7.11.10 - Crispin Schroeder
I. Intro – 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
II. Freedom and Love
· Not merely freedom from but freedom to __________________
· ________________ trumps personal freedom
III. All Things to All Men…
A. …Isn’t about faking it with people, or trying to get folks to like us
B. …Is identifying God in our stories and connecting with others from that point.
· Paul did this by connecting with folks who were:
Ethnic Jews, Religious Jews, Pagans, and those with weak consciences
C. “All things to all men” requires that we see ourselves as a work in progress. Philippians 3:12-14
D. “All things to all men” involves viewing our past through the lens of Jesus’ work of redemption
IV. Breaking through the wall of denial
1 John 1:8, Luke 5:31-31, John 9:39-41
I really enjoyed this sermon, Crispin.
ReplyDeleteYou did a wonderful job explaining that love in action meets people where they are, instead of expecting them to meet us where we perceive ourselves to be. Paul’s statement of putting his freedom aside is a beautiful example of this, of sacrificial love – setting aside our “rights” to meet someone’s need where they are – is awesome if we “get it,” if we, in your words, understand that we’re not “the” point but “a point.” Indeed, love does trump freedom.
Another example of this is that often it just doesn’t matter if one is “right” and another is “wrong.” What’s more important is asking ourselves, how am I allowing God to show up if I’m more concerned about proving I’m right instead of shutting my mouth and listening? I might just be able to swallow my pride and act upon the hurt in front of me. Such sincere gestures do far more than beating a point to death or for that matter, “winning” the argument. How ironic that in that situation we think we might win the argument when in fact we’ve lost….
As always, thank you for sharing your personal struggles and journey. We’re all a work in progress, Bro. Thanks, TA