THE LOVE OF CHRIST

Living for God is not only our sacred privilege as Christians, but it is the most fulfilling, rewarding life possible. In the heart of every Christian, God has placed sacred motives-compelling reasons to live for Him and serve Him.

Sometimes in the midst of our service we lose sight of why we do what we do. We slip into a pattern of empty routines or misguided ambitions. Through this series of sermons you will be challenged to take a thorough spiritual inventory- to allow the Holy Spirit of God to explore the deepest motives of your soul and to reignite your passion for what pleases Him.

What drives you? What causes you to wake up every day and live the Christian life?

Are your motives pleasing to Christ, and are you driven by what drives Him?

Motives do matter-they are the foundations of our lives with God, our hearts are for Him, and our service unto Him.

Wrong motives produce an empty life and a ministry that is not sustainable. Pure motives sustain our passion for God and thus sustain our work for Him-even during the dry, discouraging or seemingly fruitless seasons of our lives.

Living the Christian life with less than pure and Biblical motives will produce fruitless, empty, and ultimately shipwrecked lives. Some examples of impure motives:

Guilt/Shame

Opportunity

Money

Duty

Affirmation

These motivators hinge on human resources (either our own or someone else’s) and fail to draw in the unlimited passion that God desires to give to His servants.

We need Biblical, Christ centered, and Holy motivations!!! The kind that flow from the heart of God and the pages of the Word of God!!!

The motives that we have studied so far:

The Glory of God

A lost World

My Acceptance in Christ

The Word of God

This Week- The Love of Christ

Christ is worthy of our all-our purest love from our deepest devotion!!

Series Text:

Ephesians 6:6 KJV 1900

6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

SACRED MOTIVE #5- The Love of Christ-

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 KJV 1900

14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

An American Dictionary of the English Language CONSTRAIN

1. To compel or force; to urge with irresistible power, or with a power sufficient to produce the effect.

Introduction:

The Story of Alexander Solxhenitsyn- Russian writer who resisted the rise of Communism in the last half of the 20th century. He was unjustly imprisoned, and then shortly before his release, sentenced for life to the Gulag, the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. He wrote much about his suffering and treatment, he received the Noble Prize in literature in 1970.

During his time in prison he came to know Christ as his Saviour. At one point he became so weak and discouraged that he wished to die…after watching several men die from the beatings by the guards he decided he would give up and stop working. This would cause the guards to beat him and he would die.

Sensing his despair, another Christian friend in the same prison discreetly drew a cross in the dirt where he knew Alexander would see it. That cross changed everything. For Alexander, the image crudely carved into the dirt provided a fresh reminder of the Saviour who loved him!!!

In the most desperate circumstances imaginable, Alexander Solzhenistyn found new strength and fresh hope…remembering the love of Jesus changed everything!!!

Love is one of the purest and greatest motivators in all of life. When you love someone you are highly motivated to express that love.

We that believe the Bible teaches the Eternal Security of the believer understand that we do not serve Him out of fear, but we serve Him out of Love…love is a greater motivator than fear ever has been!!!

When you know someone loves you, you are highly motivated to honor that love.

I. The Loss of Motivation is often a Loss of Love

Note- when you find yourself lacking motivation, or struggling with wrong motivations, there is a good chance that you have lost perspective of the love of Christ- both His love for you and your love for Him.

A. Many were once serving that are no longer serving.

The Christian world is full of “Well, I used to….

Note- the church at Ephesus experienced this problem: in their busyness and labor for the Lord they became motivated and driven by lesser loves- things that took the place of their highest love for Christ.

Turn and Read- Revelation 2:1-5

B. Christ knows our hearts and sees our purposes.

A loveless Christian life is really no life at all!!!

Note- God knows when we begin to lose sight of what it is all about…Jesus’ love for us and our love for Him.

This love is to be the centerpiece of the Christian life.

This is the foundation of our relationship with Jesus Christ- He loves us and He desires our love in return.

C. A person Can cover wrong motives only for so long

Apart from the love of Christ, lesser motivations will leave our Christian walk and service both empty and pointless!!

Many “good” Christians…serving in their own strength will always “find” a reason to quit!!!

We will find ourselves aimlessly repeating religious routines and offering sentimental sacrifices that amount to nothing but noise…

Turn and read- 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

Let’s ask ourselves: how is my love for Jesus Christ?

II. A Lifetime of Motivation

Turn and Read- Hebrews 12:1-3

A. We have a choice: Religion or Relationship?

Note: in the process of maturing the saints of God, God calls us away from our religiosity and systematic worship and into an intimate, ongoing, growing relationship with Jesus

Note: these Hebrew Christians were having everything that they knew about worship and service dismantled by God…piece by piece…maybe He wants to do that in our lives as well?

God was replacing all of their systematic perspective with a relational perspective of a Saviour that is more wonderful and personal than they ever imagined!!

B. What are you looking at?

Root of Looking=

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 30.31 ἀποβλέπω; ἀφοράω

to keep thinking about, without having one’s attention distracted—‘to think about, to fix one’s attention on.’

Consider:

An American Dictionary of the English Language CONSIDER

1. To fix the mind on, with a view to a careful examination; to think on with care; to ponder; to study; to meditate on.

“Looking unto Jesus” and “Consider Him”

When you are tempted and weighed down; when your motivation for running the race grows weak or you have simply stopped running the race…Look to Jesus.

Remember the cross

Consider His love

His sacrifice

His grace

Remember the passionate love He expressed for you while suffering in that excruciating place of death that we call the crucifixion on the Cross.

Remember what He endured for you!!

Trace the bloody steps from the agonizing time in the garden of prayer to the beating and flogging by the Roman guards to the mock trial to the unimaginable laborious walk under the heavy weight of the cross and ultimately to the place of the Crucifixion.

Remember that the hands that fashioned the universe were willingly opened for the soldier to drive the nails through.

Remember the heart that wept for Jerusalem was lifted up and pierced through with a Roman spear.

Consider the brow that was torn by the “crown of thorns”

Consider the back and body that was lacerated by the “cat of nine tails”

Remember the face of the kindest, meekest, most loving man to ever live was distorted beyond recognition from the beating, the plucking of the beard…

Remember the perfect, eternal Son of God crying out… “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me!” as He who knew no sin literally became sin for us.

When we struggle for a reason to press on, a reason to do right, a reason to be faithful, a reason to give, a reason to be a witness- we only need to look at the cross!!

When we “consider Him” everything comes into focus.

The love of Christ calls us to a deep devotion that defies all desperation and melancholy.

C. The Cross or our Circumstances-it is our choice

Note- our spiritual attention spans are rather short. Our minds forget, our hearts are distracted, our motivations diminish so easily.

In the shadow of the cross the burdens of life seem to fade away and pale in comparison.

The cross provides us with Hope that can only come from a relationship with Jesus Christ and not the religion of the day.

“Looking unto Jesus: Consider Christ”

We understand that a loss of motivation is usually a loss of love...

We see the need to Look to Jesus and Consider Him in every circumstance and realize that by doing this we can have a lifetime of motivation.

III. Viewing Every Trial/Situation Through the Love of Christ

As we read the writings of the Apostle Paul is is clear he never got over the fact that the Son of God had personally died for his sin.

He was continually motivated and constrained by that love.

The love of Christ focused Paul on his call and kept him dependent upon Christ’s Strength.

He saw every trial through the lens of Christ’s love and was therefore able to remain faithful.

Turn and Read- 2 Corinthians 4:8-12

Imagine how every day of your life would be different if you had the perspective of the Apostle Paul-if every circumstance was received through the lens of the love of Christ…

How do we get and maintain that perspective?

A. Meditate on the love of Christ for you

Read the gospels paying attention to the love of God expressed through sending His Son to this world.

B. Verbally tell the Lord that you love Him

Some have a difficult time expressing our love through words. My dad and I have only within the last 10 years or so said “I love you” to one another.

It is important that you tell the Lord that you love Him...verbally!

C. Show love through the routine or unpleasant

True love is not just a sentiment, words or an emotion but it is action…the Christian that is consumed with the Love of Christ will see every opportunity as a way to express that love.

D. Love the unlovely in the name of Jesus

Once we trust Christ as Saviour and are filled with His love, we have the ability and responsibility to express that love to others.

Those who are constrained and motivated by the love of Christ do not limit their love to those who seem worthy or grateful; they seek out the unlovely and minister to them in Jesus’ name.

Conclusion:

Fickle motivations:

We all have good days and bad days. If our heart motives are in any way connected to favorable circumstances or friendly people, then we are in for certain disappointment!!

Fixed Motivations

Sacred motives are not fickle!!

Sacred motivations rest upon higher values and fixed promises.

There is no higher, more sacred, or more fixed value than the unconditional, unchanging, abundant love of Jesus Christ.

If you are facing a moment when you wonder how you can take another step-look to the cross.

When you lack strength and motivation to go forward for God- Consider Him.

When you feel alone, unloved, and unable- remember that He loves you, and you love Him- and that’s really all that you need!!!

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 “14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

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