Love and Service
Sermon Notes
Sermon Title: Love and Service
The Past Four Weeks:
- A Changed Nature
- People of the Book
- People of Worship
- People of Love & Service
Image is All TalkIdentity is Action
1 Peter 4:7-11
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
all of us in verse 7. The end is nearing, if you fall sleep you will be caught off guard by it and react in a manner that won’t benefit you or anyone else – be alert – be on watch – and keep your head about you so you can pray.
Alert prepares. Alarmed scares.
- Peter 4:8a “Above all, love each other deeply…”
- Above all… = “like your life depended on it”
- love each other… = without conditions or limits
Without Conditions:
Romans 5:8, “8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.
Without Limits:
Ephesians 3:14-1914 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every familyin heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
John 13:34,35 NIV
- Deeply = Eagerly & Earnestly or Aggressively & Purposefully
1 Peter 4:8b
“…because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
1 Peter 4:9
9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Add to Love,Service:
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1Peter 4:10
1 Corinthians 12:4-27
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tonguesand to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1 Peter 4:11
11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God providesso that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
John 13:4-17