Love like Jesus

Pastor Paul

John 15:1-13

October 16, 2011

Just a thought - Look for what God is doing and thank him for it. There is always something to be thankful for.

“Jesus talking is good medicine.” John 15:1-13 is Jesus talking.

v12 “love one another as I have loved you” raises the bar from comparing how we love to any other person. Jesus himself is the standard.

John 3:16 shows how God extravagantly loves the world

Church should be a place where people experience God’s extravagant love.

Keep dreaming of doing great things with God. “Nobody gets to stop dreamin’.” God still has big plans.

v13 love puts others first – live in unconditional commitment to others

This brings up the question/fear “Who’s going to take care of me?”

Jesus is the answer. He is the vine. Stay connected and you are taken care of. Jesus modeled how it worked he says “like I do with the Father.”

God’s love stays consistent regardless of the response. When he calls us to love all that matters is that we obey, not the persons response to our love.

Loving like God, loving the unlovable, the different ruins your reputation with religion and culture. It builds your reputation with God, it builds the Kingdom. ( examples - Jesus loving the woman who washed his feet with her tears and the Samaritan woman)

Love may not be culturally correct, even in your family or church.

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed a culture by calling people to love. “Love is higher than like.” MLK Jr. Agape is redemptive

Love is not a feel good environment. There must be hate for sin, evil, and fear in order for there to be love.

Fear can keep us from truly loving. We fear pain. Pain is an opportunity for God to reveal his goodness.

When we fear change we often stay passive which leads to anger which leads to being toxic to ourselves and those round us.

We sometimes fear success, the responsibility it may bring, the expectations.

Everywhere there is fear is an area not fully connected to the vine.

Romans 8:31 Anti-victim passage – there are no victims in the Kingdom of God – More on this in Danny Silk’s message.

Romans 8:32 God graciously gives us all things

Romans 8:34 Jesus is praying for me

Romans 8:37 I am more than a conqueror

Hard times, difficult things are training for future assignments. What have you been trained for? What might you be in training for now?

Enjoy the seasons of difficulty. God turns every disadvantage to an advantage and opportunity for blessing.

My thoughts from worship: 

The fact that nothing can stand against us does not mean that nothing will try.

I when I am discouraged I need longer vision, eternal perspective. Looking at me is discouraging. It is empowering to look at God as he truly is.