Finding Joy in Sacrificial Love and Faith
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
the greatest act of love that was ever performed was performed in Pursuit Of Joy so that anybody that tells me you must abandon the Quest for joy in order to be a virtuous person has got to do a lot of overcoming of texts like this and of the example of Jesus [00:00:06]
recall the former days when after you were enlightened you endured a hard struggle with suffering sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction and sometimes being partners with those so treated for you had compassion on the prisoners and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one [00:01:02]
here is a group of Christians that are being persecuted and some have been arrested and put in prison those who were not arrested have gone underground and are faced with a a question will we come out into the public go visit them in jail and risk the plundering of our property and perhaps the arrest of our own lives or maybe even death or will we stay hidden and let them fend for themselves [00:01:40]
they had compassion on the prisoners they went to the prison they left their homes as they got to the prison they turned and their houses were in Flames their Furniture had been thrown out on the street torched they looked at it and they looked at one another and this text says they rejoiced they joyfully accepted the plundering of their property [00:02:02]
since they knew that they had a better possession so it's it's qualitatively better than what they left and an abiding one it's going to last longer than what they left those are the two things said in Psalm 1611 in your presence is fullness of joy there's quality and at your right hand are Pleasures forever more there's extent and duration [00:02:34]
by faith Moses when he was grown up refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin fleeting pleasures of sin he rejected them because they were fleeting he considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt why because he looked to the reward [00:03:51]
look to Jesus the Pioneer and perfector of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross now I think you can say on the basis of that text that the greatest act of love that was ever performed was performed in Pursuit Of Joy the greatest act of love that was ever performed was performed in Pursuit Of Joy [00:05:23]
love seeks not its own we said was a problem text the other night love seeks not its own 1 Corinthians 13:5 and I'm telling you that love must seek its own happiness is that a contradiction is verse 135 of a wrench thrown into the wheel of Christian Hedonism it isn't for several reasons [00:06:11]
if I give my possessions away and my body to be burned and have not love it profits me nothing what's Paul appealing to when he says it profits me nothing profit he's saying look you don't want to lose the profit of Love do you no well then have love so that you might get the prophet of love it's an appeal to the prophet of love [00:06:37]
let those who do acts of Mercy do them cheerfully and Micah 68 here oh man what does god require of you but to do justice and what's the next phrase love Mercy he didn't say do Mercy love Mercy you should love Mercy that means Delight in being a merciful person love Mercy if you just do Mercy gut it out by willpower and don't Delight in it you're not doing what Micah 68 commands [00:07:49]
let's join Jesus on the Calvary Road of Simplicity and love and suffering and sacrifice in the short term in order that we might with him experience the fullness of joy when we are raised with him and when many people in response to our love are drawn into the sway of his love [00:08:39]
be pleased to convince us that it is more blessed to love than to live in luxury and comfort in Jesus name amen [00:09:49]
Ask a question about this sermon
recall the former days when after you were enlightened you endured a hard struggle with suffering sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction and sometimes being partners with those so treated for you had compassion on the prisoners and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one [00:01:02]
here is a group of Christians that are being persecuted and some have been arrested and put in prison those who were not arrested have gone underground and are faced with a a question will we come out into the public go visit them in jail and risk the plundering of our property and perhaps the arrest of our own lives or maybe even death or will we stay hidden and let them fend for themselves [00:01:40]
they had compassion on the prisoners they went to the prison they left their homes as they got to the prison they turned and their houses were in Flames their Furniture had been thrown out on the street torched they looked at it and they looked at one another and this text says they rejoiced they joyfully accepted the plundering of their property [00:02:02]
since they knew that they had a better possession so it's it's qualitatively better than what they left and an abiding one it's going to last longer than what they left those are the two things said in Psalm 1611 in your presence is fullness of joy there's quality and at your right hand are Pleasures forever more there's extent and duration [00:02:34]
by faith Moses when he was grown up refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin fleeting pleasures of sin he rejected them because they were fleeting he considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt why because he looked to the reward [00:03:51]
look to Jesus the Pioneer and perfector of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross now I think you can say on the basis of that text that the greatest act of love that was ever performed was performed in Pursuit Of Joy the greatest act of love that was ever performed was performed in Pursuit Of Joy [00:05:23]
love seeks not its own we said was a problem text the other night love seeks not its own 1 Corinthians 13:5 and I'm telling you that love must seek its own happiness is that a contradiction is verse 135 of a wrench thrown into the wheel of Christian Hedonism it isn't for several reasons [00:06:11]
if I give my possessions away and my body to be burned and have not love it profits me nothing what's Paul appealing to when he says it profits me nothing profit he's saying look you don't want to lose the profit of Love do you no well then have love so that you might get the prophet of love it's an appeal to the prophet of love [00:06:37]
let those who do acts of Mercy do them cheerfully and Micah 68 here oh man what does god require of you but to do justice and what's the next phrase love Mercy he didn't say do Mercy love Mercy you should love Mercy that means Delight in being a merciful person love Mercy if you just do Mercy gut it out by willpower and don't Delight in it you're not doing what Micah 68 commands [00:07:49]
let's join Jesus on the Calvary Road of Simplicity and love and suffering and sacrifice in the short term in order that we might with him experience the fullness of joy when we are raised with him and when many people in response to our love are drawn into the sway of his love [00:08:39]
be pleased to convince us that it is more blessed to love than to live in luxury and comfort in Jesus name amen [00:09:49]
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Dec 25, 2024. Do you have any questions about it?