Lorne Andrews

Expressing Faith Through Love

Last Sunday we were exhorted from the Word of God of the importance of joyfulness in Christian living. Today we are looking at the importance of expressing faith through love.

It's very possible that Christians can labour in vain with no real benefit to themselves or the cause of Christ.

Servants of Christ  need to know what counts and what really makes a difference; that what we spend our time and energy doing is a game changer. Christian activities and spiritual pursuits must count for something. How dreadful the thought that all that we have done is religiously vain, and of no value to Christ and His Kingdom.

Psalm 127:1 "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain."

The very idea of labouring in vain was the Apostles worst nightmare. Nothing irked him more than to know that his time and energy spent was for nothing.

Galatians 4:11, "I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you...what happened to all your joy? And then he goes on to say...it is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be always and not just when I am with you." (v.15, 18)

In Isaiah 49:4 it reads, "Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing, and in vain..."

Note these are not the words of Isaiah, who was called by God at a mature age. No, they are Christ's own words, spoken by One "called...from the womb; from the tummy of my mother...The Lord...formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, (and to gather Israel)" (49:1, 5)

This maybe just too much for us to comprehend; but how wonderful! Our Lord is like us! He expressed His feelings about wasting His strength and labouring in vain. It was our Lord's concern! He was concerned that his mission would be for nothing. It's said in the gospel of John 1:11 "he came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him."

Matthew 23:37, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who sent to you, how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."

Isn't this an expression of despondency...admission of failure...that the mission to revive Israel wasn't going so will...that His mission was appearing as a decimal failure?

Christ came into the world to fulfill the will of God by revival Israel. And He did just as He was commanded, with not a single word spoken or deed performed except as directed by the Father. Jesus was at the very center of the will of God, given total authority and the most powerful message. But Israel rejected him: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John 1:11)

Think about this: Jesus preached to a generation that saw amazing miracles: blind eyes opened, deaf ears able to hear, the lame made to walk. Yet His miracles were repudiated and belittled, and his words were ignored, unable to pierce the people’s hardened hearts. In fact, His preaching only angered the religious sect.

His own disciples decided His words was too difficult to understand and walked away from Him. In the end, even his closest friends, the chosen twelve, forsook Him. And the nation that Jesus came to gather back to the Father cried, "Crucify Him!"

To any human eye Christ failed utterly in His mission. We find Him at the end of His ministry weeping over Jerusalem, lamenting over rejection, weeping over His apparent failure to gather them, His hopes seemly dashed. But wait a minute!

Let's go back to Isaiah 49 where it says "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing."

Now look at the last part of that verse. It says, "Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God."

Now with all that said, it's The LORD who determines whether or not our Christian activities are fruitful, of purpose and in vain. He is the judge of everything.

Galatians 5: 6b,

The bottom line is here church is that "The love of Christ" must be our compelling force; this to be our motivating principle in Christian service. Much of Christian ministry is success driven rather than love driven. Our primary duty is love: Love God, love Jesus, love the church, love the lost, and love your neighbor.

All too often the worth of Christian ministry is weighed on the scale of success. Success is not the most important issue in Christian service. The Apostle Paul said, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

For some "The only thing that counts is adhering to some religious rule expressing itself through conformity." For the Galatians it was imposition of circumcision. That was Paul's deep concern; as matter of fact, he was diametrically opposed to it. He said, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)

Serving Christ is not a burden...it isn't a yoke...it is freedom expressing itself in love. Bitterness is burden. Hatred is a yoke of slavery. But love is purposeful, wonderful...delightful and beautiful.

Read 1 Corinthians 13: 1-8 (end with love never fails, love never gives up...never quits...never losses hope...it keeps on ticking...)

How often have you been tempted to throw in the towel and give up? We all have been at one time or another. I'm sure it must have crossed the Apostle mind.

When you are thinking "what's the use?" or "what's the point of it all?" "Why am I doing this anyway?” Ask yourself is this: "Do I love my Lord? Do I love the people around me?" "Do I love souls and those who are lost and on the road to hell?"

Do I serve because I love or is it for some other reason? If it's love you will persevere and you will keep trusting and you will remain faithful and continue in His grace.

Many great servants of God throughout history ended up feeling they failed in their calling but the truth is no one should be considered a failure when their faith is expressed through love for Christ and His church.

John Calvin, one of the fathers of the Reformation, had awful experience. He said in his dying hour, "All that I have done is of no value."

Saint Bernard endured this terrible despondency. He wrote in his latter day, "I have failed in my purpose...my words and my writings have been a failure."

David Livingstone was the world's most useful missionary, his achievements recognized even recognized by the world. Livingstone opened up the African continent to the gospel, sowing much seed and used by God to awaken England for missions. Yet, on his twenty-third year on the mission field, Livingstone expressed awful doubts as other great servants. He too had felt his ministry had been all in vain. He said, "All that I have done has only opened up Africa to the slave trade. The mission societies bear no fruit after twenty-three years of labour. All work seems to be in vain...I have laboured for nothing."

Another great missionary by the name of George Bowen who turned from wealth and fame to become a missionary in Bombay, India in the mid-1800.He gave up his mission support and chose to live among the very poorest. He dressed as the Indians did, and embraced poverty, living in humble dwellings and subsisting sometimes only on bread and water. He preached on the streets in smelting weather, distributing gospel literature and weeping over the lost.

This amazing devoted man went to India with high hopes for the ministry of the gospel.

And he has given everything toward that end, his heart, mind, body and spirit. Yet, in his forty-plus years of ministry in India, Bowen had not one convert. It was only after his death that mission societies discovered he was one of the most beloved missionaries in the nation. Even heathen idol-worshipers looked to Bowen as the example of what a Christian is. Yet like so many before him, Bowen endured a terrible sense of failure. He wrote, "I am the most useless being in the church. God bruises and crushes me with disappointments. He builds me up, and then permits me to fall back to nothing. I would like to set with job, and I sympathize with Elijah. My labour has all been in vain."

Whether or not we agree with someone having those feelings because it sounds like unbelief, it is the language of many great men of faith.

Feelings come and feelings go but the one thing we need to know is this, "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love."

The reason we stay the course and persevere and stay with the program is "Christ love compels us...his love controls us. His love overmasters us because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." (2 Corinthians 5:14)

His love is the reason for Paul's extraordinary zeal. He was influenced by the love which Christ has shown and dying for all people. Paul speaks of "His dying for all" as the reason why he was urged on to the course of self-denial. He gave himself to his great work impelled by the love which Christ has shown.

Shout For Joy!

Philippians 4: 4

 "Rejoice in The Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!" The wellspring of joy is our Lord's most wonderful gift.  

Two Sundays ago we received a revelation of our Father's joy. I believe there's a need for the expression of joy in the church. Some obsess on the negative side of life and fail to see good things. There are plenty of good and wonderful things happening all around us. We are to see them as reasons to celebrate and come into His presence rejoicing. The more we draw near to our Lord the more we'll experience His abundant and overflowing joy!

 When we open our hearts to the fullness of the Spirit this joy well burst forth in our midst in praise and worship. 

 Joy and the Scriptures

 Duet. 12:18, "...you are to rejoice before the LORD in everything you put your hand to..." 

 That is, we are to recognize God's hand upon all the affairs of our lives. He is the source of our lives. He is the creator all things and we share in His abundant provisions. "And whatever you do, whether in word and deed, do it all in the name of The Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3: 17)

 Neh. 12:43, "...for God made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off."

 Psalm 68:3, "Let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice."

 In the natural we look for reasons to celebrate. We look forward to special occasions such as anniversaries, birthdays, and other special days on the calendar. Why? Because we have a basic human need to socialize and celebrate life. We are made that way. We are made in the image of God and a huge part of this image is joyfulness.

 Today is a special day on the Lord's calendar. Today is the Lord's Day! A day to rejoice and be glad in it! We are blessed above all people! We're saved, forgiven, filled with Holy Spirit, our names are written in the Book of Life and we have a home reserved in heaven! Rejoice!

 Joy and the Church

 Do you not realize there's a direct correlation between Church and joy? The Church Gives Cause for Rejoicing!

 Do you not know you who are members of Christ body, gives cause for great rejoicing? Yes, you heard correctly, the church gives reason to rejoice! 

 Philippians 4: 1, The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church saying, "Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown..." 

 The church has a special place in His heart. It goes a little deeper than merely attending the place of worship. He is intimate in his relationships; there's affection in Paul's hearts for the brethren.  

 Some folks content themselves to church attendance but not the Apostle Paul. He's relational. There's attachment here; there's a bond between the Apostle and them. Hear what he is actually saying:

 "The brethren are not only beloved but are fervently longed for by a heart which goes out towards them, who are the joy and crown of the apostle. 

 They're not just faceless church members; he singles them out individually. He calls two women by name. He says, "I exhort Eudia, and I exhort Syntyche...help those woman, for they laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow-workers..." (V.3)

 He is emotional about them... and there's a similar expression in 1 Thessalonians 2:18, 19

 "For what is our hope, our joy, or our crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy." 

 His relationship with them gives Paul cause for great joy and it comes through in time of rejoicing! The Apostle gave his life for the church in the same manner Christ did. He gave the whole of his life for them. His joy was that they accepted and lived for Jesus according to His gospel which was preached to them. 

 For this reason it is the crown and the reward for his faithful service and devotion. 

 Joy and Peace

 A peaceful heart is a joyful heart! The two go hand-in-hand. And let me say that peacefulness produces gentleness. 

 What or who is the source of this quality of life? It is The Lord. See it is here in verse 5. "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."

 You may say, "It easier said than done" Or, "It alright for you to say but if you had to go through what I going through you'll singing with a different tune." 

 Is that so! The Lord knows better; He said we are to "rejoice under all circumstances". It's a command; a divine imperative. Not circumstances decide whether there be joy, but in The Lord, in living fellowship with Him, the believer can and must rejoice under all circumstances.  

 We All Have Reason to Rejoice

 Last Sunday we heard from Missionary, Bill & Bev Pharand. Bill told us His story of being handcuffed and taken to prison by the authorities in Genuine, Africa. We heard him say that "He rejoiced to have suffered a little bit for Christ." 

 The circumstances were very similar to that found in Acts chapter five. The Apostles were persecuted. They were thrown in a public jail and sometime after they were flogged and released. Then the authorities ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 

 It says, "The Apostles left the Court, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."   The Apostles were disgraced...humiliated and yet they rejoiced!

 Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, there’s the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you...and say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven..." 

 Is it that Christians shun public witnessing for fear of being humiliated or disgraced? So some keep their faith to themselves...they follow the cultural norm which say, "Keep your religion inside your church or you'll be humiliate." and so many keep quite. Neighbours and friends lose out. 

 The consequence of failing to share Jesus is a "guilt complex" and the shame of it is carried it in the heart and it affects Christian's joy". 

There's a blessedness that comes from being insulted for Jesus sake and there's a reward which is joy in the Holy Spirit.

 The solution to this spiritual dilemma is death to self. We must die to self in order to rid ourselves from shame of omission. We must recover what is lost. We must take back what the devil has stolen. The light of Christ must once again shine in the darkness and then His light will then shine upon us!

 Chapter 4: v.4

 Joy and Goodwill

 Next to joy, forbearance, or rather: goodwill, fairness. This quality must be obvious and seen by all in everyday life and deeds. Therefore, the church is exhorted to joy and reasonableness and fairness towards fellowmen.

 It simply means we are to get alone in the home, in the church and in the work place. In other words, "work together in harmony and forbearance. Be plight in all your conduct, be respectful and preferring others above ourselves. It leads to happiness and contentment.

 4:v.5 No anxiety! There must be no anxiety or worry about anything. Worry is a joy killer! To care is a virtue, but to arbor cares is sin, for such anxiety is not trust in God, but trusting in oneself which results in mental anguish.

 The cure for anxiety is prayer to God and commitment of our way unto The Lord. "In everything by prayer and supplication (adoration and entreaty) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

 Every single need you have must be brought to God. When you bring those needs to him you must come thanking Him for blessings already received, for His unfailing promises, and for the loving care of the Father who provided in the past who will provide for you in the future.

 Joy and the Holy Spirit

 Finally, be filled with the Holy Spirit! I like the way Rodman Williams express joy in relation to Holy Spirit. He said, 'Wherever the Holy Spirit is received, there is an upsurge of joy. Sometimes the joy is so great as to be almost uncontainable. There's a holy exuberance in The Lord." 

 Its obvious Acts 2, the Day of Pentecost, gave cause for great rejoicing in The Lord. 

 The Holy Spirit filled the 120 followers immediately began to speak the "wonderful works of God." Some mock and said they were drunk thinking, "They had too much wine". However, it was not fruit of the vine but fruit of the Spirit, not an artificial joy that last for the moment but a real joy that sprung up from within their innermost being.

 It didn't matter whether they were received or mocked, honoured or persecuted, living in freedom or thrown in jail they rejoiced in The Lord! 

 Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:11)

 Note that joy comes from Jesus (my joy) and the promise is twofold: the joy is to be "in" the disciples and their joy is to be "full." It's not only a promise of indwelling joy but also a promise of being filled with joy. 

 Looking ahead we can say that the Resurrection was the coming of joy, even great joy, but only at Pentecost and thereafter, did the disciples know the fullness of that joy! Many who have received the gift of the Spirit testify that one of the immediate effects is an intensity of joy. God by the Spirit floods our whole being with joy.

 This joy, regardless of the ups and downs in the life of faith, continues as a wellspring ever bubbling up and overflowing. This joy is the Lord's joy. It's everlasting! No one can take it away from you!

 

Our Motherly Father

Joseph Prince made an interesting observation when he asked the question - "We know Him as Heavenly Father. But are we familiar with His Motherly or maternal ways.

God is both father and mother to us. 

It's a given that children relate to fathers differently than to mothers. Children looks to their mothers for affection and their tender touch. Whereas, they views fathers as defender, builder, hunter,and protecter. 

 

God's paternal qualities show Him as strong and powerful. He is revealed as shield and protecter of His children. 

 

His motherly qualities, on the  other hand, show His tenderness, love and compassion. He's a God who cares for and provides for His children, showering them with blessing. 

 How we view God determines greatly how we approach Him. 

 The word of God tells us "to draw near to him and he will draw near to us..." The maternal nature of God makes Him very approachable.

 

The maternal / motherly qualities of God seen in the beautiful story of baby Moses. 

 Exodus 2:1-10 

"Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months."

It says "the mother looked at the child". It wasn't just a mere look or a natural motherly look. It was an intent look one with with inspect. She looked with eyes of revelation and saw that this child was special and ordained of God. "he was a fine child" 

This is how God looks upon His children. You are not just any child...you are sons and daughter of God. You're not viewed a burden to Him but you're looked upon as one ordain of God, chosen and elected. 

Who gives a child his identity? It the mother. It's the mother who influences the father in how he see his new born son. It's the mother who points out the unique qualities of the child.

It says, "when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months"...she moves quickly and discreetly to provide protection from the threat of Pharoah's intent to kill him. 

When she could no longer hide him any more she builds him a basket of bulrushes and then places her baby in it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. She takes every necessary precaution to preserve her son's life. 

 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 

Look at God's wonderful provision in this story. Look at how God provides for His children and how He looks after you. 

 

Let's keep reading this beautiful story of our God's gracious provision. 

Read verses 5- 8.

Pharaoh's daughter recognized baby Moses aas one of the "Hebrew babies." How did she know that? The baby was circumsized. He is marked as one of God's little children.  

Miriam is then instruct by Pharoah's daughter to return home to get a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. And so she returned with a Hebrew woman who happens to be the mother of the baby. 

 Now get a hold of this: Pharoah's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." 

The mother of this child is now paid from the treasury of Egypt for nursing her own son.

Now. tell me if our God is not a good God...a loving and compassionate God! This baby is now a prince of Egypt..raised with godly values in the palace of Egypt.

What can this mean for us, in such troubling times, when the media snarl and hiss with deadly poison of threats of an  imploding economy, rumblings of a potential wide spread war in the Middle East, at a time when there are Islamic terrorist cells embedded in more than 60 countries around the world, We can know in a deep sense, that we are cared for by our Heavenly Father. 

Psalm 91: 4-7

"He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You wil not fear the terror of night, nor the arror that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, "The Lord is my refuge," and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent, For he will command hs angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands..." 

That God's promise! He's our defender and protector!

 

And He is El-Saddai! He is our Provider! 

The 14th Century English Christian mystic, Dames Julian of Norwich, wrote down her powerful vision of Christ. In her revelations she penned these word:

 "And so I saw that God rejoices that he is our Father, and that God rejoices that He is our Mother...as truly as God is our Father, so truly He is God our Mother. What do you wish to know your Lord's meaning in this way? Know it well, Love was His meaning..."

The maternal love and care of our Father comes through in Isaiah 66: 10-13 

"Rejoice with Jersulem and be glad for her, all who mourn over her, For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance. For this is what the LORD say: 'I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; and you will comfort over Jersulem. (10-13)

Isn't this our need, to be comforted in a troubling world? We need this kind of mothering! "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you, thus says The Lord." 

Manifest Presence of God

A.W. Tozer distingished between the universal presence of God and pantheism. He pointed out that nature and God are not one. God is not the sum total of all created things. Though God dwells in His creation and present in all of His works...He is transcendent above all His works even while He is present within them. God is here. Wherever we are, God is here. There is no place, where He is not. There can be no place where He is not. No one is further from or nearer to God than any other person is.

When Adam sinned he tried to do the impossible. He tried to hide from the presence of God. When David sinned he also intertained the idea of escaping from the presence of God and then considered it an impossibility.

He wrote, "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: If I make my bed in hell, behold you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the most distant parts of the sea; even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me."

If God is present everywhere and if we cannot be where He is not, why then is His presence unrecognized in the world?

The patriach Jacob answered this question after seeing  a vision of God and cried out in wonder, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. That was his problem, and it's ours. Men do not know that God is here.

The presence of God and His Manifest presence are not the same.

There can be one without the other. God is here even when we are completely unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of His presence. He wants us to know when He is near so that we will see and hear Him when He is near. His presence is tangible.

Israel experienced the manifest presence of God "in the pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night." (Ex 13:21) The Ark of the Covenant was the living, breathing manifest presence of God in the midst of the Israelites.

When Moses said to God, "Show me your glory" he was expressing his desire to know Him. Moses was praying, "Father, reveal to me who you are." (Ex. 33:18)

The answered Moses' prayer. First, He instructed Moses to hide himself in the crevice of a rock. Yet, when Moses waited for the glory of to appear, he heard no thunder, saw no lightening, felt no shaking of the earth. Rather, God's manifest presence came to him in a simple revelation. God allowed Moses to see His glory that he might be changed by the sight of it. That His faith and trust in Him might be increased and that he might lean more fully on His arm of strength.

Our need is the same. We, too, need His manifest presence.The more we come to know Him the more we will serve Him, love Him, worship Him, trust Him, read His Word and be filled with Holy Spirit.

 God still reveals His glory to us who love His presence, so that, by seeing, hearing and touching Him, we might be changed into His very image. The Apostle Paul understood the purpose of seeing the manifest presence of God. He saw it as an experience to change the beholder...to revolutionize the life of every follower of Jesus.

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthian 3:18)

There must be a yielding; a giving of ourselves to the Spirit of God, for His work is to show us the Father and the Son. If we co-operate with Him in loving obedience God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal (cultural Christian and a life radiant with the light of His face.