Today is the last of our three part series I’m calling “Unify”
We talked about “Unify” under covenant and “Unify” forgiveness over blame.
Colossians 3:12-14(NIV)
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
The first two parts are very important and the last one today is the glue that puts it all together!
We are to be “Clothed in Love”
All of the things we have studied over the last two weeks only work if love is in the mix
• We won’t follow through on our covenant and wear His clothes of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience if we are not first clothed in love (Underalls)
• We won’t Bear with each other and forgive without putting on love
A unified church is vital for real success at making disciples.
I believe is what people are truly looking for…
(Cheers)
Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you’ve got;
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.
That place shouldn’t be a bar, it should be church!
Ephesians 4:2-3(NIV)
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
As we become, more and more unified as that kind of a church; the world will notice.
• When they walk through that door, they will sense that something is different here; when they go home, they’ll say, "I want that".
• They will want what we have, and eventually we will be able to tell them that what we have isn’t a "what" at all. It’s not a philosophy, it’s not a theology, it’s not a self-improvement program; it’s not a "what," it’s a "who", Jesus Christ, living in us and through us.
Colossians 3:14(NIV)
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
This is the thing that makes us different! This is what will draw people to us, giving us the opportunity to show that what they are really longing for is real love.
We just celebrated Valentine’s Day and St Valentine is considered the patron saint of love.
• He was a Roman Priest at a time when there was an emperor called Claudias II who persecuted the church (Claudias the Cruel)
• He also had an edict that prohibited the marriage of soldiers. This was based on the idea that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers …
• But people were still becoming Christians and desired real marriages in God’s eyes so he secretly performed these marriages knowing it was dangerous.
• Valentine was eventually caught, imprisoned and tortured for performing marriage ceremonies
• There are other legends surrounding Valentine's actions while in prison.
• One of the men who was to judge him in line with the Roman law at the time was a man called Asterius, whose daughter was blind.
• He prayed with and God healed the young girl with such astonishing effect that Asterius himself became Christian along with his household of 49 people
• It is even recorded that He tried on occasions to convert Emperor Claudias II
• In the year 269 AD, Valentine was sentenced to a three part execution of a beating, stoning, and finally decapitation all because of his stand for the gospel.
• The story goes that the last words he wrote were in a note to Asterius' daughter which he ended by signing it, "from your Valentine."
The Perfect Gift:
It is obvious that the influence of this man is still felt centuries later.
• He believed in Godly romantic love
• He also believed that the love of Jesus was something everyone needed and it was worth risking his life to share that love
• Jesus himself desired that kind of love for us to experience and to give
Today we celebrate by giving gifts…
Have you ever had that wonderful feeling you get when you completely “nail it” on that Valentines gift.
• (Times you miss it)
• You found the gift that they will treasure while letting them know that you love them!
This is supposed to be the season we celebrate love
• It should be about true love (not lustful and cheap)
• No doubt Jesus truly loved us
• Just like Valentines last note expressed his love
• In those last moments our minds turn to what is truly most important to us
On the last night before Jesus went to the cross. A few hours before His arrest, Jesus interceded for His own disciples.
John 17 is a prayer of three sections.
• verses 1-5 Jesus prays for Himself.
• verses 6-19 He prays for that immediate group of eleven disciples gathered around Him.
• verses 20-26, He prays for all believers yet to come.
Beyond His death, Jesus expected a dynamic and growing church that would last throughout the ages.
• When Jesus looked at the face of Peter in that circle of eleven, He saw behind Peter the whole of Pentecost and thousands more behind them.
• When He looked at the face of John, He saw the church of Ephesus and all the churches of Asia Minor.
• And when He saw the gap where Judas Iscariot had been, surely he thought of the face of Paul and all of the churches of Europe.
• And crossing generations and oceans, right down to this very day, He said I pray for every one of them who will believe through the Word of that original eleven.
John 17:20-23(NIV)
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Jesus prayed just one thing. He prayed for believers unity, so that the unity of Christians would make such an impact that the world would believe He had sent Jesus the one and only Son as the greatest gift of all! There Jesus himself expresses His desire, what He wants from us. Unity!
Jesus knew that the church could never make the impact on the world that He wished it to make unless spiritually the world saw in that church, oneness, and an uncommon unity.
• I am convinced that the churches of our world have never taken these words of Jesus with the seriousness they deserve.
• The purpose of the church is not to produce impressive buildings, or well-reasoned theological statements, or inspiring music, or well-run mission organizations. (Important by-products)
• The purpose of the church is to produce people who love God and who love one another who in turn draw others as they move forward on a unified front!
The most powerful argument for the truth of the gospel is not the sophistication of our theological statements; it’s not the historical evidence that we can produce for the fact of the birth, death and resurrection.
• The most powerful argument for the truth of the gospel is not our good works, or even our changed lives.
• The most powerful argument for the truth of the gospel is our love for one another.
John 13:34-35(NIV)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Wrapped in Love
Everything we do must be wrapped in love!
There is something about a fancy wrapped gift (not that someone paid to have wrapped) by wrapped themselves that just says love!
One of the interesting things about this season is the lengths that companies will go to convince people they have the perfect gifts for that special someone!
• Chocolate, Roses, pajamas, jewelry, etc.
• Pressure for sure
• While there probably should be a gift (especially for her)
• There are more effective ways to express your love!
The same could be said for the church at Corinth! Paul was addressing an interesting situation with the church there.
• It wasn’t that the church was not spiritual. It was too spiritual
• Each one was trying to outdo the other to show just how spiritual they were
• Who was the most gifted by God!
• Stepping over each other to obtain/display the most coveted spiritual gifts
• The results were chaos and God was not truly glorified and the church not unified!
Now don’t get me wrong, I want the gifts of the Spirit in operation and have spent time praying so
• Too many churches today want to shy away or put restrictions on it
• Scheduling out the opportunity for God to be God and the Holy Spirit direct the service as he sees fit.
• He does see things we don’t
• He may have just detoured someone to be with us and now needs to detour the service for their sake! (So allowing the gifts to be in operation is vital)
However we have to always make sure it is the giver of the gifts we are seeking and not the gifts themselves! And certainly not at the expense of another believer!
1 Corinthians 13:1-13(NIV)
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 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. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; 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, 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: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Some today try to use that last part to say the gifts are not for today but I don’t think perfection has come.
• We haven’t seen face to face
• Has knowledge passed away?
• The same circumstances that the early church needed that power for still apply today!
Can you dream with me for a moment? What would happen if a church could become…
• Truly unified
• Truly full of the Spirit
• True gifts in proper operation
• Truly everything being done decently and in order
• All of that enveloped by being wrapped with genuine love?
Think of the impact on our community! (Think of lives changed)
All because of the greatest gift of all Jesus
God is Love and Jesus was that love in the flesh walking among us!
The Gift of Love
The gift of real love is rare in this world. Love that doesn’t have selfish motives
• I am convinced that one of the reasons that it can be hard to spread the love of Christ to a dying world is that the belief in genuine love has faded from our society.
• The word love is over used and has somehow become something less.
• People have too many times been told that they are loved only to be abandoned when something that looks better comes along
• Valentines is supposed to be that time that we stop and reflect, slowdown to be reminded what true love is!
• Our world has become jaded and cynical and even at war against marriage and waiting on real love!
• So we come along promising a way to pure love and they think, “What’s in it for you?” “What are you selling?” “What’s it gonna cost me?”
• Real, genuine love is the only thing that can break through! (that takes consistency and time)
The truth remains, that true love was born in the flesh! “For God so loved…”
• Mary didn’t wrap him in fine linens worthy of a King
• But He was a true love gift wrapped in a blanket
• The religious experts in Christ’s day judged Him by their human standards, and they rejected Him.
• After all he came from the wrong city, Nazareth of Galilee.
• He was not a graduate of their accepted schools.
• He did not have the official approval of the people in power.
• He had no wealth or status.
• His followers was a modest mob of regular people.
• Yet He was the very Son of God! The promised perfect gift of love (And they missed it!)
The world around us will miss it if we do not give love to others because of our love for Him
• That starts with loving one another
Jesus said, By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Let everything you do be clothed in Love!
End with having people tell each other that they love them!
