Love is With Us
Notes
Transcript
Welcome
Welcome
Happy Sunday. Welcome to Celebration. We are so glad that you are here with us today. Whether you are a first time guest or you’ve been a part of the family for some time now, I pray that you and your family and community are doing well. Please let us know that you are here with us by engaging with us on social media. Share your posts with us and if this time together in anyway encourages you, please consider sharing it with your family and friends. I believe there is no such thing as coincidence, you are here for a reason. Let’s lean in and grab a hold of everything that God has for us today.
Series Recap
Series Recap
We are in our series Immanuel: God with Us. It is based on
14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.
Some of the things we established is that the arrival of Christ was and is a necessity. People held on to the idea of the Messiah. He gave them hope and permission to dream. He does the same thing for us today. Jesus gives us hope and permission to dream for the future. Remember this, because God is with us, who He is is with us. What He does is with us.
Jesus is not an accessory, He is a necessity.
Be encouraged, that when God is with us, salvation is with us. Peace is with us. Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the presence of Jesus. Let’s continue to talk. Join me...
Scripture
Scripture
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught.
31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
32 So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place,
33 but many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.
34 When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.
35 When it grew late, his disciples approached him and said, “This place is deserted, and it is already late.
36 Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat.”
37 “You give them something to eat,” he responded. They said to him, “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”
38 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” When they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”
39 Then he instructed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.
40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.
41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves. He kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.
42 Everyone ate and was satisfied.
43 They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish.
44 Now those who had eaten the loaves were five thousand men.
Prayer
Prayer
Jesus was moved with compassion. Jesus was moved to action. Jesus was moved by love. Today, I want to continue in our series by talking about another aspect of the presence of God, I’ve entitle todays message, Love is With Us.
Lord, we are thankful for these moments where we can gather in your name. I pray over the next few moments that you speak to us. We invite your Spirit to inspire us, challenge us, encourage us. I decrease and surrender every aspect of this message to you. Give us open eyes, ears and hearts. In the name of Jesus, Amen!
What is Love?
What is Love?
One of my favorite things to do is walking with people on their marriage journey. I mean everything ranging from premarital, weddings, marriage small groups…Maegan and I enjoy it so much because I really enjoy getting a front row seat to peoples love story. It is so captivating to see and hear how small encounters, compound to life altering decisions. We spent time with a couple that met at the church. She asked who he was, he found out she was checking for him and he walked up to her and was like “I heard you were asking about me”. That was it, couple years later, they are standing across from one another saying “I do”.
I remember the first time I laid eyes on Maegan. We were in 9th grade typing class together. She sat across from me. I was fly but I remember seeing this young lady full of energy and I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes off of her since. Each conversation. Each interaction was leading us on a journey 25 years in the making. I still remember the moment when I knew she was the one. When I knew I loved her. She asked me to get her something to eat in the middle of the night and I did it. I was like, I must really love this girl.
Love will compel you to do some amazing things. Love will convince you to stand in line for hours to get the newest iPhone for your spouse. Working online for hours to try to get that special gift for your children…what makes us do it? Love does.
Love is a lot of things.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant,
5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs.
6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.
7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.
Love is a choice. Love is a lot of things, but love is NOT stationary. Love requires action. Love inspires movement. Love is active. After all, what is love if it isn’t demonstrated?
Biblical Love
Biblical Love
While there are several words, terms and concepts of love in the Bible the clearest definition is a deep affect that compels one to act for the benefit of others. Biblical love is loyal, covenantal. Sacrificial. Compassionate. This is at the core of who God is.
God is love…refer to 1 Cor 13:4-8
8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
God’s love pursues us
8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God’s love is sacrificial
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
God’s love is redemptive
7 “The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.
8 But because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors, he brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
God’s love is everlasting
3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.
God’s love is active and with us. There are moments, where we feel alone, loveless, abandoned. Take heart, God is with you. His love pursues, redeems, and isn’t circumstantial. God is for you. He is with you. God loves you.
Background
Background
This text powerful demonstrates the heart of God. It is a busy season for Jesus. He is wrapping up His 2nd year of ministry and His popularity is surging. It’s around Passover and His cousin John the Baptist has been killed and His disciples just returned from the mission field filled with excitement. Jesus tells His team, lets go on a retreat. There has been a lot of output so let’s go to a desolate place…the wilderness. Scripture tells us that His followers were desperate for Him, that they pursued Jesus even in the wilderness. They were used to seeing Him in the community, in the villages, but they pursued Jesus in the wilderness. Their desire for Jesus was stronger then their desire for convenience; and sometimes obedience is inconvenient and uncomfortable: giving, serving, engaging community, the Word, etc…with this community we see people that had a desire for Jesus that was stronger than their desire for comfort.
They pursued Him in the wilderness. The wilderness has always been thought to be a barren place. However, miracles happen in the wilderness. Water from rocks, manna from heaven. God knows exactly how to bless you where you are. You may be in the wilderness but as long as you are pursuing Jesus, favor is pursuing you.
Observations/Points
Observations/Points
This passage is a beautiful image of the compassion of Christ. The love of Jesus. I want to encourage you through these two points.
Jesus Sees You
Jesus Sees You
The people were scattered, desperate, in need. Jesus saw them and was MOVED WITH COMPASSION. They are described as being sheep without a shepherd. That meant they lacked covering, provision, protection. care. Sometimes that is how we feel, invisible. You ever feel unseen? Does Jesus see your tears? Does He see the condition of your family? Does He see you?
Elisha came across two women who were in desperate situations. In both cases, God saw them and gave them what they needed. We all have “but God moments”.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry for help.
He sees you. He saw Zaccheus; He saw the prodigal son coming home. He saw His mother Mary. He sees you. His love compelled Him to act. Compassion is love in action.
Because of His love for you, He does not dismiss you or your needs
Single mom, business owner, student...
He sees you, He hears you, He’s near you.
Jesus Will Provide
Jesus Will Provide
Again, the disciples take inventory of the situation and tell Jesus, we only have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Even after everything they saw, they still could not see Jesus for who He is. The disciples knew what they had, but didn’t understand WHO they had. We can be so obsessed with being practical that we miss the miracle. When Jesus turned water into wine, He told the servants to pour it into the glass. All they knew was water was in the pots but somewhere along the line, it turned to wine. We don’t know when. All we know is when they obeyed, they saw the miracle.
Jesus provided people
Jesus provided resources
Jesus provided strategy
Closing
Closing
As I stood at the altar looking at my wife, I still remember the moment I said I do. More than 2 decades later…I still do! Love lead me to say and demonstrate “I do”. Love isn’t stationary.
It is a verb. However, here is the thing about love, it has to be received and reciprocated. Jesus had them sit down to put them in a position to receive what He had for them. They could have resisted, argued and missed it. Where has Jesus led you that requires you to sit and receive it. Once you receive it, you can reciprocate it. Overflow.
Love is defined as deep affect that compels one to act for the benefit of others.
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
38 This is the greatest and most important command.
39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
The love of God allows us to love Him and one another. It is God’s love in me, for Him…for you.
Call to Action
Call to Action
We all have a next step.
Love God
loyalty
obedience
generosity: Where your treasure is, your heart will be (Heart for the House)
Love one another generously
Treat at Starbucks
Look for opportunities to love others
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
deep affect that compels one to act for the benefit of others