Shades & Colors of Love | Acts of Service (2/25/24)
Shades & Colors of Love—Acts of Service
By Rev. Nicholas Sybrowsky
Heb. (נּט רּקהץ מּןביםךשד דּטנרם'דלט)
Gk. (Βψ Ρεω. Νιξηολασ Σψβροωσκψ)
Opening Word & Reading for Worship:
If we learn to love God, we will inevitably love our neighbor but watch out for pride.
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only [we] would hear his voice," ~Psalm 95:6, 7 (NIV)
Acts of Service
1. Service is an act of love.
Remember the argument among the disciples about who the ‘greatest will be’
(Mk 9:33)?
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
[Luke 10:25-37] And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' 26 He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. 28 "And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live. 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him." 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 "Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 "He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise." ~Luke 10:25-37 (ESV)
What more do we hear
Jesus teach regarding service as an act of love?
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." ~ Matthew 5:43-48 (ESV)
Furthermore, scripture according to Matthew, Jesus' response to the "greatest commandment" question?
"And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ~Matthew 22:39 (ESV)
We can see synoptic witness in the "greatest commandment" question from Mark's POV too:
"And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
~Mark 12:33 (ESV)
Doing things your God would like you to do. Who is your God?
"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." ~Matthew 5:23-24 KJV
(Lk 12:57-59) is great synoptic cross reference of the same teaching here in Mt. 5:Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' [KJV renders this 'Raca'] will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny." ~Mat 5:21-26 ESV
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. ~Matthew 5:9 (MEV)
2. The Promises of God Empower Service.
"In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
~Acts 20:35 ESV
In context of this storyline we join Paul and other disciples on his 3rd missionary journey throughout Asia between Acts 18:23--21:16 as he bids farewell to the Ephesian's before the returning to Jerusalem for Pentecost observance (Which number of observance, 2, 3?).
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| Used by Permission Jesus Walk |
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| Used by permission Jesus Walk |
"If I give all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing." ~1Co. 13:3 MEV
"If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD--and he will repay you!" ~(Pro 19:17 NLT)
When we put our trust in the Lord we build our faith muscles competing in the spiritual race(1Co. 9:24-25) and we wait for payment in the spirit, the crown of eternal life. ("Prize" BLB).
"Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life." ~ Rev 2:10 NLT ("Crown" BLB)
It seems appropriate to seek the heavenly prize as motivation to love others. It's not about us and our glory if we apply what Paul is teaching. We glorify our God, our Father, The Creator. He lives in us & walks in us.
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!" ~Mat 10:8 NLT
If I don't share that which has helped me be delivered and be honest about my past darkness then I will only be benefiting from the deliverance. We are called to GIVE! Sometimes people need to hear just how dark it was to understand just how great His deliverance is. "Now I understand why you're rejoicing."
3. In Service Avoid becoming blinded by Pride.
Let's be very careful to be purified by the Holy Fire of God. Sustain repentance (change & transformation) so as to avoid the error as seen in Rev. 2:19 Thyatira church. Parading around, puffed up about our "prize" that awaits us. Be very careful in this. Our actions can quickly demolish progress in the race. Knowing your audience important. Pride will rear it's ugly head.
The Church in Thyatira
{Again reading for the sake of context.}
Rev 2:18""And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 'The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze."19""'I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first."20"But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols."21"I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality."22"Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,"23"and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works."24 "But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden."25"Only hold fast what you have until I come."26"The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,"27"and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father."28"And I will give him the morning star." 29 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" ~Revelation 2:19-29 ESV
The Pharisee & the Publican
Luke 18:9 " And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:" 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican." 11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican." 12 "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess." 13 "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." 14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." ~Lk 18:9-14 KJV
Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes & the pride of life.
Conclusion:
Again-
"If I give all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing." ~1Co. 13:3 MEV
Actions of service that require careful thought, planning, time, effort & energy. If done in step with the Holy Spirit, they are indeed expressions of real love.
Some Examples:
- Take the trash out, do some chores so your spouse, parents, brother, sister or neighbor doesn’t have to. Chores might be one task that fills the love tank best.
- Leave the gas tank full.
- Vacuum the house or vehicle, wash dishes or make the bed.
- Walk the dog.
- Maybe try paying your neighbor’s rent for the month or other bills.
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Or any other demonstrations of grace. Unearned favor. No strings attached. Unconditional.
Write that letter to an old or new friend.
- Get sober.
Exhortation:
This question comes to my mind. It has most likely been on the mind of many of you within this short lifespan. Remember how short our lifespan is in relation to eternity!
"Can a people have lasting relationships if they disagree on everything?"
How do we learn to disagree and remain agreeable in the process?
"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love." ~1Co 16:13-14 NLT
I think this is a good place to bring about "meekness". Meekness is not weakness! What does it mean to be meek?
Quick Google search and we get:
- quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive."I used to call her Miss Mouse because she was so meek and mild"
(Psa 37:11 NIV) "But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity."
(Zep 3:12 NIV) "But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD."
(Mat 5:5 NIV) "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
Again, Meekness is NOT weakness!
(Job 22:21 NIV) ""Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you."
(Pro 3:6 NIV) "in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
(Luk 10:17 NIV) "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.""
(Luk 10:20 NIV) "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.""
(Rom 13:5 NIV) "Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience."
(Jas 4:7 NIV) "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
(1Pe 5:5 NIV) "In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.""
Benediction Prayer:
Love Your Enemies
"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,"bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." ~Luke 6:27-28 (ESV)
32 "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." ~Luke 6:32-36 (ESV)
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