You might have heard the statement, “If you love someone set her free, if she comes back, she’s yours, if she doesn’t she never was.” The Pessimist would say, “If you love somebody. Set her free…if she ever comes back, she’s yours, if she doesn’t, well, as expected, she never was.” The Optimist would say, “If you love somebody, set her free…don’t worry, she will come back.” Computer program makers would say, “If you love somebody, set her free, if she comes back charge her a re-installation fee, and tell her she is going to need an upgrade.” I have this for Pastor Diane. An HR specialist would say, “If you love somebody set her free…by offering her VRS and other benefits, then outsource her.” The Psychologist would say, “If you love somebody set her free…if she comes back, her super ego is dominant; if she doesn’t come back, her id is supreme; if she doesn’t leave she must be crazy. A financial expert would say, “If you love somebody set her free…if she comes back, its time to look for fresh loans, if she doesn’t, write her off as an asset gone bad.” Jesus would say, “I you love somebody, set her free…if she doesn’t come back, continue to wait until she comes by building a bridge to her.”
This is what we are doing here at New Hope, building a bridge to the future by laying down the plank of love.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:13 These three things will remain for ever. They are faith, hope, and love. And love is the greatest of them.
In 1 Peter 4:8 we read Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
How do we build a bridge of love, within our Christian community spanning out to the community at large? We do it by…
A. Loving Unconditionally.
For the Christian, love is not an option. John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Jesus demonstrated love toward us, that while we were yet in our sins, He died for us. He loved us without condition. The Greek have a word for this kind of love, it is called Agape, the highest form of love one can have.
If Jesus loved all mankind, those involved in sin, and those who have been forgiven, He sets the example for the Christian community. And for some, this is a hard thing. To love unconditionally.
Missionary Florence Alshorn said "To love a human being means to accept him, to love him as he is. If you wait to love him till he has got rid of his faults, till he is different, you are only loving an idea. He is as he is now. I can only love a person by allowing myself to be disturbed by him as he is. I must accept the pain of seeing him with hopefulness and expectancy."
We need to build a bridge of love by loving unconditionally. We also build a bridge of love by
B. Loving Sacrificially.
Jesus gathered the disciples together and said this in Mark 9:35 `The way to be first is to put yourself last and be a servant to the others.’ You demonstrate love by serving, by being a servant. That at times is a sacrifice.
It is being with others, not walking life alone, serving, giving. We’re very often like the child who cried after she went to bed and her mother came in. She said, "Honey, what is it?" She said, "I just don’t want to be alone in the dark." Her mother said, "But Jesus is here with you." The little girl said, "But I want somebody with skin on."
When we love others, we make sure they are not alone…we may be the only skin they will encounter who can show them the true love of Christ.
Loving sacrificially means getting involved in a small group where you can be that covering of skin others encounter who can pray for them, help them, provide hope for them in their journey. Love sacrificially with all your life, don’t try to live your faith alone, live it our in community.
We build a bridge by
C. Loving mercifully.
Romans 3:25 informs us for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. There is not one who is without need of God’s mercy.
C.S. Lewis said, "He loved us not because we were lovable, but because He is Love."
Many of you have heard the story that Corrie ten Boom told about how she was speaking one time in Germany, long after the war. In the back of the room, she saw the German guard who had been responsible for starving her sister to death. She said, "At the end of the meeting, to my dismay I saw this man coming down the aisle with his hand outstretched. I just sent up an S.O.S. to the Lord. I said, ’Lord, I cannot shake hands with that man.’ By the time he got to me, my hand shot out, and in that split second God gave me grace to say, ’I forgive you.’" Of course, she found out that he was a brother in Christ. He was coming to ask her forgiveness.
In Colossians 3:13 we are told that we have to bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. We are to be merciful with our love. It is not easy. Some of you have been deeply wronged by someone in the family or in the community of the saints, or on the outside. Jesus puts us clearly to us concerning being merciful… Colossians 3:13. "Forgive as the Lord forgave you," which means "lay down your desire for vindication." Be merciful.
We build a bridge by
D. Loving Humanity
John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Does your heart break when you see wrongdoing? Do you weep over the injustice in society? The events of this past year have an etched image on our hearts. The tragedy of one man’s pursuit of hatred toward a people group which like a spider weaves his web captured the hearts of many to participate in his focus of violence and mayhem. Using the writings of the Koran as a justification, bin Laden has left his imprint on all humanity.
Contrast this with the teachings of Christ. Love one another. Contrast this with the live example of Christ as he laid down his life for all mankind. Not seeking to take, but seeking to give. In the process we understand faith, hope and love. We understand why love is the greatest for in love we see the principles of Christianity at their highest level.
How do we love humanity? Jesus said it starts in the community of faith, by you and I loving one another. This has not always been the way of the Christian community. In fact, we have taken an adversarial role against our brothers and sisters of the faith. The Crusades remain a black eye as fellow believers were killed because they did not dress or act the same. Today, in the Pentecostal community we throw stones and stones are thrown at us. It is time to build a bridge of community by laying down a plank of love. In fact, we are joining with other churches for this years Good Friday celebration, a diversity of Christian churches coming together to share our common faith in Jesus Christ.
A bridge to humanity is build first by building a bridge within our own community. That bridge starts here.
It begins by the practice of love, acceptance and forgiveness at New Hope. It spreads by seeking the same in other places of Christian community then when the world can see the example we have set, the whole world will see Jesus.
I don’t know where you are at in this message. I know of no situations I am speaking to in particular, no one holding grudges or animosity toward others within our community of hope. But if there are, I want to encourage you today to make plans this week to eliminate any blocks that would prevent our love for humanity to shine bright.
The Bible says if you have a problem with someone, go to them and get it right so harmony will prevail.
Next week I am concluding this series on building a bridge. I think we all know, bridge building is a lifetime pursuit. Earthquakes come and shake us up, and repair work is an ongoing project. We are putting this out in a series set so you can have reference. What you need to do is constantly be on alert less your bridge crumble.
So how are you doing laying down the planks of love in your life?
Altar time
