Love is Calming

Welcome to the radio ministry ethically returns in Henderson. Margo 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 or visit us online at Clearview B. See.org now join us for this week's message by Pastor Otto so as Valentine's Day is approaching were looking at what the Bible has to say about love and the message is called love is calming again.

Please don't misunderstand the Sears is not just about marital love your romantic love is love in general love in our lives.

Love towards our family members. People we work with people in the church family is coming from first Corinthians chapter 13 if you have your Bibles. You can turn their 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. Would you agree that kids have a way of saying things that on one hand makes us laugh, but they also make us think sometime back. People asked these little kids googled little kids what they thought about love is been floating on the Internet for years, but listen to some of those answers.

An eight-year-old said, I think you're supposed to get shot with an arrow or something.

But the rest of it isn't supposed to be so painful a six-year-old girl said love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs, an eight-year-old girl said love is when you kiss all the time. The many get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss. I was girls kept on thinking that what you know for a long time. Then of undergrowth after well here's the last one. My favorite one is to set the tone for the message coming and I will quote it again later on an eight-year-old girl said during my piano recital. I was on his stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling at me.

He was the only one doing that and I wasn't scared anymore. Love is calming in the message today with not only learn why we've said that love is calming but how to show that kind of love. But before we do that if you remember from last week. The context Corinth was the place to be in the ancient world. Paul wrote the letter to the Corinthians. Corinth, if you remember, was sitting on the cross roads of between the North and the South East and the West.

If you notice there is Corinth that were on the left-hand side of the screen and this was on and estimates of remember that what I gave you last week. Isthmus is like a tiny auric is a tract of land connecting to larger tracts of land. It was connecting the mainland Greece with the Peloponnese and people from all over the world would come through Corinth, some to make their life some to do business, some to attend the Isthmian games.

There were some games you're just like the Olympic Games, the apostle Paul chose to go to Corinth on one of his missionary trips because that's where the lost people were and Paul went to Corinth and for 18 months. He preached the truth and he made tense.

He did that because that's where he met people who were coming to town looking for a place to stay in the Corinthian church was born, Paul moved on to other places but he began to hear that the Corinthian church was having problems and he wrote the letter we just read from first Corinthians 13 he wrote this letter to not only help them deal with their problems but to deal with a deeper problem.

The deeper problem was the love problem.

Do you agree that the root of all our problems is a misunderstanding of love is a lack of love honestly take some time to sit back it maybe relationship it may be people in your life. People in your family. People in the church in the community and on it at the root of all, if it is a love problem either. We don't know how to love or didn't understand love you understand what true love is really about is OER love my children I love my wife. I love my husband I love my friend.

I love my church. You truly understand what love is. When people around you say that you are truly a loving person is a very convicting question because many of us will probably say now they probably think I'm selfish, self-centered, egotistical, and the question I ask every week.

Are you saved, do you know Jesus as your Savior.

That's very important because if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior.

You do not have the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is the one who orders the love of God into your heart is at all what I know a lot of people who do not know Jesus Christ don't have the Holy Spirit with their loving you can tell me they don't listen our love will always be selfish, self-centered, partial and complete is when you receive Christ as your Savior. The Holy Spirit was in the third person of the Godhead portion of God's love into our hearts and then our love takes on a God kind of love, you begin to love people who are unlovable, you begin to love people who disagree with you. You even love people who may try to hurt you.

The question this morning is are you saved, do you know Christ as your Savior. That is the heart of the Christian message today were going to look at just the first line. Love suffers long and is kind before we jump and we start analyzing what is the Greek word for suffers longer. What is the Greek word for client.

We need to step back and try to understand how words get there meanings many times people misunderstand what biblical words mean. Let me give you a statement. I want you to remember it's on the blog site and I hope will stay with you words. Words have inherent meaning only to a certain extent they get their true and full meaning from their context. This is what it means words have only a certain amount of meaning on their own, but the real meaning, the true and the former meaning comes in how you use them in their context to give you several examples. Here's a simple example, silly example. Think about the word hotdog right was a word hotdog may not always confused about that.

But if you go somewhere. There never heard of a hard-nosed and be like, what a hot canine will be know what hotdog is. Here's another interesting example. Think about the word oversight.

She had the oversight of that project. What is that mean it's positive, it means that she is in charge of that project. But if I were to say something like, I'm sorry. It was my oversight was that mean is negative, it means I was supposed to be watching over this but somehow this slip by me. I'm sorry context helps you understand how it's being used.

Even extreme example did you know that the word set SCT set in the Oxford English dictionary has 464 meaning I didn't know that before can imagine 464 meanings that maybe some of them. The stage is set. I did a set of exercises this morning.

We had a setback sent down over there I say what he is said in his ways. Like most of your set is without the breach to you your your remit of your mind. You said in your ways or other get set go you see the word said gets its meaning from its context. Let me give you cultural example. Think about the word smart and I'm setting this up because the rest of the series. I'm gonna go over the stuff you will know immediately okay, words have no meaning so the new word for love.

This is what it should mean from the Bible. Think about the word smart. The cultural example where I grew up. When you say someone this morning what it means. It means there intelligent or she is intelligent when we came to North Carolina.

We often heard people say to our kids not be smart horns that do you think the look dumb, but it's a cultural expression for the mean Bobby smart have behind a good listen to your mom and daddy don't act up. It depends on the culture how the word is being used so I want you to remember this very important words have some meaning on their own. For example, the word give will never be the word watch give is give you give somebody something watches you know propels time but they get their true and full meaning by how they are used in their context.

And here's another very important point. This is where a message comes in biblical words, Bible words also have some meaning on their own, but they get their true and full meaning from the biblical context. Listen again to what Paul said to the Corinthians.

Love suffers long and is kind to understand what suffers long and kind really mean we have to go to how it was used in the Bible. The Greek word for suffers long is a long word which is marked grow whom you honor didn't come this morning to learn Greek either. I know that to Mark, with whom you comes from two Greek words, my cross means long and Fumio or Thomas means wrath when we say love suffers long in the Greek it's really love has long wrath.

Have you heard of somebody having a short fuse was that mean you're talking this they wound their upset and angry go whatever you begin to back up because they have a short fuse. Someone has a long fuse means they don't get angry easily. On the other say well okay we get it. Love suffers long means love has a long fuse. Love takes a long time to get full of wrath, but there's more to it. When the Jewish people were translating the Old Testament into Greek. In the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic. The Jewish people were translating into Greek because that was their language didn't know Hebrew.

They had been away from Israel. So long they needed to know Greek because Greek was their language. Did you know that every time the word patients are most every time the word patient is used in the Old Testament, they use the word mark wrote meal long wrath.

Let me give it to examples in Proverbs 19 verse 11 the discretion of a man makes him. Mark wrote to me in, slow to anger and his glory is to overlook a transgression. What is that mean means a wise man does not get angry quickly. He has a long fuse. He has a long wrath and he is willing to overlook someone's fault. There's another use of Mark, with whom you Proverbs 2515 by long forbearance microtubule same word is used by long forbearance a ruler is persuaded and it gentle tone breaks the bone mean it means this if you want something done by a ruler, an important person wait patiently on their until they make up their minds and they get to where you want them to be.

It has no idea of anger. It is simply about waiting on people until they get to where they need to be when it says love suffers long. Yes, it is about anger but is much more is about waiting on a person is like a father waiting on a job like imagine this when you see a little baby and toddler beginning to walk and get on your hands and knees and Eagle come on baby, come all this way, and the little toddler it'll goes back and forth in the pubs.honey if you're saying my fuse is about to blow here know you're like, that's okay, let's try again. Mark, with whom you are waiting patiently for them to learn.

The point is this Mark with Fumio is not just about anger besides waiting patiently for someone to get to where they need to be. This is especially true in how God relates with us. Listen to Exodus chapter 34 verse six very important verse, and the Lord passed before Moses and the Lord said he is declaring his name, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering Mark with Fumio abounding in goodness and truth. Now you need to know the context in which God said those words were the context you know when God called Moses on Mount Sinai to give them the commandments as God was upon the mountain with Moses. What are the people do down below were the do their worshiping a golden calf. God was angry with them and in his anger he destroyed 3000 people die if I were God, I would've destroyed them all. How could they do this you rescued them from Egypt you're taking them to the promised land in their already worshiping a false idol first commandment is against what did God do. He called Moses a second time, is that come up on the mountain again. I am going to read give the commandments to you and Moses came on the mountain. That's when God said the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, you know what God was saying, I am a God who will wait patiently for my people until they get to where they need to be listened to this verse Proverbs 103 verse eight, the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us and wanted me to strive God will not always fight with us, nor will he keep his anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities means God is a God of wrath.

Yes, but he does not get up every day and said how can I be a mom. How can I destroyed my people is a God who is loving. He is a God who is kind. He is a God who is like a father saying to his child. Her mother saying to his children. Your children come on you can do this when we say love suffers long.

We need to understand how God loves us is not suffering is a misunderstanding.

It is waiting patiently with the best intentions for the other person.

By the way, this is the same idea found in the New Testament, remember when Peter asked Jesus how many times should I forgive my brother Peter said seven times. Jesus said 70×7 means infinitely and then Jesus given illustration. He's talked about this servant who owed a lot of money to his king when it came time to pay the servant begged the king and said half patients have Mark, with whom he owned me and I will give you everything in the king had patience and had forgiveness and he said okay fine I will write off your massive debt you're free to go in that servant went out, and he found a fellow servant who owed just a fraction of that money and he grabbed him by his collar and said pay up and he said please have Mark with Fumio on me. Please have patience on me and the servant said absolutely not and he threw them into the jail when the king heard about it. He said bring him back and he brought them back and he said how dare you, I forgave you so much and he owned you so little, and yet you threw them into the prison, and he had them delivered to the torturers listen to what Jesus said at the end of that he said saw my heavenly father also will do to you if each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother, his trespasses, here's the point. If you are unwilling to wait patiently on others the way God waits patiently on you. God will no longer wait patiently on God loves you with his utmost patience you want to do the same. If you don't you will face the wrath of God. Listen to second Peter chapter 3 verse nine the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Now here's the here's the point. The word Mark with Fumio tells us not to be angry but wait patiently for others. Just the way God does not destroy us. In his anger but he waits patiently for us. God is a God of wrath. God hates sin.

How many of you would agree this morning of God were to treat us the way we live all of us would be consumed.

Why doesn't he do that, why doesn't he shove the oxygen on the eighth using the agnostic and all the bad people in the world why because he waits patiently. He says I want any of you to perish.

I want all of you to come to me.

So when Paul says love suffers long. What he's saying is don't give up. Don't give up on people. If that isn't enough, the second word that he uses we don't have time to go in detail, is the word Chris, do you mind which means he shows kindness, love suffers long and is kind. By the way, is not is kind should be shows kindness which means it's it's about not standing the going. I wish they would hurry up and get to where the need to be. I wish they would change this more about imagine this honey can remember helping a little boy or girl learn how to ride a bike. I remember chalking away an entire afternoon slack. Nothing else do we gotta chase them around and I would hold him and then I was hang onto the bike armor when my daughters got so angry with me because I let her go with Mexico. She flops down in the bushes. She scraped all data you address it. What I thought you were going. Paul says love waits patiently and shows kindness even when the other person at that moment can understand.

By the way, the word for kindness is connected to another word, Chris dollars in Matthew 18, where Jesus said this, he said come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest within. Listen to what he says.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find same word rest for your souls.

Whether listen to what he says.

For my yoke is easy, it's what the word is the same word that we use here crest stars means my yoke is kind.

My yoke is mild. My yoke is pleasant. My yoke is easy and my burden is light, God could burn us in his anger, but instead he waits patiently, but he doesn't stand there and go. I hope they get it becomes to us and says let me help you get to where you need to be. I can imagine when Paul heard about the divisions the division in the Corinthian church, the division and the marriage is the division in the community. I believe his heart was broken. How could those who are filled with the love of God act this way towards each other non-Christians.

I have to be careful when I say this you have agree with me. Sometimes Christians can be very mean. Sometimes Christians can be very judgmental. Sometimes Christians can be very harsh. Everything that were doing God a service we think that we are being like God. When God says I am this I can imagine Paul thinking how could those whose sins have been forgiven by Christ hold grudges against each other, how can they be so impatient and unkind towards each other when God has been so patient and so kind towards them. Lotta craziness is happening in our world today. As you know, specially America. We need to stand firm in what we believe, that doesn't need to be compromised to listen this because God is patient and kind does not mean he overlooks sin agree. Sin is sin right is right and wrong is wrong in our nation. Hey listen at this point in history.

I believe every Christian should live by this book and stand firm on biblical convictions.

Having said that let no one walk away from a Christian or a Christian on Facebook and say man that person is a love love waits patiently and shows kindness to go back to what that little girl said during my piano recital.

I was on the stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and I saw my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that I wasn't scared anymore. You know what happened a sense of calmness came over her. We bring patience and kindness together.

Calmness comes even if people don't agree with you, and they know that you don't agree with them. There should be a sense of calmness, knowing that you love them. How do people feel around you to the field judge do they feel stressed.

They feel misunderstood or they feel like giving up. I think about the disciples they were in the boat on the Sea of Galilee in the storm was raging happened that when the Jesus was asleep and said do you not care that we are perishing. What did Jesus do that moment he stood up and he calmed the sea while you do that because he loved the disciples he was not to let them drown and then he turned to them is that why you not have faith. Not tolerate that the lack of belief, but he still brought a sense of calm, extensive peace into their life. Love suffers long and is kind to this is how Jesus loves us. He waits patiently for us. He shows kindness towards us. You know it's a three step process. First you have to receive God's love into your heart. The love that waits patiently the love that holds back on anger the love that shows kindness and then you have to love yourself. That same way, is a love Marsala love Marcella our live for others. If you don't love yourself properly, you cannot love other people. Is it where did you get that love your neighbor as yourself as you love yourself.

That's how you love your neighbors that it has to project to those around you and people around you should feel that sense of calmness is the most important part. If you walk out of here and say from this point on this one upcoming okay all right I can do this anybody call. I can promise you. By the time you get to the traffic light. You will blow your top you will you let someone have it. It is the Holy Spirit who does that for you. You know what the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, love suffers long and is love is patient and love is kind.

Thank you so much for joining us today and remember when you love somebody you bring a sense of peace and calm into their lives. The question today is has Jesus Christ brought that column into your life. If not turned to him today for more information visit us online at Clearview B. See.org and for today's sermon notes my blog site@avedonshaw.com