Are You Bold Enough
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John 13:34-35
John 13:34-35
He was a bold man that first ate an oyster. - Jonathan Swift
Same could be said for the first person to:
Test a bungee cord jump
Jump out of a plane
I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led, and bearding every authority which stood in their way. - Thomas Jefferson
His voice leads us not into timid discipleship but into bold witness. - Charles Stanley
The Boldest Statement I have ever heard is:
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Shared this verse in a meeting after I read it one day. Shannon’s reaction of He’s crazy
Who is ready to be so bold as to make this claim?
The first time this verse really hit me
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Paul directs the Ephesians here to not imitate him, but for them to imitate God.
How do we imitate God? How can we live up to that directive.
Paul said to Walk in sacrificial love.
The challenge of walking in Love - Across the street from the mission.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
This verse moved my heart to an understanding of how we can love people that on the outside may seem unlovable. The people across the street from the mission are under spiritual influence, just like you and me when we don’t walk ing the Spirit.
John further instructed me
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
John gives us two directives.
Keep His commandments/word and walk like Jesus walked. Imitate Jesus
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
38 This is the great and first commandment.
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Love God and Love others.
The problem of the second is we don’t love ourselves well. - examples
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Jesus gave this new commandment on love twice before he went to the cross.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Jesus sets the example of how to love others.
Prior to this he washed his betrayers feet
Prior to this he fed the betrayer
During his ministry he feed the masses
During his ministry he cared for the sick
During His ministry He spoke the law with authority
he did not shy away from truth
Also dumbed it down [parables]
After this he died on the cross to offer forgiveness
In fulfilling this command to Love like Christ, We then imitate Christ through our Love
As Disciples we are to imitate Christ
Make no mistake, this is not done of our own ability.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit empowers us to Love Like Christ. To imitate His love
The Holy Spirit brings its fruit
When we love like Christ, We become witnesses to what God can do in a wretched wreck on man.
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
Loving like Christ will lead to people coming to you, Asking:
Why are you so kind?
Why do you Love me?
Why do you always seem Happy?
Why do you do what you do?
The door then opens, to show them true love and share your testimony of what God did for you and what God can do for them
What has to change in your life for you to fulfill the commandment of Jesus to Love others as He loved you.
What has to change in your life for you to be as Bold as Paul and declare to you wife, kids, coworkers, neighbors to Imitate me as I imitate Christ.
I remember telling a classroom of people, and have told more since including you today, to call me out if they ever see me living a life that does not reflect Christ. I need to be accountable to that standard.
Men, I challenge you to boldly join Paul and me in the statement
Imitate me as I imitate Christ
This is a 24/7 commitment.
Men, I challenge you to Love others as Christ loved you
