Sermon (video): "Loving Others and Avoiding the Counterfeits" (Ephesians 5:1-7)

We are called to be imitators of God. That sounds incredible but the Apostle Paul goes on to tell us what it looks like - we will love the way Jesus loves. 

But unfortunately, we often settle for counterfeits to God's love for us.

This sermon articulates what Christlike love looks like and what the counterfeits look like. As the two are discussed, the much better choice will be obvious.

To access the sermon video, click here.

To access the online notes, click here.

On loving and killing our enemies

The pictures that we are being shown on the internet and on the news outlets is of a helpless, American journalist on his knees in an orange jumpsuit with his hands tied behind his back. By his side is an ISIS soldier dressed in black wielding a knife that would shortly severe the helpless journalist's head from his body. The irony of it is that the supposed ISIS warrior who wants our government to fear him is wearing a mask so he cannot be identified. Coward!

Someone needs to remind our President that our government "doesn't bear the sword in vain [in other words, it has the right given by God to use it]" (Romans 13:4). With the government's authority, our incredible military is "an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer" (also Romans 13:4). Now is not the time to bargain with terrorists or run in fear. Our government has the right to send them to their eternal destiny.

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Someone has asked: "How is what you are saying consistent with the command to love your enemies?"

That's a great question! Here's a very simple answer:

The command to love our enemies (found in Matthew 5:44-48) is given to individuals. It is even more specifically given to followers of Jesus ... as individuals. As an individual follower of Jesus, I'm supposed to love those who abuse and even plan to kill me.

Yet, in my study of God's Word, I am aware of no such command to "love enemies" placed upon governments. They exist not to love but to create and maintain an environment where the individual citizens "may lead a peaceful and quiet life" (see 1 Timothy 2:1-4). Any forces within or outside the country that would threaten the peace of the nation can and should be dealt with effectively on the governmental level.

So, regarding the ISIS warriors ... how should they be treated?

Followers of Jesus should pray for them that they would come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4) about Jesus and their condition without Him. No one is too far gone to be forgiven and become a child of God. The Apostle Paul was a vicious killer of Christians before God saved him and used him to write 2/3 of our New Testament (let that soak in).

Yet, at the same time, we should celebrate the fact that our government will not sit idly by and allow unmitigated evil to take place. It will wield it's sword and effectively squelch it. If our government is just and desires to maintain the healthy respect of the other nations of the world, it will wield it's sword and crush such evil.

Oh, and why do I keep referring to Scripture in regard to government matters? Well, because our founding fathers did, too.

The power of an encouraging word

1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

We all crave encouragement and affirmation. One well-timed encouraging word could not only positively change the course of someone's day - it could change the course of their life! Talk about power! But, we often struggle to give those kinds of words to others.

Why?

Well, let’s think about it in terms of a bank account. Before you are able to write a check, you must have enough money in your account to cover the amount of the check. If your bank account is dangerously close to a zero balance, you’d better not write a check!

In the same way, encouraging others is like writing a check. If our internal ‘bank account’ if full, we find it easy to encourage others. If, on the other hand, we are internally bankrupt and struggle with our worth and identity, it will be almost impossible to find it within us to give others the affirmation they would love to hear.

If we find it hard to encourage others, we’re publicly showing that we are internally bankrupt. (Let that thought sink in.)

So, do yourself and others a favor and cultivate your walk with Jesus. Allow Him to fill your internal bank account as you meditate on just how much He loves you and what He’s done to bring you into relationship with Him. Enjoy sweet fellowship with Him each day, get regular deposits into your internal bank account and write checks of encouragement to those you encounter. Who knows how God could use you to positively impact someone else!

1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."

Where churches should focus their ministry efforts

When it comes to doing ministry in church life, folks don't usually disagree that we should be reaching the lost and being 'Jesus' to our culture. No, the disagreement typically happens when we talk about the 'where.'

Some well-intentioned folks think we should focus on our own communities. They say we aren't doing enough in our own neighborhoods. So, they want to focus on the home-front and let the folks 'out there' wait ... indefinitely.

Some well-intentioned folks think we should focus on people outside our communities. Their mantra might be: "Why should anyone hear the Gospel twice before everyone has heard it once?" In doing so, they may fail to adequately love and serve the communities in which they live.

The beauty of approaching ministry the way Jesus instructed us is that it's not an "either/or" scenario. It's a "both/and."

It is my conviction that Acts 1:8 gives us the four concentric circles of ministry that each church should engage. There are four areas where we should focus ... ministering in each area simultaneously.

Acts 1:8 (ESV)

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

So, for Westside Baptist Church, if Jesus spoke these words to us in our culture today, He might say:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you (He already has! Read Acts 2.), and you will be my witnesses in Murray/Calloway County and in all Kentucky and in the other 49 states, and in countries outside the U.S."

So, we are working on a strategy that helps us minister in those four areas at the same time:

- Loving, serving and reaching Murray/Calloway County

- Loving, serving and reaching other parts of Kentucky

- Loving, serving and reaching other states

- Loving, serving and reaching other countries

What is the answer to the 'where' question at Westside? Simply put, our aim is that at any given point in the life of Westside Baptist, we will be doing ministry in everyone of the four areas mentioned.

Is this a large, overwhelming undertaking? Yes. But so was taking the Promised Land! It was ambitious. It required God's involvement. And it was an exciting adventure as the Israelites came to realize just how awesome their God was.

It is my conviction that too often, churches are under-challenged. When a church is willing to embrace a God-sized vision and prayerfully takes that 'Promised Land,' things get very, very exciting and God gets incredible glory (folks see Him to be even more wonderful than they imagined).

Making the Christian life simpler

When a follower of Jesus looks at God's Word with a desire to show their love for Jesus by obeying His commands (John 14:15,23), they may get overwhelmed.

After all, there are more commands than we may care to count. There are commands regarding family relationships, church relationships, relationships with those in need and even relationships with our enemies; commands regarding our work ethic; commands regarding our attitudes, thoughts, and motivations; commands regarding activities we are to engage in and activities we are to avoid; etc.; etc.; etc.

Sometimes, it can even feel like the game I used to play called "Whac-A-Mole." I stood with a mallet in my hand and waited for a plastic mole to stick his head up out of a hole on the game board. When he did, I tried to hit his head with a mallet. But, as soon as I did, he disappeared and another mole jumped up from another hole. I tried to hit him but he disappeared almost instantly as another mole popped up from another hole.

Well, I'm so glad that Jesus made it easy for us. In Matthew 22:36-40, a lawyer approached Jesus and tried to publically back Him into a corner. He wanted to ask Jesus a question to which there was no good answer thus discrediting Him. The lawyer asked: "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" (Matthew 22:36). In other words, it was thought that whatever commandment Jesus gave, He would split the crowd because everyone had their own opinion regarding which commandment among the hundreds and hundreds of commands was the most important. Yet, Jesus said that loving God and loving others were the two most important and that "on these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:40). In other words, every command of Scripture is based upon the fact that we love God and others. It also means that if we focus on obeying these two commands, we end up obeying the others.

God moved the Apostle Paul to write the same thing: "For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Galatians 5:14).

It was said again in my Bible reading this morning in Romans 13:8-10 (ESV):

"Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

That makes the Christian life so much simpler to grasp (I didn't say it would be easy; it's simpler.). If I just focus on having a Jesus-kind-of-love for God and others, the other stuff will fall into place.

Sermon (video): New-Life Relationships 101 (Ephesians 4:25-32)

The Bible is filled with instruction regarding how we are to live. Yet, as I illustrated in the Introduction to this sermon, a true follower of Jesus desires to follow these instructions. God's Word is not perceived as a boring book filled with senseless rules intended to make our lives miserable. No! It is seen as a manual to help us live the way that God desires and that we can enjoy.

In Ephesians 4:25-32, it specifically tells us how we are to behave if we are to enjoy wonderful relationships within the life of a church. And even more specifically, it tells us what habits we need to get rid of and what habits we need to develop in order to replace the old ones.

To access the sermon video, click here. To access online notes for this sermon, click here.

This sermon was preached at Westside Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky on August 10, 2014.

Readily giving what we receive ...

The Biblical book of Jonah would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad. It begins with Jonah's sinful heart. He brazenly rebelled against his God. God told him to go to Nineveh to preach about impending judgment and Jonah went the opposite direction.

So, Jonah received judgment in the second chapter and then grace and forgiveness when he repented.

Get that point. It's very important. "Jonah was the object of God's mercy and grace and forgiveness. All the good stuff from God ... Jonah got it when he repented."

Yet, as Jonah preached to the citizens of Nineveh, they repented, too! What does God do? The same thing He did for Jonah ... He lavished His mercy and grace and forgiveness upon the Ninevites. All the good stuff from God ... Nineveh got it when they repented.

Second verse, same as the first.

How does Jonah respond when he sees that God is not going to destroy Nineveh?

Jonah 4:2 (New Living Translation)

"So he complained to the LORD about it: 'Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.'"

Let us be so careful not to fall into this mindset ... we readily receive the Lord's forgiveness and grace for our personal offenses and yet resent it when He does the same for others.

Let the true followers of Jesus develop a heart like Jesus' ... one that would much more readily desire repentance and restoration than discipline and judgment.

Every person you meet has an incredible story!

It is amazing what we learn when we spend less time trying to impress others with our story and spend time listening to theirs.

I went to do a hospital visit about an hour ago with my two oldest sons. After entering the room and hearing how the church member was doing, I asked him about himself. After probing a little, I found out that he was a Marine and retired after 20 years of service as an E8 (impressive!). I asked where he had served and he gave me a list of around 10 places around the world that made me think he had some stories to tell.

After more probing questions (truly amazing people don't willingly tell about themselves; you have to probe), I found out that the guy was a helicopter mechanic ... for Marine 1! Yep, he worked on the helicopters that the President of the United States travels on. I asked him if he ever met any of the Presidents when he rode on the choppers. He said "yes," got a distant look in his eyes as he thought and said: "Let's see, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Bush. I saw but never met Reagan, though."

If he wasn't still recovering from surgery, I would have loved to stay in that hospital chair and hear more of his story! I bet he's got some incredible tales.

James 1:19 (New Living Translation)

"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak..."

Christians aren't sinners...

Christians, if they aren't careful, can get so frustrated with someone who lays no claim at all on Christ. They see them living in opposition to God's laws and shake their heads in disbelief.

Yet, it should come as no shocker that lost people act like lost people. They don't act as bad as they possibly could. No. In fact, many of them are kind, generous, thoughtful, etc. That point is also obvious. Yet, the original point is that when they sin, they are being true to their nature. Sinners sin. Go figure.

Something that may come as a shock to you is that it is completely unnatural for a follower of Jesus to sin. Will we sin each day and need to confess those offenses to God and receive cleansing? Yes. But, the Christian is acting against their new nature when they break God's law and God's heart.

Romans 6:6-7 (New Living Translation)

"We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin."

This is no small matter because our beliefs about ourselves directly affect our behavior.

Folks who lose weight sometimes realize that in order to do so, they must change the picture that they see when they look in the mirror. They need to "see" a new them that's slimmer and more fit. When they change the picture in their minds, their actions will eventually align with their thinking.

If you believe that you are bound by sin and cannot help but continue in it, you'll live a defeated life. Yet, if you, by faith, believe that the 'old you' literally died and was placed on the cross at the moment you became a child of God, you'll live with much more freedom. You'll still sin but you'll sin less and you will realize that you were acting outside of your nature so it won't leave you defeated.

If you are a child of God, appropriate the truths of Romans 6:6-7 to your life today.

How to know if you're walking by faith or sight.

I know that the Christian life is one that is to be lived by faith (Hebrews 10:38). I even know that it is absolutely impossible to put a smile on God's face without faith (Hebrews 11:6). 

Yet, all too often, I don't feel like I'm living by faith. I sometimes feel like I'm living the mirror image (opposite) of 2 Corinthians 5:7 where it says: "for we walk by faith, not by sight."

A tell-tell sign that I'm living by sight is my periodic bouts of prayerlessness. I'm not saying that there are times when I don't pray. I seriously doubt there's ever been a day since I became a child of God that I haven't prayed. I'm referring to times when I don't spend significant times with God in prayer ... when I feel confident enough in myself that I don't sense my dependence upon God ... so I don't pray.

This morning, in one of the devotional books I read periodically, I came across the following verse. It records God's instruction to the Israelites as they began their wilderness wandering. They were given strict instructions to get enough food for one day but not to stock the pantry.

Exodus 16:4 (New Living Translation)

"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.'"

What's going on here? Why did God tell them only to get enough for one day and not two (except on Fridays when they were to get enough for the Sabbath)?

Simply put, God wanted to develop faith/trust in them. He wanted them to rely upon Him each day. He wanted to provide for their legitimate needs but at the same time keep them dependent upon Him.

Now, I don't believe that this command is timeless ... that every follower of God throughout earth's history should never save for a rainy day. After all, God led Joseph to stockpile Egypt's grain for the oncoming seven years of famine (Genesis 41).

However, I believe that if we are able to obtain more provision than we need in the moment, we must continually trust in God rather than grow faithless by trusting in what we have accumulated.

How do we know that we are living by faith? Easy. Answer the following question. 

What's your prayer life like?