August 29, 2016

  • What's Love Got To Do With It?

    I want to begin this morning by thanking you for the lovely welcome reception luncheon that you had for Pastor Kendra, Daniel and myself last Sunday after church.

    Right before Pastor started this series on Hebrews, I had the opportunity to take her down to see Hillsongs United at the Consol Energy Center for a night of worship.  Any of you who are friends of Pastor’s on Facebook may have seen her post pictures of our trip to Pittsburgh . One of the pictures she was posted was them performing the song Oceans.

    The song starts; “You call me out upon the waters, The great unknown where feet may fall, And there I find you in the mystery, in oceans deep, My faith will stand.” The song goes on to proclaim, “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, Let me walk upon the waters, Wherever You would call me, Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, And my faith will be made stronger In the presence of my Savior” What a perfect song for a lead in to studying Chapter 11 and 12.

    The title of today’s sermon is whats love got to do with it and the answer is quite simple-EVERYTHING! The first ten chapters, were written to a struggling congregation of Hebrew Christians about 30 years after the crucifixion and was purely doctrine on why Christ was superior and why they should not return to the Old Covenant. Pastor has covered the last two Chapters with you, but today in Hebrews 13 gives us some of the essential practical ethics of Christian living that help portray the true gospel to the world. that encourage men to trust in Christ and glorify God!

    What’s love got to do with it? Everything! Church, true faith demands true living!  Let me repeat that church-True faith demands true living!  Church, do you want to know how a church grows?  It is by us living our life as a testimony to what we believe, us being who we say we are. People watch us.

    When Pliny the Younger reported on Christians to the Roman Emperor Trajan he wrote, they bind themselves to an oath not to any criminal end, but to avoid, theft or robbery or adultery, never to break their word or to repudiate a deposit when it was demanded. He was looking for dirt, but had to report they were good citizens who paid their debts.  These early believers were a rebuke to the immoral societies in which they lived by their righteous living.   Others sought to condemn them but the closer they examined their lives the more evident it became that they lived up to the high moral standards.

    Let love of the brethren continue. Continue denotes it already exists and as Christians we are commanded to love one another. In fact, whether we like it or not, Jesus gave the world the yardstick to measure us by!  “By this all men will you are my disciples, that you love one another!”  That was Jesus’s litmus test given to the world to measure us by!

    Exercising and demonstrating brotherly love is important because it reveals to the world   that we belong to Christ, it reveals our true identity to ourselves and it pleases God!

    In verse two the command toward hospitality to strangers, think back to Martha and Mary hosting and entertaining Jesus and his entourage. Travel was difficult, inns could be dangerous and Christians depended on one another to put them up during their journey. Hospitality is a new testament standard for overseers, and church leaders, showing hospitality is also the work of a spiritual woman.  In other words, as Christians were all expected to be hospitable, especially anyone in a leadership role.

    We are to remember those in prison and actively respond to their needs, as many of their brethren were imprisoned for their faith.  Today the command would be more in tune with us paying attention to the needs of those around us.  Marriage should be held in honor and the marriage bed be undefiled.  In both the third and fourth verse, again, remember, the world is watching.

    Have any of you ever heard the phrase if you want to know what is going on, follow the money?  In verse five we are commanded to keep our lives free of the love of money with the reminder that He will never leave us or forsake us.   The reason for verse five has already been presented in verses two and three.  In other words do I trust God enough to provide for other people’s  needs? Wow! Here he gives us the reminder of who He is and what he has done for us and he is worthy to be relied upon!

    Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the Word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith needs when they present themselves. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

    Christ’s church, this church, is a kingdom.  Jesus Christ is the King of his church and he is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Church leadership, pastors, pprc members, worship leaders, lay speakers, Sunday school teachers and helpers of all types, are all subordinates of His and are subjects of His kingdom and authority over us We have the good testimony of the life of Jesus Christ, the apostles, the patriarchs of the church, the great evangelists of the larger church, and then there are the patriarchs and the matriarchs, former church leaders and current church leadership team all involved in this command.

    Folks, if we want to see our church grow and reach more people in our community, the key is not for us to have some fancy program, but instead for us to begin to love one another and to serve one another. When folks see the love that Jesus spoke about they will know it and growth will follow.  It all starts with us committing to loving and serving one another.   So what’s love got to do with it?   EVERYTHING! 

    Church, in closing today I want to share a poem I heard this week that touch me and I trust will touch you as well:

    If there are words for Him then I don't have them. 
    You see, my brain has not yet reached the point where it could form a thought that could adequately describe the greatness of my God,
    and my lungs have not yet developed the ability to release a breath with enough agility to breathe out the greatness of his love,
    and my voice, you see, my voice, is so inhibited, restrained by human limits that it's hard to even sing the praise of…  You see,
    if there are words for Him then I don't have them. 
    My God, his grace is remarkable,
    mercies are enumerable,
    strength is impenetrable.
    He is honorable, accountable, favorable.
    He is unsearchable yet knowable,
    indefinable yet approachable,
    indescribable yet personal.
    He is beyond comprehension,
    further than imagination,
    constant thru generations,
    king of every nation.
    But if there are words for Him then I don't have them.
    You see, my words are few,
    and to try to capture the one true God, using my vocabulary will never do,
    but I use words as an expression,
    an expression of worship to a savior,
    a savior who is both worthy and deserving of my praise, so I use words.
    My heart extols the Lord, blesses his name forever.
    He has won, my heart captured my mind and has bound them both together.
    He has defeated me in my rebellion, conquered me in my sin.
    He has welcomed me into his presence, completely invited me in.
    He has made himself the object of my sight,
    flooding me with mercies in the morning,
    drowning me with grace in the night.
    But if there are words for Him then I don't have them. 
    But what I do have is good news,
    for my God knew that man-made words would never do.
    For words are just tools that we use to point to the truth.
    So he sent his son Jesus Christ as "The Word", living proof.
    He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation.
    For by him all things are created,
    giving nothingness formation,
    and by his words he sustains, in the power of his name, for He is before all things and over all things he reigns, holy is his name, so praise him for his life...
    The way, he persevered in strife, the humble son of God becoming the perfect sacrifice.
    Praise him for his death...
    that He willingly stood in our place,
    that he lovingly endured the grave,
    that he battled our enemy and on the third day rose in victory.
    He is everything that was promised,
    praise him as your risen king,
    lift your voice and sing,
    for one day he will return for us and we will finally be united with our savior for eternity, eternity.
    So it’s not just words that I proclaim,
    for my words point to "The Word" and "The Word" has a name,
    hope has a name,
    joy has a name,
    peace has a name,

    love has a name and that name is Jesus Christ.

    Praise his name forever!
    -Isaac Wimberley

    So Church; What's Love Got To Do With It?  EVERYTHING!  Praise God, Let us pray!