How Christians Should Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Pastor Allan Kircher

Shell Point Baptist Church

16 February, 2014

How Christians Should Celebrate Valentine’s Day

1 Corinthians 13:8-13:13

• Friday was Valentine’s Day

• Have you ever wondered how Valentine’s Day got started?

• Here’s the story:

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• Approx. 250 years after Jesus/born in Bethlehem

• Priest/name/Valentine/lived/Rome.

• Claudius Emperor of Rome

• people called/Claudius the Cruel

• St. Valentine didn’t like Emperor Claudius

• He wasn’t/only one! Many people felt the same way.

Claudius wanted a big army

• Thought men should volunteer to join.

• Many men just did not want to leave home

• Didn’t want to go off to fight in wars.

• Didn’t want to leave/girlfriends/wives.

• So, not many men volunteered/Roman army

• Made Emperor Claudius very angry.

He had a crazy idea if men were not married, they would be more inclined to join his army.

• So Claudius decreed/no more marriages.

• Young people thought his new law was really cruel.

• Valentine thought it was ridiculous!

• One/favorite duties/priest/marry people.

After Emperor Claudius passed his law, Valentine kept on performing marriage ceremonies – but secretly.

He would whisper the words/ceremony while on the steps.

We’ll get more of the St. Valentine story a little later

• How do we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

• Stand up/truth/proclaim/Gospel/God’s love.

• Ps. 40:9-10

Sometimes it is:

• Dangerous/stand up against injustice/hatred/prejudice

• difficult to oppose the world’s view of things

• Difficult to proclaim the truth of God’s Love.

• But that is what St. Valentine did!

• That is what we are called to do!...

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1 Cor. 1:18 says…

• So we can expect opposition/unsaved!

• Our message is foolishness to them!

• not always going to be easy to stand up for Jesus

• won’t always be easy to tell of His love

• Doesn’t give us an excuse for remaining silent!

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Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:16… “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Paul explains how boldness to proclaim the truth comes to us.

Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

It was Holy Spirit power and agape love for Jesus/transformed a band of scared disciples/day Jesus was crucified into a bold team of Gospel proclaimers.

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According to tradition, all of Jesus’ disciples except John died horrible deaths rather than deny their Lord.

They all went out under dangerous conditions…

• to spread the Gospel.

• Paul wrote a letter of encouragement to Timothy.

• 2 Tim. 1:7 says… For God did not give us the spirit…

And in 1:8…So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

• Paul tells Timothy not be ashamed/testimony of our Lord!

• Then he tells Timothy what he might have to face!

• “share with me in the sufferings for the gospel”

• Not everyone we speak to about Jesus will want to hear it!

• Some people may try to stop us!

• Some people may choose to avoid us!

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• Now, let me make one thing very clear!

• We should be willing to tell people about Jesus

• we should never try to ram it down their throats

Jesus said in John 3:17….For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Unfortunately, many Christians think they are doing right

by running around shaking their judgmental fingers at lost sinners!

• Hit people over the head/bunch of Bible verses

Trying/convince them/they are going to hell if they don’t change their ways!

We should never try to lead them to Christ by being mean-spirited and hateful!

• The Gospel is a message of Love!

• God loves the sinners!

• Jesus loves them so much He was willing to die for them!

You won’t convince them that the Gospel is true..

• that God really does love them…

• If they don’t see some love in you!

• Let’s get back to our story about St. Valentine!

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One night, Valentine did hear footsteps at his door. The couple he was marrying escaped, but he was caught. He was thrown in jail and told that his punishment was death.

And that brings me to the next point of this sermon!

• Die to self for the sake of others.

John 15:13, Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.