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16

Aug, 2020

Love Likes This

  • love
  • satisfaction
  • sin
  • truth
  • unrighteousness
  • fish flops
  • evil
  • injustice


Love Loves This

1 Corinthians 13:6 | August 16, 2020

What are your favorite summer shoes?

  • Sandals?
  • Clogs?
  • Wedges?
  • Sneakers?
  • Espadrilles?
  • Boat shoes?
  • Fish flops?

That’s right, I said fish flops, not flip flops.

Fish flops have been a trend this year.

They are basically foam flip-flops that look like fish.

You actually look like you are wearing big ‘ol orange goldfish or silver mackerel on your feet.

Now, why have they been so popular this year?

Journalist Bettina Makalintal reached out to Colleen Kirk who is an associate professor of marketing at the New York Institute of Technology and Kirk said this…

Colleen Kirk

Research has shown that when control is taken away from us in one domain, we try to exert it in other domains.

The idea is that the lack of control we’ve had in so many areas of life in recent months has driven us to try and exert control in other areas of life…like shopping and buying fish flops.

In other words, in times of sanity and stability, most people would not buy fish flops.

But in times of insanity and instability, we can show the world that it will not tread on us, but we will freely tread on it by wearing fish on our feet.

Or as Bettina goes on to say…

Bettina Makalintal

Keep calm and fish flop on.

There’s a lot of truth in what Professor Kirk had to say.

We don’t like to have control taken away. 

And when we lose control in one area, we will try to exert control in another area.

Just like when summer rolls around and we pull off our UGG boots and put on our fish flops, when control is pulled off in one area, we will try to pull it on in another area.

As an insightful mother told me recently, people can’t really yell and get mad at stores and restaurants for the rules they’ve put in place, so, they have been exerting their yelling and their anger towards government and schools and churches because they feel like they have more controlling rights in those areas.

But is there a better way?

Is there a better thing to pull off and a better thing to put on?

Is there a better way to do life that doesn’t create so much internal stress and anger and discouragement and depression and weight gain and hair loss?

Yes, there is…what is it?

Let’s find out as we turn our attention to Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 6…

6 Love…does not rejoice in unrighteousness,

Love is the better way.

Now, someone might be rolling their eyes and saying…

  • “Love?”
  • “Great – a bunch of mamby-pamby love stuff.”
  • “Yeah, sure, that’s what we need.”
  • “Love doesn’t get things done.”
  • “Love doesn’t solve anything.”
  • “Love doesn’t pay the bills.”
  • “Love doesn’t fix the government.”
  • “Love doesn’t get my kids back to school.”
  • “Love doesn’t get football back on the field.”

This is what Jesus said…

John 13:35

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

As someone has said, love is the trademark of a Christian. 

So, yes, you can rail against love being the answer for the world today and you can rant about how love won’t really solve the problems with the economy or the government, but just know that railing and ranting like that means that no one will know that you are a Christian.

In fact, they would probably be shocked to hear that you profess to be a Christian. 

Now, that does not mean that there shouldn’t be healthy debates about government policy and economics.

And it doesn’t mean that there aren’t hard decisions that have to be made that will sound unloving to some people.

It just means this, that if you are going to profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ, if you are going to profess to be a Christian, if you are going to profess to be a member of a local church, then there has to be some kind of tangible, visible evidence that your primary trademark is love. 

We aren’t talking about perfection.

The kind of love Paul is talking about is not intimate love or family love or friend love, but agape love.

Agape love is a self-denying love that keeps loving even when love is rejected.

Guess what?

None of us perfectly live out agape love.

As I’ve said before, looking over my own life I’m a little nervous that far too many days each month I have more a-grumpy love than agape love.

But all my days aren’t like that. 

I have my moments and you will have your moments, but what is the pattern?

What do most people hear from you and see in you and read from you on social media?

That matters. 

Paul says love is the better way because love doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness.

What does that mean?

Let’s break it down.

To rejoice in something means:

  • To take pleasure in something
  • To root for something to happen
  • To cheer when something happens

Love does not take pleasure in or enjoy or root for or cheer for unrighteousness.

What is unrighteousness?

  • Sin
  • Evil
  • Injustice
  • Wrongdoing

Now, most people would agree with that idea.

I why in the world would someone rejoice and cheer for sin or evil or injustice or wrongdoing?

Sadly, we seem to be seeing a lot of that today.

Well, they might do it out of apathy or frustration or revenge.

If someone breaks into the store of your business rival who is a mean jerk to you, and they set the place on fire and burn it to the ground you might be tempted to rejoice.

If one of the coaches of your rival team gets arrested for some kind of illegal sports gambling, you might be tempted to rejoice.

If one of the candidates of your rival political party is caught in an immoral relationship, you might be tempted to rejoice.

Your mind might say this, “Good, serves them right.”

But love, agape love, Christian love, doesn’t do that – why?

Because what if one of the firemen that responded to the store was injured in trying to put out the fire and was in the hospital for weeks and missed his daughter’s wedding?

If that were true and you are a Christian, should people really hear you say that your rival got what they deserved?

Someone might say, “Well, I’m not rejoicing about the fireman, I’m rejoicing about my jerk rival.”

I’m sure when the fireman’s daughter overhears you at the coffee shop with your church buddies raving that the fire was exactly what your rival deserved that she will be able to filter in that you don’t mean anything bad toward her dad.

Or what about the coach?

You tell your golf buddies who also love your favorite team that the coach got what he deserved because you’ve known for years that your rival team is a bunch of cheaters. 

But what if he was the only salary in the family because his wife had died a few years back from cancer and his kids had no idea what he was up to and suddenly they are without income?

If that were true and you are a Christian, should people really hear you say that your rival team got what they deserved?

Someone might say, “Well, I’m not rejoicing about what happened to those kids, I’m rejoicing that my rival team might get put on probation.”

I’m sure that when the coach’s teenage son is in the pro shop interviewing for a cart-cleaning job and you are raving that the team got what they deserved that he will be able to filter in that you don’t mean anything bad toward him and his two little sisters.

Or what about the candidate?

You are reposting every story you can on your social media account about what the immoral candidate did and every time you type the words, “Idiots got what they deserve.”

But what if the mother of the other person in the immoral relationship happens to be one of your friends on social media?

If that were true and you are a Christian, should people really see you post over and over that your rival politician got what they deserved?

Someone might say, “Well, I’m not rejoicing about what happened to that mom, I’m rejoicing that my rival politician might have to drop out of the race. And maybe that mom should just stay off social media for a few days anyway.”

I’m sure weeks later when you are still reposting and slandering the candidate, that mom will be able to filter in that you don’t mean anything bad toward her.

Someone might say, “You said slandering. I’m not slandering if it is true.”

In the Bible the word slander means communicating things about another person with the intent or in a way that deliberately harms them or harms their reputation. 

In other words, in the coffee shop and in the pro shop and on your social media feed, true gossip is still gossip. 

Jesus was teaching his disciples one day and he said this…

Matthew 12:21-22

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness,

 

And then Jesus went on to say this…

Matthew 12:22-23

as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.

Defiled doesn’t sound like something you want on your resume. 

Love, agape love, Christian love, does not slander.

Someone might say, “Even in all of those scenarios, even if they did overhear me, they’d have no way to know that I’m a Christian, so, I wouldn’t be hurting my witness.”

Chew on that one for a moment remembering these words…

Proverbs 15:3

The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.

Someone might say, “I don’t like your examples. You sound like you are trying to take away my free speech.”

Listen, if you are a Christian, you don’t really have “free” speech.

Your speech, your ability to talk, was bought with the precious blood of Jesus, so, choose your words and your posts wisely. 

None of us are perfect with our words or our posts, but all of us could use a few more checks and balances.

Here’s one way…

Before you say what you are thinking at the coffee shop or the pro shop or the beauty shop or your social media feed, try to ask yourself, “Can I say that or post that to the glory of God?”

“Can I say that or post that in such a way that people are directed toward God or will it distract them from God?”

Love, agape love, Christian love, does not rejoice in unrighteousness or sin or evil or injustice or wrongdoing.

Some people really struggle with that. 

They feel like it is along the same lines of the t-shirt I saw a few weeks ago that said, “Yay, sports! I just want both teams to have fun!”

Or maybe you are thinking more along the lines of philosopher A. Dupree Tippin when he said, “You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.”

Agape love does not mean you can’t have convictions and you can’t stand for things. 

Agape love is not challenging your convictions as much as it is challenging the conduct of your convictions. 

Someone still might be struggling and thinking, “That’s not how I was raised. And this love stuff won’t solve the problems in this world right now.”

Again, we all have a choice: we can take up our cross and follow Jesus daily or we can take up our social or political or theological agendas and try and make the cross fit inside of them. 

At the end of the day, whatever we may choose, we can reject or ignore these words from Jesus, but we cannot avoid them…

Luke 6:27-28

But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

That truth works often works against our feelings and it might stick in our craw a little bit, but it is exactly how Jesus designed for us to change the world.

Love, agape love, Christian love, does not rejoice in unrighteousness or sin or evil or injustice or wrongdoing.

So, what does it rejoice in?

If we are supposed to pull off the shoes of rejoicing in unrighteousness, what shoes are we supposed to put on?

Paul tells us…

6 but rejoices with the truth;

Truth here is the opposite of unrighteousness and sin and evil and injustice and wrongdoing. 

So, love, agape love, Christian love, rejoices in what is good and true and right.

If your business rival has a blood drive and collects 40 pints of blood you don’t say, “What a show-off!”

No, you rejoice that the lives of 40 people could be saved through those donations.

That’s how Christian love thinks and talks and acts. 

If your rival team has a fundraiser for a family who is suddenly thrust into financial danger because their father has been arrested for illegal gambling activity, you don’t say, “Crooks helping crooks!”

No, you rejoice that those kids will have food on the table. 

That’s how Christian love thinks and talks and acts. 

When the rival political candidate co-sponsors a bill that protects the life of mothers and their preborn babies you don’t say, “He’s grandstanding for a few conservative votes in November.”

No, you rejoice that those mothers and those preborn babies have been given a moment of hope.

That’s how Christian love thinks and talks and acts.

So, do you have Christian love?

Do you hunger and thirst and rejoice in the truth?

Or do you hunger and thirst and rant and rave and demand your version of the truth?

Brenda Jung

Few pursuits in life are more important than the pursuit of truth. What one believes to be true, especially about God, humanity, and the relation between them, will govern one's entire life-thoughts, affections, attitudes, actions, desires, and decisions.

What do you believe to be true – ultimately true?

A phrase that we hear a lot today goes something like this…

  • “This ain’t the America I know.”
  • “This ain’t the America I grew up in.”

And every single thing about those statements is true. 

Yes, the America that we live in is frustrating and aggravating and annoying and scary, but this is the America we live in, so, we have two options:

  • Rant about the unrighteousness
  • Rejoice in truth

Again, though, what do you believe to be ultimately true?

In just a few hours Jesus was going to be arrested and tortured and crucified – and he knew it.

So, what was he doing?

Calling his lawyer and preparing his defense?

Moving all his money to offshore accounts and booking a private plane to escape to a tropical island?

No, he was praying for his closest friends. 

And this was part of what God the Son asked God the Father…

John 17:15,17

I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one…Sanctify (purify, consecrate) them (separate them for Yourself, make them holy) in the truth…

And then he said…

  • “Tomorrow’s COVID statistics are truth.”
  • “This week’s talk radio shows are truth.”
  • “Today’s Twitter feeds are truth.”
  • “The November elections are truth.”

 

No, Jesus said…

 

John 17:17

Your Word is Truth.

Listen…

  • Read statistics
  • Tune in to talk radio
  • Surf Twitter quotes
  • Campaign and vote in the November elections
  • Go on a trip
  • Take your medicine
  • Watch Netflix
  • Eat some maple bacon doughnuts

In talking about how love rejoices only in the truth we aren’t trying to create unnecessary legalism or unnecessary liberalism.

But whatever you choose to do in life, if you profess to be a Christian don’t hold any of those things up as absolute truth. 

  • God is god and there is no other
  • He is the Alpha and the Omega
  • He is holy, holy, holy
  • There are no maverick molecules in the universe
  • He is good and he does good
  • He is faithful
  • There is no salvation apart from him

And no matter who is president or king or queen or general or coach or pastor or husband or wife or any other title in life, our life is a mist, a breathe, a vapor, but his kingdom is forever and he has given us the Bible to help us stay close to his ways until Jesus comes again.

That is truth. 

Do you know that truth?

Is that the truth that you are building your life on?

Is that the truth that you hold up over the statistics and the elections and the medications and the vacations?

If so, then live your life to the fullest and work and go to school and vote and do yardwork and take medicine and eat doughnuts to the glory of God.

Someone is thinking, “That sounds cute and pie in the sky.”

Maybe so, but do you really believe the statistics or the elections or the medications or the doughnuts will save you from sin and make the world right?

G.K. Chesterton

A child of seven is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door and saw a dragon. But a child of three is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door.

Does that mean we need to all act like three-year olds?

No. 

It means that when our hearts and minds were the least distracted with the things of this world, we were wonderfully satisfied with just the facts.

We were wonderfully satisfied with what is real. 

Friend, the love and the grace and the salvation of Jesus Christ is real, and this is what Jesus said:

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness and sin and evil and injustice and wrongdoing. 

Love rejoices in the truth.

Why?

Because the love and grace and mercy and truth of Jesus is the only way, the only way, for you to be satisfied.

By the grace of God let us love and rejoice in the truth.

Message by Dow Welsh |

August 16, 2020 © Holland Avenue Baptist Church

more |

Above are pre-sermon manuscript notes, not sermon transcript

Sermon scriptures NASB unless otherwise noted

Lots of help from many pastors and theologians

Weekly help from Bruce Hurt at www.preceptaustin.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9zoq3k-3K0



question. What are your favorite summer shoes, which been wearing this summer? Sandal person? Are you a crock person? Are you Ah, sneaker person or you a boat shoe person? Maybe you're a fish flop person, I said. Fish flop, not flip flop Fish flops are quite a trend this year. It's literally like a like a phone flip flop that looks like a fish. You look like you're wearing a big orange goldfish or silver mackerel own your foot. Why in the world have fish flops been popular this year? Well, journalist Bettina Michael, in tow, reached out to calling Kirk. Colleen is a professor associate professor of marketing at the New York Institute of Technology. And this is what Professor Kirk said. Research has shown that when control is taken away from us in one domain, we try to exert it in other domains. The idea would be that since we've had a lack of control in recent months, that we exert that sense of control into something else, namely here, shopping for this flops. In other words, when things are, uh, saying when things are stable, we might not be so quick to go buy some fish lumps. But when there's insanity and instability all over the place, we say to the world how you know what, You're not going to tread on me. I'm going to tread on you with some fish flops. We're going to do it. Or, as Bettina went on to say, Keep calm and fish flop home. You know, there's a lot of truth, though, in what Professor Kirk said, We don't like losing control. We don't like when we don't have control or when control is taken away from us. When it is, we try to exert it somewhere else. Kind of like when the weather changes, we pull off our Ugg boots and we pull on our fish flops in the same way. When something is taken away from us, when it's pulled away from us, we we put something else on. We exert that control in some way. I had a young mother tell me recently, you know, it's not like we can really yell and get mad at stores or the restaurants for the new rules they've set up. And so what we do is we take our yelling and our anger and we exert it toward the government and toward the schools and toward the churches because those are places we feel like we can exert some or rights over, exert some or control. But is there a better way? And is there a better way than that? Is there a better way to put something off and then to put something on? Is there a better way to do life right now that doesn't create as much stress and anger and frustration and aggravation and fear and annoyance and weight gain or hair loss? I mean, is there another way we could be doing life right now? Is there another thing we could be putting on? Yes, there is. Let's see if we can find out what it iss turning our attention again. Paul's letter to the folks at Corinth our sermon series again is what the world needs now. And Paul is going to help us find that First Corinthians Chapter 13 for six. The Apostle Paul says this love does not rejoice in a new righteousness. Love is the better way. Now somebody might be thinking love. Really, That's what we need right now. But John Manby pamby love because love loved on solve anything, loved and fix anything loved and put food on the table. Love doesn't pay the bills. Love doesn't fix the economy. Love doesn't fix the government. Love doesn't get my kids back in school. Love doesn't get football back on the field. Love. Come on. This is what Jesus said John, 13. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. If someone has said love is the trademark of a Christian V trademark. So yes, we can rail against the notion that what the world really needs is love. And we can rant against the notion that love has any ability to fix the government or the economy. But if we rail and rant in those ways consistently, no one will know by our words or our life that we are Christians. They won't see it. They won't hear it. They won't. No way, because all we're doing is railing, ranting. No, that doesn't mean that there doesn't need to be healthy debate on government policy and economics because there does. And that doesn't mean that there won't be hard decisions that have to be made that many people will say, Well, that's just a new love because those decisions sometimes have to be made. What it means is this that if you profess to follow Jesus, if you profess to be a Christian, if you profess to be a member of a local church, then there has to be some tangible, visible evidence that somewhere in your life the Prod Mary trademark of your life is love. It's got to be seen. Now. We're not talking about perfection, okay? The kind of love that Paul is talking about here. It's not intimate love. It's not family love. It's not friend love, it's it's what's known as a God Love got the love is this self denying love. It keeps loving even when love is rejected. And look, none of us are perfect at a got they love, not by a far stretch. We all struggle. As I've said before, when I look back over the last 30 days, I'm a little nervous when I consider that it's very possible that I have more days of a grumpy love than God they love. But it's just some days it's not the last 30. See, I'm going to have my moments and you're going to have your moments. But what's the pattern? What's the pattern of our life? What do people see in us the most? What do people hear from us the most? What do people read from us on social media? Most. What's the pattern in our lives? We can't be perfect, but it matters how we live. It matters. Paul says is this, he says. Love is the better way because love does not rejoice in a new righteousness. Love does not rejoice and then righteousness. What does that mean? Well, let's see if we can break it down a little bit. First of all, to rejoice, to rejoice. And something means what it means that that you enjoy. You take pleasure in something. It means that you root for something to happen or you cheer for something when it happens. Love does not take pleasure in enjoy, root for or cheer for a new righteousness. And what's in righteousness? Well, we could say it this way. It's sin. It's evil. It's injustice. It's wrong. Doing no. Most people would go with something, right? I mean, how many people are going to say, Yeah, let's cheer on some evil. Yeah, let's root for injustice I mean, are we not sadly seeing that a little bit more in our culture in our society right now? I mean, why would someone sheer on injustice? Why would someone cheer own evil or wrongdoing? Well, it could be a lot of reasons. Could be laziness or apathy. Nothing better to do. It could be annoyance or anger or frustration or revenge. For instance, let's say you own a cupcake shop and your rival cupcake store has someone break in. And the baker at that cupcake store, everybody knows, is a huge jerk. Everybody. So somebody breaks into the store, burns to the ground. You might, as the rival, be tempted to rejoice in that and righteousness. Yeah, say a coach from your rival team gets arrested for some kind of illegal sports gambling. You you might be tempted to rejoice in that in righteousness. Or maybe the rival political candidate of your party is called in some type of moral relationship. You might be tempted to rejoice in that in righteousness, and here's what it sounds like in our minds. What it sounds like is they got what they deserve. They got what they deserved. Love got the love. Christian Love does not move in that direction. Doesn't doesn't chase after those thoughts. Why? Well, let's play out some scenarios. Imagine that The cupcake store, when it was burning down one of the fireman that came to put the fire out, he got injured and he had to go to the hospital. He was in the hospital for weeks and he missed his daughter's wedding. You know, if if that's true and you're a Christian, does the world your friends really need to hear you rant that the cupcake store owner got what he deserved. Now someone might say, Well, look, I'm not rejoicing. And what happened to that fireman? I'm not rejoicing in what happened to his daughter. I'm rejoicing that my arrival might have to go out of business. Well, I'm sure when that daughter is standing behind you in line at a coffee shop 6 ft away and you're on your phone and your ranting about how that jerk baker got what he deserved, I'm sure she'll be able to filter in that. You don't mean anything bad about her dad her Or what about the coach? You're pro shop. You're hanging out with your golf buddies and you tell them your rant and you're like, Man, that guy, he got what he deserved because you know what? My rival team, they're nothing but a bunch of cheaters, and I've known it for years. But what if that coach is a single dad? His wife died years ago, and he was the only income for the family. His kids had no idea what he was up to and all of a sudden there without income because their dad's in jail, someone might say, Well, look, I'm not rejoicing and what happened to those kids? I'm rejoicing in the fact that my rival team might get put on probation. Well, I'm sure that coaches teenage son when he's standing in the pro shop waiting to interview for a car cleaning job. And here's you ranting that his dad got what he deserved because that team is a bunch of cheaters. I'm sure he'll be able to filter in that you don't mean anything bad about him and his two little sisters. And what about the candidate, your posting and re posting every article you possibly confined on their immorality, and every time you repost it, you put a little note. This is thes idiots got what they deserved. But what if that was true? That's true. What if the mother of the other person in the immoral relationship didn't know what was going on? And they happen to be one of your friends on social media? If you're a Christian and that's true to you, do you really need to be posting and re posting over and over again about that immoral on righteousness again, someone might say, Well, look, I'm I'm not rejoicing over what happened to that mother. I'm rejoicing that my candidate might have to drop out of the race because of all this. Anyway, you know, she should probably stay off of social media for a few days anyway. I'm sure weeks later when you're still re posting articles about that immorality that that mother is going to be able to filter in, that you don't mean anything bad about her. Those were some scenarios. Sure, they're they're made up. But, you know, slander into slandering. Someone might say, Well, slandered. I'm not slandering. You know that that information about that candidate mit's true that information about that coach it is true It's interesting when the Bible uses the word slander. The definition means that you deliberately communicate information designed toe harm someone else. In other words, in the pro shop or the beauty shop or the coffee shop or on your social media feed. True gossip is still gossip still the same. This is what Jesus said Matthew Chapter 12. For From Within Out of the Heart of a Man, Proceed the evil faults. Fortifications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man. Now the file doesn't sound like a word you won't on your resume that Salix moving in a good place. Love got the love. Christian Love does not slander. It avoids that now someone might say, Well, look, even even if someone overheard me in the coffee shopper in the pro shop, let's unless I'm wearing a T shirt from my church, they're not going to know that I'm a Christian. I'm not going to be harming my witness because they won't even know that I'm a Christian. I just to on that for a second, and then consider these words. Proverbs, Chapter 15 Verse three. The eyes of the Lord are in every place watching the evil and the good. What do we do that we can't run away from now? This woman might be thinking, man. I like your examples, man. You steer away from this stuff, these scenarios. I don't like them. They're making me uncomfortable. It sounds like you're trying to take away my right to free speech. Listen, if you're a Christian, you don't have free speech. You let that sit for a sec. Why? Because your speech, your words, your ability to breathe has been purchased by the blood of Jesus. And if that is true, because of what has been done for us, we step into our words and our post wisely. We choose to think and consider about what we're going to say and what we're going to do and how we're going to act again. We aren't talking about perfection. None of us are going to be. There are actions, our words, our post that they're never going to be perfect. But all of us could use a little bit of checks and balances in life at any given time. Here's here's one way before we say what we're going to say in the coffee shop or the pro shop with beauty shop or wherever we may be before we post what we post. Maybe we just check ourselves a little bit, so I can I say this to the glory of God Can. I cannot post this to the glory of God. If I say this or I post this, we'll it direct people in some way toward God, Or will it distract people from God? Little checks and balances would be helpful for us as we consider that Jesus loved us and gave himself up for us. And if that's true, we can take an extra second before we click that post weaken, take an extra second before we say that word. It's not easy. Goodness is not easy. It's it's crazy hard, but I think when we look at the cross, I think it's fair enough for us to say it's it's worth. I was trying in view of what Jesus has done. Love got, they love. Christian love does not rejoice in un righteousness or or sin or evil or injustice or wrongdoing. It just doesn't do it, but Listen, this is still a struggle for us. I mean, the whole notion of us talking about love in these days it kind of bristles against us a little bit. You know, in some ways it's kind of like the T shirt I saw the other day that said this Yea, sports. I just want both teams toe have fun. Or maybe you're thinking along the lines of philosopher Um I got to get his name right. A Dupri tipping. That's just arrant. Who said Hey guys, stand for something or you'll fall for anything. Listen, love this. Got they? Love is not saying you can't have convictions. It's not saying you can't stand for things, Have convictions, stand for things, Got they love is simply saying this. It's not challenging your convictions. It's challenging the conduct of your convictions. How are you living out your convictions? How are you living out what you're standing for? Someone might still be struggling. I like. Look, man, that that's just not how I was raised. Look, I I can't hear the stuff about love and say what Love is going to fix the problems in our world right now again, we all have a choice. Everyone, we have a choice. We can take up our cross and follow after Jesus. Or we can take up our political agenda or our social agenda, or are theological agenda. And we can try to fit the cross into at the end of the day. Whatever we choose to do way, we can ignore or reject these words from Jesus. But ultimately we cannot avoid them. This is what Jesus said, Luke, Chapter six. But I say to you who Here, let me just say this. All of us are not going to here, which is sad. We're not going to hear Jesus. Let me just say only confess for some of us. We don't want to hear Jesus like we don't way. Don't want to do what Jesus is asking us to do because it will require us to change and we don't. We don't want to change Jesus at this, But I say to you, who here love your enemies? Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreats you. You, me, that that truth just it works against our feelings. It sticks in our craw a little bit. But here's the thing. That truth is exactly how Jesus has designed for us to be a part of changing the world. But those words from Jesus love got the love. Christian love does not rejoice and sin and un righteousness and evil and injustice and wrongdoing. It doesn't rejoice in those things. So what does it rejoice if if the notion here is that we have toe pull off this unrighteous worship this cheering home of the unrighteous, What are we supposed to put on? What are we supposed to rejoice in? Paul tells us last part of her six. The love rejoices with the truth. Lover Joyce is with the truth. The word here for truth is meant to be the exact opposite word of unrighteous. In other words, what love rejoices in is that which is good and true and right. So let's revisit our scenarios for a second. What if the cupcake store owner, your rival, decides to have a blood drive and 40 people donate blood? They get 40 pints of blood. You're not going to say what a show off. Now you're going to rejoice. 40 people have the opportunity to have their lives saved because of those donations. That's how Christian Love thinks and talks. It acts. What about the coach? What if the rival team decides to have a fundraiser to raise money? Toe? Help those kids out? You're not going to say crooks helping crooks. Now you you're going to rejoice that those Children are have food on the table. Christian Love thinks and talks and acts like that. We're about the candidate. What if the candidate he co sponsors a bill that protects the lives of mothers and their pre born Children? Are you going to say he's grandstanding? Just trying to get some conservative votes before November? No, you're going to say, man, praise God that those mothers and their pre born babies have just received a moment of hope. Christian Love thinks and talks and acts like that. No, look, I'm not saying that stuff's easy. It ain't easy for me. It's difficult, but it is how Christian love functions. And so the question is, Do you have this A God love? Do you have this Christian love? Is this love scene in your life? Do you hunger and thirst for this truth that Paul writes about, or do you hunger and thirst and rant and rave and demand your version of the truth. Brenda Junk wants that this few pursuits in life are more important than the pursuit of truth. What one believes to be true, especially about God, humanity and the relation between them will govern one's entire life. Thoughts, affections, attitudes, actions, desires and decisions. That's very true. So what do you believe Him? What do you believe to be true? What do you believe to be ultimately true? What do you believe about God? What do you believe about humanity? What do you believe about the relationship between them? Because what you believe about that affects every single thing in your life. You know, one of the phrases that we're thinking and saying and reading and different articles and hearing on the radio and on TV is is phrases that goes something like this. This isn't the America. This isn't the America that I grew up. And you know what? Everything behind those statements is true. All of it. Yes, America is angry, aggravating and frustrating. It's stressful. It's frightening, it's it's scared. But this is the America we live in. So his believers, we have a couple of choices. We can unceasingly rant about un righteousness. Here we can fight the good fight and try a little harder to rejoice in the truth. Jesus die! That we would rejoice, not rant. Jesus died, gave his life so that we might pursue and love the truth and not look at unrighteous nous and say, Yeah, they got what they deserved. What do you believe is ultimately true? Everything kind of falls in that category. A few hours he was going to be arrested, torture and brutally executed and he knew it. He knew all those things were going to happen. So what do we find Jesus doing before that? See, meeting with his lawyer, working his defense up? Is he moving his money to offshore accounts and catching a private plane to Tropical Island? Now he's he's waiting for his arrest. Er's he's waiting for them. And while he's waiting, he's praying. First closest friends. This is part of what he prays. John. 17. Father, I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. Sanctify, Purify, Consecrate them, Separate them for yourself. Make them holy in the truth. And then Jesus prayed this father. Their interpretation of tomorrow's covitz statistics is the truth. No, that's not what you pray now. Jesus. Then pray this father. This week's talk radio shows are the truth. He prayed. This father. This week's Twitter feeds are the tree and pray that what he really prayed was father this November's elections. That's the truth. No, Jesus, prayed, Father. Help them. See that your word? IHS truth Ultimate final. Absolute, satisfying, loving, gracious, mercyful truth. Father, your word. Your character is true. That's how Jesus prayed for his friends. And we have every reason to believe in Scripture. That's how he's praying for us right now. Listen analysed the statistics. Look at the statistics. Follow the statistics. Tune in to talk radio. Serve Twitter quotes, campaign and vote a run for office, eat maple bacon doughnuts. Take medication. Watch Netflix to do whatever you're going to do when we talk about love and loving truth. We're not trying to create some unnecessary legalism that says you can't do anything nor we trying to create some unnecessary liberalism that says, Do whatever you want. The picture we have from Scripture simply says this that whatever you choose to do in life, don't let any of those things that I mentioned ever convince you that they are ultimate truth. Because they're not. God is God and there is no other. He is the Alfa and the Omega. He is holy, Holy, holy! He is good And he does it. He is faithful. He is gracious, He is mercyful. His salvation is the only salvation. And no matter who is president or king or queen or general coach, her husband or wife or any other title that we want to use in life, no matter who may have any type of earthly authority in our life, the reality will never disappear. That our lives are missed a breath of vapor. But God's kingdom is forever, and he has given us the Bible. It's a way for us to stay close to his ways until Jesus returns. And that sheriff, that's true. Do you know that truth? Are you loving that truth? Are you taking that truth and holding it over the statistics, holding it over the medications, holding it over the elections, holding it over the vacations? Are you taking the truth about God? the truth about Jesus and making it your ultimate defining absolute truth over every moment in life. If so, go live life to the fullest. Go to work, go to school, eat some donuts may do, do what you do, do it all the glory of God that someone might say, Well, that's cute. Sounds kind of pie in the sky But it sounds like you're just saying this love stuff. They're supposed to fix everything. And don't worry about everything else going on in the world. No, I'm not saying that at all. Like you, I'm trying to stay fully engaged. But let me ask your question. Do you really believe that the interpretation of the statistics or the medication or the vacation or the election will save you from sin and make the world right? Do you really believe that? GK Chester Sin to this? A child of seven is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door and saw a dragon. But a child of three is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door. So what, We're just goes out like a bunch of three year olds. No, I don't. Don't miss the picture. here in the time of all of our lives when we were not completely wrapped up and distracted with all the things in the world. We were cool with simple fax. We just needed to know that Tommy went through a door we didn't need the dragon. In other words, we way were satisfied with what was really listen. I graciously and boldly communicate to you that whatever you see in the news here on the radio read on social media, feel in your heart and mind over the next seven days. The love and grace and mercy and power and authority of Jesus Christ is really it's really And this is what Jesus said. Blessed, happy, satisfied content. Favored to be envied are those people who hunger and thers not for unrighteous nous not to gloat about what somebody might deserve but those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Satisfied? Love does not rejoice an unrighteous nous or injustice or evil or sin or wrong doing. But love rejoices in the truth. Why? Why does love do that? Love does that because love knows that the grace and the mercy and the power and the authority and the truth and the love of Jesus are the only way you will ever be satisfied. Listen to the simplicity of that again. The love and truth of Jesus is the only thing that will ever satisfy. You're so so less love unless love the tree.

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