Love That Covers a Multitude of Sins - 1

Love That Covers a Multitude of Sins - 1

Subject: Love Like You Have Never Been Hurt

by Rick Welborne

1 Peter 4:7-8 (NLT2)
⁷  The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.
⁸  Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:7-8 (NCV)
⁷ The time is near when all things will end. So think clearly and control yourselves so you will be able to pray.
⁸  Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause many sins to be forgiven. 

Proverbs 10:11-12 (NCV)
¹¹  The words of a good person give life, like a fountain of water, but the words of the wicked contain nothing but violence.
¹²  Hatred stirs up trouble, but love forgives all wrongs. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (NLT2)
¹  If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
²  If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
³  If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
⁴  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
⁵  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
⁶  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
⁷  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

--A couple of weeks ago before I had people coming at me with knives (doctors) we talked about Trusting Our Emotions or Trusting God…again, thanks to all those who filled in for me.

--We established that in this world you will have tribulation…Jesus said to be of good cheer because He had overcome this world…strangely He overcame the world by forgiving them.

Luke 23:33-36 (NKJV)
³³  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
³⁴  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

--It is the “them” that all of us have struggles with…relationships with those of our families, our churches, our work places…those who are the closest to us are the ones who can wound us the most.

--We talked about how we humans do not seem to have the same capability as our dogs (Louis) to forgive and move forward…remember the illustration of putting your wife and your dog in the trunk of your car.

--We also talked about how we treat screwy Louis (our Beagle) and how it would be good if we treated each other as we treat him…I mentioned a video of Josh and Steph eating on the floor with Louis…VIDEO!

--Notice Josh’s hair is much shorter now…Pet Groomers are very expensive but well worth it! This gives you just a little glimpse into the Welborne’s home life.

--The point to all of this is that relationships can be and are difficult. It is not whether we will face heart ache, pain, deceit, or betrayal…it is how we handle it when it comes. Families, marriages, churches.

--A man went on a solo fishing expedition and ended up ship wreck because of a storm. He was able to survive on a deserted island where he spent the next 15 years alone.

--When his rescuers came ashore they were amazed at how he had survived. They asked him so many questions. We see you built three buildings…what is that first one? That is my home! Good job they commented.

--What about that building, it looks so nice? That is my church. What about that other building? Well, that is the church that I used to go to…relationships are tough.

--We often wonder why family relationships and marriage can be so dysfunctional…It has been that way sense the beginning…think about Adam and Eve…started great running around in a garden with no clothes. Oh man!

--It didn’t take long before Eve was getting some bad advice about their diet and felt the necessity to include poor Adam…They lose their beautiful property and have to start working and wearing clothes. Trouble!

The first two siblings (Cain and Abel) are trying to outdo each other which turns into conflict…It became so bad that Cain killed Abel because his giving was better than his…Already 1 out of four is killed! Dysfunctional!

--All of us have been hurt, wounded, broken, deceived, cheated on, and have been done absolutely wrong. The tragedy of this is that it usually comes from those who are closest to us. 

Psalm 55:12-14 (NLT2)
¹²  It is not an enemy who taunts me— I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me— I could have hidden from them.
¹³  Instead, it is you—my equal, my companion and close friend.
¹⁴  What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God. 

--We know the Scriptures tell us that love covers or forgives a multitude of sins but most of us have figured out the application of that love is not so easy. Three things we must realize:

1. We must realize that the enemy’s plan is to divide and conquer. 

--Even Russia has figured out that if they can put out “Fake News” on social media that they can divide the US. They say something that gets the democrats upset with the republicans and vice versa.

--From the beginning Satan’s plan or strategy was to divide Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. God’s desire is for us to have our eyes wide open when it comes to Satan’s attacks.

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NLT2)
¹⁰  When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit,
¹¹  so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

--Being totally transparent, when I went to this verse that says we are familiar with Satan’s evil schemes or we are not ignorant of his devices…I did not know it was speaking about forgiveness. 

--Let me give you Pastor Rick’s extremely simple interpretation…if we allow the enemy to divide us thru un-forgiveness…we are ignorant and we definitely let him outsmart us. 

--With as much un-forgiveness as there is in the home, the church, and the world…we must admit we are pretty ignorant. When we wise up and realize forgiveness is the path of God’s will and God’s way.

--I do believe there is a level of evil that surpasses good old fashion stupidity and insanity. It is when people know their actions are bringing the division and the demise of whatever groups they choose to destroy.

Isaiah 59:6-16 (NKJV)
⁶  Their webs will not become garments, Nor will they cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And the act of violence is in their hands.
⁷  Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths.
⁸  The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.
⁹  Therefore justice is far from us, Nor does righteousness overtake us; We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness!
¹⁰  We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places.
¹¹  We all growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far from us.
¹²  For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And as for our iniquities, we know them:
¹³  In transgressing and lying against the LORD, And departing from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
¹⁴  Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter.
¹⁵  So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice.
¹⁶  He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. 

--Divide and conquer…divide us by race, divide by economic status, divide us by issues that 3 years ago you were for but now you are against. Make us hate one another…Divide and conquer.

Unknown Author – United we stick…divided we are stuck.

2. God’s Law of Attraction

--Pastor, I hate the division in my family, in my marriage, in my church, in my work place, in my nation. I have prayed for it to change but I find myself too weak to do anything about it. 

--My spouse is distant, my kids are lost and floundering, my heart is broken, and there is within this mess a great temptation to give up…I am so weak things seem hopeless. God’s law of Attraction.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NKJV)
⁷  And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
⁸  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
⁹  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
¹⁰  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

--What’s your thorn? A broken marriage? A broken body? A broken family? You fill in the blank. I am not the deepest theologian but the thorn is explained in the verse…a messenger of Satan to buffet me.

--The accuser of the brethren never misses an opportunity to let you know how bad things are…he buffets…he harasses us day and night…Just walk out, just give up, just move on, just give in…he attacks our weakness.

--This is where we miss it…yes, Satan shows up during our weakness but so does Jesus. The law of attraction says “My grace…My love is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

--I love the testimony of Viet Nam veteran Dave Reever when he had a grenade he was about to throw shot in his hand and exploded. In his weakness he made a choice.

Dave Reever – When you think you are going under for the last time, reach up, you may just grab the hand of God.

--Maybe you feel you are going under for the last time…the death of a relationship…a broken heart…the absolute end of yourself…reach up because Jesus is attracted to your weakness.

--One of the reasons men of God like Jim Cymbala and Jentzen Franklin touch me so deeply is their transparency to share when they walk thru valleys too. We all do! None are exempt!

3. Life is an adventure in love and forgiveness. 

--Love covers the multitude of sins…forgiveness of others is what will loose us and set us free. 

Franklin – It is all about releasing and reaching. Release the past and reach for the future. The only way to do this is to love like you have never been hurt. This means loving so intensely that it overrides all your natural instincts for bitterness and revenge. You will never get ahead by trying to get even. 

--You must…you must believe this…the pain you feel today…the broken heart you have…the emotional prison you are in in can be healed! God can heal us! Our part is to learn to love and forgive. 

Exodus 15:25-26 (NKJV)
²⁵  So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. And there He tested them,
²⁶  and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you."

So You Want to Lead – 4

So You Want to Lead – 4

Subject: Developing Leaders in the Church

by Rick Welborne

John 13:13-17 (NKJV)
¹³  You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
¹⁴  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
¹⁵  For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
¹⁶  Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
¹⁷  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

I.  Introduction - John Maxwell’s Law of Influence

Maxwell - “The true measure of leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less.”

II. Let’s Look at Ingredients to building Leadership Credibility or Influence

A. Character

B. Competence

--Malphur says that competence is the leader’s capability to perform well in a specific context, having the expertise and ability to get things done.

C. Clarity of Direction 

Kouzes and Posner in their book Credibility says, “We expect our leaders to have a sense of direction and a concern for the future of the organization.  Leaders must know where they are going. They must have a destination in mind when asking us to join them on a journey into the unknown.”

--I often tell new people to come and talk to me about the direction of our church because I tell them that I would not get on a bus unless I knew where it was going. We have a destination in mind.

Prov 3:56 (NKJV)

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

--It answers the question: What will it look like around here when our people become passionate about the Great Commission and making disciples.

D. An Ingredient to building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Communication.

–It is imperative that leaders keep their people regularly informed about what is taking place in their church, business, or family. 

–There are so many ways of getting information to people...video announcements, bulletins, e-mail, web-sites...the idea is to over inform so that your credibility is high.

–My professors over emphasized that too much information is better than too little...I wholeheartedly agree.  

E. An Ingredient to building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Conviction.

–One of the apparent needs in the church and other institutions is leadership with conviction.

Steven Bornstein and Anthony Smith - conviction is the passion and commitment a person demonstrates toward his or her vision. Thus, conviction consists of two key ingredients - passion and commitment.

–Conviction is not a list of the things we abstain from but it is a passion, a commitment to be pro-active for what is important to the Lord, His will.

–Passion is all about how deeply we care or how strongly we feel about our life or the vision God has given us.  

–The other side of conviction is commitment. Passion affects the emotions, whereas, commitment tends to be more rational. 

–It involves the leader’s conscious intentional investment of time and effort to be sure that a vision or cause is realized. The leader’s commitment signals what is important to that leader and what ultimately will get done.

F. An Ingredient to building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Courage.

–Courage supplies the strength to lead in these difficult circumstances, meaning that courageous leaders are strong and unlikely to quit. 

–Courage displays itself in leaders when they are willing to stand up for their beliefs in difficult situations, confront others, admit mistakes (be vulnerable), change their view when wrong, and not quit.

–The payoff is exceptional credibility and influence, because followers like what they see in courageous leaders.

G. An Ingredient to building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Care.

–Everybody wants to know that someone cares about them and have their best interest in mind. When people sense that someone cares, they tend to trust that person.

Acts 20:28-29 (NKJV)
²⁸  Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
²⁹  For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

–In the same way, congregations and employees trust leaders who demonstrate their care.

Theodore Roosevelt:   People really don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

–Care is the leader’s demonstration of concern for the well-being of his or her followers that flows from love for them. God cares for His people and He wants us to care for them too.

Ex 4:31 (NLT)

31 The leaders were soon convinced that the LORD had sent Moses and Aaron. And when they realized that the LORD had seen their misery and was deeply concerned for them, they all bowed their heads and worshiped.  

John 21:16 (NLT)

16 Jesus repeated the question: "Simon son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord," Peter said, "you know I love you." "Then take care of my sheep," Jesus said. 

–In 1Peter 5:2 Peter points out that our followers are under our care. Care involves respecting them and having their best interest at heart.

–We need to try to be aware of people’s needs, hurts, and fears and be willing to help them deal Scripturally with these matters.

–When we do, we shouldn’t be surprised that these people trust our leadership and grant us the credibility (influence) that we need to lead them on behalf of our Savior.

H. An Ingredient to building Leadership Credibility or Influence is Composure.

–Unfortunately most Christian leaders (except for some Christian counselors) have largely ignored the emotional dimension of leadership in ministry.

–Because of our John Wayne culture - ‘don’t let-em see ya cry’ - mentality we have cultivated men that are not in touch with their emotions.

–Satan has convinced the average male in America that masculinity is all about being emotionally tough...men are not supposed to show much emotion except for anger. Our culture is shifting…feminizing our men.

–So what’s the big deal?  This mentality can have a devastating effect on a congregation or a family.

–Because the way leaders handle their emotions creates a culture that sets the mood or climate for a ministry, business, or the home.

Malphur: A healthy composure creates a climate where information is shared, leaders are trusted, learning flourishes, and risks are taken.  An unhealthy emotional composure creates a setting swarming with fear and anxiety.

–Composure is the leader’s consistent display of appropriate emotional health or maturity that sets a positive ministry mood, especially in difficult or crisis situations.

–In light of our discussion, strong, healthy composure builds leadership credibility, while poor composure, or the expression of inappropriate emotions, is the silent killer of credibility...Be angry and sin not!

–To have a composure that leads to ministry credibility and influence, a leader must develop emotional well-being that fosters a positive, healthy ministry culture. One of the most powerful scriptures in the Bible:

John 11:35 (NKJV) 

35 Jesus wept. 

III. Leadership willing to be the Change They Want to See

2 Kings 7:3 (NLT)
³  Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other.

--Be the change you want to see…like these lepers in this story I want us to realize that we bear responsibility in changing whatever we consider to be out of whack in our home, church, or business.

--They were starving, their city was starving, and everything seemed hopeless until they made the decision to do something…Why should we sit here waiting to die…why sit here until we die?

--Now you can make a decision to stay where you are, and if you do, there is not too much I can do to help you but if you are ready for change…be willing to jump in!

A. To be the change you want to see; attitude will be everything.

Rob Ketterling: Attitude is everything. Your posture will send a message that you’re all in or always looking for the next reason to opt out. If, however, you accept the challenge to invest personally, emotionally, and spiritually in accomplishing a shared vision, you can help create movement and achieve extraordinary change.

--In any institution it is easy to sit in the back ground and criticize the decisions and actions of those who are leading. It is not easy to become the change you want to see take place.

--This attitude…this decision is precisely what defines both those who hold organizations back and those who propel them forward.

--Many of us will say we want to see change and change is really what it is all about. Change doesn’t begin out there somewhere…it begins with us individually. We must have the attitude of Jesus.

Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)
⁵  You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
⁶  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
⁷  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
⁸  he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

B. The worst thing about those who stay in the background instead of stepping up is that they have so much to offer their families, their churches, or their organizations.

--Let me clarify that we have all been a part of a job, a family, or even a church that we have seen things that needed to be changed…how we react to that is the key…we either help or we hurt the situation.

Galatians 6:1-3 (NLT)
¹  Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
²  Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
³  If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

C. The danger in you not being the change you want to see is that you become the creator of disunity. 

--Critics have the ability to stir up trouble but if they would use the same energy for the good of the organization what a difference they could make.

--Think about this…when you complain, undermine, and find an audience to listen to all that you are upset with, you risk causing disunity…this is something that needs to be given much thought especially in the church.

John 17:20-23 (NIV)
²⁰  "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
²¹  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
²²  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
²³  I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

--If we selfishly have to prove our point we usually create wreckage for the entirety of those who are involved.

When we think we have to win to win, it usually ends up with division. Don’t try to be right, be righteous!

Trusting our Emotions or Trusting God – 5

Trusting our Emotions or Trusting God – 5

Subject – Battling our Emotions When a Test Comes

by Rick Welborne

1 Peter 4:7-8 (NKJV)
⁷  But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
⁸  And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins."

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (NKJV)
¹  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
²  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
³  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
⁴  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
⁵  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
⁶  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
⁷  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸  Love never fails…

¹³  And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

Mark Twain – If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between a dog and man.

--Let me give you this example about man’s best friend…I have heard married men and women say about their spouse…they are not only my husband or wife; they are my best friend.

--Let’s compare our spouses to our dogs…men, let’s say we lock our wives and our dog in the trunk of our car for, let’s say, an hour. Who do you think will be glad to see you when you open the trunk?

--The dog will still love you and be loyal to you, while your spouse may have you arrested or not speak to you for the next twenty years, if ever. Human beings struggle more to forgive than dogs do.

--It is obvious that the people we love the most are the ones who can hurt us the most deeply. Our goal is to learn to love people like we have never been hurt. Why is this necessary?

--As surely as you are listening to this message today you can count on the fact that someone is going to break your heart, someone is going to abandon you or leave you. You will be hurt.

--Someone is going to say something that is going to hurt you, someone is going to disappoint you, someone is going to let you down, lie to you, stab you in the back. Someone is going to reject you!

--There’s a really good chance that most of you listening to me today have been hurt and wounded like this. You may be remembering their face now.

--It may have been the mom or dad who walked out when you were a child, the spouse who cheated on you, the sibling who has not talked to you in 20 years, a child who rejected you and your God.

--The truth is, on some level, we all have given our love and our heart to someone who rejected it. We were wounded and felt betrayed. Now you feel the love supply is diminished. I can’t do that again.

--You don’t even know if it is possible for you to love like that again or you have made a conscious or unconscious decision not to put yourself out there again…the risks are too great.

--Let’s face it, any of us can love when everything is going well, when our politics agree, when our theology is the same, when our marriage or our church is in a honeymoon phase. No one lives there all the time.

Matthew 18:7 (NKJV)
⁷  Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

John 16:33 (NKJV)
³³  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

--Getting hurt is a part of life…it is inevitable but it does not have to be the end of the story…the end of your story. God does not want us to be walking wounded or part of the walking dead club.

--God intended for us to be healed and whole. He intended for us to be able to love like we have never been hurt. Why? That is what He has done and we are made in His image.

Luke 23:33-36 (NKJV)
³³  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
³⁴  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.
³⁵  And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."
³⁶  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine,

1. Stop probing the wounds.

Psalm 38:2-8 (NLT2)
²  Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me.
³  Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins.
⁴  My guilt overwhelms me— it is a burden too heavy to bear.
⁵  My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins.
⁶  I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief.
⁷  A raging fever burns within me, and my health is broken.
⁸  I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart. 

--Listen to David anguishing over his foolish sins…he is wounded…his wounds are festered…he is in pain and he is filled with grief…he is almost to the point of dysfunction because he wouldn’t deal with his wounds. 

--My whole life has been a story…Pastor Juan says I am a story teller…I hope he doesn’t mean like my parents did…you are not telling the truth! Of course, I have a story about wounds!

--When I worked at the Paper Mill in Bastrop, Louisiana, much to my distress they put me on the paper machines which meant they needed someone with a strong back and could take heat…very hot!

--One night a roll of paper came off the machines that was defected…this was not paper for notebooks but thick ruff paper for making cardboard boxes. These rolls were about eight feet high.

--My boss (the third hand) told me to take my paper knife and as quickly as I could cut through that paper and let it fall into the opening in the floor which recycled the bad paper thru the machines. Yes, sir.

--We did not have half inch or one-inch-long blades on a fancy handle…the machine shop made these knives for us…four inches long with a water hose for a handle forced over the dull end of the blade. Sharp as razors.

--Each swipe of the blade you were cutting two to three inches of paper…being a manly man I wanted to show my boss and the other guys how fast I could work and how much paper I could cut at one time. I fell.

--On my way to the floor I was trying to get my hands out in front of me to catch myself…the razor sharp knife in my left hand cut my right thumb all the way from the wrist to the nail…ouch. You could see the bone!

--I went to the nurse…she said you definitely need stiches…lots of them but we cannot mess up our safety record so we will have to patch you up here…she put 6 – 7 butterfly bandages on me…right back to work.

--The dust, sweat, and nastiness of the paper mill kept the wound infected…went to the nurse several times…

Mom was a nurse…all of them were probing the wound trying to fix it…only got worse. Bad infection.

--I should have gone to the doctor and received stiches…I can fix this or it will get better over time. I almost lost my thumb it was so bad. So what’s your point Pastor Rick.

--Instead of dealing with our hurts and wounds we keep probing them…we replay bad memories over and over again, we talk to anyone who will listen, we think of ways of getting even. 

--We poke and prod at our gaping wounds and the infection gets so bad that we eventually get bitter. Jesus is waiting for us to come to Him to get free but we stubbornly keep going down this destructive path.

--This is not how God wants us to live, He wants to give us a new beginning, a new story, a fresh start. He wants to heal what has been broken. He wants to reconcile what has been torn apart.

Luke 4:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 

Jensen Franklin – This is about understanding biblical forgiveness and reconciliation and establishing healthy boundaries. Love without limits is not about codependence or irrational thinking, and it is not an invitation to be used as a doormat or a whipping post.

--Biblical forgiveness is more about your spiritual health than it is about letting the other person off the hook. Forgiving them is about freeing you!

2. The bottom line is about healing relationships.

--Unfortunately, the body of Christ is full of parents who are estranged from their own children. Some of us, myself included) have not spoken to family members for more than 20 years. Of course, not by my choice.

--Some grandchildren have never even met their grandparents. Some believers who were abused or misused when they were young still harbor hurt and resentment. This makes it hard to have good relationships now.

--Some (I will dare say many) in the church live with spouses, children, or parents where there is strife, anger, and continual hurt but no one will make the move toward reconciliation because of pride or bitterness.

--Some people have lost loved ones and now are too hurt to figure out how to love the ones that are left. The truth is, the only thing that will heal these relationships is love. Listen to the love chapter…relationships.

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (NLT2)
¹  If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
²  If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
³  If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
⁴  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
⁵  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
⁶  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
⁷  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

--One of the reasons your pastor reads these verses at weddings is because there is no place like marriage that tests your willingness to work on relationships. Marriage is tough but you are willing to love…it will be ok!

--Love is such a powerful force. Paul is saying that we place these gifts of power over loving one another and having good relationships. Prophesying, having discernment, moving mountains without love will fail.

--I dare you to take the test…what test, Pastor Rick? Read 1 Cor. 13:4-7 (NLT2) in light of your home and in light of how much you love and see how you do. Many in the church can’t even get 50%...sad. 

⁴  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
⁵  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
⁶  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
⁷  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

3. What really matters most.

--When we choose to love God, love ourselves, and love others we can learn to love despite what happened to us way back then…what they did way back then…when we love we can heal generations of hurt.

2 Corinthians 5:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

Franklin – It is never wrong to love, it is never out of order to love, you do not compromise when you love, you never lower your standards when you love. 

--Do you remember what Jesus said when He was asked what is the greatest commandment?

Matthew 22:37-39 (NKJV)
³⁷  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
³⁸  This is the first and great commandment.
³⁹  And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

--What matters most is that we love like Jesus did…we love like we have never been hurt.