The Shall Know us by our Love
Notes
Transcript
What do I want them to know? We are to be known by our love
Why? It shows people Jesus
What do I want them to do? Love
Why? It shows people Jesus
We are in a series called Foundations and for several weeks until last week we were looking at the foundations of who is God? b
Covenant love with us
Sovereign
Providential
Omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscience
Then last week we started to discover and unpack “what does it mean to be a Christian?”
What does it mean to be a Christ follower?
Especially since we 2000 years from Christ, why people where called Christians “little Christ” is because people saw Jesus and said this group of people acts just like Jesus,
But we are 2000 years removed from Jesus walking in human flesh on the earth and there is much confusion as to what it means to be Christian
love - hater
generous - stingy (especially after church on Sunday)
prideful - humble
selfish - selfless
and the list goes on
So what does it mean to be a Christian?
What are the foundational characterists of a Christians
We are diving into the Word of God to find out
And last we talked about being a Christian is someone who is holy
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
We have been made holy by the blood of Jesus, He has cleansed us from all unrighteousness and made us Holy....that what scripture calls us 216 times in the Bible is Saint which the correct translation is “holy ones”
What God says to us to be holy as God is holy because that is who you are....you are the holy ones
Holy means....the set apart ones, who live righteously
We do not live the way the world does
And WHEN WE LIVE AS NOT ONLY DO WE LIVE IN THE KINGDOM OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT,,,,,IT IS OUR WITNESS TO THE WORLD
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
When the church has grown the most has been when not it tries to be friends and cool with the world
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
That was last week
This week we are going to see a second thing that is foundational to what it means to be Christian
What should people say when they see Christians?
It is rooted in the first and second greatest commandment
LOVE
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
People will know that we are Jesus’ disciples Christian by our love for one another
Some will look in the crowd, a group of people, and say yep they are a Christian by our love
BUT What does it mean to love (with some many definitions of love) and HOW important is LOVE in the grand scheme of our FAITH?
Can’t we just PREACH, TEACH, SERVE, SHARE....isn’t that enough....we all get good in our giftings and doings???
NO
That’s Paul’s point, God’s point…in 1 Cor 13....in 1 Cor 12 Paul beautifully lays out we are all called out ones with gifts, some of us have the gift to preach, others to serve, others to lead, others with wisdom, that we are one body, and
we are all gifted
not just one person
or a few people
Then Paul moves to 1 Cor 13 to say but what is more important than the quality of our gifting or our good doing, IS THAT WE LOVE
LOVE IS TO BE THE FOUNDATION TO ALL OF WHAT WE DO, PAUL WANTS TO SHOW US CLEARLY THIS IS WHAT HE MEANS WITH THREE EXAMPLES.
JUST IN CASE YOU MISS THE FIRST ONE, I AM GOING TO SAY IT TWO MORE TIMES....THREE IS THE NUMBER OF COMPLETION.
look at what Paul says
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
(speak that is so eloquent, amazing, moving, but I have not love)
that I do not have love attached to what I preach
I am a noisy gong and clanging cymbal, anyone been around a kid who discovers cymbals, “what do they do with them?” psh, psh, psh
Bad Christmas gift
How do respond?
Keep going, no
Why? it’ annoying, it drowns out communication, and hurts your
You are not going to annoying hear me and I will hurt you
Paul is saying even if we were the best preacher or teacher but have not not love, it is annoying and hurtful and worthless.
We know this…Imagine with me if you will, God uses me to preach an amazing sermon, you are so moved by God and then after the service you come to talk to me and I rudely say I have no time for you, I have other important things to do…how will you feel? I love when he talks to me that way??? NO you would be hurt and rightfully so and the work God had me do will result to nothingness.
One of the biggest reasons people walk away from the church is because they have been hurt but the preacher or elder
Who they were up here was different than who they were down hear. OR WHO THEY WERE ON SUNDAY WAS DIFFERENT FROM MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
We have bought into as Western church the COMPETENCEY is more important that GODLY CHARACTER and it is HURTING US.
One of the greatest tactics of the enemy is to have a person with little Godly rise to fame by their gifting to then watch them burn out and blow up because of a lack of godly character.
WE SEEN THIS OVER AND OVER EXPONENTIALLY OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS
PAUL It is not just the preachers, it is the prophets CHURCH OF CORINTH WAS KNOWN FOR THEIR PROPHETS
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If you prophesize over someone give them a word or have faith, huge faith it matters not....if someone was able to give WORD after WORD, but then was arrogant about it “I hear from God attitude” it does not matter....
Paul says it is not just gifting but also doing, if our doing does not have love
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Imagine if you gave everything away, emptied your bank account, sold your house, you had not one thing…but if you had not love, if you were not kind, rude, condesending (saying you’re a bum that’s why I need to help you) it matters not.
Aren’t you so happy I am helping you because you are such a bum and I can make $ and you cannot.....how you feel? Yes please tell me about Jesus!?!
No, you are thankful but you want not one thing to do with Christians
What God is saying to us here is what is more important that what you do is that you have LOVE with what you DO and if you do not have love with what you do (IT IS BETTER TO DO LESS WITH GREAT LOVE THAN TO DO GREAT THINGS WITH NO LOVE)
- it will at best result in not one good thing happening at worst instead it causes great DAMAGING to the NAME OF JESUS TO OTHERS....PEOPLE ARE SEEING CHRISTIANS WHO ARE NOT LOVING AND IT IS GIVING JESUS’ NAME A HORRIBLE REPRESENTATION....That’s what it means to take the LORD’s NAME IN VIEN
Taking his name in is not speaking “God ____” or “Jesus ___”
Taking his name in vein happens when we as Christ followers, those who have HIS name written upon us do not live like Jesus.
We are name bearers
What does it actually mean to love?
Love has some many definitions
We say we love ICE CREAM
We love WARM WEATHER
We love the BROWNS
I love you man
Are they all the same type of love? NO
Even person to person when we say we love someone that can mean all different things.
It can mean I will love you as love as you love me
I will love you as long as you give me things “strings attached love”
I will love you if you agree with me....if we agree politically, spiritually, or on social issues then I will love you but if you do not, you’re out! cancel culture
but this is not what love is, this is God’s point, He spells out what love is with 13 characteristics of love, we will cover 4 of them...
First thing Paul says out of the gate
Love is Patient
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
We love that Word, right? PEOPEL PRAY THIS, I PRAY THIS, and what happens? God puts us in opportunities to be more patient.
We love when FAST FOOD becomes slow food or a quick trip to the store becomes a long trip because of TRAFFIC and long lines
We love when someone is LATE
I love what the great word for patience is it literally means “long suffering”, love is long suffering
Is this not the truth when we wait in line or when we are walking with people??
WE WANT TO SAY OR DO SAY COME ON MOVE IT! or COME ONE GET IT!, I have this way with my kids at times, come on when are you going to understand??? (then the Lord says didn’t you take awhile to understand some things?
YES
And didn’t you need people to be patient with you??
YES
AND HAVEN’T I GOD, BEEN PATIENT WITH YOU? YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN EVERYTHING
ALL of us in here are a result of someone being patient with us, someone walking with us when we have been difficult to walk with.
I am sure glad I have and had people were patient with me…my friends, family members, church
THEY “SUFFERED LONG” WITH ME PUT THEIR NEEDS ON HOLD SO I CAN BECOME WHOLE
That’s love
PATIENCE IS SAYING YOUR NEEDS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MINE
This leads to the next set of love descriptions
LOVE is not about me....don’t say that, that is not the rule of our land today…we know everything is about me
No, it is not
Listen to what Paul says
Envy, boast, not arrogant, rude, doest not its own way
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
Love does not go around saying LOOK how awesome I am! Look what I have done, look at me....love is not spotlight pointed at me but a spotlight pointed at your and what is your needs and praising you....not negative spotlight but a praising spotlight…and praising God
We do not need to boast because we already have the most boastful thing....what’s that? God the creator of the universe LOVES ME
Also I want us to know that when boast in others, put the spotlight on them we will never in be short supply of FRIENDS…people like to be around people who value you them
LOVE DOES NOT INSIST ON ITS OWN WAY…this hard for our culture because our culture is about....we like our own way, we think we know best…do I really need to do this one, God???
Yes, one of the most loving things we can do for someone is say, “What do you want to do? and not go that is dumb or I will not do that or kick or scream or complain”
What we do is we lay down our life like Jesus does....as long as what they are asking to do is not sinful....we lay down our life.
That communicates to someone you love them and care about them
Love is not explosive or resentful
Irritable or resentful
Love is not a ticking time bomb waiting to explode or landmine.
A loving person you do not need to walk around like egg shells, or a landmine waiting for something to explode.
We have all been around people like this
Watch out, do not step over there, boom! you just got the wrath of that person all over you.
What does James 1:19 say?
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
Quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to get angry
And love has thick skin and a big heart.
We are not to be landmines with people, of you didn’t know.
It is also not resentful, it does not hold grudges from what you did or didn’t do.
it doesn’t pull out the list and say, haha!
look at offense you did on On October 10, 2012 you did _____
Instead LOVE FORGIVES
that’s hard
This might clear things up to help us to forgive
Two things
1. Forgiveness and trust are two different things
Forgiveness is free
Trust is earned
One of the wisest things might be to be seperation in your relationship with that person.
who you forgive does not mean you trust them
it would be unwise for us to TRUST someone who always hurts us, just keep hurting
2. We forgive knowing we have been forgiven much more than the offense we have done to someone else, we have caused major transgressions against God (where we deserve death) and yet He forgives us.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
God forgave us an unfathomable amount
How can we who have been forgiven much then in turn then hold resentment against another person?
Matt 18 talks about the unforgiving servant who had been forgiven of millions of dollars who then in turn takes someone to court over $10
Lastly,
Love is Patient, Not about Me, not EXPLOSIVE or RESENTFUL, LOVE REJOICES at TRUTH
LOVE, LOVES THE TRUTH
There is a disbelief in practice and thinking that were LOVE is present TRUTH is absent or minimized, that’s not true.
LOVE AND TRUTH, LOVE BEING TOGETHER
Two fold
be truthful to someone by calling out what you see in them,
Call out that you see that God is doing a work in their life, that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, they are gifted, loved by God, forgiven, blessed
We are to build each other up....this is so important because the nature mind thinks GOOD THING or NEGATIVE THINGS about themselves? NEGATIVE
SECONDLY
It sharing hard truth with someone that they need to hear. Hey man you are acting out of line. You were harsh with your spouse, etc.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
Many people say thank you, that was hard news, but news I needed to hear, thank you!
My wife has wounded ME, my friend Phil has wounded me, Oliver, family members.
ALL FOR MY GOOD
WE ARE ALL OUR BROTHERS KEEPS
Sometimes even when done right, I respond pourly but I come back and say thank you, you were right.
My friends God is calling us to love, it is the deepest desire of the human heart to LOVE and BE LOVED.
And more importantly shows people Jesus
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
How are you doing at love?
If you could take the love test, that every time you say read the word love put your name and say “is this true” and if it is true “rejoice” at the work God is doing in you, if it is not true say “God help” pick one or two to work on
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
Let’s pray
ADVERTISEMENT