Faith, hope, love and live in peace with each other on earth.
A. Scriptures for this study: 1 Cor.13:13
Now these three remain: Faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love!
1. When comes to faith, hope and love, we used to talk about faith in the Lord, hope for eternal life!
“Love is the greatest of these three” mean without love everything else would in vain!
2. We may put it this way!a. Faith in Jesus is the beginning of all things when comes to hope for eternal life in heaven!
May we also say, faith in Jesus is essential for those who want to rest in the bosom of the Lord?
b. As Jesus said: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
c. As the scripture also says, without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to him must belelive that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb.11:6
B. We may also say, love for God is essential for everything else!
1. Jesus put it this way!
Of all the commandments, the most important one is the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:28-30
The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:31
2. Apostle John explained this for us-->
This is love for God: to obey his commands.
And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.
This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:3-4
Therefore, believe in Jesus is to obey the commandments of God.
The most important of all commandments is love God. The second is love each other!
C. Today we will talk about faith, hope, love and live in peace with each other on earth.
1. Hope to live in peace with each other must be a common goal for all involve!
2. Then we can all put our efforts to eliminate whatever may ruin our hope to live in peace!
We must all constantly keep in mind, live in peace with each other is our goal!
Then we can all put our efforts to do things which are helpful to improve our chances to live in peace with each other!
3. Common hope produce common endeavor in making sure that we live in peace with each other!
Like a triangle, God is on the top angle. We are all on the base line with an angle on each side!
We all try to climb up closer to God from two angles on each end of this base line!
The closer we get to God, the closer we get to each other!
Our goal as the church is that one day we all reach the top into God!
4. As Jesus prayed: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:20-21
D. To accomplish this living in peace with each other on earth!
There must be a common accepted dead end authority!
Family, community, church... and all human organization have this!
As a nation in America, Supreme Court is the common accepted dead end authority!
Right now all dead end authority has to be enforced with destructive power for its judgments!
Therefore, there is no peace among human species on this earth!
Faith in Jesus and love for God are essential for hope to live in peace with each other on earth!
E. Churches of Christ become common accepted community is the way!
Christ is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,
so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Col.1:18-20
40 years in this church of Christ, thank God, there was no blood shed violence!
All refused to abide by this supreme dead end authority left and never come back!
May the Lord bless you and keep you always! Preach this January 26, 2014.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0j1RnGQR6s