This morning, we

continue our message series helping us to better understand and live out

unconditional love.

This series is

entitled, “Love Is” and it is based on that familiar passage found in

1 Corinthians chapter 13. 

We were created by

God with the need for love that can only be expressed through relationships.

As there are

different types of relationships, there are different types of love.  There is, however, a type of love that we are

to express toward anyone and everyone. 

In fact, the Bible teaches that if we learn how to express this type of

love toward God and others, that we will entirely fulfill all that God’s law

requires of us. 

This distinct type

of love is the love that God has for us. 

In the Greek language, it is the word agape.  It is this type of unconditional love that

we’ll be covering through this message series.

To be able to

possess and express this unconditional love, we’re going to break it down into

parts as Paul chose to do in his letter to the Corinthians.  He taught all about spiritual gifts and said

that it is not using these gifts that truly matters, but how we choose to use

them, our motive, that matters to God. 

We can do all sorts of good things for God, but if we do not do them as

an expression of God’s love, then they are pointless, useless, and meaningless.

1 Corinthians 13:1-5

1 If I speak in the

tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong

or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but

do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give

over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain

nothing.  14 Love is patient, love is

kind.   It does not envy, it does not

boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

In some

translations, you may read that love doesn’t keep a record of complaints or

that it thinks no evil or that it doesn’t count up the wrongs that have been

done or that love doesn’t keep score of the sins of others. 

We start with yet

another reminder that we find over and over again throughout the Bible and that

is the way that God describes Himself. 

As we learned last week, God first described Himself in this way to

Moses when he demanded, “Show me Your glory!”

Psalm 103:8-12

8 The Lord is

compassionate and gracious,

    slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always

accuse,

    nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat

us as our sins deserve

    or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as

the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his love for those who fear

him;

12 as far as the

east is from the west,

    so far has he removed our transgressions

from us.

Micah 7:18-19

18 Who is a God like

you,

    who pardons sin and forgives the

transgression

    of the remnant of his inheritance?

You do not stay

angry forever

    but delight to show mercy.

19 You will again

have compassion on us;

    you will tread our sins underfoot

    and hurl all our iniquities into the depths

of the sea.

When we ask God to

forgive us, He truly does.  It isn’t that

He forgets our sins, it is that He chooses not to recall them and not to hold

them against us.  It isn’t that we say that

we never sinned, it is that we stand forgiven and cleansed as if though we

never did.  John describes it in this

way:

1 John 1:8-10

8 If we claim to be

without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess

our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us

from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to

be a liar and his word is not in us.

How great is our God

that He would do such a thing for you and I? 

How awesome is H

This morning, we

continue our message series helping us to better understand and live out

unconditional love.

This series is

entitled, “Love Is” and it is based on that familiar passage found in

1 Corinthians chapter 13. 

We were created by

God with the need for love that can only be expressed through relationships.

As there are

different types of relationships, there are different types of love.  There is, however, a type of love that we are

to express toward anyone and everyone. 

In fact, the Bible teaches that if we learn how to express this type of

love toward God and others, that we will entirely fulfill all that God’s law

requires of us. 

This distinct type

of love is the love that God has for us. 

In the Greek language, it is the word agape.  It is this type of unconditional love that

we’ll be covering through this message series.

To be able to

possess and express this unconditional love, we’re going to break it down into

parts as Paul chose to do in his letter to the Corinthians.  He taught all about spiritual gifts and said

that it is not using these gifts that truly matters, but how we choose to use

them, our motive, that matters to God. 

We can do all sorts of good things for God, but if we do not do them as

an expression of God’s love, then they are pointless, useless, and meaningless.

1 Corinthians 13:1-5

1 If I speak in the

tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong

or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but

do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give

over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain

nothing.  14 Love is patient, love is

kind.   It does not envy, it does not

boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered…

Love is slow to

anger.

Angry, enraged,

short-fused, hot-headed, irritable, touchy, explosive, hot-tempered; not a fun

person to be around and a nearly impossible person to live with.  One second, everything is great and you’re

having a good time, the next second, something sets them off and you’re getting

screamed at and something is flying your way. 

When their anger is directed toward you, you definitely aren’t feeling

loved.  Walking on egg-shells in an

attempt to not set them off is no way to truly live.

Now does this mean

that we never get angry with those we love? 

Certainly not.  We know that

nothing can separate us from the love of God, but even God’s anger burned

toward those he loved.  The reason for

His anger and His response to His anger is what defines healthy anger versus

unhealthy anger.

When we warn our

toddler not to run out into the road so that they do not get hurt, it is a

healthy anger that rises up within us when they ignore us and do it

anyways.  It is an anger birthed out of

love and concern for our child.  It is an

anger coupled with compassion that causes us to run to their rescue and sweep

them up in our arms and out of the street. 

It is also an anger

that causes us to explain to them clearly why what they did was wrong and how

they could have been harmed by their poor decisions.  It is an anger based on timeless truth and

not based on circumstances alone.  It is

an anger that disciplines them in love and ensures that some appropriate

consequence accompanies their actions such as spanking them or taking away some

privilege.  This helps them to understand

how serious their poor decision truly was and directs their paths away from it

in the future.

When we warn our

toddler to stop making that noise and they continue to do it, it isn’t

necessarily a heathy anger that rises up. 

It is an anger birthed out of annoyance and irritability toward our

child.  It is an anger that provokes

us.  It tempts us to discipline them not

because they are in any danger, but because we want t

This morning, we

continue our message series helping us to better understand and live out

unconditional love.

This series is

entitled, “Love Is” and it is based on that familiar passage found in

1 Corinthians chapter 13. 

We were created by

God with the need for love that can only be expressed through relationships.

As there are

different types of relationships, there are different types of love.  There is, however, a type of love that we are

to express toward anyone and everyone. 

In fact, the Bible teaches that if we learn how to express this type of

love toward God and others, that we will entirely fulfill all that God’s law

requires of us. 

This distinct type

of love is the love that God has for us. 

In the Greek language, it is the word agape.  It is this type of unconditional love that

we’ll be covering through this message series.

To be able to

possess and express this unconditional love, we’re going to break it down into

parts as Paul chose to do in his letter to the Corinthians.  He taught all about spiritual gifts and said

that it is not using these gifts that truly matters, but how we choose to use

them, our motive, that matters to God. 

We can do all sorts of good things for God, but if we do not do them as

an expression of God’s love, then they are pointless, useless, and meaningless.

1 Corinthians 13:1-5

1 If I speak in the

tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong

or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but

do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give

over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain

nothing.  14 Love is patient, love is

kind.   It does not envy, it does not

boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking…

Now depending on the

translation of the Bible that you read, you may read that love does not

dishonor others, that it is not rude, does not behave unseemly or unbecomingly,

does not behave rudely, does not act improperly, is not ill-mannered, is not

injurous, and that it doesn’t force itself on others.

The next thing that

love is not is self-seeking.  Other

translations say that it does not seek it’s own, takes no thought for itself,

doesn’t seek it’s own advantage, isn’t selfish, doesn’t look out for its own

interests, does not insist on its own way, and isn’t always, “me

first.”

Sometimes it’s

easier to point out all of the things that love is not rather than what love

is.  It is easy when we see selfish

attitudes and behaviors that are rude and hurtful and easily recognize that

those things are not expressions of God’s love. 

If all of these things are not love, then what is?

* Click *

Love is honorable.

When we act with

honor, we will not be rude or unbecomingly or act improperly or force ourselves

onto others.  When we act with honor, we

won’t look only to our own interests or insist on getting our own way or act selfishly.

The Merriam-Webster

dictionary defines honor as “to salute with a bow in square

dancing.”   

Well, maybe that’s

not exactly the definition that we were going for.  However, it is a perfect picture of what

honor looks like.  To honor someone, I

bow my life down in order to lift theirs up. 

To honor the king, people bow down before his throne symbolically

representing how they intend to live.  To

honor a judge, we rise as they enter the courtroom.  To honor a bride, we also rise to our feet as

she enters the room and begins down the aisle.

The more appropriate

definition for honor, however, is “to regard or treat someone with

admiration and respect.”

To honor is to

assign worth and value.  It is both how

we treat and how we act toward something or someone. 

Honor can be both

taught and earned. 

Some were brought up

to never call teachers by their first names. 

Some were taught to t

This morning, we

continue our message series helping us to better understand and live out

unconditional love.

This series is

entitled, “Love Is” and it is based on that familiar passage found in

1 Corinthians chapter 13. 

We were created by

God with the need for love that can only be expressed through relationships.

As there are

different types of relationships, there are different types of love.  There is, however, a type of love that we are

to express toward anyone and everyone. 

In fact, the Bible teaches that if we learn how to express this type of

love toward God and others, that we will entirely fulfill all that God’s law

requires of us. 

This distinct type

of love is the love that God has for us. 

In the Greek language, it is the word agape.  It is this type of unconditional love that

we’ll be covering through this message series.

To be able to

possess and express this unconditional love, we’re going to break it down into

parts as Paul chose to do in his letter to the Corinthians.  He taught all about spiritual gifts and said

that it is not using these gifts that truly matters, but how we choose to use

them, our motive, that matters to God. 

We can do all sorts of good things for God, but if we do not do them as

an expression of God’s love, then they are pointless, useless, and meaningless.

1 Corinthians 13:1-4

1 If I speak in the

tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong

or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but

do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give

over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain

nothing.  14 Love is patient, love is

kind.   It does not envy, it does not

boast, it is not proud.

Love is not boastful

or proud.

Most of us have

encountered this type of person before. 

You know, the loudmouth who always has to one-up everyone.  If your kid earned a 3.98 GPA this semester,

his kids all earned 4.0’s.  If you worked

50 hours last week, he worked 65.  If

your mother was just diagnosed with stage 3 cancer, his was just diagnosed with

stage 4.

Let’s be honest,

when we’re around them, we don’t necessarily feel loved.  In fact, love isn’t the word at all that we

would use to describe even being around them!

It’s one thing to be

proud in a sense of having proper self-respect. 

It’s OK to be proud of a job well done or of a hard-earned reward.  This is not the type of pride that love is

not.  In fact, love is very proud in this

sense.

The type of pride

that we are referring to is the type of pride that puffs oneself up and thinks

more highly of themselves than they ought to.

It is the type of

pride revealed in a person who cannot learn from anyone because they already

know everything there is to know about everything.  The person who is never wrong and if they

are, well, it was because of something or someone other than themselves. 

It’s the person who

thinks that they are better than others and that no one can do as good of a job

as they can.  The person who consistently

looks down on others, or only helps them in order to prove that they are somehow

better.  It’s the type of person who

always feels that they are more valuable than others.

Love is not proud.

The Bible has much

to say about this type of pride and not any of it is good.  Here are just a few examples:

James 4:6b

…“God opposes the

proud but shows favor to the humble.”

Psalm 10:4

In his pride the

wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Proverbs 11:2

When pride comes,

then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Proverbs 13:10

Where there is

strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

Proverbs 16:18

Pride goes before

destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

1 John 2:16

For everything

This morning, we

continue our message series helping us to better understand and live out

unconditional love.

This series is

entitled, “Love Is” and it is based on that familiar passage found in

1 Corinthians chapter 13. 

We were created by

God with the need for love that can only be expressed through relationships.

As there are

different types of relationships, there are different types of love.  There is, however, a type of love that we are

to express toward anyone and everyone. 

In fact, the Bible teaches that if we learn how to express this type of

love toward God and others, that we will entirely fulfill all that God’s law

requires of us. 

This distinct type

of love is the love that God has for us. 

In the Greek language, it is the word agape.  It is this type of unconditional love that

we’ll be covering through this message series.

To be able to

possess and express this unconditional love, we’re going to break it down into

parts as Paul chose to do in his letter to the Corinthians.  He taught all about spiritual gifts and said

that it is not using these gifts that truly matters, but how we choose to use

them, our motive, that matters to God. 

We can do all sorts of good things for God, but if we do not do them as

an expression of God’s love, then they are pointless, useless, and meaningless.

1 Corinthians 13:1-4

1 If I speak in the

tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong

or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but

do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give

over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain

nothing.  14 Love is patient, love is

kind.   It does not envy…

The Merriam-Webster

dictionary defines envy as “painful or resentful awareness of an advantage

enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same

advantage.”  It is caused when we

begin to embark on that slippery slope temptation to compare.

In a few

translations, the word jealous is used instead of envy.  However, there is a subtle yet very

significant difference between jealousy and envy.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines

jealousy as “vigilance in guarding a possession.” 

If a wife is being

ignored while her husband sits next to her on the couch staring at his phone,

she is jealous of his attention, but not envious.  Jealousy is longing for something that is

truly and rightfully ours that we’re being denied.  Envy is longing for something that belongs to

another and is not ours.  This doesn’t

mean that we won’t ever possess it, but for now, whatever that thing may be, it

is not yet ours.

Exodus 34:14

Do not worship any

other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

God even named

Himself jealous and there is no doubt about it that He is a jealous God.  When we spend our heart, mind, soul, and

strength on created things that God created instead of on Him, the Creator, He

gets jealous.  After all, those things

rightfully belong to Him.  God gets

jealous, but He never gets envious.

Love is jealous, but

love does not envy.

We may wish that we

had someone else’s car or home or career or anointing.

We may wish that we

had a spouse, parent, or child who was more like someone else’s.

We may wish that we

had someone else’s personality or appearance or height or health.

We may wish that we

were able to respond to situations the way that someone else does.

Envy; the painful or

resentful awareness with a desire to possess.

We may even compare

us to our own selves leading to regret.

We may wish that we

hadn’t done that or maybe long to have done that.

We may wish that we

hadn’t said that or maybe long to have just one more opportunity to say that.

We may wish that we

would have made a better choice.

We may wish that we

would have taken that word of advice a

This morning, we

begin with a new message series helping us to better understand and live out

unconditional love.

Our new message

series is entitled, “Love Is” and it is based on that familiar

passage found in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. 

We were created by

God with the need for love that can only be expressed through relationships.

As there are

different types of relationships, there are different types of love.  There is, however, a type of love that we are

to express toward anyone and everyone. 

In fact, the Bible teaches that if we learn how to express this type of

love toward God and others, that we will entirely fulfill all that God’s law

requires of us.  This distinct type of

love is the love that God has for us.  In

the Greek language, it is the word agape. 

It is this type of unconditional love that we’ll be covering through

this message series.

To be able to

possess and express this unconditional love, we’re going to break it down into

parts as Paul chose to do in his letter to the Corinthians.  He taught all about spiritual gifts and said

that it is not using these gifts that truly matters, but how we choose to use

them, our motive, that matters to God. 

We can do all sorts of good things for God, but if we do not do them as

an expression of God’s love, then they are pointless, useless, and meaningless.

1 Corinthians 13:1-4

1 If I speak in the

tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong

or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but

do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give

over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain

nothing.  14 Love is patient, love is

kind…

Love is kind. 

What is most

interesting about all of the attributes of God’s love that we are going to

cover here in this chapter is that every single word is a verb.  In the English translations, these words

appear to be adjectives describing God’s love. 

In the Greek language, however, every single one of these descriptive

words are actually verbs.  God’s love not

an idea, it is not a concept; God’s love is an action!

The word translated

here to kind is the Greek word chrēsteuomai and it is used only this one single

time in the Bible.  Bear with me through

this.  I don’t usually go into these things,

but I think it is important for us to learn a bit about the Greek language in

which this letter was written.

Grammatically,

“kind” or “chrēsteuomai” is a verb in the present tense and

using the middle voice.  It is an action

and one that is continuously ongoing. 

Middle voice is the usage of a verb common in the Greek language, but

foreign to the English language. 

Middle voice means

that the verb is happening by the subject and to the subject.  In the English language, a verb has either a

passive and an active voice.  The passive

voice is the subject receiving the action and the active voice is the subject

doing the action.  For example, the

passive voice would be, “A box was moved by Steve.”  Box is the subject and moved is the

verb.  The active voice would be,

“Steve moved a box.”  Steve is

now the subject while moved still remains the verb.  In the English language, the closest thing to

a middle voice example would be, “Steve moved.”  Steve is now both the subject acting as well

as the recipient of the action.

What did Jesus say

that the second greatest commandment was? 

Love others as we love ourselves. 

Be kind to yourself, and be kind others. 

Middle voice; both the actor and the recipient of that action.  Kind yourself!

The reality is that

how we view and treat ourselves will often be how to view and treat

others.  If I mess something up, do I get

irritated and frustrated and begin to think things like, “You’re never

going to get this right!  You’ll always

be a failure!  What’s wrong with

you?”  Or do you laugh

Throughout the new

year, we’re going to focus on our core values in order to become the type of

people that God desires us to be here at New Hope. 

We’ll learn all

about how to practically live out unconditional love, sacrificial integrity,

and be truly Spirit-lead.  As a result,

we’ll all become more healthy spiritually and emotionally and we’ll begin to

reach our full potential in Christ individually and as a church together.

This morning, we

begin with a new message series helping us to better understand and live out

unconditional love.  It’s entitled,

“Love Is” and it is based on that familiar passage found in 1

Corinthians chapter 13. 

We were created by

God with the need for love that can only be expressed through relationships.

As there are

different types of relationships, there are different types of love.  The romantic love that we express toward our

spouse is a distinct type of love.  The

friendship love that we express toward our friends, co-workers, and community

is a distinct type of love.  The family

love that we express toward our siblings, parents, children, grandchildren, and

so on is a distinct type of love. 

There is a type of

love, however, that we are to express toward anyone and everyone.  This distinct type of love is the love of

God; in the Greek language, agape.  It is

this type of love that we’ll be covering through this message series.

To be able to

possess and express this unconditional love, we’re going to break it down into

parts as Paul chose to do in his letter to the Corinthians.  He taught all about spiritual gifts and said

that it is not using these gifts that truly matters, but rather using them with

the right motive that matters to God.  We

can do all sorts of good things for God, but if we do not do them as an

expression of God’s love, then they are pointless and useless.

1 Corinthians 13:1-4

1 If I speak in the

tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong

or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but

do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give

over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain

nothing.  14 Love is patient…

The first attribute

of God’s love is defined as patient, or in some translations,

long-suffering.  The Vine’s Expository

Dictionary of New Testament Words defines this as “that quality of

self-restraint in the face of being provoked which does not hastily retaliate

or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy,

and is used of God. Patience is the quality that does not surrender to

circumstances or succumb under trial; it is the opposite of despondency and is

associated with hope.”

Before we go into

our ability to express God’s unconditional love through patience, let’s first

consider how patient God is with us. 

Let’s think of how God loves us. 

Let’s face it, we’re

not always the easiest people to love, right? 

We test the patience of others including God.  If God weren’t patient with us, let’s be

honest, we’d all probably be in hell already. 

Instead, because of His unfailing love toward us, God gives us chance

after chance after chance patiently waiting on us in hope.

He restrains Himself

from promptly punishing us although we provoke Him to it often.  He extends His mercy instead of anger.  He remembers the potential that He created

within us and always hopes that we choose to embrace it instead of surrendering

to our circumstances. 

Although we test

God’s patience often, His love bears all things, endures all things, and hopes

in all things (ESV).

God, then, simply

calls us to love others as He first loved us. 

He pours out His love on us and expects us to allow it to flow through

our lives and into the lives of those around us.  God is incredibly patient with us.  How patient are we? 

Pa

[The below text has been machine translated and may contain errors. Please listen to audio for original and integral translation]

It’s interesting as Pastor Steve scripture is shared the smile was in ecclesiastics 3 and that’s actually what I’m starting with this morning because God is the one who orchestrates our times in our seasons and we’re told that in any clues Yes 63 there is a time for everything and heaven on earth God. Orchestrates all our times ever wonder why you weren’t born back in cowboy days with the Indians ever wonder why you weren’t at Custer’s last stand if you ever wonder will happen if you have been around when your I was burned down Rome I think you are I’m not good history says I got the wrong city forgive me but he burned something down and made a fiddle while you did it I don’t know you wonder why you weren’t on that ship with Columbus God had a purpose for everybody he has created and you know what I was never purposed to be Eve and I’ll be honest with me a lot of mistakes in my life but I wouldn’t want to be her. She kind of like makes people mad that’s Thanks Steve I would say thanks Adam because you know he was there too there the thing about God and his vast wisdom he knew when to put each one of us on this earth he didn’t he didn’t wonder he wasn’t like he you know through the ice in the air and caught it when. I think I have a cold be born in the 21st century. Got to it’s not a draw the hand that you’re here today any more than it was a draw the hand that Esther was when she was Guy has individually purposed us to be here in our now we’re to be then in there now and what’s coming in the future has been purpose for them for there now in every now is just as important as the last one. You do have a destiny you are royalty there is something that God wants to impart to us I know he’s been trying to shove it into me and for some reason you’re trying to put air liquid into something where there’s an air bubble and it just keeps coming back out again sometimes I feel like that I thought God Maybe if you help me see how you are that air bubble what you’re trying to push into me we stay in because I fight with the reality of my Today’s I fight with the reality of who I am of the mistakes I have made and mistakes that I do make and the mistakes that I’m going to make I have that always before me because I am me and I don’t know I’m assuming that because I am only one of many and since there is no temptation taken you but that which is common to man I have to believe that you all at times doubt the fact that you’re very important or needed in the service and who am I and what can I do anyway and this is my life and it doesn’t touch anybody but my children and my neighbor or that employee I have or the boss that I have or the neighbor that I have perhaps maybe I did something kind and took something off the shelf or somebody who was smaller than me which is really hard to find by the way but I have found them. Everything that we do in our life everything is important and when we have a purse back in our mind that declares I am royalty I have a destiny I have been set free I’m free I’m free to walk in my destiny I’m free to be royalty I am free because of what Jesus did which makes me someone that the enemy should be concerned about and want not want to contend with. I haven’t reached that in my life yet but that’s the goal forgot in God for all of us is that we become somebody that when we get up in the morning the enemy goes oh shoot now I gotta deal with her today that’s God’s purpose because we are here to further His Kingdom which mean we say hey Adam a way out of my way out of my way this is our destiny we have the authority in Jesus Christ to say there is no thing no thing that can stand before me and my destiny Why does my destiny needs me but I know one thing it is to walk in peace and joy it is to have a hope and a purpose it is to be looking for people I can encourage I can help I can serve

Well, here we are in a new year. It’s been only a week and most of us have probably already broken those new year’s resolutions that we made. How did Jesus say it? The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. How true it is!

Last week, we learned about the power of perception and how setting that directs the course of our lives; our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. This week, God is going to try to correct our perception toward what it means to live for Him. If you’re like me, you may have thought that you got it and understood clearly what it means to live life as a follower of Jesus. You may have thought that you knew what it looked like to live out faith in God. This morning, God might just be radically changing exactly that.

The title is “Magnificent Wisdom” and it started from that parable of Jesus about being a wise builder. After all, I firmly believe that each and every one of us want to be wise builders who build on the rock, Jesus Christ, and not on sinking sand. Why else would we be here this morning listening to what God is speaking and seeking after Him if we didn’t?

I believe that all of us want to live successful lives and not build up our lives just to watch them crash down all around us when the storms of life come rolling in. We want the work that we do to stand the test of time and withstand the opposition that this broken world brings our way.

Now the Bible speaks quite often about wisdom. James teaches us the comparison of what godly wisdom versus worldly wisdom looks and acts like. Proverbs is packed full of practical wisdom of how to handle just about every situation from raising children to co-signing loans to sexual temptation.

However, God specifically wants to give us wisdom in the area of ministry this morning. Ministry, simply meaning, serving others. God often had an issue with those who were leading His people. They often went astray and lead His people right along with them. They also were very often hypocritical and did not, as Jesus put it, practice what they preached. He wasn’t shy about calling them out on it, either!

We turn this morning to a time when exactly this was happening. God was speaking through Isaiah to the leaders of His people warning them to change their ways before they reached their certain destruction. The good thing for us is that we can learn from their mistakes. We can learn how to correctly minister to others and not miss out on God’s blessings. For time’s sake, we’ll skip ahead here:

Isaiah 28:7-16

7 And these also (the leaders) stagger from wine

and reel from beer:

Priests and prophets stagger from beer

and are befuddled with wine;

they reel from beer,

they stagger when seeing visions,

they stumble when rendering decisions.

8 All the tables are covered with vomit

and there is not a spot without filth.

9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?

To whom is he explaining his message?

To children weaned from their milk,

to those just taken from the breast?

10 For it is:

Do this, do that,

a rule for this, a rule for that;

a little here, a little there.”

(KJV: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little)

I don’t mean to burst the bubble of those who use this quote for their method of Bible study and life application. However, the original Hebrew reveals that this quote was actually a mockery of those teachers. It’s similar to me saying that people teach saying, “Blah, blah, blah.” Now there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with building precept upon precept and line upon line and a little here and there and it can be a good method or principle to grow in our knowledge of God.

However, these are baby fundamentals and we shouldn’t cling to this type of teaching for long. As Isaiah said, this is the type of teaching and a message for infants and it won’t bring much maturity at all, in fact, if we don’t move on from it, it will lead to our spiritual death. Spiritual maturity co

This morning, we

gather together on the brink of the new year. 

With the turning of each year comes a sense of hope and renewal.  This past year contained so many huge life

changes for so many people.  The upcoming

year will be one of adjusting to these changes for sure.  Often people make new year resolutions

committing improve some area of their lives.

This morning, we’re

going to look at something that affects every single area of our lives.  It contains the power to radically transform

everything about who we are as well as the world around us without anything changing

at all.  It has enough influence over our

lives to tell us how to respond to situations and to guide the path of our

lives. 

Companies spend

billions of dollars annually to more effectively gain control over this part of

our lives.  News sources across the

entire spectrum choose to report certain facts, but they then go on to spend

far more airtime guiding and directing this part of our lives used to interpret

those facts.

What is this thing

about us that is so valuable and impressionable?  It’s our perception.

Perception defined

is the ability to become aware of something and understand it through the

senses.  Perception is what magicians and

illusionists take advantage of to amaze and wow us wondering how they do what

they do.  Perception is the reality

behind that old adage that things are not always what they appear.  Perception is what the serpent used in the

garden when he asked Eve, “Did God really say…?”  Perception is still how our enemy can so

easily deceive us today.

Perception is what

we use to interpret everything about our lives and how we choose to respond to

those things.  If my perception is set,

then my thoughts, attitudes, and actions will all follow the lead of my perception.  Perception was created within us by God so

that we would use good judgment and to make wise decisions.

Perception is what

causes us to have the exact same circumstances and either choose to be joyful

and content as we count our many blessings or disgruntled and bitter as we

focus on the things that we do not have.

Perception exists in

our lives to be used by the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us into the

fullness of life.  Yes, it can be

perverted by our own flesh, the enemy, and the influence of others, but it was

created to be a good thing. 

As we enter the new

year, one commitment that we all need to make is the commitment to be totally

under the influence of God.  We need to

be committed to perceive what God is up to in whatever circumstances we find ourselves

in the upcoming year.  God makes us these

awesome promises!

Isaiah 43:1-5a;16-19

1 But now, this is

what the Lord says—

    he who created you, Jacob,

    he who formed you, Israel:

“Do not fear, for I

have redeemed you;

    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass

through the waters,

    I will be with you;

and when you pass

through the rivers,

    they will not sweep over you.

When you walk

through the fire,

    you will not be burned;

    the flames will not set you ablaze.

3 For I am the Lord

your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I give Egypt for

your ransom,

    Cush and Seba in your stead.

4 Since you are

precious and honored in my sight,

    and because I love you,

I will give people

in exchange for you,

    nations in exchange for your life.

5 Do not be afraid,

for I am with you;

Now if our upcoming

year were to contain all of these things, perception would be everything.  Perception would either say that we had the

worst year ever as our homes were flooded, then destroyed by fire.  We’d be afraid of what could possibly happen

next.  Perception would either say that

or choose to praise God for the best year yet as He delivered us from both the

flood and fire and kept us safe because of His great love.  What do I have to fear?

Perception either

sees disaster or deliveranc