Text: Matthew 22:34-40 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses? Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments. After 28 years of full-time ministry I have learned the importance of clear communication. Not mastered, learned. Communication process is so fragile. Easily susceptible to distortion. Often the understood meaning is very much different from the intended meaning. These classified ads serve as great examples: Auto Repair Service. Free pick-up and delivery. Try us once, you'll never go anywhere again. Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home, too. Used Cars: Why go elsewhere to be cheated. Come here first. Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children. And now, the Superstore-unequaled in size, unmatched in variety, unrivaled inconvenience. Notice how one missing space effects the meaning and makes of world of difference. You will have no customers if you promise inconvenience! The claim of unrivaled comfort and convenience is employed by countless companies in their quest to market their goods or services. 1
I doubt many would argue against the notion that we live in a culture that places an extremely high priority on attaining comfort and convenience. Our cars are a testament to this fact. Prior to 1939 no AC in cars. It was a luxury option. The first mass-market car w/ air conditioning as standard equipment was the AMC 1968 model Ambassador. Then we progressed to where we could set the exact temperature we want in the car. But that level of comfort was not enough because we still had to wait for it to cool down. Now we have remote starters so we can cool it down or heat it up before getting in. But that still was not enough when too cold so we invented seat warmers because, after all, nobody should have to drive without nice warm toasty buns. Americans live on a constant pursuit of comfort. We feverishly seek innovative ways to avoid physical work and then we purchase gym memberships to work out. Our dilemma: On the one hand comfort is good. God is the father of mercies and God of all comfort But on the other hand our desire for convenience and comfort can become too important. When my desire to be comfortable takes precedence over my highest priority to love God and love people - then comfort has become my enemy. God is speaking to us today to recognize that our inherent desire to be comfortable combined with the cultural emphasis on making comfort the ultimate goal, presents a challenge to those of us who desire to make love for God and others our highest priority. The defining question is, What motivates us to do what we do; to choose as we do? Are we motivated by a desire to maximize pleasure and minimize our pain or are we motivated by love for God and others. This does not mean that we glorify suffering. I am not suggesting we equate comfort w/ sin. Sometimes they coincide with one another. A few years ago my wife was in the hospital for a few days following some surgery. I turned the heat down to 58. My younger son, Evan, who was still at home and I 2
suffered for two days. When my wife came home I turned it up so she would be comfortable It felt good to bless her. SOMETIMES WE CAN CHOOSE LOVE AND COMFORT SIMULTANEOUSLY, BUT OFTEN THE CHOICE TO LOVE WILL REQUIRE US TO LEAVE OUR COMFORT ZONES!! The choice to love is a choice to be willing to sacrifice. God so loved the world that he.gave! The depth of our love is measured by the degree of our sacrifice. Our commitment to Love God often conflicts with our pursuit of comfort. Jesus taught that love is demonstrated more by devotion than emotion. He said, if you love me, keep my commandments. Can singing of our love for Christ demonstrate our love? Absolutely! But the real test of love is whether we are willing to obey. Fasting/ Prayer/Study often conflict with comfort. Our Love for God, manifested in our love for others often conflicts with our pursuit of comfort as well. Loving people will require us to sacrifice our time, energy, and resources which will often make life less comfortable for ourselves. Paul is a great example of someone who lived out Christ s sacrificial love. In Philippians 1:12-14;21-26 he wrote, And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God s message without fear. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don t know which is better. I m torn 3
between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. What were Paul s circumstances? Paul was in prison. It wasn t a comfortable place to be. But Paul is writing this letter with an attitude of thanksgiving and joy. He writes with concern that the Philippian Christians might become discouraged about his circumstances!! He is in prison, but thinking about his need to encourage others. Paul is certainly not in the most comfortable place in life. He is in chains, without freedom, and facing the possibility that he might be put to death. He is experiencing both physical and emotional discomfort. So what enabled him to not be overcome by his circumstances? How did he rise above his suffering and discomfort? HE DIDN T NEED TO BE COMFORTABLE He wasn t driven by a desire for comfort. He was so full of love for God and God s people that he was willing to suffer pain and discomfort, and even death, if through it people would be saved and Christ glorified. He didn t focus on the chains and walls but on the people God placed in his path. The thing that brought him joy and peace wasn t physical comfort. He loved to proclaim the gospel and see people set free. It was the love he had for others and his love for God, whom he would see face to face if he died that drove his decisions. Paul s perspective on life is revealed in his statement, To live is Christ, to die is gain. His love had a remarkable influence on his perspective regarding suffering which resulted in a remarkable ability to endure discomfort. Every 4-6 hours there would be a change of the guard. The guards would chain themselves to Paul. Paul was the one that was supposed to be their captive, but instead of seeing himself as their captive he saw them as his captive audience! A captive audience he could share Jesus with for four hours straight!! 4
Paul described the anguish he experienced trying to protect the Galatian Christians from false teaching as the pains of a mother in labor. Why do women who have gone through the terrific pain of childbirth choose to bear more children?!? Because of love!! The story of Aggie Hurst is a great example of the impact of sacrificial love. To read the story go HERE. 5