Freed To Love Series

So faith works through love. Faith and love are linked. Listen to what is said in 2 Thessalonians. “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing (1:3).” But how are they linked? We saw last week that we are led by the Spirit when we resist the desires of the flesh to sin and the flip side of this is walking in the Spirit, the desires of the Spirit push out and overcome the desires of the flesh as we resist them, producing Spiritual fruit. In this case, the freedom to love others that you normally would not love (5:13). As we trust Christ, we are freed from the desires of the flesh and we bear spiritual fruit. So we fight against sin on one side (led by Spirit) and bear fruit on other (walk by the Spirit). So love comes from faith and love is a fruit of the Spirit and the way we walk by the Spirit is to have our hearts so satisfied with who Christ promises to be for us so the desires of the flesh lose their grip on us. As we do this, the Spirit overcomes the desires of the flesh that oppose love so that we can love others. Let’s look at some specific examples of those desires of the flesh which oppose love.

Let’s say selfishness keeps you from loving others. So at the potluck, you are the first in line. Or when we ask for help in some area of ministry, you never consider it because you don’t want to serve others. To fight selfishness you find a Scripture that addresses selfishness like Philippians 2:1-3, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Or let’s say your issue is financial insecurity, which is a manifestation of greed, so you do not give when we take our offering or when we take a special benevolence offering. Or maybe you hear of a personal need of someone and you do not even consider helping them because you think that you cannot afford to give. So you fight financial insecurity and greed with the words of Jesus, “it is more blessed to give than is to receive (Acts 20:35).” Or "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luk 12:15). Or

“my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19).”