12/12/2020 Seventh Day BAPTIST Edgewater, FL Pastor Keith “Show the Love of Jesus” I Corinthians 13:1-3
Jessie James, the notorious bank robber and killer, went to church on a regular basis. He appeared to be a good person in church but behaved as a criminal in true life. We call this being a “Hypocrite”. Some people don’t go to church because they say church is full of hypocrites. In Jesus’s day, the Pharisees were called hypocrites by John the Baptist and by Jesus. Christian hypocrites know how to do and say the right things in front of church folk. In the church at Corinth, they had all the right Christian moves but had issues among themselves and argued a lot. They also overlooked sexual mishaps, didn’t offer food to certain people and they had a great sense of pride. They all said they were greater than the other person.
Paul told them to have Love, Charity among themselves. All the good things they did without love meant nothing. They were comparing their spiritual gifts to each other and saying this one was greater than the other. Paul says tongues, prophesying and the other gifts of the spirit means nothing to God without Love. Without love, charity, their speaking in tongues sounded like cymbals clashing loudly to God. Paul says even if you know all things about the Bible, if you feel that you are above others, then you are wrong.
Love binds the church together and having charity for others is needed. You could give all your money to the poor but if you don’t love others, don’t care about God’s people, it means nothing. We must love someone as Jesus loves us. Let us be Jesus’s hands and feet. Let Jesus’s love be instruments in our life. Let us love others in Jesus’s name. Let us ask God to show us what we can do and how to show the love of Jesus.
Amen
Jessie James, the notorious bank robber and killer, went to church on a regular basis. He appeared to be a good person in church but behaved as a criminal in true life. We call this being a “Hypocrite”. Some people don’t go to church because they say church is full of hypocrites. In Jesus’s day, the Pharisees were called hypocrites by John the Baptist and by Jesus. Christian hypocrites know how to do and say the right things in front of church folk. In the church at Corinth, they had all the right Christian moves but had issues among themselves and argued a lot. They also overlooked sexual mishaps, didn’t offer food to certain people and they had a great sense of pride. They all said they were greater than the other person.
Paul told them to have Love, Charity among themselves. All the good things they did without love meant nothing. They were comparing their spiritual gifts to each other and saying this one was greater than the other. Paul says tongues, prophesying and the other gifts of the spirit means nothing to God without Love. Without love, charity, their speaking in tongues sounded like cymbals clashing loudly to God. Paul says even if you know all things about the Bible, if you feel that you are above others, then you are wrong.
Love binds the church together and having charity for others is needed. You could give all your money to the poor but if you don’t love others, don’t care about God’s people, it means nothing. We must love someone as Jesus loves us. Let us be Jesus’s hands and feet. Let Jesus’s love be instruments in our life. Let us love others in Jesus’s name. Let us ask God to show us what we can do and how to show the love of Jesus.
Amen