Quick preface before I start; I have never and will never preach a sermon directed at any one person.
Last weekend after service, I was asked what I was going to preach about next week. Jokingly I said “whatever He wants me to talk about” and then I asked why and the person said that this week’s sermon was rather harsh and tough to listen to because it felt like I was trying to make them feel bad about themselves, in fact others had told them the same thing. I asked who else and they simply said others. This never washes with me. If someone says others are talking, then, out of love, encourage them to come forward in love to openly discuss the situation. In love, we can honestly talk to each other and grow with each other but if all we can do is go behind our backs, gossip and try to tear each other down, we are not acting out of love but rather we are reacting from the position of the world.
The evil one does not need our help to make things worse, he is doing well as it is. It takes effort to lead out of love, it takes no wisdom to force one's will through fear. To lead by fear is to lead through temporary power, but to lead through love, His love, is to depend on infinite power that is over and above all that we know on this planet.
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! 1 John 4:7-12 MSG
John talks of love, agape, that is the foundation of all we should endeavour to follow in our daily lives. Agape, that unconditional, never dependent on payback, freely given love, is above all and is the guiding principle for prevenient grace, that grace that goes before us all and that grace that forgives perfectly. This is the premise for the final sermon in this series before we head into the Easter season. Go figure, we are almost upon that celebration of God’s gift for us all, our salvation through His Son.
This Sunday, we finish the Temporary Power series with Pastor Todd. Please plan to join us either in person or online at 10:30 AM this Sunday. The service will be broadcast online on our website (https://www.mainavefellowship.ca/socialplatforms) or you are more than welcome to join us in person at 402 Main Ave. W in Sundre, AB.
Blessings,
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