The Challenge of Memorizing God’s Word
A couple of weeks ago, I asked a bunch of co-workers and family and friends this big old question: Who of you wants to memorize the entire book of Ephesians with me? That was the question. Not do you want to read the book of Ephesians, or would you like to study the book of Ephesians? How would you like to memorize one book, six chapters, 155 back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back verses? My wife was the first to respond to this request. Her text, and I quote, was, “Um, no.” But other people — in fact, 29 other people — raised their digital hands and they said, “Uh, yeah.” That includes four teenagers who are attempting to memorize the book of Ephesians in the next four months. It includes five people who I think have never even read the book of Ephesians that are now going to try to put it to heart. It includes a whole bunch of us who are in like middle age or older whose brains are better than ever at forgetting things. So, we’re going to see what happens in the next few months.
We started to kind of daydream and envision what would happen if we took an entire book of the Bible — one of the Bible’s most power-packed books — and put it deep into our heads and into our hearts. What would happen in our faith if we didn’t need an open Bible in front of us to remember or a Bible app to scroll? What if any time we could recall any of the 155 verses that make up the book of Ephesians? What would happen if we would wake up in the morning and be able to quote Ephesians 1:3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing.” And everything good is already mine in Jesus. I’m chosen, predestined, loved, redeemed, I’m safe, and I’m saved. What would happen to our gratitude if we woke up with Ephesians 1:3 in our heads?
And when we fail and when we fall and when we do the things we don’t want to do as Christians, what would happen if we could just recite Ephesians 2:8-9? That it is by grace that you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves. It’s not about your behavior or goodness. It’s the gift of God, not by works, so that no one could boast. What would happen if we would face the first big challenge of the week and we could recite Ephesians 3:20 — that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine? What kind of hope and confidence could that give us?
What would happen if we’d face a difficult person at work or even here at church and be able to recite Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to each other, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you?” What would happen to my marriage if I could, from my heart, recite these verses from Ephesians 5? “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish?” What would happen if I would go back to my classic temptations that I fought my whole life, but know Ephesians 6:10-20, “Put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground?” What would happen to our faith, and our hope, and our joy, and our peace, and our relationships and everything if we could put the word of God deep into our hearts?
Thirty of us said, “Man, that would be incredible.” But then we actually tried to do it. And most of us are getting our backsides whooped. It’s probably the most inspiring thing we’ve done in a long time and it is the hardest thing we’ve attempted in years. And I want to tell you that story — not just so that you can pray for us here at church and pray if you’re watching at home — but I kind of realized that what we’re trying to do with the book of Ephesians is kind of like what Jesus is calling you to do every day of your Christian life.
The Beautiful, Impossible Purpose Jesus Has for You
He’s calling you to do something unbelievably beautiful, incredibly powerful, insanely inspiring, that if you actually try it will be by far the biggest challenge of your life. Here’s the purpose that Jesus has for you and for me if you’re a Christian here today. He wants you to step into every place you will go this week and be a glimpse of Jesus. He’s not asking you to be Jesus. There’s only one Jesus. You’re not divine. You can’t do miracles. But when you step into a space, what Jesus wants you to do is to be his ambassador — who does what he would do and says what he would say. Bring the justice of Jesus, and the boldness of Jesus, and the courage of Jesus, and the patience of Jesus, and the empathy of Jesus, and the heart of Jesus, and the unconditional love and grace.
When you step into that classroom, into that workspace, when you get into the car after church, when you meet someone in the lobby after the service is over, represent Jesus. Be a little glimpse to the people around you of how Jesus is. You know, Jesus said in John 13, “This world will know that you are my disciples, that you’re Christians, by the way you love one another.” In other words, Christians are called to an uncommon kind of love — a love that’s not deserved, a love called grace. And whenever we can even get close to it, it can change the world, it can change our homes, it can change this church, and it can change this community.
But have you ever tried that? It will make memorizing the book of Ephesians feel easy — even if you’re memorizing it backwards and in Greek. It sounds so simple on paper, doesn’t it? Love like Jesus loved. But here’s what I find so tricky about that very basic Christian purpose. There are some people in my life that make it so difficult for me to be like Jesus. You, too?
The 100-Person Line: Why Loving Everyone Is So Hard
Imagine for a second that up here on this stage, we could line up the 100 people that you will see the most this week — and you get to hand-pick who’s at the front of the line and who’s at the back. You get to order the most likable people at your job and in your school, in your band, in the church, people that you work with, people that you study with, the people that you’re related to, the person that you woke up next to. You get to decide if they’re number 1 most likable, number 3, number 7, number 42, number 65, number 81, number 99, or at the end of the line, number 100. Can you picture them?
You know, the problem is I can open the Bible and tell you what Jesus told me to tell you — to love people, to be patient with people, to be gentle with people, to be bold, courageous, and truthful with people. But in my experience, what happens is that’s not easy, and it’s much easier on this end of the line than that one. I can be incredibly kind and hospitable and gentle and generous with my closest friends and the people from my small group and my wife and my children. But as we move from friends and close family down to more acquaintances — and especially to the half of the line where maybe we’ve had some not-so-great interactions — that’s when the simple purpose to love and be like Jesus becomes crazy complicated.
Now you don’t have to name names and shout out numbers, but I have a hunch that you maybe go to school with that girl. You know, the one who is just so not self-aware of what she does when she steps into the room. She is like a black hole that sucks all the attention into herself. She can’t listen to anyone’s story without interrupting and trying to one-up it. And everyone takes a deep breath because they know what she doesn’t know — that she is exhausting, and everyone hopes she doesn’t make it to school, and no one wants to say it, but you just can’t handle her in more than really small doses.
If you go to school with that girl who’s number 79 in your list, man, the Bible can say “be patient, and be gentle, and be kind” but it feels almost impossible in her presence. Or maybe you have an uncle who’s like number 85 in the line. You’ve just never agreed with the way that he sees the world. His opinions are so off and so firmly believed that you try to fake a smile at the next family gathering. And when people are sitting down for dinner, you sit back and let him sit down first so that you can make sure you pick a seat that’s about two or three rooms away from him.
This happens at churches, too. All kinds of people will walk through the doors of this church. Some of them you’ll click with, some of them you’ll relate to, some of them will annoy you, some of them will have your sense of humor, and some of them will say things that you do not find funny but they find very funny. Some people will be socially aware; some people will not. You’ll have great interactions with some brothers and sisters in Christ, and some hard conversations and moments with others. And people are going to walk through the door — if you stand in the lobby — and they’re your number 5, or your number 51, or your number 98. And to not pick and choose who you will be patient or kind with is an insane challenge.
Sometimes it’s just because we’re different. Sometimes personality styles can clash. Sometimes certain people think other people are immature, and the immature people think that other people are a little too uptight and stressed out. And then there’s all the conflict, the history, the bad blood that has happened. And what is so tempting — what I struggle with, and I bet you do, too — is this: we tend, even as followers of Jesus, to love until we don’t like.
I’ll love these people, but there comes a line when — because of the way you are, because of the way that you have treated me — the whole calling to be a loving, patient, gentle Christian just doesn’t apply anymore. There’s like a fine print or an asterisk. Because there are certain people, we tell ourselves, that we don’t have to deal with.
I think this is how the world works, does it not? In schools and in workplaces and in families, we pick and we choose. We’re kind to some and cold-shouldered to others. But I have to tell you — as real as this is for me and you — we cannot settle. We cannot allow in the church of Jesus for there to be a line.
Can you imagine what would happen if we did? Let’s imagine for a second that I find 80 percent of you rather lovable and 20 percent of you exhausting. If I go home after church is over and I’m sitting around the lunch table with my daughters, and what my daughters learn about Christianity is that I speak highly of eight of you and I just trash the reputation of two of you — what would my daughters think that Christianity is? Middle school.
What would they think that the teaching of Jesus was if dad can praise some and put others on blast? Now, I’m not suggesting that Christians should be soft, that we don’t deal with issues, that we sweep things under the rug, that there isn’t really bad behavior that needs to be addressed. But what happens when I get to decide who is worthy of my love and who isn’t?
What would happen if all of us embraced the attitude that there is a line and I don’t have to be nice? What would happen in our groups and in our church family? What would happen if we go out into the world? Would we be any different than anyone else? Or as Jesus said, like the tax collectors, would we love those who love us, be kind to those who are kind to us, and only greet those who greet us first? That kind of pride — that leads to loving until we don’t — can blow up the church and rob us of this amazing purpose that Jesus has for all of his followers. So, the big question I want to wrestle with today is: how do you get past it?
This week, I don’t know who’s in the line and where they are in the line, but your toes are going to get to the edge of the line. You’re going to be looking at someone that is really difficult to like, much less love. And what does it take to take a step in that direction and keep on loving people that you don’t totally like? How do you do it? That’s what I’m going to answer before I say amen today.
Peter’s Story: The Answer Is Found at the End of the Line
We’re going to learn the answer from one of Jesus’ closest friends, a man named Peter. A quick crash course, if you don’t know: Peter was one of the first leaders of the early Christian church. When Jesus went back to heaven after those 40 days, it was Peter and John and then later Paul who kind of took the baton and led early Christianity. And you might not know this if you’re not into history, but first-century people from Peter’s day were… people. Did you know that? Someone once told me that the New Testament is as long as it is because people 2,000 years ago were just like people today — complicated, difficult. The apostles had to write all these letters to churches because people were people and they had their issues.
So Peter was about to be launched by Jesus into this insane calling to represent him here on earth. But how would he do it well? How would he not conform to the pattern of this world and love people to a certain point and then stop loving those people he didn’t like? Well, today in John 21, you’re going to find an answer. It’s a surprising answer, it’s a humbling answer, it’s a beautiful and empowering answer that will drive you into God’s purpose for your future.
“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ Peter said, ‘You know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.'” — John 21:15
Take care of my church. And Jesus doesn’t say, “Feed 50% of my lambs.” He doesn’t say, “Feed my likable lambs.” He doesn’t say, “Feed my lambs that you love.” He says, “Feed all of them. From number one, Peter, all the way to number 100. That’s what I’m entrusting in your hands. Feed my lambs. And if you’re going to do that well, you need to answer this question — do you love me? You’re not going to love all of them unless you deeply love me, Peter. So do you love me?” And Peter, who was always quick with his words, doesn’t wait a millisecond. He says, “Yes, yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” It’s an instant answer, but Jesus wasn’t ready to instantly move on.
“Again, Jesus said, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.'” — John 21:16
Isn’t that interesting? Why would Jesus ask the exact same question a second time if Peter had been so clear when Jesus asked him the first time? But Jesus does this — he asks him a second time. And then, if that’s not odd enough, he does it one more time.
“The third time Jesus said to Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.'” — John 21:17
He’s proving to Peter that God’s love is not for the lovable and it’s not for the likable — it is for the least of these. Jesus, as skilled as a surgeon, is cutting to Peter’s heart. He’s essentially saying, “Peter, if I lined up all the apostles in a big line, where do you think you would be? If I was picking those who had loved me best, who had been faithful the most, where would you be?” And Peter would have to admit, if he thought about his three-time denial, that at the end of the line it would be Peter and Judas.
And yet — despite his insane failure, despite the fact that he didn’t just stumble or trip, but three times in a row he had crossed the very line that Jesus predicted he would — here was Jesus loving Peter, speaking his name, offering him peace, pointing to the forgiveness of his sins.
God Loves to the End of the Line
It’s a little complex, but here’s the big picture of what I think Jesus is doing. He says, “You will never love all people unless you deeply love me, and you will not deeply love me unless you know that I deeply love you, and you won’t be amazed by how deeply I love you unless you know how deeply you sinned against me. Start with major failure and you will be amazed by my grace. Amazed by my grace, you will love God with your whole heart, and if you love God with your whole heart, you can love all of the people, all of the sheep that God has entrusted into your care.”
Here’s my summary of this teaching: God loves — not to the limits of those he doesn’t like — but our God loves to the end of the line. What will drive you is when you see yourself standing at the end of the line and are amazed that God loves you as much as he does there as he would if you were at the front.
The apostle Paul is the best example of this. As Paul got older and wrote letters later in his life, the more he saw himself on this end of the line. If you would read the letters of the apostle Paul — there are 13 of them in the New Testament — when he talks about himself and what he saw when he looked in the mirror, did you know that he slowly, toward the end of his life, started moving in this direction? In 55 A.D., he writes the letter called 1 Corinthians, and in chapter 15, he calls himself the least of the apostles. Line up the 12 guys we call apostles and he said, “I’m the last one. I’m worse than Peter. I was killing Christians.” Five years later, when he writes the book of Ephesians, he doesn’t call himself the least of the apostles — he calls himself the least of all the Lord’s people. “It’s not just that I’m last in the line of the apostles because I’m late to the game. I’m the worst sinner of any Christian that I know.”
And then, just before he dies in the early to mid-60s A.D., Paul writes a letter that we call 1 Timothy. There in chapter 1, Paul doesn’t call himself the least of the apostles or the least of the Christians. He calls himself the worst sinner on earth. Paul never saw himself at the front of the line. In fact, the longer he followed Jesus, the more he realized how desperately he needed the grace of God every day of his life. And before you think that turns you into some little worm with zero self-esteem, you should probably read the works of the apostle Paul — like Ephesians, where he’s bursting with praise and gratitude — like 2 Corinthians, where he is driven because he knows he’s an ambassador of Christ, saved by grace, made righteous by the blood of Jesus.
His own sinfulness brought him to a place of amazing humility, and there at the foot of the cross, Paul just soaked in all the goodness and love of God. And it changed him. It allowed him to be patient when he went through things in this life. It allowed him to love people who were so unlovable. Have you read the book of Acts? Paul met some unlovable people and he responded with amazing, Christ-like love.
Here’s how I’d say it: You’re going to get Christianity right when you look in the mirror and see the worst sinner you know — and yet you see it with a smile on your face, because you know how deeply you have been loved by God’s amazing grace. So, where are you in line? As you think about your co-workers, your fellow church members, your family — as you think about their sins and your own sins — where do you put yourself? The answer is so important for our life.
Here’s what I’ve seen in marriages: whenever there’s conflict and a couple comes in for counseling, if both people think that their spouse is the primary problem, they’re in trouble. Can I teach you how pastors do marriage counseling in less than 30 seconds? We look at a dude, we read the Bible, and we say, “Are you doing that?” And then we look at his wife and we say, “Are you doing that?” And they have to be humbled to realize, “My spouse is not the biggest sinner in this situation — it’s me.” Because humble people rely on the help of God, and people who rely on the help of God end up very happy.
This is so important — that you and I never lose sight that every single day it’s grace. That God would have every reason to flick us off the earth in his judgment, but he’s so patient and he’s so kind and he’s so generous and he’s so good — not just to put up with us or bear with us, but to love us and to like us, to forgive us, and to cleanse us all over again. If you and I never lose sight of the fact that we are sinners and yet we are so loved by the blood of Jesus, we will be empowered and driven for this amazing purpose: to love everyone, even to the end of the line.
Love to the End of the Line
So, I’m about to say amen and you’re about to see numbers 1 through 100 this week. You’re going to get in the car after church with number 1 on your list, and depending on how the conversation goes, he might be number 22 by the time you get home. You’re going to raise kids that might be like number 3 and 4 and they might end up in the 60s before this week is over. You’re going to see, at the water cooler, number 48 and number 84. The teacher’s going to put you in a group project with number 7, and number 24, and number 92.
And when that moment comes, you’re going to be so tempted to conform to the ways of this world — to be patient and generous with him but not with her. And when that temptation comes, all I want you to do is pray this to yourself: “To the end of the line.” This is the kind of love that changed Peter and the early Christian church. It’s the kind of love that saved Paul by God’s amazing grace. Jesus didn’t limit his love to those he liked — he loved to the end of the line. I pray that we Christians can, too.
Let’s pray.
Oh God, thank you so much for grace. It is amazing. As the Psalm says, God, if you kept a record of sins, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness. So, we fear you and love you and can’t believe that you love us. Thank you, God, that you are a God of grace. You do not treat us as our sins deserve and we are overwhelmed by that thought.
Every single day we wake up to a smile on your face for everyone who has faith in Jesus Christ. And now I pray, God, for power. You have not given us a spirit of weakness or timidity. You gave us the Holy Spirit that can produce love and patience and self-control in us. So, we ask for your mercy and forgiveness for all the exceptions we made to your call to love, for all the people we haven’t been treating well because we thought we had an excuse not to. I pray that this week would be a week of many apologies — that we could own our part, even if it’s not all our fault. That we could ask for forgiveness, maybe not for something we did, but for the love that we didn’t give. And I pray, God, that humbled by your law, we would have better relationships as we can forgive each other as you first forgave us.
God, your calling is clear. We love because you first loved us. We’re kind and compassionate and forgiving because in Christ you, God, forgave us. Help us to be a unique kind of church — not for our glory but for yours. And as we step out of here today, may we be little bursts of light in a really dark world of conditional love, that people would stop and stare and soon realize that we are this way because we have been with Jesus. God, empower us for this purpose. We ask it all in his amazing name. And everyone said, “Amen.”
