Love & Truth

Announcements

Change Wars 9th & 10th Grade Boys 103.90 Total 160.28

Sky Zone March 28th

Youth Take over Sunday March 17th

Hard Questions Topics?

Game

Stacking Rocks

Approximately 10 Rocks each

3 mins to build a tower.

First to complete all 10 rocks or the largest tower at the end of 3 mins wins

Intro

Building a tower out of rocks is not easy right. They arent perfectly level, they dont fit perfectly on top of each other, they arent the same size. They are difficult to balance on each other. In the same way it can be difficult to balance all of the things that we have been talking about and discussing these last few weeks. Because as we have talked the issues we have been talking about can be very divisive, and very sensitive in our current culture. Today we are going to be discussing more in depth how we can have these conversations as we go out into the world around us.

Engage with Love

The very first thing that we have to remember when we are having these conversations, and any conversation especially if you are confronting someone about something that you may not like, or a friend that may have hurt you, is that we have to make sure that we are doing and saying everything in Love.

1 Corinthians 13:1 NIV

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

So this verse tells us that if we are doing things for any reason other than Love for each other and Love for God then all we are doing is just making noise and not actually accomplishing anything.

1 John 4:8 NIV

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Ouch that verse stings. Now heres the thing most of you are probably thinking. That is really harsh, but everybody has to love someone so if that is true than we all know God. However when the Bible was written in The New Testament they spoke and wrote in the Greek language. And in that language they had multiple forms of the word Love. Where as I can say I love pizza, I love my brother, and I love my wife. Those are 3 very different types of love, and yet we use the same word to describe it. When the Bible was written it actually used different words for each of those loves. The Love mentioned here is actually Agape.

Agape love is the highest form of love that you can show, it is a sacrificial love, it shows empathy, and the desire for good for others. So what this verse is telling us is that we should be putting others first, and make sacrifices to put others ahead of ourselves. We can see this in the next verse.

Ephesians 5:1–2 NIV

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

So we can see through these passages that we should not be mocking or making fun of others because of their differences, we shouldnt ignore people because we dont like the way they may dress, or that they think differently but we should love everyone the way God does, and that is that He sacrificed for them, and we should as well.

Truth is Love

Now just because we should be loving to people around us does not mean that we conceal the truth. However we do have to remember what Love does look like. There is a whole chapter of the Bible that is called the Love chapter, and I encourage you to read the whole thing. its 1 Corinthians 13, however today we are just going to look at a couple of verses from it.

1 Corinthians 13:4–6 NIV

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

At the end of these verses it mentions Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. So first this means that there is inherent truth, and that truth is not relative but there is a place that we can go to always get the truth, that will never change, and that is the Bible, and sometimes that truth is difficult to hear. Especially when that truth is telling you that what you are doing is wrong. No one wants to be told they are wrong, but its so much better than being allowed to do harm to yourself by not sharing the truth that we know.

But again we go back to 1 Corinthians 1:1 that we have to make sure that when we are explaining the truth that we are doing so in a loving manner, and not just in a I love pizza manner, but in an Agape love manner. A manner that we truly want what is best for the other person.

Our culture tells us if you dont support what I do, and believe what I believe, then you dont love me, and in fact you are phobic of me or hate me. Even though that may be the farthest thing from the truth. So we have to find a good balance of unconditional love, and kindness but to do so without affirming the sins of ourselves, and the sins of others.

How Jesus did it

So if we are going to share the truth in love, how do we do that? Well lets take a look at the person who never sinned, and how He treated these situations. There is a story in John 4:1-42 now we arent going to read the entire story tonight but I also encourage you to read this as well. But this story is about a Samaritan woman that Jesus comes across at the well. We see that Jesus spoke to her instead of ignoring her, which was surprising for multiple reasons. While they were talking Jesus tells her that He knows about her past and that she had 5 husbands and the man she is currently living with shes not married to, however Jesus was still willing to talk with her. Not only does He talk with her he mentions that He can give her living water, which in this context was salvation and the cleansing of her sins.

There are a few things that we can take from this encounter that Jesus had with the samaritan woman at the well.

Be Proactive

Jesus started the conversation with the purpose of sharing and offering her Salvation and eternal life. He offered her a belonging, her true identity and purpose. This is what we have to offer anyone we come into contact with. Whether they struggle with LGBTQ issues, Lust, Greed or any other thing that they identify with.

Be kind and Truthful

Next Jesus was kind and truthful. He didnt shy away from talking to the woman, nor did he shy away from the womans sin, but He was kind and gracious about it. Instead of focusing on how messed up she was. He focused on how He could transform her, and heal her. We can have those same conversations with those around us.

Be Conversational

Finally Jesus wasnt confrontational with her. He wasnt standing on the corner with a loud speaker screaming your going to Hell, holding a sign that says turn or burn. He had a conversation with her. He heard her story, He got to know her, and listened to her. And after He heard her, He offered her something no one else could, and that was offering her eternal life.

We have to be willing to get to know people, have conversations with people, There is a quote that Dwayne Carson used to tell us all the time. People dont care how much you know, until they know how much you care. So how can we share the truth with each other. Show them that we care, and then wait for the opportunity to tell them about the love of Jesus.