Lesson Fourteen

The Great Cover-Up

 

Introduction:

The older you become, the more interested you are in covering things up...wrinkles, saddlebags, gray hair, etc. Madison Ave. has done a stellar job in marketing products to help you "cover up" your flaws. But here's a different look at "covering." (1 Peter 4:7-8)

I. Those with a multitude

[1]. Lesson only of interest to those who sin. The rest of you will have to tune out until refreshment time!

[2]. The best definition of sin is one give by Susannah Wesley to her son John when he went away to college: "Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things; whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind, that thing, to you, is sin."

[3]. With that in mind, those of you dreaming about the dessert table can come back to reality!

[4]. Eternal consequences of sin

(a). We know that the acceptance of the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ eliminates the eternal consequences of our sins. We are "blood-bought."

(b). The Bible does teach, however, that we reap what we sow, and that our mortal body isn't changed at salvation; it still sins. Therefore, it would behoove us to investigate a way to lessen the punishment for our sins and in the process, protect our reward in Heaven. Those of you who are a little foggy on that need to sign up for the Wed. evening Bible doctrine class!

(c). I don't know about you, but I have a multitude that needs covering. But what is "charity," and how do I get it and practice it? You don't wake up one morning and there it is...... (2 Pet. 1:5-7)

 

A. Building blocks of charity....this is a PROCESS!

[1]. FAITH - the foundation of your entire spiritual life. (Heb. 11:1) reminds us that "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

[2]. VIRTUE - now here's a foreign concept in today's society.

(a). Definition - Moral goodness; a particular moral excellence. D. Eisenhower once said, " Virtue is nothing but voluntary obedience to the truth."

(b). Remember...the Bible is all truth.

 

[3]. KNOWLEDGE - notice you need faith and virtue first before you can attain knowledge.
(a). It's essential to attempt to learn your entire life.
(b). We provide many opportunities to learn about your Bible...take advantage of them!

[4]. TEMPERANCE - Definition: Habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of natural appetites and passions." "Bummer!" I think this is hinting at controlling yourself!!
(a). This isn't just in regard to food and drink...anything can become an "indulgence." This is particularly troublesome for those of us who are the obsessive, compulsive types! Remember, a false balance is an abomination the the Lord.

[5]. PATIENCE - A certain judge was constantly annoyed by the sneering remarks of a certain "wise cracking" and abusive attorney. Instead of cracking down and silencing him, the judge would only smile and chew his pencil, leaving people to wonder at his patience. At a dinner someone asked why he didn't crack down on that lawyer. The judge laid down his knife and resting his chin in his hands said, "Up in our town there lives a widow who has a dog which whenever the moon shines, goes out and barks all night at it." Then the judge quietly resumed eating. One of the dinner guests asked, "But, judge, what about the dog and the moon?" He replied, "Well, the moon just kept right on shining!"
(a). Patience is the ability to keep on shining in the midst of the barking dogs.
(b). A man named Emerson once said, " A man is a hero, not because he is braver than anyone else, but because he is brave for ten minutes longer."
(c). The art of being patient is not learned at once.

[6]. GODLINESS - if you thought the other building blocks were hard, you haven't seen anything yet!!
(a). (Jonah 4:2) - Jonah gives a concise and accurate description of the attributes of God and includes gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.
(b). Did you really think it would be that easy to cover a multitude of sins???

[7]. BROTHERLY KINDNESS - We can begin to see why the order of these stepping stones is as it is listed in (2 Pet.). This one is the final step on the way to the biggie, charity.
(a). (1 Jn. 3:14) tells us: "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love brethren."
(b). Do you ever feel like you are hovering between life and the funeral home? Loving the brethren is HARD!

[8]. CHARITY - When you have conquered the previous steps, and have a grip on these traits, you have arrived at true charity.
(a). This level will only be attained by the most mature Christian for obvious reasons.
(b). Now we see why charity covers a multitude of sins and not church attendance, writing big checks, etc.

B. What is charity?

Let's assume you have reached the point where you are prepared to exhibit some charity. Just what is it and how do you show it?

[1]. (Rom. 12:15) - Rejoicing and weeping is a study in contrasts.

(a). Be prepared to genuinely celebrate the victories of others.

(b). Be prepared to genuinely grieve with those who have suffered loss. A. Lincoln said that to ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.

 

[2]. (1 Thess. 5:14-15) - There's a whole bevy of charitable suggestions in these verses.
(a). Warn the unruly.....be careful! Be mindful of what "unruly" means. Recently, one of our teenage girls brought an unsaved friend to church. They were sitting square on the front row on Sunday morning, listening politely to the sermon. The visiting girl was chewing gum, which, the last time I checked, not a federal crime. One of the men sitting behind her, who, incidentally, is not a member of our church, passed her a note which said in so many words: "It is very unladylike to chew gum....you remind me of a cow chewing her cud." Needless to say, the girl was mortified and claimed she would never come to church again. Through the efforts of her saved friend and a few others, she was persuaded to come back. There are a few things you tolerate in a church setting in order to win a soul; there are some things you don't. Be wise enough to know the difference.
(b). Comfort the feebleminded - I'm not touching this one! You figure it out!
(c). Support the weak - We are reminded in Acts that we need to support those among us who are weak and in so doing we will be blessed.(d). Here's that pesky patience again!
(e). Render no evil - don't take it upon yourself to "get even" or try to mete out a discipline on someone. It never pays off.
(f). Follow good - I shouldn't have to explain this one.

[3]. (Eph. 4:32) - Kindness and forgiveness
(a). As within a physical family, it is often easy to forget kindness within a church family. No selfless act of kindness is insignificant.
(b). The lady says, "Well, I will forgive her, but I don't want to have anything to do with her!" To which the pastor replies, "Is that how you want God to forgive you?"

[4]. (Heb. 6:10) - Ministering to the saints (that's you out there) is a work of love, and God will not forget it.
(a). It is our responsibility to minister to each other in charity... you are not going to receive that from the world.
(b). It is essential that we build a haven for ourselves against the onslaught of what we deal with outside our church body. This, of all places should be a "safe house."

Conclusion:

These are just a few of the examples of charity in action. The Bible is full of them, but I was struck at how many of them dealt with our relationship with each other within the church body. It reminded me that often it is more difficult to show love and concern for our fellow church member than for those outside our body. And history will confirm that a majority of problems within a church body begin with the women... let's be different!

 

The most well-known verses in the Bible regarding charity are recorded in (1 Cor. 13) where we are reminded that without charity we are sounding brass and tinkling cymbal...just a lot of noise. Please take the time to read this chapter carefully. There is a good reason why your KJV uses the word charity instead of love as in the newer translations. Charity is much more difficult and encompassing. Peter has recorded the remedy for covering a multitude of sins; he supplied through the Holy Spirit the steps to achieving charity, and finally, he issues the warning to those who lack it. (2 Pet. 1:9) - blindness and forgetfulness.
 

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