This is my second thought regarding the Sunday sermon from Calvary Fellowship Church (first thought here) regarding 1 Peter 4:7-11

7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The second thought that I want to point out is that God provides us the strength to serve!!  Just as the grace given to us upholds us in faith and gives us the faith to see God’s truth–God’s grace gives us strength to serve!  Whatever our gift is that God has given us, we must use it to serve.  This service is God using us to show grace to those in the church and out of the church (depending on our gift) but above all we are to glorify God through Jesus Christ!!  Our service is to bring the one who Created all glory and honor forever.

Praise God!!

This week’s Sunday sermon at Calvary Fellowship Church, titled Serve–apart of the series Mindshift, was taken from 1 Peter 4:7-11

7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The main point was that we need to serve, that each of the spiritual gifts that are given us are to be made use of to uplift and build the church.  However, I want to point out two things that I see from this passage.

First, 1 Pet 4:8 tells us to keep loving “since love covers a multitude of sins.”  The key work I would like to focus in on is “since.”  This isn’t tell us that if we love we can keep on sinning, as Paul said “so that grace may increase.”  In fact the “since” here is a modifier that is hinging the phrase prior to the “since” to the phase after.  We, as Christians, are to love one another earnestly.  Why?  Because love covers a multitude of sins.  What love is being talked about here?  It isn’t an effect of our loving, it is the cause.  Jesus’ death on the cross paid the ultimate penalty for our sins.  Paul tells us that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” and in Rom 5:5 we see that God is the one who poured His love into us, through the Holy Spirit and because of Jesus Christ.  1 John 4:7-12 tells us

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

We “love earnestly” because God first loved us!!  Amen!!

I love my wife!!  Beth is just AWESOME!!  More than that though, I love God for giving her to me for giving me the woman who is exactly what I need, knows what I need, and knows when I need it!  While we do have our similarities that make us smile and laugh and say a lot of things together at the exact same time (ot atleast, “Hey, I was just going to say that!!”), we also have our differences that ARE AWESOME!!

Beth doesn’t care much about politics and analysis.  She says what she thinks when she thinks it while she thinks it (or sometimes, even before she thinks it!!) and it is AWESOME!!  Why?  Because I love her.  Because sometimes I think before I speak and it keeps me from saying what I should have!!  However, she is also a great encourager!  She knows what to say to lift me up when I am feeling down or when the Enemy is trying to beat me into the ground!  She gives great hugs and is simply AWESOME!!

She also loves Jesus!  That is the coolest thing about her.  Her desire for intimate, expressive, fulfilling worship with and to God to be re-united with the Holy Spirit in an intimate way–through worship to lift her up and give her energy.  See, God promises in Gen 2:18 that He will make a “helper” fit for man.  Beth is that helper to me.  Her desire for worship complements and completes my desire and need for a good sermon (or two or three or four…) and reading the Bible.  While she desires and enjoys that as well, seeing her worship is just an amazing experience!  I am so glad that God gave me the most beautiful woman in the world!

¹⁰ An excellent wife who can find?
   She is far more precious than jewels.
¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her,
   and he will have no lack of gain.
¹²She does him good, and not harm,
   all the days of her life.
¹⁶She considers a field and buys it;
   with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷She dresses herself with strength
   and makes her arms strong.
²⁰She opens her hand to the poor
   and reaches out her hands to the needy.
²⁵ Strength and dignity are her clothing,
   and she laughs at the time to come.
²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom,
   and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
²⁷She looks well to the ways of her household
   and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed;
   her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹“Many women have done excellently,
   but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Theological scholars believe, and other pastors have suggested, that the sin of pride is the ultimate sin that so easily comes out in so many various forms and facets.  Pride was the ultimate sin that caused Adam and Eve to fall (Genesis 3:1-14) and ultimately what caused Lucifer/Satan/the Devil to become the “fallen Angel” since he wanted to become like God (and the same lie he tells all of us, just like Adam and Eve in the garden.)

One of the most important marriage lessons I’ve learned so far is that for me it is hard for me to admit that I am sorry when there isn’t a book/chapter/verse rule of the wrong I’ve committed and I think I can talk my way out of it.  (Fallen humans can’t talk their way out of fallen things.)  Tell things from my perspective and let her see things my way and she’ll understand and all will be OK (but not forgiven, because my pride is in the way.)  And, I’m pretty sure that most guys are like me (e.g., Wife: “Do we need to ask directions, honey?” Husband: [macho, masculine voice] “Nah, its just over the next hill.” …)  Stopping at the last gas station and admitting that you didn’t have the FIRST CLUE where you were going and needed the local’s help, swallowing your pride, and just getting help.

Leadership is like that.  And as the husband in my relationship with my wife, I am the leader.  Period.

And part of leadership is  accepting responsibility for things that might not be exactly “your fault” but are percipitated by your leadership decisions (or lack of) and accepting responsibility means that you have to swallow your pride, ask for directions, say you’re sorry, etc.  Real marriage leadership is taking responsibility for those things that aren’t “your fault” but because, men, we’re the head, we have the responsibility, and sometimes being a man means taking on things that you don’t want to but because you have to.  Why?  Because God didn’t allow anyone else to do it!!

Christ took responsibility for our sins, for our fallen nature, before we were EVEN BORN, we didn’t COMMIT specific offenses against God.  Christ went to the Cross for us because of His great, eternal, amazing, everlasting LOVE for US!!  That

even when we were still yet sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)

and

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

(1 John 4:9-10)

As husbands we are called to love our wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).

In my marriage vows to my wife, I vowed to love her as Christ loved the church, that as Christ died for His bride (the church), so would I die to self for my bride.

Something that I’ve been reminded of lately.