*First sermon in Faith Christian Center's 40 Days of Impact campaign!!
(8:30 am service, September 25, 2011)
Luke 6:27-
- It's no big deal to love someone who loves you back; help those who help you; give to those in which you expect to receive something in return, etc.
Question: Is there a group of people that you've self-consciously labeled "unlovable" or placed on a "hard-to-love" list? [of course, no one says this verbally, but in the back of your mind you've placed these individuals in a pile of "unlovables" because of your personal feelings about them, etc.]
*In order for us to be effective in ministry, we have to love people. -->John 3:16 "For God so loved the WORLD..." it doesn't say "For God so loved the Christian.." Yes, God is pleased with the walk or life the Christian lives, but his love for them is not greater than his love for the sinner. Therefore as followers of Christ, OUR love for people shouldn't be greater towards someone who loves us back or makes us feel good. That drug dealer or prostitute you pass by on the side of the road is loved just as much as the elderly woman you see praising God in her Sunday's best every week. You don't know how good your "love walk" is until you encounter someone who is different from you.
4 Roots to Why We're Unable to Really Love People:
#1: Prejudice- an unfavorable feeling or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought or reason; without personal knowledge of a person yet generalizing based on a collective group of individuals.
*Prejudice goes far beyond a racial barrier.
When you prejudge, you get to a place where you're unwilling to ask God to help you go that extra mile to minister to that person because you feel like you already have them figured out based on what you see. [It's okay to totally loathe and detest the actions of a person, but NEVER to actually hate the person!]
--> Luke 5:12
#2: A Selfish Focus
- Evangelism is not just going out cold turkey and asking people if they want to be born again.
-We live in such a humanistic world...a selfish focus will keep us TALKING about the needs of those around us, but too prideful or self-consumed to act on those needs. A selfish focus will keep you focused only on how YOU are blessed, etc.
--> ex: after 6 months, that fancy car or new house you bought will be just another house.
*Most of the emotional stress people deal with have to do with the result of living a selfish life. We have the most stuff out of any generation, yet we are also the most depressed generation. Why? Because stuff can't satisfy you.
--> Matthew 6:36 [ref scripture]
--> Matthew 9: 36-39
--> Matthew 14: 10-16
*compassion came over Jesus and he heard those sick people in the crowds EVEN while he tried to grieve over the murder of John the Baptist
--> Matthew 15:32 - when you have compassion for people and allow your desires to match God's, He will make sure you have all the resources available to you that you need to be effective in ministry.
--> Matthew 20:30
Compassion: a genuine love for those in need, combined with a Godly desire to end their suffering.
*it might be someone's LAST day on Earth, and they ran into you! They interacted with you! You must have compassion to love them enough to get them to Jesus!
*We're not blessed so that we can sit and live a life of luxury but that when God gives us an opportunity to minister to His people, you can do it and do it well.
#3: personal insecurity
-requires looking past a person's actions to see their needs.
--> Matthew 9:10
*you cant reach a sinner if you're unwilling to engage with them!
-> Luke 7:36-
#4: Pride and Arrogance
- if it wasn't for the grace of God, you could be that homeless guy or that girl with the baby at 14. Don't think for a second that you didn't make enough mistakes in your life to end up where they are or worse! Your life is by the grace of God alone. It's not because you made all the right choices and that's why you're successful. No.
--> Romans 5:8 [ref scripture]
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