As a retired pastor and lifelong Christian, I have come to the conclusion that the least effective sermon topic is generally love. I say this for 2 reasons:
(i) Most believers think of themselves as loving Christians and misapply insightful sermons on love to justify their often deluded spiritual self-image.
(ii) When they realize that they fall far short of basic teaching on agape love, they rationalize this away by consoling themselves in the fact that ALL Christians fall short of the Christian ideal. Their de facto theology can in effect be summed up: all of us are guilty; so none of us are really guilty! To get back on track in their quest for spiritual maturity, they need to consider whether they have overlooked these 4 essential texts about genuine Christian love:
(1A) "Walk in the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)"
(B) "But the fruit (singular!) of the Spirit is love: [manifesting as] joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faith(fulness), gentleness, and self-control (5:22-23)."
(C) "If we walk in the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit (5:25)."
(i) Most believers think of themselves as loving Christians and misapply insightful sermons on love to justify their often deluded spiritual self-image.
(ii) When they realize that they fall far short of basic teaching on agape love, they rationalize this away by consoling themselves in the fact that ALL Christians fall short of the Christian ideal. Their de facto theology can in effect be summed up: all of us are guilty; so none of us are really guilty! To get back on track in their quest for spiritual maturity, they need to consider whether they have overlooked these 4 essential texts about genuine Christian love:
(1A) "Walk in the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)"
(B) "But the fruit (singular!) of the Spirit is love: [manifesting as] joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faith(fulness), gentleness, and self-control (5:22-23)."
(C) "If we walk in the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit (5:25)."
Two points to ponder:
(a)The fruit of the Spirit is singular not plural. So it is inaccurate to think in terms of the 9 fruits of the Spirit. Agape love is the only true fruit and the other 8 virtues represent clarifications on how to discern real love in action.
(b) As the fruit of the Spirit, agape love is not the expected result of human striving; it is the result of the mystical experience of walking in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit. That is why Paul brackets his teaching on the fruit of the Spirit by twice reminding you of the need to "walk" in intimate connection with the Spirit. This means the pursuit of mastery of the most important principle of spiritual warfare, "praying in the Spirit" as opposed to praying in the flesh (Ephesians 6:18; cp. 6:10-17; also Jude 20).
(2) "Let love be genuine...Outdo one another in showing respect (Romans 12:9-10)."
Two points to ponder:
(a) No demonstration of respect, no Christian love! What passes for love is bogus unless its recipient feels profound respect from you.
(b) People are naturally competitive. When challenged to rethink Christian maturity, we naturally duck the challenge by comparing our spirituality to those around us to avoid the need to change. So Paul is challenging us as Christian "athletes" to compete with each other to see who consistently shows others the most respect.
(3) "Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful...It...believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:5, 7)."
Two points to ponder:
(a) Does what passes for love in your life allow you to feel irritated by the lack consideration shown you?
(b) True love focuses on the hidden potential in sinners to become divine masterpieces of saintliness by God's grace. Does your possibility thinking so dominate your perception of sinners that their spirits are uplifted by your faith in them and they begin to change their self-perception by viewing themselves through your optimistic gaze?
(4) "Love is as strong as death, its passion as fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it (Song of Songs 8:6-7)."
Two points to ponder:
(a) How "fierce" is the passion of your love for others?
(b) Do troubled "waters" and "floods" of abuse cause your love to ebb and flow? Or does your life experience mirror this passionate text and Paul's declaration, "Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8)!"
