INTRO.- Is there anything worse than fake love or insincere love?
ILL.- After a 4 and a half year ministry with a church in a small Oklahoma town a preacher friend began preaching in Joplin, MO. He figured there would be more church growth in Joplin and one thing he had going for him is a loving relationship with people.
From things that I heard about that church and his relationship to them as the preacher was nothing but great. In fact, nothing but a big loving relationship. And my friend is one of those kind of guys who is quick to say, “I love you!” And I am convinced that when he says those words, he really means it. But, of course, with some people you don’t know or you can’t tell.
It’s been said that the book of Acts is full of love and yet the word love is not even mentioned one time in that book. But it is full of acts of love by the apostles and the early church. And how many times in scripture do you find Jesus saying to people, “I love you!”?
ILL. - I preached in a town one time where another local church hired a new preacher who was a good speaker. But he didn’t call on his people; in the homes or in the hospitals or anywhere. He told them when they hired him that he didn’t make calls and he didn’t. He apparently just wanted to do the preaching. I thought that was strange because that’s not what I was taught and learned. How do you serve Christ without serving people? And this holds true for every Christian. And service is a sign of genuine love!
Matthew 20:28 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
If anyone ever proved their love for others it was Jesus. When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples He was showing that He loved them. When He fed the multitudes and taught them God’s Word He was demonstrating love. When He forgave the woman caught in adultery while others wanted to condemn her, Jesus was demonstrating love. Every time Jesus served, ministered, healed, or preached He was demonstrating love. And of course, we know about His greatest demonstration of love; Calvary!
If we want to learn how to love people we just need to read about the life of Christ in the gospel accounts. If all people of the world would just look to Jesus they would know what genuine love is and also, know how to demonstrate it.
Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”
PROP.- Paul describe the sincerity of love in this text.
1- We love by hating evil
2- We love by honoring others
3- We love by showing zeal
4- We love by sharing with others
1. LOVE BY HATING EVIL
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. There is both a bad hatred and a good hatred in this world.
ILL.- One of the worst cases of hatred ever is found in a will written in 1935 by a Mr. Donohoe. It says, "To my two daughters, Frances Marie and Denise Victoria, by reason of their bad attitude toward a doting father, I leave the sum of $1 to each and a father's curse. May their lives be fraught with misery, unhappiness, and sorrow. May their deaths be soon and of a lingering malignant and torturous nature. May their souls rest in hell and suffer the torments of the condemned for eternity."
That father hated his two daughters and who knows why? It was probably because he had a corrupt heart. He apparently felt like they had mistreated him and if they did, where did they learn such attitude and action? Probably from their father.
Matthew 12:34-35 “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”
If a person goes around hating people for any reason then they have a real heart problem. It seems like some people do have a bad attitude or a bad heart because they walk around with a chip on their shoulder, ready to criticize, condemn, and fight with anyone who gets in their way.
The kind of hatred that this text is talking about, however, is a hatred for ALL EVIL that exists in this world.
ILL.- On September 11, 2012, 52 year old Chris Stevens, our US ambassador to Libya was brutally murdered as the consulate was attacked by Islamic terrorists. Didn’t that make you angry? And didn’t 9/11/01 make you angry? To this day there are still plenty of angry Americans over that hateful act of terrorism. Many thousands of lives were touched and hurt by that evil act of terrorism. And there are plenty of other things happening in our world and in America that should anger us.
ILL.- The Dec. 14, 2012, murder of those 20 children ages 6 and 7 and six adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, CT. How could anyone not be angry and broken in tears at the same time over that incident?! And almost every week we hear of more and more murders. How can we not be angered at evil?
ILL.- Here’s more fuel for this fire. CHILD ABUSE IN AMERICA. Every year 3.3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving nearly 6 million children (a report can include multiple children). The United States has the worst record in the industrialized nation
– losing five children every day due to abuse-related deaths.
- A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds.
- Approximately 80% of children that die from abuse are under the age of 4. Doesn’t this make you angry?
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. If we love the good we will also hate the evil that we witness in our world. And if we hate evil enough we’ll try to do something about it.
British statesman, Sir Edmund Burke, said: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
2. LOVE BY HONORING OTHERS
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Have you honored anyone lately? Have you honored anyone above you?
ILL.- At our Jim Davis’ memorial service his wife Jan asked that our elder, E J Cunningham speak and tell some stories about Jim, because as she said, “E J tells good stories.” He does and he did. E J did an excellent job of speaking about Jim at his service by telling some funny stories, but also by expressing gratitude for Jim’s quiet and committed faith to Christ and to the church. And I honor and bless E J for honoring Jim!
1 Timothy 5:17 “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.”
Good elders are hard to find in some churches, that is, elders who will work, teach and serve. But when a church has them they need to be honored, however, that doesn’t always happen.
ILL.- I heard a story one time about an elder in one church. Someone in his church expressed some gratitude to him and he replied, “I’ve been an elder in this church over 30 years and this is the first anybody ever said anything good to me.” HOW SAD!
ILL.- The owner of a large department store offered a prize of $5,000 to the one giving the best answer to the question: “How can my business be most speedily and surely improved?” Many students of economics submitted different lengthy answers. Roy McCardell received a check for $5,000 for simply writing on a postal card, “Tell your clerks to say ‘Thank you!’ ”
ILL.- L. O. Dawson, in his autobiography, tells of an interesting service in a church that had just buried its pastor. On the following Sunday a memorial was held in his honor. A large congregation overflowed the house. One speaker told of his worth as a preacher, another told of his tender ministrations as a pastor, others spoke of him as a citizen, some thought of him as a neighbor, or father, and so on to the end. When it came his turn to speak, Brother Dawson spoke as follows: “All you have said of my dead brother is true. He was out of the ordinary and gave of his remarkable powers to your service without stint or reserve. But if you had, while he was yet alive, filled these pews as you have today, he would not now be dead. Empty pews broke his heart, and he did not know of the love of which you have been speaking. He died for lack of the very things you have so beautifully said and done.”
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
3. LOVE BY SHOWING ZEAL
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Zeal in service. If nothing else, we show God that we love Him and the church by being zealous in Christian living and Christian service.
I Peter 4:10-11 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Do you get what both Paul and Peter are saying? Whatever we can do to serve: teach, preach, wait on tables, clean, cook, wash dishes, etc. then we need to do it the best we can! We need to show some zeal in our service or whatever we do for Christ and in His kingdom!
You’ve seen people at work. Some work steadily and efficiently and get work done in quality time. And some others you have to push to get them to do anything. What’s the difference? Motivation could be the difference.
ILL.- Bible teacher F.B. Meyer once had a firewood factory that employed prisoners. Meyer would give them a job to do, pay good wages, a place to live, and, when possible, give them spiritual encouragement. In exchange, he expected them to work hard and give good service. When they didn’t, and he lost money.
Finally he fired them all and purchased a circular saw powered by a gas engine. In one hour, it turned out more work than the combined efforts of all the men covered in the course of a whole day. One day, Meyer had a little conversation with his saw. “How can you turn out so much work?” he asked. “Are you sharper than the saws my men were using? No. “Is your blade shinier? No. What then? Better oil or lubrication against the wood?”
The saw’s answer, could it speak, would have been, “I think there is a stronger driving power behind me. Something is working through me with a new force.”
Meyer later observed that many Christians are working by the power of the flesh or by the power of their own intellect, their energy, their enthusiastic zeal, but with poor results.
Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
When God is at work in us through the power of His Spirit we will serve. We will be quick to serve and serve as well possible and even go beyond what is asked or expected of us.
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
4. LOVE BY SHARING WITH OTHERS
13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Someone once said, “If you want to see how mean a man can get then go at him with an offering plate!” I can’t say that’s true but I do know that when it comes to a person’s money you are dealing with something very close to their heart.
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Some people treasure their treasures too much! That’s all they think about and some hoard it, save it, and don’t want to share it.
I laugh at those gold commercials on TV, because all they do is encourage people to buy gold, put it in a safe and treasure it. But neither gold or money does any good in this world just sitting in a safe or a bank.
ILL.- CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A Carson City recluse whose body was found in his home at least a month after he died left only $200 in his bank account. But as Walter Samaszko Jr.’s house was being cleared for sale, officials made a surprise discovery: gold bars and coins valued at $7 million. “Nobody had any clue he was hoarding the gold,” Carson City Clerk-Recorder Alan Glover told the Las Vegas Sun, adding it was found stored in boxes in the house and garage.
The 69-year-old Samaszko was found dead in his home in late June after neighbors called authorities. He had been dead of heart problems for at least a month, according to the coroner.
He had lived in the house since the 1960s, and his mother lived with him until her death in 1992. Samaszko also had stock accounts of more than $165,000 and another $12,000 in cash at the house. He left no will and had no apparent close relatives. He had money that was never used and never shared with others.
ILL.- I knew an elderly lady years ago who said, “I believe in giving flowers to the living.” Or “Do your giving while you're living, so you're knowing where it's going.”
ILL.- You may have heard the story of that lady pastor who, confronted with an 18% service charge on her check at a St. Louis Applebee's (there were 10 people in her party, a tip is tacked on automatically for tables with six or more people), scratched it out and wrote a note to her server saying: “I give God 10% why do you get 18?" And she gave her nothing.
When I read this I thought, “Come on, tip that waitress. They don’t make much money hourly anyway.” And they don’t. What a poor witness for Christ and not much love!
Elaine and I talked to a waitress in Ihop one day and she had been working there for like 10 years and drove from Pocahontas. And she was a single mom. She made less than $3 an hour. She said that if she didn’t get any tips then she didn’t make any money.
I Peter 4:7-10 “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
If God has given you any money then be quick to share it. God is the greater giver there is and He is trying to teach us that giving is a matter of loving.
CONCLUSION----------------
I Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
ILL.- Henry Drummond (great German scholar) wrote: "God, the Eternal God, is Love. Covet therefore that everlasting gift, that one thing which it is certain is going to stand, that one coinage which will be current in the universe when all other coinages of all the nations of the world shall be useless and unhonored."
What this world needs is love, sweet love. The world needs the love of God manifested, demonstrated through us to the world!
Steve Shepherd, Cape Girardeau, MO
shepherd111@hotmail.com
