LOVE SUFFERS LONG

LOVE SUFFERS LONG! SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 1:18-25 CONCEPT: BECAUSE OF GOD S LOVE FOR US HE CONTINUES TO FORGIVE US EVEN THOUGH WE DON T DESERVE IT.

IN OUR SCRIPTURE THIS MORNING WE READ ABOUT A MAN BY THE NAME OF JOSEPH WHO HAD A GIRL FRIEND NAMED MARY. THEY WERE ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED. AND ONE DAY JOSEPH FOUND OUT THAT HIS GIRL FRIEND MARY WAS HAVING A BABY BY SOMEBODY ELSE. THE BIBLE SAYS THAT HE WAS GOING TO BREAK UP WITH MARY AND NOT GET MARRIED. BACK DURING THESE DAYS, IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED IT WAS VERY BAD. NOT JUST FOR MARY AND JOSEPH S RELATIONSHIP, BUT IT WAS VERY BAD, BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY WHERE IT HAPPENED WAS SUPPOSE TO COME TOGETHER AND KILL A WOMAN WHO WAS NOT A SERVANT, WHO HAD A BABY AND WAS NOT MARRIED. EVEN MORE SO, IF YOU WERE ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED TO SOMEONE ELSE AND HAD SOMEBODY ELSE S BABY, YOU AND THAT PERSON WERE SUPPOSE TO BE KILLED. STONED TO DEATH.

BUT INSTEAD OF TURNING MARY IN AND CAUSING HER TO BE STONED TO DEATH, HE INSTEAD SAID THAT HE WANTED TO PROTECT HER AND PUT HER AWAY PRIVILY. IN OTHER WORDS, HE WAS GOING TO BREAK OFF THE RELATIONSHIP AND NOT MARRY HER; BUT HE WAS GOING TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD NOT KNOW IT. SECRETLY.

WHILE HE WAS THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED HE FELL A SLEEP AND WHILE HE WAS SLEEP HE HAD A DREAM. IN THE DREAM, AN ANGEL TOLD HIM NOT TO BE AFRAID OR ANGRY. HE TOLD JOSEPH THAT THE BABY THAT MARY WAS CARRYING THE FATHER WAS THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD AND THAT THAT BABY WOULD BE CALLED JESUS. AND JESUS WAS SENT BY GOD THE FATHER TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS.

WHEN JOSEPH WOKE UP HE MARRIED MARY. BUT HE DID NOT TREAT HER LIKE SHE WAS HIS WIFE UNTIL AFTER THE BABY WAS BORN. AND WHEN HE WAS BORNED, THEY CALLED HIS NAME JESUS.

WHEN I THINK ABOUT JOSEPH AND HIM DISCOVERING THAT HIS GIRLFRIEND WAS HAVING SOMEBODY ELSE S BABY, I M SURE HE WAS HURT BY IT. MAY HAVE BEEN ANGRY. PROBABLY FELT EMBARRASSED THAT IT WAS HAPPENING TO HIM. HE WAS SUFFERING. THE WOMAN HE WAS ABOUT TO MARRY WAS HAVING SOMEBODY ELSE S BABY. HIS GIRLFRIEND SEEMINGLY HAD CHEATED ON HIM AND HAD BEEN MESSING AROUND.

MY FIRST POINT IS SOMETIMES PEOPLE DO THINGS TO HURT YOU AND MAKE YOU WANT TO HURT THEM BACK. THAT S THE WAY THINGS ARE. THAT S THE WAY THE WORLD SAYS THINGS ARE SUPPOSE TO BE. YOU HURT ME, I LL HURT YOU. THERE S SOMETHING CALLED TIT FOR TAT. IT GOES LIKE THIS, REV CALHOUN VERSION , YOU KICK MY DOG AND I LL KICK YOU CAT, YOU STEAL MY HAMSTER AND I LL STEAL YOUR RAT. YOU CALL ME SKINNY AND I LL CALL YOU FAT, YOU MESS WITH MY THIS AND I LL MESS WITH YOUR THAT. CAUSE EVERY THING IS TIT FOR TAT. SOME PEOPLE ARE TIT FOR TAT. THEY DO TO PEOPLE WHAT

PEOPLE DO TO THEM. BUT AS CHRISTIANS, JESUS TOLD US TO TURN THE OTHER CHEEK. TO FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US OR HURT US. IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN PEOPLE HURT YOU, DON T BE LIKE THE WORLD AND HURT THEM BACK. DON T RETURN EVIL FOR EVIL OR RAILING FOR RAILING. OR DON T HURT SOMEBODY JUST BECAUSE THEY HURT YOU. MARY BEING PREGNANT REALLY HAD TO HURT JOSEPH. I M SURE HE WANTED TO HURT HER BACK BUT HE DIDN T.

THE SECOND THING I WANT YOU TO SEE IS JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN GET SOMEBODY BACK OR HURT SOMEONE WHO HURT YOU, DOESN T MEAN YOU HAVE TO DO IT.

I SAID TO YOU EARLIER THAT JOSEPH HAD THE RIGHT AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE MARY BEFORE THE COMMUNITY AND ACCUSE HER OF BEING UNFAITHFUL. HE HAD THE RIGHT TO GET HER BACK AND HURT HER, JUST AS BAD AS HE WAS HURT. BUT INSTEAD OF HURTING HER, LIKE HE HAD BEEN HURT, HE FORGAVE

HER. FORGIVENESS IS WHEN INSTEAD OF GETTING SOMEONE BACK FOR HURTING YOU, YOU CHOOSE TO NOT HURT THEM BACK. FORGIVENESS IS WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO HURT SOMEBODY FOR HURTING YOU, YOU CHOOSE TO NOT HURT THEM BACK. YOU CAN TELL WHEN YOU REALLY ARE A CHRISTIAN AND REALLY LOVE GOD, WHEN YOU CAN GET SOMEBODY BACK FOR HURTING YOU AND YOU DON T. YOU SEE WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND AND EVERY DOG HAS IT S DAY. AND IF YOU WAIT LONG ENOUGH, YOU LL GET THE CHANCE TO GET OTHER PEOPLE BACK FOR HURTING YOU. BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DOESN T MEAN YOU HAVE TO. YOU CAN TURN THE OTHER CHEEK. NOT TO BE WEAK. BUT IT TAKES A LOT OF STRENGTH TO BE HURT AND NOT HURT SOMEONE BACK. SOME PEOPLE SPEND THEIR WHOLE LIFE GETTING PEOPLE BACK. THEY GET YOU AND YOU GET THEM. AND LIKE A MERRY GO ROUND. THEY KEEP IT UP. SOME PEOPLE KEEP IT GOING FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. HURTING AND HATING, FIGHTING AND CAUSING PAIN. DON T GET ON THAT MERRY GO ROUND. IT S NOT WORTH IT.

REV. WHAT DID JOSEPH HAVE THAT ALLOWED HIM TO NOT HURT HIS GIRLFRIEND AFTER SHE HAD HURT HIM. WHAT WAS IT ABOUT JOSEPH THAT WOULD HELP HIM TO NOT HURT THE WOMAN HE WAS ENGAGED TO, AFTER HE FOUND OUT SHE WAS HAVING SOMEBODY ELSE S BABY.

WELL IT S SIMPLY THIS. JOSEPH LOVED MARY. NOT JUST A LOVE THAT IS MADE UP OF FOUR LETTERS THAT CAN BE SO EASILY SPOKEN. I LOVE YOU KIND OF LOVE. A LOVE THAT IS NO MORE THAN A WORD SAID BY TWO WHO HAVE FEELINGS FOR EACH OTHER. BUT WHEN FEELINGS CHANGE IT DISAPPEARS. NO NOT THAT KIND OF LOVE. NO HE LOVED HER. HE LOVED HER SO MUCH THAT EVEN THOUGH HE WAS HURT BY WHAT SHE DID, HIS LOVE FOR HER WOULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO HURT HER BACK. YOU SEE REAL LOVE SUFFERS LONG.

LOVE SUFFERS LONG. THAT MEANS LOVE, REAL LOVE, WON T GIVE UP JUST BECAUSE THINGS GET ROUGH. THAT'S HOW YOU FIGURE OUT WHO YOUR REAL FRIENDS ARE. LOVE SUFFERS

LONG. REAL LOVE FORGIVES AND WORKS THINGS OUT. LOVE IS OF GOD AND GOD IS LOVE. WHEN YOU HAVE REAL LOVE, IT WILL SUFFER LONG OR IN OTHER WORDS, IT WON T GIVE UP. I CORINTHIANS 13:4-8 (NLV) Love does not give up. Love is kind.

Love is not jealous. Love does not put itself up as being important. Love has no pride. 5 Love does not do the wrong thing. Love never thinks of itself. Love does not get angry. Love does not remember the suffering that comes from being hurt by someone. 6 Love is not happy with sin. Love is happy with the truth. 7 Love takes everything that comes without giving up.

Love believes all things. Love hopes for all things. Love keeps on in all things.

8 Love never comes to an end. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, WHY WAS JOSEPH ABLE TO BE HURT AND NOT HURT BACK. WHY WAS HE ABLE TO FORGIVE HER EVEN THOUGH HE WAS HURT. WHY DID HE LET HER GO, EVEN THOUGH HE COULD HAVE HURT HER BACK. WHY, BECAUSE HE LOVED HER AND LOVE SUFFERS LONG.

GOD IS OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. HE MADE EVERYTHING. HE GIVES US EVERYTHING. AND FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WE HAVE HURT GOD. WHEN HE MADE ADAM AND EVE AND PLACED THEM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN. HE GAVE THEM EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED AND LET THEM DO WHATEVER THEY WANTED TO DO, BUT JUST ASKED THEM NOT TO TOUCH THE TREE OF LIFE. BUT THEY HURT GOD BY DOING WHAT HE TOLD THEM NOT TO DO. PEOPLE WHO GOD SO MUCH THAT HE DECIDED TO START THE WHOLE WORLD OVER AND CALLED A MAN NAMED NOAH TO BUILD AN ARK. AND FOR 40 DAY...RAINED TILL THE WHOLE WORLD DROWNED SO HE COULD START THE WHOLE WORLD OVER. HE SAVED NOAH AND HIS FAMILY, BUT EVENTUALLY THEY HURT GOD TOO. HE CALLED A MAN NAMED MOSES TO SAVE SLAVES IN EGYPT. BELIEVING THAT AFTER THEY WERE SET FREE THAT THEY WOULD LOVE HIM, BUT AS SOON AS THEY WERE SET FREE HURT HIM TOO. THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE, OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, PEOPLE HURT GOD, BY NOT BEING FAITHFUL, BY NOT OBEYING HIM. BY TREATING HIM LIKE HE WASN T GOD. HE WOULD GIVE THEM SPECIAL GIFTS, GIVE

THEM HOMES AND GIVE THEM FOOD. HE FOUGHT THEIR BATTLES AND WATCHED OVER THEM. BUT THEY KEPT HURTING GOD. AND GOD COULD HAVE WIPED US ALL OUT, BUT HIS LOVE. THE LOVE OF GOD SUFFERS LONG. GOD COULD HAVE GIVEN UP ON US, BUT LOVE NEVER GIVES UP. LOVE SUFFERS LONG. AFTER WE CONTINUED TO SIN OVER AND OVER AGAIN. DOING BAD THINGS OVER AND OVER. NOT LISTENING TO OUR PARENTS, NOT DOING WHAT THEY TELL US TO DO. DOING THINGS WE KNOW WE SHOULDN T DO. GOD WHO MADE US AND GIVES US LIFE, HE COULD JUST TAKE BACK WHAT HE GAVE US AND HURT US FOR HURTING HIM. BUT GOD, SO LOVED US, THAT HE GAVE US HIS ONLY SON.

AND INSTEAD

OF PUNISHING US FOR OUR SIN, HE SENT HIS SON TO BE PUNISHED FOR US. INSTEAD OF HURTING US FOR DOING WRONG, HE ALLOWED HIS SON TO BE HURT IN OUR PLACE. INSTEAD OF KILLING US FOR WHAT WE DID WRONG, HE ALLOWED HIS SON TO BE KILLED. WHY REV? BECAUSE LOVE SUFFERS LONG. AND SO THIS BABY, BORN TO A WOMAN

NAMED MARY, WAS GOD S CHILD WHO ONE DAY WOULD BE MADE TO SUFFER FOR ME AND FOR YOU. ONE DAY, THIS BABY BORN IN A MANGER, WOULD GROW UP AND CARRY YOUR SINS AND MY SINS. ONE DAY, THIS BABY WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHING AS A MAN WOULD BE NAILED TO A CROSS AND MADE TO DIE FOR YOU AND FOR ME. BUT ONE DAY, THIS SAME BABY, AFTER BEING HURT FOR YOU AND ME. AFTER SUFFERING FOR YOU AND FOR ME. AFTER BEING KILLED FOR YOU AND FOR ME. THIS SAME BABY, WOULD GET UP FROM THE GRAVE. JUST TO SHOW YOU AND ME THAT LOVE SUFFERS LONG. LOVE NEVER GIVES UP. LOVE IS ALWAYS FORGIVING, ALWAYS KIND, ALWAYS HOPES FOR THE BEST. LOVE NEVER FAILS, BECAUSE LOVE SUFFERS LONG.