Love Like That
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Good Morning!
I’m am very excited to begin this new study together.
I want to lay out for you this morning how this is going to work over the next six or seven weeks.
My hope is that you have had a chance to get the book or audio and that you have dipped your toe in the water.
If not, that is quite alright.
These messages are designed to accompany the book, but we won’t be discussing everything that is covered in each chapter. Reading both will definitely be beneficial to your understanding of what it means to love like Jesus.
That is going to be our focus for this study.
I want us to understand something as we begin today.
LOVING LIKE JESUS IS POSSIBLE. IT IS THE BEST WAY TO LIVE.
INTRODUCTION
Are you a coffee drinker?
Some are, and some miss out on one of God’s greatest gifts.
Actually, it’s not the coffee.
It’s the conversations that often spontaneously surface while holding on to that cup.
Friends talk about a lot of different things, but after favorite movies, kids, sports, and politics, the conversation eventually settles into relationships, and the joys and pains caused by them.
There’s not a person alive who doesn’t want to be a better lover.
I’m not getting weird — I mean a lover of people, a lover of family, of others.
I want to love better, and I’m convinced you do too.
But it’s hard stuff.
If we are going to be a people who Love Like Jesus, there are some things we need to understand right out of the gate.
It’s not difficult for each of us to daydream about a person in our world who we struggle to love.
I think our knee-jerk reaction to those that we struggle to love is to assume that the fault is on their end.
It is that mentality that we all need to have challenged.
One of the great things about the country that we live in is the fact that it is so diverse.
Louisiana itself is a melting pot of cultures, world views, and behavioral norms.
Let me give you an example to get your brain juices flowing this morning.
1. Culture - In the world that I operate in, the fuel industry, there is a group that is professionally referred to as the Emerging Network Retailers.
There is even a class that each Gilbarco Sales team is required to take to educate all of us on the cultural differences that we are going to encounter as we engage with this network.
The people we are learning about are first and second generation immigrants from places like India, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, etc.
Their way of doing business, family structure, values, languages, and expectations are very different from ours.
If we are not careful, by “we” I mean all of us, will make assumptions about their behavior based on our culture, feel offended, and miss the opportunity to have a wonderful relationship.
I’ll tell you, some of my best, and favorite customers are first and second generation immigrants.
They are professional, kind, incredibly hard working, generous, and a joy to be around.
We are required to go through this training because there are many in our industry, and I used to be one of them, that would get offended when they would try to negotiate the price of a project.
For us, that is rude, for them, to not negotiate is to be a poor business man.
Understanding their culture makes all the difference in the world and opens up possibilities that simply would not exist if we continue to ignore that we are culturally different.
Louisiana is such a beautiful tapestry of cultures because we have embraced our differences and brought together the beauty that exist in all of them.
If we are going to Love Like Jesus, we must acknowledge that not all the people in our lives think and act like we do.
I believe that by the time we finish this study, we are going to see the beauty in what God is doing by creating us all so different, yet so similar.
So how are we going to go about such a large task?
We’re going to talk about it in this new series we’re starting today.
It’s about observing the life of Jesus, and so imitating His life that you and I begin to love like Him.
To put it bluntly,
I WANT TO LOVE LIKE JESUS AND SO DO YOU.
You may not even be part of the church world, but something inside of you gravitates toward having solutions to relationship challenges you face.
Spouse, kids, neighbors, friends, peers, colleagues, extra grace required people, and enemies.
Who wouldn’t want to have improved friendships, courtships, partnerships, or relationships?
As we begin this series, you need to understand that none of us have arrived.
We are all trying to figure it out, trying to get it right, largely because we know the stakes are so high.
All of us intuitively know that our actions, even our intentions, can and do have a generational impact.
So, this is something we want to get right.
Love is the overarching theme of the entire Bible and particularly the New Testament.
Every New Testament writer doesn't just touch on the subject, they lean upon the topic of love.
It’s also the theme of most movies and best sellers.
It’s the theme of every wedding ceremony.
It’s talked about at every funeral in the context of remembering life on this side of heaven.
Hanging out on Pinterest will show you a ton of verses on love that can adorn the walls of homes and coffee shops around the world.
Les Parrott recently wrote a book called Love Like That.
I believe it has the potential to move us all from the aspirational and inspirational aspects of love to the tactical and practical.
So, we're starting this series and this campaign called, LOVE LIKE THAT, to help us all love like that, namely, LOVE LIKE JESUS.
The theme passage for this entire series is found in the book of Ephesians.
Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus begins with some of the greatest foundational principles of Christianity.
Principles of adoption, of the blessings of God, God’s selection process, the nature of His glorious grace, the depth of salvation and redemption, and the ultimate purposes of God.
Pretty heavy stuff.
By the time you slide into Ephesians chapter 5, you may be thinking, “How does a person live out a successful life, a meaningful life, a significant life of love?” Ephesians 5:1-2 gives us the ultimate key.
I'm reluctant to use the term “ultimate key” because as a pastor, we tend to speak in hyperbole more often than we should…” the greatest verse” … “the key to life” … “the answer to your situation.”
But, that being said, take a look at these two verses, and we'll dissect them together. You may end up agreeing with my conclusion.
The NIV says this:
2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
In the Message paraphrase, we get a little more contemporary clarity.
2 Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
There’s been a boatload written on love.
No new revelation here.
The whole of the Christian life is summed up by Jesus to “love God and love your neighbor.”
We’ll look into that in just a bit.
But it’s always the HOW that trips us up.
Ephesians 5:1-2 is all about the HOW.
THERE ARE THREE QUESTIONS WE MUST ASK OURSELVES.
1. HOW DO I BEGIN?
1. HOW DO I BEGIN?
Don’t you love how Paul broaches the subject of “how” by saying, “follow God’s example” or “watch what God does, and then you do it.”
The simplicity of his opening statement is profound.
The “how” is connected to watching, observing, looking intently into the life of Jesus Christ.
We aren’t the best observers.
In fact, our culture frowns on watching others too closely.
There’s a word for that: “creepy.”
I have heard from time to time of friends and family who love to people watch.
Just looking at how people relate at airports, amusement parks, and malls.
Too much of that, however, and you’re not just creepy, you’re considered a “stalker.”
The culture in other countries… not so much.
In India, it is not considered rude or a violation of personal space to stare at another person.
Ask any world traveler what their experience has been, and often they feel their personal space has been violated by constant, prying eyes.
Moving beyond culture and back to the scriptures, I’m taken back at the number of times the New Testament records Jesus staring intently into a person just before He does something remarkable.
John 1:42 says...
42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).
To look at something “intently” means to look beyond the surface, to look beyond the present, to look into the future possibilities.
Jesus looked at Peter, not just for who he was in the present, but for what his life could be.
Jesus never judged a book by its cover.
How many times did Jesus remind people that they had eyes but could not see?
Mark 8:18 says...
18 Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear? And do you not remember?
Or how many times did Peter and Paul both fix their eyes on a situation before God did a miracle?
Remember Peter and John walking into the temple after the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
They find a man begging for alms.
4 Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!”
5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money.
6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”
For all of us to get a handle on how to love like Jesus, we need to be students of looking intently at the life of Jesus Christ and then imitating it.
The word for imitators is the Greek word that means “to mimic.” That word is found in the first part of Ephesians 5:1.
It can be translated as “follow,” as the NIV says, or “watch and then do,” as The Message says.
A little factoid: Mimics are those who follow a pattern or an example.
If you want to put it simply, you can say it this way: That is the goal of Christianity.
Then Paul gives an illustration: parenthood and obedient kids.
One of the goals of parenthood is having your children behave in the same way you behave.
Scary, right?
If you’re not behaving right…well, you know where I’m going with this.
So, the example Paul uses for HOW to follow Jesus’ example is a successful parenting model… “like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.”
Henry Blackaby, the author of Experiencing God, reminds us to “observe God at work.”
Look at life around you and see what God is doing…in your job, your family, your community, your school, your very life.
In fact, the art of observing God and following His example may be the very thing that will not only further the kingdom of God corporately but bring adventure to your life.
Do you know that God is at work in your family?
Do you know that?
Part of the adventure is looking for Him working.
You may change all through your life, but God is working in ALL of your life.
The great task is to be observant to see where He’s working and how He’s working and mimic it.
Remember: the way He works in your family is going to be different than how He works in my family.
Please don’t compare how He’s working in your family with others.
John records the powerful post-resurrection story of Peter and Jesus in John
21. He has just reinstated Peter and his leadership. John 21:19-22 says,
19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”
20 Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?”
21 Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”
22 Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”
In other words, the way I work in one person may be different than how I work in you.
But don’t let that throw you, and don’t start comparing your life to someone else’s.
Simply – “You follow me!”
Your job doesn’t change.
Follow, observe, and do the life of Jesus.
It is the only way to LOVE LIKE THAT, to LOVE LIKE JESUS.
John records the Father is working, and I am working.
When you observe God at work, it changes your behavior — Peter went walking on water!
Observe how He’s working in your family’s and neighbors’ lives and adjust your plans to His.
Begin to do what He did.
2. HOW DO YOU WISELY OBSERVE JESUS’ LIFE?
2. HOW DO YOU WISELY OBSERVE JESUS’ LIFE?
Relationship is the key.
A personal relationship with Christ is the starting point.
All that Jesus did was about establishing a relationship with us.
So, wherever you are on your journey…
trying to figure it out…
new to church…
new to a relationship with God…
or a seasoned follower of Jesus,
you’ll find God’s great desire for you is written across the pages of the Bible.
Here’s a thought… Is it as simple as reading the Bible?
What parts of the Bible?
I’ve read the stories of Jesus before and so have you, whether you go to church regularly or not.
Jesus’ life is part of our society and history, so you know many of the stories.
So, what’s different about looking intently at what Jesus did?
Use your mind to observe Jesus.
When we talk about Jesus’ answer when the religious leaders questioned him about the greatest commandment, “with all your mind” isn’t what we typically focus on.
27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“A beautiful mind is a terrible thing to waste” is an advertising slogan for the UNCF, and it is so true.
God has blessed us with an amazing combination of physical abilities and a brain to help us think, plan, work, and enjoy life.
So, God wants to bless, strengthen, renew, guard, and bless our minds, as we focus our thoughts and actions on Him.
Of course, you know there is a difference between your brain and your mind, right?
The brain can be weighed, measured, and x-rayed, but you can’t measure, locate, and understand the mind.
To put it simply, your mind is the same as your thoughts.
You make up your mind, change your mind, you can be of “two minds.”
Among other things, we are to love God with all our MIND.
As human beings, we are blessed to have great minds given to us by God.
And He wants to bless and enable us to use them for our greatest potential.
This can be achieved as we keep our focus on Him.
As it says in Proverbs 19:21
21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
So, as we align our minds with the Lord, then His purpose will become clearer to us.
So, don’t put your mind in neutral.
Use your mind to love like Jesus.
Be honest, be discerning, be analytical, be reasoned.
But you can’t just use your mind.
We also use our emotions.
We use our hearts.
You’ve used the phrases “My heart aches” or “Open your heart.”
The heart and emotions have a deeper connection than just your thoughts.
In fact, if we only use our minds, high-level love becomes an obligation.
Intelligence alone, without the involvement of the heart, can be dangerous.
We run the risk of becoming “heartless.”
Without the heart, we lack true understanding.
Without the heart, we lack the capacity to love like Jesus.
As we launch into this series, we will discover that Jesus is more than a model or an example to follow.
JESUS IS THE POWER TO EMBRACE.
THE POWER TO DO.
THE POWER TO BE.
To love like Jesus, we need to think and feel.
We need reason and emotion.
We need both our head and heart, working together.
It’s the only way to bring perfect love into our imperfect life.
Love changes our minds.
It changes us from the inside out.
If you’re looking for reasonable love, you’ll miss it.
Like I said, you want to love like Jesus.
You want this to work and be real.
And I’m an optimist about YOU.
Because this love isn’t elusive.
It’s closer than you think.
3. SO WHAT?
3. SO WHAT?
What do we take home with us today?
1. We are taking a journey together to make some observations about loving like Jesus. We will make some here on the weekend, some in small groups, some on our own.
2. We haven’t arrived yet, but it is ALL of our desires to LOVE LIKE JESUS because we all have relationships that are a challenge and we want to get them right.
3. Considering a personal relationship with Jesus is our starting point in our LOVE LIKE JESUS journey. Then observing the life of Jesus as revealed throughout the Bible.
4. In this series we will learn to engage our minds and our hearts as we look at Jesus’ life.
HOMEWORK:
I’ve got a little homework for you this week.
I’d like you to do three things for yourself.
Go to lovelikethatbook.com/love-like-that-test/ and take the test.
It has questions that correspond to each chapter of the book. If you haven’t completed the test, just click the pause button on the survey and come back to it once you completed the chapter.
This took me less than ten minutes to complete.
Keep a short journal of the times you notice God at work this week.
Either in your journal, or just make a quick note on your phone.
Be intentional about watching for God’s work in your life this week.
Take a few minutes in your life group to review your test scores and discuss where you have seen God at work that week.
Announcements:
Leah on sabbatical and why.
A big thank you to all of our volunteers that make Sunday mornings possible. SS teachers, sound crew, band, media, etc. without all of those people investing in us, worship would not be what it is. So thanks!
Young Men’s Ministry - Thursday, March 17th.
We still need an additional adult to help me.
Central Louisiana Interfaith Spring Assembly - Tuesday, May 24th, 6:30-8 pm