“With All of My Strength”
Mark 12:28-30; 1 Peter 4:7-11
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Introduction: This morning we conclude our series on “Loving God with All Your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.” So today we will look at how to love God with our strength. When you think about strength, one of your first thoughts might be physical strength; someone like Superman; someone who is physically strong. Superman even uses his strength to do good things. He helps those who are in trouble, and rescues those who are in peril. Superman uses his strength to make a difference.
While there might be some truth to using our strength in this way, to do good for others, and by doing good show love to God, I believe it goes deeper than that. I believe that there is more to our strength than just our physical strength, and more to loving God by just trying to do well. So let us look at three biblical truths about strength, and then four ways to love the Lord with all our strength.
I. Three biblical truths about strength- (Ecclesiastes 10:10; Judges 16:17;
1 Corinthians 12:4-7; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Romans 8:28)
1. Strength of body- Ecclesiastes 10:10a tells us: “If the ax is dull and its
edge unsharpened, more strength is needed.” This verse is pretty straight-forward. If you have an ax that is dull, and you are trying to cut down a tree, it is going to require a great deal more energy and effort to cut down the tree than if the ax were very sharp. Someone once said: “If you have 4 hours to cut down a tree, it would be wise to spend the first 3 sharpening your ax.” Meaning that by sharpening your ax for that length of time, the actual cutting down of the tree will be exponentially faster than trying to cut it down with a dull ax!
As we relate the strength of the body to our lives, we understand that we all have physical strength, and this strength varies from person to person. Some are more physically strong than others. That is easy enough to understand. And yet there are ways to increase your strength. If you want to increase the strength of your muscles, you work out with weights. If you want to increase the strength of your endurance you do more exercising, more running. If you want to increase the strength of your core, you might do Pilates, or yoga, or something like that. We can increase our physical strength.
Yet, we have limits. We can only get so strong. The size of our body and the shape of our body can limit how strong we can get. As we get stronger, we will ultimately hit a wall that we cannot go beyond. In the book of Judges there is a man named Samson, with great strength. But this strength that he has is not from himself, but a gift to him from God. One day he even tells his wife, Delilah, how he has been made strong; we read it in Judges 16:17- “..‘No razor has ever been used on my head,’ he said, ‘because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.’” God is the one who gives us the capability for physical strength.
2. Strength of skill- Second, the Bible tells us of the strength we have in
the skills we have been given. One place we are told about this is in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, where the apostle Paul says: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” We have been given special gifts, special skills from God. We are made strong in a way by having these skills. The areas where we are gifted in is seen as a strength for us. One person may be strong in teaching, but weak in prayer. Another may be strong in administration, but weak in being able to heal.
The problem with this is that at times we can get prideful about our skills. We begin to judge our skills against the skills of others; our strength against the strength of others. We also begin to think that this skill is for our own benefit. For many years “Wild West” stories were very popular. The main character was always the self-sufficient frontiersman. The one who trusts no one and who only leans on himself. And this theme has been taken up in many popular stories today. We love to watch movies of characters who are strong, and self-sufficient, and who are there to rescue others, but never need rescuing themselves.
However, the Bible makes it clear that our gifts, our strengths, have not been given for our benefit, but for the benefit of others. The next verse in 1 Corinthians 12 tells us just this, as we read verse 7: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” What are we to do with our gifts; our skills? We are to use them to bless the body of Christ. We are to use them for doing good for others. We are to use them to bring glory to God.
3. Strength through weakness- Third, the Bible talks about how our
strength can sometimes come out of our weaknesses. Not at first hearing, this might not sound right. How can we be strong in weakness? The apostle Paul tries to make it clear for us in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 when he says, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul has some challenging words for us. We don’t like to think of ourselves as weak, but rather we want to be thought of as strong. We want others to think we are capable. We want life to go smoothly and to walk strongly through it. But then Paul talks about delighting in weakness, insult, hardship, persecution, and difficulty. How can this be? It is because Paul knows that in the midst of all these things, God is there to get us through. As the familiar verse in Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him…”
The reality that Paul is talking about comes from our understanding of sin. Our world and our flesh is corrupt with sin, and in this corruption and sin we are made weak. We try to deny it, but it is there. We try to overcome it, but it comes back on us. We try to save ourselves from it, but it overwhelms us in the end. The only way that we can be made strong in our weakness and through our sin is by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ!!
II. Four Ways to Love the Lord with all your strength- (1 Peter 4:7-11; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 2:3-4, 4:4; 1 Corinthians 12:29-30, 13:4-6)
So we come to this place of understanding that we have strength of body and strength of skill. Even more, we have strength in the midst of our weakness. So how can we translate this into love?
1. Pray- First, we do it by prayer. But when I say “by prayer,” it is
important to understand how our prayer allows us to love God, and how it is a sign of strength. Many people believe that faith, and prayer, are actually a crutch that makes it appear as if people are weak. They believe that people pray because that aren’t strong enough on their own. But it actually takes strength to pray. Prayer is partnering with God to allow God’s plan to be carried out through us. In 1 Peter 4:7 we read: “Be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” If you are not clear minded, then you will have difficulty knowing what to pray. And if you are not self-controlled, then you will not make the time to pray.
But above all of that, we have strength in our prayers when we let the Spirit of God lead us in our prayers. In Ephesians 6:18 it says, “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication.” What does it mean to pray in the Spirit?
Praying in the Spirit is about letting God's Spirit lead you to constant prayer. Often times we only pray when there is a crisis, or when we have something specific to pray for. But we are called to "pray without ceasing," and this can only be accomplished when the Holy Spirit is directing us to pray. Second, praying in the Spirit is about praying with grace. We often bring judgment into our prayers. Instead we need to leave the judgment to God and simply pray with love and concern. In fact, Jesus did tell us to pray even for our enemies.
Third, praying in the Spirit is about learning how to let God’s words flow from us. This comes from knowing God deeply. The deeper we know God, the more we will know what God wants us to think, and wants us to say, and how God wants us to pray. For example, we may want to pray for healing for someone, but God may be using that sickness in the person's life to teach them to trust in Him, or for them to be an example to someone else who is sick. As we open ourselves up to God’s Spirit, God’s Spirit will help to lead us how to pray. Lastly, we are to pray in the Spirit in all of our prayers, and all of our supplications. Even the simplest of prayers need to be offered through the guidance of the Spirit. This reminds us that God is concerned with even the minute aspects of our lives. To leave the Spirit out of any prayer will lead us to pray in our sinfulness and selfishness.
Praying in this way leads us to a fuller aspect of prayer, and our prayers will have more power. In this way, we love God with all or our strength.
2. Love each other- Next, we love God with all of our strength by loving
others. 1 Peter 4:8 says, “Love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” Now this verse isn’t saying that our love for others takes away our sin, but rather it covers our sin. As we love others, we usually are seen in a better light; our sin isn’t so evident. It is covered up by our loving ways.
The question then is: How do we love each other deeply?
While looking after our personal interests is a proper and healthy life
management, we cannot do it to the exclusion of others. When this happens it is not love but is it selfishness. Philippians 4:4 says: “Do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also the interests of others.”
Do you desire success? That is fine. But if you hurt others in achieving it that is not love, and don’t just use your success for just yourself. Do you wish to look nice? That’s okay. Just don’t do it by making others look bad. WHY? Because we are reminded in 1 Corinthians 13, “Love is not selfish…”
To love others deeply we have to remember to be kind; remember to be patient; remember to be courteous instead of rude and sarcastic and short. It is about remembering 1 Corinthians 13 and trying to learn how to love like God loves us. Remember what it says? “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude. Love is not selfish….”
Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” This is what it means to love others deeply; showing them that they matter.
3. Use your gifts- Third, using our gifts shows love for God. In the first
part of the sermon I talked about how part of the strength of who God made us to be is that we are each gifted. But if we don’t use our giftedness, then we will be lacking in how we love God. We won’t love God in our full strength. As 1 Peter 4:10 says: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others.”
We are looking at loving God with all of our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, but the second command Jesus talks about is “loving our neighbors as ourselves.” Jesus makes it clear that it is in loving others that we show love for God. God enables us to do this with the gifts we have been blessed with. Our gifts can really make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of others. Think about this list of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28-30: 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? We don’t have all the gifts individually, but when we come together as the body of Christ, we bring these gifts together, and can love the Lord by using these gifts to touch and bless the lives of others!
How meaningful would it be if you used your gift of teaching to only teach yourself? Sounds kind of silly, doesn’t it? Or how powerful would it be if you just used your gift of helps for yourself? It wouldn’t have much impact on God’s kingdom. You see, we love God with our strength by using our strength (our giftedness) to love others.
4. Do everything by God’s strength- EX. There is a cute fun movie called
“Angels in the Outfield.” In this movie we see a boy pray for God to help his team win the pennant. After his prayer, some angels show up and begin to help the team play better. Let’s watch this clip….
In the end, they were able to perform better, even after the angels stopped helping them. This is what it means to do it with God’s strength. We do it, but God helps us. As 1 Peter 4:11 says, “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides..” We might be able to do some things well, but with God’s help we can do many things great. God will take what we do and bless it all the more. When we serve God in this way, we love God with all of our strength.
Conclusion: Loving God with all of our strength needs to be a way of life. Our prayer life becomes more powerful because we pray in the Spirit; our love becomes deeper because we become more patient, and kind, and giving; our gifts are more effective because they are being used to bless others and give glory to God. And all this goes to be a sign that we love God wholely and completely. I hope that you have a better sense now of how to love God with all of your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and that you would seek to fulfill this call from God. Let us join together as God’s people to live this out, this day, and every day. Amen.
Mark 12:28-30; 1 Peter 4:7-11
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Introduction: This morning we conclude our series on “Loving God with All Your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.” So today we will look at how to love God with our strength. When you think about strength, one of your first thoughts might be physical strength; someone like Superman; someone who is physically strong. Superman even uses his strength to do good things. He helps those who are in trouble, and rescues those who are in peril. Superman uses his strength to make a difference.
While there might be some truth to using our strength in this way, to do good for others, and by doing good show love to God, I believe it goes deeper than that. I believe that there is more to our strength than just our physical strength, and more to loving God by just trying to do well. So let us look at three biblical truths about strength, and then four ways to love the Lord with all our strength.
I. Three biblical truths about strength- (Ecclesiastes 10:10; Judges 16:17;
1 Corinthians 12:4-7; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Romans 8:28)
1. Strength of body- Ecclesiastes 10:10a tells us: “If the ax is dull and its
edge unsharpened, more strength is needed.” This verse is pretty straight-forward. If you have an ax that is dull, and you are trying to cut down a tree, it is going to require a great deal more energy and effort to cut down the tree than if the ax were very sharp. Someone once said: “If you have 4 hours to cut down a tree, it would be wise to spend the first 3 sharpening your ax.” Meaning that by sharpening your ax for that length of time, the actual cutting down of the tree will be exponentially faster than trying to cut it down with a dull ax!
As we relate the strength of the body to our lives, we understand that we all have physical strength, and this strength varies from person to person. Some are more physically strong than others. That is easy enough to understand. And yet there are ways to increase your strength. If you want to increase the strength of your muscles, you work out with weights. If you want to increase the strength of your endurance you do more exercising, more running. If you want to increase the strength of your core, you might do Pilates, or yoga, or something like that. We can increase our physical strength.
Yet, we have limits. We can only get so strong. The size of our body and the shape of our body can limit how strong we can get. As we get stronger, we will ultimately hit a wall that we cannot go beyond. In the book of Judges there is a man named Samson, with great strength. But this strength that he has is not from himself, but a gift to him from God. One day he even tells his wife, Delilah, how he has been made strong; we read it in Judges 16:17- “..‘No razor has ever been used on my head,’ he said, ‘because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.’” God is the one who gives us the capability for physical strength.
2. Strength of skill- Second, the Bible tells us of the strength we have in
the skills we have been given. One place we are told about this is in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, where the apostle Paul says: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” We have been given special gifts, special skills from God. We are made strong in a way by having these skills. The areas where we are gifted in is seen as a strength for us. One person may be strong in teaching, but weak in prayer. Another may be strong in administration, but weak in being able to heal.
The problem with this is that at times we can get prideful about our skills. We begin to judge our skills against the skills of others; our strength against the strength of others. We also begin to think that this skill is for our own benefit. For many years “Wild West” stories were very popular. The main character was always the self-sufficient frontiersman. The one who trusts no one and who only leans on himself. And this theme has been taken up in many popular stories today. We love to watch movies of characters who are strong, and self-sufficient, and who are there to rescue others, but never need rescuing themselves.
However, the Bible makes it clear that our gifts, our strengths, have not been given for our benefit, but for the benefit of others. The next verse in 1 Corinthians 12 tells us just this, as we read verse 7: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” What are we to do with our gifts; our skills? We are to use them to bless the body of Christ. We are to use them for doing good for others. We are to use them to bring glory to God.
3. Strength through weakness- Third, the Bible talks about how our
strength can sometimes come out of our weaknesses. Not at first hearing, this might not sound right. How can we be strong in weakness? The apostle Paul tries to make it clear for us in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 when he says, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul has some challenging words for us. We don’t like to think of ourselves as weak, but rather we want to be thought of as strong. We want others to think we are capable. We want life to go smoothly and to walk strongly through it. But then Paul talks about delighting in weakness, insult, hardship, persecution, and difficulty. How can this be? It is because Paul knows that in the midst of all these things, God is there to get us through. As the familiar verse in Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him…”
The reality that Paul is talking about comes from our understanding of sin. Our world and our flesh is corrupt with sin, and in this corruption and sin we are made weak. We try to deny it, but it is there. We try to overcome it, but it comes back on us. We try to save ourselves from it, but it overwhelms us in the end. The only way that we can be made strong in our weakness and through our sin is by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ!!
II. Four Ways to Love the Lord with all your strength- (1 Peter 4:7-11; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 2:3-4, 4:4; 1 Corinthians 12:29-30, 13:4-6)
So we come to this place of understanding that we have strength of body and strength of skill. Even more, we have strength in the midst of our weakness. So how can we translate this into love?
1. Pray- First, we do it by prayer. But when I say “by prayer,” it is
important to understand how our prayer allows us to love God, and how it is a sign of strength. Many people believe that faith, and prayer, are actually a crutch that makes it appear as if people are weak. They believe that people pray because that aren’t strong enough on their own. But it actually takes strength to pray. Prayer is partnering with God to allow God’s plan to be carried out through us. In 1 Peter 4:7 we read: “Be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” If you are not clear minded, then you will have difficulty knowing what to pray. And if you are not self-controlled, then you will not make the time to pray.
But above all of that, we have strength in our prayers when we let the Spirit of God lead us in our prayers. In Ephesians 6:18 it says, “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication.” What does it mean to pray in the Spirit?
Praying in the Spirit is about letting God's Spirit lead you to constant prayer. Often times we only pray when there is a crisis, or when we have something specific to pray for. But we are called to "pray without ceasing," and this can only be accomplished when the Holy Spirit is directing us to pray. Second, praying in the Spirit is about praying with grace. We often bring judgment into our prayers. Instead we need to leave the judgment to God and simply pray with love and concern. In fact, Jesus did tell us to pray even for our enemies.
Third, praying in the Spirit is about learning how to let God’s words flow from us. This comes from knowing God deeply. The deeper we know God, the more we will know what God wants us to think, and wants us to say, and how God wants us to pray. For example, we may want to pray for healing for someone, but God may be using that sickness in the person's life to teach them to trust in Him, or for them to be an example to someone else who is sick. As we open ourselves up to God’s Spirit, God’s Spirit will help to lead us how to pray. Lastly, we are to pray in the Spirit in all of our prayers, and all of our supplications. Even the simplest of prayers need to be offered through the guidance of the Spirit. This reminds us that God is concerned with even the minute aspects of our lives. To leave the Spirit out of any prayer will lead us to pray in our sinfulness and selfishness.
Praying in this way leads us to a fuller aspect of prayer, and our prayers will have more power. In this way, we love God with all or our strength.
2. Love each other- Next, we love God with all of our strength by loving
others. 1 Peter 4:8 says, “Love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” Now this verse isn’t saying that our love for others takes away our sin, but rather it covers our sin. As we love others, we usually are seen in a better light; our sin isn’t so evident. It is covered up by our loving ways.
The question then is: How do we love each other deeply?
While looking after our personal interests is a proper and healthy life
management, we cannot do it to the exclusion of others. When this happens it is not love but is it selfishness. Philippians 4:4 says: “Do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also the interests of others.”
Do you desire success? That is fine. But if you hurt others in achieving it that is not love, and don’t just use your success for just yourself. Do you wish to look nice? That’s okay. Just don’t do it by making others look bad. WHY? Because we are reminded in 1 Corinthians 13, “Love is not selfish…”
To love others deeply we have to remember to be kind; remember to be patient; remember to be courteous instead of rude and sarcastic and short. It is about remembering 1 Corinthians 13 and trying to learn how to love like God loves us. Remember what it says? “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude. Love is not selfish….”
Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” This is what it means to love others deeply; showing them that they matter.
3. Use your gifts- Third, using our gifts shows love for God. In the first
part of the sermon I talked about how part of the strength of who God made us to be is that we are each gifted. But if we don’t use our giftedness, then we will be lacking in how we love God. We won’t love God in our full strength. As 1 Peter 4:10 says: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others.”
We are looking at loving God with all of our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, but the second command Jesus talks about is “loving our neighbors as ourselves.” Jesus makes it clear that it is in loving others that we show love for God. God enables us to do this with the gifts we have been blessed with. Our gifts can really make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of others. Think about this list of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28-30: 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? We don’t have all the gifts individually, but when we come together as the body of Christ, we bring these gifts together, and can love the Lord by using these gifts to touch and bless the lives of others!
How meaningful would it be if you used your gift of teaching to only teach yourself? Sounds kind of silly, doesn’t it? Or how powerful would it be if you just used your gift of helps for yourself? It wouldn’t have much impact on God’s kingdom. You see, we love God with our strength by using our strength (our giftedness) to love others.
4. Do everything by God’s strength- EX. There is a cute fun movie called
“Angels in the Outfield.” In this movie we see a boy pray for God to help his team win the pennant. After his prayer, some angels show up and begin to help the team play better. Let’s watch this clip….
In the end, they were able to perform better, even after the angels stopped helping them. This is what it means to do it with God’s strength. We do it, but God helps us. As 1 Peter 4:11 says, “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides..” We might be able to do some things well, but with God’s help we can do many things great. God will take what we do and bless it all the more. When we serve God in this way, we love God with all of our strength.
Conclusion: Loving God with all of our strength needs to be a way of life. Our prayer life becomes more powerful because we pray in the Spirit; our love becomes deeper because we become more patient, and kind, and giving; our gifts are more effective because they are being used to bless others and give glory to God. And all this goes to be a sign that we love God wholely and completely. I hope that you have a better sense now of how to love God with all of your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and that you would seek to fulfill this call from God. Let us join together as God’s people to live this out, this day, and every day. Amen.
posted by Logan's Blog at 2:57 PM
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