Introduction: High School Reunions can be some of the best of times and some of the worst of times. One thing about High School reunions is often people are surprised with the changes that have occurred with their classmates.
• The computer Geek is now a successful the businessman
• The awkward girl at graduation is now an attractive model
• The athlete is now overweight and not very appealing
People change. And you do not have to go to a high school reunion to discover that fact.
Do a character study of the men and women of the Bible and you find change taking place
• Moses – a runaway fugitive to a leader of God’s people
• David – a young shepherd boy to king of Israel
• Mary a young peasant girl becomes the Mother of Jesus
Probably the greatest change figure in the Bible would have to be the Apostle Paul – We first meet him in the book of Acts involved in the brutal death of a Christian Servant, Stephen.
Acts 8:1-3, And Saul (Paul) was there, giving approval to his (Stephen) death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul (Paul) began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Two phrases jump out from this passage “GIVING APPROVAL TO HIS DEATH” & “BEGAN TO DESTROY THE CHURCH”
When you read those words it is hard to imagine this man Saul would ever be used in God’s kingdom. Yet once Jesus got hold of Saul he experienced a…
• Name Change
• Life Change
• Best of all a Heart Change
As a result of Jesus – Paul, became the second greatest man in the NT next to Jesus Christ. He started more churches, penned more books (13), and traveled to more places than any other man in the NT
Knowing all this man did for the cause of Christ, it is appropriate we look at the expectations Paul had for the church.
LAST WEEK WE DISCOVERED JESUS HAD ONE EXPECTATION FOR THE CHURCH – “UNITY” May they be one so the world will know that you sent me.
Today Paul gives us three more expectations from 1 Cor 13:13, And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE
How do we know these 3 qualities are the expectations Paul had for the Church – I AM GLAD YOU ASKED?
The phrase FAITH HOPE AND LOVE is found throughout Paul’s letters
LOOK AT THE SCREEN
• Eph 1:15-18, For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
• Col 1:3-6, We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.
• 1Thes 1:2-3, We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
• This combination of F, H & L is mentioned in every one of Paul’s letters to the church, except 2 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians – The Reasons, in 2 Thessalonians. The people thought they had missed the return of the Lord and so they had lost their hope and the church at Corinth was so filled with sin they were not known for F, H & L but just the opposite.
• 1 Cor 3:1-3, Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly-- mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
F, H, & L – No, the church of Corinth was known for Jealousy, division and immorality and because sin was a part of the church there was little room for F, H & L
Our Church must have these three qualities if we are going to be a God honoring Church. A church that reaches the lost grows in maturity and pleases God.
This morning let us examine these 3 qualities and see how we do at meeting the expectations of Paul.
1. Quality #1 – Faith
Hebrews 11:6, and without faith it is impossible to please God.
A. Oswald Chambers – Faith is the inborn capacity to see God behind everything, the wonder that keeps you an eternal child.
B. Faith is not simple belief
You can get people to believe just about anything…
• 10% believe Elvis is still alive
• 38% believe they have been reincarnated
• 44% believe we have been visited by extra-terrestrials in the last century
• 74% believe the government is involved in some type of cover up or conspiracy
C. Belief is simple
But biblical faith is not some “Pie in the Sky” wishful thinking. BIBLICAL FAITH CAUSES ONE TO ACT UPON THEIR BELIEF.
In Hebrews 11 we have the “FAITH HALL OF FAME” 23 times in 31 verses we have a faith formula “BY FAITH”
• Abel offered
• Noah Built
• Abram left his home
• People passed through the Red Sea
• Kingdoms were conquered
• Walls Fell
• Moses Spoke
BY FAITH ACTION TOOK PLACE
D. Faith is part of a believer’s Spiritual DNA
• Faith begins when we accept Christ
• Faith grows as we begin to practice the spiritual disciplines of study, serving and sacrificial giving
• Faith matures when we can say the words of Paul – I am crucified with Christ it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.
E. How are we to visibly display our faith? How is this inward quality seen in our lives?
• Stretch ourselves.
Think of your faith like a rubber band – A rubber band in a great invention but it is only useful if it is stretched. If a rubber band is not stretched it is pretty much useless. The same can be said out our faith. Our faith only has value when it is stretched.
+ Therefore we need to stretch ourselves in the area of finances (Tip or a tithe)
+ Stretch ourselves in the area of evangelism
+ Stretch ourselves in the area of service, 20/80 rule is common in most churches – WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?
• Practice walking by faith – Faith is not something we administer at 10:15 on Sunday, like taking a vitamin; Faith is the daily practice of living for God in our relationships, dealings and affairs of life.
2. Quality #2 – Hope
Faith could be called the hands of the church – because of its actions; Then Hope is the eyes of the church, for Hope gives us vision. Vision is what sustains us through life.
A. Hope is not wishful thinking
I hope I get a job, but I never go on an interview
I hope I have money for retirement – but I never bother to invest
I hope I can marry a Christian spouse – but I never date Christians
An example of hopeless thinking is found in the Book The Inferno, According to Dante, written over the gates of hell are these words: ABANDON HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER.
Newspapers and evening news show us the gates of hell every night -- and we are tempted to abandon hope every time we enter there:
We had hoped ... that he was the one.
We had hoped ... that the tests would prove negative.
We had hoped ... that he would stop drinking.
We had hoped ... that in this church there wouldn’t be any hypocrites.
We had hoped ... that...
It can be hopeless
B. Biblical Hope gives us a sense of purpose.
The loss of hope in the face of downfalls and disappointments is a sure spiritual sign that we are relying on our own strength and accomplishments and not on God’s strength and providence. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Deut.31:8).
Augustine believed that hope was the best of the three virtues. Faith only tells us that God is, he said. Love only tells us that God is good. But hope tells us that God will work God’s will.
C. Hope is not confined to this world
Anyone who has stood in a cemetery understands the idea of a future hope. For the Christian we have to have a healthy balance of the two, a hope of God working in our lives and a hope of God preparing for our lives in eternity. Christians who have this balance find life more pleasing and eternity worth the wait.
D. How is hope to be displayed in our life?
• In how we view Our Priorities, accomplish Our Projects, value Our Possessions, & our People.
• A great church knows her priorities – more disciples and better disciples
• A great church knows what projects are important
• A great church knows and uses her possessions properly
• A great church knows the value of her people
E. What are you putting your hope in to today? Is it in wishful thinking or is it in a sure foundation, the old Hymn says it best “MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS THEN JESUS CHRIST AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS” (The chorus) all other ground is sinking sand.
Paul’s expectation for the church was hope – hope for today and hope for tomorrow.
3. Quality #3 – Love
Paul states the greatest quality is love – in fact the Bible is God’s love letter to man. While it is the greatest of the three it was the most difficult to live out for the people of Corinth. This is seen in the context of this verse.
1 Cor. 13:13 is a favorite passage of scripture read at weddings and anniversary celebrations, but that was not the context of the verse. The context of this section of scripture has to do with spiritual gifts, the people of Corinth were arguing over who had the better gift. Was it tongues – healing – prophecy? Paul summed it up with the chapter 13 the best gift is the gift engulfed in love.
A. The message of Love is still needed today
In a recent Gallup Survey the question was posed to 1414 un-churched people – WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN? The top 5 responses
• Right Wing
• Conservative
• Republican
• Anti-gay
• Anti Abortion
Not once did the survey mention love – yet Jesus told his disciples the world will know you are my disciples if you LOVE ONE ANOTHER
B. Love gives the world compassion when they seek tolerance
Believe me there is a difference.
• Tolerance says you must approve of what I do – Love says I will do something which is more difficult – I will love you even when your behavior offends me
• Tolerance says you must agree with me – Love responds with I will tell you the truth – because the truth will set you free
• Tolerance says you must allow me to go my own way – love responds with I will plead with you to follow the right way which leads to life.
• Tolerance seeks to be inoffensive – love is willing to take risks
• Tolerance glorifies division – love seeks unity
• Tolerance cost nothing – love will pay the ultimate price
What do you think the world needs today? Tolerance or Love?
That is why Paul said the greatest of these is L – O – V – E
C. How is Biblical love to be lived out in the church?
• We are to love in a sacrificing way – forgetting our rights and privileges
We no longer keep a list of others shortcomings abut seek to love them in spite of their wrongs.
A Grandmother was celebrating her 50 year anniversary with her family when her newly married granddaughter asked her what the secret of 50 years of marriage. The grandmother replied with a gleam in her eye on my Wedding Day I decided to make a list of your grandfather’s faults that for the sake of our marriage I would overlook. She was then asked, "What were the ten faults?" The grandmother replied to tell the truth I never got around to writing them down but every time he did something that annoyed me I would say “Lucky for him that is one of the ten.”
We should love in the same way in the church – overlooking one another’s shortcomings and not recording each other’s faults.
• Live a live seasoned with love Scripture teaches us there are 128 “one another’s” Bare one another’s burdens, encourage one another, serve one another, 128 times scripture reminds us to participate in the one another’s – it is only possible to do this when we are seasoned with love. Love is the basis for Christianity to work LOVE COMPELLED CHRIST TO GO TO THE CROSS and love will compel us to serve, give and encourage one another. AND THAT IS WHY Paul SAID THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE.
Paul’s expectations F, H & L
Faith tells us something is possible
Hope gives us a vision to do what is possible
Love motivates us to do what is possible
Imagine this morning the Apostle Paul were to write a Letter to Palm Bay Christian Church – would he commend us for our F, H & L?
Let’s make it a little more personal suppose the letter came addressed to you? Would he commend you for your faith, would he be excited about your hope, would he praise you for your love?
F, H & L are essential qualities for the church but they are also essential for individual believers
Today we come to a time of decision and the decision we must all make is will we live with the Biblical expectations of F, H, & L.
Faith allows you to take the first step
Hope gives you the strength to face the obstacles and
Love binds us together
F, H & L
INVITATION
