Learning about Love from Paul Miller

I am profoundly indebted to Paul Miller.

Paul wrote the best book I've ever read on the subject of prayer, A Praying Life, which has deeply affected how I think of and practice prayer.

And Paul also wrote the best short book I've ever read on the subject of love, Love Walked Among Us. I appreciated this book so much I wrote a small group discussion guide for it.

Paul was a good friend of one of my mentors, David Powlison, and their likemindedness shows in their respective work.

I think it's quite a feat to write two of the best books I've ever read on two different topics!

Paul has a new book out this month called The J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life which I just started reading yesterday. I can't wait to find out what I'll learn from Paul Miller next.

This beautifully made video from Crossway gives a window in Paul, his life, and his thoughts. It's worth the time to watch. The theme is how love is not efficient.



Paul Miller's Story of Learning to Love from Crossway on Vimeo.

You can guess, by the way, how encouraging it was to learn that Paul had read my book and added his endorsement.

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Love Walked Among Us - Review & Discussion Guide

I was having a great conversation yesterday with a friend about this terrific book (which has a new cover and is now available in multiple formats) and realized that my short review isn't available on my blog anywhere.

So here it is:

Loved Walked Among Us has quickly become one of my “everyone” books.

As soon as I read it, I ordered a case of copies to put in the hands of everyone in our church and everyone who crossed my path.  Paul Miller’s keen study of how Jesus loved people is fresh, unique, and eminently readable–full of winsome wisdom in succinct sentences and 3D stories.

Everyone can profit from reading it–from closet Pharisees (like me) to honest unbelievers searching out the true identity of Jesus.  Miller takes us on a tour of the gospels, shining a spotlight on the surprising ways and whys of Jesus’ love for people and connecting the dots to our lives today.  The book is the condensed fruit of a longer study of the Person of Jesus available on the author’s helpful website: SeeJesus.net.

The only thing missing in LWAU is a chapter by chapter discussion guide for small groups, so I wrote one for our church.  Love Walked Among Us climaxes with our Lord’s death and resurrection, making it a great book for everyone to read as Easter approaches.  Buy two copies: one to read and one to give away.

***

This review was originally published in EFCA Today (Winter 2009) and is used with permission.

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Matt's Messages "Love Has Come"

“Love Has Come”
Learning to Love
December 21, 2008
Matthew 1:18-25, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, Romans 8:35-39

I want to encourage all of you to make a plan now to read through your Bible in 2009. 2009 will be here in just 10 days, and so now is the time to make your plan to read through the Bible in the New Year.

The bulletin indicates that there are new reading plans in the back on the Bible resource table. This year, there are two main ones. Both a printed on purple paper.

The thicker one is one that we’ve put out on the table for several years. If you use that one, you actually go through the whole Bible once and the New Testament and Psalm twice. So it’s more than one time through the Bible and it’s divided up into 4 daily readings. It goes along with the companion books “For the Love of God” that also out there on the table. I highly recommend them.

The thinner plan is a great plan, too. It goes through the Bible once in a year, but I like how it’s laid out. It plans in time each week for reflection and catching-up. So, there’s built-in time in the plan for getting a little behind and then being able to still catch up. I highly recommend that plan, too. It’s called the “Book at a Time Bible Reading Plan.”

There is also One-Year Bibles out there that divide the Bible up into readings for you. And a book by Gordon Addington that helps you Discover the Bible as well.

Now, I say this every year at this time and we make these reading plans available.

This year, I want to up the ante and issue a challenge to encourage everyone here to read through their Bible in 2009.

I’m offering a pancake breakfast to everyone here who reads through the Bible in 2009.

In January 2010, Heather and I will make a pancake breakfast for anyone and everyone who brings me one of those purple reading plans with all of the boxes checked that you have read them. A completed purple reading plan will be your ticket.

How’s that? I know that January 2010 is a long way off, but now’s the time to get ready for it by planning to read your Bible.

The Bible is God’s own Word to us. What a gift! Let’s read it together in 2009!

Have you found Matthew chapter 1?

This is a very familiar passage. Let’s read it. Starting in verse 18.

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’--which means, ‘God with us.’ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”

“Love Has Come.”

Today’s message is the last in the long series that we’ve been in all Fall.

Since September, we’ve been “Learning to Love.”

We’ve been in the “School of Love” with God as our Teacher and 1 Corinthians 13 as our textbook.

We’ve learned what love looks like when it’s in action. What love looks like when love is “doing its thing.”

We’ve learned that love is a wonderful, powerful thing–hard to do but awesome and effective when it’s truly practiced.

Today, as we celebrate Christmas together, we go one step further.

We rejoice in the fact that love has come in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Not just that we should love others but that God has loved us.

The Bible says that God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son.

Jesus is God’s love-gift, His Christmas present, love-in-the-flesh, for you and for me.

There is so much in Matthew chapter 1.

I’d love to spend time on the genealogy with you. Or talk about Joseph and Mary and their surprise at Mary’s holy pregnancy.

But what I want to focus on today in this passage is what the Angel of the Lord told Joseph to name the baby boy.

One name is “Immanuel” which means “God with us.” V.23

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him ‘Immanuel’–which means ‘God with us.’”

What have we learned about God and love? 1 John 4:8? “God IS love.”

So if God is now with us? Then Love Has Come.

#1. Love Has Come TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS.

I get that from the other name that the angel told Joseph to give to the baby boy.

Look at verse 21:

“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Now, we are familiar with that name “Jesus.” But we don’t always think about what it actually means. If you have the NIV, you’ll notice a footnote for verse 21 that says, “Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves.”

We’re going to be learning a lot about the Old Testament Joshua in 2009. 2009 is a odd numbered year where we take up the next chronological book in the Big Story of the Old Testament. We’ve done Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers. In 2009, we’ll pick up Joshua.

Joshua’s name reminds us of deliverance. Rescue. Salvation.

“The LORD saves.”

And Jesus is the Greek form of that name.

Jesus’ name means “the LORD Saves.” The angel said (v.21), “Joe, give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Love has come to save us from our sins.

We’ve all heard that before. We say it every week. But it’s truly amazing–especially when we realize how sinful our sin really is.

You and I are, by nature, sinners. We’re rebels against a holy God.

And God would be just to send us to Hell forever.

We’ve sinned against God! He’s perfect and holy and lovely and beautiful and glorious and creator and sustainer and awesome in every way.

But we’ve all turned away from Him and turned against Him.

But the good news is, the gospel is, that Jesus is God with us to save us from our sins.

Love has come to save us from our sins.

He did it by means of the Cross.

The baby in Bethlehem grew up to be the man of sorrows crucified on a Roman cross.

Taking our sin, our shame, our guilt, our punishment, our place.

He died for our sins, the just for the unjust to bring us to God.

That’s how much He loves His people!

Do you know Him as Savior today?

Do you know Him as your Rescuer?

Does Jesus mean “the LORD has saved” you?

If you are not yet a faith-follower of Jesus Christ, saved by His grace and His work on the cross on your behalf, we invite you today to trust Him and be saved.

You need rescuing! We all do.

You are, by nature, in the burning building of God’s wrath.

But Love Has Come to the rescue!

Like a great firefighter bursting through the flames, God has sent His Son Jesus to die in your place and grab you out of sin and into His arms.

I invite you turn from your sins and trust in the Savior today.

Love Has Come to Save Us From Our Sins.

If you are saved today, what a great time of year it is to celebrate our Savior!

Joe and I sang this morning:

We Once Were Slaves in Misery
Till You Appeared and Set Us Free!
Alleluia! Hope Has Come.

Love Has Come to Save Us From Our Sins!

#2. Love Has Come TO SHOW US HOW IT’S DONE.

Jesus is God’s love come to us.

And one of the reasons why He came was to show us how to love.

To show us how it’s done.

Nobody ever loved like Jesus!

When Jesus wept over Lazarus’ death, the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

They were amazed at His love.

And the more we get to know Jesus, the more we’ll be amazed at how He loved others.

Now, first and foremost, He came to love us by dying in our place.

But His love is also an example for us.

How many times this Fall, have I said, “Can you imagine Jesus envying?” or “Can you imagine Jesus being “self-seeking?” Or “Can you imagine Jesus delighting in evil?”

Of course not. Jesus was the prime and perfect example of love.

In fact, let’s do this.

Let’s say our memory work today (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) and subtitute in Jesus’ name for love. And “He” instead of “it.”

Okay?

“Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails.”

Love has come to show us how it’s done.

Do you remember how Jesus washed His disciple’s feet?

It was the night before the crucifixion and the gospel of John tells us that Jesus had loved His disciples, but now He was going to show them the full extent of His love.

He loved them to the fullest.

And wrapped a towel around his waist and bent down and did the most menial of all tasks–He washed their feet.

And when He was done, He said, “Do you understand what I have done for you? ... Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you...[And He also said] Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men wil know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”

Love Has Come to Show Us How It’s Done

So that we will love, too!

Is there someone that you are struggling to love?

Is there someone in your life right now that you know that God is calling you to love, and maybe it’s difficult.

We’ve talked about love all Fall.

In all of our relationships–we, as Christ’s followers, are to be characterized by biblical, Christ-like love.

Patient, Kind, Content, Encouraging, Humble, Respectful, Others-Focused, Joyful, Gracious, and Holy, and Tenacious.

Jesus shows us how it’s done so that we will turn around and do it for others.

Can I suggest a resource to help in our ongoing education?

This book is called “Love Walked Among Us” and I read it this Summer for my CCEF classes. It is excellent. It was one of if not the best book that I read this Summer. In fact, it was one of the chief reasons that I picked this theme for our Fall sermon series.

All of our Link Groups are going to be reading and discussing “Love Walked Among Us” this Winter. They’ll all do it on their own pace in their own way, but it’s going to be the main book that folks will be reading in our church.

If you’re in a Link Group already, there should be a copy of the book in your box in the foyer.

But we want everyone to get into a Link Group, so there are more books on the table in the back. Grab one today and join a group.

Right now, we have 3 groups: I lead one, Blair leads one, and Bob Gisewhite leads one. Talk with one of us about joining a group.

If you can’t join a group, talk with me about starting one. I’d love to train you in how to do that.

Or if you can’t do that at this time, I still recommend that you get a book. They are free if you’re in a Link Group. They;re only $7.00 if you’re not.

And if 7 bucks is a problem, let me know, and we’ll get you scholarship for one.

Here’s why we’re reading this book next:

It picks up where 1 Corinthians 13 has left off.

It is a study of the person of Jesus and how Jesus loved others.

It’s a study of the Gospels and how Jesus loved people. And we’re going to learn, as we read it, how to love other people like Jesus did.

Sound good? It is. Get a book. Join a group.

Because Love Has Come To Show Us How It’s Done.

Here at Christmas time, God is calling us to love other people.

Not just to have a warm fuzzy feeling about people.

But to love people in our relationships like Jesus loved people.

Love Has Come to Show Us How It’s Done.

#3. Love Has Come TO STAY WITH US FOREVER.

Love Has Come to Save Us From Our Sins
Love Has Come to Show Us How It’s Done
And Love Has Come to Stay With Us Forever.

Turn in your Bibles with me to the book of Romans chapter 8. The last few verses.

In this awesome passage, the Apostle Paul connects again the love of God with Jesus Christ.

And his main point is this: if we are in Christ, we will never be separated from the love God.

Let’s read it. Romans 8:35. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Love Has Come and Has Come to Stay!

Paul says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”

You might think that those things would prove that we are separated from the love of Christ.

Are you going through any of those yourself this Christmas Season?

Christmas can be really tough time for people.

“Trouble or hardship or [the economy or relational difficulties or worries about work or about family or about your health? Or] persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword...”

Can true believers go through those?

You bet. Paul expects it. He quotes Psalm 44. “As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’”

But do trials at Christmas separate from God’s love?

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, [or in case you can come up with something not in those categories!] nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Love has come to stay with us forever.

I would imagine that some of us need to hear that today.

You might feel abandoned.

Maybe like verse 38 says, “death” has threatened. Or death has shown up.

Many of us grieve loved ones who have died during the holiday season.

Or maybe you’re depressed. Christmas is a time when many get the holiday blues.

You need hope.

Jesus is the hope you need.

And He is not going anywhere.

Love has come and has come to stay.

Love will never leave you nor forsake you.

It may feel like it sometimes!

But this is what is true.

“Nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The little baby born in Bethlehem is the inseparable, insuperable love of God for you and me.

Love Has Come!

Love Has Come to Save Us From Our Sins.
I invite you to trust Jesus as Your Savior. The LORD saves you.

Love Has Come to Show Us How It’s Done.
Love other people like Jesus! Jesus is patient. Jesus is kind. So can you be.

Love Has Come to Stay With Us Forever.
Jesus is our Great Hope! And He’s here to stay. Trust in Him.

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Matt's Messages "Love Never Fails"

“Love Never Fails”
Learning to Love
December 14, 2008
1 Corinthians 13:8a

Dawn Boyd told me last Sunday that one day the previous week, out of the blue, she was asked by a co-worker if she knew the “Love Chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13!

And Dawn said, “Well, believe it or not, I do!” And she was able to quote it for her.

Let’s all do it together.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Amen!

One of you wrote me an encouraging email this week that said this (I thought it was so good), “This current sermon series has been...honest, encouraging, meaningful, guided, thought-provoking...[and] a struggle. I thought I had my ‘version’ of Christian love down pretty good. Wow. I have a LOT of work to do.”

Can I get an Amen for that one, too?

Me, too! Amen. I think that this sermon series has been one of the most challenging to prepare and even more challenging to live out.

I am definitely not “Doctor Love.” I don’t have a Ph.D. in Christian love.
In fact, I realized while I was hunting the last two weeks how far from the ideal I really fall short.

I’ve found out this year that hunting can really show you your heart!

I’m NOT patient. Love may be patient, but I am not!

Sitting in the woods, waiting for a deer–maybe a deer who isn’t going to come!

I just kept fidgeting! I couldn’t sit still.

I am envious.

Love does not envy, but I found myself envying.

The first day of deer season, there you are in the woods–and about 7 o’clock you begin to hear, what?

Guns going off! And you don’t think, “Oh good. I’m so glad those guys were successful!”

No, you think, “Where’s mine?!”

I’m not boastful. I don’t have anything to boast about.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m not proud.

I hope I wasn’t rude. But I know that a couple of times I was easily angered.

You know, the second day of deer, I went out to park where I had the day before, and there was a truck parked there taking up 2 spots. And I was immediately filled with rage!

I’ve forgiven him, though, I’m not keeping a record of wrongs.

Hunting has a way of showing your heart....if you’re paying attention.

I was not successful this year at bagging a buck or tagging a doe. But it’s just 50 more weeks until hunting season again! Maybe next year.

I failed this year. But verse 8 tells us that, “Love never fails.” And that’s what we want to think about this morning.

“Love never fails.”

That’s the cap that Paul puts on this compact little powder-keg of a passage.

“Love never fails.”

There is a major contrast between verse 7 with the repetition of always, always, always, always. And then verse 8 with “never.” Notice that?

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

But love NEVER fails.

“Love never fails.”

Let’s think about that. What does that mean?

It certainly DOESN’T mean that we never fail to love.

You and I often fail to love. That’s one thing that we’ve been learning this Fall.

“Love don’t come easy.” It’s not easy to love, and we often fail at it and require forgiveness and grace.

And it doesn’t mean that others won’t fail to love us.

They will. If we expect our loved ones to love us back unfailingly, we will be sorely disappointed.

Sinners fail to love. And it hurts. It really hurts.

It also doesn’t mean that every loving thing we do will accomplish what we intend for it to do.

So, if we do something loving, for an enemy, for example, that “love never fails” doesn’t mean that they will automatically become our friend.

Love does not always attain automatic or predictable results.

However, love never fails.

That’s the truth. It’s right there in your Bible. What does it mean?

Let me suggest three things this morning.

#1. LOVE IS EFFECTIVE.

“Love never fails” means that love is effective.

Love does have an effect on those who are loved.

In other words, love works.

The Greek word here for “fails” is “pipto.” It literally means to fall.

Love never falls. It doesn’t stumble and have no effect.

When we practice it in truth, love accomplishes something in our relationships.

We’ve all experienced this.

What happens inside of you when someone is patient with you?

Well, if we notice it, it often makes us realize that we’re being a problem, doesn’t it?

Love has an effect on us.

What about when others are kind to us? Does that effect us?

You bet it does.

Remember a couple of months ago when I asked for testimonies of seeing patience and kindness in your week?

A number of you gave testimonies of how encouraged you were by someone else’s patience or kindness. It had an effect on you.

Love never fails. Love is effective.

Now, that’s LOVE that is effective, not manipulation!

Sometimes, we get to thinking that if we act in an outwardly loving way (or if we’re nicey nice) then we’ll change someone else.

Well, first of all, we can can’t change anyone else.

But second of all, it takes real love to help someone change–not just the outward veneer of it.

But true love itself IS effective.

I got a note last week from one of you telling a victory story about how you’ve grown at love in one particular relationship in your life.

And, even better, that relationship has improved! There has been both a give and a take on both sides of this relationships. Love never fails.

Now, again, it doesn’t always look like we expect.
It doesn’t always happen on our time-table.

Sometimes, it doesn’t look remotely like what we had hoped for.

And it’s not a trick.

But love never fails. It is effective.

I think one of the reasons why Paul puts this last in the list is to encourage us to keep at it.

As we’ve seen, this is a beautiful description of love in action, but it can seem almost crushing with the weight of it when you try to measure yourself against it.

And verse 7 encouraged us to keep at it. Don’t stop. Be tenacious in love.

And then verse 8 tells us, not only to keep at it, but that it will have an effect.

Love never fails.

Don’t stop now. Love will be effective.

Love will be victorious.

Love will be triumphant.

Love will have an effect.

Do you need to hear that today?

Do you need to hear that at the end of this sermon series?

Don’t give up on love.

Don’t give up on that relationship.

With your spouse, with your kids, with your parents, with your co-workers, with your neighbors, with your church members, with your classmates, with your roommates.

Keep on loving.

Now again, that doesn’t mean that those relationships will not change. Or that you shouldn’t do some things to change those relationships.

But don’t stop loving in those relationship.

Don’t stop being Patient, Kind, Content, Encouraging, Humble, Respectful, Others-Focused, Joyful, Gracious, and Holy. in your love for them.

Don’t stop loving. Because it will be effective.

Expect effect.

Love never fails.

Take that as a promise and keep on loving–even though it’s hard, especially because it’s hard.

Expect effect.

Love never fails means that love is effective.

#2. LOVE IS ETERNAL.

That “love never fails” means that love is eternal.

This little phrase is a bridge between verses 4 through 7 and verses 8 through 13.

And it’s part of Paul’s larger argument in 1 Corinthians.

Remember, Paul is fixing problems at the church in Corinth.

They had a spiritual gift problem. Not that they didn’t have them, but that they loved them too much. They thought too much of their spiritual gifts.

And chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians deals with spiritual gifts and chapter 14 deals with spiritual gifts.

Chapter 13 does, too. And one of the chief things that it says about spiritual gifts is that they don’t last. Spiritual gifts aren’t that important because they don’t last.

In chapter 12, Paul has been saying that spiritual gifts are good and from God but that now in chapter 13, he’s going to show us something much more important–the more excellent way: Love.

And then in verses 1-3, he contrasts love with the exercise of amazing spiritual gift without love–and he concludes that spiritual gifts (no matter how amazing) without love are worthless.

And then he gives us our textbook on love (verses 4-7), “Love is patient” ending with “Love never fails.”

And then, he talks about spiritual gifts again, doesn’t he? V.8

“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease [King James: “they shall fail”]; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes (at the return of Christ!) the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain [forever!]: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” [1 Corinthians 13:8-13].

Love is eternal!

Love goes into eternity even though spiritual gifts do not!

The English Standard Version translates verse 8: “Love never ends.”

Gifts are temporary.
Love is permanent.

Love is eternal.

So, do you know what Heaven is going to be like?

Heaven is going to be a “world of love.”

That’s a phrase from Jonathan Edward’s great book on the “Love Chapter” called “Charity and Its Fruits.”

I’ve been reading it as I prepare for these messages.

Edwards calls heaven a “World of Holy Love.”

And his last chapter is a long meditation on what it means that heaven will be a great home of love.

Heaven will be a place where everybody loves everybody and everybody knows the love of God!

Doesn’t that sound marvelous?

Love is eternal.

This is another reason to practice love.

Because love lasts.

It isn’t just here today and gone tomorrow.

Love (and what is done in love) lasts forever and ever and ever and ever and ever.

Love lasts. It’s permanent.

It’s a permanent fixture in the universe!

And when you and I practice Christian love, we experience a foretaste of the world to come.

Let me say that again.

When you and I practice Christian love, we experience a foretaste of the world to come.

When we practice Christian love, we are practicing for Heaven.

“Love never fails.”

So, husbands and wives:

When you are patient with each other.
When you keep no record of wrongs.
When you are kind.
When you are not easily angered...

You are getting ready for Heaven.

Parents:

When you lead a family into humble confession (I’m sorry).
When you lead a family into humble forgiveness (I forgive you)...

Your home becomes a place like Heaven.

Kids:

When you don’t envy and you don’t boast about toys, sports, and privileges..

...you are passing out a little taste of Heaven!

Teens:

When you refuse to rejoice in evil at West Branch or Philipsburg or Clearfield but instead delight with the truth...

...you are opening the door a crack onto what it’s like on the other side!

Church!

When we go from here into the fellowship hall and have our annual Christmas dinner, and we defer to one another and are kind to one another–remember mothers with small children and our older worshippers should go straight to the head of the line–and the rest of us should love them as they go there...

...when we are kind to one another, we, as a church, are getting a foretaste of what Heaven is like!

Love is eternal.

Love never fails. Never, ever, ever, ever.

Do you need another reason to love?

One more.

That “love never fails” means that “love is effective” and that “love is eternal.”

It also means that:

#3. LOVE IS DIVINE.

How is that love never fails?

How is that possible?

How is that love is effectual and that we can expect effect from our love?

How is that love is eternal and that it will exist forever and ever and ever ad infinitum?

It must be that love comes from and is empowered by God Himself.

More than that! God Himself is love.

The Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

That’s how love can be unfailingly effective and everlastingly eternal.

Love is divine.

It’s an attribute of deity.

It’s a glorious part of who God is.

Love is divine.

Now, that’s another reason to love other people, because when we do it, we’re acting like God Himself.

But what I want to end with is what we need to remember and rejoice in every single day of our Christian lives: the love of God for us.

Love is divine, and the Divine (God!) has shown His love for us in Jesus Christ.

More than two thousand years ago, God sent His own Son to us as a little baby born in Bethlehem and laid in a lowly manger.

The divine love came near.

We’re going to talk about that next Sunday. The sermon title for next week is “Love Has Come,” and (by the way) you don’t have to memorize that!

But we do need to rejoice in it!

God Himself has loved us with an unfailing love!

And it’s bound up in Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, leaving His throne and coming to Earth to be a little baby, then a young man, then a man who taught like no one else, who lived like no one else, and then who died like no one else.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest expression of the greatest love in the universe.

God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

If you have the Son, you have life!

If you do not have the Son, you do not have life.

And you don’t have love.

If you are outside of Christ today, we invite you to come inside.

We invite you to put your faith and trust and hope in Jesus Christ and experience the love of God for you.

He died to pay the penalty for sin.
He came back to life to give us life.

You are invited to begin a love relationship with Him today.

You are invited to know the divine love of God in Jesus Christ.

And if you already know Him, then rejoice!

Rejoice that you know the unfailing love of God.

Love never fails.

Love is effective. Expect effect!
Love is eternal. Let’s love for Heaven’s Sake!
And love is divine. It’s God’s love.

And it never, ever fails.

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Matt's Messages “Love Always Protects, Always Trusts, Always Hopes, Always Perseveres”

“Love Always Protects, Always Trusts, Always Hopes, Always Perseveres”
Learning to Love
December 7, 2008
1 Corinthians 13:7

“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

What do you think is the key word in that verse? The repetition might give it away.

What’s the key word?

ALWAYS.

If you have the King James Version, it translates the word, “all things.” All things. All things. All things. All things.

In other words, “all the time.” Always.

Let me put it this way: CHRISTIAN LOVE IS TENACIOUS.

It doesn’t stop.

Like the Energizer Bunny, Christian love just keeps going and going and going.

Love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Love is tenacious.

It’s a bulldog with it’s teeth in a bone.

It’s unyielding, adamant, inexorable, pertinacious.

Christian love keeps going and going and going.

Have you grown in your love this Fall? I hope so.

One of the chief goals for this “Learning to Love” series has been to improve all of our relationships: marriage, family, parenting, siblings, church, school, work, neighborhood–whatever we’ve got going.

Hasn’t it been good to apply what we’ve learned each week to a vast array of different kinds of relationships? Love covers them all.

As Christ Followers, our side of each relationship we’re in should be marked by biblical love:

Patient. Kind. Content. Encouraging. Humble. Respectful. Others-Focused. Joyful. Gracious. Holy.

And now we learn–tenacious.

It’s all of what we’ve learned so far, and it’s keeping on going at loving that way.

Have you grown at love in your relationships this Fall? ... Don’t stop now.

Keep going.

Love is tenacious.

Love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Love doesn’t give up. ...

Isn’t love a powerful thing?

Sometimes we get to thinking that loving someone means being “weak.”

“Oh, they’re a loving person.”

Oh poor them! Saying it as if they were a doormat or a victim of a bad cold.

Love is not weak at all.

It’s unloving people who are weak. Because they have given up.

Love is tenacious.

Paul gives us four areas in which love is tenacious.

Let’s take those one at a time.

FIRST, LOVE IS TENACIOUS AT PROTECTING.

“It always protects.”

Now, if you have the King James, it translates this verb as “bearing.” It always bears up under difficulty. And that’s a highly likely translation of the Greek verb here. It would underline the need to persevere and endure.

But the NIV takes the same verb as “it always protects,” that is, love always “covers over” someone else’s sins, someone else’s faults or shortcomings or weaknesses.

Look “looks out” for someone else.

Do you know someone who is always looking out for others? A Big Brother sort of guy?

My son Drew turned 7 yesterday, and last night at bedtime we all spent a little time encouraging him with things about him that encourage us.

One that we ended on is that Drew looks out for others–especially those weaker than himself. He’s protective and covering and gentle with little ones. He’d like to be a shepherd someday. I don’t know if there is much call for that these days, but he’d be good at it.

Love always protects.

And that protective approach doesn’t fade away. It always protects.

It doesn’t play favorites. It always protects.

It doesn’t protect for a while and then give up in desperation. It always protects.

Now, that looks differently in different situations, different relationships.

This is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.

But the principle holds through all relationships. Love always protects.

SECOND, LOVE IS TENACIOUS AT TRUSTING.

V.7 “It always trusts.”

Love is determined to trust others in relationships.

Now, this does not mean that love is gullible!

Truly loving people are not ignorant and gullible. They are not taken in by someone’s smooth talking lies and deception.

They are not Charlie Brown trusting Lucy again to hold that place-kick!

But as far as is reasonable, loving people have a bias towards believing, towards trusting, towards placing confidence in other people.

We’ve certainly seen the opposite, haven’t we?

Do you know folks who don’t trust anyone? And they second guess the motives of anyone and their actions?

Here’s a great phrase to talk about what our default mode should be with others: “charitable judgments.”

A charitable judgment is a loving judgment of someone else.

Ken Sande says, making a charitable judgment means striving “to believe the best about others until you have facts to prove otherwise.” [From Ken Sande’s booklet “Judging Others.”]

The opposite is critical judgments–what is sometimes call “censoriousness”–assuming the worst of people.

Which one do you lean towards? Charitable Judgments or Censoriousness?

Love always trusts.

Now, again, that’s within reason. Love is not gullible.

If your teenager isn’t trustworthy, you don’t just give them the keys to the car and think of yourself as a loving person!

No. But, you want to trust them.

The inclination of your heart is a desire to trust them.

And if it’s reasonable, then you do, even if it means some risk.

D.A. Carson puts it this way: this “does not mean it is gullible, but that it prefers to be generous in its openness and acceptance rather than suspicious or cynical.” [Showing the Spirit, pg. 63]

Alexander Strauch picks up on Carson’s language and goes further: “In dealing with loved ones, love is not suspicious or cynical, but open and favorable disposed toward them. It seeks to understand each person in the best light with an understanding of life’s complexities. It believes people can change and improve. It sees their worth, potential, and future possibilities...It is not afraid of being proved wrong or being embarrassed by others.” [Leading with Love, pg. 82]

And it doesn’t stop trusting. Love always trusts.

Does that describe you?

The best example of this that I know is my parents. They have a consistent track-record of thinking the best of people–and I hope that I’ve picked up on it along the way.

By the way, the only way that we can love like this, with ongoing tenacious trusting–is if we trust in God more than we trust in people.

Because people will disappoint us.

But God, ultimately, will never disappoint us.

Love always trusts.

THIRD, LOVE IS TENACIOUS AT HOPING.

“It always hopes.”

Love always hopes for the best even through terrible disappoints.

You know that people will disappoint you, right?

The saddest stories about relationships are the ones that are marked by personal disappointments and abuse.

Not that someone got cancer but that someone committed adultery.
Not that someone was in an accident but that someone walked out on a commitment.

Those are the saddest stories about relationships.

But love...always hopes.

Love always hopes for the best for that other person and hopes for a turn around in the relationship.

Will that turnaround always happen? No.

Sometimes these hopes will not be fulfilled as we have hoped them.

But a loving person doesn’t stop hoping.

Love is tenacious at hoping.

I’ve lived a blessed life with few terrible raging conflicts in it so far.

But I have had, since becoming a pastor, a number of relationship that have gone South that are, as of yet, unreconciled.

Folks who have left the church for this reason or that or have stopped being my friend for this reason or that, too.

I’ve tried to walk with some folks through some painful family conflicts, and divorces, and what not, and sometimes have gotten a little burnt by them.

But you know what? I don’t stop loving them.

And I don’t stop hoping for full and complete reconciliation.

I know God can do it, and I hope in Him more than I hope in anyone else, but I hope that He does something with those situations to turn them around for His glory and our good.

Has someone let you down in a big way? Or even in a small way?

We know that love keeps no record of wrongs.

But more than that, love always hopes.

Now, that doesn’t mean that the relationship can be just like it was. Things change, circumstances change, consequences happen.

But we keep hoping. We know that God can turn things around.

In one church that my wife and I were a part of, one of the leaders of the church decided that he was a woman trapped in a man’s body and left his wife for a sex-change operation. You think that stuff is only on Oprah, but it shows up in real-life, too.

And for years, that man (and he is man whether or not he thinks he is or undergoes any operations because that’s how God made him–that man) ran from God and wouldn’t listen to anyone.

But his pastor was tenacious in loving him.

And so was, unbelievably, his ex-wife.

And he ran and ran and ran for years.

And then God saw fit to grant him repentance.

That man lives as a man again. He is married again to his wife.

And they are in a church where he actually teaches Bible studies now. He’s been restored to that level of usefulness in the Kingdom.

Love always hopes.

Would it have been wrong for her to re-marry someone else? No, I don’t think so.

But she would hoped for a reconciliation with him. And that’s exactly what she actually got!

Love is tenacious at hoping.

Did you notice the connection between faith (trust), hope, and love? That’s one of Paul’s favorite triads of things to mention. It’ll show up again at the end of the chapter (v.13).

And did you notice so far how positive this verse has been?

After love is patient and love is kind, it was negative for eight more qualities.

But this verse is all positive. Love is positive. Love is tenacious.

Tenacious at protecting.
Tenacious at trusting.
Tenacious at hoping.

AND FOURTHLY, LOVE IS TENACIOUS AT PERSEVERING.

It’s tenacious at being tenacious!

V.7 Love “always perseveres.”

Love hangs on. It endures.

It doesn’t close up shop, hang up, and give up.

Love “always perseveres.”

I had a successful hunt this week on Monday and Tuesday, because I came home in one piece and happy both days!

But I didn’t get a deer.

I saw a couple doe, and as I get better at this, I’ll probably be able to get one some time.

But I came home happy and in one piece, and I think this was a sign of success, I keep thinking about how I can get back out there and try again.

I’ve noticed that perseverance is a sign of a good hunter.

A number of you have shown me that over the last 10 years. Try and try again.

Don’t give up.

I’m planning to go back out tomorrow morning on my day off.

I’m going to (within reason) persevere.

We need to do that in our relationships, too.

Don’t give up and give in.

Love always perseveres.

King James, love “endureth all things.”

Love is not for pansies. It’s tough. And it’s powerful.

Love is tenacious.

Is there a relationship you’ve considered giving up on?

I don’t mean “changing your stance towards”–often that’s really wise.

Love looks differently in different relationships.

Love for an enemy looks different than love for a friend.

Love for an business rival looks different than love for a business partner.

Love for a rebellious teenager looks different than love for a faithful teenager.

But. We don’t stop loving.

We don’t give up on loving.

We don’t throw in the towel on loving.

Love always, always, always perseveres.

Right?

Maybe there is some repentance needed in your life right now.

You’ve given up loving someone. You decided that it was just too hard, too difficult, too time-consuming, too painful.

Now, I’m not telling you that you need to have the old relationship with them, or pretend that it’s there.

But I am saying that you are not allowed to just give up loving them.

Love always perseveres.

Aren’t you glad that’s how Christ loved you?

I sure am.

Love is tenacious about being tenacious.

Love is tenacious in protecting.
Love is tenacious in trusting.
Love is tenacious in hoping.
And love is tenacious in persevering.

Now, right at this point, I would imagine that some of us are despairing.

Some of us are feeling terrible.

You’re feeling this, “I can’t do that.”

“I can’t.”

This is too much. I can’t love like that.

I think it was last week, our family was reciting 1 Corinthians 13 together, and my oldest son, Drew, pointed out that it was really long and really hard to do.

“There’s a lot in there.” Love is patient, love is kind, and so on...and so on.

And now, we learn that love doesn’t give up at being all of those things.

That’s a lot.

I can’t do that.

I fail at that.

I’m a failure at loving like that.

I’ve had some successes, but I can’t do this, “always, always, always, always” stuff.

I can’t!

I told Drew that it was great that he saw that in 1 Corinthians. And if we didn’t learn anything else this Fall, just learning that love was more than just a warm fuzzy feeling, it was a powerful and full thing that is hard to do–love don’t come easy–then we’ve learned a lot about love.

We can’t love like this. We are failures.

And that’s why we need what this table represents...

That’s why we need the gospel.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our failures to love.

On the Cross, He took the punishment that our failure to love had earned.

But more than that, at the Cross, He exchanged our unloving record for His perfectly loving record!

He never failed to love like this. He loved to the very end. He was tenacious to the nth degree!

He always protected, always trusted, always hoped, always persevered.

And that love gets put on our account!

My sin on Him. His righteousness on me. The Great Exchange.

That’s what this Table represents.

His death and His life for you and for me.

His love poured out and placed upon us.

And if we belong to Him, then He will work this love into us as we trust in Him.

He will work protecting into us.
He will work trusting into us.
He will work hoping into us.
He will work persevering into us.

He will make us tenacious lovers of others.

Imperfectly, with fits and starts and ups and downs, yes.

But truly. And authentically.

And tenaciously.

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Matt's Messages "Love Does Not Delight In Evil But Rejoices With the Truth"

“Love Does Not Delight In Evil But Rejoices With the Truth”
Learning to Love
November 30, 2008
1 Corinthians 13:6

Since September, we’ve been learning to love. This is actually the eleventh message in this series.

All together now: “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

I realized mid-week that I hadn’t told you how far to memorize for this week.

Some of you probably just memorized the phrase, “Love does not delight in evil.”

That’s the eighth negative statement in row that Paul uses to describe love when it does its thing.

But then he follows it up with this positive phrase, bringing out its opposite: “But rejoices with the truth.”

Let’s say the whole thing of the new sentence together [v.6]: “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

That’s our meditation for today:

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

Have you found this sermon series helpful so far for your relationships?

I hope so.

One of you told me last week that this series has been especially helpful at work.

They said that just a few minutes after getting to work each day, they are reminded of something that we’re learning together from 1 Corinthians.

Being patient with co-workers.
Being kind to customers.
Not being envious of co-workers.
Not being boastful with colleagues.
Not being proud with bosses.
Not being rude with employees.
Not being self-seeking with partners.
Not being easily angered by vendors.
Not keeping a record of wrongs with co-workers.

Is that easy to do? No.

We’ve learned that love doesn’t always come easily, but it is extremely powerful when it’s truly practiced.

And not just on the job, but in every relationship in life.

Marriage, Family, Neighborhood, Church, School–whatever.

Love should be the defining characteristic of our side of any relationship.

For the Christian, love should be the defining characteristic of our side of any relationship.

Today, we focus on the one sentence in verse 6:

“Love Does Not Delight in Evil But Rejoices With the Truth.”

Notice that this verse is about what our hearts rejoice in.

What thrills our hearts.
What makes us happy.
What makes us glad.
What we delight in or rejoice in.

The “delight” in the first part of the verse and the “rejoice” in the second part of the verse come from the same root word–[kairo] to find our join in something.

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

There are two parts to this verse; let’s take them one at a time.

“LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL.”

If we are truly loving people, then we will not find our heart’s joy in evil. King James: “iniquity.” ESV: “wrongdoing.”

“Love does not delight in evil.”

Now, in my mind there are two ways to delight in evil.

The first is delighting in evil DONE BY OTHERS.

We see someone doing something wrong, iniquitous, bad–and we are happy about it.

This is a little hard to believe, but it does happen.

Someone is stealing at work, and you get a kick out of it.
Someone lies to someone else, and you’re in on the joke.
Someone cheats on their test, and you laugh.

Those are examples of delighting in evil done by others.

I think that watching the soap operas in the afternoon are an example of this one.

Did you know that I used to watch soap operas when I was in High School?

I hate to admit this one, but I was a soap opera junkie.

General Hospital was my worst one. I would come home from school, eat a snack, fold the newspapers for my paper route and watch the terrible things people did to each other on General Hospital.

And then at school the next day, I’d talk with the girls in the lunch room about the awful behavior exhibited on General Hospital.

Am I alone on this one?

I truly hope so!

We’d talk about that show and our disdain for the way the characters act–[They are all scumbags, by the way]–but why were we watching it?

To delight in evil.

Of course, there are worse things than General Hospital. There is People Magazine. And all of those other tabloid papers at the check-out line at the grocery story.

Who cares who did what to whom?

We do. We delight in evil. Those papers SELL.

Now, you could probably think of other examples, maybe from work or from school.

Love does NOT delight in evil, evil done by others.

Here’s the other one. Love also does NOT delight in evil, evil DONE TO OTHERS.

If we are loving people, we are not happy when something bad happens to someone else–even our enemies!

Have you ever seen a kid be a tattle-tale?

A kid will come up to their parent and say, “Little Billy did such and such!”

Why are telling you?

Does it have anything to do with them?

No, they just want to see little Billy get into trouble.

That’s delighting in evil, too.

It’s delighting in something bad happening to someone else.

Siblings do it all them time.

But so do co-workers, right?

Have you ever said, “Serves him right!” with smirk?

I know that I have.

In the Bible, Jonah wanted to do this. He wanted to sit on his little hill outside of Nineveh and watch his enemies get pulverized into the dust.

He was delighting in evil.

The older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son was the same way. He wanted his brother to “get it”–and not the fatted calf!

There is a real temptation to delight in evil done to others.

King David refused to do this to King Saul. When things stopped going Saul’s way, David could have rejoiced in triumph that Saul was getting his comeuppance.

But when Saul died, David said, “How the mighty have fallen! Tell it not in Gath.”

David refused to delight in evil.

Why is it so bad to delight in evil?

It’s because evil is evil–no matter who it happens to.

And loving people don’t love evil!

Let me put it another way: LOVE IS HOLY.

Love is a holy thing. If love is truly in your heart, you won’t love what is evil. Either evil done by others or evil done to others.

You’ll hate it.

The Bible says to “hate what is evil and cling to what is good.”

That’s what love does!

W. Graham Scroggie said this: “What a man rejoices in is a fair test of his character. To be glad when evil prevails, or to rejoice in the misfortunes of others is indicative of great moral degradation.” [W. Graham Scroggie, Quoted in Strauch, Leading with Love, pg. 77]

Love is holy. It does not delight in evil.

Now, this, like all of the others is difficult. It’s not easy.

It’s especially hard in our day and age when our culture calls “good” what the Bible calls “evil.” There is a lot of mix-up in our world today.

But this is true. Love does not delight in evil.

Now, let’s get practical here. Like we’ve done every week.

Let’s apply this to one aspect of our lives. You could probably pick another aspect and apply it, but here’s one to think about.

BECAUSE LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL, LOVE DOES NOT ENGAGE IN GOSSIP.


I think in some social situations, if you took out all of the gossip, there wouldn’t be any conversation at all!

Is that how it is in your break-room?
In the driver’s room?
In the teacher’s lounge?
In the beauty parlor?
In the barber shop?
In the coffee shop?

What is gossip but delighting in evil?

It’s rolling around a juicy bit of gossip on your tongue and in your heart.

Proverbs 18:8 says, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.”

Delight in evil.

And spreading that delight.

Loving people don’t gossip. They don’t listen to it, and they don’t pass it on.

I struggle with this one a lot. Not so much because I like bad things to happen to people, but because I like to know everything–I’m an information junkie.

And the bad stuff about folks is what other folks want to hear, so I get caught up in it–and it’s bad for me.

I’m learning to repent and learning to love and learning to keep my mouth and ears shut to gossip.

How about you?

A lot of people don’t think that gossip is a very bad thing–but the Bible presents gossip as a terrible thing–a thing that must be rooted out of the Christian’s heart and the body of Christ.

I’ve actually thought about doing a doctoral project on grappling with gossip–because I see it as a huge unsolved problem in the church today.

And at heart, it stems from delighting in evil.

What changes might you need to make about gossip in your relationships?

Ladies, do you talk to other ladies about all the bad things your husband does?
Men, do you complain about your wife?
Kids, do you pass gossip around the lunch room?

Love does not delight in evil.

What changes might you need to make about gossip in your relationships?

Love does not delight in evil.

Can you imagine the Lord Jesus Christ gossiping?

Can you imagine Him offering others or Himself swallowing down the choice morsels of gossip?

Never!

And yet, Jesus died the death of a gossip.

The wages of gossip is death–and Jesus had all of my gossip and all of your gossip placed on His shoulders–and then He died for it.

He paid the penalty for all of my delighting in evil–done by others and done to others.

Jesus died for my sins.

And then God raised Him to life–to give me a new life.

A life of love.

A life that is not characterized by delighting in what is evil.

Have you received that new life, as well?

I know that I say this every week, 52 Sundays a year.

But it’s that important!

Is Jesus Christ your Lord and your Savior?

Has He rescued you from delighting in evil and passing it on to others?

Have you turned from your sins and trusted in what Jesus did for you on the Cross?

If not, I invite you to trust Him today.

Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, your Rescuer and your King.

Ask Him for new life–the ability to live a new way.

To live in holiness! And to NOT delight in evil.

“Love does not delight in evil BUT REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH.”

This is the flip-side.

Love rejoices with the truth.

This is the new way of living that Christ-followers can walk in.

Love rejoices with the truth.

Notice that Paul doesn’t say, “Love rejoices with the good.”

We might have expected him to say, “Love does not rejoice in evil but rejoices with the good.”

But he says, “with the truth.”

Now, I think is saying with the good, but there is more going on here.

This truth is gospel truth.
This truth is truth applied.
Truth lived-out.

Love is happy when the truth wins out in someone’s life.

When good comes out of the truth.

That’s when righteousness happens!

When good comes out of the truth.

Love is ecstatic when some good comes out of the truth!

Love loves GOOD.

And love loves it when good things happen to people.

And when the truth transforms people so that good things are done by people.

A loving person loves few things more than when they know that someone is walking in the truth.

The Apostle John wrote the letter we call Third John.

It’s right there in the back of your Bible two books away from Revelation.

It’s a letter he wrote to man named Gaius. Listen to what he says:

“To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”That’s how we are supposed to act!

That’s what love does.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

This is definitely true of parenting, right?

We should be catching our children at doing good.

And praising them (and God!) when they do.

“Way to go! That was love at work. You’re living the truth!”

And we need to do it with our spouses, too.

This week, Heather and I were talking about something in her life, and I got to encourage her that she was growing in wisdom and love.

And it delighted my heart!

We need to do this in the locker-room, the board-room, and the lunch-room.

Love rejoices with the truth. When truth produces something good.

Notice that it says, “with” the truth. That little word “with” is the difference between the delighting in the first part of the verse and the rejoicing in the second part of the verse.

It might just intensify the word. Don’t delight in evil. But REJOICE in truth.

But it also might reflect the relationship here.

Join with others in rejoicing in the truth.

When something good happens to someone else–even someone who is your enemy, you can rejoice with them in the truth.

That’s what the Father did when the Prodigal Son returned. He killed the fatted calf and then threw a party for his repentant son.

Rejoice with me!

Rejoice with the truth!

Rejoice that the truth is winning out!

Rejoice that Jesus Christ has come and is saving the day–and saving lives forever.

How can you apply this this week?

It may be that someone else gets a monster buck this week.

I’m going hunting tomorrow for the first time in my life.

I’m a little nervous about that. Being in the woods with loaded weapons.

But I’m hoping to see and shoot a deer. I don’t know, we’ll see.

Should I be happy if someone else gets hurt? I don’t think so.

Should I delight in telling others if someone else does breaks the game-law and gets in trouble for it? I don’t think so.

Should I rejoice if someone else gets a 10 point buck, and I don’t? You bet I should.

How does this apply to you?

Not just cutting out the gossip, but actually rejoicing with the truth?

I would imagine that some of us need to get busy discipling others.

Maybe you don’t have someone in your life that you can rejoice over that they are learning and applying the truth in their life.

We should all be becoming disciples and making disciples of others.

As we sat down to Thanksgiving this week, Heather and I agreed that some of the sweetest things that we are thankful for this year are how you folks have received the truth and are living it out day by day to the glory of God!

You are an encouragement to us.

We rejoice with you in the truth.

In fact, we love you.

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Matt's Messages "Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs"

“Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs”
Learning to Love
November 23, 2008
1 Corinthians 13:5

“Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs.”

That’s what Paul says at the very end of verse 5.

“...it [love] keeps no record of wrongs.” It’s the 9th quality that Paul uses to describe love. “Love keeps no record of wrongs.

The King James Version translates this phrase, “Love thinketh no evil.”

The word translated “think” is literally to “reckon” or to count. To reckon the evil.

To think about it, dwell on it, remember it against someone’s account.

Love keeps NO record of wrongs.

The English Standard Version is helpful again here. It translates it: “Love is not resentful.”

It does not keep a grudge.

It does not nurse an old wound.

It does not seek revenge.

Love is not resentful.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Isn’t that a helpful way of thinking about it?

I read an extreme story this week that illustrates this.

There was a “troubled couple who visited a Christian counselor for help. The wife’s physician had advised her to see a counselor because she was developing an ulcer that apparently had no physical cause. During the session, the wife slammed down on the counselor’s desk a manuscript ‘one-inch thick, on 8½ by 11 paper, typewritten on both sides...a thirteen-year record of wrongs that her husband had done to her.’”

Can you imagine?

“The counselor could immediately see that the wife’s resentment of her husband’s many faults and her meticulous documentation of each one had made her bitter. Keeping a record of her husband’s sins had only made matters worse, to the point of causing this woman to become physically ill.” [Quoted in Alexander Strauch’s Leading with Love, pg. 72]

Now, we shake our heads at that because it’s extreme, but we’re all guilty of this kind of behavior, aren’t we?

We might not write them down, but we can keep a list, can’t we?

Sometimes, we tell others what they’ve done wrong–we parade out the list and don’t put it away.

Other times, we keep the list secret from others, but we’re still keeping it.

It amounts to unforgiveness.

Unforgiveness ruins relationships.

Keeping a bitter record of wrongs will undermine any marriage.

It will poison any parenting.

It will destroy any friendship.

Keeping a record of wrongs will kill a business partnership.

It will upset a neighborhood.

It will churn a church inside out.

Unforgiveness ruins relationships.

And bitterness will bite you back.

Often, the person hurt the most by keeping a record of wrongs, is the record-keeper themself.

Can you think about how this plays out in your relationships right now?

Think about your chief enemy right now.

Now, they may be your best friend, too. But they are also your chief enemy right now.

Someone with whom you have a disagreement, or a conflict or that you’re on the opposite of an issue from.

Isn’t it easy to tally up the things they have done to you?

The things they’re doing wrong.

The things they’ve said.

The things that have hurt you.

I’ll bet we could all give a pretty good run-down on that list.

Now, could you go the other way? Could you give a list of the ways that you have offended them? The ways that you have sinned against them in word and deed?

I’ll bet we have a much harder time coming up with an accurate list.

Why is that? Because we’re spring loaded to think much of ourselves and little of others.

But love keeps no record of wrongs. Right?

What’s the opposite of record-keeping?

Forgiveness.

Paul could have said it this way: “Love forgives.”

That’s what he means when he says that love keeps not record of wrongs.

Love forgives.

A few weeks ago, we learned about saying, “I’m sorry.”

“I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Now, we need to learn to say, “I forgive you.”

Love “keeps short accounts.”

That’s how my wife and I talk about it in our marriage.

We talk about keeping “short accounts,” meaning that when we sin against each other, we quickly move to make it right.

You do know that we sin against each other, right?

I do it more than she does.

But we are both sinners, as are everyone in this room, and we all sin against each other. Every relationship on Earth is sinners relating to other sinners.

The best marriages of the greatest, godliest believers are still two sinners who said, “I do.”

I’m reading a book on marriage right now titled, “When Sinners Say ‘I Do.’” That’s exactly right.

And when I sin against my wife, she is faithful to confront me on it. And then, she’s faithful to forgive me.

Forgiveness is cancelling a debt.

Forgiveness is releasing someone from the debt they created by hurting you.

Not making a record of the debt to continue to hold against them.

Love forgives.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Now, forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting. Not in the sense of not remembering that the offense ever occurred.

It does mean not remembering it against that person. Not holding it against them. Not keeping a standing record of their wrong–ready to be used against them.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Love is not resentful.

Do you know who Clara Barton is? She was the founder of the American Red Cross, the “Angel of the Battlefield” in the Civil War. “Like any prominent person she had critics. When a friend of hers reminded Clara of the criticism someone had made of her work, Clara [claimed she] couldn’t remember it. Surprised, her friend said, ‘You don’t remember it?’ Clara’s response is classic: ‘No, I distinctly remember forgetting it.’” [Strauch, pg. 75]

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Now, is that easy?

No, it’s not. But it’s powerful.

What would happen in our marriages if they were marked by forgiveness?

Keeping short accounts?

What would happen in our families? Brothers and Sisters saying, “I forgive you.”

I will not hold this between us any more.

So many families are wrecked by bitterness and unforgiveness.

But they could just flower into something beautiful if the record of wrongs was crossed out.

What would happen at work?
What would happen in the neighborhood?
What would happen at our schools if forgiveness reigned?

It would change everything.

Now, there are two kinds of forgiveness in the Bible.

There is ATTITUDINAL FORGIVENESS and there is TRANSACTIONAL FORGIVENESS.

The Bible doesn’t use those words, but the concepts are there. Both are called forgiving, but they are forgiving in two different ways.

Attitudinal forgiveness is that forgiving that needs to happen in our hearts regardless of whether or not the other person is repentant. Regardless of whether or not they ask for forgiveness.

We might call it: releasing bitterness. Jesus praying, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Even though they weren’t repentant, Jesus was forgiving them.

This includes what we talked about last week: overlooking an offense. It’s a glory to overlook an offense–do it if you can, if the sin will not wreck the relationship or someone else’s relationship–overlook an offense in your heart.

Cross Out the Record of Wrongs.

This also includes those times when someone sins against you, but they won’t repent of it. Those are some of the hardest things to deal with in all of life.

But you can’t let their sin eat you alive!

You’re stance towards them must be LOVE.

Ready to forgive fully. Ready to be reconciled when they are truly repentant–if they ever are.

Releasing bitterness. Keeping no record of wrongs in the sense of not being resentful.

Now, that does not mean don’t hold them accountable. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be a change, sometimes, in the relationship. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be consequences for their misdeeds–especially if they won’t repent of them.

But you can’t let their sin eat you alive.

You’re stance towards them must be LOVE.

It’ll be the toughest form of love for you to maintain, but you can do it in Christ!

I have a friend right now who has been sinned against in a major way–betrayal, really.

But he’s handling it like this. He’s loving his enemies. He’s not keeping a record of wrong.

It’s awesome to watch! It’s beautiful. It’s love!

Transactional Forgiveness is even better.

That’s when the other person is repentant, and you get to reconcile with them!

You get to throw open your arms!

You get to throw away the record book!

Transactional forgiveness is when you get to say, “I forgive you.” And it restores the relationship. It may not be like it was before–it might even be better.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Love forgives.

A few weeks ago, I told you that I needed to talk with someone who had been the victim of sexual abuse. I had to hold an interview with an abuse survivor and talk with them about their experience and how the Bible has or could help them deal with what happened to them.

Thank you to those of you who volunteered.

Heather and I met with one of you.

I had hoped to be an encouragement to you–but you were an encouragement to me.

You were a story of grace.

You see, this person, in our midst suffered many things at the hands the evil people.

But today, this person is not in the grip of bitterness. They are instead, full of grace, full of peace, full of forgiveness.

They still remember what happened to them. But they keep no record of wrongs against those who mistreated them.

It doesn’t make the mistreatment any better.

But it’s beautiful to see. Heather and I came away from that interview so encouraged and blessed!

And I asked this person what made it possible for them to forgive like that?

Do you know what the answer was?

It was the gospel.

It was the good news about Jesus Christ.

It was the Cross of Christ.

They said, “I am forgiven. I can forgive those who hurt me.”

That’s exactly right. The Bible says, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Because what we’ve done to God is much worse than what anyone has ever done to us–no matter how bad it is.

And the Cross is God’s instrument of forgiveness for us.

The Bible says that at the Cross, “He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.”

God didn’t keep a record of wrongs with us.

HE CROSSED THE RECORD OUT!

And if we could be forgiven like that, then we can forgive others.

Have you been forgiven like that?

Have you had your record of wrongs nailed to the Cross?

Have you had your record CROSSED out?

If you have never trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your King and your Record-Crossing Rescuer, then I invite you to turn from your sins and trust in Him today.

All of your sins, not in part but the whole can be nailed to the Cross and born by you no more.

Jesus offers full forgiveness. Eternal life in Heaven with Him.

Freely given. Freely received–by faith.

And if you have done that, if you believe the gospel, then you are forgiven and can forgive others.

You don’t have to keep a record of wrongs.

We, as Christians, don’t have to keep a record of wrongs.

I think that probably some of us in this room are keeping score.

And we think, somehow, that we have to do it. We have to keep this record or maybe justice won’t be done. Or maybe I won’t get what is due me. Or maybe they won’t get what is due them.

Trust Him.

Throw the record away.

That sin against you will be judged–either in Hell for eternity (perfect justice) or at the Cross–perfect justice and perfect mercy.

Either way, you don’t have to hold onto it. God will take care of it.

Justice will be and will be seen to be done.

Trust Him.

Throw the record away.

And Love! Live in Love.

That’s how He treated you!

God CROSSED OUT your record. You can cross out theirs.

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Matt's Messages - "Love is Not Easily Angered"

“Love Is Not Easily Angered”
Learning to Love
November 16, 2008
1 Corinthians 13:5

How many here, raise your hand, were hoping that we didn’t get to this phrase?!

“...it is not easily angered...”

“Love Is Not Easily Angered.”

I’m willing to bet that everybody here struggles with this.

You may not recognize your struggle with envy or boasting or rudeness, but I’m willing to bet that everybody here can recognize their struggle with quick and sinful anger.

“Love is not easily angered.”

Ooh, I was hoping he wouldn’t talk about me!

Actually, I tried to get out of this one this week. I was saying to wife just yesterday, “I’m having a hard time preaching on being easily angered because it’s just not my besetting sin. I just don’t have that much experience with this one.”

And she gave me that little cock of the head and raised one eyebrow, as if to say, “Are you being serious?”

Well, it was worth a try!

I didn’t know that I could be such an angry man until I had kids and they didn’t just live on my terms, happily obeying all of my rules without my even speaking to them, and always doing what I want.

Kids come along and parents don’t always get their way!

And that began to provoke my sinful anger.

Love is not easily angered.

That word “easily” is important.

It’s not saying that loving people never get angry about anything.

Jesus got good and mad at times. So, for that matter, did His apostles.

There is a time and a place and a way to have righteous anger.

But very seldom is it quick.

Very seldom is it easily reached.

Love is not easily angered.

The King James translates this, “Love is not easily provoked.”

A loving person does not allow themselves to be quickly provoked, pushed, prodded, and poked into anger.

Heather’s favorite translation, the English Standard Version, translates it, “...it is not irritable.” I like that. That speaks to me. “It is not irritable.”

Are you irritable?

I’m sure that you don’t want to think of yourself that way, but would what would others say? Others who know you.

One writer unpacks it like this:

“In personal relationships, love is not easily angered; that is, it is not touchy, with a blistering temper barely hidden beneath the surface of a respectable facade, just waiting for an offense, real or imagined, at which to take umbrage” [Carson, Showing the Spirit
, pg. 62]. That’s really good.

The book of Proverbs has a category for someone who is easily angered.

Solomon calls someone like that a “hot-tempered man.”

We can easily see how anger like this rips through our relationships.

Our marriages.

Perhaps some of the couples in this room could give us a testimony of a hot-tempered moment that happened today, maybe on the way to worship!

The other night, Heather and I were traveling to a ministry-related meeting, and we were doing just fine and then I made a little joke that had too much of an edge to it. Heather didn’t think it sounded like a joke. And I immediately flamed up inside and started to defend my little joke–I was instantly mad that she had called me on it.

And all of sudden our evening–on the way to do ministry together–was sour.

And that was just a little one, for which she has forgiven me.

But what happens when our marriages are marked by hot-tempers?

Someone’s going to get hurt.

How about in our parenting?

What does a hot-tempered parent produce?

Either one of two things. Hot-tempered-children or living-in-fear-children. Maybe both.

Proverbs 22:24&25 says, “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.”

What if you can’t get away from him. What if he’s your Dad? Or she’s your Mom?

How about at work?

Don’t you just love the hot-tempered co-workers? Don’t you just want to be around them? Aren’t you glad they’re on your team?

Or turn it around. Do people avoid you at work? Do you think it could be because you’re hard to be around? You’re irritable? You’re easily provoked?

Same is true at school, in the neighborhood, on the soccer field and the basketball court.

And at church.

Have you ever been afraid to express your opinion about something at church because you’re afraid of what some hothead may say or do or think about it?

I have. And I have probably intimidated some of you, too. And I’m sorry for the times I have.

Paul told the church in Ephesians 4 to work out their anger so as to not give the devil a foothold.

Satan loves to work anger into the midst of a church.

One writer says it this way: “Within the church, it is easy to see how those who are easily provoked to anger carelessly frighten, hurt, and divide people. They invite and accentuate conflict.”

“Angry people are focused not on others but on their own emotions and issues [notice how that fits with self-seeking from last week]. When leaders are angry, problems are exaggerated, mis-communication and misunderstanding abound, and objectivity and reason disappear. When anger rules, small problems become big explosions that can blow a church to pieces” [Alexander Strauch, Leading with Love, pg. 67-68].

And many in this room can identify with that.

Anger is one of the most destructive forces in the universe for relationships.

But that’s not the way its supposed to be in our relationships.

Love is not easily angered.

Loving people don’t get hot fast.

Now, I keep saying “hot,” but there is a cold kind of anger, too, isn’t there?

There is an anger that is obvious and on the surface and revealed for all to see.

And there is a hidden anger, a concealed anger that is just as deadly, isn’t it?

And sometimes I think I’d rather deal with a hot-head than someone who kills you with a cold-blooded look.

I once knew a couple who lived in the same house and for a year didn’t talk to each other–for a year!

Love is not easily angered.

So, another way of saying it is “Love is slow to anger.”

How do we get like that?

How do we become more loving people and less prone to irritability?

It’s not just automatic. Automatic is anger. Slow to anger is something supernatural. It’s something we’ve got to learn. Something that’s got to be worked inside of us.

And it’s more than just “Count to 10.”

That sounds great, but there’s this stuff in my heart. I can’t just “Count to 10!” I need more than that.

Let me suggest seven biblical applications today for uprooting our anger.

These are not everything that could be said, but I think they’re some of the main things that will actually make a difference.

#1. REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE NOT GOD.

One person has said that there are two fundamental realities in the world: there is a God and you’re not Him.

But when we get sinfully angry, we forgot that.

We think that we are God, or at least, that we should be.

You and I tend to think of anger as primarily an emotion. It does have an emotional component. But it is also a thought that we have. It’s a mind-set. It’s a judgment we make.

My friend, Bob Jones puts it this way:

It starts when we legislate required behavior for another. We may or may not choose to tell the other person. For example:

• When thou drivest thine automobile, thou shalt not turn to the left or to the right in front of me, except thou signalist thine intention to do so with thy turn signal.

• Thou shalt not let the sun go down on my phone call or e-mail, but thou shalt return it today, while it is still called today.

• Thou shalt love me the way I want to be loved, with thy whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

If you break one of my statutes, I log your violation in my mental record book. I may or may not present the evidence to you, depending on my preference (after all, I can do whatever I want in my imaginary world in which I divinely reign!). In either case, I am both the star witness and the chief prosecutor against you. Moreover, I play both judge and executioner. I sound the gavel, pronounce you guilty, sentence you to whatever punishment within my power, and mete out justice.

Does that sound familiar? That’s what goes on, sometimes in a split second when we are easily angered.

We need to remember that we are not God. We don’t call the shots. We don’t see things the way they really are. We are not the judge. We are not the prosecutor. We are not the executioner.

That’s why James says this in chapter 1 of his letter:

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, [why?] for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

We are not God.

How our relationships would be different if we could keep that in mind!

It would be obvious to us to be quick to listen. We’d be humbled. And slow to speak–we’d be cautious. And slow to be become angry.

God is God. And we are not.

#2. CONSIDER HOW GOD HAS BEEN SLOW TO ANGER WITH YOU.

I looked up in my Bible program how many times the words “slow” and anger or angry come up.

How many times do you think? Just 10 times.

One times is this James 1:19&20. And that’s talking about us, calling us to be slow to anger.

Guess whom all the rest of them are about?

The Lord.

Most of them come from His self-revelation to Moses when He showed Him the tail-end of His glory.

Remember that? Exodus 34?

The Lord talking about Himself? “He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness...”

And the other 8 occurrences talk about how that’s exactly how God has treated His children!

God is slow to anger.

And friends, God has much more to be angry about than you and I do.

He’s slow to anger.

Aren’t you glad for that?

God is not irritable. God is not resentful. God doesn’t have a hair-trigger.

Consider how God has been slow to anger with you.

Does that change things in your relationships?

Young people, does that change how you might respond to your teacher, your coach, your parent, your brother or sister?

God, the King of the Universe has been slow to anger with you!

Can you let up a little?

Do you want to be godly? You have to be slow to anger.

Let’s take it a step further.

Not only was He slow to anger. But He sent His Son to absorb His anger against us.

#3. REMEMBER HOW JESUS ABSORBED GOD’S ANGER AT YOU.

God was not easily angered, but He was righteously angered at our sin.

He cannot be neutral about our God-dishonoring behavior, falling short of His glory, rebelling against His standards, thinking, wanting, and doing what displeases God.

He hates sin. And He will bring righteous judgment against it.

But He so loved you and me that He sent His One and Only Son, Jesus, to absorb His just wrath–His burning anger.

That’s what was happening on that Cross!

The Anger of God met the Love of God and Jesus took our punishment.

He took our punishment for all of our sin–including the sin of rash anger.

Every time I’ve snapped at my kids. Every time I’ve raised my voice in a self-serving way. Every time I’ve made someone else the butt of quick joke–I was heaping up wrath–and the Father placed it all on His Son.

That’s the gospel, friends.

My irritability on Jesus. The wages of irritability is death.

And Jesus died for me. And for you, if you’ll trust Him.

But He didn’t stay dead, did He?!

Jesus was raised to life to give us life.

To give us love.

And to help us to love others.

We don’t have to be irritable any longer. We’ll still be tempted to be irritable–and sometimes it will be so hard that we will give in. But we don’t have to be.

Jesus has died for us, in our place.

The Cross changes everything.

Can you see how this, if we can keep the gospel in mind, changes how we relate to others?

Why would I want to be irritable if Jesus has absorbed the anger of God against me?

Doesn’t that change everything?

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” - Psalm 103:11&12

Remember, how Jesus absorbed the anger of God against you.

That assumes that you have trusted in His perfect sacrifice. If you have not yet, I invite you to do so today.

Believe the Gospel. Repent of your sins and trust in Jesus.

And if you do, then the power of gospel can increasingly empower you to say no to sinful anger.

That’s number 4.

#4. TURN, IN THE MOMENT, AWAY FROM SELF AND ANGER TO OTHERS AND LOVE.

This presupposes that God has done a work in your heart. You can’t just choose to do this and have any lasting change.

But if you belong to Christ, you can do this. You can repent.

And it’s repenting, in the moment, turning in the moment away from self and to others. Away from anger and to love.

That guy cuts you off? You don’t have to flip the finger.

That co-worker does that irritating thing again? You don’t have to sigh so loudly.

Your spouse is late? You don’t have to ream them out the second you see them.

Turn. Turn, in the moment, away from the temptation to be provoked and turn towards others and love.

Number five is related.

#5. DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO WAIT BEFORE YOU GET ANGRY.

This, also, takes the Holy Spirit to really work.

Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s not just something that we can work up.

But if the Holy Spirit has free reign in our lives, then we can discipline ourselves to wait before we get angry.

You know why that’s important?

Because snap-judgments are often wrong-judgments. Right?

How many times have we gotten angry so fast, only to find out that we were wrong about what was happening?

Wait before getting angry.

Proverbs 25:11 says, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”

That’s hot or cold anger. Hold off and see what’s really up before you react.

But even when the offenses are real, we can still grow in love by overlooking them.

#6. LEARN TO OVERLOOK AS MANY OFFENSES AS POSSIBLE.

Yes, people are going to sin against you.

But you can rise about a lot of those offenses. They don’t all have to be confronted.

Proverbs 19:11 (Hasn’t it been interesting to see how many Proverbs help us in our quest of learning to love? Proverbs is a book about a lot of things, but one of those things is how to love others skillfully!). Proverbs 19:11 – “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.:

Notice the connection again between patience and kindness. This is love. Wisdom leads to patience which leads to overlooking offenses which is to our glory!

Now, we’re going to talk more about this next week when we consider our phrase [which you should memorize in the next 7 days], “...it keeps no record of wrongs.”

But here’s the practical point. If you can go on without the relationship being disrupted, then you can learn to overlook a lot of offenses.

Husbands and wives.
Singles.
Kids.
Siblings. Adult Siblings!
Co-workers. Bosses and Employees. Vendors and Contractors.
Neighbors.
Teachers and Students. Administration.
Church members.

If you can go on without the relationship truly being hindered, then you can learn to overlook a lot of offenses.

Just let it go.

Those sins are paid for at the Cross, or they will catch up to them.

But you don’t have to be the one to do the catching.

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”

Love covers over a multitude of sins.

Love is not easily angered.

I want to sum it up with this one:

#7. HAVE YOUR HEART “STOCKED UP” WITH JESUS AND HIS GOOD NEWS.

When am I slow to anger?

When I am close to Christ.

Around here, we call it, “a love relationship with Jesus Christ.”

When we are walking in fellowship with Him, we remember that we are not God. And we remember that God has been slow to anger with us. And we remember that Jesus has absorbed God’s anger at us.

And that empowers us to turn, in the moment and love us. And discipline ourselves to wait before getting angry. And learn to overlook offenses as they come.

What would it be like if this week, we got our hearts stocked up with Christ so that we were slow to anger in all of our relationships?

What difference would that make?

How would it change our relationships?

How would it glorify God?

How would it open up doors for the gospel?

Let’s not just look into the mirror of the Word and agree that we can be angry people.

Let’s gaze into the mirror and let the Lord change us.

So that we can be a blessing to others.

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