THE BLESSED LIFE #4: RADICAL, SUPERNATURAL LOVE
THE BIG IDEA: The church today needs to take a radical new look at love. However, the supernatural kind of love that God calls us to is impossible. Jesus said, “You can do nothing.” Feeling inspired yet? (Matt. 5:38-48).
REVIEW:
#1: The Secret of Happiness: Matt. 7:24-27 – building our lives on Jesus’ teachings
#2: Viva La Vida: Matt. 5:1-16 – the beatitudes and letting our lights shine before others
#3: Blessed Relationships: Matt. 5:17- 32 – love and forgiveness, purity and faithfulness
#4: Radical, Supernatural Love: Matt. 5:38-48 – we will look at this one today:
PERSONAL TESTIMONY: What was it that attracted me to the church 18 years ago? What impacted me the most? The worship was great, the preaching was great, but it wasn’t those things. It was the loving relationships – believers who loved and accepted me as I was. “River”, long hair, earring, saved off the streets – rough around the edges!
STORY: Dating Tammy, parents = praise and worship leader & head usher. Family dinners.
STORY: One summer evening in Broken Bow, Nebraska, a weary truck driver pulled his rig into an all-night truck stop. He was tired and hungry. The waitress had just served three tough looking, leather jacketed bikers - of the Hell’s Angel’s type – who decided to give him a hard time. Not only did they verbally abuse him, one grabbed the hamburger off his plate, another took a handful of his French fries and the third picked up his coffee and began to drink it. How did this trucker respond? He quietly stood up, picked up his check, walked to the front of the room, put the check and his money on the counter, and went out the door. The waitress followed him to put the money in the till and stood watching out the door as the big truck drove away into the night. When she returned, one of the cyclists said to her, “Well, he’s not much of a man, is he?” She replied, “I don’t know about that, but he sure isn’t much of a truck driver. He just ran over three motorcycles on his way out of the parking lot.”
KEY TEXT: 10 IMPOSSIBLE THINGS JESUS WANTS US TO DO:
“You have heard that it was said, ’An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
1. But I tell you not to resist an evil person.
2. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
3. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
4. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
5. Give to him who asks you,
6. and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
You have heard that it was said, ’You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
7. But I say to you, love your enemies
8. bless those who curse you
9. do good to those who hate you
10. and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you
• This is one of those parts of the Bible that people don’t like! When was the last time an enemy cursed you out that you pulled a $20 bill out of your wallet?
"that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?"
THE ULTIMATE, IMPOSSIBLE COMMAND:
"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:38-48).
QUESTION: Does anyone feel like giving up and going home right now??
• It is impossible to live the life of love that Jesus calls us to!
• I’m not going to spend a lot of time expounding the truths of this passage of Scripture. We know what these verses say, but we DON’T know HOW to love this way!
• It reminds me of a graduation speech I gave at Regent Christian Academy several years ago. The title of my message was: “You can do nothing!” A real motivational speech!
TOP INSPIRATIONAL SAYINGS YOU’LL NEVER SEE ON POSTERS:
1. Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.
2. Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity.
3. If you can stay calm, while all around you is in chaos...then you probably haven’t completely understood the situation.
4. The beatings will continue until morale improves.
5. Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment.
Jesus said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27).
But - HOW can we do it?
HOW TO WALK IN RADICAL, SUPERNATURAL LOVE:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:1-9).
In this metaphor, Jesus gives us three keys to walking in radical, supernatural love:
1. Abide in Jesus. Be the branch! Apart from Him, we can do nothing. We need to have a vibrant prayer life where we spend time with Jesus every day. (Next week’s topic = prayer!)
2. Abide in His Word. God’s Word has the power to transform our lives. This is one of the places where the ‘pruning’ takes place. (Have kids share Scriptures?)
3. Abide in His love. The more we know how much God loves us, the more we will love ourselves, the more we will be able to love others.
• We need to ‘soak’ or marinate’ in God’s love – meditate upon the Cross.
• My wife Liza marinates a ham in orange juice and how sweet & juicy it gets!
• We need to marinate in God’s love so we are ’juicy’ fruit Christians...
ILLUSTRATION:
I once read of a little boy who used to escape his bedroom after being punished. He would crawl out of his bedroom window down an old fruit tree to the ground. One day, his father told him that he was going to chop down the fruit tree, because it hadn’t borne any fruit for a number of years. That evening, the boy and his friend bought a bushel of apples, and during the night, tied those apples on the barren branches. The next morning, the man could not believe his eyes. He said to his wife, "Honey, I just can’t believe it! That old tree hasn’t yielded any fruit for years, and now it’s covered with apples. And, the most amazing thing is that it’s a pear tree!"
CLOSING CHALLENGE:
• Our job is simply to abide in Jesus, abide in His Word, and abide in His love.
• When we do this – we will find ourselves walking in a radical, supernatural kind of love.
• “We love because He first loved us.” We don’t have to ‘try’ to be more loving, etc!
• The fruit of the Spirit is the ‘fruit’ of abiding in Him!
• God wants us to grow from bearing fruit (v.2) to bearing more fruit (v.2b) to bearing much fruit (v.8) so that we can glorify the Father.
• We need more “Juicy Fruit” Christians who taste good!
JUICY FRUIT JINGLE:
"Get your friends fired up, Grab a stick of Juicy Fruit, The taste is gonna move ya
Take a sniff, pull it out, The taste is gonna move ya when you pop it in your mouth
Juicy Fruit - it’s gonna move ya, It’s got a taste that gets right through ya
Juicy Fruit - the taste, the taste, the taste is gonna move ya."
• Doesn’t that make you want to go out and buy a pack of Juicy Fruit gum? That’s how we need to be as Christians!
CHALLENGE:
Be the branch! Abide in Jesus, abide in the Word, and abide in His love, and you will bear much fruit.
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
