SERMON: EVERYBODY, ALWAYS

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 1 John 4:7-12, 19-21

1 John 4:7-12, 19-21 New International Version (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.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

            -- as we begin this morning, I have a question for you: “What is love?”

            -- love is one of those words that we just throw around a lot -- you hear it everywhere, especially leading up to Valentine’s Day

            -- if you were in town a couple of weeks ago right before Valentine’s Day, you literally had the word Love shouted at you from the various displays of Valentine’s Day items that the stores were encouraging you to buy for your loved ones -- Kim and I were went to town the weekend before Valentine’s Day, and when we walked into the store, the very first thing we saw was a man pushing a ginormous teddy bear in his buggy that had the word, “Love,” written on its chest -- other people were snatching up heart-shaped boxes of candy with “Love” on the outside or other items to show the people they loved just how much they cared -- it was everywhere you looked

            -- but just seeing the word “love” plastered around our stores doesn’t answer my question -- what is love? -- what does the Bible mean when it tells us that God loves us and we are to love one another?

      -- a group of child psychologists wanted to know what kids thought about love -- what they understood about the idea of love before their ideas began to be shaped by culture and societal norms -- so they got together a group of kids between the ages of four and eight and asked them the question, "What is love?" -- here are some of their answers:

      -- "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 got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8.
      -- "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4
      -- "Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is okay." Danny - age 7
      -- "Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine - age 5
      -- "Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt." Chris - age 7
      -- "Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7
      -- and I really like what eight-year-old Jessica had to say -- "You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

      -- people forget -- wow! -- words of wisdom from a child -- people forget -- maybe that's why God tells us so many times in His word that He loves us -- it's impossible to read the Bible and not find that message shouting out to you -- God loves us -- but do we truly comprehend it? -- do we really get what He's trying to tell us?

      -- John did -- out of all the disciples, John understood love because he lived with Love for three years -- he saw Love touch lepers and other people society refused to touch -- he saw Love heal people who had been crippled and rejected their whole lives -- he saw Love feed people just because they were hungry -- he saw Love take our place at the cross, just so we wouldn't have to -- he saw Love in action

            -- through his experience with Jesus, John came to know and understand true and 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 -- that’s why John tells us here in 1 John 4:8 the profound truth that “God is love” -- he had come to know this in a real and personal way

            -- at the time this letter of 1 John was 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

II.  Scripture Lesson -- 1 John 4:7-12 and 19-21

            -- look with me now at 1 John 4, starting in verse 7, and let’s see what John has to say about this love that literally changed his life forever -- and let’s see what we can learn about God’s love for us and what God intended us to do with His love

            -- verse 7

1 John 4:7 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.

            -- I had a friend who went to hear a well-known theologian speak at a United Methodist meeting one time -- this man was well-respected as a student of God's word -- a renowned professor -- a retired bishop -- someone who knew theology and who knew God's word intimately

            -- he had been asked to speak on what he felt was the most important theological message for the 21st century world to understand -- what was it the church and this world needed to know most from God's word? -- as the great theologian approached the lectern, every ear strained to hear his words -- placing both hands on the lectern and looking out over the crowd of pastors and theologians and church leaders, he said, "After a lifetime of walking with God and studying His word, I have concluded the most important theological message and biblical doctrine is found in this one concept: 'Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.'"

            -- that's what John is trying to get us to see in these verses -- in the King James Version, verse 7 doesn’t open with the words, “dear friends” -- it opens with the words, “beloved” -- do you know what that means? -- beloved means “dearly loved” -- “you who are loved”

            -- John is trying to get us to see the spiritual fact that the retired bishop finally understood -- God loves us -- He loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him -- He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to take our place on the cross as our atoning sacrifice -- to take the punishment that we deserved and to die for our sins -- so that we might live with Him forever

            -- in answer to the question, “What is love?” -- John points to Jesus and says, “He is”

            -- that is the over-arching message of the Bible -- that is the good news that we proclaim every Sunday morning and that we have been called to share with the world -- God loves you and He wants to spend eternity with you -- that’s what John is saying to us in these verses -- it’s all about God’s love -- all of it

            -- the Bible tells us repeatedly that love is not a feeling -- it’s not an emotion -- it’s not a box of chocolates or a ginormous teddy bear -- love is a person -- and that person has a name -- as John tells us here, God is love

            -- and He shows us His love through Jesus -- the love that saved us on the cross of Calvary -- the love that came to us when we were unloved and unloveable -- the love that took our place so that we might live in love with the Father forever

            -- love like this demands a response -- but what can we do in the face of such unconditional and sacrificial love? -- knowing this love from God, how now should we live, especially in relation to others?

             

            -- verse 11

1 John 4:11 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.

            -- what are we supposed to do with this love of God that we have? -- Jesus told us in John 15:12 and John tells us again here in these verses -- love one another

            -- people are always wanting to know God’s will for their lives -- they’re always wanting to know what God’s plan is -- this is it -- love one another -- it’s that simple

            -- do you want to do what God is calling you to do today? -- do you want to be the people He’s calling you to be? -- then just go out and love one another -- that’s it

            -- Jesus said that this is how people would know that we belonged to Him -- through our love

            -- and, honestly, I think this is something that Christians are pretty good at -- loving one another -- within our churches, love abounds -- it’s something that’s more than a feeling -- it’s tangible -- it’s there in the way we care for one another -- in the way we meet the needs of one another -- in the way we relate to one another

            -- loving one another is actually pretty easy -- it’s easy to love those who love us -- I mean, even the Pharisees got that right -- but Jesus wants more from us than just to love those we like -- to love those who love us

            -- hold your place right here and turn with me to Matthew 5:43-48

Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

            -- now that changes everything -- so what Jesus meant when He said, “love one another,” wasn’t that we were just to love those who love us -- to love those we liked

            -- no, He meant that we were to love those we didn’t like -- to love those who even hated us -- to love our enemies and those people who are hard to get along with -- and that’s not easy

            -- look back at 1 John 4:19

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

            -- so what Jesus and John are saying here is that we shouldn’t just love the people who are easy to love -- we should love everyone, always

            -- you’ve heard that before, right? -- love your enemies -- it’s something we know -- it’s something we say -- but it’s not always something we do

            -- sometimes it’s easier to agree with Jesus about something than to actually go out and do it -- but Jesus didn’t want just want our assent -- He didn’t just want us to agree with Him that this is a good idea -- He wanted us to do what He said -- He wanted us to go out and to actually love one another -- and, by that, He means even our enemies -- especially, our enemies -- for that’s where love is made real

            -- John says here that you can’t really say you love God if you hate your brother -- because God is love -- and when God’s love fills your heart, hate can’t live there

            -- your love for others -- your love for your enemies -- for difficult people -- for hateful people -- for hurtful people -- your love for them is a measure of your real love for God

            -- in his book, “Everybody, Always,” Bob Goff said something that really resonated with me -- he wrote: “It’s easy to love kind, lovely, humble people -- I mean, who wouldn’t? -- these are the ones I’ve spent much of my life loving -- [but, I have discovered that] I’ve spent my whole life avoiding the people Jesus spent His whole life engaging…the difficult people…the creepy people…[the people who are hard to love]”

            -- you’re never going to become like Jesus until you start loving the difficult people in your life

            -- and that’s not easy -- in fact, it is impossible apart from the grace and power of God -- we just don’t have that capacity within us -- but, as John writes here, when God’s agape love -- the unconditional and sacrificial love of God -- fills our hearts and touches our lives, then the Spirit will make you able to love even your enemies

            -- when I reflect on Jesus’ command to us here -- the command to love our enemies -- to love one another, meaning everyone we come into contact with -- I can’t help but think about a story that Corrie ten Boom shared in her book, “The Hiding Place” -- you may have heard this before, but it’s so relevant, that I have to share it again:

“It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, a former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there – the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, [my sister] Betsie's pain-blanched face.

“He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. ‘How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein.’ He said. ‘To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!’ His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people… the need to forgive [the need to love], kept my hand at my side.

“Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him. I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I prayed, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.

“As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”

            -- “God is our source of love, and his supply never runs low. When you have trouble loving someone, whether friend or enemy, ask God for the love you need. He will surely supply it, for it is in his very essence and will.” -- as John wrote, “God is love” -- and His love fills us and empowers us to love one another, even our enemies

IV.  Closing

            -- let's bring this to a close

            -- In his commentary on Luke's gospel, pastor and author Kent Hughes tells the following story:

            -- “Several years ago, one of my wife's friends took a missionary furlough with her husband and family after an unusually tiring stint of service. She had been looking forward to this time with great anticipation. For the first time she was going to have a place of her own, a new, large townhouse-styled apartment with a patio. She is very creative and made the patio the focus of her decoration.

            -- “After a few months some new neighbors moved in. The word to describe them would be "coarse." There was loud music day and night along with a constant flow of obscenities. They urinated in the front yard in broad daylight. They totally disrupted her peace. She could see nothing good in them.

            -- “She asked the Lord to help her be more loving, but all she got back [from her neighbors] was disgust and rejection. The crisis came when she returned home to discover that her neighbors' children had sprayed orange paint all over her beautiful patio—the walls, the floors—everything! She was distraught and furious. She tried to pray but found herself crying out, "I cannot love them; I hate them!"

            -- “Knowing she had to deal with the sin in her heart, she began to converse with the Lord in her inner being, and a Scripture came to mind: "And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity" (Colossians 3:14 NASB). In her heart she questioned, "Lord, how do I put on love?" The only way she could picture it was like putting on a coat. So that is what she determined to do—she chose to wrap herself in the love of God! As a result, she began to experience a deeper life of Christ within her.

            -- “She made a list of what she would do if she really loved her exasperating neighbors, then did what she had listed. She baked cookies, she offered to baby-sit for free, she invited the mother over for coffee—and the most beautiful thing happened! She began to know and understand them. She began to see that they were living under tremendous pressures. She began to love her "enemies." She did good to them. She lent to them without expecting anything back.

            -- “The day came when they moved—and she wept! An unnatural, unconventional love had captured her heart—a supernatural love—the love of Jesus.”¹

            -- “We love because He first loved us -- Whoever loves God, must also love his brother”

            -- what is love? -- this is love -- this is the love that Christ commands of us -- this is the love that is supposed to define who we are -- this is the love that is supposed to point a watching world to Jesus -- and they’re not seeing this love in His church today

            -- what does it take to love like this? -- how is this possible in our day and time?

            -- it is only possible through Jesus -- through Jesus' atoning, sacrificial death on the cross we come to know true love -- we come to experience 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 -- even to our enemies -- especially, to our enemies

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

            -- you can only love like this if you first know love -- you can only love like this if you 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? -- if you’re unsure of your relationship with Jesus -- if you can’t remember a time in your life when you personally asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins -- then please don’t leave here today without making that plea

            -- 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? -- and, by this, I mean not only those who are easy to love -- those we like -- those who love us back

            -- are you loving even the difficult people -- the creepy people -- your very own enemies?

            -- if not, then we need to start moving in that direction through the power of God's love in our lives

            -- start by thinking of how you relate to those you disagree with -- of how you respond to them in your conversations and on social media -- do your messages reflect the love of Christ to them, even if you don’t agree with them? -- do you avoid certain people because you don’t like them and don’t want to be around them?

            -- the people you avoid -- the people you don’t like -- these are the very ones you should love the most

            -- as we close, I invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- breathe in His love -- receive His agape love -- and then breathe that love out into this world -- love as Jesus loved -- share His love with one another

            -- what is love? -- God is love

            -- and, who are we to love? -- everybody, always

            -- let us pray

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1 Kent Hughes, Luke, Volume One (Crossway, 1998), p. 229; submitted by Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois

SERMON: HOW’S THE WATER?

3 February 2019

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live with them

    and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

    and they will be my people.”

17 Therefore,

“Come out from them

    and be separate,

says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,

    and I will receive you.”

18 And,

“I will be a Father to you,

    and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

            -- several years ago, the late author David Foster Wallace was invited to offer a commencement address to the graduating class at Kenyon College in Ohio -- he began his address to these young men and women by telling them this story:

            -- “There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys, how’s the water?” -- And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What…is water?”

            -- as Wallace continues his address, he makes the point that every day, we must make a choice as to how to live and to view the world around us -- otherwise, he says, we find ourselves in a default setting of unconsciousness -- living in a rat race that revolves around us and our wants and our desires -- worshiping at the altars of money or things or beauty or power or intellect -- where we do not make a difference in our lives or this world -- and where we end up just like all those around us -- enslaved to the common culture

            -- this week, I spent some time reflecting on how important this past weekend at Chrysalis was for those young men and boys who attended -- it may have only been a three-day retreat -- a time for them to separate themselves from their normal lives and to come out to a place where they could hear God away from the cacophony of noise that usually drowns out His voice in this world today

            -- as we challenged these young men to choose -- to make the choice to live different from those around them -- I thought about the story Wallace presented about the young fish immersed in water without knowing it -- for that is where those young men and boys were -- that is where most of us are -- that is where His church certainly is, as well

            -- for we are so immersed in the water of this culture -- we have lived in this culture for so long -- that we don’t even recognize it -- it has become who we are -- it has become what we do -- and it affects our lives, both secular and spiritual

            -- when Jesus prayed for us on the night He was betrayed in John 17, He prayed that the Father would not take us out of the world, but would protect us from the evil one -- He said in verse 16 that we were not of the world, even as He was not of the world -- and asked the Father to sanctify us by the truth of the Word

            -- to be sanctified means to be set apart -- it means to be separated from the world -- it means consecration and commitment to God and His kingdom rather than remaining in this world

            -- to put it in the terms of Wallace’s story:  we are to be in the water, but not of the water -- those young fish were so immersed in the water they lived in, that they did not recognize what they were swimming in

            -- that is where we find ourselves today as God’s people -- instead of being set apart and separated from this world, we have let ourselves become so immersed in this culture that we do not even recognize it any longer -- we have ceased to be in the world, but not of it -- we are living as if we are part of this world, and it is affecting our faith and our belief and our commitment to God

            -- we’ve talked before about how the church -- the people of God -- saved by His grace and through the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary -- how the very people called to be different and to live different look just like those around us

            -- how our behaviors and moral attitudes are not that different from those of unbelievers -- how we are believers who are so immersed in the world that we are basically living as the unsaved

            -- several years ago -- not long after I started at Moody Air Force Base -- I was talking with a coworker and found out he was a Christian -- that he had been on the Walk to Emmaus -- and was an active member of his church -- and I was dumb-founded -- for I had seen the way he lived and I had heard the way he talked and I had seen the way he interacted with other people at work -- I would never have guessed he was a Christian -- nothing in the way he lived would have led me to believe he was a Christian

            -- and that made me wonder, “Am I doing any better?” -- would people know that I’m a Christian based on how they see me doing life? -- am I just as compromised as him? -- am I living in the world as if I’m part of the world? -- “How’s the water, boys?”

II.  Scripture Lesson -- 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

            -- this great compromise in how we live our daily lives is not a recent phenomenon -- A.W. Tozer, the great Christian author of the last century, wrote, “Religion today is not transforming people -- rather, it is being transformed by the people -- it is not raising the moral level of society -- it is descending to society’s own level, and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because society is smilingly accepting its surrender”

            -- and, we see the Apostle Paul addressing this issue with the church in Corinth here in 2 Corinthians 6

            -- as we have discussed, the church at Corinth was struggling with how to live separate from the culture around it -- mostly made up of Gentiles who were coming from a pagan background -- whose lives before coming to Christ revolved around wealth and power and immorality as the cultural norms -- these men and women had no idea what it meant to be in the world, but not of it -- of how they were called to be set apart and separated from the world -- to be different from those around them

            -- as a result, there were problems in the church there at Corinth -- in Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, he dealt with sin in the church -- actions and behaviors that were acceptable in Corinthian culture and which the newly saved believers had brought with them into the church -- Paul taught the Corinthian believers that they must separate themselves from these sins, even if the world considered them normal

            -- now, in 2 Corinthians, the church was in danger of receiving and incorporating false teachings in their beliefs because they were welcoming false teachers into their midst -- they didn’t understand how to test the beliefs and teachings of others against the Scriptures -- and were falling prey to every wind and whim of false belief that came their way

            -- so, in this passage, Paul expounds on the call to be set apart and separate from the world around us -- on how we, as Christians, are to live in this world

            -- let’s look at it now, remembering the context of the church of Corinth -- a church struggling to separate and identify itself as believers in a culture where anything was acceptable -- a time not so vastly different from our own

            -- 2 Corinthians 6, verse 14-16a

6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16a What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?

            -- to make his point about being separate from unbelievers and the world, Paul uses the analogy of a yoke -- yokes are uncommon in our day -- with our age of mechanized agriculture, you don’t see animals in the field like you might have 100 or 1000 years ago -- but, in Paul’s day, it was a common sight

            -- typically, a pair of oxen would be joined together with a wooden yoke -- a collar that fit around each of their necks -- that was then fastened to a farm implement, like a plow -- the yoke would force the oxen to work together as a team -- pulling the implement across the field, as the farmer directed

            -- with a yoke, the oxen were forced to go in the same direction -- if one of the oxen decided to go rogue and head out across the field, then the other ox had a choice -- he could either resist the pull and bend the rogue ox back to the right path, or he had to follow -- it really came down to the question of who was stronger -- and the strongest ox was the one who set the pace and direction

            -- Paul’s point here is that when we allow ourselves to be yoked to an unbeliever, we end up getting pulled away from God’s way to the way of the world -- when we are constantly being tugged the wrong direction by an unbelieving world, it just becomes easier to give in and go that way

            -- it’s kind of like a dripping faucet -- when a faucet first starts to drip, it bothers you -- you’ll lay there at night and just here that faucet: “Drip, drip, drip” -- but, if you don’t do anything about it, you soon quit hearing it -- it just becomes background noise -- and, finally, you just accept it and go on

            -- it’s the same way when we let ourselves be yoked to an unbelieving world -- we start off fighting the pull towards the way of the world -- but, over time, we just give in -- a step here -- a step there -- until finally, we’re marching right in step with unbelievers

            -- that’s why Paul makes the case here about being yoked with unbelievers -- that’s why he asks the questions -- what do righteousness and wickedness have in common -- what do light and darkness have to do with each other? -- the Corinthians were trying to accept both at the same time -- they were trying to hold onto God with one hand, while allowing sin and wickedness into their lives with the other

            -- and, as a result, their lives were just like those around them -- there was no difference between the way they were living and the unbelievers that surrounded them

            -- look back at the second part of verse 16

16b. For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live with them

    and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

    and they will be my people.”

            -- I had a young friend several years ago that was caught up in pornography -- he was a Christian -- he had grown up in a Christian home -- he was active in his church and in Chrysalis -- but, he still got caught up in it -- one day, his father found out and went to him and said, “Why are you doing this? -- This is not who you are.”

            -- what a powerful statement -- “This is not who you are” -- that’s what Paul is telling the Corinthians here -- why are you yoked with unbelievers? -- why are living like this? -- this is not who you are

            -- you are the church of God -- you are the temple of the living God -- you are the people of God, and God lives in you and among you -- you have been bought by the blood of Jesus and redeemed from the world -- why are you still living like you are unsaved? -- this is not who you are -- stop living like the world and start being who you are

            -- verse 17

17 Therefore,

“Come out from them

    and be separate,

says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,

    and I will receive you.”

18 And,

“I will be a Father to you,

    and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

            -- God’s command to us is clear -- we are to be in the world, but not of it -- we are to be in the water, but not let the water become who we are

            -- God tells us that we are to come out of the world and be separate from them -- in belief -- in thought -- in desire -- in behavior

            -- we are to stay away from the unclean things -- to purify ourselves from everything that might contaminate our body or our spirit -- we are to be holy as He is holy -- for that is who we are -- that is how we are to live

            -- not like the world around us, but different -- separate -- holy

            -- we are called to be light and salt to this world -- to shine lives of holiness into the darkness around us -- to season the world with the salt of the gospel of Christ

           

            -- we have not been doing a very good job at this -- we have failed to be the church -- to stand up for what is right and true and holy in this world -- we have allowed ourselves to be yoked to this world in so many ways -- through politics and entertainment and morality and our desires for wealth and comfort and happiness -- and we have ceased to be who we were called to be

            -- Paul’s message to the Corinthians speaks to us today -- come out of the world -- be separated from those around you in your life and in your behavior -- live for God and not for this world

III.  Closing

            -- I read a story one time about a guy who was out hunting bear -- as he’s going along, he sees a large bear in his path and he slowly raises his rifle and takes aim -- just as he was ready to pull the trigger, he was shocked to hear the bear talk

            -- the bear spoke in a soft, soothing voice -- “Isn’t it better to talk than to shoot? -- what do you really want? -- let’s see if we can negotiate an understanding between us”

            -- the hunter lowered his rifle and replied, “I want a fur coat” -- “Good,” the bear said, “That is negotiable -- I only want a full stomach, so let’s sit down and work out a compromise”

            -- they sat down to talk, and after a little while, the bear got up and walked away -- he was alone -- the negotiations had been successful --    the bear’s stomach was full, and now the hunter had his fur coat

            -- compromise with the world is a bear -- the world can promise so much, but in the end, it will just eat you up -- it will devour you

            -- compromised Christians don’t become worldly all at once -- it’s a gradual process -- a step here -- a step there -- but, before you know it, you’re no different from the world at all

            -- every single day, we must make a choice -- we must choose to see the water we are swimming in and choose to live differently than the world -- we must choose to take up our cross, to separate ourselves from the world, and to follow Christ

            -- that is our call as Christians -- that is who we are

            -- as we close now, I want to encourage you to take a moment and think about where you are in your life -- think about how others might see you -- think about how God sees you -- are you living differently than the world around you -- or are you marching through life yoked with an unbelieving world?

            -- do your thoughts -- your actions -- your words -- your beliefs -- reflect God or this world?

            -- choose to live differently than the world around you -- choose to be sanctified through His word and through the power of the Spirit within you -- choose to be who He called you to be

            -- how’s the water, boys?

            -- let us pray

SERMON: STRENGTH FOR TODAY

20 January 2019

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 2 Cor 1:21-22

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 New International Version (NIV)

21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

            -- have you ever paid attention to the names of the churches as you’re traveling around? -- historically, our church names were rather utilitarian -- you’d come into a town and you’d find the First Baptist Church or the First Methodist Church of that town -- names that identified themselves with their denomination and their geographic location

            -- then we started branching out and naming churches based on biblical places or Christian terms -- Grace Baptist Church -- Corinth Baptist Church -- Harmony Methodist Church -- Covenant Church -- Fellowship -- you get the idea

            -- you see a lot of churches using “Point” in their name -- CrossPoint -- LifePoint -- sometimes with Point spelled with an “e” at the end to be unique

            -- a lot of churches like to use the word “life” -- Life Church -- New Life -- or “Redemption” -- or just simply “Christ”

            -- but recently, churches have become quite creative in naming themselves, with recent churches choosing names such as Journey, The Bridge, Mosaic, Generation, Elevate, Vertical, or Summit¹

            -- when you’re looking around, you just never know what names churches will have chosen for themselves -- which begs the question, “What’s in a name?” -- in other words, what is important about your name?

            -- whether we’re talking about churches or people, our name identifies us -- it defines who we are -- and it becomes a legacy of what we have done and a predictor of what we will do in the future -- names carry weight

            -- when I was in school, mothers were always worried about how their daughters were known -- they wanted to make sure they had a good name -- a good reputation -- a name that reflected their values and their behavior

            -- throughout history, if someone did something bad -- something heinous -- their name would ever be associated with that action -- ever hear the term, “Do that and your name will be mud?” -- you know where that comes from?

            -- when John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln, he jumped from the balcony at the Ford’s Theater and landed on the stage, hurting his leg -- and then was shot by someone as he fled -- wounded and harassed by the military and the police, he made his way to a doctor friend -- someone he trusted who would take care of him, no matter what he had done -- the doctor who stitched up John Wilkes Booth’s wounds? -- Dr. Mudd

            -- when word got out that Dr. Mudd had helped Lincoln’s assassin, he was shunned by the people of Washington -- his career was over -- his name was forever ruined and remembered in the saying, “Do that and your name will be mud…”

           

            -- names are important -- that’s why we see people’s names changing in the Bible, as God renamed them to reflect their new natures and their new positions with Him -- the same holds true for us -- although our names may not have been changed since our birth, who we are has been changed as God has named us and claimed us for His own and marked us as His representatives in this world

            -- this passage from the book of 2 Corinthians goes into detail on what it means to be named and claimed by God

            -- before we get back into the Scripture, let me just give you a little context and background to get us started

           

            -- Corinth was capitol of Achaea -- a Roman province about 40 miles west of Greece -- located between the Aegean and Adriatic Seas and was an important port city known for its wealth, magnificence, and learning -- it was especially famous for the Corinthian marble and for the pottery and brass that were crafted there -- its name was associated with wealth and prosperity and the finer things of life -- even today, Corinthian marble is still sought out for use in our homes and businesses

            -- but, its name was also known for something else -- it was famous for its immorality -- it was the Las Vegas of the ancient world -- it was a town you visited to experience all the vices life had to offer -- wine, women, and song -- debauchery could be found on every street corner -- and the people of the ancient world flocked to Corinth to experience it all

            -- Corinth was also the site of the temple of Aphrodite, which wasn’t a good thing -- sexual practices were part of their religious services -- so, when people came to Corinth, they naturally were drawn to become followers of Aphrodite for the weekend in order to partake of the sexual religious rituals led by the priestesses

            -- all in all, Corinth was a wicked and evil city -- and this pagan and idolatrous world is the place from which the church of Corinth was drawn -- the people who had received the teaching of Paul and the other missionaries of Christ were all Gentiles who grew up in this town and had spent their whole lives immersed in the immorality of Corinth as their normal life -- it is no wonder that we see in these two epistles to the church at Corinth Paul dealing with their struggles at embracing the righteousness and holiness demanded by the Christian life

            -- I think we can safely say that these books are especially insightful in our modern day, as we see our country following the path of Corinth in terms of immorality being accepted and applauded as the new norm

            -- these epistles -- there were actually four of them -- we only have two left extant -- these epistles were written by Paul to encourage and strengthen these struggling Gentile Christians in their walk with Christ -- to help them walk in the new name they had in Christ

            -- through tear-stained letters, he appealed to them to live a better life -- to turn from their sins and immorality -- to turn to Christ -- to live up to the name they now carried

            -- in his earlier letter, he dealt with some unrighteous acts going on in the church, to include sin within the church and pride in the matter of worship and spiritual gifts -- he had written them with instructions on how to purge the sin from within and they had responded, but problems still abounded

            -- not only were they still struggling with living the Christian life, but now they were experiencing increased persecution and suffering for trying to walk a different path from the rest of the people in Corinth -- this letter -- a rather personal letter from the heart of Paul -- addresses both issues and seeks to encourage them in their faith

II.  Scripture Lesson (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

            -- look back at verse 21 and let’s read this again

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 New International Version (NIV)

21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

            -- the first thing Paul tells these struggling Christians is that God makes us stand firm in Christ

            -- the meaning of Paul’s statement here is two-fold -- first, it was to take away the pride of the Corinthians and the arguments of the so-called “super apostles” who challenged Paul -- they alleged that they were better Christians because they were able to live the Christian life in superior ways, whether that was through speaking in tongues or in the expression of other gifts

            -- Paul’s point here was that anything good that comes from us -- any changes in our behavior and our thoughts and our attitudes -- is not a result of our own power and strength -- but from God -- even our faith comes from God Himself -- so the Corinthians were sinning by taking credit for what God had been doing through them

            -- secondly, by pointing out that it is God who makes us stand firm in Christ, Paul is speaking encouragement to those Corinthians who were struggling in their faith -- they looked at those around them and everyone else seemed to be doing better than them in their walk with God and they asked, “What is wrong with us?” -- they thought the error was in them and that their problem was they weren’t strong enough or didn’t know enough or didn’t have enough faith

            -- instead, Paul points out, it is God who makes us stand firm -- it is not about you -- it is about Him working in you and through you to sanctify you and make you grow in Christ -- by depending on their own strength, the Corinthians were failing to tap into the power source that we have from God in the Spirit

            -- it reminds me of the story of this missionary named Herbert Jackson -- when Herbert first got to the mission field, he was given a car to drive -- it was an older car with a manual transmission, but he was excited to get it, because it meant he could drive rather than having to walk the entire time

            -- but, when he tried to crank it up, it wouldn't start -- the battery wasn't strong enough to turn the engine over and get it going -- and on the mission field, there was no way to charge the battery or to get a new battery -- the only way he could get the car started was to get it rolling and pop the clutch

            -- for the next two years, Herbert would either leave his car running or he would park on a hill so he could coast down the hill and get it rolling to pop the clutch

            -- after the two years were up, it was time for Herbert to leave the mission field, and a new missionary showed up to take his place -- while Herbert starts telling this new missionary about how he needs to leave the car running or park it on a hill so he can crank it, the new guy popped the hood and looked around for a moment and said, "Herbert, I think the problem is this loose cable!"

-- He gave the cable a twist, tightened a nut, and got in the car and turned the key, and to Herbert’s astonishment, the engine roared to life -- the power had been right there the whole time, but for two years, a loose connection kept Herbert from putting that power to work.

            -- the Corinthians were trying to come out of a lifestyle of paganism and debauchery, but were failing because they were trying to live that life in their own power -- they were not connecting to the Source -- and, without God’s help, none of us can live the life we were called to live

            -- Paul goes on to tell us in these verses that this power of the Spirit -- this work of God in us making us stand firm -- is received and experienced in three distinct ways:

1.  God anointed us

            -- when someone was set apart by God for a special work, they would be anointed with oil to symbolize God’s power and call in their lives -- this was especially true of kings and prophets and priests

            -- but now, Paul points out, because of the grace of God through Christ, we are all called to be set apart from the world for God’s use -- we are all anointed and proclaimed and consecrated as God’s servants

            -- to be anointed means we are no longer part of this world -- we are called out saints -- we are like Moses, who was drawn out of the river Nile and brought into the king’s palace -- and, we need to live like this

            -- and, not only are we called out, we are anointed to prepare and empower us for service -- rather than being passive participants in religion -- as was the practice in Judaism and in most other religions -- where only the priests were called to interact with God directly -- we are now all called to be ministers of God’s grace on earth -- as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:20, we are Christ’s ambassadors, entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation

            -- to be anointed means you have been named and called and sent forth in service

            -- it’s a good practice to remember this every morning -- the world wants to tell us who we are -- it wants to tell us how to act -- it wants to tell us who to be -- but God says otherwise -- and it is a good idea to remember who we are in Christ every morning when we get up

            -- to include in our morning prayers a prayer of consecration -- consecrating and setting apart every part of you to service to God as you begin your day -- and consecrating all that you will do and all that you have to Him, as well

            -- I like to do this every morning -- to claim this anointing fresh every day -- to remember who I am in Christ -- and then to clothe myself in His spiritual armor -- in order to go forth into this world as His ambassador and messenger

2.  God set His seal of ownership on us

            -- this term by Paul calls to mind a king sealing something with a signet ring -- putting His seal or mark on something did two things -- it identified the object as belonging to the King and it protected the object from any who would tamper with it

            -- so, when Paul says that God put His seal on us, it means that He has claimed us -- He has called us out of this world and made us His own -- we belong to Him and not to the world or the ways of the world -- we are part of His kingdom -- His ambassadors -- His servants that represent Him in this place

            -- it also guarantees His protection and care of us -- no one and nothing can come against us without God’s intervention -- He protects us from this world -- from the prince of this world -- from the evil that surrounds us -- He orders our steps -- He makes our path straight -- He gives light unto our feet as we walk through the darkness of this world

            -- I’ve been reading a series of books about a detective who is a wizard -- and when he is attacked by someone, he puts up a magical shield around himself to ward off the threat and to protect himself and those around him from the danger -- that’s an example of what the Holy Spirit does in our lives -- because God has sealed us and claimed us as His own, He has given us the Spirit as our shield -- we walk in a bubble of spiritual protection that keeps us safe and that helps us to live worthy of the calling within us

            -- that doesn’t mean that we won’t stumble -- we can certainly do like the Corinthians and invite into our lives sin and immorality and unrighteous living -- but God protects us from the world around and warns us when we are straying as a result of our own actions

            -- if we could remember that God has put His seal on us -- that everyday we go forth with a big sign on us -- a nametag, if you will -- that says, “I belong to God,” -- it would help us remember our power to walk in holiness and righteousness in this immoral land and it would help us strive to live holy lives through His power and strength

3.  God put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit

            -- the Greek word that Paul uses here for deposit is arrabon -- it is a part of the whole -- it’s like in a contract when you put down a deposit or earnest money, which guarantees that you will pay the rest at the end

            -- the Holy Spirit is the arrabon given by God to us -- meaning that the kind of life we live through the Spirit’s power and influence on us now is a picture of what our lives will be like when we receive the full payment of our faith in heaven

            -- in other words, what Paul is telling these struggling Christians is that their faith and trust in the Spirit -- and His work in them and through them -- is proof of God’s grace and mercy in their lives -- that these fledgling, toddler-like steps of faith prove that one day they will be walking with God in heaven with perfection of their spirit and body and soul

            -- Paul’s telling them to not give up -- to not grow dissatisfied when they don’t see themselves proceeding as they hoped or when they fall and fail and have to get up and start all over again

            -- one day they will truly be who God called them to be -- right now, they were only experiencing a small part of who they were becoming, but the best was yet to come

            -- you've probably heard the story before of the woman who wanted to be buried with a fork in her hand to remind people of what she had learned as a little girl -- every time they would finish a meal, her mother would tell her, "keep your fork, there's something better coming" and then they would enjoy a wonderful dessert

            -- what Paul is saying here to the Corinthians is "keep your fork -- there's better things coming in the next life"

III.  Closing

            -- I opened this message by talking about names -- about living into our names -- about making sure our actions and our behaviors and our being reflected the name that we have been given

            -- Paul reminds us here in these verses of our new name in Christ -- of the standard to which we have been called -- but, he says, you don’t have to live in this new life alone -- it is God who makes you stand firm in Christ -- and He has given you everything you need to be successful in fulfilling the calling and name He has given

            -- He has anointed you -- He has put His seal on you -- He has given you His very Spirit

            -- so, go, and be who God called you to be -- trust in Him -- depend on Him -- and take up the name of Christ in this world today

            -- let us pray

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1 Thom Rainier, Contemporary Trends in Church Names, https://thomrainer.com/2018/06/contemporary-trends-church-names/