Month: February 2026

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date February 22, 2026
Text Ephesians 4:29-32
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

As followers of Christ, we are called to embody His character and demonstrate His love to others. One essential aspect of Christ’s character is kindness, which encompasses a gentle spirit, compassion, and selflessness. Today, we will explore the profound impact of kindness and how it reflects the heart of Christ.

Our biblical foundation for this sermon can be found in Ephesians 4:29-32, where the apostle Paul provides practical guidance on cultivating kindness and its transformative effect on our relationships and interactions. In these verses, we will discover the power of our words, the importance of compassionate actions, and the significance of reflecting God’s kindness in our lives.

Let us open our hearts and minds to the words of Scripture as we embark on this journey to understand the vital role of kindness in reflecting Christ’s character.

Guarding Our Words with Kindness

In our journey to reflect Christ’s character, we must first address our speech. Our words can shape lives, mend broken hearts, and inspire hope. As followers of Christ, we must guard our words with kindness, for they hold the potential to either uplift or tear down others.

In Ephesians 4:29, the apostle Paul writes, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what helps build others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” This verse is a gentle reminder that our words should be a source of encouragement, edification, and healing.

When we act like the world, talk like the world, behave like the world, and respond the way the world does, we grieve the Holy Spirit.to feel shock, hurt, and grief. You see, when we deliberately do what is wrong, we drag Him right into the mire of sin with us, because He lives in us, and goes where we go, if we have invited Him into our lives to be our Savior.

(verse 30.) The Holy Spirit convicted us of sin and brought us to Jesus, then He indwelt us, sanctified us, empowered us, and faithfully remains alongside us to help us. So when we deliberately enter into sin, it grieves Him. Just as a husband or wife would feel who has just discovered that his or her spouse has committed adultery, the Holy Spirit is shocked when we dishonor His Presence in our lives.

We need to realize how precious the Holy Spirit is in our lives and honor Him by making sure we live holy and upright lives. If our behavior has been wrong, we should confess our sin and receive cleansing by the blood of Jesus so we can be restored to fellowship. Besides what this does for us:

Consider for a moment the impact of a kind word spoken at the right time. It can brighten someone’s day, lift their spirits, and instill a sense of worth and value. On the contrary, harsh and hurtful words can leave lasting scars, causing pain and division. Therefore, it is crucial that we intentionally choose kindness in our speech, allowing our words to be a source of blessing to those around us.

To cultivate kindness in our speech, we must be mindful of our chosen words and their effect on others. Let us strive to speak words of affirmation, love, and encouragement. Let us actively listen to others, seeking to understand their needs and responding with empathy. And: Let us humbly apologize and seek forgiveness when our words have caused harm. By guarding our words with kindness, we can reflect Christ’s gentle and compassionate heart in our interactions with others.

Now that we understand the significance of guarding our words let’s explore how kindness influences our actions.

Demonstrating Compassionate Actions

Kindness is not limited to words alone; it should also be evident in our actions toward others. Our compassionate actions provide tangible expressions of Christ’s love and care in a world desperately needing kindness.

In the first half of verse 32, Paul instructs us to “be kind and compassionate to one another.” This call goes beyond mere sentiment or feeling; it requires us to actively engage in acts of kindness and compassion towards those around us. Christ’s teachings provide numerous examples of compassionate actions, such as serving the marginalized, helping the needy, and practicing forgiveness.

II Corinthians 12:20-21 Paul says: “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord ——-this is a Greek word which depicts a church divided by “church politics. It could be translated as quarrels and wranglings. —then jealousy, —which pictures a person not concerned with the interests of others. —- fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander,——, the Greek word means to “talk down, or speak disparagingly of someone.”—— gossip,—arrogance, and disorder.

. I want you to notice that gossip is right in the middle of this list of other words that God is displeased with. It includes: “Repeating what others have said, believing it is the truth, but in reality you say things that you don’t know what the truth really is. Then Paul says he is afraid that: “ my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin, and debauchery in which they have indulged. “

In our text from Ephesians, we see that:

Compassionate actions reflect Christ’s character by embodying His selflessness and sacrificial love. When we extend a helping hand to someone in need, we become the hands and feet of Jesus, bringing His compassion to a hurting world. The transformative impact of kindness and compassion goes beyond the immediate act itself. It has the power to inspire, heal, and restore both the giver and the receiver.

As members of this congregation, let us actively seek opportunities to demonstrate compassionate actions daily. It could be as simple as offering a listening ear to someone struggling, volunteering our time to serve the vulnerable, or extending forgiveness to those who have wronged us. Each act, no matter how small, can make a significant difference in the lives of others.

Let us embrace the challenge to be agents of compassion, reflecting the love of Christ through our actions. By doing so, we will transform the lives of those we touch and experience the profound joy and fulfillment that comes from living out Christ’s character.

As followers of Christ, our ultimate source of inspiration for kindness is His sacrificial love for us. Let’s delve deeper into this aspect.

Reflecting God’s Kindness in our Lives

As we seek to reflect Christ’s character through kindness, it is vital to recognize that God’s kindness towards us serves as the foundation for our actions. We can draw inspiration from the depth of His love and the boundless kindness He has shown us.

In the second half of verse 32, Paul encourages us to forgive each other, just as in Christ, God forgave us. Reflecting on God’s ultimate act of kindness through Christ’s sacrifice and forgiveness, we witness a love that surpasses all understanding. The kindness of God is demonstrated in His willingness to extend mercy and grace to undeserving sinners, offering us redemption and reconciliation. But we must forgive those who sin (that is, trespass against us). We read how important this is in Matthew 6:14-15. If we don’t forgive others, God won’t forgive us..

When we truly grasp the magnitude of God’s kindness towards us, it compels us to reflect that same kindness to others. We become conduits of His love, forgiving as we have been forgiven, extending grace to those who may not deserve it, and showing kindness to friends and foes.

Cultivating a grateful heart and a willingness to forgive is essential to reflecting God’s kindness. As we internalize the depth of God’s love and forgiveness, we are empowered to extend that same kindness to those around us. Let us not withhold forgiveness or allow bitterness to take root in our hearts, but instead, let us embrace the transformative power of God’s kindness and extend it to others.

As we end our time together, let us reflect on the profound truth that kindness is not merely a desirable attribute but an integral part of reflecting Christ’s character. Through our study of Ephesians 4:29-32, we have been reminded of; The significance of guarding our words with kindness, demonstrating compassionate actions, and reflecting on God’s kindness in our lives.

Kindness is not a passive virtue; it requires intentional effort and a genuine desire to emulate Christ’s love. As members of this congregation, let us take to heart the call to pursue kindness in our interactions with others actively. May our words be a source of encouragement and edification, our actions reflect Christ’s compassionate heart, and our forgiveness a testament to God’s boundless grace.

Today, let us commit to reflecting on God’s kindness in our lives:

How do we do this? By cultivating a grateful heart and a willingness to forgive as we have been forgiven. By doing so, we emulate the character of Christ and become beacons of His kindness and love in a world longing for genuine compassion and grace.

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date February 15, 2026
Text Revelation 21: 1–27
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

Angels and white light and pretty trees and so forth, —we’ve heard these afterlife visions before. But this vision of heaven in our text, isn’t what we were expecting.

We read in Revelation 21 verses 3 and 4 (a little before our text); “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”

We read these words at the funerals of friends and family because they are so wonderfully comforting. They lift our heads. They console us in our grief. They make meaning of the brokenness we experience every day.

There are some who say; Hevane is just a religious myth invention of the pre-enlightened who needed something to deal with the loss of their loved ones. They say that belief in an afterlife belongs to the flat-earth world, where religion controlled the narrative, not science and reason.

We’ve heard this from: Atheists and secularists as well as scientists and naturalists. They think that Christian faith is merely a crutch for the needy. “The opiate of the masses,” Karl Marx taught. But then, when a person has a near-death experience, things can change.

Dr. Eben Alexander, a Harvard-trained neurobiologist, is no slouch when it comes to his credentials as a scientist and researcher. That’s one reason why his book, Proof of Heaven, is so interesting. He wrote it after returning from a trip into a coma from which his colleagues thought he’d never return. But he did.

It was on November 10, 2008 he woke up with splitting headaches that instantly devolved into seizures. An ambulance rushed him to the hospital. The same hospital where he worked. His only communications were screams and repeated, haunting shrieks for “help.” Ekoli, that virus first discovered at Kikwit in the Bandundu Province of the Congo, then known as Zaire, had attacked his brain in an ultra-rare form of bacterial meningitis. He fell into a coma, and his colleagues gave him a near-zero chance of survival. If he did survive, he’d be a brain-damaged shell of his former self for life.

At work one day, comatose in those same beds the next. The happy ending to this tragedy is that Alexander made a full recovery from his coma, something all of his colleagues admitted was an impossible medical miracle. An afterlife experience during that coma turned a skeptic into a faithful Episcopalian. (It was never declared that he became a committed Christian. Even though he now believes heaven is for real, he also believes in the reality of psychic experiences, such as telepathic communication.) He may just not understand how the Holy Spirit can and does “speak to us” and reveals things to us by his spiritual gifts.

Anyway, Alexander claims that all previous medical explanations for his experience could not apply in his case. Hospital tests showed those well-held medical conventions had no physiological possibility in his comatose situation. He used to believe, as many in the science community believe, that after-death, or out-of-the-body experiences of heaven, were just subconscious hallucinations created by the neocortex based on memories of what the person had previously heard or imagined about the afterlife. In his case the Ekoli infection was spread across his entire cortex, the outermost layer of the brain responsible for all of our higher functioning. Brain scans during his coma showed zero electrical activity in the cortical areas that could access memories, create dreams, or imagine visual and audio sensations. He now claims that all previous medical explanations for his experience could not apply in his case. Hospital tests showed those well-held medical conventions had no physiological possibility in his comatose situation. His vision of heaven could not have happened within his physical brain. Science proves that it couldn’t, and in his book, he disproves all previously held explanations that he and others have always held.

That scientifically unexplainable afterlife experience convinced him of the existence of heaven and of a loving, personal God.

There are many accounts besides his that also give us some idea of the realities of heaven. Perhaps some of you have read the book “Heaven is for Real” about little Four-year-old Todd Burpo, with Lynn Vincent writing it, or have seen the movie that was made about this. His appendix burst, and toxic poison was all through his little body. Abscesses developed, and he went through 2 surgeries. During his time in the ICU, there was a lot of prayer for his recovery while waiting for him to come out of his sedation. It was during this time that his parents learned later that this little boy in his spirit went to heaven. His first recollection before that was that he saw both his dad and mother in the hospital chapel praying. In heaven, he saw a sister that his mother had lost during her pregnancy. He knew nothing about this before. He met his grandpa, “Pops,” who died when his dad was his age, so he never knew him. When his dad showed him a picture of Pops when he was old, he said, “no he didn’t look like that.” His dad showed him a picture of Pops when he was young, and he said quickly, “Yes, that’s how he looked.” He even saw the throne of God. Not knowing that Hebrews tells us that Jesus sits at the right hand of God, when his dad asked him where Jesus was, he told his dad; well, suppose that you are on God’s throne, Jesus sat there, and he pointed to his dad’s right.

When you read about little Todd’s experience, it is encouraging, exhilarating for our faith, and totally believable.

These accounts are a natural starting point for a discussion of our text in which John, in a vision, not a coma, sees a new heaven and a new earth.

Revelation 21 gives us an expanded picture of heaven that is wonderfully earthy. It’s tangible. Concrete. We can wrap our minds around it. It’s not a vision of angels and harps. It’s more what we see when we walk out the doors of our homes. Well, maybe not the home in this area. It’s a city! We may not see a city like this one either, but at least it is comprehensible.

Some people don’t like cities. You are probably one of them, or else you wouldn’t live in the Nobleton area. However, I remember my good friend, Harvie Conn, and a late professor who taught at Westminster Theological Seminary courses on Urban Missions. I took a course from him back in 1987. He said at a conference. “If you prefer the isolation of the countryside, you’d better get used to the city, because someday you will be living in one. One that is perfect.” He went on to describe what is in our text.

John has a vision of the arrival of the New Heavens. Like the long-awaited bride who enters the aisle in first view of her husband -to-be, the New Jerusalem emerges from the sky in beauty and splendor. This breathtaking city is nothing like New York, Paris, London, Shanghai or Beijing.

It is 1,500 miles long, wide and tall (Rev. 21:16, great perimeter walls made of jasper (vs. 12, 18), foundations encrusted with countless precious jewels (19,20). Some commentators say that there is no way that this city—a giant cube—is literally that large. They say that it symbolizes perfection—a perfect cube, like the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, he indicates the perfection of the Church, and the holiness of the body of Christ. But I’ve got news for those doubters. It needs to be that large in order for the millions of Christians who will be living there for the rest of Eternity.

The city itself and its streets are made of pure gold (vs. 18,21). Despite how literally or symbolically you read Revelation, we can all agree that this city is intended to blow away any concept of a structure or structures we could ever imagine. But the wonder of this city isn’t in what it’s made of; it’s what it represents. God could have created anything for eternity. God is God! But in choosing this New City as our eternity in the New heavens, God sent some clear messages about life then and now.

We read that there will be no temple in this city, a fact that would stun the original Christians with their Jewish roots. But there is no more need for a temple in heaven—Jesus is the new mediator of forgiveness and relationship with God, not a building.

Then it is more than that, there’ll be no need for forgiveness! There will be nothing unclean in this new city. Nothing accursed, that is, here on this earth now, because of the fall when Adam and Eve disobeyed God.

But it has been noted, an even greater implication. The temple was understood as the place where heaven met Earth. It was the house of God, the place where his very presence intersected human existence. Heaven needs no temple because the presence of God is literally experienced everywhere and without end.

Many of us battle for holiness in a seemingly constant area of brokenness in our lives. Others experience God as distant, wanting a “personal relationship with Christ” to feel more personal. We can trust that our very design stirs those kinds of desires within us because we have been created to have those needs met eternally.

Also, the Heavenly City (The New Jerusalem), represents the fulfillment of human purpose! Almost any commentator will say that we must read this text in light of Genesis 1-2. Look at how it all began, and how it will all end.

Eden was a pristine garden, and people were put there with a “cultural mandate” to do as God did: create and cultivate (Gen. 1:26-28). Fill the earth, subdue it, bring order, make beauty, take care of the garden, create culture, raise generations, create civilization. And eventually, write computer code, pen a novel, manage workers, design a city park, teach long division, Algebra, and advanced Mathematics. Build schools and hospitals, discover medicine, and do surgery. But all within a sinless and perfect society. We have managed to do some of these things after thousands of years, after much sin, strife, debauchery, wars, and evil.

We see in Genesis 11 that it was all beginning to happen. Migration of peoples. Shared language. Brick making—but then eventually they said, “Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top reaching the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves (vs 4), but that phase is where it all went horribly wrong. The Genesis 1 cultural mandate was cannibalized in the service of SELF.

But here in Revelation 21, this city is the true fulfillment of Genesis 1. Heaven is the evidence that human purpose in the image of God comes to God-honoring fruition. Why a city in the middle of the garden of heaven? Because it is the product of what is intended man to do,–being like Him, creating and cultivating for millennia of history. We add to his creation and fulfill our purposes for his good pleasure. Chapter 22 should be pleasing to those of you who are longing for a place more like the “Garden of Eden” instead of just this big, gigantic city. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of three are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. “

The 70+ years that God gives us on this earth are merely the introduction to the story, not the story itself. We are citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), in the present tense, and our lives today can be the proof of heaven as we live, and our prayer is, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

In Luke 22:15, Jesus said to his disciples: “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.” We continue to eat the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of Him, until that day that we shall see Him.

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date February 8, 2026
Text Romans 8:26-39
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

About 250 years ago, a preacher by the name of Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon called Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. The title reflects the attitude many people have about God — that he is angry with us and wants to punish us.

People believed that 3 centuries ago, and they still do today. In fact, there have always been those whose concept of God is that of the ultimate killjoy. One man described it like this: “I grew up believing that God spends his time looking for people who are having fun, and then makes them stop.”

There are a lot of people like that. They believe that God is always looking for a way to get even with them for mistakes they’ve made in the past. They believe that God is against them, not for them.

Where do people get these negative ideas about God? Well, they certainly don’t get them from the Bible. You have twist the Bible and use it out of context to find anything but a loving, kind, good, merciful Father who wants the best for his children.

In fact, if Jesus had preached that famous sermon I just mentioned, he would have called it Sinners in the Arms of Loving God, because the message of the Bible is that God is for us, not against us.

Today, we’ll read a passage of scripture that teaches this principle, and examine four ways that God has revealed that he is “for” us.

First of all…

1. He prays for us.

You’ve heard the saying, “Pray hardest when it’s hardest to pray.” The good news is that when it is hardest to pray, God prays for us.

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

There have been times in my life when I have been too angry, or too hurt, or too discouraged to pray. I couldn’t find the words to express what my heart was experiencing. When we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit prays for us. He takes our prayers and translates them, so to speak, and presents them to the Father on our behalf.

It’s like watching a foreign film. When the characters speak, their lips move one way but the words don’t correspond — because the dialogue has been dubbed. The actor may have been speaking Japanese, but we hear English.

In the same way, when we pray, the Holy Spirit dubs His voice over ours so that our prayers can be heard at the throne of God. God does this because He knows us, inside and out, through and through.

27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

2. He always gives us the best.

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (NASV)

We often labor under the misconception that bad things can happen to us. We believe that we can be victimized by events in our life.

But this isn’t the case. The Bible makes an incredible promise that God will cause everything that happens to work out for our best.

Do you know what that means? Nothing bad can happen to you. God is in control of every situation, and he’ll make it work out right. One caveat, of course, is that this promise applies to those who are committed to him.

There’s a story in the Bible about a man named Joseph who was his father’s favorite son. He was the youngest of many brothers, and they were jealous of him — so jealous that they decided to kill him. At the last minute, however, they changed their mind. Instead, they sold him into slavery, and told their dad he had been eaten by a wild animal.

Joseph became a slave in the household of a high-ranking Egyptian official, but instead of becoming bitter about the events of his life, he worked hard as a slave.

Eventually, he was given complete administrative responsibility over the Egyptian official’s household. He was a slave, but he lived like a king. His brothers certainly would have been surprised to hear this.

This would have been a good ending, but the story takes a bad turn. The official’s wife made a pass at Joseph and, out of faithfulness to God, Joseph turned her down. She was insulted by his rejection, so she accused Joseph of sexual harassment.

He was promptly tossed in prison, where he stayed for several years. When the king of Egypt heard that Joseph had the ability to interpret dreams, he asked Joseph to interpret a dream for him. Joseph did, warning that Egypt would experience years of prosperity followed by years of drought, and he recommended that the king find a wise man to help the nation prepare for hard times.

The king was so impressed with Joseph that he put Joseph in charge of the drought project. Eventually Joseph was made second in command in the entire nation.

During the years of prosperity, as Egypt prepared for the drought, Joseph became quite well known. He married and had a family, and lived in a palace.

It is the ultimate success story. But remember, it didn’t look that way when Joseph was being sold into slavery, or when he sat alone in an Egyptian prison. However, God was always in control — working out every detail of Joseph’s life for the best.

Here are two good verses to remember:

However, the LORD your God…turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. (Deuteronomy 23:5)

Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing. (Nehemiah 13:2)

3. He gives us a clean slate.

30 And having chosen us, he called us to come to Him; and when we came, he declared us “not guilty,” filled us with Christ’s goodness, gave us right standing with Himself, and promised us His glory. (The Living Bible)

Did you ever play with an Etch-a-Sketch? I used to do it with my little brother. Remember how you would draw a picture, and when you made a mistake, you just turned it upside down, shook it hard, and the mistake disappeared? You’ve got to start over again with a clean slate.

That is what God does for us. He gives us a clean slate. The Etch-a-Sketch verse of the Bible is…

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

4. He gives us whatever we need

32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?

God knows what we need, more than we know ourselves.

We didn’t know that we needed salvation, but God knew, and he sent His Son. We didn’t know that sin would destroy our lives, but God knew, and he made forgiveness available to us.

We didn’t know that peace of mind is more valuable than money in the bank, but God knew, and he gave it to us as a gift.

We didn’t know that we would need spiritual power to make it through life from day to day, but God knew, and he made us more than conquerors.

Whatever we need, God gives to us.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

Paul summed it up this way:

Verse 32: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

A preacher once said that his job is to go around the country telling people that God isn’t mad at them. That’s what Paul is saying in Romans 8. God is not mad at you. He is your advocate, not your adversary. He is on your side. He prays for you. He gives you the best. He gives you a clean slate. He takes care of your needs. He does all of this because he is for you. And he wants you to be for him.

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date February 1, 2026
Text I Corinthians 11:17-34
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

A little girl asked her mother one day as she was preparing dinner. “Mommy, why do you cut off the ends of the ham before you cook it?” The girl’s mother turned and looked at her and said, “Sweetie, I’m not really sure, but I suppose you cut the ends off of the meat so that the meat can better absorb the juices and spices and make it more tender. Maybe you’d better ask Grandma since she was the one I learned it from. She always did it that way.” The little girl called her grandmother later that day and asked her the same question. Her grandmother responded, “I’m not really sure, I think it is so that the juices will be absorbed better. But why don’t you call Nana? She is who I learned it from. The little girl began to get a bit frustrated with the whole idea, but decided to call her great-grandmother anyway. “Nana, mommy was preparing dinner the other day, and she cut the ends off the ham before she cooked it. I asked her why, and she said that she did it because the juices would absorb better, making it more tender. She told me to ask Grandma to make sure, since she learned it from her. So, I called her, and she said the same thing about the juices and all, but that she learned it from you and that I should ask you. Nana, why did you cut off the ends of the ham before you cooked it? There was a long pause, and she thought she heard muffled laughter on the phone. “What’s so funny, Nana?” She finally replied, “Sweetie, I used to cut the ends off of the ham before I cooked it because my pan was too small.”

Many times, we end up doing things for the wrong reasons because no one ever bothered to ask why.

We have developed habits and traditions, sometimes based on nothing more than false information. This is especially true with theological and church-related traditions. We continue to believe things or do things without ever understanding why we believe them or do them, and we never ask the reason why. This happens in both the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches.

The title of my message this morning is;

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH COMMUNION and THE NEW COVENANT?

We want to look at the reasons behind why we do this. The Lord’s Supper, the only act of worship for which Christ gave special direction, is discussed by Paul in our text. In the early church, the Supper was usually preceded by a fellowship meal, called the Agape, or Love Feast. “Feast of charity,” they are called in Jude 12. Disorders at the love feast cause the Apostle to review past teaching. Because of the problem they were having at the communion services, Paul took the time to explain the reasons why they were taking communion. Paul justifies his rebuke by reviewing the real and true significance of the ordinance, tracing the teaching back to the Lord himself.

Their problem was that some were getting drunk on the wine. Some were gorging themselves on the bread and the food. Some were not able to partake at all because the others were being gluttonous. You know how that is; when the first people in line take almost everything, and by the time you get there, there isn’t much left!

In verses 33 and 34, we see that Paul wanted to make sure they would truly understand its meaning and to wait for each other as they ate. The bottom line of the problem: they didn’t understand what the “big deal was with Communion.”

Paul explained to them the reasons for communion, and told them it was more than a meal, it was a MEMORIAL.

There are three significant factors that are involved in partaking of the Lord’s Supper. In this passage, we see first;

THE RETROSPECTIVE IMPLICATION OF THE LAST SUPPER;

IT IS A TIME TO REMEMBER

Paul recalls Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. While Paul was not present, the Lord had revealed to him what happened there. In verse 23 we read; “…I received from the Lord….” Jesus was interpreting something old: the Passover meal that we read about in Exodus 12. This Passover feast included a lamb. Jesus is our Lamb who has been sacrificed for us. In I Corinthians 5:7-8 we read, “Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread, not with malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” Paul was referring to the sinfulness that was going on in the church. In the verses before, he is talking about removing the sexually immoral person from their fellowship. In the example from the Exodus, perhaps you remember that as the Israelites prepared to flee Egypt, they were commanded to prepare bread without yeast because they didn’t have time to wait for it to rise. And because yeast was a symbol of sin, they were commanded to sweep all of it out of the house. Christ is our Passover lamb, the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Because he has delivered us from the slavery of sin, we should have nothing to do with the sins of the past (that is, the old bread)

The Passover feast included unleavened bread and wine, though not specifically mentioned as a part of the original Passover meal. It is a very special meal because of its historical roots. The Passover meal commemorated Israel’s protection from the angel of death through the sprinkled blood and their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. We read in

Ezekiel 19-24 that the one who sins will surely die. Just like God told Adam at the beginning. But one who is righteous will LIVE. However, in verse 24 we see that if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does …they will die. When we were studying Joshua 6 the fall of Jericho) and then Joshua 7,(when the Israelites were defeated at AI) We found out why Achan and his whole family and possessions were destroyed because he was righteous and was brought into the land of Canaan but disobeyed the direct command that God had given them, and he took the devoted items which were to be destroyed (the robe) and the dedicated items that were for the temple (silver and gold).

Death often came to the Israelites because they turned away from God and worshiped idols, time and time again, so when they did that, they were destroyed. THIS IS BECAUSE:

THEY WERE UNDER THE OLD COVENANT

Because we are now under God’s grace because of Jesus, the judgment for those who rebel against God will be at the end times. Then they will DIE.

Jesus was instituting something NEW( THE NEW COVENANT) ; the Communion of believers as described in our text. This quickly became a frequent celebration in the church, not just something done once per year, like in the Old Covenant. The whole reason God instituted the Passover feast was so that they would remember; Exodus 12:17, 24-27. He told them, “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come…Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?—tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.”

The whole reason Jesus instituted the Communion was so that we would REMEMBER HIM. The words “do this in remembrance of me, involve more than just memory. The words suggest an active calling to mind, and the phrase “of me” is wider than of my death. The person who did the work is the object of the calling to mind. We are not to just remember a historical event, as we would just recall any dramatic past event, like 9/11 or perhaps the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, for instance. But rather, Paul exhorts us to remember Christ and his atoning work on the cross, and this involves the whole work of our redemption in Christ. It also involves his resurrection because we are remembering a living Savior. The new covenant reminds us of the Old Mosaic Covenant, which could only condemn. The usual Old Testament word for “covenant” emphasizes the initiative of God in it. The new covenant provided an effective remission of sins. The phrase “in (or by) my blood” points to the basis on which we have this new blessing, that of forgiveness of sins. We are still condemned by the law and by sin, but now we have forgiveness through his shed blood. Some commentators will say the translation could be: “this cup is the new covenant, and it cost my blood.” Our salvation is free for us, but this liberation from sin was paid for by Christ through his shed blood.

Now not only does the Lord’s supper have RETROSPECTIVE IMPLICATION (that is, to remember), but it also has;

A PROSPECTIVE IMPLICATION ( verse 26)

IT IS A TIME TO REJOICE BY PROCLAMATION

Paul states clearly that we are to proclaim something. According to a Biblical dictionary, PROCLAIM means: to announce, to declare, to propagate, to make known; to proclaim publicly, to publish. According to Webster’s dictionary, proclaim means to declare publicly, typically insistently, proudly, or defiantly, and in either speech or writing.

ANNOUNCE IS, to give outward indication of, show to declare or declare to be solemnly, officially, or formally, to praise or glorify openly or publicly extol.

So we declare, or make known publicly and announce the death of Jesus.

We set forth, or exhibit in an impressive manner, the fact that he was put to death; we exhibit the emblems of his broken body and shed blood, and our belief in the fact that he died. This shows that the ordinance was to be so for public use, to be a proper showing forth of our belief in the death of the Savior. It should be public. It is one mode of professing attachment to the Redeemer, and its public observance often has a most impressive effect on those who witness its observance. And we can rejoice in this because it is where the perfect blood of atonement was spilt for our sins. That atonement was also for our healing. It is “by his wounds that we are healed.” We also proclaim Jesus Christ for the future. The supper has both a backward and a forward look. We are to remember and look back on Christ as our Savior, and we are to look forward to his return as our Lord and King. We thus partake of the bread and cup as a memorial to these two implications in relation to Jesus Christ. This proclamation is in anticipation of his Second Coming.

This demonstrates that it was the steady belief of the primitive church that the Lord Jesus would return to judge the world, and that it was designed that this ordinance should be perpetuated and observed until Jesus returns. In every generation, therefore, and in every place where there are Christians, it is to be observed, until the Son of God shall return; and the necessity of its observance shall cease only when the whole body of the redeemed shall be permitted to see their Lord, and there shall be no need of those emblems to remind them of him, for all shall “see him as he is.”

This tells the world that we believe that he has risen and will return for his Church. This is where we rejoice—knowing he is alive!

Then perhaps most important, we must consider;

THE INTROSPECTIVE IMPLICATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER (verses 27-28) ——– IT IS A TIME TO REPENT

When we share in Communion, we are given the opportunity to examine our lives before God and our brethren. There must be preparation before participation. We must understand what this involves. The words “unworthy manner” refer to our attitude when taking communion. All of us are unworthy, except for the reconciliation that is possible because of Christ taking our sins on himself when he died on the cross, but eating in an unworthy manner is the thing that we must guard against. It must be with an attitude of self-judgment, which leads us to confession of sin. Verse 28 tells us that we “should examine ourselves.” We should ask God to show us any unclean way in us. We should openly allow the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sinfulness and seek to be restored on the basis of Christ’s death on the cross. This should be a willingness to “turn around” to repent of what we have been doing. This is necessary because then we will not be held in judgment. It is at our communion service where we really are partaking in a worthy manner. What this passage is about is taking communion when we are living in known sin, and when we refuse to confess this and be forgiven, to eat the bread and drink from the cup without examining ourselves. It is then that we are held in judgment.

Having said that, this doesn’t mean that if we can’t remember a sin we have committed or if it isn’t brought to our attention by the Holy Spirit, that we are taking communion in “an unworthy manner.” You see, the only way that happens is when we are living in sin, we refuse to confess it, and still take communion. What Jesus did for us on the cross covers our sin. His blood covers our sin. The blood is powerful, we sing about. We “plead the blood and use it and the name of Jesus, so that demons will be cast out. And deliverance will come to those who are demonized. Praise the Lord that our unworthiness isn’t because we have a bad memory. Jesus provides the forgiveness if we let him.

Oftentimes, we may have the tendency to echo along with the disciples on the night when Jesus was betrayed, “Lord, is it I?” Have I betrayed you? Lord, do I need to judge my actions? Yes, it is every one of us. That has betrayed the Lord. It was not just the hand of Judas who betrayed Christ; it was all of mankind, therefore Christ submitted to the sacrifice. Jesus was not abducted by a gang of murderers; all the people who ever lived, and that ever are to live, gathered together so to speak, in that one representation, and betrayed the Lord.

Do you remember a time when you had an opportunity to speak for Christ and lost it? I do! It was then that we betrayed the Lord. Do you remember a time when two courses were set before you, the one dishonorable but leading to immediate success, the other honorable but meaning strenuous endeavor and doubtful success in a worldly sense, and you paused and took the course that led to satisfy self rather than God? I do! It was then that we betrayed the Lord. We betray the Lord if we talk ourselves out of giving 10% of our income (our tithe). We let Satan encourage us to give a smaller offering.

Examining our lives before the Lord doesn’t mean that we condemn ourselves, because the Lord doesn’t condemn us. The danger is if we do not recognize our sin and do not confess it and repent, this is when we will be judged before God.

I know that many churches today want to emphasize the GRACE AND LOVE OF GOD. They think people have been condemned enough. All they have heard is that they are a sinner. They call it “fire and brimstone” type of preaching. I tend to disagree. Most people haven’t heard either the GRACE OF GOD or CONDEMNATION, and certainly not the GOOD NEWS that God wants to save them if they place their faith and trust in his Son, Jesus. I’m sure that you have heard people say that they really don’t think God would send anyone to Hell. They are right. God doesn’t. He prepared Hell for the Devil and the fallen angels that were cast out of heaven with him (which are demons). He is not willing that anyone should go there; in fact, loves us because he IS LOVE, BUT HE IS ALSO JUST. He must punish rebellious sinners, but in fact, we send ourselves to Hell if we don’t accept him as our sacrifice for sin, and we don’t accept him as our Savior.

I remember some years ago, Jeannene and I were watching a movie on TV, and we were astonished to see a scene where a man and woman were eating in a restaurant. She was saying that her mother was always preaching at her, and saying, “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” Then she threw out the rhetorical question that may be deep in all of our hearts at some time or another, “What about my plans—weren’t they good enough for you, God? I had plans to be married, have a husband, have children, wasn’t that good enough for you, God?”—You see, the truth of her question is in the heart of everyone, even professing Christians, we think our plans are just as good as God’s plans, and as important as His, and in fact better than God’s plan for us, thus the rebellion against God. The answer to her rhetorical question was NO!. Her plans weren’t good enough for God because they left God out. Her desires were what God had in mind, though. All we need to do is surrender to him, –“delight ourselves in him, and he has promised to give us the desires of our heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

If we come to the communion table this morning with an introspective outlook on our hearts, judging ourselves for our shortcomings and asking forgiveness, this is all Christ asks. Then we will experience the fullness of joy this memorial offers.

If you have come to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and have been born again by His Spirit, we invite you this morning to share with us in fellowship around the Lord’s table.

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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date January 25, 2026
Text Matthew 5:33-42
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

Perhaps you remember when I have mentioned in the past; Former astronaut Michael Collins, speaking at a banquet some years ago, quoted the estimate that the average man speaks 25,000 words a day and the average woman speaks 30,000; Then he added; “unfortunately, when I come home each day I’ve spoken my 25,000, but my wife hasn’t started her 30,000 yet.

According to statisticians, the average person spends at least 1/5 of his or her life talking. Ordinarily, in a single day, enough words are used to fill a 50-page book. In one year, the average person’s words would fill 132 books, each containing 400 pages.

Our words are important, not only what we say, but how we say it. A man who is known as “a man of his word” is respected. It seems that today it is becoming more and more difficult to find those who will always speak the truth. Situational ethics became accepted in the early 1960s and continues to this day. It is even more normal today than ever before. It is the guiding principle for many professing Christians, instead of the Word of God. If it is more convenient to lie, as long as it doesn’t seemingly hurt anyone, this has become an accepted way, or whichever solution offers the greatest good, whether it goes against the clear teaching of God’s Word or not. We see in our text the beatitudes in practical form. Jesus gives us examples. He has moved from the doctrine of the beatitudes to exhortation. When he stated that blessed are the pure in heart, we begin to understand that unless there is pureness of heart, there will be pollution of our lips. God’s ideal is that our word is a pledge. There is no need for oath-taking to support your word and ensure that you speak the truth, or emphasize what you say with an explicative. Jesus sets forth the challenge to end resentment and retaliation with love for our enemies instead of just our neighbor as the old standard demanded.

We can be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect ( further down in verse 48), if we see that perfection as functional. A thing is perfect if it fully realizes the purpose for which it was planned, designed, and made.

This morning, let’s look at three functional exhortations which lead to Christian perfection as it should be Biblically understood. The first exhortation is:

I. THAT A WORD IS A PLEDGE.

We as Christians should be able to say yes and have people believe us, or no and be understood as speaking the truth. In Numbers 30:2 we read, “When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.” Then in Deut. 23;21,22; if you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do.

Now, in the time of Jesus, there were two unsatisfactory things about taking oaths. One was what might be called,

1. Frivolous swearing. Taking an oath when no oath was necessary or proper. It had become far too common a custom to introduce a statement by saying, “by your life” or “by my head” or, “may I never see the comfort of Israel or Jerusalem if that isn’t true…” An example for us today might be: “I swear on my mother’s grave” or “I cross my heart and hope to die.” These are old and not used much anymore; we just stick an explicative in our sentence. The Rabbis said that to use any form of oath in a simple statement, like “That olive tree produces a lot of olives, was sinful and wrong. How many times do we hear people make a simple declarative statement, but add an explicative to it, perhaps preceding the statement, or adding it as an adjective? Most people who do that have gotten into so much of a habit of doing this that they don’t even realize that they have done it. They don’t think of it as swearing, unless they have used vulgar language.

The ideal is that we should never need an oath or explicative to guarantee the truth or make the person think that something was a big deal. A person’s character should make that unnecessary. In fact, when a Christian does this, even unbelievers might wonder if you are a Christian. The principle which Jesus lays down is quite clear. In effect, he is saying that no one can keep God out of any transaction. God is already there. Life cannot be divided into compartments. Not one kind of language in church, and another outside of church during the week. He doesn’t have to be invited, or His name used in vain, even when expressing astonishment in a situation. Usually when that happens, his name isn’t being invoked “in prayer.’” He is always there, and all promises are sacred, and all circumstances include him in some way, even though we aren’t aware of it.

There is a big difference between Islamic nations and the West. In our culture, we have made an issue over the separation of church and state. In France, it is worse than in the U.S. In Islam, there is no such thing as the separation of church and state. Everything in life is religious and is referred to in either the Koran or the Hadith, which are the writings about what Mohammed said or did. There is no separation between the religious and the secular, for in orthodox Islam, there is no secular. That is why it would be quite a blow to our way of life to follow Shariah Law, as Muslims would like to see happen. They certainly think that God (Allah) is in every transaction. As Christians, God should be a part of our daily living situations, if we are living for him, and have Jesus in our lives, but we shouldn’t be content to follow Islamic law, which is based on some interpretation from parts of the Old Testament, and also declarations by Imams in the past.

The second Jewish custom was in some ways even worse than frivolous swearing; it might be called:

2. Evasive Swearing.

The Jews divided oaths into two classes: those which were absolutely binding and those which were not. In our culture today, it’s kind of like crossing your fingers when you don’t really mean something. Many people, including some professing Christians, seem to have no problem with telling so-called “little white lies” if it is to protect themselves or someone else, in moments when the truth would be condemning. We are either truthful people, or we are not. Often, we use inflection or body language or adjectives to mislead each other, to orchestrate a response that is not based on truth? Do we give ourselves the right to say one thing and mean something else? All of that was the problem Jesus was addressing in this section. Have you ever gone up to someone and said, “Hey, it’s good to see you,” and everything about you says that you’re enthusiastic, but you can’t wait to quit talking to them? Or maybe you go out of your way to avoid greeting and talking to someone that you have something against. Have you ever been in a setting where you hear a person advocate a position and you say, “That’s a great argument, or that’s a great point, very thoughtful presentation you’ve made there.” But at the next meeting, you vote against their proposal? If asked, “Weren’t you in favor of it? –You say, “No, I thought the proposal was great, but I just never agreed with it.” Yet the impression you left with the person was that you agreed with their point and would support them when the vote came up. We learn to use language to fool and manipulate people, get our way, open doors, and advance our cause. And we do it in such a way that we can’t be strictly called liars, but in fact, we are. That is what most politicians do when they are campaigning.

Having said that, I must also say that we must not deliberately say things to hurt another, even if it is the truth. We first must earn the right to speak into another person’s life by spending time with them and getting to know them. Also, there are different ways to say things that are truthful, but do not destroy the person or discourage them so much that they do not want to see you again, let alone talk to you. Think about your relationships with family, friends, in the body of Christ, and those who don’t believe in or know Christ. Have you ever said things in a way that you know hurt someone, and your attitude is simply—“Well, it was the truth.” And there is no attempt at an apology or reconciliation. Oh yes, then there is when you don’t say everything—- you didn’t evade the issue, you hit it right on, so like the Pharisees, you can say that you were not guilty of evasive swearing to something that wasn’t quite the truth, but in the meantime you have destroyed another child of God.

When Jesus said, “Do not swear at all” (verse 34), He was laying down the principle that the Christian must not have two standards of truth, but that his ordinary speech must be as sacredly true as his oath. In the kingdom of God, that principle holds true; oaths, which were common in Old Testament times becomes unnecessary.

Then the second Functional exhortation, which leads to Christian perfection, is:

II DO NOT RESIST AN EVIL PERSON

Jesus clarifies the ancient law that we have in Deuteronomy 19:21: “Show no pity; life for life, eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” These laws are often quoted as amongst the bloodthirsty, savage, and merciless laws of the Old Testament, but before we say that, we must understand certain things. This Old Testament law was, in fact, the beginning of mercy. Its original aim was definitely the limitation of vengeance. In the very earliest days, the vendetta and the blood feud were characteristic of tribal society. Even in what we would call modern day, about 60-70 years ago in Irian Jaya (Indonesia), if a man of one tribe injured a man of another tribe, then at once all the members of the tribe of the injured man went out to take vengeance on all the members of the tribe who committed the injury, and the vengeance desired was nothing less than death.

Now, this law in Deuteronomy deliberately limits vengeance; only one man must be punished, the offender. It was never a law to give this right to a private individual, but a court. It was to guide the judge. It was not usually carried out literally and soon became a money matter where something of equal value was accepted. A bad tooth might be taken out as vengeance for a good tooth that was lost, etc., then finally, money became the way to satisfy grievances, as it is mainly for us today.

In the third world, like where we were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, corruption was rampant, so it wasn’t money to satisfy grievances, but paying the judge in order to get a favorable decision. The ancient law of life for a life is upheld quickly also. If you hit a pedestrian with your vehicle, it doesn’t matter if it was their fault or not. You are guilty. The public will try to kill you, even before if the person is dead or not.

This eye-for-an-eye way of judging in the Old Testament was not the whole ethic, but many times mercy was shown. Now in spite of these guidelines and the fact that this law was to limit violence, Jesus obliterated the very principle of that law, because retaliation, however restricted, has no place in the Christian life.

This is A new spirit of non-resentment and non-retaliation. Verse 39, “if someone hits you on the right cheek, (a back of the hand gesture of contempt), then turn the other cheek for him to hit too. Make it twice as insulting. Jesus is saying, even if a man should direct at you the most deadly and calculated insult, you must on no account retaliate, and you must on no account resent it. The committed Spirit-filled Christian has learned this. Jesus himself was called all kinds of names; “son of Beelzebub (which is Satan), “a gluttonous man” (not only piggish in eating habits, but a hog or swine, a double insult for a Jew to be categorized as a pig, an unclean animal for them; also he was called “a wine bibber” (KJV old English– meaning an intemperate guzzler, a wino or drunk). A friend of tax gatherers (like our I.R.S.), only the tax collectors of Jesus’ time were thieves ( I know you think our government is stealing our money with our taxes too), but these men habitually took more from the people than what Rome demanded. They skimmed off the top, charging the people so that they could turn in what the government required, but then have plenty extra for themselves. Since the population couldn’t do anything about it, tax collectors were a despised people. Also, a friend of prostitutes. Pretty insulting names, always with the implication that he was like the company he kept.

The early Christians were called cannibals because of communion, and the statement that Jesus said—“This is my body,” and they were accused of immorality, gross and shameless, because their services included the love feast.

People are insulted time and time again because they are not invited to do certain things in church, a note of thanks is omitted, or in some way they did not get the recognition they thought they deserved, or perhaps they didn’t get their way. Does this mean that we don’t need to thank people and make them feel appreciated? Of course not—-quite the contrary, but we must learn to forget insults, for the true Christian has learned from the Lord to accept any insult and never resent it, and never seek to retaliate, no matter how badly they have been wronged. Never resent what people say, or what they do or don’t do to us.

You may be thinking, Pastor Paul, that’s not me. I just can’t let people walk all over me. No, you can’t, but Christ living within you– can! We must say, ‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength.”

Then the third exhortation that Jesus gives is in verse 40. He tells us; If someone wants to ‘sue you’ and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. So we see that:

III. YOU SHOULD GIVE FREELY OF YOUR GOODS AND OF YOURSELF

This is easier said then done. —-The Tunic was a long sack-like inner garment (but not undergarment) made of cotton or linen. The poorest man would have a change of tunics, because it was equal to our shirts. (thus we have the expression-for a generous person; “he’d give you the shirt off his back.” Then, a Cloak is an old English word used to designate an outer coat. (Remember in school when we used to call the place where you would hang your coats, the “cloak room?” Well, a cloak was the outer garment or coat, still used in the middle east of those who wear robes. It was a heavy outer robe. A person would most likely have only one, and it was even used as a blanket at night. We read in Exodus 22:26,27, that if you take a cloak as a pledge (collateral—something of value), you should give it back at night because he needs it—he only has one. By rights, a man’s cloak couldn’t be taken away from him. So you see, it’s like—you don’t take out a home equity loan for a certain amount of money, and the lender says, fine I will take your house until you pay this amount back. No, your equity is the collateral, or insurance, if you will, against default of the loan. So this outer garment is very important and a man has NO RIGHT TO TAKE IT AWAY. –

-but Jesus says if a man needs a tunic, give him your outer garment as well. Unbelievable! You see, as Christians, we should never stand on our rights; a Christian never disputes about legal rights at all with their fellow believers. Some people are forever standing on their rights, suing people about anything and everything. But you see, WE HAVE NO RIGHTS. A Christian should think not of his rights, but of his duties; not of his privileges but of his responsibilities. The Christian is the man who has forgotten that he has any rights at all.

Finally, in verse 41, Jesus talks about going the extra mile. Carry something for someone (usually Roman soldiers demanded this), two miles, if he compels you to carry it one mile. Don’t resent this. The truly committed Spirit-filled Christian will never stand on his rights, but rather believe he should have. But always his responsibility to help and to give, and demonstrate the love of Christ.

May the Holy Spirit convict us and show us where we have failed to be an encouragement to others. May He help us to act the way Jesus would act.

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