Well, another year has just about gone and a new one is about to be born. I hope there will be some significant changes for the good. There will be changes that’s inevitable. But while God is still God and remains unchanged, but we all undergo changes. Wrinkles pop up where once smooth skin rested. We slow down. We can’t see or hear as well, and we may smell even worse. What doesn’t ache, doesn’t count. What isn’t broken, leaks. But there are some positive changes if we will make them.
HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BECOME A WELL USED YEAR AS WE RESOLVE TO DO BETTER.
Really we all need some shaping up, some cutting down, some alteration, some reinforcement. We should remember that old saying, “Good, Better, Best; never let it rest until the Good is Better and the Better is the Best!”
We should be like the old man who said, “I ain’t what I oughta be, and I ain’t what I’m gonna be, but PTL I ain’t what I usta be neither!”
Paul suggests some areas for betterment. We may be doing “Good,” or “Better” and some are making a champion effort at “Best.” But none of us is perfect and our “better” can keep getting better yet.
Let’s hear Paul, “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11 (NASB).
May we all endeavor to have:
I. BETTER LOVE:
A. “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more.”
1. This love is not an emotion or feeling or sentiment.
2. This love is not just for those who treat us right or make us feel good.
3. This love is intelligent good will, active benevolence, and deliberate kindness.
B. Another translation of our text says this: “So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings in so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush.” (MSG).
C. Sometimes we get all mixed up about love. Consider a kid’s view of love:
1. "Love is like an avalanche where you have to run for your life." -- John, age 9.
2. "I think you're supposed to get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn't supposed to be so painful." -- Manuel, age 8.
3. "No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell. That's why perfume and deodorant are so popular." -- Mae, age 9.
4. "Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too." -- Greg, age 8.
5. "A man and a woman promise to go through sickness and illness and diseases together." -- Marlon, age 10.
6. "Love is foolish...but I still might try it sometime." -- Floyd, age 9.
D. Real love is more than that! John wrote, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:16-18 (NAV). The bottom line is: Love as He loved.
1. He loved: Enemies.
2. He loved: The untouchable.
3. He loved: The despised.
4. He loved: Unconditionally.
5. He loved: Unselfishly and Sacrificially.
6. He loved: Unendingly.
E. Let me illustrate that kind of love. It was February 1941, Auschwitz; Maximilian Kolbe was a Franciscan priest put in the infamous death camp for helping Jews escape Nazi terrorism.
An escape was attempted and failed. The guards followed the rule: for every attempt, 10 prisoners would be executed. One man’s name was called and he asked for mercy as he had a wife and children. Hearing that, Kolbe stepped out and offered to take the man’s place. Permission was granted and his life was forfeit for another.
That’s better love. But we also need:
II. BETTER DISCERNMENT:
A. “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.”
1. Someone said, “Discernment is the ability to examine the situation, apply a good dose of experience, stand back and get a perspective on the recipe, and take the appropriate action at the appointed time. It’s what most people would call ‘good judgment.’”
2. Discernment means “judgment.”
a. Not judgment in the sense that we are condemning or evaluating someone else.
b. When Jesus said, “judge not,” He was talking about a “condemning judgment.” Jesus was NOT talking about discernment or sound perception.
c. This kind of judgment is able to see the difference between things, and to choose the best and wisest. It is prudence, wisdom, seeing life and its choices from God’s perspective.
B. Not all choices are between good and evil.
1. Many choices are between good and better and best. We just don’t know which way to go sometimes.
a. When we lack wisdom James tells us what to do: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 (NASB).
b. And then we do our part, as Solomon said, “Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:2-5 (NLT).
2. Get into the Word and discover what God says is important and lasting and wise and right.
C. The world today has lost the distinction between right and wrong; go discrimination.
D. Godly discernment enables us ton exercise godly discrimination..
1. It’s discrimination between what is helpful and harmful, right and wrong, edifying and ruinous.
2. A discerning person asks:
a. Does it glorify God?
b. Does it cause me to disobey God?
c. Does it compromise my faith and convictions?
d. Does it enslave me?
e. Does it ruin my witness to others?
E. Some lack the discernment to see life and its opportunities as they really are. Sort of like Earl Pickles. He and Opal are at a cafe countern and Earl says, "Opal, can you see that elderly couple at the end of the counter?" She says, "Yes, what about them ?" Earl says, "I was just thinking. That's probably what you and I will look like in ten years or so." Opal says, "You do realize that there's a mirror at that end of the counter, don't you?"
poor old earl; unable to discern the real picture. We need discernment to see things correctly and we need
III. BETTER PRIORITIES:
A. “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent.”
B. Our priorities should:
1. Always include Gods priorities. What does God command and commend and counsel?
2. Always put the eternal issues over the temporal; the spiritual need over the physical; the lasting above the passing.
a. “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians NASB).
b. “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ.” Philippians 3:7-9 (NASB).
C. If I were to suggest a priority list it would be something like this short one:
1. God / Jesus first.
2. Family: wife / children /grand children second.
3. Personal health maintenance: Exercise / fitness third.
4. Vocation / education fourth.
5. Other things: recreation amusements somewhere about fifth.
6. Now if you disagree with that, at least agree that God and Family should be first and second!
D. It may be cliché but
1. Let’s major in majors, not minors.
2. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing.
3. Let’s keep first things first.
4. Let’s not be penny-wise and pound-foolish.
E. Values can be completely reversed in certain circumstances. You may have heard the story of how when the "Titanic" was sinking, a rich lady was in her cabin when the order to abandon ship was given.
There was no time for packing possessions. She noticed two things on her dressing table - her jewel box and a bowl of oranges. She made a rapid assessment of what was most valuable to her in the situation she was in now. Wisely she abandoned her jewels and quickly grabbed some oranges that might give nourishment on the open sea but where jewels would be valueless.
The same sort of realization came to Solomon. The things that he believed to be his fulfillment were in fact vanity and chasing the wind. He said, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NASB).
A better priority. We need it and we also need:
IV. BETTER FRUIT:
A. “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
B. Fruit of righteousness can be:
1. Changed lives: John the Baptist said: “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” Matthew 3:8 (NASB).
2. Good works done for others: “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work.” Colossians 1:10 (NIV).
3. Winning others to Christ: Paul wrote: “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.” Romans 1:13 (NASB)..
4. Our inner character: “the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT).
C. The fruit of our lives should be evidence of the reality of our faith. Jesus said, “When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father.” John 15:8 (NLT).
D. What kind of fruit are we bearing for Jesus? In this new year let us determined to bear even better fruit than in the last.
E. My dad used to grow the biggest figs I ever saw. I was amazed because every year it seemed that he would prune them back so radically that they couldn’t possibly live. But they did, and thrived and produced more fruit than ever before.
Perhaps you are going through a hard time right now; sickness, finance, relationships all gone south!
God will use those things to prune out pride or selfishness or any other hindrance to bearing fruit. He wants us to grow from good to better to best and it is His grace that works within us to perfect us day by day into the fruit bearing believers we need to be.
We’re not there yet but between where we are and perfect stands Jesus with grace and mercy to span the gap. Amazing grace: scope, free, adequate, available.
