May 30, 2021 - How to serve others in love when you’re told you can’t

And wait.

can't wait, or

Everyone. To be back. Together. Not tomorrow together. Excellence. No, I don't want to promote that. Let's tag. No, I don't want to take people location, boots.

For those of you who didn't know, I was doing a whole series on preaching the puppets the last 3 weeks and so those are all up there and they're trending fairly well. So this one no more preaching the puppets will see how that goes. I am so thankful that we've been able to at least get together this much on the last day that Emily and Ethan are here with us because I got to tell you I've been to missed a few funerals. This pandemic and it just it's hard. You can't say goodbye if you're not there or you can't say a real good goodbye if there's not enough in there to tell the stories you need to tell. So I'm really glad that it worked out so that we can be here and say goodbye to them one last time and if you're watching online and contact them there on Facebook, maybe not Nathan, he's doesn't. He's better with text and I don't have his new cell number but as soon as I do, I'll send it. But Emily boy, she's on there right away and she'll she'll she'll get back to you right away. But let them know if you're not able to do that because you're not here today. Get in touch with them and love on them some, okay, because that's that's what we're here to do. And today sermon of kind of change the title beast on the news that we could gather a little bit. Now, you know, why I originally called it? How to serve in love when you're told you can't. but it's the same sermon, if we change the title to, how to serve others, in love, when you're told your can't or don't think you can, Because really that's the limits we need to battle or the limits. We put on ourselves. It's the excuses. We give ourselves not to obey what's in the book. It's the excuses that we have to do excuse Why we don't see the reality of this book? Lived out in our lives, it's not the pandemic, it's not anything. Any government has ever said Throughout history, The Church is always expanded more when there's greater persecution, we haven't even faced persecution, we've just been part of society and and I think we really did a bad job of serving each other in love during it. That's not everyone. Some of your doing an awesome job. Some of you need encouragement to continue on because yeah, we, you still with the little bit. You do you're doing, it's actually amazing. It's those little simple gestures that. Change lives. Daily And whatever you can do. You've been doing it as obedient as you can, and that's great. But I think it's time for us to take a serious. Look at maybe more what God wants us to do.

We need to serve others in love. We need to let our light shine before men, so that they see our good works and glorify Our Father who is in heaven, And in the, how do we do that? When we're told work, we can't or better yet, we don't think we can.

You know, excuses has always been part of human of Human Condition since the fall. Adam. God comes to Adam and ask him. What have you done? Did what did he say this? This woman that you gave me. She told me to eat. We've had excuses since the beginning and back in Jesus's day, it was no different. Let's read Luke chapter 10. Starting at verse 25.

It says one day, an expert of the religious law. Stood up to test Jesus by asking him a question teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus replied? What does the law of Moses say? How do you read the man answered? You must love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your strength, and all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself, right? Jesus told him do this and you'll live. The man wanted to justify his action so we asked Jesus and who is my neighbor? Jesus replied with the story. A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by Bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up and left him half-dead beside the road by Chance the priest came along and when he saw the man lying there he crossed over to the other side of the road and pass them by the temple. Assisted walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Been at the Spy Samaritan came along and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him the Samaritan smooth. His wounds with olive oil and bandage them. Even put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn where he took care of them. The next day he handed The Innkeeper to silver coins, telling them, take care of this man. And if his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here. Now, which of these three men would you say was the neighbor to the man who attacked was attacked by Bandits. Jesus asked the man replied, the one who showed him. Mercy. And Jesus said, yes, now go and do the same.

The key to serving others in love. Has always been and will always be.

Our compassion.

Will you let compassion lead you?

When the Samaritan came along, he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.

Don't shut off your compassion. You do you and I can shut it down. We can shut. We can turn it off. We can hardened our hearts. We can forget. We can make excuses. We can shut down our compassion.

If you shutdown your compassion, don't assume your compassion will lead you.

How do you know if you shutdown your compassion? I'm going to give you three questions. You can ask yourself. It happened. If you you can ask God and end, if you can't ask these questions, do you shutdown your compassion? And if you have confess and repent Agree with God. Confession is agreeing with God that you shutdown your compassion and repentance is asking God to renew you that that heart if he wants for you. so, what you do is you ask God for eyes to see

If you don't, if your compassion isn't shut off, you will ask God for your eyes to see God. What what do you want me to see?

What it does is it makes I can't remove writing. It makes you makes you available, you're making yourself available. When you ask God for eyes to see, what do you want me to see God? The second thing, you ask God to see what he wants you to see. What is that? Do it makes your making space for him to interrupt your day. And so God, what do you want me to see? The third question you ask God what he loves about someone. What do you love about that person? God know that those three things right away, you're making room for compassion. So there's three things that can happen. Number one, compassion will rise up and you because you see the value that God sees in them and what God loves you begin to appreciate. Number to, you can start easily prophesying over their life. Speaking words of life's words of truth, God loves us about you and mad. That's that's amazing 3. It makes it easy to serve them in love when you understand what God loves about them, what God appreciates about them. This works, if you're walking down the street and you see someone there, it works. If someone comes up and is angry at you and you're trying to defuse the conversation, God, what you love about God? What you, so what do you want me to see. What do you want me to? How do you want me to love in this situation? Let compassion rise up in you, because compassion, changes your view of things compassion, changes your perspective. And instead of seeing what you can't do, you begin to see what you can do.

Makespace.

Make yourself available makes piece to see what God's doing and make room for compassion.

At all these wonderful notes that we're going to be amazing but we're just going to wing it cuz I can't read them.

I think what we've done in the last year and a bit

First off, we've had to cope, we've had the cool ourselves and that was kind of like the first stage meat we had to figure out what we were going to do. The next stage was we needed to learn to have grease for others to cope because they were doing wacky things. And like why do you need toilet paper? But anyway we needed to let them have space to cool. Then we didn't go. I I don't I'm speaking for myself. We needed to Define what was important. What are we going to do? And how we going to get through this?

And in that we made a nice little cocoons. And and this is how I'm going to relate to people, and that's how it's going to work. So lots of Zoom calls, lots of whatever, lots of this lots of that and we're there,

Now, we're at the place that we need to learn to reactivate our compassion because in that process or compassion. I. Hope yours hasn't. I know my probably has it shut down.

Compassion is. Yes, I have grease for God to work in their lives. Compassion is yeah, I mean that God extends Grace to me. I need to have grease for other people. If God's going to finish the good work, he started in me. I know he's going to finish the good work. He started in someone else. Compassion is. Okay, God, I'm available. What do you want me to do? How do you want me to? How do you want me to love in? This compassion, is love an action. How can I love in this situation?

Now.

If you're ready to not, shut down your compassion, to reunite your compassion. There is a tool. Did I have for us today? You're ready to be led by compassion. The tool is shine, it's time to shine.

In the stool.

I've got a command, I've got a question, it's bathroom scripture, a question you can ask yourself and a blessing that Amazingly enough should encourage us to finish what God wants us to do. When I Was preparing this message, I had this crazy thought that second Thessalonians has a lot of blessings and I wonder I just wondered out loud. I wonder if there's like five lessons. I can find in there, guess what? There is exactly five blessings in the second book of 2nd Thessalonians. And then I just kind of lined up up with what they knew. God wanted me to Sage and it actually worked out. So this is what I think God wants me to do is, is I don't want you to feel condemned in this at all. I want you to know, you are blessed to do these things. You are blessed to live this out. Let me show you what I mean. Okay, so the acronym is shine. He asked, is you got to show love? That means be kind. Matthew 6 5, 16 in the is the command in the same way let your good deeds shine out for all the sea for everyone will praise your heavenly everyone will praise your heavenly father. The question we ask ourselves is is do people understand what I'm doing? Love. These people do people understand what I'm doing love. Why is this important? Well, How many of you who are parents of said this, you know, said that to your kids. I'm doing this. Cuz I love you and they responded. I wish you did love me so much. Like, that's exactly what happens to all of us. I'm going to love you and this is how I'm going to love you, and guess what people might not be comfortable with that kind of love right now? People might not be comfortable and how you're ready to show up. So you need to understand that you going to pay attention, the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit saying and you got to pay attention to the Comfort level of the people around you. And so you need to ask yourself. Am I showing do they understand? This is love. No. Something I've noticed just in the last little bit, like since the announcement came up from the province, There's a been a shift in the atmosphere if I'm Edmonton at least my area of town. when this thing started, we would be walking and as soon as you see someone, we jump to the other side of the path, like the path is here, it's almost two feet across but we would just make a wide berth, it would be like 24 feet away from people every time we crossed Now you go down walk those same paths and people are smiling and they're nodding and they're looking for conversation. If they've got a pet boy you got a full conversation blowing right there. You just can't see every person you come up to you. They want to talk. They want to say hi. This is the opportunity for us to shine bright. This is the opportunity for us to show love. We got to pay attention that that we're not. We're not loving in a way, they're not comfort that, they're not comfortable with, but still shine bright shine. Bright now is the opportunity because now is the season to a beautiful day outside. It's, my wife's birthday, by the way, if case you didn't know and she gets a good deal on her birthday, so that's good. But we, we, we shine bright.

If you walk around your neighborhood, people are open to it. Pay attention God, what do you want me to do? What are you? What were those question asked God for eyes to see what he sees? Ask him for the see what he wants. You to see and ask him what. He loves about that person. That you've just come up with. Come too, cuz I know if you're walking up to someone and God gives you all kinds of wonderful things. If he loves up with that person, maybe it's the way they talk to their kids. Maybe it's the way they treat their dog. Maybe it's the way that they enjoy the weather around that. Maybe it's the way that they are conscientious, maybe it's the way they were going to pick up that piece of paper. That's on the ground in front of us. There's something that God just loves about them. So when you pass by, you can just appreciate that in them and guess what's going to happen? Life Church, the brewery than them, Life Starts to awaken in them. Pay attention to what God is saying around you. Because you have that net to make that influence in the in the in our neighborhoods right now. Listen to the blessing for 1st Thessalonians. 1, 2, may God, or God may God our father in the Lord, Jesus Christ. Give you Grace, and peace, Grace Grace for other people. Peace. Peace, because you might not know what the theme is love, but you want to love them anyway, so Grace and peace. May you have peace at all. Will be that one Grace and peace. So the S is sheol of the H in shine is you need to hear Each has to hear you listen to understand. We talked about this last week, let me into 124. Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? If any comfort from his love, if any Fellowship in the spirit, are your heart tender and compassionate, then make me truly happy by agree. Wholeheartedly with each other. Loving one, another and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish, don't try to impress others be humble thinking of others better than yourselves. Don't look out for your own interests but also taking interest in others. You know, when people here but when people are heard, they want to hear more

I don't care what you know, until they know that you care. so, in those In those Zoom meetings, in those times, across the the pathway on the park. Take the time to listen to what they're saying. Ask Holy Spirit to show you what they're actually saying in the end. How to use that. What, what do you love about them?

The question to ask yourself.

It's going to have. I taught myself to not interrupt.

you know, we have been trained to talk

the listen in order to robotics, Or in order to get her you know as soon as the other person starts to stop talking, we are in there and make our point. That's not the way to make friends and influence people. That's not the way to show love. Yep, you got to let yourself or did pot. You teach yourself not to interrupt the skill that all of us need to learn. You have every excuse not to use that skill. Because sometimes that person will go on and on and on and on and they don't give you got to get a word in edgewise, guess what? Maybe they just need to go on and on and on.

Your grace for that. Oh yes you do. Look at the blessing from 2nd Thessalonians 1:11 it says so we keep on praying for you, asking Our God, to enable you to live a life worthy of his call me. He'd give you the power to accomplish all the good things. Your faith prompts you to do, what's a good thing. I'm just going out and seeing what God wants me to do in my neighborhood, in my workplace. Amazingmtg wherever I am in my doctor's appointment. I am there to bring Jesus there and okay, he's going to empower Empower me to accomplish that means. I might not get to see the results of my little Ripple of kindness there. But I know I can trust it to God that he's going to let that Ripple out to the next person who needs it because that person was that person was had a little bit of love shown to them.

Be okay with that. Understand, it's God's work, that's being done. So you don't need to see the results. Sometimes you get blessed by it. Sometimes you can reap where you don't. So, and that's awesome. Other times, you're just watering plants and you don't know what's going to grow. Keep on water those plants, okay.

So we show love, we're here to listen and I is we interact when we can we ask questions? John 4, 1618. Go get your husband. Jesus told her I don't have a husband, the woman replied. He said you're right. You don't have a husband or you had five husbands. And you aren't even married to the man. You're living with you, certainly spoke The Truth. Listen, Jesus knew how to ask the questions and he knew how to get to the root of the actual problems. I am totally You have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead inside you. You can do that too. You're you're his goal was always to live. So let that be your goal as well. Discernment without love is criticism. Don't be critical. Use discernment in love.

You you serve others by asking questions? You ask the question that what open ended questions can I ask, like, think about these things ahead of time, but but make sure when you ask questions, you give them opportunity to talk, it's not just a yes or no question. You're asking, you lead them to let that let them talk and share what they want to share your serving others. You ask, open-ended question you listen to what they might say, why? Because you honor them you give them a place of honor. You want to understand what they're saying. You honor them. What's the blessing that goes with that 2nd Thessalonians 2 6, 16 270 now may the Lord Jesus Christ, himself, Our God and Father, Who Loved Us. And by his grace gives Eternal comfort and wonderful comfort, you and strengthen you. And every good thing you say and do you need help for this? Yes. You need. Holy spirit's help and he's the blessing is a promise for you. He has promised Did wonderful. Hope the comfort you and strengthen you and every good thing you say and do. He'll see you through.

So ask you show, love each you hear you listen to what the what they say I is interact. You ask open-ended questions and you navigate The Living Word. What does that mean? Hebrews for 2? 12s for the word of God is active and powerful and sharper than the two alleged sharpest to added sword, cutting between Soul and Spirit between joints and Marrow, and exposes the innermost thoughts and desires.

Asking the right questions is a great way to bring the word into a conversation or into whatever event that you're in. But the question all of us need to ask is this is, how am I letting am I letting the word read me?

Have I let the word read me this week?

She is not just about picking up the book and reading and getting to check off your Bible reading plan, which is good.

What has the Bible challenge me and how I live or what I think or what I do.

As it encouraged me in some way shape or form.

This word is yours like. Read it. Let it get in you. You can listen to it on any Bible, reading app, you can get it at almost any language in the world. You can this is for you.

If you don't get grounded in the word, any kind of encouragement, you're doing. Is from your own strength in your own ability and you're going to grow weary and grow tired and doing that good.

Listen. Listen, listen.

Let the word read you.

When you go to the word and you read it until something changes in you, what you're doing is, you're trusting The Living Word. When you trust the Living Word, listen to the blessing, you get 2nd Thessalonians. 3:16 now may the God of Peace. Give you his peace at all times and in every situation

That peace comes when you trust God. Do you trust? God if you don't go to the word of God on a regular basis and let it reach you?

Be in this world. Let it be in you.

So show love here, interact navigate to Living Word and Eve exemplify God's priests and Power. 2nd, Peter, 3 1-3 says, by his divine power has given us everything we need for living a Godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him the one who called us by himself by means of His Marvelous. Glory and excellence. And because of his glory and Excellency has given us great and precious promise. And these are his promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by evil caused by human desires. Question, you can ask yourself, am I doing it in my own strength and ability?

All of us could do so much in our own ability and in our own. Strength, our own Charisma or own. You know, if this, if this is simply for people who are are are what's the word?

What's the word, extrovert? That's the word I'm looking for. If this is just for extroverts, this book is not for us. But it's not just for extroverts. This is for, if you're doing these things you're going to, you're going to live this out, according to your personality You don't have to start those conversations in the road with strangers, if that's not who you are. I'm not saying that I'm saying, the time is ripe, and if that's who you are do it. But if that's not it, how it is, you need to connect with the people that are closest to you in ways that you're comfortable with the show them. God's love because they still need you. And maybe it's that text to the friend. Maybe it's just that conversation with that person, you trust. Please don't expect. If this is all about not making excuses to obey what God is telling us to do.

No more excuses to living out the word of God. No more excuses to not shining bright no more excuses. No more. It's cute. It's not, we can't put it off any longer. We can't wait until things are normal again. We can't wait, until I'm better or look better, or feel better, or do better. It's not, it's not that you can't do that. You hear what the bot? What God is calling us to. It's not a time to sit back and wait to just hang on us for a no more. It's a time to stand up and shine bright, because the darkness is great. It's time. I don't even have that anyway. Your ears are the light of the world. You are City on a Hill. You can't help but shine bright.

Quit making excuses.

Those of you who are been doing it all along, awesome encouraged us to do it too. All of us need encouragement at times. If we can encourage anyone, we need testimonies, we need testimonies. It's a spirit of a testimony as a spirit of Prophecy. If you talk about sharing, God's love to some of us and multiplies out. We need stories, we need testimonies. We need that encouragement. Get off your butt and get some. I'm talking to myself, when I say that, I wouldn't tell anyone else to get off your butt, because that would be offensive. I want to end with the blessings, just a reminder of the blessings. They are all from 2nd Thessalonians. I don't know how that ties into Luke 10 but it just fit well. In my head.

May God our father in the Lord. Jesus Christ. Give you Grace and peace.

May God enable you to live a life worthy of his call me? Can he give you the power to accomplish all good? Things your faith prompts you to do. May the Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father Who Loved Us by his grace and gave us and turtle comfort and wonderful hope comfort you and strengthen you. And every good thing you say and do May the Lord of Peace himself, give you peace at all times and in every situation, May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Greece is that ability to do that stuff that you can't do on your own power and authority.

And with me, let's pray.

Lord God. I want to pray a blessing upon every single person, here and listening. Now I'm listening later. Lord, you have called us your lights. You have cordless your salt and Lord, we want to be liked and we want to be salty again. Lord, however, you want us to do it. Make us want to obey. Thank you, Lord. God, your promises are to accomplish the work in us and through us. Thank you, Lord. God, we can be confident in doing the littlest smallest gesture because we know they will change lives daily. I thank you. Lord. God. That Lord, you in the darkness rises up. The light gets writer in us. So Lord God, right now. I do pray that we would have that piece to show to the world around us. We would have that joy that Wells up in US. In the, in the, in the, in the strangest of ways. Lord. Your fruit would go ruin our lives and be seen in our lives. So that when people ask is the reason for the hope that we have, we can tell them with gentleness and respect. Lord right now. I pray for the ones we've been praying for and Lord, the ones that we have forgot to pray for for a long time. And I ask that those prayers will be answered according to your will. And according to your grace, I pray. Lord God, that we would have story more stories and more stories and more stories of your great love and your great break power in your great conviction in, and through our lives. Lord God, encouraged us to encourage each other towards love and good. Deeds. And Lord, show us how we can do that now and going forward and Lord, thank you for this change of season. Thank you for the wonders of the day. Thank you for the opportunities that that exist, just because you are God and we are willing and we thank you for that in your holding a precious name. Amen. And amen.