Every Saturday, Pastor Mike and Sherry write our congregation a letter of encouragement as well an introduction for the sermon topic he will preach the following morning. Below you will find the letter from June 9th, 2024. To watch this sermon, follow this link: The More Excellent Way A sermon on the undiluted true love that comes only from God. Romans 13:8 and 1 Corinthians 13
Week of June 9, 2024
Beloved as we move into this Sunday I want to build upon what I shared last week concerning the inexhaustible debt we owe; the debt we incurred the moment we embraced the love and forgiveness of Christ. Remember Paul says, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). So this week my desire is to show you why “Love”, as Paul shares with us is, “A More Excellent Way.”
There is no doubt whatsoever that Jesus lifted Love up as the ultimate distinguishing characteristic of true believers (John 13:34-35). Yet, for a variety of reasons love has been diluted and polluted until in our vernacular it is nothing more than merely being polite, nice, and possessing good social skills and manners. But love is so much more than this. True love has that supernatural quality that requires us to love people that we sometime don’t even like, or to care for those whom the world considers to be unlovely, and to truly and definitively value others as being more important than ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4).
Too often what the world calls love has an ultimate self-centered component but love that stems from Jesus in the heart is by nature sacrificial, unconditional, and free. This kind of love is so different from the niceness that the world offers and that the church has too often settled for. Fortunately, God gave us 1 Corinthians 13 to spell out the definition of love in a highly descriptive and detailed manner so that we would see through the lies and peer into the depths of supernatural Christlike love.
Paul closes 1 Corinthians 13 by saying, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Faith is a good thing, essential for salvation and sanctification. Hope is necessary for faithfulness and endurance. But love is the greatest of the three, for, without it, Christianity is rendered unfaithful, hopeless, and worthless. Love, the same love that sent Jesus to the cross, is the ultimate difference maker, that which lights the world, that which takes empty hearts and makes them overflow, and that which most clearly defines our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Please join with me tomorrow as we seek to search out “The More Excellent Way”.
I deeply appreciate your love, prayers, and support for without them there is no telling where we would be today. We began this journey together over four years ago and it has grown, and changed in ways none of us could have imagined. We started our weekday Bible studies in the early spring of 2020 and this past Friday we celebrated 1100 unbroken daily Bible studies. By the Grace of God, you all made that possible. We will have a minor shift in our weekday schedule as I am going to cut back one day a week (Fridays) as a day of rest and relaxation. So, instead of Monday through Fridays at 9:00 am, it will be Monday through Thursday at 9:00. Thank you all for your kind support of this minor change.
Please continue to pray for one another and those who are in leadership positions in the church. We are blessed to have so many wonderful, talented, gifted and competent people working diligently for the advancement of the Kingdom of God through our fellowship. God is gracious and so very good to us all the time. I’ll close this for now and get it sent along with the “Listening Guide” for Sunday. I hope to see many of you in service tomorrow. You are much loved.
In The Wonderful Service of Our King,
Mike and Sherry
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