LOSING MY RELIGION
An Introduction to the Sermon Series, “The Misunderstood God**”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Big Idea: God is head over heels in love with you!
INTRO:
In a few minutes we will be reading from 1 Corinthians 13. But, may I ask you a few questions first?
• How many of you feel like, spiritually speaking, you have been a failure most of your Christian life?
• How many of are afraid of “the rapture?”
• How many of you feel like God is disappointed in you?
• How many of you feel like God simply tolerates you … he may “love” you but he doesn’t like you?
Those are uncomfortable questions … but honest questions none-the-less.
It seems to me that we (Jesus’ church) talk about God as if he has a split personality.
• In one breath we say he loves us and will never leave us or forsake us only to, sixty seconds later, talk about how he just might.
• In one breath we talk about how we cannot get to heaven by works and then in the next we talk as if we have to do the right things in order to earn it or keep it.
• When people approach us with “crash and burn” moments in their lives or are vulnerable enough to actually confess doubts, failures, or weaknesses we tell them they need to :
o Pray more
o Read the Bible more
o Give it to God
o Get rid of the secret sin in their life
o Just trust God more
o Go to church more
All of which imply they are at fault and/or lack “commitment.”
These are the responses and answers we were taught – we have been taught them for generations now. We have been taught them for so long we think they are the answers and cannot see that such responses might be a mask to help us avoid really addressing the problem.
And what is the problem you ask? I would suggest the problem is that we have been lied to about God … not in a sinister way but more like the way that a legend grows and grows the more it is shared from generation to generation. For hundreds of years now preachers and teachers have allowed the message of the Gospel to mutate into something dangerous that can actually hurt people rather than help them.
I would suggest that our answers to human problems are often supported by anecdotal and select verses that we (the church) have cherry picked from the Scripture to support our theology rather than a clear, solid, biblical response to human need, pain, failure, and sin.
What I am saying is that we misunderstand God.
In many ways we are like the Pharisees. They had this way of making God complex. They had all the answers for who God was and what God was like but when God was standing in front of them, as close as the nose on their face, they missed him completely. They even thought God was frustrating and shallow, even evil. They warned people to steer clear of God and his teachings. They had a ready answer for whatever question was asked (and some of their answers were “technically right”) but missed the point altogether. While standing nose to nose with them and speaking to them, God (Jesus) said, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:36).
What is the problem? We misunderstand God.
We have engrained this misunderstanding into ourselves with automatic, robotic, and rehearsed answers that we hope will keep someone from looking behind the curtain; and when they do look or question deeply, we hold them in suspicion or censure them rather than them applauding them for seeking truth and longing to be genuinely free.
And what then is the solution? Well, like the Pharisees of old, when we hear the solution some are prone to reject it out-of-hand because it is way too simplistic or … a let-down even. When we hear the answer we tell people to “beware” because it is a “false teaching” or “cheap grace” or “license to sin” or “liberal.”
But the solution is pure truth; and it is very simple; and you already know it. In the midst of all the other stuff we have packed on the Gospel over the years the kernel of truth waits to burst forth and grow, like Jesus’ mustard seed, into a tree that’s branches can support all the weight of all the “birds” that choose to rest upon it.
The solution is right in front of us. Just like my cars keys which were in my pants pocket the whole time I was checking the cars, and bureaus, and key hooks and coat pockets. It is right here with us.
THE SOLUTION/ANSWER IS … GOD IS HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WITH YOU.
God is passionately in love with you. God is so in love with you that his love will cover a multitude of sin. God is so in love with you that he will go to great lengths to restore and rekindle and retain relationship with you. God is so in love with you that his love cannot be quenched or squelched and it cannot wear out – it is everlasting.
GOD LOVES YOU!
And if we would truly believe that, the fear of failing him and serving him would evaporate. We would discover he is not checking off a list or waiting for us to mess up. He loves us!
Listen to the Word of the Lord:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
The New Testament teaches us that God is love (1 John 4:8). That word for “love” is a unique kind of love – agapé. And that is the love that was just described by Paul in the passage I read. You can easily (and appropriately) take the word love and replace it with “God” or “Jesus.”
4 God is patient, God is kind. God does not envy, does not boast, is not proud. 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs. 6 God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 God never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Or
4 Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy, does not boast, is not proud. 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 Jesus always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Jesus never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
If we truly believed that is what God is like we:
• Would not feel like we are a spiritual failure
• Would not be afraid of “the rapture”
• Would not feel like God is disappointed in us or simply tolerates us.
I told you it was simple.
The problem is that we have replaced this simple truth with our religion’s “safe” and “orthodox” answers. But the truth is that love is a person and that the whole key to this religion we embrace is embracing a person – a lover!
In Shane Hipps’ book, “Selling Water by the River: A Book about the Life Jesus Promised and the Religion that Gets in the Way” he uses an analogy from sailing to express what has happened in the church over the past generations. He says (I quote loosely),
One thing that might ease our anxiety is to remember that Christ and Christianity are not the same thing; If Christ is the wind, then Christianity is the sail. Some sails are better than others at catching the wind, some sailors are better at using the sail, but there is always and only one wind. A sail without the wind is a limp flag; wind without a sail is still the wind. The relationship is only one way.
The wind (Christ) is the pre-existent creative power of the universe with no birthday or death date. The sail (Christianity) on the other hand is an institution built with the intention of harnessing that power. If the institution goes away, the power remains. Put simply, Christ is much, much bigger than our religion.
Listen to me, just because my religion bears his name doesn't always mean it bears His likeness. Such misconception is a dangerous, even an arrogant illusion. If we buy into this assumption, we become like the sail who believes it controls the wind.
In the next few weeks I am going to speak exclusively from 1Corinthians 13. We are going to look at a core or basic element of the nature of God – love. My suspicion and hope is that the truth we find here will set us free. My hope is that this truth will empower us to love him and his world freely and joyfully … to love with abandon.
Upcoming sermons from the sermon series “The Misunderstood God” will include a look at some of our misunderstanding about the One who loves us the most. Misunderstandings like:
• The Hair Trigger God (love is patient and kind)
• The “It’s all About Me” God (love does not envy)
• The Rock-Star God (love is not boastful and pride)
• The Needy God (love is not rude and self-seeking)
• The List-Keeper God (love is not easily angered & and does not hold grudges)
• The Grumpy / Condemning God (love doesn’t delight in evil but rejoices in the truth)
• The Distant / Disinterested God (love always protects, trusts, and hopes)
• Love Never Fails: A Concluding Sermon
But listen, you need not wait on me to yammer on for eight weeks to discover the truth about God that will put new wind into your sails. God is head over heels in love with you and he is eager to show you love even today … even right now!
WRAP-UP
The truth of love goes further than just who God is … it weaves itself into what his followers become.
Again, back to our religion … what we think about love is what we think about God; and what we think about God becomes the modus operandi for how we run our lives and his church. These misconceptions, you, see trickle down into practical and pragmatic matters.
• If you think love is permissive, winks at offense, and is co-dependent then you may think God is tolerant of your destructive behavior to the point that he won’t or can’t address it. The way you practice your religion will reflect and react to this.
• If you think love is sexual then you may think God is out to get something from you. The way you practice your religion will reflect and react to this.
• If your experiences with love have been violent and abusive then you may think God is harsh and hard. The way you practice your religion will reflect and react to this.
• If you experiences with love have been through distant or negligent relationships then you may think of God as distant and impersonal. The way you practice your religion will reflect and react to this.
But when we see what love really is and its power to heal us and free us, then we will see God as one who seeks to make us whole. The way we practice our religion will reflect and react to this.
THE POWER OF LOVE
I have a colleague in ministry that recently shared a story with me from his past. We will call him “Sam.” Sam has three daughters and the middle daughter (“Rochelle”) was molested by a leader of the church he pastored when she was about 12 or 13. Rochelle did not tell mom or dad for years afterwards(and has never told them who it was) but, almost immediately, her personality began to change. Within a short time she was withdrawn and cynical. She wore all black – including make-up and finger nails. Her taste in music and literature changed. And when she became old enough to date, her choice of boyfriends proved she was in a destructive frame of mind. When the opportunity lent itself she left home and married a very controlling abusive man.
Rochelle’s husband was a mechanic by trade but would never repair her car – thus securing his control and keeping her dependent on him. She lived hours from her mom and dad and rarely saw them. But, on occasion, she would come home for a weekend. Her dad pastored another church by this time but she always stayed home on Sunday rather than worship with them.
One Weekend, right before she packed her car to come home, two men from the church her dad currently pastored showed up. They asked Rochelle if they could keep her car indefinitely and they gave her a loaner to use in the meantime. They wanted to repair her car for her. She told her dad she had no money and she could not afford to have her car fixed but the men all but insisted.
Forty five days later Rochelle got a call from her dad. “Honey, the men in the church who took your car told me to call you and tell you it is ready. They have gone through it bumper-to-bumper and guarantee you that your car is now completely repaired and road worthy. They know you have no money. They also know you will want to pay them. They said to tell you there is no charge but, that if you really insist on paying them they would each rake a $5.00 gift certificate to McDonalds because that is where they meet every morning with friends for coffee, a laugh and a prayer.”
Rochelle made her way back to mom and dad’s and picked up the car. It was in perfect shape; inside and out! She was overwhelmed. She was moved emotionally. She asked her dad why they did this; what did they really want from her? He dad said, “Honey, I know you think that what happened to you when you were young was the way most Christian men are but it’s not. Most Christian men are like these two … they love you and love asks for nothing in return. You saw evil masquerading as good; a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But these men are the real deal. They are what genuine Christians look like.”
That Sunday, for the first time in years, Rochelle went to church with mom and dad. She stayed longer than usual and went to church Sunday night too. Then she stayed longer still and went on Wednesday night and afterwards she just stood around talking to people. With a smile and a sense of trust.
My point is that that is what God looks like – love.
My point is that God’s love can break through any barrier. God can shine the warm light of his love into a cold hard heart and bring healing to it. Only love can do that … only God’s love poured into our hearts can do that.
Rochelle is not fully healed yet. But she is healing. She has seen God’s genuine love and it is making a genuine difference in her
Do you remember what I told you about love a few weeks back? It was in our last sermon from Hebrews 13. I said:
Agape love, Christian love, can be known only by the action it prompts.
Christian love, whether exercised towards {Christians and people in general}, is not an impulse of feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only on those for whom some affinity is discovered. … love seeks the welfare of all.
When God’s love is poured out in our hearts it has no restrictions. All the old paradigms that permit hate, indifference, judgment, and revenge evaporate when God’s love reigns. And God’s love always shows itself in service … loving God always shows itself by loving humanity. This is how God shows he loves the world and it is how we show we love God.
For that reason my hope, prayer and expectation is that, as we see the truth about God we will begin to be more like God. It is the natural out flow of that (and any) relationship.
With that in mind, we will conclude our sermon each week with “A Congregational Covenant of Love.”
Read this with me. Allow it to be your response to the truth of who God is.
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** Much of the material for this sermon is derived from two specific books. 1) Darin Hufford’s “The Misunderstood God” and Henry Drummond’s “The Greatest Thing in the World.”
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
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CONGREGATIONAL COVENANT OF LOVE
Heavenly Father, you have taught us that you are love, and your Spirit has poured your love into our hearts.
Because you are patient and kind
We will be patient and bear with one another (Ephesians 4:2)
Because you do not envy
We will seek to make peace and build up one another (Rom. 14:19)
Because you are not boastful or proud
We will give preference and honor to one another (Philippians 2:3)
Because you are not rude and self-seeking
We will accept and encourage one another (Rom. 15:13-17)
Because you are not easily angered and keep no record of wrongs
We will forgive others just as we have been forgiven by you (Col. 3:13)
Because you do not delight in evil but do rejoice in truth
We will be loving yet truthful with one another (Ephesians:4:25)
Because you always protect, trust and hope
We will look after the interests of one another and carry one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2)
Because you always persevere and never fail
We will be devoted to one another in brotherly love (Rom. 12:10)
We thank you for showing us how to love.
We will reflect that love in our care for each other. Amen. (1 Cor. 12:25)
