30 Days of Community - Verse 6

Giving at Journey

I want to take just a minute to speak to those who call Journey Church home. If you are a guest welcome, but this is for those who call Journey home.

We have a temporary fix for the sound problem. The part we need to actually fix the issue is about $2,600. I mention this for two reasons. One if you would like to give towards that please do.

Second, the things we do only happen because of the generosity of our church. The mission to encounter God, engage together, and empower change takes people to serve and people to give.

If you are a regular giver at Journey thank you for your support and generosity to this mission, if you are occasional giver please consider giving regularly as this helps us budget and plan, if you have never given please pray and think about whether you would want to partner with Journey financially.

You can give online, in person, or through the church center app.

Rejoice with the Truth

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 CSB

Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

We have looked at verse 4 where we saw how love is looking to express itself in community. That love is directional and seeking to be shown. We have seen how what we are ultimately talking about is God kind of love.

Last week we looked at verse 5 and saw how if prioritize the kingdom of God we can avoid selfishness and how when we walk around with open wounds we become easily offended. That to love well in community we must address our wounds.

Rejoicing in the right things

This week we are looking at two options. One is finding joy in unrighteousness and the other is rejoicing with the truth.

We have to recognize that there are those that for whatever reason rejoice when bad things happen to people. If tragedy or bad things happen to someone they rejoice. They call evil good and find joy in the sadness of others. This should never be the attitude of a Christ follower. Even if they brought the calamity on themselves we should not find joy in their sadness or despair.

Isaiah 5:20 CSB

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Ezekiel 18:32 CSB

For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. “So repent and live!

To rejoice or find pleasure in the tragedy of another is evil because it is the opposite of what God does and delights in.

We do not want what we deserve so how could we really want someone else to get what they deserve? What we want is for people to repent of things that are wrong and embrace God’s ways just as we desire that for ourselves.

In the context of community, rejoicing with the truth is about being the type of person who tells the truth and surrounding yourself with people who tell the truth.

We can rejoice in the truth even though sometimes the truth hurts and it can be risky.

I think a story helps.

In the Old Testament we find a story about David doing something horrible. David the man after God’s own heart does something hideous. Something so bad and so wicked it causes us to ask how can he be a man after God’s own heart.

In 2 Samuel 11 we find the story of David who was supposed to be busy doing what kings did. He had somewhere he was supposed to be. Instead he chose to stay home. While at home hanging out not doing what what he was supposed to be doing he found himself attracted to a woman. In this story she ends up pregnant and David has her husband killed.

Can we just point out real quick that so often the trouble we get ourselves into is because we are somewhere we should not be physically or mentally.

Chapter 11 ends with this,

2 Samuel 11:27 CSB

When the time of mourning ended, David had her brought to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. However, the Lord considered what David had done to be evil.

David does not seem to be too bothered by what he did. This man after God’s own heart seemed to be ok with everything that was going on. He was not loving in community.

There is much we can learn about in this story about David and about repentance.

But I am not telling this story to talk about David but to talk about Nathan.

2 Samuel 12:1 CSB

So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.

God was displeased and David was not bothered so He sent Nathan.

Nathan was a prophet of God. God spoke and Nathan listened. But I don’t want us to pretend for a second that this was easy for Nathan. David could have easily killed or had Nathan killed. He just had Uriah, the woman’s husband killed.

For Nathan to go tell David God was displeased was an act of faith for him. He had to chose, do I allow injustice or do I rejoice with the truth.

He chose truth and told David this story.

2 Samuel 12:1–6 NLT

So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.” David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”

David hears this story and he is angry, a righteous anger overcomes him and he says that type of man should die.

Nathan responds with one of the greatest lines in all of Scripture. He says,

You are the man.

David could see injustice as long as it was not pointed at him. But now he hears he is the one who did it.

Truth Hurts

The truth is that sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes the truth causes pain but that does not mean we do not speak it.

Sometimes we need to hear that we are the man, we are the woman. We are the one who has done wrong. Without that there is injustice.

And sometimes we need to speak up when others are causing or participating in injustice.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere - MLK

We need to be people like Nathan who are willing to stand up and say hard things. People who love God and other people enough to speak truth.

We can say it in love. We should say it in love but we need to say it.

To love in the context of community is to say hard things because they are true and the truth is worth it.

I get it, it can be hard to tell someone the truth. I battle between two positions.

One is this,

“We are generally the better persuaded by the reasons we discover ourselves than by those given to us by others” - Blaise Pascal

The idea is that if people can come to the understanding on their own it is better for them. They will embrace the truth, they will be better and more likely integrate that truth into their lives and make it a part of them. I want this for people. I want people to come to the understanding on their own and I am happy to guide them to it. I enjoy this, I love seeing the spark in someone’s eyes when they get it. It brings me joy.

The second position I find myself in is,

“Knock it off” - Pastor Mike

This is a harder position where I just want to tell knock it off, stop being so difficult, get with the program, etc.

The truth is both are needed. Both can be done in love. Both are ways that God communicates.

Sometimes we need people to come to the truth on their own and sometimes we just need to tell them because they are not getting it.

Peter in the Gospels thought he was hot stuff. Jesus told him,

John 13:38 NLT

Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.

Jesus wanted Peter to get it, Peter needed a Savior because he was not a solid as he thought he was.

It is like the Gospel. Gospel means good news, and it is good news when we know the truth. The Gospel or good news is not just that we are saved from the penalty of sin but that we are not alone. We have been adopted by God as His children. We are loved with an everlasting love from God. We are wanted. We don’t have to do it all or figure it all out by ourselves.

Love in the context of community and relationships tells the truth so the other person knows and can grow.

Practical Application

Here are three ways we give ourselves to truth and love.

Number 1, seek truth from others.

We occasionally do this thing in our family where we ask two questions is some thing I’m doing that annoys you and is there anything I can change about myself?

To ask this question, we have to ask it in humility and two in a spirit of being willing to change with the information we received and not justify ourselves.

When we think back to our discussion last week this makes sense. Before we can receive truth we need to address our wounds. If we do not then we will just be offended, but love is not easily offended because it has done the hard work of addressing our spiritual and emotional wounds.

We also can only ask this question to people who love us. Not just because the person answering it needs to know us but because we have to trust them enough that they will not just let loose and complain but also because they know us well enough to speak life.

It is an act and offering of love. It is done in humility with a desire to grow.

Number 2, seek truth from God.

This is why the prayer in Psalms 139 is so important.

Psalm 139:23–24 CSB

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.

This is not just asking God to search us it is a confess that God I trust you. That if He sees something He will speak the truth because He loves.

It is an act and offering of love. It is done in humility with a desire to grow.

God finds joy when we encounter the truth and accept its unveiling.

Throughout the Bible we see a recurring idea that God is honored and receives glory when we tell the truth. There is no greater expression of this than when we receive truth from God and walk in it.

Number 3, seek truth in community.

Micah 6:8 HCSB

Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Justice is truth in action - Joseph Joubert

When we seek justice, when are intentional for the right things we are loving well and loving like Jesus.

Seek truth from others

Seek truth from God.

Seek truth in community.

When we do this we reject and do not rejoice in injustice and we rejoice in the truth.

I would urge you today to spend time in reflection this morning and today being reminded of what truth others have told you, press into God and see what truth He has told you, ask if there is truth you need to speak in community.

Communion

I would invite you to come up and take the communion elements and then have a seat. Take a few moments to reflect, to pray, to ask God to speak and then I will come back up and lead us through receiving communion.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 CSB

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.