Made to Love More

Introduction: How Do I Love More?

FB: Life is better than it really is EXCEPT on the Local Community FB pages

Shaking your head right now? Why?

Offended?

They did something or are something wrong?

The Problem: We tend to want people to be like us, or magically become like us. They need to come to church, not make a scene, get their act together, or even worse act like they do, and then they are ok…

Kingdom characteristics

Galatians 5:13–15 ESV

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

A misuse of God's law kept people in check. Jesus freed people from that.

Goal of God’s calling is freedom

Not to do what we’re naturally good at (our true colors)

Prisoners have a hard time acclimating back into society, trying to not go back to what got them in prison.

Not to let loose

When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild, let loose, broken loose. Proverbs 29

TO Fulfill our purpose

Step into responsibility

No freedom, no responsibility.

Responsibility of freedom is to live God’s way

Empowered by God’s love to be like our Father

The answer for believers to not fall into our natural tendencies and to live free is to let the love of Christ work through us to love and serve.

Tell me what to do so I can meet expectations. Rules do that. Not going to get that with Jesus.

Love for one’s neighbor is nowhere defined but everywhere illustrated.

Show in actions 1 John 3:17-18

With Compassion Luke 10:33-35

and Hospitality

To strangers and the poor James 2:5; Heb 13:2

Regardless of status, nationality, or race Lev 19:33-34; Luke 14:12-14

Compassion

OT: Hesed.

Not emotional but moral attitude.

Commitment to the good of another whether or not that person is lovable, worthy, or responsive.

Accepting a moral obligation for another’s welfare with no desire for gratitude.

Abounding in hesed - God’s mercy and kindness moves into human relationships.

To do mercy and kindness loyally - continuously in practical ways.

Locating LCS Families last week

Communion

We use the word to talk about The Lord’s Supper

A meal celebrating that we “belong to the Lord together, participating together in his purpose as we anticipate his return.”

Here, we’re talking about the invitation to join.

Jesus entered into a relationship with each person he met – “Will you come with me? I love you. Can we walk together?”

Community

Love God, Others

What’s missing in the FB interactions I mentioned earlier is what’s missing and what every human being craves:

Affection, friendship, loyalty, attachment

Communion says, “I will walk with you.” Community says, “I will live with you.”

You are a stranger but I want to be your neighbor

In the parable of the good Samaritan, “neighbor” is shown to mean anyone near enough to help, and love involves whatever service the neighbor’s situation demands.

Jean Vanier – From Brokenness to Community We all know that a child, even on the day of his or her birth, knows whether he or she is loved. And if the child feels loved, the body is relaxed, the eyes are bright, there is a smile on the face; in some way the flesh becomes “transparent.” A child that is loved is beautiful. What happens when children feel they are not loved? There is tension, fear, loneliness and terrible anguish, which we can call “inner pain,” the opposite of “inner peace.” Children are too small and weak to be able to fend for themselves; they have no defense mechanisms. If a child feels unloved and unwanted, he or she will develop a broken self-image.

I have never heard any of the men or women whom we have welcomed into our community criticize their parents, even though many of them have suffered a great deal from rejection or abandonment in their families. Rather than blaming their parents, they blame themselves. “If I am not loved, it is because I am unlovable. I am no good. I am evil: Of course, it is not only people with mental disabilities who are wounded and suffering from this broken self-image. Many people in our world today are living deep inner pain and anguish because as children they were not valued, welcomed, loved.

We are surrounded by people who ask, “Will you be my friend? Am I important to you? Do I have any value?”

From Here

Love is, for Paul, “the law of Christ,” - God’s prescribed regulations for living.

designed to help us stop living and acting in our true colors but rather

Serve one another.

Free to serve. Quite the paradox.

How do we love God and others the way we're made to vs out of guilt, fear, obligation? 

Guilt, fear, obligation = minimum required.

Made to = no limits

Beyond duty.

Understanding the bible is nothing unless we respond with whole being.

Being a Christian is not words and thoughts - its actions.

Words will go in one ear and out the other. It takes more than talk to keep us on moving in the right direction.

Flows from the love of Christ that captivates us, controls us. Our love reflects the love poured into our hearts.

Jeremiah 29:4-7 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: ‘Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.’”

To love more is to use our freedom to show the world who God is, what he’s like and the nature of His Kingdom that is real and present.