Too Far Gone

Many of you know I was a middle school teacher for a number of year. I could typically place children in two groups. Those who did not receive love at home and looked for it at school and those who recieved love at home and were at school to grow and learn. The duty of the teacher was to teach all the students but sometimes there was an extra mile for the students who did not receive the normal rearing and love at home. Although I was a teacher, but sometimes I cut hair, I provided soap, gave students rides and did a number of things outside of my job description because when you are called to do something you do what it takes to make things happen.

You also go the extra mile when it comes to family, your entire family. Not just me and you but your momma and your cousin too. Brotherly love is understood when it’s my sibling, but brotherly love and sisterly love is difficult when you really do not have to talk to this person. Understand that being called to be a Christian means walking the extra mile with people sometimes.

The New King James Version Chapter 5

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Sometimes I believe society has wired us to retaliate. It’s almost considered weak if someone does not resort to inflicting worse harm on the person that hurt them. Nonetheless the ability to move forward is sense of strength and liberty that you are a prisoner of your emotions.

We have to love no matter what, no one is too far gone that the love of God can’t save them. I remember meeting with teachers about referrals for my mentoring program, they would say oh this student is too far gone. I would laugh and say, that doesn’t exist.

How Should We Treat Each Other

Verse nine instructs us that love should be without hypocrisy. Understand that the text is saying let sacrificial and unconditional love be without hypocrisy.

Essentially let our love for one another be genuine, sincere, without dissimulation or without the concealment of one’s thoughts, feelings or character.

You can’t truly love something and still possess negative thoughts, ill feelings or exude a toxic character to the person.

Similar to what Paul tells Timothy, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk.

We talk about love, we talk about good deeds, but when the talking turn into action.

As much as we should love one another the author doesn’t fail to tell us what to stray away from.

We should find evil repugnant. It’s almost like having that stench of trash in the house. No matter how tired you are you do whatever it takes to get that trash out of house. That stench takes away from the solace that home is supposed to be. Just like evil pollutes the person in which they are no longer tolerable to be around.

hate the evil, but bind closely to the what is good. Essentially cling to means to glue, cement, attach firmly.

I imagine many of you in this room have put together some furniture from Ikea and there are some parts that attach without a screw, staple or glue, they attach like a puzzle piece this is how we should be attached to the good things in life.

No One is Too Far Gone to Be Loved

The idea of being affectionate and kind to one another with brotherly love is not conditional.

What makes this possible is the ability to cling to what is good, there is no you can allow yourself to driven by hate and then attempt to be kind to each other.

Good in this text is defined as things that are useful, beneficial, good things possessions.

I should be focused on what is beneficial for one another. Love for one’s fellow believer, affection for a fellow believer. It is essentially the relationship between siblings, will we disagree, will we get upset with each other? Sure, but I still must remember at the end of day we are brothers and sisters in Christ and how people view Christianity and discipleship is dependent on how we treat each other.

Not only do we have to treat each other right, but we must value each other.

Tim Elmore states “Respect is a delicate quality that cannot be forced for feigned. It’s rarely real when it is demanded. It is a matter of heart.”

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

Giving preference to one another, is more than just going before and showing the way but doing it with eagerness. Think about the times someone does something for you but you can tell they don’t want to do it.

You may say something like, “you know what I could have done this by myself”

The Urgency of Service

We have to continue to be diligent church, people’s souls are at stake. As Christians we are first responders to the issues that are prevalent amongst the church. We should be willing to help one another because that is what family does.

We do not have time for laziness, reluctance and holding back...

Serving one another and loving one another is something we ought to be fervent about.

Fervent is not just about being excited but the definition of this word in a sense is to be inflamed to boil, similar to water boiling.

Water only boils at 212 degrees F. It’s not constant either, the heat has to stay up otherwise the water will cool off. Understand your spirit has to constantly inflamed. You have to consistently plug in to the spiritual stove of God in effort to remain on fire. We all get tired, we all get weary. Understand you are not being diligent for yourself, this is all about SERVING the Lord.

When I forgive, I’m serving the Lord, when I put you before me I’m serving the Lord, it’s all about God.

Conclusion

The ability to remain fervent comes from our ability to serve God. I can’t love my brother or sister if I do not love God. I can’t be affectionate to you if my relationship with God is inconsistent. I can’t love you if I’m not in constant communion with God. In effort to get to a place in which we love one another, we have to allow ourselves to love God. But our love has to be sincere, it begins with what we are clinging to. Are you holding on to the hurt and pain of last year or are you looking forward to building a relationship free from grudges and revenge.