The Greatest of These Is Love
Notes
Transcript
This past week summer vacation began for many of you. I’ve seen posts already of the adventures you’ve had. Gatherings with family, etc. In fact, my younger sister was in town this past week and so for the first time in a couple of years our whole family was together. I love my family and I love being together with family.
I’ve studied family system theory, and one of the things I know about any family system is that we all have those buttons. Whether we like it or not there are those buttons that our family can push like no one else, and it brings out responses from other family members that don’t always reflect the love we have for one another. Button pushing is not always done intentionally, but often unintentionally just because that’s how they function within that family system. Button pushing is central to the drama that is family - the Fruits of the Spirit can diminish the impact and even eliminate drama
Last week we began our summer series on the fruits of the Spirit. We’re using Paul’s list from his letter to the church at Galatia which we find in the book of Galatians. And we started last week by looking at the antithesis of the work of the Spirit which Paul calls the works of the flesh. I find it interesting that his list of works of the flesh is actually longer than his list of fruits of the Spirit. Here’s his list of works of the flesh:
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
A list of 15 works of the flesh. Basically the topics of every television show or movie. Think about it for a moment. Most of our movies have some enmity between the protagonist and an antagonist, there is strife, and jealousy. Fits of anger (even outrage), rivalries dividing the good and the evil. Then there is the “color” angles that draw us in often done with sensuality, envy, and sexual immorality.
Think about what grabs the headlines of our news on a daily and nightly basis. The scandals, the infighting, the divisions, rivalries, dissensions, fits of anger, etc.
“Garbage in; garbage out.”
But we talked about that last week. This week we’re going to talk about the Fruits of the Spirit, which in the book of Galatians is found in Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
A much shorter list of 9 fruits of the Spirit. Yet there is a phrase in both of these lists that shows they are not exhaustive.
Galatians 5:21 (ESV)
...envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these...
Galatians 5:23 (ESV)
...gentleness, self-control; against such things...
Things like these…such things… points us to the fact that the lists go on.
Paul begins his list of fruits of the Spirit with Love.
In another letter to the church, to the church at Corinth Paul wrote:
1 Cor 8:1
1 Corinthians 8:1 (ESV)
“knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.
And in perhaps his most famous writing within and outside the church in the love chapter Paul wrote:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
I don’t know about you, but I long to have that sort of love to emanate out of me. Patient, kind, not irritable…etc. I long to be the sort of person seemingly described in these verses. I know myself, and it’s probably obvious to you, I haven’t arrived there yet. I am a work in progress…well, at least in process…I hope it’s progress!
You may nod in agreement, but I want to remind you, so are you!
This past week I had the privilege of leading a training for some young people through the certification process as swim instructors at the Y. We talked about those days when you’re just not feeling it, when you’ve had a bad day, when life is hard, when…well…you just don’t feel like being upbeat, positive, etc. I think everyone of us can relate to that. We asked the question - Do your students deserve that?
Do your kids?
Does your family?
Clearly the answer is “no.”
Well, we know that the list of fruits of the Spirit given in Galatians 5 begins with love, but I find it interesting that when Paul talks about love in other places, he uses the phrase put it on.
In Colossians chapter 3 he writes:
Colossians 3:12–14 (ESV)
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
In that love chapter of 1 Cor 13 many commentators will remind us that this is the love being lived out by God. One might even say rather than “put on love” to “put on Christ.”
In Romans we read: Romans 13:12
Romans 13:12 (ESV)
The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
and
Romans 13:14 (ESV)
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
To the Corinthians: 1 Cor 15:53
1 Corinthians 15:53 (ESV)
For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
In Ephesians 4:24
Ephesians 4:24 (ESV)
and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
And earlier in Galatians we read Gal 3:27
Galatians 3:27 (ESV)
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
When we talk about the fruit of the Spirit our list begins with Christ, it begins with love. And when we say that it begins with intentionality.
Being a Christian, loving others is not something that just flows naturally out of our flesh - that’s a result of our sinfulness. It is something that we have to be intentional about.
As we strive to be put on Christ, as you and I work to live out the fruits of the Spirit instead of the works of the flesh it requires and intentionality on our part.
As we have been baptized into Christ we must put on Christ.
This is one of the reasons why it is important for us to begin the day each day with an intentionality.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
In a famous 2014 speech given at graduation given at Austin University in Texas, Admiral William H. McRaven, a Navy Seal for 37 years said, “If you want to change the world…make your bed.” Any who have served in the military know this is drilled into them from basic training onward. And there is a very basic premise it is based on the Admiral reminds us - you are beginning the day with one accomplishment, with one success. One accomplishment leads to another, and one success leads to another, it builds momentum for the day.
What’s interesting is that now success mentors, leadership experts, and those that want to point us toward success say the same thing. Make your bed. Even organizational experts say it. Make your bed.
If you want to be successful - make your bed, if you heed the advice of Admiral McRaven I’m sure you’ll note the difference it makes in your life. But more than that is what you put on in the morning.
Paul tells us to put on Christ; put on love. That’s where it starts.
In college one summer I served at a Christian Conference center north of Seattle. One of my roommates shared that he really struggled with anger and a temper. He would get up every morning and say, “This is the day the LORD has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” The way he would say it always made me chuckle because of how he would clench his teeth as he said, “I will rejoice...”
So, are you putting on love? Are you choosing to love? Are you putting into your life love so that love comes out?
Here’s my challenge to you this week. Each morning, put on love. Each morning get up and choose that this will be the day that you will be loving, that you will reflect Christ. Be intentional about it. Then, at the end of the day see if joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and such things do not present themselves in your life.
As we come to holy communion, lets remember we’ve put on Christ, now let us take in Christ. To God be the glory. AMEN.