When the Church Grows Up
Download MP3Good morning. Good morning. I'm so excited to be here today. To God be all the glory for the great things that he has done, the great things that God is doing, and the great things that God will continue to do. Your pastor is at New Rising Star Church this morning in Eastlake, and I have the privilege of being here at Redeemer.
Speaker 1:When I was in about the 3rd grade, I learned how to add fractions together, and I learned that you cannot add 1 half to 2 fourths until you change the 1 half to 2 fourths and add 2 fourths to 2 fourths to get 4 fourths, which equals one whole. In other words, you cannot add fractions until you get a common denominator. And today is symbolic of us adding fractions of the body of Christ together. Regardless of our ethnic background, economical background, our race, our gender, our creed, or even our color, all of us who believe in Christ are just fractions of the body, and Christ is the common denominator that unites us all. So the only reason that I am able to be here with a majority white congregation and pastor Brooks is able to be at New Rising Star Church with a majority African American congregation is because of the commonality of Christ in the cross.
Speaker 1:And I I've learned I've learned I've learned that when we get to heaven, there's not gonna be a black section, there's not gonna be a white section. But when all of God's children come together, what a time that it is going to be. And so I'm just so excited that God's kingdom is coming from heaven down to earth on today, and, we are experiencing each other in the body of Christ, and I'm just so happy to be here on today. With that being said, I would that you would open your bibles to first Corinthians 13 first Corinthians 13. I wanna read verse number 11.
Speaker 1:1st Corinthians 13. I want to read verse number 11. And when you have it, say I have it. I have it. If you don't have it, say wait just a minute.
Speaker 1:I take it that everybody has it. The word of god declares when I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. The title of my message is called When the Church Grows Up. Look at the person beside you.
Speaker 1:Tell them, I wish you would grow up. Just tell them. Just tell them, I wish you would I wish you would grow up. I wanna begin this message by simply stating that Paul, the apostle of Jesus, is in fact the writer to the church at Corinth. What amazes me is not that he writes to this particular church, but what amazes me is that Paul has not always been an apostle.
Speaker 1:He's formerly known as Saul. As Saul, he persecuted the church. He held the coach to the people who stoned Stephen, one of the first deacons inside of the church. He threatened the church. But in Acts chapter number 9, something strange happened.
Speaker 1:He met Jesus on the Damascus Road. And when he met Jesus, Jesus knocked him off of his wild beast, which symbolizes the reality that sometimes God has to knock us down in order to pick us back up. But Jesus also blinded him physically in order to open his eyes spiritually. Sometimes, Jesus has to take us in the opposite direction in order to bring us into his direction. When he meets Jesus, his name changes from Saul to Paul.
Speaker 1:As Saul, he persecuted the church. But as Paul became one of God's greatest ambassadors in the history of the entire church which symbolizes to all of us it's impossible to encounter Christ and your life not change. I'm a say it again. It's impossible to have a true encounter with Jesus Christ and your life not changed. Many of us who live in the Bible Belt have encountered church, but just because you've encountered church does not mean that we've had a true encounter with Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:When I encounter church, the usher ushers me into a seat, But if there's gonna be real change inside of my life, I don't just wanna be ushered into a seat on Sunday morning, I wanna be ushered into the presence of God. Because in God's presence, there is fullness of joy. In God's presence, there is love. In God's presence, there is peace. In God's presence, there is provision.
Speaker 1:In God's presence, there is everything that I need inside of my life. So Paul meets Jesus on the Damascus Road. His life changes, and it is this Paul who writes to the church at Corinth. What amazes me is that Corinth is extremely gifted, yet they have several issues. We understand that they are gifted because the bible declares in 1st Corinthians chapter number 12 that God has given them different kinds of gifts, but in spite of their different kinds of gifts, they come from the same Spirit.
Speaker 1:That's 1 Corinthians chapter number 12. In 1 Corinthians chapter number 14, it teaches us how to use the gifts that God has given us in the context of the worship service. This church that Paul is writing to is so gifted, but in spite of all of their gifts, they still have several issues. Let the church shout issues. Issues.
Speaker 1:I want you to say it to the whole Avondale hears you. Everybody say issues. Issues. What are some of the issues they have? In 1 Corinthians chapter number 1, there is division in the church.
Speaker 1:1 Corinthians chapter number 3, this church is a personality driven church. They don't come to church unless their favorite preacher is preaching. Somebody said, I like Paul. Somebody else said, I like Apollos. Somebody else said that Paul baptized me, and somebody else said, Apollos baptized me.
Speaker 1:And if Paul is not preaching, I'm not coming to church. If Apollos is not preaching, I'm not coming to church. And Paul had to get them straight and say, who is Paul? Who was Apollos but ministers of the gospel? We are different men, but we have the same mission.
Speaker 1:I planted Apollo's water and God gave the increase. In 1st Corinthians chapter number 5, there's sexual immorality inside of the church. If you read your Bible closely, there is a man that is sleeping with his stepmother. And Paul rebukes not the man who's sleeping with his stepmother, he rebukes the entire church because everybody sees it, everybody hears about it, everybody knows about it, but everybody is turning a deaf ear and a blinded eye to the sin that is ever present before the congregation and destroying the congregation at this particular moment in time, which leads to the next issue, there is a lack of church discipline inside of the church. On one hand, this church is gifted, according to 1 Corinthians 12 and 1 Corinthians 14.
Speaker 1:But on the other hand, this church has a whole lot of issues. Kinda sounds like the church in 2018. How many churches are extremely gifted on one hand, but in spite of all of our gifts on one hand, we have issues on the other hand? Which leads me to my second point. Just because I'm gifted doesn't mean that I don't have issues.
Speaker 1:One of my pet peeves in the body of Christ is that we come to church and we act as if we've never sinned. We come to church and we act as if we've never done wrong. We come to church and we act as if we've never fallen short of the glory of God when everybody in here is an x something. All of us have sinned. All of us have fallen short of the glory of god.
Speaker 1:We just read it in Romans chapter number 3 verse 23. All of us have messed up inside of our lives, but that's the reason we thank God for His grace. That's the reason we thank God for His unmerited, unearned, and undeserved favor because but for the grace of God, where in the world would we be at this particular moment in time? On one hand, they are gifted. On the other hand, they have a whole lotta issues.
Speaker 1:What amazes me is not that they are gifted with issues, but what amazes me is that the only reason God gives them different kinds of gifts in first Corinthians chapter number 12 is to complement each other. But instead of them complementing each other, they are competing with each other because gifts in the absence of love do not build the body of Christ, but gifts in the absence of love end up tearing the body of Christ down. So Paul seems somewhat schizophrenic. Because on one hand, in 1st Corinthians chapter number 12, he talks about gifts. 1st Corinthians chapter number 14, he talks about gifts.
Speaker 1:But in between 1 Corinthians chapter number 12 and 1 Corinthians chapter number 14, he sandwiches a whole chapter on the subject matter of love. Why would he take a whole chapter to talk about love between the chapters that he's discussing spiritual gifts because Paul knows that this particular church, like many of our churches in 2018, has a major problem. The problem is not that they are gifted, but the problem is that in spite of their gifts, they are failing in their love walk. And he understands that God gives us different kinds of gifts, not to compete with each other, but to compliment each other. And And so therefore, as a consequence, when you read the text closely, somebody has the gifts of speaking in diverse kinds of tongues, And they think because I speak in tongues and you don't speak in tongues, I'm way up here and you're way down here.
Speaker 1:Somebody else has the gift of prophecy, and they think that because I can prophesy and you don't have the gift of prophecy, I'm way up here and you're way down here. Somebody else has the gift of wisdom, and they think that because I have the gift of wisdom that it puts me on this pedestal and this platform, and everybody else is way down here. So Paul sandwiches an entire chapter between gifts on love. And the reason he talks about love because gifts in the absence of love, hear this clearly, tears the body of Christ down. Well, the only reason that God gives us different kinds of gifts is for the specific purpose of building the body of Christ up.
Speaker 1:So when it is that we survey first Corinthians chapter number 13, beginning with verse number 1, Paul talks about the importance of our love walk. He talks about the importance of our love walk. The first thing that we learn is that praise in the absence of love is nothing more than noise. Everybody repeat after me. Praise Praise.
Speaker 1:In the absence of love In the absence of love is nothing more than noise. Paul says, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, though I praise God I know the Bible declares, let everything that has breath praise the Lord. The criteria for giving God praise is not that I always do the right thing, but the criteria for giving God praise is simply that I have breath inside of my body. Paul says no matter how much we praise God when we come to church, no matter how much we lift our hands when we come to church, no matter how much we worship God and we open our mouths and give God the sacrifice of praise when we come to church, He says, if I'm not walking in love, I am doing nothing more than making noise. Let's go a little bit further.
Speaker 1:Not only does he say praise in the absence of love is nothing more than noise, the second thing that we learned in 1st Corinthians is that gifts in the absence of love equates to me being nothing. Everybody repeat after me. Gifts in the absence of love equates to me being nothing. This church thought that they were somebody because of their gifts. They thought that they were somebody because of how it is that they worship God.
Speaker 1:They thought that they were somebody because of their wisdom. They thought that they were somebody because of their spiritual gifts. But Paul says, if you have gifts but you don't have love, regardless of how you think that you are, he says, in actuality, you're nothing. He says, though I have the gift of prophecy and I understand all mysteries, in first Corinthians 13 verse number 2, he says, if I don't have love, he says, I am nothing. Here's the third thing we see inside of the text.
Speaker 1:First Corinthians 13 verse number 3. Watch this. Giving in the absence of love profits me nothing. Everybody repeat after me. Giving Giving.
Speaker 1:In the absence of love Yes, lord. Profits me nothing. Profits me nothing. Notice what Paul says. He says, though I give my body to be burned, and though I sell all that I have and I give it to the poor, he says, if I do not have love, my giving profits me nothing.
Speaker 1:Which says to all of us that my giving is not just supposed to benefit the people, the organizations, and the entities that I give it to, But my giving is to also benefit me. What Paul is saying to all of us is that whenever you give, but you don't do it in the spirit of love, whenever you give, but you give begrudgingly or of necessity, not in the spirit of giving cheerfully, knowing that God loves a cheerful giver, he says it'll bless and profit the people and the entities that you give to on earth, but you don't get credit in heaven. Giving in the absence of love profits me nothing. What it is that you jaywalked 1 Corinthians 13 around verse number 4, Paul starts to give us a picture of love. Why does he wanna give us a picture of love?
Speaker 1:He wants to give us a picture of love because many of us are like our parents around Christmas time, tryin' to put together toys from a box for our children, but it's difficult to put together the toy when you only have the words. It's easier to put together the toy when you have the words and the pictures. So many of us confuse what love is. We confuse what love is because we think that love is a feeling, when in actuality, love is not about how we feel, but love is a choice. I'm a say that again.
Speaker 1:Love is not about how we feel, but love is a choice. Can I give you a news flash? The Bible declares that Jesus died on the cross. Romans chapter number 5 verse number 8, but god commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He showed his love towards us through his death, his burial, and his resurrection, but Christ did not feel like dying.
Speaker 1:I understand that He didn't feel like dying because when you look in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26, he spoke to his father and prayed the same prayer 3 different times. He said, father, if it be thy will, let this cup pass from me. Let this cup of suffering. Let this cup of pain. Let this cup of death.
Speaker 1:Let this cup of sorrow pass from me. In other words, I wanna save these people, but if there's any other way for me to save these people than dying on the cross, reveal it to me right now. Nevertheless, not as I will, he says, but your will be done. In other words, his choice outweighed his feelings. I'm a say that again.
Speaker 1:His choice outweighed his feelings. He did not feel like dying, but in spite of how he felt, he chose to die. So in 1st Corinthians 13 around verse number 4, Paul gives to all of us a picture of love. What is the picture that he gives to us? He says, love is patient.
Speaker 1:Everybody shout patient. Patient. I wanna give you just a few of these this morning. He says, love is kind. Everybody shout kind.
Speaker 1:Kind. Yeah. He says love is not envious. Love is not jealous. Love is not prideful.
Speaker 1:Love is not boastful. Love keeps no record of wrong. If you ever wanna know the litmus test for love, if you ever wanna know what love truly looks like, read 1st Corinthians 13. He says love is patient. And the reason that all of us need to know because we use these three words so loosely, I love you.
Speaker 1:Many of us are in relationships and you're trying to figure out whether or not the person that you are with really loves you. Or maybe you're trying to figure out if I really love this person. No matter how much I say I love somebody, if I'm not patient with them, I don't really love them. No matter how much I say I love somebody, if I'm not kind to them, I don't really love them. No matter how much I say I love somebody, if I'm envious of them, I don't really love them.
Speaker 1:No matter how much I say I love somebody, if I'm prideful, I don't really love that particular individual. If I rejoice in iniquity and not in the truth, which is the exact opposite of 1 Corinthians 13, I'm not really walking in love. He says love believes all things. It hopes all things. It bears all things.
Speaker 1:It endures all things. And the moment we surrender to God and allow god to work inside of our hearts by the power of his holy spirit and we get that love walk straight, he says love never fails. The primary thing that Paul wants us to understand and recognize is that love is not a feeling, but love is a choice. And guess what? We don't have the power to walk in love on our own.
Speaker 1:We really don't have the power to walk in love on our own. If the power of the holy spirit is not moving inside of us, if we are not surrendering more and more of ourselves to god that the holy spirit might be able to work inside of us, I don't have the power to be patient on my own. I don't have the power to be kind on my own. I don't care how long you've been in church. I don't care how long you've been serving in ministry.
Speaker 1:We don't have the power to walk in love on our own. So when we look at the true definition of what love is, if Paul says that love is patient, if Paul says that love is kind, if Paul says that love is not envious, love is not jealous, love is not prideful, love is not easily provoked, it keeps no record of wrong. What happens? What happens? What happens when I'm in relationship with somebody and they wronged me 2 months ago?
Speaker 1:And 2 months later, we're working together, but I can't work together 2 months later because I still have a a point of reference inside of my mind of what took place 2 months ago. We keep record of wrong, and it says, when we do this, we are not really walking in love. So when we look at the definition of what it really means to love, all of us, if the truth be told, no matter how long we have been saved, have had moments inside of our Christian walk where we have failed to walk in love. When you keep reading at 1st Corinthians 13, we finally get to verse number 11. And in verse number 11, Paul seems schizophrenic one more time because he just finished talking about love, and now he's not talking about love.
Speaker 1:But but now he's talking about this childish stuff. He says, when I was a child, I spake as a child. He says, I understood as a child. I thought as a child. He says, but when I became a man.
Speaker 1:He says, when I grew up, I put away childish things. Paul, why do you talk about being a child after you talk about love? It really doesn't make any sense to us. Paul couldn't be here today, but he told me to tell somebody the reason. The reason I talk about bein' a child and growing up after I talk about love is because what Paul is trying to get all of us to understand is that whenever we fail to walk in love, we are acting like a child.
Speaker 1:Think about it. Children are not patient. Children are not kind. Children can be some of the meanest people to ever walk to earth. I mean, you think about the 1st day of school as a parent, you give your best to your child.
Speaker 1:You make sure that they're looking good and smelling good when they leave the house. You wanna make sure that their first day goes well. And just because you don't get them name brand, they can look good. But when they show up on the 1st day of school, somebody's talking about them just because they don't have name brand. Children are not patient.
Speaker 1:Children are not kind. Children are envious. Yeah. Children are easily provoked. Children keep no record of wrong.
Speaker 1:No wonder Paul says. In 1st Corinthians 13 verse number 11, he says, when I was a child, he says, I spoke as a child. I understood as a child. He says, I fought like a child. He says, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Speaker 1:And I believe the only reason he uses this analogy in the context of this entire chapter on love is because Paul is saying to all of us, whenever we fail to walk in love, we're really acting as a child. And how many of us have been in church for a while but still have childish moments? How many of us have been saved for a while but still have childish moments? Sometimes it's hard to be patient. Sometimes it's hard to be kind.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it's hard not to be envious. Sometimes it's hard not to be jealous. Sometimes it's hard not to keep record of wrong. Sometimes it's hard not to give up on somebody when the scripture says that love believes all things, hopes all things, bears all things, and endures all things, and it never fails. How many of us have been saved a long time or even a short time, But in spite of us being 25 years in the faith, sometimes we have 3 year old childish moments.
Speaker 1:In spite of us coming to church Sunday in and Sunday out, sometimes we really have childish moments. We have childish moments, not just in the church, but outside of the church because some of the hardest people to love are the people inside of our own homes. What happens when I come to church and I can speak to everybody? How you doing? Praise the Lord.
Speaker 1:God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good. But but it's easy for me to speak to people in church. Sometimes it's difficult for me to speak to the people inside of my own house. What happens when we don't just have childish moments inside of our own homes? What happens when we have childish moments even inside of the church when we become impatient with one another?
Speaker 1:When we become envious of one another, when we begin to keep record of wrong with one another. And what Paul is saying to all of us is that I don't care how much you say you love, he says whenever we fail to love, we're really acting like a child. So the question is, how do we fix this? We fix it by looking to Christ. Because even when I'm imperfect, Christ is perfect.
Speaker 1:And Christ is my greatest example of how to walk in love. The scripture says in John chapter number 15 verse number 13, greater love has no man than this, than a man who would lay down his life for his friend. I'm a say it again. Greater love has no man than this, than a man who would lay down his life for his friend? Have you not considered that Christ laid down his life for us that we might be able to lay down our lives for each other in patience.
Speaker 1:He laid down his life for us that we might be able to lay down our lives for each other in kindness. He laid down his life for us that we might be able to lay down our lives for each other through these character traits called love. He's our greatest example of love so much to the point that in Romans 3 23, we see the reality of sin for everybody regardless as to whether or not you are Jew or gentile, regardless as to whether or not you were raised in the church or out of the church, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In Romans 6:23, we see the penalty of sin, the consequence of sin, the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life.
Speaker 1:In Romans chapter number 5 verse number 8, now we see the remedy for sin, that God commended his love toward us. And that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Every time I read that scripture, it blows my mind. Because when we love the way that Christ loves, we don't show people love when they reach our standard, but we love them unconditionally even in the place where they are at that particular moment in time. The Bible does not say, when I became a saint, Christ showed His love for me and died for me.
Speaker 1:But the Bible says, while I was still a sinner, that he showed his love for me and he died for me. He did all of that, and today, perhaps there's somebody who needs to make a decision. That decision is found in Romans chapter number 10 verse 9 that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is lord and believe in our hearts that god raised Jesus from the dead, that we shall be saved. That if I open up my mouth and I make this confession, Jesus, I want you to be the Lord of my life. And Jesus, I believe in your death, your burial, and your resurrection.
Speaker 1:It says at that particular moment, I shall be saved. With that being said, if you don't hear anything else throughout this message, I'm sure that all of us have been exposed. Because all of us who love god with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength sometimes have a hard time loving other people. Regardless as to how long we have been in church, regardless as to the gifts that we have, all of us have had some childish moments. But I want you to know that if you've ever had a childish moment, there's forgiveness at the cross.
Speaker 1:And the more we surrender our hearts to Jesus Christ, the more he's able to work inside of us and grow us up to the maturity in our faith. Tell the person beside you, I wish you would grow up. God bless you, and I love you. Y'all have a
