Life Changing Love

Intro:

Good morning!

I’m glad that all of you are here today, both in the church and on Facebook.

Before I forget, I want to say a quick congratulations to the Verswyvelts.

If you haven’t seen Chris or Hannah’s post, the birth was not easy, but mom and Izabella are doing well, but continue to pray for them both.

There is a meal train that has been set up.

Who has the link for that?

In beginning today, I want to say that we are going to see the text refer to the “left” and the “right”.

For clarification, the author of Ecclesiastes is not speaking to our political system.

Today is not a discussion on politics.

We are going to use these terms today and I want to be clear that there are no political statements being made.

These verses are referencing a very common theme in wisdom literature.

The preacher is contrasting wisdom to folly.

We have spent a great deal of time over the past few months talking about wisdom and now the author switches back to folly to show us the direct results of living foolishly.

Turn to Ecc 10:1 and let’s read together.

I don’t know if you noticed, but the format of the text in these last few chapters looks familiar.

This portion of the book is laid out in the same way that proverbs is formatted.

If you think about what we have studied this year, it makes sense to end the book this way.

I think it is no accident that we are nearing the end of this study as God is beginning a new work for many in our body.

Throughout this book, the preacher has been sharing his experiences with us in an effort to help us see life for what it is.

Here at the end, he is taking all of that information and condensing it down.

In most of the book, he only offered to us the problems.

He has showed us what he has seen “under the sun.”

Here at the end he offers some advice on how we should live in light of what he has experienced.

I find it interesting that he begins this section with such strong language.

I want to remind you of what we ended last week with.

God has given us the opportunity to speak truth and life into the devastation that we find ourselves in.

We have choices to make every day and what we choose and how we choose makes a difference in how the world experiences God.

We, the church, are the fragrance of Christ in the world.

Read verse one with me again.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 CSB

1 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

As we all know, it takes only a few bad decisions to ruin a life long work.

We see it happen to leaders all the time, or we see it happen to family and friends.

This is not intended to “scare you straight”, but rather recalling something we have all observed.

How we live shapes the world’s view of Christ.

It’s not fun to think about, but we know this to be true.

I’m sure you can remember countless headlines of people that call themselves followers of Christ that have committed horrible acts.

There is no denying that this has an effect on how the world and specifically unbelievers, see the person of Christ.

Let’s continue with the next two verses.

Ecclesiastes 10:2–3 CSB

2 A wise person’s heart goes to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. 3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his heart lacks sense, and he shows everyone he is a fool.

The preacher is showing the split between wisdom and folly.

He does not describe a happy medium between the two.

There is no middle ground or a place where we can jump back and forth between the two.

In fact, it is specifically when people jump back and forth that they tarnish the name of Christ.

I want you to hear me on this because there is an opportunity for misunderstanding here.

Do we live under grace?

Yes

Is Christ going to forgive us when we act foolishly?

Yes

Do we and others have to live in the consequences of that folly?

Again, yes.

Forgiveness of sins does not mean that they are erased from history.

Scripture tells us that God forgets our sins.

Micah 7:18–19 CSB

18 Who is a God like you, forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not hold on to his anger forever because he delights in faithful love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; he will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Psalm 103:9–12 CSB

9 He will not always accuse us or be angry forever. 10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Isaiah 38:17 CSB

17 Indeed, it was for my own well-being that I had such intense bitterness; but your love has delivered me from the Pit of destruction, for you have thrown all my sins behind your back.

Isaiah 43:25 CSB

25 “I am the one, I sweep away your transgressions for my own sake and remember your sins no more.

Jeremiah 31:34 CSB

34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.

God is able to forget because He is God and chooses too.

Man is not God and is not able to forget.

Even though God has forgotten, those there are hurt by our foolishness have not.

Our missteps can have long-reaching repercussions on our lives and the lives of others.

We should also not fall into the trap of thinking that others won’t see or find out what we are doing.

Verse 3 is cross-referenced to proverbs 13:16

Proverbs 13:16 CSB

16 Every sensible person acts knowledgeably, but a fool displays his stupidity.

When we act foolishly, it is not hidden.

Our actions are on full display to the world.

This is not foreign territory for anyone.

We all know what it is like to have to deal with someone else’s foolishness.

What is the proper response?

Every situation will be different, but in verse four, the author gives us a good guiding principle.

Ecclesiastes 10:4 CSB

4 If the ruler’s anger rises against you, don’t leave your post, for calmness puts great offenses to rest.

The chances are good you know what it is like to be around someone that is upset for unwarranted reasons.

Our tendency is to become defensive and retaliate.

However, that is not how Jesus taught his disciples to respond and that is not how Jesus responded.

I love that last week Chris shared in their struggle with birth the verse of the day.

Exodus 14:14 ESV

14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

We want to defend our selves, but there is more at stake than our reputations.

Our response to foolishness can change hearts.

When we are treated unjustly, our response can be a game-changer.

Instead of immediately making the situation about us, we should take a moment to consider all that might be going on.

I was sharing with a coworker the other day that just because someone speaks in a negative way that doesn’t mean that you did something wrong.

You may have had an experience like this before.

I remember that when I was a teenager and worked at Petron, that the manager of the mechanic’s shop was super nice.

Well, until I was old enough to drive a company truck and it was like someone flipped a switch on him.

He went from being the nicest old man to the meanest old man.

To my knowledge, all that changed was my driving status.

However, he treated me just like everyone else.

He treated us like we were idiots.

Yelling about nothing and in my experience, unprovoked.

One day my dad told me we were going to go fishing with him, which sounded like a terrible idea to me.

We went to his house and there was that kind man I had once known.

I was dumb founded.

It took years for me to realize that his anger wasn’t with me per say.

There was something about his job that he hated and it was probably that he was responsible that all the trucks were maintained.

Even though that was his responsibility, it required all the other employees to bring the trucks in and report issues.

I finally realized that while he was angry, his anger wasn’t specifically with me.

It is a valuable lesson for all of us to understand that when someone gives us an attitude, it may not be because of something we did.

Instead of responding in like fashion, we should respond with respect and kindness.

That simple act of kindness could be life-changing for that person.

Proverbs 25:15 CSB

15 A ruler can be persuaded through patience, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

Our words and attitude are both incredible assets and our greatest detriment.

James 3:3–12 CSB

3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.

We forget how much value our words have.

The old adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never break me.”

That is a straight-up lie.

James is pretty clear that our words hold an enormous amount of power.

We all know how it feels when someone points their foolishness in our direction.

When someone raises hurtful words towards you, they are hurtful, but we must ask if they are really for us or if we were just in front of them when the anger came out.

It is very possible that they are speaking in that way due to something else in their lives.

In making that moment about us, we will miss what could be an opportunity to show love to someone that is need of it.

I do want to take a moment to say that I am not talking about abusive situations.

If you are regularly being attacked, whether verbal, emotionally, or physically, this is not okay.

There is a different response to that.

If you think you are in such a situation, please talk to me or someone you trust.

Too often, people use scripture to defend abuse and that is not what is happening here.

I want to be perfectly clear that abuse is never okay or normal.

Again, if you or someone you know is being abused, say something to someone.

Your intervention could be life-changing or saving.

If you aren’t 100% sure, have a conversation anyway.

It is better to be embarrassed to verify safety than it is to be sorry because you didn’t step in sooner.

Abuse is not what we are talking about here and it is vital that there is no confusion regarding that.

If you see someone that is trapped in such a situation you have a responsibility to help them.

Going back to our typical responses to normal foolishness, we need to realize that our responses can change the heart of the person.

We can change lives by being willing to have a hard conversation.

Ecclesiastes 10:5–7 CSB

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, an error proceeding from the presence of the ruler: 6 The fool is appointed to great heights, but the rich remain in lowly positions. 7 I have seen slaves on horses, but princes walking on the ground like slaves.

The preacher is telling us what he has witnessed.

When evil is present in someone’s life, that life will be upside down.

Too many times, people are trapped in these upside-down situations and they don’t know how to escape them.

When you see someone that looks like they need help, talk to them about it.

You should also seek the counsel of someone that is qualified to make judgments in sensitive situations.

If you don’t know anyone that is qualified, ask me or one of the elders.

We will help you find the right person.

All of us will find ourselves outside of our area of expertise at some point.

That is why God created us all differently and with different gifts.

When you are unsure, ask for help.

I’m repeating this again, because I don’t want to leave any room for confusion.

This is true for abusive situations, but also in the everyday craziness of life.

We see people struggling every day.

It could be with a coworker, family, friends, money, etc.

We often fail in our call to love one another because we care more about how we will feel in talking about the struggle than the person that is struggling.

We will happily hide behind the facade of happiness rather than getting down in the trench with people.

It’s hard to join someone in their difficulties, but that is precisely why we are need to join them.

We can change their life by helping them carry the load.

Sharing what we know about the character of God while helping them can change their life.

We have talked a lot about the American dream and how it leads people astray.

A friend shared this quote on Facebook this week and when I read it, I just sat me back.

I love when I find someone that has put into words, something that I have been trying to say, but couldn’t figure out the right way.

“For I believe the crisis in the U.S. church has almost nothing to do with being liberal or conservative; it has everything to do with the giving up on the faith and discipline of our Christian baptism and settling for a common, generic U.S. identity that is part patriotism, part consumerism, part violence, and part affluence.” - Walter Brueggemann

There are many things in the church today that need to be corrected.

Our desire is to correct them all.

I would ask that we start with ourselves.

There will be times where God will ask us to speak out against something, but there will be just as many where we are told to wait.

In the musical, Hamilton, we see the juxtaposition between Alexander Hamilton who says everything he is thinking, and Alexander Burr who never reveals what he is really thinking.

Burr - “Talk less, smile more, don’t let them know what you are against or what you’re for.”

Hamilton - “If you stand for nothing Burr, what will you fall for?” - Hamilton is against everything and lets people know exactly what he is thinking.

Both of these men were relying on their own wisdom to guide them.

I propose that we do what we say we do.

When someone struggling, ask God if and how you are to be involved.

Do what he says.

If the situation is dire and demands an immediate response, respond, but involve God in it.

If it doesn’t require an emergency response, take the time to really seek God.

If the situation calls for it, seek wise, Godly, counsel of someone that has experience.

We look around our world and we see so many problems.

Where and how to start are always the questions and rather than relying on our own abilities, we need to let the Holy Spirit use us as He sees fit.

This requires that we are paying attention to both the world and more importantly God.

We live in this world and it is God’s desire that we are salt and light.

Having the proper perspective, attitude, and words will be what makes the difference in people’s lives.

The guarantee that we have is that by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will make the world better, not worse.

It is when we lean on our understanding and the world’s answers that we are led astray.

That deadness makes us the rotting fly in the perfumer’s ointment.

The answers that the world needs are not found in politics, possessions, or empty promises.

What the world needs is to know God.

We are all burdened down by our own foolishness and the foolishness of others, but a relationship with God is what will bring us into correction.

When we spend time with the father and allow him to make us into his likeness, foolishness is replaced by Godly wisdom.

In Utmost this morning, Oswald lays out what that looks like.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” (Matthew 16:24). The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, with His rest at the heart of my being. He says, “If you want to be My disciple, you must give up your right to yourself to Me.” And once this is done, the remainder of your life will exhibit nothing but the evidence of this surrender, and you never need to be concerned again with what the future may hold for you. Whatever your circumstances may be, Jesus is totally sufficient (see 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Philippians 4:19).

True surrender is a matter of being “united together [with Jesus] in the likeness of His death” (Romans 6:5) until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.

And after you surrender— then what? Your entire life should be characterized by an eagerness to maintain unbroken fellowship and oneness with God.

When the mark on our lives is authentic surrender to Jesus, how we live, our responses, and our actions will represent the person of Christ.

Just like Jesus said, if we will love God and love one another, all the other laws will be fulfilled in our lives.

This is easy to say, but we all know this is a daily struggle.

The only hope we have of living a life that is marked by love is to daily surrender our self to God.

God loves this broken world.

He loves his people that live in the broken world.

He chooses to reveal his love through the broken people in the world that are surrendered to Him.

We have a daily opportunity to change peoples lives if we will allow Jesus to change our lives daily.

Isn’t that the goal that we all share?

Isn’t that our desire, to help others see the hope that we have?

I think it is important to point out that this is the reason that God has called us to be a people that plant churches.

We have experienced the grace and love of God in a way that most have not.

We go and we send so that this message of God’s love can be spread.

As you are praying about joining God in planting a church in Kolin, you need to understand that this is its purpose.

God will be sending you to join him in sharing the love of Christ in a new community.

This plant at West has been life-changing for me because I have seen God use this body to love others in a way that I had never experienced before.

That is the goal of the next plant.

To bring what we have learned of the nature and character of God to a new place.

As I stated earlier, we are guaranteed success, not because we are good church planters, but because the Holy Spirit is already at work in that community and he has shown us that work.

He is inviting us to join him in what he is already doing there.

Whether God calls you to continue in ministry here or to join him in Kolin, the expectation is the same.

We are Gathering Place churches whose call is to gather people around Jesus.

Our goal isn’t to change lives by what we can do, but rather, to introduce people to a God that is life-changing.