There is to be a key ingredient in the life of every Christian, and without nothing else matters. Join us to find greater depth in your relationship with God.

<p>There is to be a key ingredient in the life of every Christian, and without nothing else matters. Join us to find greater depth in your relationship with God.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Bay City SDA Church

Taylor Hinkle

Christianity - X = Nothing

Father in heaven, we thank you so much for the privilege of being able to gather together as your people.

Lord, we thank you for the rest that you provide for us.

Lord, you say, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

And Lord, we're thankful that we can come to Jesus this morning.

We can come to you on your holy day, the special day that you've sanctified and set apart for our blessing.

Lord, help us to experience that blessing today.

May we not be so rushed or distracted or pulled by the world, but may we experience the special time that you have intended for us.

Well this morning if you saw the title of the sermon, you'll notice that it reminds you maybe of a math class that you've taken before.

There's a math problem in the title and it's not a complicated 1, it's 1 that you have probably figured out before you even heard the sermon.

Christianity minus blank, and if we were using math language we would say X equals what?

And the question is what is it that makes Christianity absolutely useless if it is the missing element?

And this morning I want to share with you 1 of the most important principles that we find in scripture that is often overly misunderstood and overly simplified and not accurately demonstrated in the life of each 1 of us if I'm honest evaluating my own life.

You know when I was in school there was a math idea that was hard for me to understand And I want to share it with you this morning.

But the teacher would write a number on the board.

And the number would look something like the 1 that's on the screen here.

And I would think, that is a huge number.

And as a kid, I mean, you're just blown away.

And they put another thing on the screen.

I mean, this is a huge number times 0, and it equals what?

Now, you're going to say, well, of course.

Anything multiplied by 0 is 0, and we get that.

But as a young person you think how do you have such a large number and just because it's multiplied by 0 it now equates nothing.

But I think that's something that God tries to communicate through us to his Word that you can have the largest, most eloquent, greatest looking, most profoundly demonstrated, whatever it is, and without love, the Christian life and the life of anyone is absolutely nothing.

Now isn't this what the Bible tells us, 1 Corinthians chapter 13, Though I speak with the tongue of men and of angels, and I have not love, I have become a sounding brass, or a clanging what?

How many of you enjoy hearing that early in the morning?

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but I have not love, I am nothing.

You know, God has blessed the Seventh-day Adventist Church with tremendous blessings.

I mean I'm a Seventh-day Adventist today because I believe that the Seventh-day Adventist church is God's final remnant church for the last days.

He wants to bring all the people into the fold.

I'm not saying He's excluding those, but He's calling them to be part of His people.

He's blessed us with a message that gives us purpose for life, that gives us meaning, that gives us truth and identity.

But though we have all knowledge and we have not love, we are nothing.

You know it really doesn't matter how much you know if you don't show love towards 1 another, they don't care what you know.

Have you ever found those people who they know so much about Bible truth but they're absolutely like meeting a cactus to another person.

It's the most abrasive situation, but they, well, it's the truth!

Truth without love is nothing, and I would actually subscribe to you that it's not true.

1st Corinthians chapter 13 verse 3 continues on, it says, Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but I have not what?

This is 1 of those verses that has blown my mind over the years.

Can you imagine someone who is martyred for their faith, but because they didn't do it out of love to God and love to man, and it was just a show or a demonstration, or whatever the purpose might be, They'll wake up not in the first resurrection, but the second and they'll think what I gave my body Lord Lord Didn't we prophesy in your name didn't we cast out demons in your name?

Didn't we do all these wonderful works in your name and the Lord will say depart from me.

I never knew you Love is a critical factor for the Church.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 2.

Notice what God here tells the early Christian Church.

Revelation chapter 2, to the first church, which is the Church of Ephesus, the first of the 7 churches, We recognize that those 7 churches were specific churches, literal churches in Asia Minor, but we also understand that they represent different time periods within Christian history and the first church represents the first church that ever existed in Christian history, which would be the church of the apostles in the New Testament.

And did you know that even though we see miraculous miracles in the book of Acts, and all the things happening, with just in a few short years a problem takes place, and God points out this problem to John as he writes to him at the end of the first century about the Church of Ephesus notice what it says Revelation chapter 2 verse 1.

To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, these things says he who holds the 7 stars in his right hand who walks in the midst of the 7 golden lampstands.

I know your work and your labor and your patience, and that you cannot bear with those who are evil.

You have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and you have found them liars.

You have persevered and have patience and have labored for my name's sake and have not become one." Now when you read the book of Acts, can you agree with this description?

I mean, they didn't wear out, they didn't wear down, they didn't put up with, you know, Gnosticism or other heresies that were coming into the church and God's saying, this is very good, this is great, You're doing a wonderful work.

Nevertheless, what does nevertheless mean?

However, regardless of the first thing, I mean, that's really great, but, nevertheless, I have this against you.

Remember therefore from whence you have fallen, repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly, and will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you, " what?

What does that mean you'll remove your lampstand?

What were the lampstands representative of?

Actually, if we read Revelation chapter 1, we could look at verse 20.

Revelation chapter 1 verse 20, we should have just read it and then I'll ask you the question again.

The mystery of the 7 stars which you saw in the right hand and the 7 golden lampstands, the 7 stars are the what?

The angels or the ministers of the 7 churches and the 7 lampstands which you saw are the what?

So when God is telling them in verse 6, or verse 5, sorry, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place.

Your church will no longer be established.

I will remove your church if it continues like this.

I mean, if you lose your first love, but you're active and you're zealous and you're knowledgeable and you're everything else, is it okay just to continue?

Notice what verse 7 says, he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

What is it that they're needing to overcome?

It's their loveless condition and we would say, well it's sin that they need to overcome.

Did you know not to love your brother and to love God supremely is sin?

I mean if you do not love, but here's the promise, if you do overcome, what does he say?

I will give him to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

I will give them eternal life is the promise.

If they don't overcome, if they don't become loving, if they don't give God the first place in their lives, do they have assurance of eternal life?

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Christianity - X = Nothing

Transcript

Description

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Recorded

Attachments

Related

Workshop: Dealing with Conflicts In Ministry

Dealing With Conflict and Adversity in Ministry in the Home

53m

7 Keys for Overcoming Temptation

52m

The Living One

47m

His Truth Is Marching On

49m

Morning Devotional

Why Are We Here?

29m

Hebrews 11- Faith

15 The Faith of Rahab

34m

Prophecy

Covenantal Revelation: The Six Angels of Ch. 14 and the Davidic Covenant

1h 22m

Plenary

The Two Guys Who Went in Twice

56m

The Afterlife

The Afterlife- Part 2

28m

The Fruit of Revival

43m

Experiencing Righteousness Through Faith in Christ

5. The Mind of Christ and the Impending Conflict

59m

Sound Doctrine