The Greatest Never Fails
Trey Little | 13-Jun-10
"The Greatest Never Fails"
Well TEAM, we have made our way to the final sermon of the "Love Series." My hope is that, together, we have learned a little more about "What love's got to do with it!" On a personal note, I have definitely been convicted in a few "growth" areas in my life. Having said that, I want to apologize to all of you whom I haven't loved as I should have--but please know I do love you and I am working on it!
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 13 as we finish out our study (pg. 1137 in your pew Bibles).
The headline read: "When Baseball Gets it Wrong." That was on the front page of the June 4-6 edition of the USA TODAY newspaper. You may be familiar with the story involving Jim Joyce, a 20 plus year veteran and thought to be one of the greatest MLB umpires, and Armando Galarraga, a right handed pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.
The short version of the story between the two is this: Galarraga was one out away from pitching a perfect game--which would have been only the 21st in the history of MLB. No question, had Galarraga accomplished the feat it would have immediately thrown him into baseball's elite.
Bring in Jim Joyce. There were two outs in the 9th inning when a single was hit toward the right side of the infield causing Galarraga to run over for the cover on first. The throw was made--Galarraga put his foot on first base--well ahead of the base runner--and based on the instant replay of the play--it should have been called an out. However, first base umpire Jim Joyce called the runner safe!
Perfect game--no more. History books?--perhaps, but more for the imperfect call rather than the perfect game.
It made Jim Joyce feel horrible. He admitted to making the wrong call and he said: "I just cost that kid a perfect game, I would've been the first person in my face, and he never said a word to me."
Bottom line: Jim Joyce got it wrong. Jim Joyce failed.
Consider the oil spill in the Gulf. It has been estimated that 100 million gallons of oil have made their way into the water. Marine life has been suffocated. Gulf coast businesses have been devastated--some perhaps beyond recovery. Millions of people have been and will be affected by this disaster. Millions of dollars have been and well be spent--and millions of dollars have been lost. But also, 11 families are grieving the loss of their loved ones--the 11 who lost their lives when the rig exploded in April.
Bottom line: BP failed.
This idea of failure--or should I say, the idea of pointing out another's failure--is a slippery slope. Yet, it happens every day, doesn't it? It seems we are programmed to quickly point out when others get it wrong. We have a knack for being eloquently articulate when others fail.
Let me ask you: Have you ever failed? Have you ever fallen short of your own or someone else's expectations?
I know I have. In fact, I am sure I have probably "failed" many of you in some way.
Bottom line: we have all failed.
But you know--as I think about Jim Joyce, or the people of the BP Corporation, or you, or me--as I think about all of us who have failed--I wonder, should we be surprised? No, not really because the last time I checked, none of us are perfect.
C.S.Lewis, in his book The Screwtape Letters, vividly describes Satan's strategy: He gets Christians to become preoccupied with their failures; from then on, the battle is won.
Isn't that the truth? Just think about the church--too often we become preoccupied with what is not going right; what is not just how we wanted it to be; what is not being done like we want it to be done; who is not being like we want them to be--and then the battle is on. We begin to get less and less involved in the ministry of the church because we just don't want to be around "those" people. We start staying home more on Sundays because we think that this person or that person is just going to let us down again--so why bother? We stop giving financially because we are so preoccupied with the "failures" of "those people" involved in the decision making for the denomination.
Do you get it? When we become preoccupied with others' or our own failures we become incredibly susceptible to spiritual death.
But here is the Good News--we know the One who is perfect. We know the One who can redeem our imperfections for His good. We know the One who can right our wrongs. We know the One who gave His life in order that we don't have to live in failure but instead in victory.
Paul said: "Love never fails!"
I find those three words very encouraging.
This morning I want us to consider all those people and situations that have made their way onto our "failure" lists. Now that you have that list compiled--I want you to ask yourself this question: "Did those people intentionally fail?" In other words, do you truly think that any of those people or situations set out to "fail" you or themselves?
Here is my point: none of us are perfect. We are going to let each other down. We are going to fail.
But our love for one another should never fail--because God's love for us in Jesus Christ never does.
And so as you think about your "failure" list--I want you to consider creating another list to place on top of it--create your love list. List those people who you need to show some love to. Those people whom you have been so preoccupied with their failures that you have fallen short yourself in your love for them. You see, when our love ceases to be evident as a result of someone else's failure--then we too are failing. Yet God's word says: "love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8).
I heard some wise words the other day: "Care more than others think wise. Risk more than others think safe. Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others think possible."
Friends, I would add one more to that: Love more than others think logical.
Paul taught that spiritual gifts will cease. He taught that things of this world will come and go. He was teaching that no matter how good we think we are on this earth--no matter what spiritual gifts we have while on this earth--no matter how successful we are in business--no matter how good we are in sports--no matter--because nothing can compare to the LOVE.
As I close I want to share a story of a pastor who was traveling by plane from one destination to another--as I will be doing very shortly. Someone seated next to him, noticing he was a pastor (how do they know) couldn't help but ask skeptically: "What is God?"
Tired from his trip, and wanting to avoid an argument, the pastor wrote on a cocktail napkin: "God is A.G.A.P.E." Exiting the plane the traveler rushed to a bookstore, pulled a dictionary and looked up the word "Gape." He read: "To stand with your mouth wide open." He thought, "That's the best definition of God I have ever heard."
Friends, Paul wrote: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
And you know what?--the greatest never fails!
If that won't cause you to stand with your mouth wide open--I don't know what will.
AMEN.
Well TEAM, we have made our way to the final sermon of the "Love Series." My hope is that, together, we have learned a little more about "What love's got to do with it!" On a personal note, I have definitely been convicted in a few "growth" areas in my life. Having said that, I want to apologize to all of you whom I haven't loved as I should have--but please know I do love you and I am working on it!
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 13 as we finish out our study (pg. 1137 in your pew Bibles).
The headline read: "When Baseball Gets it Wrong." That was on the front page of the June 4-6 edition of the USA TODAY newspaper. You may be familiar with the story involving Jim Joyce, a 20 plus year veteran and thought to be one of the greatest MLB umpires, and Armando Galarraga, a right handed pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.
The short version of the story between the two is this: Galarraga was one out away from pitching a perfect game--which would have been only the 21st in the history of MLB. No question, had Galarraga accomplished the feat it would have immediately thrown him into baseball's elite.
Bring in Jim Joyce. There were two outs in the 9th inning when a single was hit toward the right side of the infield causing Galarraga to run over for the cover on first. The throw was made--Galarraga put his foot on first base--well ahead of the base runner--and based on the instant replay of the play--it should have been called an out. However, first base umpire Jim Joyce called the runner safe!
Perfect game--no more. History books?--perhaps, but more for the imperfect call rather than the perfect game.
It made Jim Joyce feel horrible. He admitted to making the wrong call and he said: "I just cost that kid a perfect game, I would've been the first person in my face, and he never said a word to me."
Bottom line: Jim Joyce got it wrong. Jim Joyce failed.
Consider the oil spill in the Gulf. It has been estimated that 100 million gallons of oil have made their way into the water. Marine life has been suffocated. Gulf coast businesses have been devastated--some perhaps beyond recovery. Millions of people have been and will be affected by this disaster. Millions of dollars have been and well be spent--and millions of dollars have been lost. But also, 11 families are grieving the loss of their loved ones--the 11 who lost their lives when the rig exploded in April.
Bottom line: BP failed.
This idea of failure--or should I say, the idea of pointing out another's failure--is a slippery slope. Yet, it happens every day, doesn't it? It seems we are programmed to quickly point out when others get it wrong. We have a knack for being eloquently articulate when others fail.
Let me ask you: Have you ever failed? Have you ever fallen short of your own or someone else's expectations?
I know I have. In fact, I am sure I have probably "failed" many of you in some way.
Bottom line: we have all failed.
But you know--as I think about Jim Joyce, or the people of the BP Corporation, or you, or me--as I think about all of us who have failed--I wonder, should we be surprised? No, not really because the last time I checked, none of us are perfect.
C.S.Lewis, in his book The Screwtape Letters, vividly describes Satan's strategy: He gets Christians to become preoccupied with their failures; from then on, the battle is won.
Isn't that the truth? Just think about the church--too often we become preoccupied with what is not going right; what is not just how we wanted it to be; what is not being done like we want it to be done; who is not being like we want them to be--and then the battle is on. We begin to get less and less involved in the ministry of the church because we just don't want to be around "those" people. We start staying home more on Sundays because we think that this person or that person is just going to let us down again--so why bother? We stop giving financially because we are so preoccupied with the "failures" of "those people" involved in the decision making for the denomination.
Do you get it? When we become preoccupied with others' or our own failures we become incredibly susceptible to spiritual death.
But here is the Good News--we know the One who is perfect. We know the One who can redeem our imperfections for His good. We know the One who can right our wrongs. We know the One who gave His life in order that we don't have to live in failure but instead in victory.
Paul said: "Love never fails!"
I find those three words very encouraging.
This morning I want us to consider all those people and situations that have made their way onto our "failure" lists. Now that you have that list compiled--I want you to ask yourself this question: "Did those people intentionally fail?" In other words, do you truly think that any of those people or situations set out to "fail" you or themselves?
Here is my point: none of us are perfect. We are going to let each other down. We are going to fail.
But our love for one another should never fail--because God's love for us in Jesus Christ never does.
And so as you think about your "failure" list--I want you to consider creating another list to place on top of it--create your love list. List those people who you need to show some love to. Those people whom you have been so preoccupied with their failures that you have fallen short yourself in your love for them. You see, when our love ceases to be evident as a result of someone else's failure--then we too are failing. Yet God's word says: "love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8).
I heard some wise words the other day: "Care more than others think wise. Risk more than others think safe. Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others think possible."
Friends, I would add one more to that: Love more than others think logical.
Paul taught that spiritual gifts will cease. He taught that things of this world will come and go. He was teaching that no matter how good we think we are on this earth--no matter what spiritual gifts we have while on this earth--no matter how successful we are in business--no matter how good we are in sports--no matter--because nothing can compare to the LOVE.
As I close I want to share a story of a pastor who was traveling by plane from one destination to another--as I will be doing very shortly. Someone seated next to him, noticing he was a pastor (how do they know) couldn't help but ask skeptically: "What is God?"
Tired from his trip, and wanting to avoid an argument, the pastor wrote on a cocktail napkin: "God is A.G.A.P.E." Exiting the plane the traveler rushed to a bookstore, pulled a dictionary and looked up the word "Gape." He read: "To stand with your mouth wide open." He thought, "That's the best definition of God I have ever heard."
Friends, Paul wrote: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
And you know what?--the greatest never fails!
If that won't cause you to stand with your mouth wide open--I don't know what will.
AMEN.
