February 4 Boy Scout Sunday

Lesson: 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:3

Sermon Title: Love Is Not A Possession

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INTRODUCTION:

Do You Believe in Me? (1)

With so much turmoil in the world, God decided to pay a visit to earth to check things out. He strolled into a restaurant and approached the first man he saw. "If you believe in me enough to give me $50," he said, "I will grant you eternal life."

"Sorry, I'm an atheist," the fellow replied, "and have never believed in God."

God walked up to another man and made the same offer. "Well, I'm an agnostic and not really sure if I believe in you or not," the guy said, "but here's 50 bucks, just in case."

As the Lord turned away, a third man ran up to him. "I'm Pat Robertson and don't really care if you're God or not," he said excitedly. "Just teach me the trick you did with the agnostic and I'll give you $100."

With apologies to Pat Robinson.

MAIN BODY:

  1. The story treats eternal life as a possession.

    1. You can get it for a price.

    2. You give to me and I give to you.

    3. Love is seen as something of an exchange gift.

    4. Quid-Quo-Pro

      1. Exchange gifts at a Christmas Party

        1. Something that is usable

        2. Something that is of equal value

        3. I give and you receive

        4. You give and I receive

    5. We are prone to treat Christianity as a possession.

  2. The danger is that we are tempted to treat love as a possession.

Here is Hannah Whitall Smith, 1832-1911: The ambition of most Christians ... is to have a vast number of things; and their energies are all wasted in the vain effort to get possession of these things. Some strive to get possession of certain 'experiences'; some seek after 'ecstatic feelings'; some try to make themselves rich in theological 'views' and 'dogmas'; some store up a long list of works done and results achieved; some seek to acquire 'illuminations,' or to accumulate 'gifts' and 'graces.' In short, all Christians, almost without exception, seek to possess a store of something or other, which they fancy will serve to recommend them to God and make them worthy of his love and care.

As quoted in Martin E. Marty, Context, 1 December 1994, 2.

    1. Jesus had a lot to say about how you relate to possessions, and what you do with them.

      1. In Luke 13.13-34 he is confronted by a man who wants Jesus to arbitrate with his brother for his inheritance.

13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." 14But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?"

      1. 15And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."

      2. 16Then he told them a parable:

"The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 18Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

      1. 22He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.

23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 26If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you--you of little faith! 29And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. 30For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

      1. 32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

33Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, (Luke 12:13 through Luke 12:34, NRSVA).

      1. 17As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

18Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'" 20He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

      1. 23Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"

24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." 26They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" 27Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."

      1. 28Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."

29Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age--houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first," (Mark 10:17 through Mark 10:31, NRSVA).

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    1. Beware of the dangers of depending on possessions.

      1. You can be possessed by your possessions.

"The landing gear of US Airways Flight 479 collapsed as it was landing at Charlotte and the crew ordered an evacuation down the emergency slides, almost half the passengers reacted by grabbing for their carry-on luggage....

One man grabbed two bags. Another struggled with a large bag. A woman blocked the aisle struggling to get a garment bag out of an overhead bin."

William R. Phillippe, A Stewardship Scrapbook (Louisville: Geneva Press, 1999), 124.

      1. This is the position in which tennis star Boris Becker found helself.

Boris Becker was at the very top of the tennis world, he found himself on the brink of suicide.

He said, "I had won Wimbledon twice before, once as the youngest player. I was rich. I had all the material possessions I needed ... It's the old song of movie stars and pop stars who commit suicide. They have everything, and yet they are so unhappy. I had no inner peace. I was a puppet on a string."

Becker is not the only one to feel that sense of emptiness. The echoes of hollow lives pervade our culture; and no amount of partying, gathering, and achieving can assuage this hole in our souls because it's a God vacuum, and only God can fill it.

B. Glenn Wilkerson, "Where Is the Child?" November 30, 2003. cypresscreekdoc.org. Retrieved June 10, 2006.

    1. You cannot possess love.

      1. If I give away all my possessions and do not have love I gain nothing.

      2. This is the paradox.

The Paradox of Our Time in History is that we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; more medicine, but less wellness.

We read too little, watch TV too much and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

Anonymous, cited by David G. Myers, Wanting More in an Age of Plenty, Christianity Today, April 24, 2000, 95.

  1. God is offers us a full understanding of the benefits of love in the present, and for the future.

    1. This is what is being communicated by the description of love in our passage for today.

      1. But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

        1. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love,

          1. I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

        2. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,

          1. But do not have love, I am nothing.

        3. If I give away all my possessions, and

        4. if I hand over my body so that I may boast,

          1. But do not have love, I gain nothing.

      2. What did Jesus say about loving only those who love you?

43"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? (Matthew 5:43 through Matthew 5:47, NRSVA).

      1. Again Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted," (Luke 18:9 through Luke 18:14, NRSVA).

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  1. We can attempt find security in doing good.

    1. We contribute

    2. We participate

    3. This kind of activity, it is said, or we are reminded, gains us nothing.

A certain man died and reached the Pearly Gates.

St. Peter met him and said:

"It takes a thousand points to get in and I don't know you, so tell me something about yourself."

The man said,

"Well, unless I was sick in bed, until I was 21 years old I never missed Sunday School.

"I have a string of perfect attendance medals.

"I was an acolyte, active in the youth group and I often worked around the church."

St. Peter replied,

"That's great, you've done well. that gives you one point.

The man said:

"Well, I attend church as often as I can. I've served on most of the committees and I've done my tour of duty in the choir.

"I've always pledged. I guess I've done a lot of things in church."

"Truly remarkable," said St. Peter, "That gives you another point."

"Tell me something else about yourself."

The man said:

"I've tried to live by the Golden Rule. I didn't have any enemies and I'm concerned about my fellow man."

"Wonderful," said St. Peter, "just wonderful. You have done many great things. You get another point. Tell me something else about yourself."

By this time the man was getting very irritated.

He does not have enough points to get through the Pearly Gates and into the Heavenly City.

    1. This describes the ways in which we may attempt to placate or satisfy God.

      1. People have offered all they have

      2. Even to the sacrifice of their own bodies

      3. Remember the point of the lesson!

3If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing, (1 Corinthians 12:31 through 1 Corinthians 13:3, NRSVA).

        1. Is this what we are doing today?

          1. Not in the fire of sacrifice.

          2. but on the alter of personal need?

    1. Methods that have been used throughout the course of human history.

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CONCLUSION

  1. The only security there is to be found is in being good.

    1. Being good is becoming a loving person.

    2. Being good is a state of being.

    3. If I have love, I gain everything.

  2. Before I can love, I must be in love.

    1. We love because he first loved us.

    2. I can only be in love with another person.

    3. The kind of love of which we are speaking is not to be found in the people about us.

    4. The kind of love of which we are speaking is not to be found in human resources.

    5. The kind of love that helps us to become loving is found only in God and in God's revelation of love as seen in Jesus Christ.

Back to the story of the conversation at the Pearly Gates:

The irritated man said:

"Look here, St. Peter, at this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God!"

"THAT'S IT!" Cried St. Peter. "You've got it. Grace! That's one thousand points, and with your other three points, would you like to come in."

      1. It is the graciousness of God which provides us with a living object lesson of love which provides us a precise and easily understood definition.

      2. It is the graciousness of God which seeks to cooperate with us so that we may have the power to develop love.

        1. We love because he first loved us and gave himself for us.

    1. If I do not have love, What do I gain if I give all that I possess to the poor?

      1. NOTHING

    2. If I do not have love, What do I gain if I sacrifice myself for the benefit of another.

      1. You may think that this cannot be done, but it can.

        1. Look at all the parents who have tried to buy love with their children.

      2. NOTHING.

    3. IF I HAVE DEVELOP LOVE SO THAT I BECOME A LOVING PERSON, I GAIN EVERYTHING.

God, Thou Art Love, -Robert Browning

If I forget,
Yet God remembers! If these hands of mine
Cease from their clinging, yet the hands divine
Hold me so firmly that I cannot fall;
And if sometimes I am too tired to call
For him to help me, then he reads the prayer
Unspoken in my heart, and lifts my cares.

I dare not fear, since certainly I know
That I am in God's keeping, shielded so
From all that else would harm, and in the hour
Of stern temptation strengthened by his power;
I tread no path in life to him unknown;
I lift no burden, bear no pain, alone;
My soul a calm, sure hiding-place has found;
The everlasting arms my life surround.

God, thou art love! I build my faith on that.
I know thee who has kept my path, and made
Light for me in the darkness, tempering sorrow
So that it reached me like a solemn joy'
it were too strange that I should doubt thy love.

1. Beliefnet Religious Jokes [BeliefnetReligiousJokes@partner.beliefnet.com]

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