October 16 Guest NM Teen Challenge

Okay. I'll bet they may have to turn me down here this morning and so glad to have you with us here at Bethel today. Again, just walking here. If you are new with us today, there it's I believe, I connect card in the, in the cube of in front of in the little pocket, if you would take a moment, fill that out. And after service, I believe we have some cookies or some kind of a gift and the information center and we'd love to just trade that out with you. Also, I'd like to welcome those that may be a chiming in or listening online and we're just excited to have you with us to build the chance that you can just hear this today. And we're just going to jump right into God's word if you would bow your heads with me and I just feel like me. Thank you. Lord. I Thank you for today and for this time but I think you for your word. Annoyed right now I pray that you would just speak through Me In This Moment Lord let it not be my words but yours and Lord I pray that you do Pinar years and let us hear what you have to say. Don't worry, we're going to look at you and your character and who you are and that you are loved. And so Lord, I pray that you would just let that emanate in our hearts today. In Jesus name amen. Kind of tied up this the series we've been doing and we've been kind of just on 1st Corinthians 13:13. We all kind of know. He said three things that will last forever faith. Hope and love. And the greatest of these is love or the one above. These is love and another translation or whatever and so it's not necessarily that love is greater than Faith and Hope but it's the one that's kind of above them at ties them together and so today we're going to jump in and we're going to be talkin about love and and so You know, what is love it and it's in one of those words and we've got so many different description. So many different definitions of Wii. If I just asked you, what would you say Love is Here, we could go around the room and probably get a different answer from each one of us in and out and we have a lot of different ideas and I found a study where they where they sat down with some five-year-olds, then what love is and would you like to know some of the answers that they got from some five-year-old know if one of the first ones is they said love is is the first thing you feel before all the bad stuff comes?

You know, it work. When I answered Love Is Love is what in the room at Christmas before you start opening presents. You know or love is Daddy, the best chicken? You know when to write. So you know there's all kinds of different answers on live and what love is and and and we we live in a society where where we throw around it and it's it's snowing and it's this thing that in a lot of people. A lot of ways it's this guiding thing to a lot of people, you know, the same point. It's it's a word that kind of lost some meaning. I mean I tell my wife I love her and then also I say I love Taco Bell, you know, I mean it just kind of put it out there but we kind of seemed to love everything and I'm careful a lot of time not to say, I love Taco Bell on that, you know, I try to save that word so that when I tell her I love her, that means something. And so I like Taco Bell. So Actually, we found it. Well, anyhow, what is love? And so to start before we get any further this morning, I just wanted to kind of understand love, really? When we talked about it this morning, we're talking about God, right? We we talked about Grace and we've talked about Hope and Faith over the past few weeks. We talked about how God has great covers Us and and it comes out of his love and so, love it like, said, when I studied this when he says, the greatest of these is love, like I said, the better translation would be that above all of these is love. Meaning like if you saw it as a flowchart, Grace Flows out of love, Faith Comes From love that hope that we have is because of God's love it. So it's not necessarily that we're saying that the scripture saying that love is greater than any of those, they all have important, but what he's saying is that love is above them that we don't have hope without God's love. We don't have Grace without God. We don't have faith. Without it coming from God's love it. So let's just kind of understand that we talked today, we're talkin about God, we're talkin about love and his love into it like, is that we've made love a lot of different things in our culture and I may even try to cover some of that today. I just want to cover God and his love and so verse 8 and we don't have the versus up today. So those that are following, you can either write these down or or flip them out to everybody have their Bible with them. I know we sometimes I think get so Reliant upon it being up there, but how many we got your Bibles with me? Just share it and even if it did, you got a phone app, right? You know, she'll show me what you got soap and well, I've got my phone out. I'm going to remind is just as I have a notification go off. It's good time to silence your phones as well. So so that way it doesn't go off on it. 5 verse 8 is that God showed his love showed his love for us. I forgot.

Still sinners.

So great love versus, but God showed his love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And so God's love, there is nothing greater I can go through so many verses on God's. Love knows no greater love. A man has than this. What? That he would lay down?

First friend. But, but like I said, Romans 5:8, even takes it further. He didn't just lay down his life for his friends. He let down his life.

While we were still Sinners when we didn't know him yet, his love. Still was there, right? And so, there's a lot of things when I started putting this together and understand his love. I could probably preach several messages for the next few weeks, just on his love, right? And so just a highlight, a few things about his love but I really want it to the circle in just to let you know where I'm going but his unconditional Romans 5:8 shows us that, but God's love is perfect. Just to kind of highlight. I'm not going to preach on all these, but but love is perfect. It's perfect love. It's a whatever other misconceptions about love. We got to set those aside because we know God's love is perfect. God's love is pure. He doesn't have ulterior motives in loving you. His love is pure. His love is fierce. I love the song on that by the way, but his love is fierce. Did you realize that that he is jealous for you? It is love is fierce their jealously loves you.

It is reckless as we've said, in in in his you know, there's a controversy on that but he would leave the 99. To go after the one.

His love is reckless. His love is Relentless. How many of you know that that he doesn't stop. It doesn't quit. There is no end. It is Relentless, he continues to love us no matter how far we go, no matter how much you do. No matter how much you, his love is never-ending, it's Relentless it will not quit.

Now.

Philly highlight on today. Is that God's love is unconditional?

There's no conditions to his love but before I go there also want us to highlight and understand this, it this is a shift for some of us, but God is love. Love is not God. And this is why we get mixed up. I think we you know, it in our culture love is a lot of different things. But understand that we really talked about God's love, you realize God is love. It's his character, it's who he is screwed Reeves and tells us that that God is love. So understand when we talk about love we're not talking that love is God, we can make love God and a lot of bad ways and misunderstood ways. God is love, love is not God. and so, Just keep that in mind as we can walk through this movie. Understand but God, Is love. It's who he is. Any loves you unconditionally? What that means here is is, is when there is no condition to it, that means that God won't reject you. Matter fact, if you really think about that for a minute, I even when people reject you in the world, reject you God won't. You know why? God won't reject you because can't reject If pure and perfect love. And he is loved then. He can't reject you. Even just a trusting that he won't reject you. It's knowing that he can't reject you because it goes against who

Is love. And so, how many times?

You lie doesn't matter cuz God won't reject you. How many times you've cheated? Doesn't matter. I won't reject you. Doesn't matter how many, how, how far you've gone into sin, how many, how many mistakes you've made and how much of a mess you've made life. God won't reject you. Gender stand this morning. Even if you hurt people. He won't reject you. If you read it yourself.

God still doesn't reject you.

See, Romans 8, 3839 says this, I am convinced this Paul riding, is that, I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. I'm convinced that nothing can separate us from his love. Death can't, and life. Can't be Angels, can't and the demons. Can't our fears for today and our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep. Love Away. Cuz he is life. Nothing in all creation, ever be able to separate us from the love of God.

God is love. Love is not God. But God, it love.

It, so God loves you.

And Sophie and his love covers. His love is out of his love that he gave us Grace that covers our sin and covers our mistakes and helps us to become righteous on our own doing. It's a gift of love. You understand that you capture that. And in and we have faith, we can have faith in him because he's faithful and he's faithful because he loves us.

And we, he is loved now. Understand God is love, right? And his love is perfect. Now, there's so much I could teach in so many different things, but I've even looked and I mean,

Paul. Paul even writes, the love drives out fear.

Nytimes, we have a lot of times pushed about needing to raise your faith when you're afraid. But you ever thought about that verse he said, perfect love drives out all fear.

and so, when we're afraid, What we need is God. Cuz when he comes in with his perfect love, it will drive out all fear.

His love is perfect, and I liked it so much. I could uncover here, but just understand this, his love is unconditional. It's perfect, it's unconditional his, it is. A matter of fact, just kind of a well the only get ahead of myself. Sorry.

His love is perfect. No one other thing I want to just kind of share or throw in here and in times when we talk about God is love or got less than. And I know I've been there, I've been with other people, maybe some one in this room as this question. But if God is love and how can you hate, right? Wait, wait, we read plenty of scripture where where there are things that God says, he hates matter. Of fact in Proverbs, it even says that there is seven things, six things that he hates and then he changes. It says No 7. The Volta God and end it. So we know that it got there are some things that got eight

At last, but but he hates Pride, he hates Liars. Ones that bear false witness against each other, he hates drying. And when when when, when people cause arguments He hates sin. And we have a world. I know that doesn't want to hear that. We don't always like to hear that. It's not always fun. To know that there are things in my life that want to mess up. He doesn't like it. But let's understand something about love for just a second cuz we we miss because our idea of love and unconditional. Love that. That's this. All a thing love.

And and his love is unconditional, he loves you no matter what there is nothing that can separate you from his love.

But can I ask you something when you love something? And there is something that's going to destroy what you love. Do you still love what destroys what you love?

At an end, just to make that a little clearer, you know. If there is something that is trying that that would be there, trying to maybe get in between my wife and I and our relationship.

I'm going to hate that, right?

Because God loves you. He hates anyting. Roy you Or.

Degrade. You That's why he hates them.

That's why he hates Pride. That's why he hates. You know. Go through, that's why he hates them because when we do those things, it degrades us. when we do those things, when we enter into those things, they destroy who we are, and who has to be And so God's love is perfect. and so, because he loves us, there are things he hates And so, how can a is love hate will. That's how a God who is love can hate? Because out of his love, he hate that which would destroy what he loves. That makes sense.

And so I struggle with that for years myself, you know, when two people pose that question and I didn't struggle with Sherwood, how to answer that? How do you answer that? I mean, I understood. I knew God, loves and also know that he's just, but how do you answer that answer? For some of you this morning and maybe you just need to hear that clearly and understand that if God is love, then he's going to hate that, which destroys what he loves. You know, if there was a pit bull running across the parking lot, about to attack. One of my children. Do you think I love that Pitbull? No.

I don't because it's about to destroy one of my children, right? And I'm going to act on that. And so God has acted the same to protect his children and so I'll move into the next part. But here's the next part of his understand it. is you also have to understand that you have

Play John chapter 5 verse 41 through 44. He said, for all for all who are led by the spirit of God are children of God, So, you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Perfect. Love drives out, fear, right? Instead, you receive God's spirit, when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him Abba, Father, for his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that, we are gods. Children. And since we are his children, We are his heirs in fact, together with Christ, we are Heirs of God's glory. but if we are to share his glory, we must also share in his suffering

I share this because there's this idea here that we have to understand is that we become children of God. And you can understand God's love until you understand that you're his child.

You can't fully grasp love Until you realize that the love he has for us a love of a father. We Now call him Abba. Father, were adopted that whole concept. There's one thing I can just speak from what I know, but it's one thing to love children that are yours. It's a whole nother Act of love to take a child into your home. That is not yours and blood and love them like they're yours.

And he's talking of this kind of act. Now.

And just that that difference. And like that. I I mean I have children those who that have children. Just think about it for a moment. What kind of love? Do you have for them? Yeah. It is there. Anything that could really change your love? I don't know what my children could ever do. That would make me. Stop loving them. Now, I might be displeased. I might be disappointed and some things. But you understand that there there's nothing that would make me, stop loving them.

And God is the same way with us and with you.

This is a topic that's been in some podcasts. I've been in its, I know, I think even in the education world, it's been talked about, but we we, we live in and what their coining now issue in our culture is, is that we live in a culture, what they're calling a cancel culture and I, and what that is is we live in a culture to wear and and I know even just within my generation it comes down to even little things. When something breaks, I know years ago, you fixed it. Now, we live in a culture where it where when something breaks, what do we do, we just kind of just said toss it aside, go get something new and it's almost cheaper that way. Now by the time you pay parts and labor on something to be repaired, you can almost have something new. And so there's there's elements to that. But if you think about even the way we operate, that way it bleeds, into how we treat each other,

And an end, we live in a culture now that when when a relationship just doesn't seem to work or go the way I think it should. It's it's easier and people do we just kind of cancel out and move on to the next and that's why they're calling me to cancel culture. Nnn if you don't know, I'm talking about then, thanks, but you haven't been canceled by somebody.

But it hurts. We live in a world right now. We're in society. It is easier. And it is more acceptable to just reject people and move on than it's ever been before.

and so, Wait, we live in this culture, where it's we just cancel it and we move on, we cancel somebody out and we move on.

But that's not how God works.

His love doesn't get cancelled by what we do. Now, here's some more standing and it will just kind of play some false. Nobody have to raise hands or anything, but just in your mind, answer this true or false for me. Everyone is made in the image of God, true or false.

True, but I think I see your hair kind of over the room. Correct. This one's true. The Bible is clear in the Book of Genesis that were all made in the image of God right now.

True or false is everyone a child of God? Everyone is a child of God, true or false.

False.

Not everyone is a child of God.

and I've got, so here's here's what we have to understand the difference between some of this is, is

And he loves everyone even says that he died for us while we were yet. Sinners

so his love is there. He loves every single person.

We're all created in His image. He died for every single person on this Earth. But you have to choose. To be his child. Now he's paved the way he paid the price, he died, so that he can out of his love for her to adopt, every single one of us and make us his children. And be able to be joint heirs with Christ to have the walk in that.

But we have to choose. You know, it's kind of like the adoption process and and and and we know the adoption process. Pretty well. It was fun. We we were in Dallas. He just passed during at the time. And and, and, and the great political election that took place was was when Obama went into the office and I know we're recording, but I'm just going to share from my heart and my thoughts on some things. But we we came into our Sunday School classroom there with our teens that Sunday morning. And and, and as we're opening up and I had a whole lesson together and I'll send their ask me where you excited about the election, you know? And and they were excited about the the cultural thing. And and that we had our first African-American president. And then they kind of red that I want than happy and it had nothing to do. With that, but everything to do with what the man stood.

And we begin to open update. The begin to ask me why it? Why it, why aren't you happy? Why didn't you want him in the office? And and and and I had to open up and share. Well, it has nothing to do with those kind of things everything to do with. What does the man stand for? Color and race didn't matter to me. But what he stood for mattered? And they weren't being taught that in school. And I remember, I end up shutting my lesson book and saying this is the lesson today cuz they were asking so many questions. What what do you look for then? What matters, do you the most about who you vote for it? And then I begin to share. What? One of the big ones they say? I look for if, you know, do they do the things that are more that line up with scripture and one of the hot ones that end up being talked about that day was abortion. And I'm thankful for the fact that our County was just, you know, we just became a sanctuary state for The Unborn and they have a ride, but it went around that room and they started out about, you know, all the different things. And and you know what about, you know, a mother that that's been through a traumatizing situation and in, it wasn't what they wanted and I'm going to get off here, but

In that we're talking about abortion and I shared with him well even if you know that it but adoption is an option. And they lit up they'd never thought about the fact that adoption could actually be an option rather than just canceling a life. Because it didn't fit a plan. And what was really fun was the pastor's we served under there, they're teenagers were in the class and they were adopted. Because our pastors at that church, that they were unable of uncapable having their own children. And so they adopted these two and their in the class and it was as real as could be in front of that class that those two were there because

They were adopted instead of canceled. And we live in a cancel culture where we just, if it doesn't fit, we cancel it and move on but God doesn't cancel.

And every single one of us but you know, even in the adoption process, a lot of times there's where it upsets before a judge and and this father that's willing to take on these children. Their asked are you willing do you want to be his child? When they're at a certain age of accountability, right? And that's where it comes with us. God has paid the way he's offered out of his love. There is no condition. There's no condition. There's nothing we have to do. If not we'll he loves. That's not the right question. He loves you. He already loves you. He paid the ultimate guide for you, even though, while we were still yet Center, We Were In His Image but we weren't his child and yet he still loved us.

The question isn't, will he love you? The question is will you love him?

Will you love him? Will you be his chart? And so, We understand.

We understand is love. But I also understand we have to receive his love.

And then third.

And it's sometimes it's hard. But we have to give his love. If you've received it. Then we're expected to give it.

And you know what? I don't have this in my notes. It said this is lit and John for 78. + 20, I'm going to kind of jump. It said, let us love one. Another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows, God. Whoever does not love, does not know, God, do you understand?

You're no longer judge like the Old Testament, we're not judged on the Ten Commandments.

But we are still judged by. Do we love?

See, we receive love. We have to give it. Because God is love. And if anyone says I love God yet hates his brother.

He's a liar.

So you can't love God. And not love others. And so it's expected that we that we love one another and that we love those that are in the world around us. In the end. John even wrote and said that, we'll be known by our love.

And so we can't just cancel and move on. We've got to love one another. And sometimes, let's just be honest. Sometimes the church has been the worst at that has in it. Not this church, but the Big C church, right? So, the wonderful group of people and, and those, if you've just joined us today, or if you're listening on fine, this is a great group of people. We're not perfect. We've said it before. We're messy from the pulpit of the parking lot but we're all in pursuit of a perfect God and so I've I find this is this is the perfect place to do that and so we're not perfect but but this is a great body. Let's just face it there. Have been churches in places and times for the church has been the worst just eating its own right. And we we we we aren't going to do that and we do. So we have to make sure how we loved one. And there is a big key. Which means that when we say something or do something that maybe causes another to be hurt, we're not unapproachable. We go talk to one another, we share our feelings, and we mend things, but then also, we've got to share that love with others. They've got to see the difference. You know what they said? They've they've been canceled. They've had people unfriend them on Facebook. Inyo and move on. They've had people that were best friends, Friday. And then when you get back to work Monday, they don't talk to you.

Right.

And I need something different.

Until there's a store. Mary Ann Bird who she. She does some inspirational speaking And I goes around and travels to schools and in chairs different things in and she serious or she knowing that she was different. And if you see the picture,

Born with a cleft should have misshapen lip. She had a crooked nose, and, and her teeth were lopsided. And because of that she is, she said she was Are even and so may she said no matter how much I tried to convince her otherwise she knew that be on her.

She was convinced no one would ever love her.

VeggieTales 12 stories in. She said, when she saw the playground, she would hide in the corner. Do you went to lunch? She would sit alone. Every chance she had. She would she would just hide embarrassingly after all. I mean, who wanted to end with a girl of pallet with the misshapen lip with a, with a crooked nose. And with a, you know, with, with lopsided teeth. But she shared the story when she was in fifth grade. She said she had a teacher that loved and her name was Miss Leonard. And somehow she had a way of making stew. Just feel loved. and, Even even the and she shares the story of of when there was a day where they were doing the hearing test and and you know it fifth grade. What they do is they they take him out to the hallway away from the rest of the class and what the what what the instructor would do or the teacher would do is is whisper in their ear, something and have them, repeat no step back and have them repeat it to them to see if they heard what was spoken or whispered into their ear. And so they would cover one ear and Whisper In. And then it would cover. And she said the teacher. It's a great year.

You have to repeat back.

please stop liking as blue or do I have new shoes or things like There was finally her tire and she took the test and Miss Leonard.

and she waited for those,

Has someone that was unloved or unwanted 5th grade. Said, she covered my ear. And whispered in the other ear seven words that has, she tells her story changed her life.

Has the teacher whispered. I wish you were my little girl.

See what we understand showing of his showing Christ. Young girl that I should never be loved stands in front of people now today and tells her story and tells them how you can be loved no matter what.

Intro One. Love.

He can't reject you because he is loved. And if he is love, it's not just that you he won't but he can't. God, accepts you Accept you as you are and there's nothing you can do to ever separate you from his love.

You just have to receive it. The difference between being made in His image and being his child is simply that you chew to receive is love. And then you love him back.

Then.

He forgives you. Heatran. He applies his grace is your mistakes and then he gives you Faith. He transforms you and makes you a new person that has Faith to trust in walk and believe.

Because he loved. And then after you've received a new, you're his child, he protects you.

He even puts a hedge of protection and he protects you things that would destroy you or harm you

And so we receive is love. But then I'll Make no mistake. We also have a challenge to give his life. We have to share his love, we have to be left just as he is loved. And sometimes that's the bigger challenge. But it's what our world needs. it's if you just staying with me real quick weave,

Are there so many things that surround this word love.

But God today we understand you are loved.

And your love is never-ending. Never failing. It never stops. And it never gives up. Your love is perfect.

Your love is pure.

Your love is unconditional.

Annoyed right now.

Just fill this room.

My spirit come. You're the spirit of God.

Put your arms around each one of your children.

I want to take just a moment as we're praying, and we're in this moment. Everybody's eyes are bad. If I said, everybody's heads about, everybody's eyes closed.

I just want to ask a simple question. See, there's as I laid it out there, the difference everybody's created in His image and God loves everybody.

But there is a difference.

To be his child. As we talk adopted it does, require the decision. That you choose to be his, he's not going to force that the other great thing I love about our God is as though he is love, he's not going to force himself.

It's your choice.

And if you're here this morning, and you've not accepted to be his child, you may be heard it and all kinds of different ways, but

You've got accepted to be his child.

And you want to make that decision this morning?

We want to be with you for that. And I just going to ask nobody's looking around. This is just between me you and God I want to pray with you. Revere this morning.

Vision today. Would you just raise your hands?

Make it active choice.

Okay. Talking to take time. I believed then that each one of us that are here have made that decision. We are children of God. So maybe some of us just the reminder today. God loves you.

maybe you've forgotten that maybe maybe you felt and you've allowed the enemy to lie to you and tell you that God didn't touch you because you've done some horrific thing and and God loves you and you're his child. And as you accepted to be his child in there is nothing that can separate you from his love.

So, just receive that today. Come back to him. His mercies are new every day.

So what covered your mistakes from yesterday?

There's a new Mercy to cover your mistakes from today.

So don't run from him. Run to him.

And just walk with him everyday.

Largest walk with your people. Where Your Children? Let us just get a grasp event today and a new. And I Opening way. We have your grace, we have faith, we have hope. Because we have a god. He loves us. And he's not going to stand and allow anything that would destroy us to continue to operate in this world, there is a day where you're going to restore it all.

But until then you're with us and you give us strength and you walk each day out side by side.

So we thank you.

And what I pray as well as we go as we understand your love and we've received it.

Let us not be like the the servant in the in the story of the talents.

That received a talent and then hit it and tried to hold it for himself.

Blood, let us take your love.

And let us share it with others.

Show us where we help us to open our eyes and see the person, the tithing in the corner.

And let us be your hands and feet. Let us be your love to those that are around us.

And we don't share our own love. We share the love that you have given us that's inside of us. In Jesus name.

Amen. Amen. Two guys that are orange.

Is to be the love. That he is, right? And I'm going to invite. He's going to lead us in the Declaration again. I just want to thank each of you for joining us today.

Let the trade information, we'd like pets with you and stay.