Good Morning Church! I’m so glad to see all of you here today. You bless my heart by being here and I know you especially bless the heart of God by your presence. Speaking of blessing the heart of God isn’t what God is doing in our church just awesome. And the great thing is, he has just begun to do what he wants to do.
In case you missed last week, the Lord spoke to our hearts and said that there was a “seed of greatness” in this church. But the seed has been held back and not planted because the enemy doesn’t want to happen what God wants to happen in this house. So we dedicated ourselves to a time of fasting and prayer. Literally hundreds of hours of prayer have gone into this service today. People you don’t even know have been praying for you, almost non-stop night and day since last Sunday.
I believe that it is time for us to humble ourselves, come with a broken heart before God and say “Lord, we want the seed of greatness that you have put in this church to be planted”. We spent a great deal of time asking the Lord about what that seed of greatness is this week. And I believe the “seed of greatness” is none other that Jesus. And God wants our individual personalities to move out of the way and allow the true presence and essence of Jesus Christ to rule in this place. Amen?
If you have your bibles, please turn with me to 1 John 4, verses 7 and 8. Then keep your finger on Matthew 22, verses 36 through 40. Everyone got it?
7Dear friends, let us continually love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. 8 The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love
Matthew 22:36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37Jesus _said to him, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ _ 38This is the greatest and most important _commandment. 39The second is like it: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’
Let’s pray.
Father, I thank you for allowing us to be here today. I thank you so much, Father, for loving us enough to change us, to break us, to mold us into your image. I pray that everyone here today would sense the presence of Almighty God; that we would be touched and changed before we leave here today. I thank you for the hunger that you have placed in all of us. And I thank you for what your Word says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. Fill us all today Lord. I pray in Jesus name. Amen!
Illustration: One of my favorite Saturday morning radio programs is the Neil Sperry Gardening Hour on KRLD. Neil is an expert in gardening, especially Texas gardening. If it has anything to do with plants or gardens or trees, Neil Sperry is going to have an answer for the caller. He really know his stuff. Several times I have heard callers talk about a certain plant or tree that they had planted in their yard or garden. They call Neil to ask him why the plant is thriving; why it is sickly, and apparently, even close to dying. And Neil will almost always ask that person, “well, where do you live”, and the person will tell him. And let’s just say it’s East Texas. And Neil will say, “well that’s why the plant isn’t making it, it’s planted in the wrong type of soil. That kind of plant, that kind of seed has to have the right kind of soil.
And it’s true for the church as well! God spoke to me during my times of prayer this week and he said, “Tommy, there IS a seed of greatness in this church, but I want to show you what the right kind of soil is”. He said, “The soil is this ‘Love God and Love People’. That is the soil that God wants this “seed of greatness” planted in. And if Calvary Christian Center will do that, the seed will get planted and it will begin to grow”.
Now let’s go back to our text this morning. A man came to Jesus and asked, “What is the greatest commandment” And Jesus (paraphrasing) said “Love God with all your heart”. And I can almost see Jesus, as the man was about to walk away…. I could see Jesus taking him by he arm and saying “And Love Others Too”. You know, I realized this week that in life things get really complicated. We have jobs to work, bills to pay, stress to deal with, spouses to make happy…But when it is all said and done, the two most important things in life are to “Love God: And Love People”
Now I’m sure there are people who wonder how can I love God? How is that possible? Well I believe one of the best ways to love God is to SEE HIS HEART
The Bible says in Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Every one of us has failed or fallen or missed the mark in some way. But do you know why we can love God? Do you know why we can trust his love? Because the Bible says in Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his love for us by the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
That’s the amazing thing about God. He didn’t wait for us to come to him before he started loving us. In fact, whatever situation or condition you find yourself in today, the Bible says he demonstrated his love for you by sending Jesus to die for your sins.
In fact, let me show you how great God’s love for us really is. In the Bible, there was a man named Peter. Peter was one of Jesus’ closest followers. At one time Peter expressed his love and dedication to Jesus by saying “Jesus, I won’t let them kill you. I will even give my own life for you”! But you know what happened? Peter ended up turning his back on Jesus. When it came down to it, Peter actually denied even knowing Jesus at all.
But, watch this! Watch how great God’s love is for each of us. After Jesus had been raised to life, Jesus had a private dinner with Peter. And he said to him “Peter, do you love me”? And Peter said, “yes. Lord, you know I do”. (I could imagine Peter thinking in the back of his mind, “I bet he doesn’t think I love him. Look how I failed). But Jesus asked again, “Peter, do you love me”? And then he asked the third time.
But I want you to notice this. Jesus never brought up Peter’s failure. That’s how great God’s love for us truly is. He looks past our faults, shortcomings and failures and he let’s us know that he loves us.
And all he wants in return is for us to love him back!
But that’s not ALL he wants. He also wants us to have genuine, unconditional love for others; especially for those who are a part of this body – CCC!
Listen to how important it is for us to love each other. In Proverbs Chapter 6 the Bible tells us this: 16 There are six things the LORD hates—no, seven things he detests:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
18 a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
19 a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord among brothers.
God is so concerned about us loving one another that he says he “hates” a person that sows discord in a church.
In the text we read earlier in 1 John 4:7, 8 it says 7Dear friends, let us continually love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. 8The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
I realized this week that the greatest thing I can do not only as a pastor, but as a Christian is genuinely and sincerely love every person: no matter what!
In fact, if we really want to love people, we have to look and see what God’s Word says love looks like.
Please turn with me to 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. Now as you are turning there, let me remind you that although this chapter is read at almost every Christian marriage, the context is not writing about a marriage. The context is how we live and relate to other believers in the local church. That is the true exegesis of this scripture.
Listen to what it says:
1If I speak in the tongues of humans and angels but have no love, I have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing. 3Even if I give away all that I have and surrender my body so that I may boast _but have no love, I get nothing out of it.
4 Love is always patient,
Love is always kind,
Love is never envious
Or vaunted up with pride.
Nor is she conceited,
5 And never is she rude,
Never does she think of self
Or ever get annoyed.
She never is resentful,
6 Is never glad with sin,
But always glad to side with truth,
Whenever the truth should win. _
7 She bears up under everything,
Believes the best in all,
There is no limit to her hope,
And never will she fall.
8Love never fails.
(elaborate on the above)
In closing…there IS a seed of greatness in this church. God DOES want to do something powerful and unfathomable on this place. But the seed of greatness needs to be planted in the right soil. And the “right soil” is for us to love God and Love Each Other!
Dear and Blessed Holy Spirit,
You spoke to me all week long about this message. I don’t pray today for the “right words”, but I pray for the “right spirit” in which to deliver this message. Please let me be broken and humble as I deliver this word to your people. I pray this in the name and authority of Christ Jesus. Amen!
