UNLEASHED: LOVE WITHOUT END

INTRO

WHITNEY SANG ABOUT IT

NAT KING COLE SPELLED IT OUT

MEATLOAF SAID HE WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR IT (BUT NOT THAT)

THE BEATLES SAID YOU CAN’T BUY IT

TRANSITION: ALTHOUGH VAN HALEN SAID WE AIN’T TALKIN ABOUT IT, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT TODAY: LOVE.

UNLEASHED SERIES FOCUS

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:12-13 NIV

PAUL SAID WHAT WE SEE RIGHT NOW IS A POOR REFLECTION

IT SEEMS THAT HUMANITY HAS SEARCHED AND EXPRESSED AS FAR BACK AS WE CAN KNOW A DESIRE TO KNOW LOVE, RECEIVE LOVE, AND GIVE LOVE.

SLIDE: WE SEEK WHAT LOVE IS, BUT GOD HAS SHOWN WHO LOVE IS.

“There can be no explanation or definition of true love which does not start from God’s love”

WE ASKED GOD “WHAT IS LOVE” AND GOD DIDN’T SEND A DEFINITION, A BOOK, A FEELING, A VIBE, OR A PICTURE. GOD CAME HERE AND PUT ON FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US.

READ: 1 JOHN 4:7-12 NIV

BELOVED [VS 7]

THE WORD LOVE IS FOUND 46 TIMES IN 1 JOHN… 27 OF THOSE IS IN CHAPTER 4 ALONE.

1 CORINTHIANS 13 IS USUALLY CALLED THE LOVE CHAPTER, BUT THE WORD LOVE IS ONLY USED 9 TIMES IN MOST ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS.

IN REALITY, 1 JOHN 4 IS THE BETTER CANDIDATE BY FAR FOR SUCH A TITLE.

THE NATURE OF THIS REALITY IS SUMMED UP IN JOHN’S FIRST WORD IN THIS PASSAGE: BELOVED

YOU ARE LOVED BY GOD

GOD IS NOT JUST THE SOURCE OF LOVE, GOD IS LOVE.

WE HAVE SUFFERED MUCH BY MAKING THE MISTAKE OF BELIEVING THAT LOVE IS GOD.

BORN OF GOD

THE KINGDOM EXPECTATION IS TO LOVE OTHERS.

SLIDE: GOD GIVES US THE LOVE WE HAVE TO GIVE AWAY.

WE’RE NOT CALLED TO JUST KNOW WE ARE LOVED BY GOD, WE LEARN WHO GOD IS BY GIVING LOVE TO OTHERS.

WHO IS GOD?

GOD GAVE US THIS EXAMPLE

READ: EXODUS 34:5-6 NIV

WE ESSENTIALLY KNOW WHAT THE DIVINE NAME MEANS IN LITERAL TERMS, BUT HERE, GOD REVEALS WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE’S LIKE.

GOD HAS STEADFAST LOVE

THIS WORD IS USED 248 TIMES IN THE OT.

SLIDE: GOD IS ALWAYS THE ONE WHO IS COMMITTED.

HUMAN LOVE [VS 8]

LOVE LEFT IN OUR HANDS IS CONDITIONAL AND TEMPORARY

WHEN WE PUT GOD’S LOVE INTO THIS SAME EXPERIENCE, WE MISS WHO GOD REALLY IS AND WHAT HE’S REALLY LIKE.

WE HAVE ALL EXPERIENCED HUMAN LOVE. WHEN IT IS GIVEN CONDITIONALLY, WHEN IT’S WITHHELD, WHEN IT’S ALL WORDS AND NO ACTION.

TO CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN AND NOT SHOW LOVE IS TO BE A HYPOCRITE.

WITHOUT LOVE YOU’RE NOT A LITTLE CHRIST, YOU’RE FEARFUL AT BEST AND PRIDEFUL AT WORST.

GOD’S LOVE [VS 9]

THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS

THE LOVE OF GOD IS LIFE TO US.

THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS FOR US TO LOVE OTHERS: BECAUSE GOD HAS GIVEN US LIFE, WE ARE ABLE TO EXTEND THAT LIFE TO OTHERS.

ARE YOU A LIFE-GIVING PERSON OR A LIFE-TAKING PERSON?

GOD’S EXAMPLE IS SACRIFICIAL NOT SUPERFICIAL.

SLIDE: JESUS IS THE CLEAREST PICTURE OF THE LOVE OF GOD.

THE HARD PILL TO SWALLOW [VS 10]

WHO GOD IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE IS THE DEFINITION OF LOVE. WE DO NOT GET TO REDEFINE IT.

WHEN IT COMES TO BEING LOVED BY GOD, WE HAVE TO ALWAYS BEGIN WITH THIS TRUTH: NOT THAT WE LOVED GOD, BUT THAT HE LOVED US.

JESUS WASN’T PLAN B, HE WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE SENT BY THE FATHER TO ATONE FOR OUR SINS.

UNLEASHED LOVE [VS 11-12]

IT’S EASY TO SING SONGS LIKE MADE FOR MORE, IT’S HARD TO LIVE IT.

SLIDE: THE DEAD SEA

THE JORDAN RIVER STRETCHES FROM FAR NORTH IN ISRAEL. IT ACTUALLY ENTERS THE SEA OF GALILEE IN THE NORTH AND CONTINUES OUT OF THE SOUTH OF THE SEA OF GALILEE.

IT MAKES ITS WAY ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE DEAD SEA.

THAT RIVER BRINGS LIFE EVERYWHERE AS IT MAKES ITS WAY TO THE LOWEST PLACE ON EARTH.

THE DEAD SEA THOUGH GETS ITS NAME ON PURPOSE.

ALL OF THAT LIFE COMES IN, ALL OF THAT SEDIMENT COMES IN, BUT IT NEVER PASSES OUT FROM IT.

THE HIGH LEVELS OF MINERALS MAKES IT UNABLE TO SUSTAIN LIFE.

WHEN YOU EXPECT LOVE AND YOU NEVER GIVE IT, YOU STOP GIVING LIFE.

YOU BECOME LIKE THE DEAD SEA.

THE SPIRIT IS OUR HELP [VS 13]

LOVE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOT A SPIRITUAL GIFT FOR SOME, ITS A FRUIT THAT COMES FROM SOMEONE LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE LOVE TO GIVE? BECAUSE HE HAS GIVEN US THE HOLY SPIRIT.

INVITATION

READ: 1 JOHN 4:16-19 NIV

SLIDE: THE LOVE OF CHRIST CASTS OUT FEAR .

THERE ARE RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR LIFE THAT HAVE SUFFERED OR ARE SUFFERING BECAUSE OF A DEFICIENT LOVE THAT IS NOT FROM GOD.

BEFORE YOUR HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS WILL EVER GROW OR BECOME LIFE-GIVING, YOU MUST SURRENDER YOUR EFFORTS TO THE GIVER OF LIFE, JESUS.

YOU CANNOT GIVE WHAT YOU DO NOT POSESS.

JOHN TELLS US IN VS 16 WE MUST KNOW AND RELY ON THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US AS OUR FOUNDATION.

YOU MUST FIRST RECEIVE THE NEWS THAT BECAUSE WE DO NOT LOVE GOD AND OTHERS PERFECTLY, WE SIN AND SIN IS COMMITTED AGAINST US.

BUT BECAUSE GOD IS LOVE, HE CAME TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS, AND HIS LOVE IS ABLE TO MAKE US WHOLE WHEN WE DIE TO OURSELVES AND OUR ATTEMPTS TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD.

IF YOU WANT PERFECT LOVE, ETERNAL LOVE, YOU NEED TO DIE TO THE TEMPORARY LOVE THAT WE SO EASILY REACH FOR.

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THIS PERFECT LOVE FROM GOD, THE INVITATION IS TO GIVE AWAY WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU LIKE YOU CANNOT RUN OUT OF IT.

THE INVITATION IS TO BE SACRIFICIAL.

IF YOU HAVE A HARD TIME LOVING YOUR SPOUSE, WAIT TIL YOU READ THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT WHERE JESUS TELLS US TO LOVE OUR ENEMIES!

SLIDE: IF YOU WANT GOD TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE, CHANGE YOUR LOVE.

PRAY