a Christian by following the rules and coming to church -- you must be in a committed relationship with God and with others in order to experience and enjoy God's presence in your life

            -- God's love for us -- expressed through His covenant -- is the source of what we need in our lives today to truly improve all our relationships

            -- a lot of people have missed out on experiencing outstanding relationships in their lives because they have never experienced true love at the deepest level like that of Larissa and Ian -- true sacrificial, agape love -- and because they have never seen or experienced love like this, they think it can't happen -- because they have never seen love or experienced it in their lives -- they can't duplicate it or offer it to others

            -- so, this morning, I want us to talk about finding true love -- of experiencing and sharing God's covenant of love -- the source of all love and the foundation of all relationships

III.  Scripture Lesson -- 1 John 4:7-19

            -- the epistle of 1 John was written by the Apostle John -- John was one of the first of Jesus' disciples -- he had lived with Jesus for three years -- he had watched Jesus as He lived among us -- healing and teaching and preaching -- John had seen the love of Christ expressed in tangible ways every day -- and through his experience with Jesus, John came to know and understand true, perfect love in his own life

            -- the love of God defined him -- in fact, in the gospel of John, John doesn't even name himself -- he calls himself by the phrase, "the disciple Jesus loved" -- for John, it was Jesus' love that gave him life and made him who he was

            -- at the time this letter is written, John is an old man -- scholars think he could be in his 80s or 90s -- he's lived a long life serving God -- preaching and teaching and sharing with countless others the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection -- but now, at the end of his life, he can't help but give away what Jesus gave to him -- and that was perfect, unconditional love

            -- it’s practically all he can talk about -- all he can think about -- all he cares about -- let's look back at what he has to tell us about God's love

            -- verse 7-8

1 John 4:7-8 (NIV)

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

            -- like I said, John was obsessed with love -- in these two verses, John uses the word "love" five times -- he says we should "love one another, for love comes from God" -- the Greek word that John uses here is the word, agape -- it refers to true, unconditional love -- sacrificial love -- the love that puts another person first, just as Larissa did with Ian

            -- John says, "love one another without condition -- love them regardless of who they are -- love them regardless of what they do -- love them from your heart and with your whole being"

            -- that's not the message of the world -- the world tells you to love in response to someone else -- the world tells you that marriage is a contract -- you only have to love someone -- you only have to stay married -- if the other person fulfills their end of the deal

            -- the world tells you, "if your partner is not fulfilling you, then you can leave -- if you're partner is not making you happy, then you can leave -- if you're partner is not responding to you the way you want them to, then you can leave"

            -- but John says something different -- John says "love them regardless -- love them when you first wake up in the morning and they're not at their best -- love them when they're grumpy and have had a bad day -- love them when they're sick and tired -- love them when they don't seem to care about you -- love them always without condition"

            -- but there's a caveat -- we can only love in this way if we have first experienced it in our own lives -- John says, "love them like this, because God loves you" -- in other words, the source of love is God Himself -- the only way you can love someone unconditionally -- sacrificially -- is if you have experienced that type of love in your own life

            -- how was it possible for Larissa to stay with Ian and love him in spite of the effects of his devastating accident? -- why could she do this when so many other relationships fail for lesser reasons? -- because she didn't love as the world loved -- she knew God -- she knew His covenant of love -- and because she had experienced agape love in her own life, she was able to give it to Ian in a situation most of us would find unbearable  

            -- verse 9-11

1 John 4:9-11 (NIV)

9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

            -- John wanted his readers to understand the image of true, unconditional love so they could give it to others -- "This is how God loved us," John said.  "This is what love looks like."

            -- you know since I have been married, I can't tell you the number of times that Kim has drug home orphaned animals of one kind or another -- in fact, I got a call from her just this week saying, "You're going to be mad at me" -- she was breaking the news that another orphaned animal was coming home -- but that's one of things I love about her, although I have drawn the line at orphan goats -- no goats -- no way

            -- I remember a few years ago when she brought home a kitten that she had found at the base -- this kitten was wild -- it was vicious -- she actually had to put out a trap to catch it -- and that kitten hated her

            -- she put it in a cage in the house -- and every time she walked by, that kitten would hiss at her -- every time she opened the cage to feed it, that kitten would try to bite her -- it would scratch her -- it would spit at her -- it hated her

            -- but Kim still showed love to that kitten -- even though it hissed at her -- even though it spit at her -- even though her arms were scratched to pieces -- she still showed love to that kitten even though she might not have felt like loving it -- she had committed herself to this kitten, so she fed it and took care of it and loved it despite the way it acted towards her

            -- that's just what God did for us -- God created us -- He made us in His own image -- and when we turned away from Him -- when we rejected Him -- when we spat in His face and disobeyed Him and did things our own way -- when we were mean and nasty to Him -- He still loved us

            -- He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to earth for us -- He sent Jesus to die for us on the cross so that we might be forgiven of our sins and receive eternal life with Him -- He gave all He had so that we might know and experience His love

            -- God loved us without condition -- in spite of all that we did to Him, He loved us -- and John says here, "since God loved us -- since God agaped us -- then we should agape others"

            -- in order to truly love someone else, we must know love in our own lives first -- John tells us that God is love -- so, if we want to have real fulfilling relationships with others in our lives -- if we want to experience and show agape love to others, then we must know God

            -- so, how does that happen? -- how do we know God and experience His covenant of love in our lives?

            -- verse 12-16

1 John 4:12-16 (NIV)

12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

            -- we come to know God through His Son, Christ Jesus -- the Bible tells us that Jesus came to earth for one reason -- He came to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin and forgive us for all the wrong things that we have done -- and then He rose from the dead on the third day to prove that He had conquered sin and death and won for us eternal life with Him

            -- in these verses John points to the cross and says, "This is love"

            -- to receive that love -- to drink from the fountain and source of love -- to receive God in our lives -- is something that we have to do if we truly want to experience love in all of our relationships

            -- you cannot love if you don't know God -- you cannot love another like Larissa loves Ian if you haven't experienced the agape love of Christ

            -- the Bible says that you enter into a relationship with God -- you come to know Him when you believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God -- when you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins -- and when you put your faith and trust in His atoning death and resurrection by asking Him to forgive you of your sins -- and by receiving His offer of love and life

            -- it's more than head knowledge -- it's heart knowledge -- it's not just knowing facts -- it's knowing a person and being in a relationship with that person

            -- as one Christian song puts it -- it's more like falling in love than something to believe in -- more like losing your heart than giving your allegiance

            -- in Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with Me"

            -- that verse is not just about salvation -- in the Book of Revelation Jesus told John to give that message to the church at Laodicea -- to the people in Laodicea that knew Him and professed faith in Him -- to Christians just like you and me

            -- Jesus knocks on the door every day -- it's not just a one-time thing -- it's not just about salvation, although that is the first step

            -- Jesus wants to be in a relationship with you, so every day He knocks and every day He offers us life and love and a covenantal relationship with Him and then He tells us, "take this love and give it to others"

            -- when you know God in this way -- when you are in a relationship with Him and have put your faith and trust in Him and Him alone, you will find a wellspring of love inside of you that will overflow from your heart to others

            -- all you have to do is respond -- all you have to do is open that door -- and Jesus will come in every single day to share your life and you will know and experience love as never before

            -- you can't give what you don't know -- you can't love if you don't know love -- if you truly want to know love and know that you are loved -- if you truly want to give love to your spouse and to others -- then you first have to receive the love that God is offering us through Jesus

            -- even if you are already saved -- even if you have trusted in Jesus for your eternal life and for the forgiveness of sins, you still need to open that door every day so Jesus can fill your heart with His agape love and so you can share it with others

IV.  Closing

            -- let's bring this to a close

            -- you're probably aware that the highest grossing animated film of all time came out this year -- the Disney movie "Frozen"

            -- I haven't seen the movie yet, but I do know what it's about -- it's the story of true love and the power of love to melt frozen hearts

            -- not to give away too much of the story, as part of the major story of the movie, the princess Anna begins to slowly freeze to death because of a magical spell gone awry -- she learns that only true love's kiss can thaw her frozen heart and bring her back to life -- she rushes to the arms of her fiancée, but discovers he never truly loved her -- he only loved what she could do for him -- he only loved her as the world loves -- and she leaves his presence broken-hearted

            -- when the snowman Olaf finds her dying from her frozen condition, he doesn't hesitate to start a fire to keep her warm until she can find the source of true love -- Anna protests and tells Olaf to leave because he will melt from the heat -- Olaf responds, "Some people are worth melting for"

            -- what a phrase -- "some people are worth melting for"

            -- Larissa said something similar when confronted with Ian's condition -- "some people are worth sacrificing for"

            -- God said something similar in this passage from 1 John 4 and throughout the pages of the Bible -- "some people are worth dying for"

            -- through Jesus' death on the cross we come to know true love -- we come to experience the love that melts frozen hearts -- the love that establishes relationships with the unloveable -- the love that forgives -- the love that heals -- the love that empowers us to love and to perform sacrificial acts of love in our own lives

            -- John said it best in 1 John 4:19 -- "we love because He first loved us"

            -- it's not rules -- it's not about church -- it's not about doing right -- it's about love

            -- you can only love if you know love -- you can only love if you know God -- and you can only know God through His Son Jesus Christ

            -- so as we close, let us think about two things:

            -- first, let's think about the relationship we have with Jesus -- do we know Jesus? -- do we know God? -- are we in love with Him? -- have we asked Him to love us and to forgive us of our sins? -- are we continuing to open the door of our hearts in response to His knock? -- this is how we know and experience God's covenant of love

            -- and, second, let's think about our relationship with others -- are we loving others with the same agape, sacrificial, unconditional love that we have experienced through Christ? -- if not, then we need to start moving in that direction through the power of God's love in our lives

            -- as we close, I would invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- to hear His knock on the door -- and to open it and to invite Love into your life

            -- let's pray [pray]