INTRODUCTION
OPENING SERIES SLIDE
- What is not love?
- Today, we will take a journey inspired by Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 13 as we examine the subject of love being not rude.
SLIDE #1 MY TITLE SLIDE
- Love is not Rude; put another way, love is not like a blob of Play-Doh.
SLIDE #2 TWO KEY QUESTIONS
- In our series, Love Better, we are seeking two objectives.
- How can we love other Christians better, and secondly, how can we live with people in our community better?
- If you noticed, the message's subtitle today is Love is not like a blob of Play-Doh.
- I want to thank Arron Chambers for the illustration I will use throughout the message today to illustrate what Paul says when he tells in our passage that love is not rude.
SILDE #3 FAMOUS PLAY-DOH SLIDE
- What you see on the slide is a work of art!
SLIDE #4 Why it is art.
- This masterpiece is the famous Play-Doh sculpture.
- Bet you did not know that.
- The artist, Jeff Kunz worked on this masterpiece for nearly 20.
- The sculpture is made of aluminum and stands 11 feet tall.
- The piece sold at a Christie’s Auction in 2018 for a small sum of over $20 million!
- How does a blob of what looks to be Play-Doh come to be worth over $20 million dollars?
- I want to focus our attention on blobs this morning—what we do with them and what God does with them.
- What does a “Play-Doh” sculpture have to do with love not being rude?
- Hang with me, and let's find out!
- If we want to love better, we can’t be rude.
1 Corinthians 13:5 NET 2nd ed.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.
SERMON
SLIDE #5 MAIN POINT SLIDE 1
I. Understanding Rudeness as Lack of Godly Shape.
- ‘Love is not rude’ is found in 1 Corinthians 13:5, where the Apostle Paul describes the characteristics of true love.
- When you think of the word RUDE, what comes to mind?
- Being rude often stems from selfishness, impatience, or disregarding others’ feelings.
- When we think of the word RUDE, we see someone who is selfish, and all the above, we see someone who has no consideration for the thoughts and feelings of others.
- A rude person is one who will do whatever it takes to get what they want, the way they want it.
- If you do not understand what a rude person is, well.
- I will leave it at that.
- We understand that love does not behave disrespectfully or offensively, nor inappropriately or inconsiderately toward others.
SLIDE #6 BIBLICAL FOUNDATION
- If we abandon the concept of rudeness, we will never get to the root of the problem.
- The Bible paints a deeper picture of what the word means.
- So, let’s look at the biblical meaning of the word.
SLIDE #7 TRUE MEANING
- The word RUDE means to act unbecomingly, dishonorably, or disgracefully. It refers to improper or indecent behavior, especially in social or relational interactions.
- RUDE is only used in 1 Corinthians 13:5 and 1 Corinthians 7:36.
- In 1 Corinthians 7:36, the word is used in the context of a man misbehaving toward his betrothed or a young woman under his care, suggesting an action that may bring dishonor or social disgrace.
- This usage reinforces the idea that RUDE conveys conduct that is shameful, inappropriate, or lacking propriety.
- In the context of love, Paul emphasizes that genuine love does not behave offensively, crudely, or inconsiderately toward others.
- Love does not act inappropriately that would embarrass, shame, or dishonor someone.
- Instead, love promotes dignity, courtesy, and respect in all relationships.
- Let’s go a little deeper into the water with the word RUDE.
- The root of the word RUDE is a word we looked at before, SHEMA,
- This word in Greek generally means “form,” “figure,” or “appearance.”
- It often refers to the external shape or outward form of something.
- When you dig deeper, you will see that in the original language, the word rude is defined as “to act unbecomingly.”
- If you look even deeper, it means “to be considered unseemly because one lacks proper shape.”
- Chambers, Arron. Love Better: Recapturing the Power of One of the Most Misapplied Scriptures in the Bible (p. 29). (Function). Kindle Edition.
SLIDE #8 BLOB METAPHOR
- Herein lies the metaphor of the blob of Play-Doh.
- The real issue is not that a person is rude, but WHY they are rude!
- Looking at the root of the word for RUDE helps us to see that a person is RUDE because they are not shaped properly.
- What made that Play-Doh Sculpture so valuable?
- The value of Play-Doh isn’t in its blob form but in what an artist can shape it into.
- Similarly, Christians should not remain shapeless blobs.
- Being a “blob of Play-Doh” that refuses to be shaped by God is contrary to true love.
- The value of Play-Doh isn’t as a blob.
- The value of Play-Doh is in what it can become and what can happen when it’s placed into the hands of an artist.
- So, the value of Play-Doh is in how moldable and shapable it can be.
- But even then, regardless of the quality of the Play-Doh, the talent of the artist who shapes it matters even more!
- The application is rather simple here.
- If the word rude refers to “lacking shape” and God is willing and available as the “shaper,” then it is rude for us not to allow God to shape us into whatever He wants to shape us into.
- Some believers are willingly content to be a blob of Play-Doh that refuses to be shaped by God!
- The love Paul is talking about does not look like a blob of Play-Doh!
- If we really love each other and our community, we won’t be a church full of blobs! It’s about not acting unbecomingly.
- Let’s move to a second thought.
2 Corinthians 3:18 NET 2nd ed.
18 And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
SLIDE #9 MAIN POINT 2
II. God’s Desire to Shape Us for Love and Service.
- God desires for us to reach our full potential in Him.
- God is willing and available as the “shaper”.
- It is “rude” not to allow God to shape us into what He wants.
- Why is a person RUDE?
- It is because they are not allowing the creator to shape them.
- The last passage we read speaks of a transformation process.
- The transformation process does not take place unless we participate in the process.
- Rudeness is a symptom of one who is still just a blob.
SLIDE #10 WILLING ARTIST
- God is more than willing; He desires us to be conformed to the image of His Son.
- Think about how much we lose in life when we do not allow God to shape us.
SLIDE #11 REFUSING IS RUDE
- Refusing to allow God to work in our lives is selfish and unloving because we are telling God that we know better than He.
- How does allowing God to shape us keep us from being rude?
- The more toxic things we allow into us, the more toxic things will flow out of us.
- When we have a clearer sense of identity, we’ll be more careful with what we allow into our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.
SLIDE #12 DIVINE PURPOSE
- God wants to shape believers into specific forms that demonstrate love.
- First, He wants to shape us as a temple!
1 Corinthians 3:16 NET 2nd ed.
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
SLIDE #13 SHAPED AS A TEMPLE
- Christians are God’s temple, where His Spirit dwells.
- This impacts what we allow into our lives and what flows out of us.
- As a temple, you are powerful.
- The word describing the power of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is, “dunamis”.
- Our word “dynamite” comes from this.
- As a temple, you have value.
- Temples are expensive! Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem would be worth $4 billion in today’s money.
- If we don’t value ourselves, it’s really hard to value others, and why would you expect others to value you?
- Paul tells us we are temples of the Holy Spirit!
- You’re a temple of the Holy Spirit!
- You have purpose.
- What happened in the temple should happen in and through us!
SLIDE #14- WORSHIP
- We should be leading people to worship God!
- My life should glorify God!
SLIDE #15- SERVICE
- As God’s Temple, we should be serving others in the name of Jesus!
SLIDE #16 SACRIFICE
- Our lives should serve as a living sacrifice to Him!
SLIDE #17 SHAPED AS SERVANTS
- God wants to shape us into servants, focused on others rather than ourselves.
- Unrude Christians are shapeable and look for opportunities to serve.
- Paul himself became a servant to all to win more people.
SLIDE #18 FOCUS ON OTHERS
- Servants look out for others to serve; Jesus came to serve and not be served!
SLIDE #19 LOOKING TO SERVE
- Not only are we to look to serve, we are always looking for ways to serve.
- A unshaped rude person will only think of themselves.
- They will look for ways to be offended, and they will look for ways to be upset.
- When you are looking to serve, there is no time for complaining!
- You are too busy!
SLIDE #20 PAUL'S EXAMPLE
- Look at the example Paul set.
1 Corinthians 9:19–22 NET 2nd ed.
19 For since I am free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order to gain even more people.
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) to gain those under the law.
21 To those free from the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from God’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law.
22 To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some.
- How does Paul’s example keep us from being rude?
- By remembering: It’s not all about us!
- People who are on a journey with Jesus are not rude.
- They are shapeable, always open for opportunities to serve others.
1 Corinthians 12:27 NET 2nd ed.
27 Now you are Christ’s body, and each of you is a member of it.
SLIDE #21 SHAPED AS BODY PARTS
- How does understanding that we are shaped as part of the body keep us from being rude?
- By remembering: We’re all a part of the same body, the body of Christ.
- God wants to use the body of Christ to reach as many people as possible!
SLIDE #22 ESSENTIAL MEMBERS
- Every part of the body is important.
- We usually do not think about that until a part is not working correctly!
SLIDE #23 WORKING TOGETHER.
- We work together for a purpose.
- We have seen people with various diseases who still have all their body parts, but they now have little to no control over the parts.
- The legs don’t work together; the arms don’t work together.
- Our band and praise team are an example of how important it is for all the parts to work together.
- GET THE BAND TO COME UP.
SLIDE #24 MAIN POINT 3
III. Embracing God’s Shaping Process to Love Better.
- Our value to God is in what He accomplishes in shaping us, similar to how Play-Doh becomes valuable in the hands of an artist.
- For Play-Doh to be formed, it has to be put in the hands of the shaper.
- To be shaped by God, we must allow Him access to our lives and be near to Him.
- We must trust the process.
SLIDE #25 STAY NEAR
- The goal of being shaped is to love other Christians and the community better.
- This means moving beyond being a shapeless “blob” and becoming who God created us to be.
- We cannot be shaped if we do not stay close to the shaper.
SLIDE #25 TRUST THE PROCESS
- Change is scary.
- Being reshaped is not comfortable.
- It is hard to change the shape of your body, but you have to stick with it and trust the process.
- Consider what you are unwilling to allow God to shape you into, and be open to becoming whatever He needs you to be to bring salvation to others.
- This will not always be easy and comfortable, so you have to trust God’s process.
SLIDE #27 FULFILL YOUR PURPOSE
- God is shaping you for a purpose, so make sure you do all you can to allow God to help you fulfill that wonderful purpose.
- Too many of us are wasting our lives because we are not allowing God to shape us, and we are not fulfilling our God-given purpose for life.
- Anything and everything gets pushed ahead of God in our lives.
CONCLUSION
SLIDE #28 Sculpture SLIDE
- When we are rude, it is a sign of a much deeper problem, as are other issues we struggle with in life.
- Being rude is a sign that God is not shaping us.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that when we are in Christ, we are a new creation who has the opportunity to walk in newness of life!
- How EXCITING!
- Think about this for a moment.
- If a blob of Play-Doh is worth $20 million, what is your value to God when he gets done shaping you?
- To be shaped by God, God has to have access to us.
- We must be near Him.
- He must have access to our lives.
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