Love is Disarming

Welcome to the radio ministry at Cleveland church in Henderson Margo's to make Christ visible Clearview is a place of genuine worship with ministries for all age groups and all people. For more information, visit us at 3485 Oxford Rd. in Henderson or visit us online@clearviewb.org now join us for this week's message by Pastor Otto in today's message is titled love is disarming. In other words, love allows you to draw up your guard. Have you been around people who always have their guard up.

Have you been around people who you have to be really guarded with you never know what the go say you you never know why they're saying what they're saying you have to be really guarded with people.

What is the common problem with both scenarios, the lack of trust sometimes somewhere words were shared or you know you you told someone something privately or someone found out somewhere where you messed up and now they bring it up, and they constantly throw it in your face and in those situation people put on a shield to put on an armor and the have those gloves on like this. Paul says love is not provoked, and he thinks no evil means. It doesn't do any provoking either what is that mean it means this it creates a safe zone where no one provokes or is being provoked where people actually trust each other and the disarm the drop their weapons and drop their shields and you begin to see the other person for who they really are this morning. First Corinthians chapter 13 webinar series on love if you would stand together starting in verse four love suffers long and is kind love does not envy. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own. If you remember last weekend we learn that love is maturing mature people do not treat others.

People in their life crassly. The not rude to them.

They don't mistreat people and now we come to today's message. Love is not provoked. Love does not think thinks no evil and in the weeks ahead, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and doors all things. Love never fails. And now abide faith, hope and love, these three but the greatest of these is love. The Corinthian church had many problems. I mean just read first Corinthians, and he will realize man, these people could not get along with each other. One of their problems was there nature of provoking and being provoked that was in their culture. The Corinthian culture was known for this we read about in the history books. The ancient writers talked about the cantankerous nature of the Corinthians. Not only were they sexually immoral kind of people, but they also love to jab each other. They love to pick up a fight. Unfortunately, this behavior of the Corinthians, which was outside the church has somehow crept into the church. It was destroying the unity of the body and Paul had to address this in fact in this chapter on love, Paul says it.

Love is not provoked it. Things no evil before we go any further. Here are some questions that we need to answer. Are you a person who is easily provoked, somebody just look at you wrong in your life.

I know why you looking at me are you a person who provokes other people you know exactly how to jab the other person and make them bleed. Are you a person who is provoking someone in your life and I'm talking in the context of your marriage. I'm talking in the context of your family in my counseling sessions is funny sometimes the wife will say something like he is so shallow. He never tells me everything. He doesn't share with me and the husbands are good until you use that against me and now I can. I'm not telling railing.

She does the provoking and he puts on his show. I'm talking in the context of the church I went to church today but I didn't go there to see her cut her eyes at me like that. I'm talking in the context of our neighborhoods. I'm talking in our workplace where you constantly begin to judge people and you think somehow you can get into their skin and know exactly what they're thinking I know what they mean or you know how to press the right buttons, you know what I'm talking about, you know exactly what to say when to say it in the other person go and you go there you go, see I told you I told you have a change of the funds they repress the right buttons and the question I ask every week. Are you saved, do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, wife, because unless you have Christ in your life you are in an unsafe zone, you need Jesus as your Savior and at those moments, you become.

You come into the safe soul this morning.

The question as to all of us are you saved, do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior says begin by looking let's look at the words in the Greek love is not provoked, thinks no evil. Now the word in Greek knife.

You notice why were doing this because it really helps us understand the depth of the word of God. The Greek word is Parag. Soon they tied Parag. Soon they tied it has the idea of a ready for this to irritate somebody.

It also has the idea of two to poke or to jab someone. Love is not provoked, it means to irritate the Pope to jab at someone but but Paul also adds love thinks no evil.

The word think in Greek is look good so my it has several layers of meaning.

One of them is to count or to evaluate like Romans 611 reckon yourself, count yourself, think yourself to be dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus has the idea of to think or to mull over it has the idea to think is like butter turning and it turns and it turns and the charms in which I can go on for an hour turns in charge like some people have a lot of time on their hands a lot of free time in the start mulling over thinking to start creating things that don't even exist. I believe the best fiction writers are not published might be sitting here this morning.

If you just challenge Channel your energy in the right direction, but you think and what you're doing is creating situations that never even happen in some context. It has the idea of to plan or to plot evil to plan or to plot evil that has double meaning it can mean either that you sent around suspecting your neighbor of evil or just sit around you plot evil against your neighbor. Now this is dangerous and we laugh about this.

How many of y'all have been in a situation where someone comes in and says well let me tell you that there is a problem didn't bother doing it sometime during say the spout and they want you to figure it out in the sit like that for a while after a while you go what's wrong, what's wrong, nothing, nothing's wrong. If you knew me you would know what's wrong is a washer don't know what's wrong what is wrong and then they lay out the story to go black you know you and you said, then going where did you get all that from what you did it. I felt it. How can you argue with someone's feelings go I guess. Sure, and what most people doing the situation to back off they go. Well, I guess. In the say something like this. I know I know we we offended you. I know we were hurting your feelings. God's word so deep is an love thinks no evil dog doesn't send their intern and model over stuff until they created this this giant this evil thing either plotting against someone or wondering if someone is plotting against you. There's another meaning to this. It has the idea of giving value or making much off very true and negative sense.

For example, it means to focus on evil what you mean by that. It only focuses on the evil you see in other people. There's nothing going on. Then you only see the negative in them immediately. You find that negative, and you blow it up your exaggerated, but it also has another idea you pay attention only to the evil done to you by others. So what is Paul saying here he is saying. Love is not provoked, it doesn't irritate a dozen poking jab people. Neither does ascend there and think and think and thing until it wonders your provoking me you've done this to me and now I know what you're planning and following our society doesn't struggle with a lot of low self-esteem.

I think got too much self-esteem you think people always everywhere are thinking about us and how they can make our life miserable.

I'm here to break this news to you, you're not that important. I am not that important that the whole world.

Since every morning has a meeting is and how we do this now. Why did Paul bring this up in his discrete description of true love because there was a lot of this behavior going on in the Corinthian church was a lot of poking and jabbing each other that was happening. History tells us this was a common behavior in the Corinthian culture. This is how people act did in Corinth. I want to give you an example, this morning is this a archaeological example and archaeological example that we noticed when we were there and then I came back and check the history books and sure enough Israel.

About a month ago when Nicole and I were in Corinth that we were actually in the place where this letter was first read on the west side of the marketplace. There is a monument known as the baby is monument has nothing to with the baby is just the name of the man who built this monument if you notice in this film that I'm filming in the center that is the monument has a little pinecone looking thing on top was very interesting is the statement on the epi style, which is the. The top section of this monument. Now it wasn't sitting like this.

It was in beautiful columns, Corinthian columns very ornate structure.

If people came in the marketplace. It would immediately seed it was it was pretty tall but through earthquakes and whatever it kind of fell down, but the statement on the monument is still there. Listen to what it says Naess bad BS filing as this was the name of the man who put this monument together. Naess bad BS filing this E dial and Pontifex. I'll explain what that means in just a moment had this monument constructed at his own expense. This is odd for someone to say this, their Lotta monuments all over Greece and Rome and and Israel, but people don't brag like this. Lotta monuments there, but that this is kind of weird for someone to say I did this from my own money, but he doesn't stop there. He goes on and says, and he approved it in his official capacity as a do over. You have to read between the lines to know exactly why this man put up the sign.

What does he mean by this. To start with his name Naess bad BS filing.

This was a slave name is how do you know that the meaning of the names nobody would name the child like that. He was a former slave got his freedom became a freedmen and became an E dial, who's in a dog. He was a city manager if former slave becomes a city manager what a prestigious position, city manager back in those days were in charge of the roads there were in charge of the food supply, law and order Isthmian games.

They were very powerful people, but it was still one step before you could be the top.

The Council apparently and scholars agree on this.

He was a a former slave and he was telling those who were looking down on him.

Guess what now I am a city manager know I would put up a sign like that, he adds another title to his name. Pontifex in a Pontifex means a priest again please.

One do that apparently he was now also the priest of the city of the Isthmian games I can just imagine people saying you know this guy right here. He may be he may be a city manager know he is to be a slave you city manager now but he still not one of us, he'll never be one of us. He was sending a word, a caution to them.

Don't just think I'm a city man.

I'm also your priest. I have spiritual authority over you and then he makes this very strange statement.

He says I had this monument constructed at my own expense, it must be the people started rumors about him.

Very strange that he must have used the city's money so he puts it in marble and puts it for every bike, 2000 years later were still reading is to his insecurity. I made this out of my own hard earned money. He's not done yet because more than likely people are saying he's a city manager and the priest don't like him a lot. Once he gets fired were taken down that monument.

I'm tired of looking at it so he added another statement under it.

It said, and I approve this. Nobody would say that I approve this as the do over. Which is it, chief magistrate, you say, but I think it reading too much and he put it four times throughout the city. Every time he went to the marketplace yet to see the huge monument may, as Bobbio filing this, the city manager and the priest who did this on his own money and he approves it. So don't think about taking it down because I'm the chief magistrate, the Corinthian church culture was a culture that thrived on provoking each other, talking about their past tearing them down easily provoked.

Unfortunately, this same culture was getting into the church. There's a reason why Paul says you know love is not provoked, love thinks no evil. Love does not sit back and wonder what they're saying about me now. There's a similar inscription nearby that we did not get a chance to visit. It is known as the Erastus inscription now this is on the ground. Listen to what it says Erastus in return for his position as E dial lay in the pavement at his own expense again by his name. He was also a former slave. And guess what.

He also rose to the position of city manager and he is also saying the same thing now that I'm a city manager I paid for this from our own money so don't take it down but even think about. I don't know about Fabius.

Nobody knows, but Erastus was actually a Christian. He was actually a member of the Corinthian church is a word you'd you know that Romans chapter 16 verse 23 the book of Romans, Paul wrote while he was in Corinth at the end of his book he says oh by the way, Erastus, the city manager, the treasurer of the city also send you greeting this man was not outside the he was in the church. Can you imagine people in the church were put up a sign like this out of the if any of you ever do that.

I'm taking your name off the role the Corinthian church was not a safe zone. People didn't trust each other. They only saw the evil in others. The only remember the evil others had done to them. You can often hear things like, did you see how she looked at me on this on Sunday afternoon, she said did you see how he didn't shake my I know exactly what she's thinking he wanted his denims on top of her son talk to him or her with him. Whatever you never know you never know the extent to which people are jabbing and poking each other and and wondering if how they can get back.

Unfortunately, this behavior gets into marriages were people do this to each other constantly bringing things up causally talking about the past, constantly using the pressing the right buttons to ask you this morning.

Are you the one who is provoking someone.

Are you the one who knows how to press the right buttons. Here's another question. Are you the one who is being provoked.

Are you the one who is constantly looking for the bad in others, you constantly have your guard up.

So what is the solution let's get to that. To start with. You have to remember how God loves you to deal with this behavior. If I were to end the message here and say okay from here on, go home and do not irritate each other. Do not poke and jab at each other. Stop thinking and stop conjuring up all this mess don't plot evil and don't think people are plotting evil against you.

And don't focus if I just leave it here is not gonna get better soon get worse for this to change, we have to go back into the word of God and see how God loves us and I'm sticking with force Corinthian's because we won that letter to tell us how Paul help them to deal with this behavior. The first thing you have to do is understand your new identity who are you now in Jesus Christ. I want to hear me very carefully. Listen to what Paul says to them in first Corinthians 722 same letter he says for he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's Friedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ slave and a beautiful verse.

If you are a slave in God's eyes. You are free if you are free in God's eyes you are Christ slave stop worrying about what people say about you and start thinking about what Christ has said about you in a while we get so irritated. Why we get so angry because we think our self-worth is based on what people say about us as were many of us are so depressed, so discouraged, so angry, so frustrated because I cannot believe you don't know who I am. You know what I've done. No one treats me like this, but you Paul says if you are slave in Christ you're free if you're free in Christ are slave get your identity through Jesus Christ both. I can preach this all day. You know who wants to who needs to hear this message.

The most I do I do because if I'm deriving my identity based on what Nicole says or what someone says or what my children say about me and listen. No wonder I will wear my feelings on my sleeve. If they look at me wrong of this. Say one thing wrong to me. I will explode.

What matters is what God says about me and how should you love others. Again, the same chapter, same passage, Paul goes on to say you were bought at a price do not become slaves of man folks there.

Is there different kinds of slavery's there is a kind of slavery, where people actually put you in chains, then there is what is known as mental slavery.

Many of us are mentally enslaved to someone what it really means is stop giving into the opinion of others what they say about you what they think about you specially if you have a lot of free time. Guard your mind and this goes to people who spent a lot of free time by themselves but we could drive a lot if your home a lot by yourself. You gonna start thinking things and create fiction that doesn't exist and then you gonna fight an imaginary demon like Don Quixote you got even a fight someone that doesn't exist.

Love is not provoked. Many times we are work but we feel provoked but nothing has happened. No one has done anything to you but I know exactly what they're thinking are you God not only guard your mind. Hey listen, not everything else that with me. Not everything that comes to your mind needs to be acted upon. Many times walk away and think. Is it me learn to be vulnerable what is vulnerable me, it means know that you have faults when you think you are perfect. That's when people when they point finger even if they look at you wrong you think, oh, you're messing with perfection.

Now, but if you go in and tell the world I'm not perfect is very hard to irritate somebody who says what you write is very hard to irritate someone and say hey I remember when he messed up and you say yeah exactly. I know I think about it often admit that you have you have weaknesses. Some of us are so perfect that we won't even admit where all yard really burned me. That really hurt me. Yes, I'm still struggling with that. Here's the last one enforcement is 1131 Paul says judge your self.

Judge yourself and you will not be judged. Powerful verse and what that means. It means this examine your heart because every time someone looks at you and says you know you're progressing the right buttons, you come back and say no I'm not.

I do anything to you, but deep in your heart.

There is sin there is one person who sees every heart who is it Paul says to the Corinthians judge yourself and you will not be judged. I think about Erastus you got saved. Why did he take that sign down. I'm in a question bothered me is like to give you a part of the Corinthian church.

Why would you have signed in town that says he did this for my own money better not take it down when you are a Christian you don't act like that in a why did he take it down. This is just my imagination. This is creative thinking okay that's all it is. I can imagine one day Paul and Erastus walking to the marketplace and the come to that sign on the ground and Erastus, says Paul, do you see that sign in Paul kind of swallows and goes yeah I see that side is absent before all you know that's that's up with that Jacob figured that Paul another ticket, I'm not gonna take down that sign. We are why would you take it down.

Erastus because it reminds me where God has brought me from again this is just my imagination, so don't look in the Bible to find the story it reminds me Paul that God has chosen the foolish, the weed, the base things of the world. That's who I am, Paul. That's where God found me bragging about myself and Paul.

The reason I would leave it there is because I'm in a walk on it every day to remind myself that let him who glories glories in the Lord folks God would not have allowed Erastus's name to enter his word if he wasn't a changed man. The closer you draw to Jesus Christ, it changes the way you think about yourself. It changes the way you see people. The Holy Spirit changes your heart if there is no change and never has been a change need to get saved. Maybe this morning. God is convicting your hearts.

Maybe God is telling you you're the person stop pressing those buttons or God is telling you stop wearing your feelings over your screen. Stop thinking everyone is against you. It's time to find your identity in Christ.

It is time to guard your mind not expect other people to send to you. You pout and you you pitch a fit until people bend to you and then do what you want and then you sleep well at night thinking all yes conflict resolved, that you created the conflict become vulnerable, judge yourself constantly. Is there sin in my heart.Emma and my am I the one and you won't be judged. Thank you so much for joining us today. I hope you will remember this message that true love is disarming. When people see that in your life. They know they can put their guard down.

For more information visit us online@clearviewb.org and for today's sermon notes visit my blog site@avedonshaw.com