Truth (2)

Do You Love Me.

John 8:31–32 NLT

31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Ephesians 4:14–16 NLT

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

John 21:15–17 NKJV

15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

Jesus is telling peter here that his love for Him would and should flow into a love for the people of God that peter was called to minister to .

Mark 12:30–31 NLT

30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

and when we read these verses are give the 2 greatest commandments. Love God and Love people.

that is what we are called to do.

But as i look at these verses I see at the end a phrase that the devil has used to de a foot into the church and has brought this idea of self love into the church that we do not see in scripture.

Here is just one thing I found on the internet that basically say that this verse is dependent on you learning to love yourself.

Jesus makes it very clear in the Bible that it’s essential to love God and love others. This Bible verse about self love even says that these are the two greatest commandments. In order to love others, God calls us to to love ourselves. Fully accepting ourselves and practicing self-love is one way to show that we love God.

and from this one phrase this idea of self love has made its way into the church and has created a group of people who are following their feeling and their desires basically serving self rather than God.

If loving yourself or self love is an essential part of following God then why did Paul write these words to Timothy

2 Timothy 3:1–5 NKJV

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Paul tells Timothy that loving self is at the top of a list of all different forms of ungodliness.

But the truth is this is what the bible tells us to do when it comes to self.

Matthew 16:24 NKJV

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Mark 8:34 NKJV

34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Luke 9:23 NKJV

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Philippians 2:4 NLT

4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Ephesians 5:2 NKJV

2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

1 John 3:16 NLT

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Luke 14:33 NKJV

33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Matthew 19:29 NKJV

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

Philippians 3:7–8 NKJV

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Titus 2:11–12 NIV

11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

1 Corinthians 9:27 NKJV

27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Galatians 2:20 NLT

20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

You see the truth about this idea of having to love yourself so that you can walk in the love of God is not portrayed in the bible.

what I believe is that satan has used this idea of self love in the church to get people to focus on themselves and become people who follow christ and only consume.

Now I do believe that there is something to be said about having health thoughts and beliefs about who God says we are in Christ and who he created us to be. and we will get there in a bit.

But this idea of self love is not there.

What did God ask Peter Do you love Me.

3 times do you love me.

Read Tony Evens Commentary John 21: 15-17

You see the truth is when we love God and follow the way that he calls us to live then we can love people the way he has called us to love them.

It has nothing to do with loving your self because when we do that we are so easily insnared in pride.

And proverbs says this about Pride

Proverbs 16:18 NKJV

18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

pride is what caused Satan to fall

Isaiah 14:12–15 NKJV

12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.

Elevating self will never take us to a place where God is able to do with us all that he had planned for us from the beginning.

Now having said all that I do believe that there is something to this idea of being loved, but it is not self love.

and it has to do with what we talked about last week.

2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

I can understand what people are saying when the say how can you love others if you don’t love yourself.

but I don’t believe that is has to do with self love it has everything to do with seeing yourself the way Christ sees you and created you to be.

And it all comes back to this verse. you and I taking those thoughts and lies of the devil and making them obedient to the truth of Gods word.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NKJV

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Psalm 139:14 NKJV

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT

16 For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

1 Peter 1:3–4 NKJV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

But if you don’t know what this book says about you.

Then you will not be able to take the lies of the devil and make them obedient to the truth of Gods word.

Read Tony Evans Commentary 2 cor. 10:1-5

And the truth that I want you to be sure about today is loving others is not about loving yourself more, but it is learn to see yourself the way that God sees you and loving him more and more everyday so you can walk in love with those around you.