DCFC Online April 25th - The Fuel of Love - Ps Lynda Hammond

THE FUEL OF LOVE

Dalby Christian Family Church – 25^th April 2021

 

1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” NKJV

When we look at a plant or flower, we see its beauty, colour and fragrance. But the health and strength of the flower is not in its colour or fragrance but lies in where it is planted, and its root system.

Our strength doesn’t lie in how many we lead to Christ, or how many miracles we do, or the many activities of life and service – it lies in our relationship with our God.

1. God has called us into fellowship with Himself.

When we think of ‘call’ we often think of what type of ministry or work we should be doing.  These are valid, but our PRIMARY call is to walk with God.

How would you feel if someone proposed marriage to you for what you could do for them?  Perhaps help with household maintenance, bringing in the money & so on.  No, marriage is first of all about loving the other and sharing in life together. 

There are many broken families because each is so busy doing stuff, that they ignored each other.

Before we are ministers, volunteers or team members, we are His.  This is where our fruitfulness comes from.  John 15:4-5 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

Revelation 2:4 “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love”

The Ephesian Church in Revelation Chapter 2 was very busy serving, being patient, being brave, standing up for what’s right – but their love had run dry.

Eventually, if they didn’t put it right, their church would be gone. V5… “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”

I hardly think that Jesus would need to remove anything… eventually what isn’t fuel by love – dies.

In times of temptation, weariness and trouble will we stand up, will we be able to keep functioning for our master - or our friend?  I think our Friend. The One we love.

Song of Songs 8:7 “Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised.”

What does this mean?  It means that love is its own reward. 

You cannot pay someone for their work when it’s an act of love.  For this reason, when love for Jesus motivates and fuels our lives, we can go the extra mile, we can give more than we thought we could, we could endure so much more than we thought we could, and you can’t pay for it – it would be despised.

Jeff doesn’t have to pay me to do the things I do, neither do my children.  All that I have is theirs.  They owe me nothing. 

Why is this so important?

1. Because it’s easier serve someone we love, than someone we fear. Its easier to work for someone when you know them, than when you don’t.  When you understand their values and where they are coming from.

We are first of all called to KNOW Him.

I remember as a little girl, from time to time deciding to do something wonderful for mum & dad – you’ll cringe when you hear it!  We would decide to surprise mum and dad and ‘clean up’ a room. We’d work so hard, and they would be so happy, they knew our motivation.  But if I was still to do that at the age of 17, or now, it wouldn’t be met with such grace… because I know better now.  I know what they like, what’s important to them. 

In the same way, when knowing God is the basis we work from, we are more inclined to get things right – not necessarily perfect, but right.

Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

 

2.  

It won’t be to get recognised, promoted or approved of.  I love this statement… “My desire – to worship before the audience of One”

Even though what we do impacts many, it is for the delight of Jesus.  This is the best safeguard against pride, resentment and exhaustion. 

3. When love for God is our motivation, it ‘leaks’ out to others. God is love,

and when we love Him, all we do begins to be in the atmosphere of love, and that love ministers to others. 

4. Love is a great foundation – “I will build my life upon your love, and I will

not be shaken.”  An aside, I think this is not just about His love for us, but our love for Him and for others.  When we function out of motivations other than love, we can be easily shaken.

5. Finally, functioning out of love is to function out of a place of rest and sustainability. It’s a little funny now, but when the children were young and at home, I used to reach the end of my rope, and I felt that I was not doing well.  My catch cry was, “I can’t resign, and no one will fire me!”  I felt stuck with my limited resources.  On the other side of that coin was my deep love for my children.  I’m going to find a way, because I love them! (Fortunately for them, Jesus is my way!)

That beautiful passage in 1 Corinthians 13 is worth reading as I wrap up.

“Generosity without love is patronising and humiliating”

^“ If I speak with the eloquence of men and of angels, but have no love, I become no more than blaring brass or crashing cymbal. If I have the gift of foretelling the future and hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but the very secrets of God, and if I also have that absolute faith which can move mountains, but have no love, I amount to nothing at all. If I dispose of all that I possess, yes, even if I give my own body to be burned, but have no love, I achieve precisely nothing.

⁴ This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience—it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance.

^5-6 Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails.

^7-8a Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-8s (JB Phillips)

Colossians 1:13 “ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and ^[a]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, “

His Kingdom is a kingdom of love, which means the atmosphere of His Kingdom is love…. To try and function in anyway is like a fish trying to swim out of water.

Are you deeply rooted and planted in the love of God?

Our first call is into fellowship with Jesus…  First, we follow Him, and then He makes us what we ought and need to be.

Conclusion

Where is your heart at?  Are you primarily following Jesus, or following duty? 

Is your tank empty?  Have you lost your first love?

Have you ever made Jesus ‘your way’, today is a great day to make that first decision to make Him ‘your way’.

Lets pray….