Spiritual Affection

As you may remember from the previous times that I have had the opportunity to preach, I'd like to begin my sermons with a story that kind of gives you the context for what we're going to be looking at this morning.

!

Something that helps create some interest and helps you to focus in on the topic that we are going to look at in Scripture.

And so this morning, before we begin, would you imagine with me that I told you a very engaging story?

If the Holy Spirit's been talking to you about holiness, would you imagine that I shared a story that helped you consider the importance of pursuing holiness,

some of the dangers of pursuing holiness, and how we can follow after Christ in holiness in a way that honors Him?

If the Holy Spirit's been dealing with you on the matter of love, which hopefully as you're going through our study guide on 1 Thessalonians that Pastor Andrew's prepared,

that may be very likely.

imagine that I shared with you a story that caught your attention about love, how it comes into our life, and how it flows out into our life.

And the reason that I'm asking you to help me with this this morning is even though when you study preaching or teaching,

they encourage you to focus on one main point that you want the congregation to remember and follow after this coming week,

I'm completely ignoring that advice.

And I'm going to try to cover all three of those topics, as you probably have noticed from your bulletin.

So, if you would just help me with this introduction, and just trust that the Holy Spirit will lay on your heart what it is He has for you this morning,

that would be of great help to me.

Let's open in prayer.

Father, we come before you this morning,

and Lord, we confess that we need you.

We need your Spirit to work in our lives.

We ask that you would open our hearts and minds to your Word.

You would help us to see truth.

You would help our hearts to be receptive to that truth,

and that through it, your Spirit would change us and make us more like Jesus.

Father, we thank you that you have not left us to ourselves,

but that you've placed us in a body with our brothers and sisters in Christ,

and that we can gather together this morning under the teaching of your Word.

And we ask that you would direct this time,

that you would direct my words,

that you would do as you see fit this morning to your Bride,

to the body, to the church.

And that through it all, you would be exalted and lifted up,

that you would be glorified,

and that we would be changed.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

This morning, we're going to be looking primarily at 1 Thessalonians 3,

1 Thessalonians 3:11–13

verses 11 through 13.

And then, in some sense,

we're going to look at how 1 Thessalonians 4,

1 Thessalonians 4:9–12

verses 9 through 12 connect to that.

And if you would follow along as I read those passages.

1 Thessalonians 3, verses 11 through 13.

1 Thessalonians 3:11–13

Now may our God and Father himself,

and our Lord Jesus,

direct our way to you.

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all,

as we do for you.

So that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness

before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all the saints.

1 Thessalonians 4, 9 through 12.

Now concerning brotherly love,

you have no need for anyone to write to you,

for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.

For that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia.

But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more,

and to aspire to live quietly,

and to mind your own affairs,

and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,

so that you may walk properly before outsiders

and be dependent on no one.

I don't know if it's just me,

but if you have been following along in the 1 Thessalonians study guide,

Pastor Andrew has pointed out a few times

the prayers of Paul.

And he's challenged us to consider

the content of Paul's prayers

in relation to how we normally pray.

And the Holy Spirit has really been addressing this issue

in my life from this study,

and I've been trying to continually keep this in my mind

over the last several weeks.

So when I began to study this passage

in 1 Thessalonians 3, 11 through 13,

the first thing that stood out to me

is that it is a prayer.

That we see God,

and we see Paul speaking to God

in asking for these things

on behalf of the Thessalonians.

And I don't know if you noticed,

let me read again this passage to you.

1 Thessalonians 3, 11 through 13.

And if you would,

be attentive to what Paul is praying.

He says,

Isn't that amazing?

The depth of spiritual prayer

in such a short passage.

And I don't know if you can immediately appreciate it.

Hopefully you've been considering it this week.

But as I have been meditating on it

over the last several weeks,

it continually surprises me

at the depth we see there

as Paul is praying for this church,

as he's asking for God

to cause their love to increase,

to abound,

as he's asking God

to establish their hearts

blameless in holiness.

And it causes me to stop

and consider myself.

The reality is,

you might be tempted to say,

well, he does pray here

that he'll get to visit them.

But even in that,

if you were to back up

just one verse

into 1 Thessalonians 3, 10,

we would see that he says,

we pray most earnestly night and day

that we may see you face to face

and supply what is lacking in your faith.

So even in his prayer to visit them,

Paul is asking to go

and be a part of their fellowship,

to share in strengthening them

in their faith.

And as you remember

from our study so far,

they're facing great persecution

during this time.

And Paul is saying,

Lord, let me enter into that persecution

with them

that we may walk

and labor together.

So even in that,

we see a depth to Paul's prayers.

And that leads me

to the first of seven diagnostic questions

that I have for you this morning.

The first is,

how are your prayers?

How are your prayers?

What are you praying for

on a daily basis?

For your physical needs,

your health,

your comfort,

your financial needs?

Maybe you're praying about these things

for others as well.

And it's not that those things are wrong.

Of course,

Scripture not only encourages us,

but commands us

to bring these things before God.

But the thing that struck me again

and again

as I have been thinking about this

is how often

that is the extent of my prayers.

How often

that is the extent of my prayers.

And the question goes on.

It says,

how often are you intentionally praying

for the spiritual growth

of those God has put in your life?

Your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Your co-workers.

Your friends.

Your parents.

Your spouse.

Your children.

And praying

the way we see Paul

pray here.

With that depth.

That wisdom.

Let me challenge you.

If you haven't picked up on it

in the study guide so far,

let me encourage you

to go back

and consider

your prayer life.

Consider

the prayer we find

in Scripture.

Begin to pray

the way David

prays in the Psalms.

Begin to pray

and align

with how Jesus

prays in the Gospels.

How we see Paul

praying in his letters.

Don't be satisfied

with a superficial

prayer life.

Don't be satisfied

with stopping

at just these

physical needs.

This first layer

of prayer.

But let me encourage you

and challenge you

to pray deeper.

To pray Scripture.

And that's the main point

of mini-sermon number one.

You can put that down

if you're following along

on your bulletin.

The main point.

Pray deeper.

Pray Scripture.

And so that's the first

thing that stands out.

The second thing

that I want us

to look at,

mini-sermon number two,

is how we see

in this prayer

that love

is not the end goal.

Okay?

The second section

that I want to look at

is on the issue

of holiness.

And I think

it's vitally important

for us,

before we get

to the topic of love,

which is our main topic,

for us to realize

even in Paul's prayer here

that we have

this sense

that he is wanting

not just

a bunch of loving,

nice people.

You know?

His prayer isn't

that the people

will just be pleasant

to be around.

He's not hoping

that, you know,

the church at Thessalonica

will be the Chick-fil-A

of their time.

You know?

Where you just go

and everybody's just nice.

But Paul is pressing

on further,

deeper,

and even in praying

for their love

to increase and abound.

His end goal

is in verse 13

that the Lord

would establish

their hearts

blameless

in holiness

before our God

and Father

at the coming

of the Lord Jesus

with all his saints.

And so I think

it's important

because

we live in a time

and a day

where churches

are often

letting holiness

slide

and pursuing

this sense

of love

that says,

you know what?

Everything's really okay.

We just,

we need to be tolerant.

We need to let people

just think what they want.

You know,

there's no need

to cause problems.

If it's okay for you,

then we just need

to let it go.

We need to show people

that we love them.

Okay?

Now the problem is,

and we've talked about

this many times

is just using

the word love

does not really,

really communicate

the biblical principle

of love, right?

In our culture,

we use the word love

indiscriminately.

And we've talked

about that a lot.

But one of the things

I noticed

as we look at this passage

is that you can

evaluate the authenticity

of your love

by determining

whether or not

it's moving you

and others

toward holiness

or intimacy

with Jesus.

Now think about that.

As often as we use

the word love

in regards

to your relationships

or the things

around you,

here's a test

that just stood out

to me

on how we can evaluate

is it really love?

Right?

So I'll just say it again.

Hopefully it's up here.

Oh good, it is.

The authenticity

of your love

can be determined

by whether or not

it is moving you

and others

towards holiness

or intimacy

with Jesus.

So even though

we see Paul praying

for love

it's not his end goal.

The pursuit

of holiness is.

Now,

there is a danger

in our pursuing holiness.

There is a danger

in our pursuing holiness.

And it's this.

By nature

we are inclined

to evaluate

our holiness

and other people's holiness

based on a set of rules.

You see,

we see that

very clearly

in the Pharisees

and Scripture,

but you can also

see it clearly

if you look

at every other religion.

We begin

to evaluate

our holiness

or other people's holiness

on how well

they keep

a set of rules.

Now,

that leads me

to diagnostic question

number two

this morning.

There's seven.

Did I say that?

Anyway,

diagnostic question

number two.

What rules

are you using

to judge holiness?

And here's some options

for you.

Maybe you're using

appearance rules.

Maybe you're looking

at people,

how they dress,

looking at their hair,

their tattoos,

their piercings.

You're asking yourself,

do they look holy?

Maybe you're looking

at some educational rules.

You're asking yourself,

how's their vocabulary?

What is their thinking like?

What are their manners?

What are the topics

that they discuss openly

and considering,

do they sound holy?

Or maybe,

maybe you're more spiritual

and you're using

some spiritual activity rules.

Are they at church enough?

Are they doing

their devotions enough?

Are they involved

in the right ministries?

Do they act holy?

Now,

please,

let me be clear.

I'm not saying,

I'm not saying

that the way we look,

the way we sound,

and the things we do

are unimportant.

That they don't matter.

I'm not saying that.

But,

what I am saying

is there's a danger here

because if we begin

to evaluate

our holiness

and other people's holiness

on a list of rules,

inevitably,

we will then begin

to pursue holiness

by following these rules.

Did you follow that?

It's important.

Let me say it again.

If we begin

to evaluate

our holiness

and other people's holiness

based on a set of rules,

we will inevitably

begin to pursue holiness

by keeping those rules.

And the problem is,

that's legalism.

And we know,

we know from looking

at scripture,

the Pharisees are not

a good example given.

We know legalism

is a bad thing,

but we have to be careful

in our pursuit

of holiness

to not get caught up

in rule keeping.

So,

if holiness is important

and we can't pursue it

by following rules,

what's the answer?

Well,

I think the prayer

that Paul gives us

right here.

We pursue holiness

through love.

And it's not just Paul.

Here's some other passages

to consider.

Matthew chapter 22,

Matthew 22:36–40

verses 36 through 40.

It says,

Teacher,

which is the great commandment

in the law?

And Jesus said to him,

You shall love the Lord

your God

with all your heart,

with all your soul,

and with all your mind.

This is the great

and first commandment,

and the second is like it.

You shall love your neighbor

as yourself.

On these two commandments

depend all the law

and the prophets.

Or Romans 13,

8 through 10.

Paul says,

Oh, no one anything

except to love each other.

For the one who loves another

has fulfilled the law.

For the commandments,

you shall not commit adultery,

you shall not murder,

you shall not steal,

you shall not covet,

and any other commandment

are summed up in this word.

You shall love your neighbor

as yourself.

Love does no wrong

to a neighbor.

Therefore,

love is the fulfilling

of the law.

And then 1 Peter 4, 8.

Above all,

keep loving one another earnestly,

since love covers

a multitude of sins.

You see,

if we pursue love,

true love,

godly love,

Christ-centered love,

it inevitably will move us

towards holiness.

And it will help us avoid

the trap of legalism.

So, here's the main point

for mini-sermon number two.

If you're serious about holiness,

pursue love,

not law.

Pursue love,

not law.

Well,

that gets the introductory matter

out of the way.

Now,

we can turn our attention

to the main focus

this morning,

and that is

spiritual affection.

Spiritual affection.

Let me just read again

1 Thessalonians 3,

11 through 13.

And we're going to look

primarily at verse 12.

Okay,

so,

pay very close attention

in verse 12.

But it says,

Now may our God and Father

and our Lord Jesus

direct our way to you,

and may the Lord make you

increase and abound

in love for one another

and for all

as we do for you,

so that he may establish

your hearts blameless

in holiness

before our God and Father

at the coming

of the Lord Jesus

with his saints.

So,

spiritual affection.

The first thing

I want us to look at

in this

is the source

of love.

The source of love.

And we see that,

again,

in 1 Thessalonians 3,

12,

as Paul is praying,

May the Lord

make you

increase

and abound

in love

for one another

and for all.

The source of love.

You see,

Jesus is the source

of real love.

God-honoring love.

Life-changing love.

If you want to experience

this kind of love

in and through

your life,

it has to begin

with a relationship

with Jesus.

He's the source.

Now,

that brings us

to diagnostic question

number three.

How is your relationship

with Jesus?

How is your relationship

with Jesus?

Now,

let's be clear.

I'm not asking you,

are you attending church

or are you reading

your Bible

or are you praying enough?

The truth is,

you could be doing

all of those things

and not have

a relationship

with Jesus.

Honestly,

you could be doing

those things

your entire life

and not have

a relationship

with Jesus.

So,

how do we determine

if we have

a relationship

with Jesus?

Well,

here are some questions

that you can consider.

And interestingly enough,

it's not really

any different

than any other

relationship.

Okay?

Are you growing

in your understanding

of who Jesus is?

what he loves,

what he hates?

As you see him

more clearly,

is your affection

for him growing?

Do you desire

greater intimacy

with him?

Do you love

what he loves?

Do you hate

what he hates?

Do you see

his influence

in your life

affecting who you are,

how you think,

what you do?

Are you aware

of the things

that you think,

say,

or do

that hurt

your relationship

with him

or cause distance

with him?

Do you want

to spend time

with him?

When you neglect

your time with him,

do you see

a hunger

or a longing

that's growing

in your heart

to be with him

or more simply,

do you miss him?

You see,

these are the kind

of questions

that we need

to consider

in evaluating

our relationship

with Jesus.

Now,

maybe those

questions

cause you

to realize

you don't

have a relationship

with Jesus.

Or,

maybe it

causes you

to realize

that you're

pursuing activities

related to Jesus

but not pursuing

a relationship

with him.

The good news

is,

that can change

right now,

today.

You can make

a complete U-turn

from whatever

you've been doing

and begin

pursuing

an intimate

relationship

with Jesus.

If you're not

sure how to

start a relationship

with Jesus

or how to

renew your

relationship

with Jesus,

let me encourage

you,

don't leave

today without

talking to me

or one of the

leaders here

at Maranatha.

We would really

delight in

helping you

begin or

restore an

intimate

relationship

with Jesus.

But the

important thing

for our sermon

this morning

is,

this is the

source of love.

If you want

to experience

life-changing

love,

love that

not only

impacts you

but impacts

others,

it has to

begin in

your relationship

with Jesus

because he

is the

source.

The second

thing that I

want us to

consider from

this passage

is the

abundance

of love.

The abundance

of love.

And we see

that also

in chapter

3,

verse 12,

where he

says,

may the

Lord make

you increase

and abound

in love.

That word

abound is

the Greek

word,

I've been

practicing

this all

week and

I still

know I'm

going to

get it

wrong,

parasuyo.

If you're

a Greek

scholar,

pretend I

said it

right.

And sometimes

that word

is translated

overflow,

but here's a

picture of

overflow.

But here's

a picture,

okay.

And as

good as

this concept

is,

I really

like better

how strong

translates it

as super

abounding.

Super

abounding.

Super

abounding.

That's

old faithful.

Super

abounding

30 to

40 gallons

of water

per second.

And that's

the concept

here in

this word

that we

translate

abound.

And I've

told you

before,

I am a

little ADD

when I'm

studying.

And this

word really

caught my

attention and

I like went

off and

began to

study this

word and

where it's

used in

the New

Testament.

I made a

list of

17 passages

and it's

just so

interesting to

see how

this is

used,

whether it's

from numbers

of people

to the

glory of

Christ to

us having

thanksgiving

or experiencing

grace,

love,

our ministry,

hope,

generosity,

obedience,

even suffering

and comfort.

Paul talks

about us

super

abounding.

As a matter

of fact,

we even

see it

in the

passage

that we're

going to

look at

later,

1 Thessalonians

4.10,

where Paul

urges them

to continue

to do this

more and

more.

That's how

it's translated

in the ESV,

but that

first more

is the

same

Greek word.

So really

he's saying

that he's

encouraging

them to

do this

super

aboundingly

even more.

And so

as we

come to

that list

of passages,

the one

that I like

best,

just for the

feeling of

this idea

of how

our love

should abound

is found

in 2 Corinthians

9.8.

2 Corinthians

9.8.

And it says,

And God

is able to

make all

grace abound

to you,

so that having

all sufficiency

in all things

at all times,

you may abound

in every good

work.

Isn't that a

great verse?

And you can

stick super

abound in there,

it feels even

better.

And God

is able to

make all

grace super

abound to you,

so that having

all sufficiency

in all things

at all times,

you may

super abound

in every

good work.

So diagnostic

question number

four.

How is your

abundance of

love?

This is a

visual comparison,

you'll have to

look up here.

So are you

feeling kind

of empty?

Are you

feeling kind

of midway,

maybe mostly

full?

Or are you

feeling like

you're super

abounding?

Are you

overflowing

like old

faithful?

First thing

for you to

consider,

next thing

for you to

consider

in this

passage is

the expression

of our love,

the expression

of our love.

1 Thessalonians

3.12 again

we see,

he says,

may the Lord

make you

increase and

abound in

love for

one another

and for

all.

For one

another

and for

all.

You see,

there's two

dimensions to

this abounding,

super abounding

love in our

life.

One is an

internal expression

in our sharing

that love with

our brothers and

sisters in

Christ.

And we've

talked about

this extensively

in 1 John

and now even

into 1 Thessalonians.

But there is

also an

external expression

of this love

where he talks

about for

all.

You see,

this is a love

to those who

are not Christians.

This super

abounding love

isn't content

just to gather

us all together

so we can stand

inside the four

walls of the

church singing

Kumbaya.

It overflows

out into the

world,

into our

neighborhoods.

It gives us

a love,

a passionate

love for

those around

us.

And so,

in that,

we come to

diagnostic question

number five.

How is the

expression of

your love?

How is the

expression of

your love?

Internally.

Are you

loving your

brothers and

sisters here

at Maranatha?

Are you

willing to

give sacrificially

of your time,

money,

skills,

and other

resources to

help meet

their needs?

Are you

being faithful

in attending

Sunday school

worship and

small groups

as an expression

of your love

for the

brothers and

sisters here?

Are you

engaged in

some ministry

of the church

in order to

build each

other up?

Are you

praying faithfully

intentionally

and deeply

for the

people at

Maranatha?

Are you

nurturing unity

or causing

divisions?

Are there

any people

that you're

trying to

avoid?

Is there

anyone that

you're holding

on to an

offense or

frustration,

an anger,

resentment,

or some

bitterness

towards?

So stop

and just

consider that

for a minute.

How are you

doing in

your abundance

of love

internally

to the

body of

Christ?

Now consider

externally.

Externally,

are you

concerned about

those around

you who don't

know Jesus?

Are you

living with a

missionary mindset

right now?

Are you

willing to

give sacrificially

of your time,

money,

skills,

and other

resources to

help those

outside the

church?

Are you

praying for

specific people

and seeking

ways to

intentionally build

relationships

with them?

Are you

seeking to

connect more

intimately with

those at work

or in your

neighborhood?

Are you

working to

build teams

that will

care for

those who

don't know

Jesus?

Are there

any types

or kinds

of people

that you

dislike,

distrust,

or avoid?

Are there

any people

that you feel

like you have

hit your

limit on

forgiving,

loving,

and serving?

Again,

take a

minute.

Prayerfully

consider the

abundance of

your love,

both to your

brothers and

sisters in

Christ and

to the world,

to those

outside the

church.

How are you

doing?

Is your

love abounding?

Is it super

abounding?

The last thing

we're going to

look at from

this passage is

the multiplication

of love.

The multiplication

of love.

You see,

this isn't

just a love

that we

receive,

but it's a

love that

multiplies out.

And we see

first and

foremost that it

multiplies out

from God.

Remember,

the first point

is that Jesus

is the

source.

Here's some

verses that

talk about how

love multiplies

out from God.

John 3.16

John 15.9

where Jesus

says,

As the

Father has

loved me,

so have I

loved you.

Abide in

my love.

John 15.12

Jesus says,

This is my

commandment,

that you

love one

another as I

have loved

you.

Romans 5.8

But God

shows his

love for us

in that while

we were still

sinners,

Christ died

for us.

Ephesians 2.4

and 5

But God

being rich

in mercy

because of

the great

love with

which he

loved us,

even when

we were dead

in our

trespasses,

made us

alive together

with Christ.

By grace

you have

been saved.

1 John 3.1

See what

kind of

love the

Father has

given to

us,

that we

should be

called

children of

God,

and so

we are.

1 John 4.19

We love

because he

first loved

us.

Then into

1 Thessalonians

1.4

For we

know,

brothers,

loved by

God,

that he

has chosen

you.

In the

verse that

we're going

to look at

momentarily,

chapter 4,

verse 9,

Now concerning

brotherly love,

you have no

need for

anyone to

write to

you,

for you

yourselves

have been

taught by

God to

love one

another.

You see,

this super

abounding

love is a

multiplying

love that

starts with

God.

He has

poured it

out into

our lives.

We're the

recipients of

this super

abounding

love.

love.

We've

received it.

We've

tasted it.

We've

experienced

it.

But it's

not just

for our

pleasure.

We see

Paul even

here continuing

to challenge

the Thessalonians

because it's

a love that

multiplies from

believers as

well.

Notice in

chapter 1

Thessalonians

3.12

He says,

May the

Lord make

you increase

and abound

in love

for one

another and

for all

as we

do for

you.

Now,

we've been

looking at

1 Thessalonians

so I'm

sure you

remember how

Paul has

described the

love that he

and his team

have showed the

people in

Thessalonica.

He's talked

about being

like a

nursing mother

taking care of

his own

children,

being affectionately

desirous of

them,

being willing to

share not only

the gospel but

their very lives

with them,

or talking about

his love for

them like a

father,

how he's worked

and toiled to

not be a burden

to them,

how he has

been faithful

to challenge

them,

to encourage

them,

to instruct

them.

And so we

see this kind

of love that's

been multiplied

out of Paul's

life into the

church at

Thessalonica.

But we see

here in chapter

4, verses 9

and 10,

he is calling

them not to

be content

in receiving

it, not even

to be content

with how they're

expressing it

presently, but

challenging them

to multiply it

more and more.

1 Thessalonians

4, 9

and 10

says,

Now concerning

brotherly love,

you have no

need for anyone

to write to you.

You yourselves

have been taught

by God to love

one another,

for that indeed

is what you're

doing to all

the brothers

throughout Macedonia.

But we urge

you brothers to

do this super

aboundingly

even more.

And then we

see as he

continues in

chapter 4,

verses 11

and 12,

he paints

this picture

of this

multiplying love

as it is

lived out

in their lives.

As he says,

And aspire

to live

quietly,

to mind

your own

affairs,

to work

with your

hands as

we instructed

you,

so that you

may walk

properly

before outsiders

and be

dependent

on no one.

You see,

he talks about

how this

multiplying love

should affect

how they're

living in

their community.

And, you

know, he

talks about

living quietly

and minding

your own

affairs.

Don't take

that as

isolationism.

His point

isn't, you

know, just

stay in your

house and

don't talk

to anybody,

you know,

cocoon.

That's what

we tend to

do.

But that's

not his

point here.

His point

here is that

you should be

seeking to

live in a way

that builds

peace and

harmony in

your community,

not be in a

busybody.

Don't be all

up in everybody's

business.

right?

And so,

live in a way

that's creating

in your

community

something

distinctive.

He talks

about working

with your

hands.

And it's

obvious,

if we were

to look at

2 Thessalonians,

that this is a

challenge because

the church at

Thessalonica is

so generous,

so gracious,

so giving,

that there's

some people

that start to

take advantage

of that.

And in 2

Thessalonians 3,

Paul says,

for even when

we were with

you,

we'd give you

this command,

if anyone's

not willing

to work,

let him not

eat.

For we hear

that there are

some among

you who are

walking in

idleness,

not busy at

work,

but busy

bodies.

Now such

persons we

command and

encourage in

the Lord Jesus

Christ to do

their work

quietly and

earn their

own living.

So,

Paul calls

them to live

out this

multiplying

love in

their community.

And that

brings us to

diagnostic question

number six.

are you

multiplying

love?

Are you

multiplying

love?

So consider

this.

Who are you

intentionally

showing the

love of Jesus

to in your

daily life?

Who are you

actively seeking

to multiply

love into,

both Christians

and non-Christians?

are you

living in a

way that

promotes peace

and unity

in the church

and promotes

harmony and

reconciliation

outside of

the church?

Are you

doing all

you can

to work

and take

care of

yourself,

your family,

and provide

for those

in need?

Are you

living in a

way that

even non-Christians

would see

as having

an integrity

of character

so that

this love

that we've

received from

God can

multiply out

into the

lives of

others?

So here's

the main

point for

the main

sermon.

Super

abound

in love.

Super

abound

in love.

Super

abound

in love.

But there's

one more

diagnostic

question.

I told you

there was

seven.

So in

closing,

consider this.

What are

your barriers

to super

abounding

love?

What are

your barriers

to super

abounding

love?

Fear?

Pride?

Pain?

Greed?

Laziness?

Self-centeredness?

Prejudice?

Busyness?

Bitterness?

Anger?

Apathy?

Lack of

faith?

Lack of

hope?

Lack of

confidence?

Stubbornness?

Maybe

there's

something

more.

I can

tell you

that just

studying this

passage

has really

challenged

me.

I, you

know, I

was kind

of like

at a

full glass

kind of

guy when

I was

looking at

the love

in my

life.

And as

I dug

into this

passage,

God just

in his

grace,

his painful

grace,

has continued

to show me

again and

again how

unloving

I really

am.

So as

we close

today, I

would just

encourage

you, be

praying deeper.

Be seeking

to pursue

love and

asking that

we would

all, myself

included,

super

abound in

love.

If you

would,

pray.

Thank you.