Legacy of Love: Love that Shapes, Instructs
2022 Men's Retreat: Legacy of Love • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction:
Introduction:
I have the privilege and honor this evening to preach on the topic of: “Love that Instructs.”
As it has been mentioned already there is an attack on men. You probably have heard the saying, “As the family goes, so goes the nation...” I would change it to, “As the men go, so goes the family, the nation, and the world.” As men we have been given a unique responsibility to lead, protect, and instruct.
So far this weekend we have been confronted, challenged, and encouraged to rise to our calling as godly men. To understand that as we love God: we will serve Him and the people in our sphere of influence; to protect the needy and most vulnerably by standing in the gap; to provide physically and spiritually for those who God places in our lives; and to comfort those in our lives with the same love and admonition as Christ does for us. From Genesis to Revelation there is a pattern woven throughout Scripture that men are too lead. It begins in creation and continues through the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), and is maintained through the judges, priest, kings, prophets, apostles, and elders. Wether you are married/divorced/single. You still have a calling on your life to be men of God.
Before we go any further we all need to make sure that we are on the same page this evening, that we are all of the same mind. That the Bibles that we have in our hands are in fact the inspired Word’s of God. That you can trust it… and if you let it, it will radically transform your life. After all:
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
But wait there’s more:
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NKJV)
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
*Raising up the Bible* This is the Word of God let us read it together.
Passage: Ephesians 5:1-7
Passage: Ephesians 5:1-7
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Point 1: Just don’t!
Point 1: Just don’t!
In verse 1 of our text, Paul is continuing to build upon what he was writing about in chapter 4. Specifically:
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
What Paul is getting at in chapter 4 is; if you have believed and confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord and you’ve believe in your heart that He was raised from the dead… The Bible says you are saved. (Romans 10:8-11).
We just read together that Paul declares do not walk or live life like the rest of the world. As believers we are called to be holy, which means to be set apart. We are no longer to continue in the futility of our minds… or to be ignorant of the command of God in our lives, thinking that we can do and say as we please, as if we did not have a God seated in the heavenly places worthy of of our praise, worthy of worship!
Family if we have put off that old man and nature we are no longer enslaved to sin.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
When we choose to sin and reject God’s rulership in our lives it is worse then unbelievers. Its because we have tasted and seen the goodness of God, having been shown grace and mercy.
How could we dare not treasure this Jesus Christ. After all: Romans 5:8
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
Jesus again is worthy of all of our praise and adoration! There is nothing more manly then loving Jesus with: with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The first step in being able to love others and to instruct them in the way they should go. As that is what we have been called to do by God. Is to first, be a lover of God.
My prayer for us this evening is that we do not merely love humanity but make it personal, men women and children, and that we don’t love Christianity but Christ. And when we lose sight of Christ. We will be like the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4
4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Men. You will not be able to lead in your church effectively if you do not love Christ. You will not be able to lead your wife in washing of the Word effectively if you are not cherishing your Savior. You will not be able to speak truth into the lives of our children, instructing them in the way they should go effectively if mindless going through the motions without a passionate love for Christ.
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
I don’t know about you but I want to burn with a fervency for Christ. And for us to truly be effective we must go back to the fundamentals of our faith. Going back to the first things they did when first fell in love with Christ. These are the things we will never grow beyond.
Remember how you used to spend time in His Word?
Remember how you used to pray?
Remember the joy of getting together with other Christians?
Remember how excited we were in sharing Jesus with others?
Something I’ve noticed, is that Christians will run after almost every new, strange and bizarre method or program to grow the church, to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Of course we should update our methods but our message never changes and a few core principles will never change either:
We are to read, study, memorize, apply, and share God’s Word.
We are to pray to our Father, and to allow Him time to give an answer too.
We are to continue in fellowship, not forsaking the assembly of believers.
We are to make disciples of Christ, who will be able to make disciples.
Stop looking for satisfaction in anything other than Jesus Christ. Just don’t do that!
Point 2: Being an Imitator of God
Point 2: Being an Imitator of God
When you are a little kid grown up seemed to always ask you the same thing over and over again, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” For me it was a paleontologist/professional baseball player/ and most importantly a dad.
From a very early age I knew I was created to be a dad. Let me tell ya, there is nothing more rewarding or frustrating. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, and I mean that. Something I quickly realized that kids are sponges. Picking up and copying my actions. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Something that the Lord has shown me through this is the more time I send with them the more they pick up from me. And when it comes Paul’s encouragement to be imitators the more time we send with our Father in fellowship and worship the more we will imitate Him.
The Word of God tells us that:
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
The God of the universe wants to commune with you and have genuine fellowship with you. How great is that? There is one probably problem. How are we to see God if God doesn’t have a body like a man? Easy .
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Jesus Christ reveals the Father’s divine attributes. Meaning we are to look to Jesus Christ’s example and imitate Him. And there are two places in scripture that as men we should become well aquatinted with:
John 13 and John 19.
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
The humility of Jesus, fulfilling His mission and destiny, and that is what enabled Him to stoop down and wash the disciples’ feet. Taking the place of a slave. I’m of the opinion that this is the greatest display of love prior to the cross.
Rising from supper, laying aside His garments. Taking a towel and trying it to his waste. Jesus would pour water into a basin, to serve his disciples. Luke’s gospel tells us that as they were entering the upper room they were arguing about who was going to be the greatest among them. Yet here Jesus is cleaning their feet.
Brothers to think that we could go through our christian life without serving is ridiculous. To be truly great in the kingdom of God :
26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
The second example given to us by Christ that we will look at is the greatest display of lovingkindness and sacrificial love. When Jesus our Messiah willingly went to the cross for the sins of the world. and John 19:30
30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
I’m not going to lie. I know the Bible tells me that I need to love my wife like I Christ loves the church and laid down His life for her. That I’m to provoke my children to wrath, but to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
It’s so hard. I complain, get irritated, frustrated, short, act in an unholy manner.
My favorite ride at Disneyland is the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and if you’ve ridden it, what is the statement given at the beginning of the ride?
“Dead men tell no tales”
As Galatians 2:20 states:
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Dead men/ crucified men cannot not sin. You see if you are dead you can’t get mad, you can’t covet, you can’t get bitter, and you can’t give excuses.
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Brothers let us rise to the occasion running our races to win!
Point 3: Walking in love
Point 3: Walking in love
Our theme this weekend has been “legacy of love.” And we have learned so many different biblical truths this weekend.
Pastor Dan: love that leads… serves
Pastor Dean: love that protects… preservers
Pastor Juan: love that nourishes… provides
Pastor Mike: love that cherishes… comforts
Tomorrow
Pastor Isaac: love that endures… gives grace
It has been so wonderful to be able to gather together and study and to be encouraged that we have been given a legacy. A legacy of love that has been passed down for thousands of years. Going all the way back to the beginning of time when God saw fit to create all things, and to create mankind in the image of God.
Brothers we get to be apart of that legacy. This isn’t a, “I have to do this” but a “I get to be apart of this.”
We get to love our family, church family, our friends our coworkers, our neighbors, our community, our kids and their annoying friends. And we get the privilege to serve them, and living life with them we fulfill the great commission: Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Brothers we must first:
love God and live for Him and not for ourselves.
then we need to be imitators of Christ and serve.
And only when those two things are established can we truly instruct people how to live:
Because we will truly love them, and we will be filled with the Spirit to accomplish that heavenly calling. Only then can you truly make disciples.
Men take the lead in leadership. Take the lead in worship. Lead as the husband. Lead as the father. Because if you are not willing to do it, someone else will. Lead and do it for the glory of God. [On your own time read through Titus 2].
13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love.
Expound if time allows:
Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’
Extra:
Extra:
The Knight’s Code of Chivalry:
The Knight’s Code of Chivalry:
to fear God and protect His church
to serve the Lord in valor and faith
To protect the weak and defenseless
To give refuge to widows and orphans
To refrain from the giving of offence
To live by honor and for the glory of God
To fight for the welfare of all
To obey those placed in authority
To guard the honor of the fellow knights
Never to refuse the challenge when the innocent are in peril
To keep faith
At all times speak the truth
To respect the Honor of Women
Never turn the back upon a foe
Extra verse about choosing who to serve
Extra verse about choosing who to serve
14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Speaking on the paradox of the cross
Speaking on the paradox of the cross
“The scene where they killed the world’s only innocent man doesn’t seem to be a place that excited celebration. But such is the paradox of grace. Death is the doorway to life. Hopelessness is the entrance to hope. Weakness is the place to find strength/ Injustice is where mercy flows. Life comes to those who deserve death. Defeat is actually a victory. The end is really the beginning. Out of sorrow comes eternal celebration. The tomb is the place where new life beings.”—Paul David Tripp