Love is Cheering

Welcome to the radio ministry of clear future and hinders our goal is 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 for visit us online@clearviewbc.org now join us for this week's message by Pastor items. As you know, our series is called love is the greatest. This morning we come to the heard message in the series. It is from first Corinthians 13 and if you have your Bibles turn there you can follow along on the screen I'm reading. Starting in verse four. Love suffers long and is kind love does not envy, does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. And in verse 13 and now abide faith, hope, love, these three but the greatest of these is love. I came to America when I was 17 years old, very young and I remember going to my first ballgame at the college. I was at the had a basketball game and I went to this game.

I would basketball was but I was not prepared for what I was about to see.

I was sitting in the bleachers and as the game was starting I saw these people come by the bleachers look like students but they were dressed in an in kind of same attire and there were jumping up and down doing flips and turns and climbing on top of each other and hoeing blackbirds and and and stomping their feet and telling us to cheer.

I've never seen in my life and had all kinds of slogans going in and and I asked the guy next to me is that I know basketball. But how do these people fit in the game, you know was talking about is that all you talk about those cheerleaders who are the cheering during the game. The cheering the players there looking at us is that I know he's a there trying to get us to cheer along with them and help them when this was a new concept for me at Isaiah's demise. It doesn't ever work that he was getting a little frustrated with me.

Is that well I guess what if the stop is it what they play better when you cheer them. Would you agree with me that people in our life also play better when you cheer them love once people become in contact with. When you cheer them instead of envying them, they do better.

They improve in the process. You also get joy once again. Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians, because they were going through some problem lot of selfishness and self-centered behavior had come into the body level worldly behaviors were taking place in the church family and Paul wrote the letter and he did not begin by saying don't be selfish or don't be self-centered or you need to get along.

Instead, Paul told them love each other the way God has loved you at the root of all their problems was the love problem was the failure to love each other the way God has loved him last week and we learned that love is coming. There is no verse in the Bible that says love is calming. But when you wait patiently on people when you show kindness to people. It brings a sense of call in their life this morning to go one step further. Love does not envy.

How do you show that when you stop resenting people for their success and you begin to cheer them. There is no verse in the Bible that says love is cheering but when you stop envying people in and start cheering them, applauding them praying for them.

That's when you begin to love them before we get into the message is go back for a second.

Would you agree that the root of a lot of problems that are facing in our homes and our marriages in our church family, community at the root of all these problems is the problem of love. Would you agree with that. Would you agree that many of the problems we are facing is because we don't know how to love others is not just a blanket statement. Love others, but Paul says let me explain to you what that looks like if love is the greatest. Are you a loving person. Are you truly a loving person now abide faith, hope and love, these three but the greatest is love and I have to ask myself the question, as I've been preparing these messages I'm asked that question, do I truly love the people that God has given me to shepherd or do I just pat him on the back and shake hands.

Good to see you glad you're here praying for you. Hang in there patent. Let's catch up this am I actually saying them because I love them was a just a job is another question I ask every week.

Are you saved.

What is it mean to be safe it means. Have you ever accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior. Why is that important because unless you accept Jesus as your Savior. You do not have the Holy Spirit in your life is a job of the Holy Spirit to pour the love of God into your hearts this morning as we walked to this message. It's about love and hopefully you'll have a better understanding of love, but I pray that if you've never made Christ, your Savior you'll do that made Jesus the savior of your life. That's where life begins is go to the message.

What did Paul mean when he wrote love does not envy if you remember from last week.

I give you long statement is a very important statement. Words words have inherent meaning only to a certain extent they get their true and full meaning from their context. Long statement but is a very important statement was that me let me give you some examples, think about the word oversight.

If I were to say she has the oversight of the project was a me it means she is in charge of that project but not if I were to say something like well I'm sorry that was my oversight was that me means I was supposed to watch, but somehow it slipped by me. I missed what meaning is positive.

Another meaning is negative. But how do you know which one is positive, in which was negative. The context so also with biblical words. How do you know what they really mean you have to look at them in their biblical context, looking into those words, Paul says love does not envy the Greek word for envy is a Luo. It literally means to burn or to boil while I use the board. I'm tired of your falling asleep on me. The work say Luo means burn or board it can have a positive meaning ended negative meaning positively.

It has the idea of deeply desiring something. He is burning with passion. He is eagerly striving for something this positive. Paul uses that in first Corinthians chapter 12 verse 31 he says earnestly desire the best gifts means burn in your desire for the best. Get some if you pray for that. God give me the best gift that I can serve the church but the same word burn or boiled also has a negative meaning it means jealousy or envy, as some people think jealousy is envy and envy is jealousy just two ways to say the same thing. Not true what is jealousy is when I have something that I am not going to share, not share. For example, if I were to say something like you such a jealous guy was at me. He's the possessive is the possessive over his girlfriend.

He is so possessive over his car he so possessive over something he is so jealous is that a negative word or positive word negative. I'm jealous. Negative. When you apply this word to God it becomes positive. Listen to what God said in Exodus 20. In verse four he is talking to the children of Israel. He said you shall not make for yourselves a carved image, you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I the Lord your God am a jealous God. Did you know that one of God's names is also jealous. I would be no God Rafael God said that newer God shalom that you know that one is God jealous listen to Exodus 34 verse 14 for you shall worship no other God for the Lord, whose name is jealous is a jealous God meticulous step further. The Hebrew word this is the Greek word which means burn or boil's a Luo.

The Hebrew word for the same words jealousy and envy is can it what cannot means intensely hot seat once again, both Greek and Hebrew have the same idea that when we talk about passion would be talk about jealousy and envy were talking about burning or boiling or intensely hot about something positive or negative.

Let's go back to jealousy.

For a moment, God becomes intensely hot when we give his honor to someone else is a wolf. God is a jealous God, he will share with God will share everything with you that you know that God shares his love with you.

God shares his power with you.

God shares his authority with you.

Did you know that God even shares his glory with you you so I don't know about that Gloria McGough glory belongs to God, I do not read in Isaiah 42 verse eight God says I am the Lord, and my glory. I would not give to another O God doesn't share his glory but you keep reading that verse nor my praise to carved images when God says I will not share my glory. He is not talking to us. He is talking to falls, idols, folks, God would even share his glory with us. Listen to what Paul says in Romans chapter 8 and verse 16 the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and of children, then heirs was an air air is a descendent who receives the inheritance. If we are children than we are heirs.

Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together and got amazing. He says I'll give you everything I have. I'll give you my love, my power my authority my nature. Even my glory. Did you know that God even shares his throne with you.

Yes he does. Have you ever read Ephesians chapter 2 what Paul says, he said God raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We have a God who is so loving, he is so gracious when he adopts you as his children.

He doesn't say this much and no more now but asked for anything more.

He says everything is yours.

All that I am is now yours but he's a jealous God. The only thing God will not share with you with anyone is your loyalty to him. Let us move on about the word envy. What is that mean there's a difference. John Piper give a definition that I could not find anywhere else. I want to give him the credit for that. He said envy is desire mingled with resentment envy is desire for something someone has, but because you cannot obtain it. You begin to resent that person.

Let me clarify. You can like someone's dress talking to the ladies right now, not the men you can like someone's dress that's not envy you can desire someone's success and that's not envy you can model yourself after somebody and that is not envy you know a man so and so is a six hour be like them. I want to learn principles and apply them. I want to become like that is not envy, envy is not admiration envy goes a step further.

I like what you have, because I think I can never be like you and have what you have now. I hate you now start rumors about you. Now I am going to question your motives and if opportunity arises. Might even stab you in the back.

God is jealous over us, but he never gets envious of us.

There is nothing in you, you or me that God says I wish I had that when you study other religions and mythologies is always God wanting something God coming down to have sex God comes God's come down to get people to fight for them.

God's coming down to to attack other gods and use humans.

The living true God we worship father-son spirit. Three. And yet one he doesn't desire anything from us. You know why because envy is a creature problem. He is the creator Lucifer got in trouble. Why because he envied God he said how come he gets all the praise and all the worship I want some of that I do all the work. It was the cause of the first sin, Eve envied God because of his knowledge. I want that knowledge. I want my eyes to be open just like him.

How come he gets to keep his eyes open. Envy was the cause of the first murder, Cain killed his brother because he envied his offering down through the ages brothers have envied each other. Ishmael envied Isaac. Esau envied Jacob Joseph was envied by his brothers. David was envied by his brothers.

Did you know that even Jesus was envied by his brothers, even sometimes, they came to him and said want to come home. I don't know what he's up to his over there, getting all the limelight.

He wants people to look at them on a summary all things must be a man. Problem is, all the examples I gave our man sisters have envied each other in the Old Testament. Rachel envied Leah because she kept having children in the New Testament who was sitting at the feet of Jesus, Mary, and what did Sr. Martha do. She came on just how come she guesses it over there I get the slave in their make on the biscuits and she was envious of him.

Mary, all of us at some point have been bid by that green eyed monster in front of yours has a boyfriend or girlfriend and you don't you wish you had someone like them in your life that's okay but when you begin to talk bad about that person you been bit you want to play sports.

And then there is that kid who is always athletic and he is he is good or she is good at everything she does is okay to admire the talent but when you begin to badmouth them envy has come in, you have children who are average or sick or did they just don't seem to be to get it going and then you see that family commander always happy and shiny, and there seems like the kids are always on top and instead of saying we are, what I'm happy for them. Something inside you says, but you never know what's happening behind closed I can go on and on. The big one is the looks. Why do I have a weight problem. Will I will have a high problem. I like my nose my chin my eyes. The list is endless. We feel God is not fair. Why would he bless them and not me. And then we begin to secretly wait for them to fall to desire those things is not wrong, it becomes envy. When you begin to malign them again. I give your reality check. There is life between Facebook posts, you know, we see someone's face because they're so happy there. So having fun at the picture you even got a beach ball you think it is so wonderful. Look at them look at us like a hero look at my wife wish you look like so-and-so should always put together. You don't know what she looks like when she wakes up in the morning, but I don't care you're going by the Facebook post how beautiful how lucky they are is a good statement there is life between posts, folks don't think that this doesn't happen in ministry.

It happens more in the ministry. Then in any other field.

How do I know that because I have been both the perpetrator and the victim of that crime perpetrator. Oh yeah several years ago Nicole and I went to the Southern Baptist convention is a time when you go and you listen to great messages you do some business meetings and you buy some books I'd see any come home and bring all the stuff to your church so we went and they had all those things and they have some the best speakers in the country stand up and they preach the word and and this young man came up you little than I was and he got up there and he did an amazing job. I mean he was poised. He had the great church he he mix positive the word of God. It was touching it was moving. Everybody applauded. We stood up.

I clapped and as I'm walking out of the convention hall.

Five words I don't know where they came from, but somehow that entered my mind why him and not me.

You know I got brushed it off into the book sales. We did some sightseeing on the way back my whole demeanor changed in the cold. Okay, I can get by anything with her. She said what's wrong, nothing is wrong is all you something is wrong.

You're not yourself as I'm just tired we been trying for 1112 our folks. You can live that life for a long time things wrong.

I'm just tired of driving is been a long day and it took me several weeks until one morning I was having my devotional time and God said, you know where it all started when the part came to your mind.

Why him and not me and you did not handle it. You did not take care of you did not say it doesn't matter what God is doing in his life.

I am grateful for what he has given to me and I pray that God will keep blessing him. I did not handle it and I was bit by the green eyed monster. I have been a victim of this crime several years ago I was elected to be the moderator of our association. I was only 31 years old and to be elected to be a moderator. That's a big thing and it was a big meeting and it was unanimous 31-year-old guys standing up there, you know, I recall meeting to I had the whole Roberts rules of order memorized him and I was on top of things and I'm picking up my folder and the gave me the gavel right this is your gavel for the next year or two years.

Whatever you I'm about to step off the pulpit and the pastor and the Association comes to me to see you happy for you gavel okay and he raps on the pulpit were to do that I know of you laughing is a you know – we first but turned it down. As I got time for stuff like this. What you say was you got a lot of time for frivolous stuff. I went from cloud nine cloud zero listen to what Socrates said 25 2600 years ago.

He said any of the is the daughter of pride, the author of murder and revenge.

The begetter of secret sedition. The perpetual tormentor of virtue, envy is the filthy slime of the soul, a venom, a poison, a quicksilver which consumes the flesh and dries up the bones, the true hope for envy is to understand how God loves us.

Do you want to be set free. Learn to love the way God loves us. How does he love. He loves us.

Without envy God DC why did all this God is jealous of us but he is never, never, never envious of us got doesn't get up in the morning is that she looks kinda happy. I want to destroy her day. God is always rejoicing for us.

He's excited first.

He wants the best for us not only same does what he do he gave us the Holy Spirit was the Holy Spirit dude. He lives in us and he encourages us he makes the life of Jesus really knows.

And where is Jesus. He is sitting at the right hand of the father and what is he doing he's cheering us. He is praying for us. How do you deal with envy. When you begin to love others the way God loves us without envy. Can I can I get a little bit more personal folks. Not everything is about your Facebook post. Somewhere you have to say it's not about me. It is about others and how should you love them. It begins when you cheer others in their success. It's when you rejoice when you see their posts and when you see their children happy. Instead, rejoice and say I'm so happy for you. I'm really excited for you children unit of a cellulose picture but is beautiful your good family got it made.

I can find criers any day. I need some encouragers I need people to say product. By the way, I'll close with this if you are the one who is being envied don't get proud. One way God deals with envy is that he crucified is the one being envied. Kane hated able who got crucified, who died able to hide Ishmael had a problem with Isaac who went up on Mount Moriah, who was taken to be sacrificed, not Ishmael, Isaac.

Esau had a problem with Jacob who kept running all his life, who said to Pharaoh my life has been full of troubles, not Esau, Jacob, James envied Jesus, who got crucified Jesus did, but keep in mind our trials in our sufferings are not always for us.

Sometimes it is for someone else who is struggling with your success. God says you know what, I love you and you know I'm you know I got you, but I want you to come down here now. How do you like oh I don't like. I want that problem. I one that Cigna's are one of those troubles in my life are good. Keep your eyes on me, not on them. Some of you have gone to pain-and-suffering and you said what is happening to me.

Some of our trials are not for us there for someone else was struggling with envy. Thank you so much for joining us today. Remember God is cheering us through his Holy Spirit in us and through Jesus Christ at the right hand of the father, encouraging us in praying for us. Now, how about doing the same for others in your life. For more information visit us online@clearviewb.org and for today's sermon notes my blog site@avedonshaw.com