Welcome to the Kirwan Baptist Church broadcast today.
Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services as we've dealt with the last two Sundays. In charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Today we're going to be dealing with the subject of charity but in so doing we're going to kind of finish this verse. After charity he says in spirit, in faith, and in purity.
Now I literally could spend a Sunday on each of those. But it is so important of what I'm sharing today. That I feel that these other ones need to all be in the light of what I'm sharing today. Charity is what makes the difference in all of these things.
Now I spent time on word and on conversation. What you say, how we live, those are very important things. But I want you to notice in verse 12 the first three things. Word, conversation, charity. Those are three things that show up on the outside.
If you'll notice these last three things. These are things that show up when we are to be an example in spirit or an attitude. In literally our attitude and our spirit about things. Now get this, my words are not going to be right and my actions are not going to be right if my spirit isn't right. Do you understand that? So these three things and by the way everything in verses one down through verse 11, if my faith isn't right, if what I believe isn't right, then none of those things can be right. But these are things that have to be settled on the inside. My faith is not what I just tell people I believe. My faith is what I live. So it's on the inside and it comes out on the outside.
But I want you to notice in verse 12 he says that we are to be the example in word and conversation and in charity. And you're going to understand what I'm saying about this in just a minute. Let's pray.
Let's dig in. I know our time is a little short today. I'm going to be mindful of that. I'm going to be respectful of God's word, it's rightful place.
And I obviously am going to be very respectful of that. Lord I love you. Pray that you bless our, thank you so much for the music, the song. What a wonderful encouragement. Just to remember you're coming back. And Lord you've not left us alone. You've given us the Holy Spirit, the comforter. But Lord we are excited to see you. And Lord I just pray that you bless us as we strive to be faithful until you come back. And Lord we love you.
Bless me today. I believe that your word is important to me. It is important in every passage, every word, every jot, every tittle. And I believe this to be very important for our church. So I pray that you'd help me. In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen. Now the word love in the Bible. This word obviously used in this passage is the word charity. This is the word agape. Now if I can just for your own reference let me give you the four words used for love. When you see the word love or agape in the Bible it's gonna be one of these four words. And I want you to know the different meanings so you'll know the different loves that the Bible speaks of.
And many of you are familiar with this, some of you might not. The first Greek word used for love is the word eros. It's where we get our word erotic. It is a sensual love. It is basically a physical desire type of love.
And that is one use. The second use is the word storge or storge as they would say. Storge literally means family love. It means literally the love that you have with kinfolk is what it says.
It means that we're family and so that there is a love that you naturally have. We all know with family it's a love-hate relationship. But deep down you know when you take your two children that are arguing and you make them sit there and put them all in one t-shirt and cover over them so they're stuck with each other like that.
And you say sit there for an hour. They learn to get along. You know why? Deep down they're there is a love. Now sometimes it's really deep down but there is a love. But it's this kind of love that kind of family members have with each other. That's that word. The third word is the word phileo.
And obviously the city Philadelphia is where it gets its roots, the city of brotherly love. Phileo means natural love. It means that it's a love that you just naturally feel for certain people. There are certain people that you're going to be around and they're just easy for you to love. There's just certain things that you just connect to. It just comes naturally. They're easy to love. You just enjoy them.
It's not something you've had to learn to do or work to do. It's just natural. You'll meet people like that in life. It's just there's some people you get along with better than others. And by the way when we're to love each other you say well preacher I don't feel love. Listen the Bible doesn't say that we always have to feel love for others. Sometimes it's hard to but we need to show love. To others. It's that decision. You understand. Now the last word is this word in verse 12 is the word agape.
And you're familiar with that. This word agape is a godly love. So eros is a sensual love. Storge is a family love. Phileo is a natural love. And agape is a godly love.
You say what makes this difference? Agape love is literally something that only God can give. It is making the choice to love even when it is not easy. This word means to love even when it's not returned. It means to love even though it may not be deserved. And this is the hardest type of love to show.
Because God commanded me to. There is that decision that although they're doing things right now that I don't love. I'm going to love them. Everybody understand we're on the same page that's what this word we are to be the example in agape love. So if we're going to do that we've got to and here's Paul writing 1 Timothy so we've got to go where Paul really defines what charity is. It's going to go very quickly.
But I want you to now turn to obviously can anybody tell me where we're going? 1 Corinthians 13. It's like it wasn't on the screen.
Okay I just want to make sure if it was already on there you would know. Let's turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and this is all part just to make sure you understand. And we were sharing with our Kerwin Connections class this morning. Our Sunday school class. Our church history.
How thankful we are. And you know because our church has history I told them that the ways are different here. And they're different here because we have had a church since the early 1940's. And that means over the years our church has seen some things that work. Some things that don't work.
Some things that look good right now. But we've been around long enough to see kind of where those things lead to. So because we have a history we're not just a new start up church trying a bunch of new things.
We have a history. And so that means that we're not necessarily one tended to just kind of go grab at things because they look good. It doesn't mean we think those things are wrong. It just means that we've seen a lot over the years and we respect our church's history and a lot of what God has taught us to do here and to adhere to here is an example. It means that we've got to create a level that people trust and it's stable. It doesn't mean everybody has to agree with it.
It just means that we're not have these things in place just to be mean. It means that we are to be the example. The church should be the example.
Kerwin Baptist Church has been here since 1941. We should be an example. Everybody understand that. It doesn't mean that anybody that does things different with us is wrong. Absolutely not.
Are you kidding? But we have been around for a while. And so we want to make sure that people understand and it's stable here. And we want to have, if we don't have a standard then we have no standard. So we're just, this is the level God's brought us.
We want our best to honor him. So we've got to be the example. But here's where a church has been around for a long time like ours. This is where a church like that may struggle a bit. And that is to be the example in charity.
A lot of times a church has been around for a long time. We know how to be an example in word. We've all heard preaching. We know an example about our actions and how we live. But we're not necessarily the example in charity.
Now I'm getting ready to show you why that changes everything. Now notice if you would, and instead of reading the passage and then going back to save time, I want you to notice the first thing this passage teaches about charity. Number one, charity validates our words. Look at verse one.
Please, please, please, please. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass. Or a tinkling cymbal. Did you hear that? Even though I speak the words, and even though I would say the right words, and not only that, he said even if my words were literally from the tongue of men and of angels.
But if I don't have charity, then all my words are worthless. Now we were just at Men's Prayer Advance a couple weeks ago with some of our staff guys and Dr. David Gibbs was speaking. He brought up this particular verse and he talked about the fact that I'm become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
And he gave an explanation of that. I'm going to be honest with you, I had not heard. Now I thought, you think to a point you kind of heard everything. Some of you might have heard it. Just somehow coming down through the filters, I never heard this.
I've heard a lot of explanations. But literally in Middle Eastern countries, and some of you have been there and you'll know, when you go to the grand markets there where everybody has tents set up and they're all selling goods, they've got to get your attention because there's a lot of things. So a lot of them will play noise, they'll hit cymbals.
And if you can just imagine yourself maybe watching an old movie and somehow in the old movie in the scene they're in the middle of a market in Egypt or India or something like that. And you hear those noises, the cymbals banging and the little metal kind of flute horns playing. And they do that. It doesn't make sense and it's not good music. It's just making noise so that it gets your attention.
And he said that the right words without love literally is something that just gets your attention but it's not good. It's just noise. And we have a generation of people that in our churches have only heard noise.
And it's sad. We were saying the right words. We were the example in what to say.
But we weren't the example in love. Charity validates my words. Notice secondly charity validates my knowledge. Sometimes we think well I'm just gonna know a lot if I educate a lot. Look if you would at verse two.
Notice what he says here. And though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains and have not charity I'm nothing. He said if I can prophesy, understand mysteries and have all knowledge but I don't have charity then that knowledge doesn't mean a thing. So if I'm not the example in charity then my knowledge does nothing for anybody. Y'all agree with this so far?
I'm not saying it's fun. I'm just saying do you agree with this so far? Notice number three charity validates my faith. Look at verse two where we just read. He says and though I have all faith. Now do you notice in our verse first Timothy 4 12 we're supposed to be the example in word. We're supposed to be the example in conversation. That is speaking with the tongues of men and angels. That is understanding having all knowledge. And you know what else it says in verse 12? We should be the example in faith.
And here he says right here. And though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains. Wow that is great faith. And have not charity I'm nothing.
So our faith has no validation if we don't have charity. Is the light bulb starting to come on in some of your minds a little bit? As you kind of look back and you wonder why some of you your kids your grandkids feel the way they do about things and think what in the world is going on and you know what they're not necessarily right about a lot of the things but let me tell you where the roots of that are in. They heard the word. They heard the conversation. They saw all the knowledge.
They were preached all the faith but they weren't shown charity. Notice number four. Isn't this good? It's really good preacher.
Wow. Man I didn't know this church had such good preaching. Everybody from that church seems to hear the great messages from someone else.
I can't believe. Number four charity validates my giving. Look at verse three. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not charity it profiteth me nothing.
Did you hear what he said in verse three? Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor what a giver. But if you don't have charity you're giving profited nothing.
It would beg me to ask this. I don't even want to know maybe how much you give the church. Are you showing love?
Now you ought to do both. Notice last charity validates my sacrifice. Some people think well if I just learn more if I just get more faith if I just give more and even in verse three if I sacrifice more. Notice verse three.
It's amazing. Though I give my body to be burned what a sacrifice. Most of us are not sacrificing to that level. Can we all say amen right there?
We're really not sacrificing like that and God said even if you sacrifice like that and you don't have charity it doesn't accomplish anything. Man. Listen to me. Wake up for a second and get this.
Please. Listen. If we are not an example in charity then we are really not an example in anything.
Do I need to say it? Make sure we all if we are not the example in charity then we are really not the example in anything according to this passage. If we have all the right words and we have all the right knowledge and we have all the right faith and we have all the right giving and even go above and beyond and sacrifice so much.
Yet we wonder why is it not making a difference? Let me tell you why. Well man I've been working this ministry for years. I've given my time. I've given my Wednesday nights for how long do I want it?
I've given my Saturdays or my Sunday nights and Tuesday nights and I've given my Wednesday nights now running a bus route and knocking on doors and man I get on there and start the bus up and I spend all that time and then afterwards everybody's going to lunch on Sundays or now they're going home on Wednesday nights and I take that bus and drop all those kids back or I take that van and I drop them all back. Why does it seem like it's really not accomplishing anything? Because I'm telling you our word and our knowledge and our giving and our sacrifice and our faith it doesn't do anything.
Anything without charity. Now I obviously have the plan to go through this chapter just to show you what love or charity is but I don't have time to do that today. To be honest with you I think the Holy Spirit has already said what needs to be said. Now I can go through and maybe show you some details about some things. I learned some things and I might go through it next week.
I don't know. It might feel like it's important enough but I think most of us in this building kind of know what charity is. We kind of know what love is supposed to be. Husbands you can read all the books you want to read. You can sacrifice all the time you want to sacrifice. You can work ten jobs if you want to.
You can say all the right things, do all the right things. Get everything organized. But if we don't have Godly love for our wives there's always going to be something missing. Mom? Wife? I don't care how many Thanksgivings you've worked all night cooking.
And I know it's all night. You say well man alive I've cleaned up kids when they're sick and I'm up in the middle of the night taking care of them as my wife was last night. You pray for them. My wife had to take Kate into the emergency room this morning and I'll get a report. He spiked a fever and has been throwing up all night and just been horribly sick.
Flu normally means hospital for a week or two and so she's getting all that checked out today. I appreciate you praying for them. And I give and I give and I give. And I've taught them right.
But if I don't have charity it profiteth me nothing. Now I can spend all year about being an example. I mean we can say hey listen this is how we're supposed to talk. Listen this is how we're supposed to live.
And let me tell you something this is the kind of attitude we're supposed to have. We're to be the example in spirit and we're to be the example in faith and we ought to know right doctrine and teach right doctrine and preach right doctrine and I am 150% for that. But if we never become the example in charity then we're never really going to be the example.
I don't care if our church has been here 70 years, 100 years or 1,000 years. We're not the example in anything if we're not the example in charity. When a visitor, when a member, when a teenager, when a family that goes through heartaches, when they have a child that takes a wrong direction and makes a wrong move and has some wrong things in their life.
If they do not get here and see the example of charity then we're going to be the example that loves them and want to help them and see people that look beyond their differences and beyond their color and beyond their faults and just determine that we're going to be the example in charity to people until they see that. The Bible says. I'm not asking if you like it. I'm not asking if you're enjoying it. I'm asking this. Is that biblical?
It is. As your pastor I want to love you but I know I've got to learn to love you better. I want you to love me and as far as I'm concerned you've done a fantastic job of that. We've got to learn to love each other. We've got to learn to love outside of this building because we are going to become just a bunch of noise banging in this community if they hear the word, if they hear the faith, if they see the knowledge but they don't see the charity. God forgive us. We have let him down. He showed us love. He has given us the example.
And he asked I'll do all this for you. You just be the example to people of the love that I've given you. And we have let him down. I think God has great things for 2019.
I think he does. We will go not one step further until we as a church learn to love those that don't necessarily love you back. Until we learn to love those that aren't necessarily easy to love which is each other. That's what agape love is. God did not say we are to be the example in phileo love where it's easy to love some people. He said we're to be the example in agape.
Enough said. Let's bow our heads and pray. The altar's open. If you feel between you and God it's a place you need to get to. Lord I love you today.
Let me stop and say dare anyone think that Pastor Daniel is preaching at them. I am most guilty in this. I acknowledge it. I admit it.
I do not mind saying I'm almost the poster child. God I know we all need this but I need it. And Lord our motives have always been right to be right in doctrine and to further our knowledge and to have the right faith and to say the right things and to live the right way. But Lord we have enough people that have seen all that but they're looking for somebody to be the example in charity. And Lord I pray that you'd help us take all these right things that we know and are taught and are trying to do and let us continue doing those but Lord let us begin the most important.
And that is charity. Please Lord. I love you. Forgive me for where I failed you in this. May this church forgive me for where I have failed them. Lord help us all to realize and admit and come clean with ourselves that we just might need this today. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web at KerwinBaptistChurch.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you. And God bless you. You You You
