Live Like That

A little test for you.

In the alphabet what comes after F, R, L, P without singing the son.

Music is a vital for memorization - A, B, C.

A vital tool for motivation - You will notice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H85xXeb5vjA&t=26s

We too are called to worship God through music because we want to remember truths of God and we want to be motivated to serve God and because it is a way to honor God.

Ephesians 5:19 CSB

19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord,

So we are looking at the messages in the music we love to sing

Today’s song is motivational. It’s loved by me and perhaps you will see how motivating it can be for you as well.

Live Like That was written by David Frey, Ben Glover and Ben McDonald. I have no idea what there intentions, motivations or why they chose the words they chose. I am not looking at the song as if it’s perfect. The song isn’t the Bible but it does call to mind truths from the Bible and doctrines, the way that we can live everyday with Bible truths.

And most of us here, with all we have gone through recently can easily identify with the beginning of the first verse of the song.

“Sometimes I think What will people say of me When I'm only just a memory When I'm home where my soul belongs.

We know what we are saying about those who come up in our memory right now. Those who have died and for many of us that is people just recently . We know what we are carrying with us in our memories and we know those from long ago. When we sing this song we are thinking of ourselves, when others are in the same shoes we are now, what is they will think about, what will they say I have to carry on doing that because Bill did that. Put your own name in their, when others will say your name, what will they think of. This song is a longing for our own legacy.

For my mother, her overwhelming generosity and how she lived out the Bible in her own life. When I think of her I think of how she understood and lived out what these verses meant.

James 2:15–17 NLT

15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

My mom saw needs but filled them with responsible love of God. Sometimes it was generously giving stuff and sometimes it was lovingly confronting others. Faith without deeds is worthless. I saw faith lived out often in my mother and take that legacy with me but I learned even more about the legacy of my grandmother at my mother’s celebration of life.

My grandmother who passed when I was six comes up when I think of raisin-oatmeal cookies. She made them for me because when I was a kid and they were trying to figure out what I was allergic to raisin oatmeal was on my allergy free safe list. They were my cookies. But at my mother’s funeral, I learned from my mom’s cousin, my second cousin, that it was my grandmother who was an essential part of his salvation. She took him and my aunt in. She showed him Christ like love. I can remember attending church with her but the legacy of her testimony is now in the lives of others.

What about you? That is what we sing out, Live like that, what about you? what about me? what will people think of?

In the Bible, one of the apostles Paul writes a letter to bunch of Christians, and he says early,

1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 NLT

2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

An apostle, a person taught by Jesus himself, after hanging out with the people of Thessalonica, and then leaving them, remembering about them, his memories of them alive was of their faithful work, their loving deeds, and their hope because of Jesus.

The song asks, what will people say of me, you will likely know it by how you live now,

We sing descriptions of a life like those people of Thessalonica could live in our day:

Was I love When no one else would show up Was I Jesus to the least of us Was my worship more than just a song

Was my worship more than just a song, reminds me of when adults asked kids why they would listen to some music that said something crazy wrong and the kid responds it’s just a song, just music, doesn’t mean anything, I like the beat. I like how it makes me feel. In other words, the music doesn’t mean anything. It’s not important, just a moment.

Worship music isn’t supposed to be like that. It’s what you were created for.

Your not created to come in and listen to Phil and Lori sing. Your not even created just to sing songs about God but to worship God.

Psalm 117:1–2 CSB

1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Glorify him, all peoples! 2 For his faithful love to us is great; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah!

Remember that Hallelujah means, Shout God or Praise God!

We sing because these songs have meaning but also because we desire to praise a God whose love we have lived out as we trusted God in this life.

A God who motivated us to show up when no one else would show up. A God who loved us when we knew we were the least of these. A God who pulled our lives together, then allows us to continue to follow Him in his work by being love in others lives.

Jesus told us that his followers would be the people who showed up when no one else did.

Matthew 25:34–40 NLT

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

When Jesus described his genuine followers this is the life of a person who shows the love of Christ. This is the person who loves others, but loving others without first loving God will allow you to be tossed around trying to please everyone.

It is more than being nice, more than giving food or clothes, it is entering into a Jesus love relationship with people. Being willing to say no when it hurts peoples feelings or makes them mad because it isn’t what God desires.

Instead it is the direct instruction that Peter gives to our lives to how we are to exist in a world of generous living so this is what people will remember of us,

1 Peter 2:11–15 CSB

11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits. 13 Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority 14 or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. 15 For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.

Mic-drop, hush, silence them because we are doing good. Because we do what God desires us to do. Because we do the right, Not because we are silent but because when people need to know what right is than we are the ones doing it. No matter the cost.

I’m so excited right now by the right living I see now in our church. It’s like a pot getting ready to boil. I see bubbles of Jesus love. The boiling of a pot begins with just a little bit of bubbles everywhere. What do these bubbles of Jesus love look like? They look like the conversations I hear asking each other how they are they doing with a sin issue in their life. How God answered their prayers this week. Loving encouraging others to follow God in their lives. Asking what more can I do to serve God through New Day?

I’m reading a book right now that asks can we answer

who did you show Jesus to?

I saw Jesus this weekend.

I saw the fact that this Christmas we put together a light display with more volunteers than ever, we shared Jesus with others for many nights, and then we put it up faster and with more volunteers than ever.

I see the bubbles showing when we work together with other churches. I see it when I hear people studying the whole Bible, more than ever. I see it when I hear people recognizing problems in others and asking how do I show the love of Jesus to them, not how do I criticize or get it to go away but how do I show love.

Let us silence the evil by doing good and not be silent ourselves.

We shall have to repent in this generation, not so much for the evil deeds of the wicked people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.

Martin Luther King Jr.

This song is about aspiring to our legacy. The song points to where we should be.

I want to live like that And give it all I have So that everything I say and do Points to You If love is who I am Then this is where I'll stand Recklessly abandoned Never holding back

I have heard a story of a man who wanted to get incredible training for his body. He wasn’t fit but he wanted to think and be as strong as person in special forces. So he asked a retired special forces serviceman to train him.

The serviceman asked for him to fully commit to him. Then he asked the man who wanted the training if he could do a pull-up. A pull-up is really hard. He didn’t know if he could do one but he was being asked by a man he recruited to bring him into great shape. So he agreed to do one.

The guy got on the bar and began to lift his body. He couldn’t do it. He struggled swinging his body the serviceman had to help him by showing him the proper way. Still he struggled. Finally with all his might, He pulled and pulled, getting his chin above that line. Thrilled, he looked at the service man who said, good, give me 20 more. The serviceman told him, you didn’t think you could do one. Of course, you don’t think you can do 20 but we are going to stay until you do because this is the mindset it takes to get in the best shape, it’s to overcome the limits of your mind.

My friends we face the same problems with our walk in following Jesus.

Would anything in your own life need to change to give Jesus all you have?

That is what we sing out loud as we sing this song, that we will hold nothing back from God, we will go to Jesus and hand him our wallet, our calendar, our goals, our families, our weaknesses, even and just say whatever you want to do with me.

Doug Sala spoke here and asked us if we would live room in our lives to love as Jesus loves. He called it living with margins. To have enough time to call or text someone we barely know to encourage them. To spend some time in our month helping others. To spend time in our days growing in the Lord. To spend money on giving.

Would anything in your own life need to change to follow what you sang?

You aren’t singing this to me, I would mess up your life because I am not God. You aren’t saying this to the person who you think is really close to God. You aren’t going to do what a person asks of you. You are saying yes to Jesus. Recklessly saying you will follow Jesus with full faith. This is how the Bible says this kind of commitment.

Hebrews 12:1–2 NLT

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

One important lesson I teach my 1st to 3rd grade autistic students is how to walk in a line. I do this by using a line on the ground that is painted as a guide. But I also turn and face them. I walk backwards. If they look at me and listen to me they will be able to walk on that line with no problem. It’s a key lesson because in the next grade we are expecting them to walk with the class on their own. See freedom is granted if they can be trusted to stay with the class. Otherwise an adult has to hold their hand, arm or part of the body to make them go where they don’t want to go. If my students will just look and listen to me, they will have the greatest freedom.

If we keep our eyes on Jesus than our legacy will be Jesus. If we can live out the words of this song, recklessly abandoning anything but Jesus, there will be freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17 CSB

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Do you believe that? The song says what the proof will be

Am I proof That You are who you say You are That grace can really change our heart Do I live like Your love is true People pass And even if they don't know my name Is there evidence that I've been changed When they see me, do they see You

This is how we are supposed to live. That when someone new to the Lord is trying to figure out what it means to be a follower of Jesus they can copy us as they learn the Bible and how to follow Jesus for themselves.

Remember those people in Thessalonica from the beginning of the sermon? That is what they did.

1 Thessalonians 1:4–6 MSG

4 It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. 5 When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions. You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, 6 and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.

This is how God made us to learn. The child learns by watching the parent. People learn how to follow Jesus by watching you. Pray as you pray. Talk as you talk. Treat others as you treat others.

Yes many of us may know this and have regret. I also tell you that it is never to late for the repentance to Jesus for a consistency in our lives . Jesus can make this more than just a song. God can make our lives like that! We can still make a huge difference or cementing our legacy.

In truth, most people do not change. Pastor Jason from gravity shared his testimony that he started to give up on church because church seemed to be where people that were doing pretty well just did the same thing for a long time. Instead he went to the least and began to see that lives are incredibly changed, radically fundamentally changed by Living like that and seeing Jesus change us!

This is the truth of Jesus, that when we surrender our legacy to keep our eyes on Him, when we live like that, the way people will speak on us is secure.

I want to show the world the love You gave for me I'm longing for the world to know the glory of the King I want to live like that And give it all I have So that everything I say and do Points to You

Consider, is this who you are? Is this your commitment. Jesus tells us to consider the cost, let us pray and than if this is your commitment, join Phil in singing because it is more than just a song, it is a vow.

A vow is a promise to God. Like a marriage vow. Do not break it. Hold it. Keep it. And it comes with a promise, that there will be proof of Jesus in your life in the memories of others, that they see will God working in this world when they see you.