Sunday
Morning Bible Study
August
11, 2013
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church
loved?
Russia Trip Report
Traveling
Baseball
Meeting with the church
Meeting with Alexi
Introduction
Jesus is more than a little concerned about what His followers are known
for.
We are His spokesmen. We are His “ambassadors”.
(2 Co 5:20 NLT) So we are
Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ
when we plead, “Come back to God!”
He’s concerned that we leave the right impression on people.
He’s concerned that we leave the right “mark” on people.
The problem is that sometimes we are known for the wrong things. Sometimes the “mark” we leave on people is
the wrong “mark”.
The problem we have as Christians is that sometimes we leave the wrong
“mark”, the wrong “impression” on people. Some people only know us for …
Who we “hate”
The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka Kansas is
known in the news by what they are “against”.
In 2011 they only had 40 members, yet they are well known in America.
In 2007, they had 71 members,
apparently mostly from the large family of pastor Fred Phelps. In 2011, they had grown to 40 members. Yet this small group is now well known in
America.
One of the things they are famous for is their protests against
homosexuals while picketing at funerals for servicemen killed in the line of
duty.
Sadly, some people use this group to say that this is what Christianity is
all about.
The world thinks that Christians are those people who hate gays,
pedophiles, murderers, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and atheists.
How we vote
Some churches have gotten quite involved in politics. Don’t misunderstand
me – I think God calls us to speak up, to be “salt and light”. As Americans we have the right, privilege,
and duty to vote.
But sometimes we give the impression that Christianity is all about voting
Republican. Not so.
Doctrinal purity
It’s a good thing to make sure that you are following the truth of God’s
Word as close as possible.
But sometimes we get a little too carried away in our search for truth to
the point that if someone doesn’t believe EXACTLY like I believe, that they
must not be a Christian.
Illustration
I was walking across a bridge recently. I spied this guy who looked like he
was ready to jump off. So, I thought I’d try to stall him until the authorities
showed up (or at least until I could get my phone out to take a picture).
“Don’t jump!” I said. “Why not?” he said. “Nobody
loves me.” “God loves you,” I said. “You believe in God, don’t you?” “Yes, I
believe in God,” he said.
“Good,” I said. “Are you Christian or Jewish?”
“Christian,” he said.
“Me, too!” I said. “Protestant
or Catholic?”
“Protestant,” he said.
“Me, too!” I said. “What kind of Protestant?”
“Baptist,” he said.
“Me, too!” I said. “Independent
Baptist or Southern Baptist?”
“Independent Baptist,” he said.
“Me, too!” I said. “New
Evangelical/Moderate Independent Baptist or Conservative Independent Baptist?”
“Conservative Independent Baptist,” he said.
“Me, too!” I said. “Dispensational
Premillennial Conservative Independent Baptist OR Historical Premillennial
Conservative Independent Baptist?”
“Dispensational Premillennial Conservative Independent Baptist,” he said.
“Me, too!” I said. “Pro-Disney
Boycott Dispensational Premillennial Conservative Independent Baptist OR
Anti-Disney Boycott Dispensational Premillennial Conservative Independent
Baptist?”
“Pro-Disney Boycott Dispensational Premillennial Conservative Independent
Baptist,” he said.
“Me, too!” I said. “King James
Only Pro-Disney Boycott Dispensational Premillennial Conservative Independent
Baptist OR Modern Versions Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist
Dispensational Premillennial Conservative Independent Baptist?”
“MODERN VERSIONS Pro-Disney Boycott Dispensational Premillennial
Conservative Independent Baptist” he said.
“Auugghh!!! You heretic!” I said. And I pushed him off the bridge.
As Christians, the “mark” we’re supposed to leave on the world is not “who
we hate”, “how we vote”, or the unimportant minor doctrines we believe, but it
is supposed to be how we love. He said,
(Jn 13:34–35 NKJV) —34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I
have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are
My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We are supposed to love one another like He loves us. He loved us enough to lay down His life for
us. That’s the mark we are supposed to
leave on the world.
One of the problems we have is that we don’t always have a good idea as to
just what this “love” looks like.
The Greeks had quite a few
different words that we would translate as “love”, yet only one of these words
is the one that Jesus used.
He didn’t use the word for sexual
love. (eros)
He didn’t use the word that
describes the love family members have for each other. (sturge)
He didn’t use the word connected to
emotional warm fuzzies and friendship. (phileo)
The Greek word Jesus used was agape.
The Mark - 1Corinthians 13
Paul is the one who gave us the best definition of what that love looks
like.
(1 Co 13:4–7 NKJV) —4 Love
suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade
itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked,
thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
:4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does
not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
:4
Love suffers long
suffers long – makrothumia – “long burning”
Perhaps it’s the idea of being willing to be “burned” for a long time.
We usually translate it as “patient”. It is a word that is used
specifically in relationships with people.
It is being patient with difficult people.
Illustration
There is no greater example of patience than that of God's patience towards
His people.
When God first delivered His people from Egypt, He warned them that if they
disobeyed His commandments He would have to punish them. (Deut. 28:15)
At first you might think, “Boy, does God have a short fuse!”
But when you examine history, you find that God between the time when God
gave them the warning until the time when the big “time out” came was 900
years.
Some people are just difficult to get along with. It seems they are completely insensitive as
to how they treat others.
What makes things worse is that sometimes the “rude” person actually goes
to the same church as you do.
When we talk about not being able to “put up” with a person any longer, I
wonder what would happen if God had our measure of patience. The very reason Jesus has not come back to
judge this world yet is because of patience:
(2 Pe 3:9 NLT) The Lord isn’t really being slow
about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake.
He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
Amy Carmichael was a gal from Ireland who went off to be a missionary in
India around 1900, serving there for 55 years.
She wrote,
“If I have not the patience of my Savior with the souls who grow slowly; if
I know little of travail (a sharp and painful thing) till Christ be fully formed in them, then I know nothing of Calvary
love.”
The Calvary she speaks of isn’t Calvary Chapel, but the cross at Calvary
where Jesus died for us.
:5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own,
is not provoked, thinks no evil;
:5 thinks no evil
thinks – logizomai – to
reckon, count, compute, calculate
This is an accounting phrase of entering an item into a ledger so it won’t
be forgotten.
It’s about keeping track of when people hurt you.
This comes out when you argue.
If you start pulling out old laundry lists of things the other person has
done over the last two centuries, you’ve missed the point here. When phrases like, “You always do that,” show
up, then you’ve been keeping track of the wrongs you’ve suffered.
Instead, love is quick to forgive.
Paul wrote,
(Eph 4:32 NKJV) And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even
as God in Christ forgave you.
The word translated “forgiving” here is literally the word for “grace”. We ought to be showing “grace” to each other
because God has shown “grace” to us.
Some of us aren’t like that little Jewish girl who grew
up. We hold grudges a long time. If that German boy ever came around our
house, we’d either smack him in the face, or we wouldn’t answer the door at
all, even if he came bearing a gift.
We make lists of people who have offended us. We develop our lists of who is “safe” and who
is not “safe”. We need to learn what
grace means.
Illustration
Hole in the pocket
The story goes of the happy man who has two pockets. One has a hole in it and the other is
carefully watched that no hole develops in it.
Everything that he hears of a hurtful nature - insult, cutting remark,
gossip, unclean suggestion, or any such thing - he writes on a piece of paper
and sticks it into his pocket with the hole.
Everything which he hears that is kind, true, and helpful, he writes on
a piece of paper and puts it in the pocket without the hole.
At night he turns out all that is in the pocket without the hole, goes over
all that he had put into it during the day, and thoroughly enjoys all the good
things that have come his way that day.
Then he sticks his hand into the pocket with the hole and finds nothing
there, so he laughs and rejoices that there are no evil things to think about. Too many of us reverse the other, putting the
evil things in the pocket without the hole so that we can mull over them again
and again, and the good things in the pocket with the hole so that they are
quickly forgotten.
Love doesn’t keep track of wrongs suffered.
It lets them slip through the pocket with the hold in it.
:6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in
the truth;
:6
rejoices in the truth
truth – aletheia – from a + lanthano – “not hidden”
Love isn’t happy when things are hidden.
Love isn’t happy when problems are disguised.
Love is happy when things are uncovered, even when they are difficult
things.
Love is happiest when we are learning to deal with what has been covered
up.
Sometimes I have the idea that if someone loves me, they won’t point out
something in my life that needs changing.
But then I’m not rejoicing in the truth.
Jesus loves us just the way we are.
But Jesus also loves us too much to leave us where we are.
He wants to challenge us with the truth.
He wants us to learn to confront the things in our lives that need to
change.
One of the things I’m trying to pray for every day is that I be open to
criticism. I pray for that because I
don’t like criticism.
This is the balance to “patience”.
Being “patient” doesn’t mean we ignore each other’s need to change. Patience requires that we put up with each
other, but “rejoicing in the truth” requires that we also learn how to speak
up.
Solomon wrote,
(Pr 27:6 NKJV) Faithful are
the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are
deceitful.
Illustration
Minnesota Viking offensive lineman Korey Stringer
died from heatstroke during football conditioning drills in 108 degree heat. Now NFL teams are offering their players a “radio
pill.”
Teams pay between $30 and $40 apiece for the pills, which last 24 to 36
hours.
A crystal sensor in each pill has a frequency geared to the player’s body
temperature. When the player’s body temperature rises, so does the frequency.
A trainer punches in a player’s jersey number and waves a digital device in
front of him to determine if the player is “getting too hot” and needs
intervention.
Like athletes who don’t know they have overextended themselves and need
intervention, Christians can stray from God and be oblivious to their spiritual
condition. We need others to keep us accountable.
Jim Corbett, "Core
Matter," USAToday.com (8-10-05);
submitted by Rick Kauffman, McDonald, Pennsylvania
Love rejoices with the truth.
:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes
all things, endures all things.
:7 endures all things
endures – hupomone – to “remain under”
It means to be patient and bear up courageously when hard times hit. Not
just waiting the situation out, but being a victor in the midst of conflict.
Love doesn’t quit on people or on difficult circumstances.
This is why agape love is the most important component in a marriage – you
don’t quit on it.
When the going gets tough, the tough stay put.
This is what our relationships in church ought to be all about.
Relationships at church aren’t going to be nice and sweet. There will be times when they are filled with
heat and pressure.
Scientists say that the way diamonds are formed is through intense heat and
intense pressure.
For your faith to become valuable, you have to “remain under”. You have to learn to stand the heat and the
pressure.
Love endures. Love sticks it out.
What kind of mark do you leave on people?
Are you leaving the right kind of mark?