It’s time to give what you have recieved
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Intro and Tension
Intro and Tension
Has anyone ever done anything for you - to make you feel…loved?
Mum - Eagles Grand final
Has anyone ever done something for you that made you feel…loved?
The love we recieve, often informs what we give.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Title: It’s time to give what you have recieved
*pray*
Sermon Series; Sefless Love
in the Warm up.
Where we going?
Dive into this word “love” a little deeper today. World vs Biblical.
How does Biblical love inform our behaviour?
Dive in - First thing - What is Biblical love? let’s look at what it is not.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
Desires of eyes | Our pride | This love, not from God = Worlds.
Week 1 = Turned Love into Like - Moved to emotion - This is how world loves;
Value of object > Fires off Emotion > Decision to Persue > Must recieve something.
Swifty Tickets Example
But Biblical love different.
Key Verse;
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Agape - Sacrificial
biblical love = The Decision to compassionately and Sacrificially meet the need of another.
This is what Jesus did when went to cross - Decision to MEET NEED of our DEATH with HIS LIFE.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Love works itself out
Word says = not just say = SHOW - Question…how?
You’ve gotta change the source and your motive.
Question: Do you know your loved?
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Can read - Yes, God loves world but me?
World = Love because object is valuable.
God’s love gives VALUE to that object.
Love that loves not becasue object is valuable, but seeks to give value to object.
Let me explain.
Your cuddly bear you loved it (Alexis’ cuddly bear) - Not perfect - Use to sing - now broke - not valuable, yet Alexis will scream if you take it- nearly lost it once.
This is exactly how God loves you - You aint nothing but rag doll.
Flawed, broken, wounded - side of the road, nothing hidden from God - Sees your scars, knows your secrets.
AND YET:
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
DEMONSTRATED - MADE DECISION - while we disobeyed God HE DISPLAYED LOVE by going to cross.
biblical love = The Decision to compassionately and Sacrificially meet the need of another.
Love that doesn’t look at how valuable the object is - but gives the object VALUE.
But we know - Love is not just an action God performed;
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
It’s WHO HE IS | GOD IS LOVE | This is why you have to recieve it - you have to know it | Feel it | Needs to drive your decisions.
1st thing we need to do - change source and Motive.
Cordial and Water - The water can not be cordial - without the cordial - it will always be water
More Cordial = Stronger
Closer to God | Stronger it gets | His Love starts to flow through - this is why we are told to ABIDE
This is what will begin to happen;
Recieved Love > Decision to meet the Need > Giving something (Sacrificially and compassionately) > Adds value to object.
Receiving isn’t the end goal - Recieving is the starting place.
heart break - beacuse you haven’t recieved what was expected.
Little choccy = Small group - Cause I love them.
We love, because we have recieved Love.
Source is God - Motive is God
What do we do? (not just hearers but doers)
Can get heavy for a second?
Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
Pointing to Body of Christ - This is how we are to love one another.
But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
If you have something + Close heart - Where is God? Why?
God wants you to get a piece of this Love.
be clear - does NOT mean give everything - Pray for someone - Write down issue + Pray.
John is warning here that we are not to be Passive in Body | Jesus love is to FLOW through you and lead to Action
Biblical Love works itself out.
By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
When you do this - operating within your purpose - Your purpose is to represent Jesus to world and look what happens
for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
This is riddle - When you love, like the Word defines it | Compassionately, Sacrificially - When you choose to meet the NEED of another - That guilt you feel, condemnation you feel, regrets - God will overrule that flesh.
God is saying - My love in you, will be greater then the flesh messing with you - If you ABIDE IN ME. Because if you abide in me - Loving others just happens.
Dirty water, clean water. (overflow
This powerful - More powerful when you know who God USED to write it.
Who did God use to write 1st John? John. Disciple - Brash, loud - rough - Nickname = Sons of Thunder.
Not sure why but get glimpse.
Luke 9 - Said last week - Jesus looking for place to stay - Sons of Thunder didnt say - let’s invite them to home group - no
And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
But then something happened.
John started spending time with Jesus (Cordial and Water) - John did NOTHING to deserve it - yet Jesus loved him - Don’t know when it happen - John’s identity Changed.
How we know?
3 times = John refers to himself as “The one Jesus loved”
No longer sons of Thunder - The One Jesus Loved.
Listen - Speak to broken hearted.
No matter how someone made you feel - Thought - Said - Did - YOU ARE THE ONE THAT JESUS LOVES
Laid His Life down for you! Murdered for you - Because He Loves you.
This is what happened to John;
Abided in Jesus - Jesus flowed through Him - Write 1st John after being with a community who displayed love of Jesus.
And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
John Experienced Jesus’ Love by being WITH HIM - He saw Jesus’ love by seeing Him on a cross - Love acting out - and He Experienced sacrificial love in a community of believers and the HOLY SPirit used Him to hopefully give us the revelation;
Love works itself out -
because God wants to work through you.
Not as a way to earn His love, but because you have FELT HIS LOVE.
you’ve heard it said to people “Man you give a lot” - I bet if you asked them why they would say “Man i’ve been given a lot”
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Because we have RECIEVED LOVE > DECISION to meet need > Must Give sacrificially > Adds value to the object.
When we love like that, in here - We won’t have to scream about revival anyore;
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The Lord will bring Revival to us.
He doesn’t love because the object is valuable.
His LOVE Gives value to that Object.
You can give VALUE to anyone in this Body by meeting their NEED because JESUS met yours.
Love works itself out and when it does - Revival takes place.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.