Old Favorites

I. Introduction: God’s care and love for us

I wanted to bring out the words and meaning of two of my favorite scripture passages for my last Sunday at this church. The first one, Psalm 23, contains a short yet beautiful portrait of our relationship with God. It promises comfort and protection to those who remain close to the Shepherd and demonstrates how our spiritual needs are met in the Lord. It is one of the most familiar passages of Scripture in the Word of God and its familiarity is only rivaled by John 3:16.

The Psalm was written by the, David the son of Jesse, who spent much of his early life tending to the sheep of his father, and then became the king of Israel. Listen again to these familiar words:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name sake.

Yea, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil … my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.”

Interestingly, it is written not from the perspective of David as the shepherd, but from the perspective of a sheep and his relationship with the shepherd.
The idea of the sheep and shepherd relationship is taught in the Word of God to describe the relationship between believers and their heavenly Father.

II. A Sheep’s perspective of the Shepherd

A. Trust the person of the Shepherd

Sheep are faithful and loyal to their shepherd and only that shepherd. They will follow that voice and person always.

B. Trust the position of the Shepherd

This means two things. Right now – the Lord will care for you and protect you today! Right here – you don’t have to go some place else to get into the Shepherd’s care! He will care for you and protect you right where you are!

God has forever connected us to Himself through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the wounds that he suffered for us. However, the Lord also put His mark or seal upon us.

You see, a shepherd may be the owner of the sheep, but more than this he is always the manager of the sheep! He guides them everywhere they go and literally makes their decisions for them!

C. Trust the provision of the Shepherd

Notice what the Shepherd has provided for us.
First, He has provided eternal life
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

Second, He has provided abundant life
John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
The happiest people you will ever know are those who have a strong trust in the Lord’s provision. They understand that the Christ-life is full of true joy, unfathomable peace, spiritual strength, and everlasting satisfaction.

D. Satisfaction with the life God has for us

The things of this world will never satisfy you. Rather, they have a tendency to produce in us an insatiable desire for more. This desire can never be quenched.
True satisfaction in life comes only through our trusting in the care of our Shepherd.

Only when we can truly say that, “the Lord is my shepherd,” will we ever be able to say, “I shall not want.”

The Lord desires to be our shepherd. He wants to bless us. He wants to care for us. But Jesus never hesitated to make it clear that when we come under his management and control there would be a new and unique relationship between him and us. That leads to our Scripture lesson that was read a few minutes ago:

III. God’s perfect love for us

Have you heard the story about the actor who was playing the part of Christ in the Passion Play in the Ozarks? As he carried the cross up the hill a tourist began heckling, making fun of him, & shouting insults at him. Finally, the actor had taken all of it he could take. So he threw down his cross, walked over to the tourist, & punched him out.

After the play was over, the director told him, "I know he was a pest, but I can’t condone what you did. Besides, you’re playing the part of Jesus, & Jesus never retaliated. So don’t do anything like that again." Well, the man promised he wouldn’t. But the next day the heckler was back worse than before, & finally the actor exploded & punched him out again.

The director said, "That’s it. I have to fire you. We just can’t have you behaving this way while playing the part of Jesus." The actor begged, "Please give me one more chance. I really need this job, & I can handle it if it happens again." So the director decided to give him another chance.

The next day he was carrying his cross up the street. Sure enough, the heckler was there again. You could tell that the actor was really trying to control himself, but it was about to get the best of him. He was clinching his fists & grinding his teeth. Finally, he looked at the heckler & said, "I’ll meet you after the resurrection!"

You know, sometimes it is hard for those who profess to be Christians to behave like Christians should. We try to carry our crosses, but if someone crosses us, we tend to lose our composure & behave in much the same way the rest of the world behaves.

But the Bible teaches us that we are to be people who exercise love in all of our relationships with one another.

Listen to these words, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" [Romans 12:18]. And again, "Be completely humble & gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" [Ephesians 4:2]. And still again, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men & to be holy..." [Hebrews 12:14].

Now all of those Scriptures say the same thing. It may be difficult sometimes, and not everybody will be easy to love, but if it is possible, we are to live in peace and harmony with everyone.

A. Paul’s description of love

"You know what I don't understand?" asked Lucy of Charlie Brown in one of my favorite comic strips -- "PEANUTS" by Charles Schultz. (from the Gospel According to Peanuts) - "I don't understand love!"

Charlie Brown replies, "Who does!" Lucy says, "Explain love to me, Charlie Brown", Charlie says. "You can't explain love. I can recommend a book or a poem or a painting, but I can't explain love."

Lucy comes back, "Well, try, Charlie Brown, try."
As is always the case, Charlie can't say no to Lucy. He can't resist doing what Lucy tells him to do, so he says, "Well, let's say I see this beautiful, cute, little girl walk by."

Again, typically, Lucy interrupts. "Why does she have to be cute?, huh?, why can't someone fall in love with someone with freckles and a big nose? Explain that!"

Poor Charlie says, "Well, maybe you are right. Let's say I see this girl walk by with this great big nose...". But Lucy interrupts again, "I didn't say great big nose."
Well, by this time Charlie Brown has had enough. He sighs that typical, woe is me sigh and says, "You not only can't explain love, you can't even talk about it."

As is often the case, Charlie Brown is touching upon a profound truth. Love cannot be explained. It is beyond explanation, but Paul provides us with a good explanation in our Scripture lesson for today:

1. Love is patient.

The Greek word (makrothumein) means patience with people and not patience with circumstances. It is the word used of the man who is wronged and who has the power to avenge himself but will not. It describes the man who is slow to anger and it is used of God himself in his relationship with men. Such patience is not the sign of weakness but the sign of strength;

No one treated Abraham Lincoln with more contempt than did his opponent for President, Edwin Stanton. He called Lincoln "a low cunning clown" and he nicknamed him "the original gorilla". Lincoln said nothing. After he won election, he made Stanton his war minister because he was the best man for the job and he treated him with every courtesy. The years wore on. The night came when the assassin’s bullet murdered Lincoln in the theatre. In the little room to which the President’s body was taken stood that same Stanton and looking down on Lincoln’s silent face, he said through his tears, "There lies the greatest ruler of men the world has ever seen." The patience of love had conquered in the end.

2. Love is kind.

Origin had it that this means that love is "sweet to all." So much Christianity is good but unkind due to human nature, but we are called to be kind to all we encounter no matter of race, sex, religion, social position, etc..

3. Love knows no envy.

It has been said that there are really only two classes of people in this world--"those who are millionaires and those who would like to be." There are two kinds of envy. The one covets the possessions of other people. The other is worse. He grudges the very fact that others should have what he has not; he doesn’t so much want things for himself as he wishes that others had not got them at all.

4. Love is not boastful.

True love will always be far more impressed with its own unworthiness than its own merit. Some people are in love with the idea that they are doing somebody a favor. But the real lover cannot ever get over the wonder that he is loved. Love is kept humble.

5. Love is not proud.

The really great man never thinks of his own importance. William Carey, who began life as a cobbler, was one of the greatest missionaries and certainly one of the greatest linguists the world has ever seen. He translated at least parts of the Bible into no fewer than thirty-four Indian languages. When he came to India, he was regarded with dislike and contempt. At a dinner party a snob, with the idea of humiliating him, said in a tone that everyone could hear, "I suppose, Mr. Carey, you once worked as a shoe-maker." "No, your lordship," answered Carey, "not a shoe-maker, only a cobbler." He did not even claim to make shoes--only to mend them.

6. Love is not rude.

It is a fact that in Greek the words for grace and for charm are the same. There is a kind of Christianity which takes a delight in being blunt and almost brutal. There is a graciousness in Christian love which never forgets that courtesy and tact and politeness are lovely things.

7. Love is not self-seeking.

There are those in this world who are always thinking of what life owes them and there are those who never forget what they owe to life. Most of our problems which surround us today could be avoided if we would think less of our rights and more of our duties. Whenever we start thinking about "ourselves" and "our place" we are drifting away from Christian love.

8. Love is not easily angered.

Christian love never becomes exasperated with people. When we lose our tempers, we lose everything. Kipling said that it was the test of a man if he could keep his head when everyone else was losing his. The man who is master of his temper can be master of anything.

9. Love keeps no record of wrongs.

The word translated keeps (logizesthai) is an accountant’s word. It is the word used for entering up an item in a ledger so that it will not be forgotten. That is precisely what so many people do. One of the greatest talents in life is to learn what to forget. Many people nurse their wrath to keep it warm; they brood over their wrongs until it is impossible to forget them. Christian love has learned the great lesson forgetting.

10. Love does not delight in evil.

Better to translate this that love finds no pleasure in anything that is wrong. Evil acts and items are always around and many are disguised to seem good, but Christians are called to discernment to avoid evil.

11. Love rejoices with the truth.

That is not as easy as it sounds. There are times when we definitely do not want the truth to prevail; and still more times when it is the last thing we want to hear. Christian love has no desire to veil the truth; it has nothing to hide and so is glad when the truth is revealed.

12. Love always protects.

This may mean "love can cover anything," meaning it will never drag into the light of day the faults and mistakes of others. Love would rather mend things than publicly displaying them. It can also mean that love can bear any insult, any injury, and disappointment.

13. Love always trusts.

This characteristic has a twofold meaning. (1) In relation to God it means that love takes God at his word. (2) In relation to our fellow men it means that love always believes the best about other people. We make people what we believe them to be. If we show that we do not trust people, we may make them untrustworthy. If we show people that we trust them, we may make them trustworthy.

14. Love always hopes.

Hope here means to expect to know! Love "knows" that God has everything under his control and rests in that promise. (Psalm 25)

15. Love always perseveres.

The verb used here (hupomenein) is translated to bear or to endure but what it really describes is not the spirit which can passively bear things, but the spirit which can conquer. (Philippians 4:13)

B. Christian love.
Paul has three final things to say of the love of God for Christians:

1. Love never fails.

When all the things in which men glory have passed away, love will still stand. The Song of Solomon 8:7 says "Many waters cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away." The one unconquerable thing is love. Barclay says "When love is entered into, there comes into life a relationship against which the assaults of time are helpless and which transcends death."

2. Love perfects us.

Love makes us complete. Love matures us; it allows us to see ourselves as we truly are and God for whom He truly is. Love grows us: it keeps us from acting like children only concerned for our own desires. It is a process which will not be complete until Christ’s return.

3. Love is supreme.

Great as faith and hope are, love is still greater. Faith without love is cold, and hope without love is grim. Love is the fire which kindles faith and it is the light which turns hope into certainty.

IV. Jesus and Love

A. The Greatest Commandments – Matthew 22: 36-40

³⁶‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ ³⁷He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” ³⁸This is the greatest and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

B. Jesus Lays Down His Life for His Sheep

We started this message with the perspective of the sheep – you and me – and we have seen God’s great love for us. God gave Jesus to the world to die for the sins of many. We celebrate that love and presence of God with us always in the sacrament of the Eucharist that we will celebrate in a minute. But first, I would like to take a moment of personal privilege.

V. Conclusion: - Endings and New Beginnings

I’ve based this message today on two of my favorite passages of Holy Scripture so that I could deliver this message to some of my favorite people on my last Sunday here. Tomorrow morning, the moving van comes to bring major changes for Sue and me. The past year has been exciting and memorable for us because of the love we have experienced at First United Methodist Church. You will always be a part of our Old Favorites just like these Scripture passages.

My prayer for each and every one of you and for First United Methodist Church as a community of Christian believers is that you will frequently review these messages of Christian love and work hard to practice them with others even when human nature is to do otherwise, I feel so privileged to have been allowed to serve and worship with you for this past year, and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate our last Sunday together than by sharing together the body and blood of Christ at the Communion Table. May God bless and keep you always.