“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” (Eph. 5:25)
*I went to my first ever hockey match in Columbus last week. It was to celebrate my son Eli’s thirteenth birthday –a minor league contest between the Cottonmouths and the Fayetteville Fireants. It was great – the Cottonmouths won, at least five fights broke out, the boys went nuts, and one man in particular with the last name “George” kept getting in the penalty box for fighting and other infractions. I am not even sure what most of the rules he broke were, but he was on the home team, and every time he was released from the penalty box the home crowd would anticipate more action from their star. We sat down near the penalty box, which is basically like a “time out” from the action for a certain amount of time – and I noticed that as soon as a player is released from his time in the penalty box he gets right into the action – he doesn’t go to the showers, he doesn’t go home, he doesn’t go to the stands with the fans or even to the bench with his teammates. He is right back on the ice into the battle – he shoots out of the penalty box, onto the ice, and starts playing (or fighting!) with reckless abandon again. When it came time to leave, we had two “George” souvenir hockey pucks in our pockets. He really stood out from the rest of the crowd . . . . This week’s message is about “Walking in Love”. Now that we have been released from the penalty of sin, forgiven by what Christ has done for us (as we learned last week in Gethsemane the depth of His love for us) . . we now move to the effect that His redeeming love has had upon us. We are much more than just forgiven - we now are empowered and transformed to live the live of love to God and others which we were intended to live. In other words, we are set free from the penalty of sin to be set free and saved also from the power of sin (world, self, flesh, devil) so that we may love as He has loved us. We don’t get in the stands to enjoy the game; we don’t go to the showers or the sidelines, and He doesn’t immediately send us home – we get right into the heat of the battle between two kingdoms and two loves . . . After describing in the first three chapter of Ephesians God’s gift of salvation and His creation of the new community called the body of Christ, we have these instructions: “Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Eph. 5:1-2) We are called to imitate His love in the following ways: 1. By living a life of holiness, worship and submission in the body of Christ (5:1-21). 2. By displaying the love of Christ in our home (marriage in 5:22-33; parenting in 6:1-2) and 3. The workplace (6:6-9). This week’s message will highlight especially the opportunity to display God’s love in the home through marriage. The wife is to submit to her husband out of devotion to Christ, and the husband must love His wife as Christ loved the church. Enjoy discovering more of the mystery of Christ’s love for the church.
“A Christian marriage is a total commitment of two people to the person of Jesus Christ and to one another . . . it is similar to a solvent, freeing up of the man and woman to be themselves and become all that God intends for them to become. Marriage is the refining process that God will use to have us develop into the man or woman He wants us to become.” (Norman Wright)
*Charles Spurgeon offers the following thoughts on Christ’s love for the church as described in Ephesians 5:25:
1. Special Love: “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world. (John 17:9) It is a peculiar affection. Set upon the church in a way it is not upon the world.
2. Constant Love: He does not vary in His affection. The display may vary, but not the affection.
3. Enduring Love: “Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ.” Rom. 8
4. Hearty Love: It is fervent, intense. Not lip service, going through the motions.
5. Delighted Love: He prizes her affection and delights in her with sweet satisfaction.
“Believer, you wonder at Jesus’ love; you admire it – are you imitating it? In your domestic relationships, is the rule and measure of your love ‘even as Christ loved the church’?
*John Stott of the meaning of headship in the home: “Certainly ‘headship’ implies a degree of leadership and initiative, as when Christ came to woo and win His bride. But more specifically it implies sacrifice, self-giving for the sake of the beloved, as when Christ gave himself for his bride. If ‘headship’ means power in any sense, then it is power to care not to crush, power to serve not to dominate, power to facilitate self-fulfillment, not to frustrate or destroy it. And in all this the standard of the husband’s love is to be the cross of Christ, on which he surrendered himself even to death in his selfless love for his bride.”
Ephesians 5:1-2; 21-33 Walk in Love
*The effect of His love is to empower us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength . . . and my neighbor as myself. To transform us/ sanctify us to become what God intended us to become. So we may now be in a condition to glorify Him with our lives.
1. Walk in love out of reverence for Christ. (v.21)
a. v.21: Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. (to the church)
b. Phil. 2:3: consider others as better than yourself
c. Take the position of servant of all . . .
2. Walk in love in the arenas of life. (All these are His, a theatre of His glory)
a. Holiness and worship in the church (through v. 21)
b. In home, marriage (v.22-33)
i. Wives, submit to your husbands
ii. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church.
iii. The mystery is of His love for the church!
c. In home, parenting (6:1-4)d. In the workplace (6:5-9) servants
“It is God’s will in every marriage that the couple love each other with an absorbing spiritual, emotional, and physical attraction that continues to grow throughout their lifetime together. It is possible for any Christian couple to develop this love relationship in their marriage because it is in harmony with God’s expressed will.” (Ed Wheat)
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
The Depth of His Love
“Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will , but as Thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:38-39)
It has been said that the modern church is like a river that is “a mile wide and an inch deep.” One reason is our lack of understanding of the cross of Christ. Our prayer for this week’s message is to save us from a shallow understanding of His love, so that the fullness of God may dwell in us. The experience in Gethsemane, the cup, the cry of dereliction from the cross (Matthew 27:46), the darkness from noon until 3pm at Golgotha, all point to a depth of love we could never imagine. The perfect, glorious love the Father and Son enjoyed since eternity past was momentarily replaced with wrath, alienation and punishment for the redemption of sinners.
“The center of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened—but the crash is on the heart of God.” Oswald Chambers
“The cross is the vindication of the character of God. The cross not only shows the love of God more gloriously than anything else, it shows His righteousness, His justice, His holiness, and all the glory of His eternal attributes. They are all to be seen shining together there. If you do not see them all you have not seen the Cross.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17-18)
This week’s message: The Depth of His Love
Matthew 26:36-46
One scene from the life of our Lord reveals a greater understanding of the depths of His love comes from Matthew 26:36-46, where we discover in the Garden of Gethsemane:
1. Jesus went beyond where we could go. (v.36-39)
a. Notice: He went a little beyond them and fell on His face to pray.
b. Jesus called his most intimate disciples to come with Him, but He alone could go to the depths of passion and suffering for us.
c. Related Scripture: Proverbs 30:4; John 1:29; 1 Tim. 2:5
2. Jesus felt more than we could ever feel. (v.37-38)
a. Notice: Jesus became deeply grieved to the point of death.
b. The cup was the reason for the intensity of these emotions. What was in the cup which He prayed would pass from Him?
c. The cup in the OT: Psalm 11:6; Isaiah 51:17; Ezk. 23:33-34; Jeremiah 25:15-29
3. Jesus accomplished more than we could ever accomplish. (v.40-46)
a. He bore our sin, and thus the wrath of God due our sin. (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13) He was forsaken by the Father, so that we may be forgiven.
b. In Him we therefore have the forgiveness of sin and the righteousness of God. (Col. 1:13-14)c. What has He done with our sin? Isaiah 38:17; Micah 7:19; Psalm 103:12; Hebrews 9:26
“Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness . . . that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26)
*The result of this intense praying and surrender to the Father was that Jesus arose in new strength to face the Hour at hand. Likewise, when we face our times of suffering and testing we pray to our Father, surrender our lives to His will, and the strength of the risen Christ empowers us. In our weakness, He is strong. His grace is sufficient. (2 Cor. 12:9; Phil. 4:13)
It has been said that the modern church is like a river that is “a mile wide and an inch deep.” One reason is our lack of understanding of the cross of Christ. Our prayer for this week’s message is to save us from a shallow understanding of His love, so that the fullness of God may dwell in us. The experience in Gethsemane, the cup, the cry of dereliction from the cross (Matthew 27:46), the darkness from noon until 3pm at Golgotha, all point to a depth of love we could never imagine. The perfect, glorious love the Father and Son enjoyed since eternity past was momentarily replaced with wrath, alienation and punishment for the redemption of sinners.
“The center of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened—but the crash is on the heart of God.” Oswald Chambers
“The cross is the vindication of the character of God. The cross not only shows the love of God more gloriously than anything else, it shows His righteousness, His justice, His holiness, and all the glory of His eternal attributes. They are all to be seen shining together there. If you do not see them all you have not seen the Cross.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17-18)
This week’s message: The Depth of His Love
Matthew 26:36-46
One scene from the life of our Lord reveals a greater understanding of the depths of His love comes from Matthew 26:36-46, where we discover in the Garden of Gethsemane:
1. Jesus went beyond where we could go. (v.36-39)
a. Notice: He went a little beyond them and fell on His face to pray.
b. Jesus called his most intimate disciples to come with Him, but He alone could go to the depths of passion and suffering for us.
c. Related Scripture: Proverbs 30:4; John 1:29; 1 Tim. 2:5
2. Jesus felt more than we could ever feel. (v.37-38)
a. Notice: Jesus became deeply grieved to the point of death.
b. The cup was the reason for the intensity of these emotions. What was in the cup which He prayed would pass from Him?
c. The cup in the OT: Psalm 11:6; Isaiah 51:17; Ezk. 23:33-34; Jeremiah 25:15-29
3. Jesus accomplished more than we could ever accomplish. (v.40-46)
a. He bore our sin, and thus the wrath of God due our sin. (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13) He was forsaken by the Father, so that we may be forgiven.
b. In Him we therefore have the forgiveness of sin and the righteousness of God. (Col. 1:13-14)c. What has He done with our sin? Isaiah 38:17; Micah 7:19; Psalm 103:12; Hebrews 9:26
“Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness . . . that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26)
*The result of this intense praying and surrender to the Father was that Jesus arose in new strength to face the Hour at hand. Likewise, when we face our times of suffering and testing we pray to our Father, surrender our lives to His will, and the strength of the risen Christ empowers us. In our weakness, He is strong. His grace is sufficient. (2 Cor. 12:9; Phil. 4:13)
Friday, February 6, 2009
The Most Excellent Way
“ . . . And I show you a still more excellent way.” (1 Corinthians 12:31)
The eternal love of God, which has existed forever in the Trinity . . . has been made known in history through the Gospel . . . and now continues through the Church, His body, today . . .How? In the most excellent way of agape love.
Here is the most excellent way His love is displayed, God is glorified, and discipleship becomes fruit bearing. If you have ever found yourself asking, “Is there a better way?”, here is your answer.
The Most Excellent Way 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
*Each quality is from the essence of God’s nature, especially revealed in Jesus Christ. And each quality must mark those who are followers of Christ and children of God.
Because God is . . . and because I love you . . I will be . . .
1. Patient: Romans 2:4; 1 Tim. 1:16
2. Kind: Eph. 4:32; Titus 3:4
3. Glad: (not jealous or envious of others) Zephaniah 3:17
4. Humble (not boastful or arrogant) Phil. 2:7-8; Gal. 6:14
5. Considerate (not rude or unbecoming) Matthew 11:28; 12:18-21
6. Selfless (does not seek its own) Mark 10:45; John 12:26; Luke 9:23
7. Self Controlled (not easily angered) Exodus 34:6
8. Forgiving (keeps no record of wrongs) Isaiah 55:7; Colossians 1:14
9. Righteous (does not rejoice in unrighteousness) 2 Cor. 5:21
10. Truthful (but rejoices with the truth) John 8:32; John 14:6
11. Edifying (bears all things) Galatians 3:13-14; Rom. 14:19
12. Trusting (believes all things) Luke 23:46
13. Hopeful (hopes all things) John 16:33
14. Enduring (endures all things) John 13:1; Hebrews 13:8
Added promise in verse 8: Love never fails! (Isaiah 55:11)
Verse 13: Now abides faith (saves me from my past), hope (saves me from my future) and love (saves me in the present). But the greatest of these is love.
“Then the LORD passed by in from of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” (Ex. 34:6)
“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Tim. 1:5)
“Now by nature none of us likes to be interrupted when things are going well. We do not like delays in our plans. We all have a strong craving for a trouble-free life and we tend to get irritated when our best-laid plans go awry. We don't like traffic tie-ups on the freeway when we have an appointment. We don't like overheated cars on vacation. We don't like for babies to cry through the night. We don't like checks to get lost in the mail. We like it when life flows according to plan and pleasure. And when it doesn't, our nature is be provoked and to complain and grumble and murmur and be angry and critical . . . My strong craving for a trouble free life must die. My need for an uninterrupted schedule must die. My demandingness that frustrations and interference get out of my way must die. We simply cannot love the way Paul describes until we die. (John Piper)
One of the marks of Christian maturity is not that Christians know more or accomplish more. It is that they love more. As we mature, we experience an ever-increasing capacity to love. We learn how to access and express God’s love in our marriages, our child rearing, our work, and our friendships. Love can triumph in every arena of life.” (Linda Riley)
The eternal love of God, which has existed forever in the Trinity . . . has been made known in history through the Gospel . . . and now continues through the Church, His body, today . . .How? In the most excellent way of agape love.
Here is the most excellent way His love is displayed, God is glorified, and discipleship becomes fruit bearing. If you have ever found yourself asking, “Is there a better way?”, here is your answer.
The Most Excellent Way 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
*Each quality is from the essence of God’s nature, especially revealed in Jesus Christ. And each quality must mark those who are followers of Christ and children of God.
Because God is . . . and because I love you . . I will be . . .
1. Patient: Romans 2:4; 1 Tim. 1:16
2. Kind: Eph. 4:32; Titus 3:4
3. Glad: (not jealous or envious of others) Zephaniah 3:17
4. Humble (not boastful or arrogant) Phil. 2:7-8; Gal. 6:14
5. Considerate (not rude or unbecoming) Matthew 11:28; 12:18-21
6. Selfless (does not seek its own) Mark 10:45; John 12:26; Luke 9:23
7. Self Controlled (not easily angered) Exodus 34:6
8. Forgiving (keeps no record of wrongs) Isaiah 55:7; Colossians 1:14
9. Righteous (does not rejoice in unrighteousness) 2 Cor. 5:21
10. Truthful (but rejoices with the truth) John 8:32; John 14:6
11. Edifying (bears all things) Galatians 3:13-14; Rom. 14:19
12. Trusting (believes all things) Luke 23:46
13. Hopeful (hopes all things) John 16:33
14. Enduring (endures all things) John 13:1; Hebrews 13:8
Added promise in verse 8: Love never fails! (Isaiah 55:11)
Verse 13: Now abides faith (saves me from my past), hope (saves me from my future) and love (saves me in the present). But the greatest of these is love.
“Then the LORD passed by in from of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” (Ex. 34:6)
“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Tim. 1:5)
“Now by nature none of us likes to be interrupted when things are going well. We do not like delays in our plans. We all have a strong craving for a trouble-free life and we tend to get irritated when our best-laid plans go awry. We don't like traffic tie-ups on the freeway when we have an appointment. We don't like overheated cars on vacation. We don't like for babies to cry through the night. We don't like checks to get lost in the mail. We like it when life flows according to plan and pleasure. And when it doesn't, our nature is be provoked and to complain and grumble and murmur and be angry and critical . . . My strong craving for a trouble free life must die. My need for an uninterrupted schedule must die. My demandingness that frustrations and interference get out of my way must die. We simply cannot love the way Paul describes until we die. (John Piper)
One of the marks of Christian maturity is not that Christians know more or accomplish more. It is that they love more. As we mature, we experience an ever-increasing capacity to love. We learn how to access and express God’s love in our marriages, our child rearing, our work, and our friendships. Love can triumph in every arena of life.” (Linda Riley)
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