Empowering Love

Introduction (5m)

The Earworm

Disney - It’s a Small World / Walk the Moon - Shut Up and Dance / Mary Poppins - A Spoonful of Sugar / The Doggies - Who Let the Dogs Out? / Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire / PSY - Gangam Style

Earworm in today’s Bible Reading?

The Earworm of the Bible: Love

God loves us / Our purpose: to love God and to love others with his love:

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 NLT

Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

Controlled by love - no longer live for ourselves - live for Christ.

The centre of Bible - we must love others as God has loved us.

Explanation (5m)

What does “Christ’s Love Controls Us” Mean?

Matthew 22:37 NLT

Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’

Matthew 22:39 NLT

A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

= Our mission stamped onto every page of the NT:

1 Corinthians 16:14 NLT

And do everything with love.

If you can’t do something in love, don’t do it at all

Sole focus of our lives = to be like Jesus. To love like him. Jesus = God = agape love. Imitating J = to live in this love. To be aware Christ loved us/gave himself for us > Show this other oriented, self-sacrificial, choice based love to other people.

No off button

As an imitator of God, you cannot make a decision not to love someone. If you are breathing, then now is the time to love. If you are alive, now is the time to love.

Our contract with God is dead

How do I get more love? What do I need to do? Books? Prayers? Bible study? = Asking the wrong question. We don’t need to get this love, because we already have it. God already loves us with this love.

“How do I get more love?” = contract worldview, answer: you can’t. The contract view is premised on a lie.

The answer is that the love we need we already have

God is eternally giving himself away. God is love. He is always giving that love away. God is perfect and un-improvable love. God cannot be contained. God is eternally expressing himself. God creates in order to express who he is. God cannot contain himself and who he is. And he invites us into his love.

God is our source for being fully alive

Significance, security comes from God. Created in order for God to love you should overflow from you to other people.

You are not the source of your love for others, God is

God is sun (source), you moon (reflect source).

As we accept the perfect love God gives us, we begin to look like that perfect love

We become one and begin to mirror that love. We love without evaluation, judgement, opinions, assessment, without trying to get anything back. That’s Christlike love. Suddenly, that love is not about the other person. That love is not about who you are. But that love is about who God is.

Contract way of living has been killed/disempowered

2 Corinthians 5:14 NLT

Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.

When Christ died on Calvary, everyone was affected. God’s love engulfs everyone. No one can choose whether Jesus died for them or not. You cannot choose if God is going to love you or not. He does. It’s a done deal. You cannot do anything to change that. He has claimed you as his own.

Application (5m)

Remember God is love, remember that everyone needs his love and then share that love with everyone

If we can accept God’s gift of his love in this way, then we can begin to love in the way that God loves. We can shine to the world around us.

Mission should be sustained by compassion. In 2 Corinthians 5:14 Paul says, "Christ's love compels us..." But does it? Does the compulsion of compassion drive us to go the extra mile or indeed the extra many miles in order to bring a lost sheep into the fold? When I was young I used to hear some of the old spiritual warriors talk about a 'passion for souls'. I haven't heard that phrase for a long time. It seems to have gone out of vogue. But a passion for souls and a burning love for people is one of the greatest needs of the Church today. (Commissioner Wesley Harris)

How scandalously different

is a world in which we are told to love our enemies? Love our neighbour? What would happen in our lives if love were truly the compelling factor in our motivation and behaviour? What if our desire to love those who do not know Jesus’ saving grace became our all-consuming passion? He died so that it would be!

Prayer

God of eternity, please be with us as we seek to allow love to be our primary compelling motivation in life. We want to show Jesus our love and appreciation for all that he has done to save us. We want to live for Jesus so others know he is Lord of our lives. We want our words and our lives to show his love to others so they can truly experience it and come to know him. Please bless us as we pursue this goal. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Next Steps

SB 626 - The Saviour of men came to seek and to save

The Saviour of men came to seek and to save The souls who were lost to the good; His Spirit was moved for the world which he loved With the boundless compassion of God. And still there are fields where the labourers are few, And still there are souls without bread, And still eyes that weep where the darkness is deep, And still straying sheep to be led. Except I am moved with compassion, How dwelleth thy Spirit in me? In word and in deed Burning love is my need; I know I can find this in thee. 2 O is not the Christ ?midst the crowd of today Whose questioning cries do not cease? And will he not show to the hearts that would know The things that belong to their peace? But how shall they hear if the preacher forbear Or lack in compassionate zeal? Or how shall hearts move with the Master?s own love, Without his anointing and seal? 3 It is not with might to establish the right, Nor yet with the wise to give rest; The mind cannot show what the heart longs to know Nor comfort a people distressed. O Saviour of men, touch my spirit again, And grant that thy servant may be Intense every day, as I labour and pray, Both instant and constant for thee. Albert Orsborn (1886-1967) © The General of The Salvation Army. Used By Permission. CCL Licence No. 30158 Copied from The Song Book of The Salvation Army Song Number 626