Hebrew 6:10 A Labor of Love
Intro:
Elaine story - A Labor of love giving
to those who can’t give back or Giving expecting nothing in return
A)Changing a
babies diaper / taking care of an elderly parent / uprooting ones family moving to a
foreign country to teach people about Jesus
B) Taking an hr. out of your week to teach little kids
in Sunday School about the Lord –
1)
Those are all examples
of Labors of Love
C) In Eph.
2:8-10 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone
should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
D) We are not saved by
our works but by grace thru faith / but after saved God wants us to work –
serve Him
1)
Workmanship – Poema = Master piece / work of Art / created in
Christ for Good works
This morning I want us to notice
4 things concerning the ministry of
Good works that we are all called to be involved in!
#1 Ministry involves labor!
A.) Ministry is never to be a burden, but it can sometimes be work!
B) The word Labor = toil to the point of weariness !!!
1)
Seen evident even in
the life of Christ – physically he was fatigued from service / slept thru a
storm after busy time of ministry.
C) In Gal. 4:19 Paul
described his ministry to the Galatians
being like a Woman in Labor / a Mother who was
delivering a Baby –
1)
Laboring in prayer
& in his heart over these people
In
1 Cor. 4:12,13 12And we labor, Describes the Various ways : working with our own
hands. Physical labor Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13being
defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the
offscouring of all things until now.
D)Even in the mist of
the most spirit led & empowered enterprises / there is a degree of Labor
involved – Example
1)
Preparing a
study – A person can Labor over a
passage / seeking to dig into the very depth of the passage / struggling w/ the
meaning
1 Tim. 5:17 7Let the elders who rule
well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
Jesus
said in John 6:27 - "Do not labor for
the food that perishes, but for the
food that endures to everlasting life"
A)Everyone is working
for something. Some are Laboring so they can retire at 40
B) Others so they can buy MORE TOYS/ new car;
boat / bigger house / that’s
what their life is about
1) Others are Laboring just to pay the bills and try to survive!
C) But Jesus said Labor for that FOOD which endures to eternal life!
A Part of
that FOOD that endures is our service
to the Lord
A)Jn.4 – Samaria sits by a well & sends his disciples to go buy food / has this encounter w/ the Samaritan woman
B) Disciples come back from
C.J.’s – offer burger – Jesus says I am not hungry – I have food
that you don’t know about
1)disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything
to eat?”
34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent
Me, and to finish His work
C) Jesus
exhorts us to Store up Treasure in heaven: "Can't take with you, but
send it ahead" - Things we labor for here are all going to perish
1.) So Put
your energy and effort into something that will have a lasting
impact! - Eternal impact!
At
times to do so takes effort, takes discipline, takes standing strong in the
Lord in midst of the fight
A.) Paul told Timothy his young protégé in ministry - "Be diligent to
show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed - rightly dividing Word of truth" ALSO "endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ"
B.) Be diligent = put forth the
effort / STEADY ON go for it!
1.) Not take it easy; ( get rid of that saying ) Go for it / stand
strong - work
hard
C) So first, ministry can be labor/ but go for it, work hard/ don’t be afraid of that
2nd
thing to note : It is a Labor of Love! Here we see the Motivation for
Ministry & the Manifestation of all true ministry.
A.)1st &
for most The motivation for all ministry, is to be love for Jesus Christ! Paul said
"Love of Christ constrains me"
B) Jesus example: motivated by love for Father and a deep desire to
glorify the Father!
1)
Begins with realizing the Father loves me! Father is for me! What He
has done for me & to me : Ministry is response to His love!
C.) So All service should stem from a deep heart
felt love and affection for Jesus
Christ! Never
be from a sense of duty!
1) Duty - I can't or I don't want to - love
says I'll do anything
D)Jacob served 7 years
for Rachel - because of his love for her - one week!
1)
True Love WAITS –
Dating
So
that is the Motivation Love for the Lord but Love for Jesus produces - love for
others! That is the MANIFESTATION
A)It is seen in Labors of love directed at God’s people : It is visible / v.10
shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints
B) It is visible see it / and it is CONTINUAL – and do minister – it is on going
1 Jn.3:18 18My little children,
let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
A
thirty-six-year-old mother was discovered to be in the advanced stages of
terminal cancer.
One doctor advised her
to spend her remaining days enjoying herself on a beach in Acapulco.
A second physician offered
her the hope of living for two to four years with the grueling side effects of
chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
She penned these words to her three
small children:
"I've chosen to try to survive for you. This has some horrible costs, including
pain, loss of my good humor, and moods I won't be able to control. But I must try this, if only on the outside
chance that I might live one minute longer.
And that minute could be the one you might need me when no one else will
do. For this I intend to struggle,
tooth and nail, so help me God."
C) 1 Cor. 13 Love suffers Long & is Kind
1) It goes the extra mile
Jesus
said John 13:34,35 - "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” By this all will
know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
D) How world know we are
His disciples? By knowledge? / Verses
Mem.
1.) Great
building? Many degrees? Great music?
C.) By Our love! That essentially is what ministry is - work of love!
D.L.moody
A man may be a good doctor without loving
his patients; a good lawyer without loving his clients; a good geologist
without loving science; but he cannot be a good Christian without love.
Chuck Swindol - event changed their
church!
That is what the world
needs to see in us is love!/ His love / Love that reaches out / love that
forgives / a love that loves the unlovely
Guys,
we have the greatest example of love and acceptance found in the person of
Jesus Christ !
A)ROM 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly.
Also v.8 God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we
were still sinners, Christ died for us.
B)
Christians should be mirrors of that love, And
the church should be a place where that love is exemplified, cultivated, and strengthened
C) True Ministry is loving Making
yourself vulnerable, sometimes getting hurt - or taken!
1) One sister – helped- taken - welcome to
ministry
D) Told her so often "Ministry is
showing someone what word says about situation...
watching them do opposite; being there afterwards, dust settles
E) Sometimes those help/
show no appreciation - forget what you did;
1.) Jesus knows what
that is like! 10 lepers/ where are the other 9
3rd
thing to note: Though others may forget you & turn on you the father
doesn’t 10For God is not
unjust to forget your work & labor of love
A) About 7 weeks after
we were married, camping San Onfre ... lost my ring
B)Although Denise forgave
me immediately for my carelessness, we have never
forgotten incident /
this ring tight!
C) We have the
capacity to forgive/ but hard, if not impossible to forget /
But not for God! 1 Jn.1:9 If we
confess …. Faithful & Just ….. unright.
1.) He forgives and
forgets / justification it is gone!
Done away with!
That is so encouraging to me! God chooses to put out of His memory my
failings - slips - sin!
A.) I can be a goof ball
- say wrong things, do wrong things, put foot in mouth at times / Laurie
Pregnant
B) I talk when shouldn't
- kick myself afterwards - (can't relate)
1)Times when I miss opportunity –Doctors
office – ONLY LIVE ONCE
C) But what is so
wonderful is that in all those things be it w/ my kids, wife, others in church
or outside the Church - God
forgets my failings
1) I am so encouraged by that
D) But what is equally encouraging to me is - He remembers my work and labor of love! Consider this Poem
The house in which my children grew,
where we had lived for years . . .
I
turned to see it broken down, and brushed aside the tears.
I looked upon my soul one day to find it too had grown, with thorns and nettles everywhere, the seeds neglect had sown.
The years had passed while I had cared
for things of lesser worth.
The things of heaven I let go while
minding the things of earth.
To Christ I turned with bitter tears and cried, "O
Lord, forgive!"
I have not much time left for Thee, not many years
to live.
The wasted years forever gone, the days I
can't recall.
If I could live those days again, I'd
make Him Lord of all.
E) Now here is what is
amazing I might see only the wasted yrs of my life / but He sees the fruit in those yrs / He sees the yrs that REMAIN
He remembers
the work, the labor of love, no matter how small!
A.) Nothing is insignificant with Him! Matt
10:42 "Who ever gives a cup of water to a child in my name, not lose reward"
B.) Moms can go unappreciated/ work hard, clean, carpool,
cook (Barbara Johnson right when says, "Motherhood is not for wimps) Tough job
1.) Women's
retreat!
C.) Ladies I want to
Encourage you - do it for the Lord!/ Not kids /
husband do it for Jesus because love Him – GREAT REWARD
1) Guys at work -
stress; demands, hassles - do it for the Lord!
Now Our labor
at times seems fruitless - we don't see results
A.) Matt. 6:4 "Father who
sees in secret - reward you openly"
He rewards work, effort done out of love, in His name
1) Method might be wrong -
motive is right - rewards
Henry C. Morrison, after serving for forty years on
the African mission field, headed home by boat. On that same boat also rode
President Roosevelt ..............received a great fanfare as he arrived
home. Morrison thought he should get some
recognition for forty years in the Lord's service.
Then a small voice came to Morrison and said,
"Henry you're not home yet
B) It is a big mistake
to seek earthly rewards & Adulation / if that is my Motivation then that
will be MY REWARD
C) But if my Motivation
is the Love of Christ – showing His love to others / Rewarded / I think we are
going to be rewarded for more than we think!
1.) Never - led person
to Jesus / but been a prayer warrior/
Rewarded
#4 -
Ministry service is to be IN His name!
A.) Motivation is out of love - method is in His name!
B)To Minister in the
name of Jesus is to consistently seek to act in accordance who He is and what He wants./
Bearing the Name – Christ
C) Paul expressed the same thought in 1
Corinthians 10:31:
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.”
1) It is where He is glorified; He is
exalted He is focus: Testimonies Vs bragamonies!
D) Ministering in His name = ministering in a way that is consistent w/ His
Character / His Heart / Conduct that reflects Christ & Points to Christ .
1)
Ministering in the Authority of Christ
So
God is good He forgets our failings/
doesn't forget our work,
Our
labor of love - Our ministry in His name!
A)So since that is the
case / Let's go for it! Be available!
Step out - right motive - forget about outward results
B) Let's Go for it in
Jesus name
The greatest
Labor of Love – Jesus came to die on the cross
A)He gave to those who like Elaine were Helpless of Helping themselves
B) His Desire? Respond