Micah 6:8 -- "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."
Romans 13:10 -- "Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon. I am trying to have a good day. I hope that you are all well.
For several weeks now, we've been looking at what the Scriptures have to say about love and what a life lived in love looks like. For awhile now, we've been looking in particular at I Corinthians 13 which is an important chapter on love.
Today, I want us to focus on Paul's statement in verse 8 that states, "Love never fails." What does this mean?
There are several ways that I believe that we can look at this. First of all, love never fails to me means that true love never dies. If you love someone, your love for them goes on and on even when they are not present with you in this life. My parents and my best friend Toby aren't with me on this earth anymore, but the love that I had for them while they were here with me is still in my heart. It will never go away. In fact, I know that they are in Heaven with Jesus right now, and one day, we will all be reunited, and our love for each other will continue throughout eternity.
Love never fails also means to me that you can't go wrong in loving and putting love into action in this world. If we love our neighbor as Jesus told us, it can't fail to make a positive impact in this world. If you show love to others it can't but help at least in some way to improve their life. Also, if you share the love of Jesus with others, it may lead them into accepting the Lord Jesus into their lives.
Love never fails I believe has the highest meaning when it comes to the love that Jesus has for us. Jesus has loved us with an everlasting love. His love took Him to Calvary to die in order to redeem us from our sins. His love for us has caused Him to prepare a place for us with Him in Heaven so that we can always be with Him.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Hebrews 13:8 that says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever." Jesus loved people when He was on this earth. He loves people now, and His love will not end for all of eternity. Jesus will always love you. He will always want to be with you. He desires that we love Him and give all of our lives to Him.
Paul tells us that the spiritual gifts will cease. Many of the things of this earth will pass away. However, there is something that will never cease and will never fail. That is love. Love never fails. Love God. Love your neighbor. Love is what Jesus is about. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Please pray that the predicted rain for my area will not transpire. I just can't deal with a whole lot more right now with my health problems. I don't mean to complain, but things aren't that easy right now. I could really use your prayers. Thank you.
Pray that God's will will be done in the US elections. Pray that there will not be any violence and that all will accept the results.
Keep praying for those recovering from the hurricanes.
Remember to pray for peace. Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan and many other nations need our prayers on their behalf.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let's pray for those in the nations of Israel and Nepal. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will conclude our characteristics of love series. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.
There are supposed to be some really bad storms in my area this evening. Please pray that they will not be bad. Also, there is a prediction for flooding rains next week. Please pray. I thank you for your prayers. Let us also keep praying for those affected by the hurricanes.
Psalm 32:8 -- "I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go, I will counsel you with My loving eye on you."
John 8:32 -- "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
It's time again for the Weekend Sermon. Thank you for taking the time to read this week's message. I hope and pray that you are all well.
Today, we are going to continue with our study of some of the characteristics of a life that is filled with and directed by love. If you've been following the series, you know that for the past few weeks we've been examining the great chapter that explains a lot about love I Corinthians 13.
In our message this week, we will focus our attention on verse 7. As I was studying for this message, I found several different translations for this verse. I like how the Living Bible paraphrases the verse. We read, "If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him."
First of all, love expresses itself in loyalty. This is true in the natural and in the spiritual realm. If you love someone who is related to you, your spouse or a good friend, love expresses itself in loyalty. You stand up for your people when they are going through a hard time or when someone is giving them a hard time. You take their side. You are faithful to them and stick by them through thick and through thin. You aren't a fair-weather friend who runs off when everything is not sunshine and roses. As it says in the marriage vows, it is for better and for worse.
Loyalty as an expression of love in the spiritual means that we are 100 percent totally and fully committed to the Lord Jesus. We do what He tells us to do. We follow His teachings and commandments. We don't put anyone nor anything above our relationship with Him. He is number one in our lives. He is Lord of all that we are or ever will be.
Love also manifests itself in believing in another person. If you love someone you believe that they will succeed. You encourage the other person and always keep positive thoughts in your mind about the other person. If someone says something negative or bad about someone that you love, if you truly love that person, your first instinct is to not believe the negative thing that you've been told. You believe the best about them, and hold that person in a position of esteem within your heart. You don't let others drag them down in your presence.
Love stands its ground in defending another person. I would always stand up for those I loved while they were with me. I loved my parents and my friend Toby so much. If someone said something bad about them, I always stood up for them.
In the spiritual, our love for Jesus should cause us to stand up for Him. We should live our lives in such a way that we are not ashamed of the the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If people try to cast doubt on Jesus Christ, we stand for Him and defend the cause of Christ by giving reasoned arguments for who Jesus is and for what He did while He was on this earth. We do it because we love Him, and we don't want others to mock nor ridicule Him.
There is another way that this verse is often translated. The NKJV says, that love, "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." The first part of this is similar to what we've discussed, but I want us to focus a moment on love endures all things.
If you are filled with love for another person, you are willing to go through a lot of hard times and hard things for that person. I know people who have had a spouse or partner that they've taken care of for many years at great cost physically and financially. There were a lot of hard times, but they did it because they loved the other.
As always, we see that love is about putting aside the self and seeking the best for the other. It is about loving God and our neighbor. It is about putting Jesus first, others second and ourselves last. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I have been feeling a little worse this week than I have been. Please keep praying that I will get back to feeling better. I've been feeling off since I had pneumonia way back in May.
Pray for those recovering from the hurricanes here in the US.
Keep praying for the end of the m pox and Marburg virus outbreaks.
Let us pray for peace in Israel and the surrounding areas. Pray for the release of the hostages. Let us pray that war throughout the region can be avoided. Remember to keep praying for peace in Ukraine and Sudan.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Djibouti and North Korea. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our series. I have one or two more messages on this series before we move on to something else. On Monday, I will post the verses. May God bless you all.
As you probably know, I am based in the United States. We are getting ready to vote in a couple of weeks. It seems like this campaign has gone on for an eternity. I like the way they do things in the UK. The election was called, they campaigned for a few weeks, they voted. The election was decided the same night, and the next day there was a new prime minister.
I am posting today, with a mainly US audience in mind. However, what I am going to write has to do with leaders of nations everywhere. I want to discuss what the Bible says that God expects out of those who would be leaders of nations. I hope that people will keep this in mind as they go to the polls. I am not going to say anything about any of the candidates. I just want to relate what God's Word says.
One of the best passages that we can read about what God expects out of a leader in found in Jeremiah 22. In this chapter, God relates what He expected out of those who would sit on the throne of David. In verse 3, God says that the ruler must be one who does what is just and right. They must be a leader who follows the Law.
The leader is to rescue those who have been robbed from the hand of oppressor. The leader is expected to make sure that people are not cheated nor ripped off by those who would try to take advantage of them. Also in verse 3, God says the leader is to, "do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. These were groups that were often oppressed in Jeremiah's day. God expects the ruler to help those who are the most vulnerable members of society. Finally in verse 3, God says that the ruler should not shed innocent blood.
In verse 16 of this same chapter, the Lord says that a former king did what was right. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and all went well for him. God cares about the poor. He expects the leader of the nation to take care of the poor and those who are in need and hurting.
Another interesting passage for us to look at is Psalm 72. This is a Psalm written by Solomon. In this Psalm, he mentions the things that a good leader should do. In verse 2, we read that the leader should judge in the right way. The leader should be just. In verse 4 we read that the leader should defend the poor and rescue the children of the needy. Furthermore, the good leader is to crush the oppressors of the poor and needy. In verse 12, Solomon tells us that the king will rescue the poor and needy and defend them from oppression.
God expects all rulers everywhere to do what is good and stand against oppression and do what is just. We see this in Daniel 4:27 where Daniel states, "Therefor your majesty be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be then that your prosperity will continue."
These are just a handful of verses about what the Bible has to say about good leaders. However, I believe that you will see the point.
When you go to vote in the coming days, keep in mind what God's Word has to say. Pray for the guidance of the Lord in the decisions that you make.
Matthew 28:20 -- "And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."
II Peter 3:13 -- "But in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells."
