5-6-2018 - Love Overcomes the World

Sermon

Thesis: Jesus overcame the world with love, and He invites us to do the same.

For kids: “An eye for an eye (leaves everyone blind).” or “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Me

Everybody wants to go to the party, but nobody wants to do the work to make it happen.

Jesus talks about 2 types of people

Parable of the 2 sons

Not the Prodigal Son Story

2 Sons told to go and work for their father on the farm

The first says he will, but he does not do it

The second says he will not, but he ends up doing it anyway

This week, working on the crusade - finding out who is really in and who was just all talk.

Fundraising banquet coming up (show poster)

We

Learning about the evangelistic sales pitch

What has been missing here in the last 6 years

Because I am unashamedly, created and wired by God to be a teacher more than a bible-thumping evangelist

We want to hear the bad news, and hear it twice so it really sinks in... maybe 3 times.

Then we want to hear all the benefits we can get from giving our hearts to Jesus

Then we want to hear how easy it is... that there is only one small step we need to take up to the alter to receive this wonderful privilege

That's what get us really excited and fills the altar rail

And then the evangelist gets up and leaves, and never comes back.

That kind of evangelist is not being a pastor and not making disciples

We forget that the original Evangelists were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

They traveled yes, but they raised up disciples after them

Their lives did not end like Billy Graham, most of them were killed for their faith, because they stayed and did not run away.

"Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die..." from the jazz and blues composer Tom Delaney.

We make lots of promises at the altar that we don't keep

How do we live for Christ in a way that really changes us in a way that sticks.

God

Scripture:

1 John 5:1-6

1 John 5:1–5 (NIV): Faith in the Incarnate Son of God

5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Who is the Christ?

More than Messiah by the time John wrote this

Son of God

Sent by God

Laid down His life for the world

The Old Messiah was a political leader who came to HELP lead the people to a better place.

The New concept of Christ was one who was not a political leader or even a religious leader... it was God Himself come to make things right.

The One you would leave everything and everyone for.

Loving = Obeying

What is God's love for us?

1 John 3:16

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

What is our love for God?

1 John 4:4a

In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.

What are His commands?

Love God

Love others

His commands are not burdensome

We get that most of the time

But sometimes this seems too easy

How could love make that much of a difference?

How can love overcome the world?

Overcoming the World

Our misperception is that we think we know love... we think have pretty much mastered it.

Love may be easy enough for a child to begin

But it is deep enough that we will never reach the bottom of it.

Again

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Jesus overcame the world with love.

6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

Water and blood

Baptism and death - giving his life in love.

Jesus overcame the world with love.

And He invites you to do the same

You

It really is about love.

Who do you love?

Do you love them enough to tell them about Jesus?

Is God calling you to love them deeper by bringing Him more into that relationship?

Who is out there on the fringes of your life that God is calling you to bring in?

Loving Jesus means loving the people that He loves.

The hardest part is showing up and getting the first word or deed out.

We

In the end, helping God save souls is more about filling the witness jug than about filling the alter rail, because there are far too few people out there that will ever make it this far into the church

They don't think they dress right

They worry about swearing

They just finished their Sunday morning beer for breakfast

They have had bad run-ins with some of you during business hours

They are cooking your lunch right now and can't come on Sunday mornings

And a hundred other excuses that are real enough to keep them out of here... if we don't do the work of taking the love of Jesus to them, they will never receive it... and we will answer for it.

Communion

When you go out today, ask your waitress or cashier, or whomever you meet on your busy Sunday how you can pray for them today. There's a better than 50% chance that you will meet someone who has never been asked that question. Share the love of Jesus that you receive here and become one that overcomes the world with His love.