A Discerning Love
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This morning I want to discuss the topic of discernment.
How would you define discernment?
What are some of the practices of our secular culture, that are not explicitly addressed in the Bible, yet are seen as ungodly or worldly by a majority of believers?
gambling
sexually suggestive rock concerts
What are some of the practices of our secular culture, that are not explicitly addressed in the Bible, yet are seen as perfectly acceptable by a majority of believers?
attending or playing in a symphony orchestra
working on a political campaign
using technology such as a cell phone
What are some of the practices of our secular culture, that are not explicitly addressed in the Bible, yet are seen as controversial among majority of believers?
movie theaters
Sunday sports
dice or playing cards
stock market investing
gender-mixed swimming
expensive cars
luxury homes
handheld microphones in a church music special
etc...
So, we have all of these numerous issues and more that we have to make decisions on every day and yet the Scriptures are silent on most of these issues. What should we do?
Well we could go to one extreme and say, “If the Scripture is silent on this issue, then I have full personal liberty to do whatever I want.”
What is the other extreme?
Create a detailed list of do’s and don’ts that are based on human tradition more than Scripture.
Both options are guilty of presumption.
What does the extreme liberty view presume? It presumes liberty… it presumes that God’s Word does not speak to any and all issues of life that pertain to life and godliness. It presumes total autonomy in most areas of life.
What does the extreme of do’s and don’ts presume? It presumes to speak for God!
What did Jesus say about that?
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
What does Paul say about abusing our liberty in Christ?
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
What do we need if we are to avoid either extreme? What we need is discernment!
What is discernment?
“Discernment is the skill of understanding and applying God’s Word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong.” —Tim Challies
“Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” —C.H. Spurgeon
Does the Bible speak to the grey areas of life? Does it give us answers to questions that are not specifically stated in the Bible?
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The Bible contains everything we need for life and godliness, everything we need to please God. We call this the sufficiency of Scripture. The Bible is sufficient. That does not mean that the Bible is sufficient for everything. The Bible contains little information concerning mathematical computations or matters of income tax or how to rebuild an engine. The Bible does not aim at being sufficient in those matters. What the Bible does intend is to be sufficient in all things that pertain to life and godliness.
“The Bible is indeed enough; however, some Christians fail to do enough with the Bible. The Bible itself demands that we apply its teachings to matters beyond what it explicitly states.” —Randy Leedy
Discernment is a mark of spiritual maturity.
Discernment is something God wants us to pray for.
In Philippians 1:9-11- Paul prays that the Philippians would develop a discerning love.
One of the things we should pray for and seek to develop in our lives is a discerning love.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
I. The Request for Discerning Love (9)
I. The Request for Discerning Love (9)
What is the primary request in Paul’s prayer?
9Καὶ τοῦτο προσεύχομαι,
And I am (constantly) praying this,
ἵνα ἡ ἀγάπη ὑμῶν
that your love
ἔτι μᾶλλον καὶ μᾶλλον περισσεύῃ
may keep on growing[1]more and more
[1]Be extremely rich or abundant, overflow. Exist in large quantities. Be more than enough.
Paul prays for an abounding, abundant, overflowing, more than enough love. He wants their love to be ever growing.
Then Paul puts qualifying statements on their growing love.
Paul prays that their love would keep on growing more and more—in knowledge and all discernment.
These are like guard rails. Picture a road high up on a mountain. To the right are giant boulders and to the left is a 500 foot drop straight to the canyon floor. In order to protect the drives the highway department puts guard rails along both sides of the road. What is the purpose of the guard rails?
Paul puts guard rails alongside of his request that the Philippians love would keep on growing more and more.
Illustration: You can eat dessert every day! In small amounts, with moderation, after lunch.
Why would you want to put guard rails on love?
Illustration: Emmanuel- United Church of Christ
Love Welcomes All!
At Emmanuel UCC, we welcome into full membership and participation in the Body of Christ not only persons of every race, language, age, physical and mental ability, economic and marital status, and faith background, but also persons of all gender identities and sexual orientations. We affirm and celebrate all loving and committed relationships, and we commit ourselves to work diligently to end oppression and discrimination wherever it occurs.
We open our church to people of all gender identities and sexual orientations. We were the first Christian church in Waukesha County to publicly welcome and embrace the LGBTQ community, and we established the PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) chapter in Oconomowoc.
Church Sign: You are welcome just as you are.
Pastor Page: God’s love never let’s us go.
This is what love looks like without guard rails.
What are the guard rails that frame this ever growing love that Paul prays for?
Paul prays that the Philippians love would grow in knowledge and all judgement or discernment.
How does love growing in knowledge help guard love from going off the side of the cliff?
How would you respond to the church sign: God welcomes you just as you are? Or Love welcomes all?
How does knowledge guard against that?
The knowledge Paul is praying for here is an: Experiential knowledge. Personal recognition. Coming to know something clearly and distinctly as authentic and valid with a personal recognition that produces a positive or negative response.
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Knowledge is the first guard rail. What is the second one?
Judgement or discernment.
What was our definition of discernment again?
The ability to determine between right and almost right.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
Discernment- test everything and try to figure out what is pleasing to the Lord.
How is discernment different from knowledge?
Ok so how do we put all this into practice?
Paul prays for the love of the Philippians to keep on growing more and more, but that their love would grow in knowledge and all discernment.
What is a controversial grey area of the Christian life?
What media am I allowed to watch?
What music can I listen to?
What can I and can’t I do in a dating relationship?
First of all our love for God must keep on growing more and more!
How?
Illustration: Baptism and Lord’s Supper
Then our love must be framed by knowledge.
How?
“The Bible is indeed enough; however, some Christians fail to do enough with the Bible. The Bible itself demands that we apply its teachings to matters beyond what it explicitly states.” —Randy Leedy
Then our love must also be framed by discernment.
How?
Did you know that discernment is a skill?
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Ask for help from someone who has more skill than you do!
Illustration: Learning to love my wife more and more- It’s an exclusive love sacrificial love.
Cleaning the kitchen for her as a surprise is a very loving act for my wife.
How?
Love for her grows more and more- I have to deny myself.
Knowledge- I have learn something about her- she likes things very neat and clean.
Discernment- I am going to use my powers of insight to choose to clean the kitchen for her, and not go sit down and relax and take care of myself.
What is your love life with God like?
Until your love grow fro the Lord (in knowledge and discernment) to a greater and greater degree than your love for yourself and your sin you will continue to struggle in your Christian walk.
II. The Results of Discerning Love
II. The Results of Discerning Love
A. Result #1: The ability/skill to make excellent choices
A. Result #1: The ability/skill to make excellent choices
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent;
God wants you to be able to approve the things that are excellent.
Decide what is best, test everything, and judge rightly the things that have the most value. C.f. Mt 6:26; 10:31; 12:12
Same word:
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Choose the excellent things- choose the things that have more value.
A discerning love enables believers to examine everything and determine what is best.
Joke- you brought pavement!
B. Result #2: Holy Character at Christ’s Return
B. Result #2: Holy Character at Christ’s Return
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Positively: Sincere/pure
Negatively: Without offence/blameless
Timing: At Christ’s return
As your love abounds more and more in knowledge and all discernment you will then choose the excellent things and as a result you will at the day of Christ you will be sincere and blameless.
C. Result #3: Abundant Fruit for God’s glory
C. Result #3: Abundant Fruit for God’s glory
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
The fruit of righteousness comes from Jesus Christ.
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
And all of this abounds to the glory and praise of God!
Do you have this kind of discerning love in your life?
Do you see the results of a discerning love?
How do you need to change?
