Picnic: What is love?

Sermon

Oops: We mistake “Nice” for Love all the time. but love is so much more.

Baby don’t hurt me

What’s love Got to do with it (2nd hand emotion)

In this morning’s passage we hear the Golden Rule: I’m sure you can recite it: (listen) But did you know that many other cultures have a variation on that? Jesus wasn’t completely original. See if you notice the difference:

Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you.

What is love? Baby don’t hurt me

But as we get close to the end of the sermon on the mount, we have all this evidence building that love is SOOO much more.

Starts with receiving God’s love, experiencing grace, knowing our need before him.

He tells us that he didn’t come to get rid of the law or the prophets…but to fulfil, to complete them.

and Then Jesus talks about hate and anger like they’re the same as murder and lust like it’s as big an issue as adultery,

Then he pushes on our motives for even the good things we do and how we must hold loosely to the things that can only ever be temporary if we are going to live at peace even with ourselves.

And I find myself looking for a summary. “Jesus…can you make this simple? Explain it to me like I’m 10.”

Jesus, lovingly, obliges.

This morning Jesus gives us 2 basic steps to really love well and then gives the knockout punch of simple explanations.

Ugh

Step 1: Do not judge

Let’s unpack that. If you have a bible we’re in Matthew 7:1-6.

Matthew 7:1-6

““Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use.

Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye?

Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye. Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.”

Don’t Judge: What does that mean? This is one of the world’s favorite verses out of context. Don’t question my behavior or beliefs…that’s not judging.

There’s a huge clue in a theme that showed up in the last section.

EYE (reframe that passage)

you can’t help them

you become blinder and blinder

be more severe with your self than with others

Don’t give what is holy to dogs or pearls before pigs.

Wow…that feels like a departure. don’t judge, and don’t give pigs pearls.

A lot of commentators note that this is showing Jesus in his call to “not judge” isn’t calling us to toss out discernment.

I would suggest another more important idea in this.

Why would pigs trample pearls and get angry with the one who offered them?

THEY HAVE NO DESIRE FOR THEM…so don’t push it.

Don’t push onto others what they tell you they don’t want

You waste your time

You’re only going to annoy them

Jesus not talking to Pilate, Paul and Barnabus in Acts 18

acts 18:6 ... From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

This doesn’t mean we quit on them.

Paul, who turned his focus away from the Jews and toward the gentiles because they were receptive and the jews weren’t still said: Romans 9:3 “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood.”

But it isn’t loving or effective to force it. Not loving to quit on them, not loving to nag.

Here’s evangelism:

Be present

Be the gospel

Be ready

Be intentional

Bottom line to step one: Don’t assume you know what’s actually going on inside a person.

They may have better reasons than you can imagine for the way they are and think and act.

Instead, focus on YOUR motives. Go to work there. Be ruthless in dealing with you, gracious in dealing with others.

Jesus then turns to step 2

Step 2: Know what your Father is like

Matthew 7:7-11

““Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.”

When you ask - He gives

This is not implying that God will give us EVERYTHING we ask for. A good dad wouldn’t do that.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your kids is say no.

But when you ask a good dad for something good…if it’s in his power, he’ll give it.

When you seek - He is found

God does not hide himself from those who look for him.

Sometimes we look for a god of our own design. Where is the God that keeps me from all trouble? Where is the God who makes me feel good all the time? Where is the God who I get to form to the way I think he should be?

Ask yourself this: Would you want to be found by someone who wanted the same from you?

How close could you get to someone who demanded you be what and who they wanted you to be? You couldn’t show them the real you because they ultimately won’t see you.

When we seek God, we seek him as he is. And when we do, like Job, and Isaiah, and so many more we can only praise, we can only marvel, our own ideas of God fall to the ground and we see the one and only Holy God and in finding him, we are changed forever.

When you knock - He lets you in

God not only wants to be found…he wants to be with you.

That holy, transforming, mighty God of all creation wants to open the door and sit with you.

God doesn’t fix every issue, but he never leaves you alone.

The older my kids get the less I can fix the hurts that come their way. I long to jump in and solve every problem, to go talk to that person who is causing the issue, to fight their fights and fix it all.

But I can’t do that.

It would violate their agency, their ability to make choices and take action on their own behalf.

It would short circuit the life lessons that often have to be learned the hard way

I can give advice, I can share experience, I can listen, I can pray, I can give them the assurance that no matter what I am present and I am FOR them.

My door is always open when they knock.

This is the love God has for us. He doesn’t just give to us, he gives himself to us

And when we know that this is the nature of God, and combine that with how we are to think about others:

we get the great summary of the whole sermon on the mount:

Aha

Matthew 7:12 “Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

What is love? Baby don’t hurt me? or something more?

I mentioned the difference between the golden rule other beliefs used…did you hear it?

Other cultures have a variation on this saying: What you don’t want others to do for you…don’t do for others.

Jesus makes it soooo much more

Whee

This is a THEREFORE STATEMENT

Here’s the context:

Don’t judge motives -

Use the measure you would want used on you. The benefit of the doubt, understand you can’t understand and fix yourself…so be kind in your assessment of others…especially their motives.

Don’t force good things on others

Give people the space to say no…and be willing to love them anyway…If they aren’t ready to receive what you have to offer, keep living it without forcing it. Be intentional.

And be like God who:

gives when asked

is found when sought

Opens the door when knocked

Love… Allows people to be where they are, but always invites them to more.

Yeah

As the worship team comes back up to lead us in a closing song, I want to point out one more thing that I somehow missed in study after study of this text…and when it hit me I almost jumped out of my chair. It’s the last words.

“For this is the law and the prophets. “

We’ve heard that before.

Beginning of this message from Jesus, right after the introductory statement on the blessed life, he says something about himself.

Matthew 5:17 ““Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

This is what it is about. We are made new not because we

are smart enough to believe the right truth

are good enough to earn the right blessing

We are made new by Jesus because we have surrendered to Jesus

God could judge…he has the right. And there will be a day of judgement, but He chooses not to judge us, but to sacrifice himself for us and invite us to receive a new heart and then follow him escaping that judgment

He never forces, but never closes the door

God never gives up, is always pursuing those who are far from him…but he won’t make anyone come who refuses.

And He always invites us to ask, to seek, and to knock. He knows what we need and gives us that which is for our good and his glory.

Today, we are going to witness some who have made the decision to be made new, demonstrated in the waters of baptism...

Following this last song, follow Caleb down to the river.

Maybe today is the day for you too? Baptism is not something that requires planning and training for. It is a moment of saying to the God who is seeking you that you are surrendering.

That you are no longer going to do this on your own, but you are going to trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus to restore you to God, restore you to the you you were made to be, restore you to life. When we are down at the river, after we baptize those who came ready, I’ll invite any others who are ready to surrender to Jesus to come.

Let’s pray.