Holy Love

Intro:

Jim was a trouble young man.

He had, at one point in his life, a very prestigious job.

Made a lot of money

Had a wonderful wife with 2 kids

But he lost it all due to “prescription pills.”

I came into the picture around the time Jim and his wife and kids moved back to His home town.

He had shared his struggles with me but was better.

What I experienced with Jim was a young man whose life seemed like a rollercoaster ride: up and down, upside down then right side up again.

Jim and his wife separated but was still trying to make things work.

I will never forget the morning I received the call ......

His wife calls to tell me that “Jim had killed himself.”

As many of you might imagine, I was astonished at this news.

My heart was broken!

I was in shock!

Some might be asking, “Why were in shock, why was your heart broken, why were you astonished at the news of your friend taking his life?”

We see this all the time in the news.

There is people everyday dying.

Maybe not all the people are dying but they are being harmed in one form or another.

(One tragedy after another throughout our communities, our cities, and our states.)

The reason some affect us more than others is because of Love found in the heart.

My heart was affected by the death of my friend Jim because in my heart I loved him as a brother in Christ.

I spent hours praying with him.

I spent hours praying for him.

That’s how Jim knew I loved him and that’s how others knew I loved Jim (I PRAYED)

BODY:

There is a wonderful example of this love for others found in scripture .....

Galatians 5:16–18 (ESV)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Some of you might be saying, “prayer is not mentioned at all in this pericope.”

You are absolutely right. Hang on for a minute and I will show you what I mean.

What we know about Paul is that He loved all the churches he had planted as well as those he never had the chance to visit.

We find this at the beginning of most of his letter in the N.T.

Romans 1:8-10 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.” (He never made it)

Ephesians 1:15-17 “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,”

Philippians 1:3-5 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

There is one letter Paul doesn’t state this reoccurring statement that we find in most of his letters.

What is one of those letter? Galatians

WHY?

It is not because he doesn’t love them. It’s because Paul want to get straight to the point.

I would argue that Paul Loved the region of Galatians more than the others.

Turn to Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—”

What Paul is hearing about is so alarming to him.

He states, “I am astonished”

Greek word is “Thaumazo”

It means to be surprised, to wonder at, to be astonished.

That, whatever it might be, its appearance arouses astonishment and amazement.

It is most commonly used in “the human reaction to the working of a deity in the revelation of its divine power.”

What we find in Gal. 1:6 is Paul being amazed and astonished at the fact that the Galatians had turned away from the Gospel of Christ to another.

This group of people is who Paul had such Holy Love toward.

He had been praying for.

What we find in Galatians 5:16-18 is Paul commanding them that they .....

“Walk in the Spirit” (16)

Don’t return to the desires of the flesh. (17)

“Be led by the Spirit” (18)

“Led” is present tense which means it continuing

Love is not always “meek, mild, or tender.”

Sometimes is voice-stress, loud, and passionate!

CONCLUSION:

I want you to picture this .....

Paul,

..... who has an investment in this region,

..... who has spent many hours on his face crying out to God in prayer,

..... who has demonstrated to them “HOLY LOVE”

sends word back to this region telling them (Gal 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”)

Paul was taking his Spiritual authority (which was given to Him by Christ) and was speaking it into existence saying “I command you to get you eyes and heart set back toward the one true Gospel; Jesus Christ.”

Have you ever wondered what Pauls prayers must have been like?

What they must of consisted of ..... sounded like ..... felt like?

Here is what I believe ......

Pauls prayer life consisted of Power ...... sounded like authority ..... felt like LOVE!

Power that rocks the walls of HELL

The very Authority that was taken back by what Christ accomplished on the cross.

This Authority is recognized by the enemy ....

Acts 19:15 “But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?””

LOVE - Godly Love (undescribable)

Paul saw those who he had invested in, prayed for, love so much, was being led astray by the enemy.

And Paul said “I don’t think so.”

“You can’t have them!”

“Let go of them!”

“Be gone in the Name of Jesus!”

Church, this is what I would call “Radical Prayers” due to a Holy Love!

So let us ask ourselves this morning, “Do we Love Holy?”

Due we practice Radical Prayers?

Many of us know people who have not come into a personal relationship with Christ.

Many of us know people who have been swayed away from their walk with Jesus.

Many of us know neighbors who have not come into a personal relationship with Christ.

Many of us know neighbors who have been swayed away from their walk with Jesus.

Many of us have family members who have not come into a personal relationship with Christ.

Many of us have family members who have been swayed away from their walk with Jesus.

Some of us have spouses who have not come into a personal relationship with Christ.

Some of us have spouses who have been swayed away from their walk with Jesus.

Some of us might have kids who have not come into a personal relationship with Christ.

Some of us might have kids who have been swayed away from their walk with Jesus.

What if we just poured out HOLY LOVE all over them today?

In Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

This verse says that God rewards those who seek him (to seek out, to investigate diligently).

Diligence is required for any success.

The phrase “diligently seek” in Hebrews 11:6 is taken from the Greek word ekzeteo, and it carries an entire range of power-packed meanings.

It means to zealously seek for something with all of one’s heart, strength, and might.

It presents the picture of one who seeks something so passionately and determinedly that he literally exhausts all his power in his search.

Because the word ekzeteo portrays such an earnest effort, the idea of being hard-working, attentive, busy, constant, and persistent in one’s devotion to what he or she is doing is also included.

We are coming, radical prayer, being in Christ and believing he will reward us.

By answering our prayers.

I say, let’s begin doing this “Radical Prayer” for them.

Commanding the enemy to be gone from them.

Letting the enemy know “He Can’t Have Them.”

We have so much time invested in them.

So much prayer time invested in them.

We love them!

People we know, neighbors we have, family members, spouses, kids!

In the Name of Jesus we cry out for them.

Here is what we are going to do.

Underneath your chairs are pieces of paper.

You are going to write down a persons name (one name per paper)

We are going to come to the altar in radical prayer mode and pray for each of these individuals.

When you are done you are going to leave those pieces of paper on the altar.

And you are going to go home and continue this Radical prayers for these individuals.

We are bring them to the feet of Jesus and letting the enemy know “YOU CAN’T HAVE THEM.”

CALL to COME

We will take these pieces of paper and put them up on our prayer wall in the Coffee bar.

When those prayers are answered

When we see those we have been Radically praying for be set free

When those who we have been Radically praying for comes to an encounter with Christ

..... we take those names down.