The Test of Real Faith
1 John 3: 17-18
ME: “Direction
determines destination”
The older I get the
more concerned I am about destination and direction
Proverbs 22:3 “The
prudent see danger and take shelter, the simple keep going
and suffer for it.”
(That’s indicting for me!)
Marriage and
family, crime statistics, gangs, poverty, homelessness;
Enabling or actually helping; if the war on poverty were
won, thousands would be out of work. Atwater
C.A.U.S.E., Com VIP, money for organizations producing
programs the only solution?
If we don’t see the
danger in our culture, we’ve got our heads in the sand!
WE: Direction
determines destination
JESUS: “If you
don’t love each other you’re not following me and you’ll
never make disciples!”
Principle: Following Jesus
leads to loving each other which attracts new disciples
Question: What does “love
each other” mean? How do we define the kind of love that
Jesus is talking about? WHAT’S THE LOVING THING TO DO?
Love each other =
COMMAND
Come, Follow me =
METHOD
Go, make disciples =
OUTCOME (you’ll be passionate for disciple-making if
you’re sure you’re on the right path, especially in a
culture that’s “lost at sea”.)
GOD: 1 John 3:16-19
This is
how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life
for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in
need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in
him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but
with actions and in truth.
Two stories:
Genesis 3 – “not the way it’s
supposed to be”
God’s glory and our
good are not connected – when God gets the glory our good
has to take a back seat.
“He who loves
his life will lose it.”
John 15:13 “Greater
love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends” (I call you
friends but you will become more) “This
my command (agape) each other.”
John 21: Two kinds of love
(in the language of the bible)
“Peter do you agape
me more that these?” “Lord, you know I phileo you.”
“Peter, I asked you, do
you agape me?” “Lord, you know my story, I
phileo you”
“Peter, do you
phileo me? Lord, you know the whole story, you
know I phileo you!
“Follow me” (learn to
love (agape) like I do.
Rom 13:8-10
Let no debt
remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one
another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the
law. 9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not
murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other
commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule:
"Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does
no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment
of the law.
Question: If I was in this
situation, what would I want you to do? How would I want to
be treated? Love your neighbor as though he were you!
WHAT’S THE RIGHT BEST
THING TO DO?
Andy Stanley:
What’s the wise thing to do (past, present, future)
YOU: (SO WHAT?)
God’s glory results
in our good. DIRECTION DETERMINES DESTINATION
God’s glory = becomes
famous for who He really is
Jesus comes: The Word
becomes flesh, and we see what it looks like
WE: (NOW WHAT?)
“The
prudent see danger and seek refuge, the simple keep going
and suffer for it”
Would
you stop speeding if you never got a ticket?
T
Shirt: “It’s only wrong if you get caught”
God’ love allows us to
chose: we wind up where the path leads us (consequences)
DIRECTION
DETERMINES DESTINATION
This week: Bellevue,
Keen-Agers (love is something we do)
Next week: “Hatred” Three
kinds of “hate”
Two weeks: There’s a line in
the sand. The battle has been decided, what side are you on?
Finally: How far does the
love we’re commanded go? The titanium rule.
