It’s a Love Thang | What Are We | Pastor Caleb Thomas

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message we have in store for you check

it out I need to hear you say what are

we what are we

I had PTSD from that

question it was on May 15th of

2016 yes I'm a man that knows dates not

history dates just that one May 15 2016

I was standing right

here and Elizabeth before she was my

wife walked right down that aisle Pastor

C snapped to me I was singing wor on the

worship team she caught my attention we

started messaging over social media I

slid in them DMS yes I

did start the message him we went on our

first day on May the 18th of

2016 and had been continuing on since

but July the 29th of 2016 changed my

life

forever I found out that day that my

wife is a

thug she's

certified you know what I'm saying like

she she could throw it so here's what

happened we've been hanging out at my

parents house all day it was on a Sunday

we had great service we let them take us

out to

eat you know still do that to this day U

we let them go cuz they pay so we we

went out to eat with them went back home

to their house we were hanging out that

was our Sunday routine but this day was

different cuz I walk Liz out to her car

because you know in front of the pastors

you got to do the handshake goodbye my

sister in Christ

[Applause]

I walk around to her car and I go to

open up that door and like I feel like a

little bit of resistance in the door

opening I'm like I've been in the gym

like what is it so I went to pull a

little bit harder and I really felt like

a hard push I'm like what is going on

and Liz said we need to talk I need to

ask you something that ain't never good

I don't care if you're dating married

friends it don't matter I was nervous

I'm like thinking back on all the

different interactions I've had did I

say something wrong did I do something

wrong did did I post something wrong did

I think something wrong Am I Wrong

something in my teeth I didn't know what

was going on she said I have to ask you

a question what are we cuz I'm older

than you and you might have time for

games but I

don't I mean if you want a brother that

bad that's all you had to

say like how I get it but like it takes

time for crazy to come out so we was

just still evaluating some things but

she she she taught me a lesson that day

that I'm still learning I'm a little

slow but I get it taught me a lesson

that day that Clarity is

kindness what she was doing is she was

trying to

remove uh anything that would create a

distance between what we thought and

what was

reality even at that point you were

helping me Liz you been helping me ever

since she was trying to teach me that if

we're on the same page we're going to be

able to go in the same direction but if

we're on different pages we are going to

ram our head into the wall time and time

again frustrated that we're not moving

in the same direction but we didn't have

a clarifying conversation she was

bringing Clarity into my life and as I

read the Bible I'm amazed at the clarity

that Jesus brought like it didn't matter

who asked the question you know if you

ask a question there's usually an answer

whether you like the answer or not is a

whole another deal but there's an answer

Jesus would get asked questions all the

time people would bring things to him

and he would just rapid fire you ask if

you don't want the truth don't come ask

me do you have a friend that you know if

you really don't want the hey does this

does this make me look like I ate at

Cheesecake Factory last night you know

those friends you don't want to ask that

question cuz they're going to keep it a

buck with you that's exactly what Jesus

did he didn't hold anything back he told

the truth 24/7 and one day there were

some Pharisees these religious people

who knew how to throw scripture at you

but didn't know how to apply it to their

own life these Pharisees they was

talking they Jesus was in a crowd had

heard some of the things he was talking

and they they schemed up like hey yo I'm

F to get Jesus he's not going to be

ready for this we're going to humiliate

him it's going to be great one of the

Pharisees goes up to Jesus and says hey

yo Jesus

what is the greatest

commandment thinking that he got him

like got him what I stumped him watch

this just for Jesus without

hesitation he said love God love people

Matthew chap

22: 37-40 read the highlighted Parts

with me this is literally what Jesus

said Jesus said to him you must love the

Lord your God with all your heart with

all your soul and with all your mind

this is the first and the greatest of

laws the second is like it you must love

your neighbor as you love yourself all

the laws and the writings of the early

preachers depended on these two most

important

laws Jesus when he gave that answer that

was so

controversial at the time especially to

those Pharisees again everything was God

God God that there was no reality there

was no fruit of the relationship with

God that they had had again they were

slapping people with God's word rather

than loving people through God's word

and and so whenever Jesus stepped in and

he said this it was controversial

because this is what happened he

connected loving God and loving people

as one

principle but he put it in order and

anytime you read something in the Bible

activate you activate in turns you've

learned this order

matters order matter the the law of

first mention order matters I love God

and then I'm able to love people when I

love God first I can love people

right if I don't love God first I'm not

going to be able to love people properly

my love for God produces an Obedience of

me obeying God that then translates to

me being able to love to love people so

what are we we're people who love for

Christ followers that's what we do it

doesn't matter who you are it doesn't

matter if I know you or not if your

family or not my skin color or not we

went to the same school or not you're a

Redskins

fan or not I we can give love even to

our enemies we can give love go Cowboys

we can give love to anybody and so

here's what I want to do today I want to

talk real quick about three quick things

about this idea this word of love and

here here's the thing love is something

that is so common it's a common word

that you and I use but I would liken it

this way Liz and I have been married

since 2018 it's been the best years of

her life

and and there's some things that we are

able to talk about marriage but I would

be ignorant to say that I know

everything about being a husband you and

I maybe there's some that we know about

love have experienced about love have

learned about love but none of us are

experts on this thing and so let's talk

about what does the Bible have to say

about this thing of love and maybe find

other ways that we can begin to apply it

to people in our life the first thing

that we need to realize is this God is

love I know it's super deep but but

here's the thing it's it's it's not it's

not a big thought but it has big

meaning God is love

and because God is the one who came up

with the idea of Love he's the one that

gets to Define what love is because he

designed it he gets to be the one to

Define it listen now we have two kids

Malachi Santiago Thomas and tiia Sage

Thomas now you might encounter them you

might interact with them maybe you give

them a nickname and it's fun and it's

all smiles but that does not mean that

their name has changed just because you

call it that does not mean that now

everything about that has changed the

ones who made them are the ones who had

the authority in order to name them God

said I I'm the one that made love so I'm

the one that is able to now Define what

love is First John chapter 4:8 the Bible

says this those who do not love do not

know God why because God is

love and if I don't love God properly I

will never be able to love people

properly there's a book that we read in

I have read in

activate one of the things that it talks

about in this book is my relationship

this way dictates how well relationships

here go the better my relationship is

with God the better my relationship is

with my wife the better my relationship

is with God the better my relationship

is with my kids with my friends with

co-workers with

strangers but it starts with first being

connected with God if I don't have a

good connection

vertically I probably won't be able to

have a good connection horizontally I

might get it right sometimes I might

accidentally slip and mess it up I might

have some good things going for me but

there won't be the consistency of the

this true word of love that God birthed

that God gave we have to make sure that

God is the priority in the focal point

and once I love him I'm able to love

people well God is love and then the

second thing is this Jesus embodied love

it was fully who he was he was perfect

in every way including including how he

loved people how was he how is is he so

perfect well because he loved God

fully not partially like I love you so

much God I'm going to do what you say I

love you so much God that I'm going to

put your ways in front of my ways I love

you so much I'm going to obey your word

God or Jesus loved God so fully that he

was able to love people so fully not

holding anything back not holding tip

toing into the water but complete

kamakazi throw it in there that's the

kind of love that Jesus gave he sat with

people that others

ignored his love wasn't just for the

popular he didn't just sit at that lunch

table he wasn't piled around that

cubicle at work he wanted everybody to

feel apart and connected he listened to

those that Society rejected he knew that

your story is one of the most valuable

things that you have your experiences

your perspective on what has happened he

says I want to listen I will humble

myself I have all the answers but I want

to hear your heart yes I can fix it but

I want to hear what it is not just that

you want but what are you needing let me

listen to you he walked with

outcasts completely Not Afraid in order

to get somebody else's reputation on him

because he knew I'm going to treat you

better than you've ever been treated so

get around me

it didn't matter the tax collectors of

that day they were considered outcasts

he hung out with them the Bible said he

hung out with drunks didn't matter let

me get with them that he hung out with

Sinners that's

everybody but the Bible says he hung out

with them too a perfect God wanting to

show love and he did so not by finding

Perfect People but by finding people who

mess up but need his love who need his

help that's John John 15: 13 the Bible

says this no one has greater love I love

this translation nor stronger commitment

than to lay down his life for his

friends yeah Jesus sat with people and

he listened to people and he walked with

people but he also died for people and

his sacrifice of his life was done not

for celebration but was done out of love

it was a love offering it was a love

sacrifice that my heart to yours this is

the best way that I can love you and

nobody could even begin to love you in

this kind of a manner that is what Jesus

did and I love in that translation how

it said no no one has greater love nor

stronger

commitment because that's exactly what

love is it's a commitment it's a choice

you know how we commit to go to the

gym but don't love

it I commit to be on a

diet until it's no longer

convenient love is not a matter of

convenience it's not a matter of if it

feels good it's a decision that I make

I'm committed to this thing fully um I

love saying this whenever we're at the

blend and we're talking with students

because the facial reactions I get is

crazy I think you might be able to

relate with this if if you're married

maybe this has happened to you there's

been multiple times remember I said my

wife is a

thug been multiple times my wife and I

have had alternative

perspectives to how we want to handle

something or do something and my wife

will come to me and she says Caleb I

love you but I don't like you right

now what you mean you love me but you

don't like me right now like I'm me

she said that's exactly why I don't she

said I I love you but I don't like you

right now again she taught me another

lesson I don't have to want to love it's

my

decision my likes my preferences they

change circumstantially depending on who

I'm with depending on what we're doing

my likes might change but my commitments

keep me grounded that no matter what it

is Happ happens it keeps me grounded it

keeps me rooted that no matter what

happens it's me and you girl it doesn't

make a difference there is a commitment

here called love Jesus made a commitment

not to like us to love us to do even

more to go above and beyond not just

because it's comfortable not like me

because oh good you showed up in church

but hey if you don't read your Bible

every single day now ah I'm about to get

you that that's not what it was he said

I have a love for you that you can't

earn you can't deserve it you can just

Embrace this love my dad used to tell me

growing up Caleb there is nothing you

can do that will make me not love you

there are things you can do that will

take the blessings of relationship away

if you lie to me don't ask me for money

you lie to me give me those truck keys

if you lie to me there will be

consequences but even inside of that I'm

doing it all out of love a love that

celebrates and a love that redirects

that's what Jesus here was talking about

his love wasn't based on convenience it

was a commitment and if I could say it

this way his love was a Tik Tock

tutorial on what we should be doing this

year you ever gone on Tik Tok and you

said how to clean something how to get

this stain off of this shirt how to put

together a Murphy bed from Ikea that

your wife bought before you go out of

town no that was just my life my

bad I I tick talk things my wife Tick

Tock things in order to learn not just

to have things on paper but to have a

visual example show me the steps show me

the process that's exactly what we get

as we look at Jesus's life the exact

example follow his steps and you'll get

these results God is

love Jesus embodied love and now you and

I we get to join in the party we get to

show

love I'm so glad that you and I have a

seat at the table you and I have a spot

on the team we don't have to just watch

from the sidelines and be byst standards

and celebrate what has happened Jesus

said no I want you to put on a jersey

let's go let's get you dirty let's get

you invested into this game Let's

partner together how do I do that by

showing others love loving people is a

byproduct of my love and obedience for

god that's literally what the Bible says

in John chap

13:35 the Bible says this your love for

one another will prove to the world that

you are my

disciples that you were my disciple that

you were that is disciplined in doing

things my way that my love for him puts

me under submission to him to be able to

do things his way and then we're able to

get his

results my perspective and ideas for

marriage what it looks like to repent to

your spouse what it looks like to repent

to your kid

what it looks like to love freely and

openly what it means to be a man and to

protect and to be there but also to be a

man that'll roll around on the ground

and act Goofy and silly that perspective

of mine came from my dad I he is the

starting point for what it means to me

to be a husband and to be a father cuz

that was the example that I had and then

from there as he said Caleb I'm still

learning some things he's still teaching

me things and as we pursue Christ

together we're continuing to learn more

and more things Paul the quarterback of

Christianity who wrote 2third of the New

Testament he said hey guys I know I've

written a whole lot of things but please

don't get it twisted these aren't my

ideas I'm not the starting point he

actually said it this way follow me as I

follow Christ I'm not the one setting

the example I'm just following the

example and so join me on following what

Jesus is

like in doing that here's how he said

you and I are able to show love some

ways that we can do this 1 Corinthians

13 starts listing some different things

out love is

patient not just able to wait but it's

the posture of my heart while I'm

waiting love is kind love celebrates

others love is humble love respects

others it puts others First Love

controls

reactions

amen love forgives love values honesty

love handles believes hopes and endures

all

things Paul in writing that out was not

giving us a list of here's my top 10

things for you and I to do he said ' no

hey here's some things that Jesus has

modeled that if we're wanting to know

how do we love people well let's just

obey what Jesus has said these

attributes these things the Bible says

it is the kindness of the Lord that

draws men to repentance God's love his

heart of Engagement for people is the

thing that creates the transformation

our love for people when we partner with

God helps to transform our homes our

workplace our schools our jobs the

environment the culture that we're in

the cities that we're in the communities

that we are in so what do we do you and

I we partner with God to show love God

designed love Jesus fulfilled love and

we show

love but I have a question for you

whenever I ran off those lists of what

love is

did you hear one of those that you know

okay I need to work on that

one the reality is I probably need to

work on all of

them because maybe I've done an

accidentally good job in one area of my

life showing

patience but when I'm at the

drive-through of

Chick-fil-A and I got my mobile go

order I need that thing kick wa there's

always different rooms and areas for us

to grow grow which just shows me and it

reminds me that we can't achieve that

kind of love on our own it is above our

pay grade just like Pastor Scott said we

know what we need to change we know what

we need to do but we have no capacity to

reach that level on our

own we do have the capacity it's just

not in us it's actually in Christ it's

in Jesus

in school as Pastor Scott said and one

of my professors his name is uh Pastor

Mark Batterson he's out of Washington DC

he said this last semester and it was

one of the most convicting things I've

ever heard I I wish I could unhear it

and I'm grateful that I

can't here's what he said it's easy to

act like a Christian it's hard to react

like a

Christian here is what I feel when I'm

reading these verses when it Comes to

Love if I love people without

Jesus I might be able to put on a good

face but as soon as the tables turn or

as soon as Life Starts lifing it goes

away but my relationship with Jesus

changes me watch from the inside out so

now it's not just my actions now it's

also my re actions that's why the Bible

says we need to transform ourselves

daily there's more more growth there's

more love there's more obedience there's

more leaning to Jesus that I'm able to

have and when I do that then I'm able to

love people properly that and that's

really what Holy Spirit does he shows us

how to love Jesus by obeying Jesus

through those convictions and through

those affirmations have you ever done

something okay that I'll tell them

myself so you don't tell your business

you ever like got something said to you

maybe you saw something on social media

and boy you had something that the best

thought that has ever came across a

man's mind and you was like oh I got to

let them know so you get on your phone

and you like like back old old school T9

texting like you was going quick with it

like just going go go go going and you

went to hit sin and there was something

that

said hold on don't do

that they know where you go to church

don't do

that you deleted the text message you

did not send it and later on you were

proud of

yourself that is Holy Spirit celebrating

you encouraging you parting with you for

listening to that emergency break from

heaven and in the same way that I've

felt those feelings I've also felt his

Direction Caleb you blew it you were too

quick you were too harsh you didn't love

you didn't listen you you were hearing

them but you weren't listening to them

come on son you can do better it's an

encourage it's a correction to move me

forward not a correction to sit me down

that's what his love does and that's why

we need Holy Spirits John 14:15 says

John 14:15

this if you love me obey my

Commandments my obedience towards Jesus

it transforms every aspect of my life

including how I'm able to love others

everybody stand to your feet

God designed love so he gets the chance

to Define

love we have the example the epitome of

what love is through the lifestyle of

Jesus and God allows us to partner with

him in showing love for

people the way that they might not

experience from

others couple couple weeks ago at the

blend every Wednesday night 6th through

12th graders get there we have a great

time Shameless

plug at the blend couple weeks ago we

had a Y2K fit night year

2000 clothing night for those who might

not speak that

language at that night it was just to

have fun it had to do with the series

that we were in some talks that we that

we were in and it was a great time we

dressed up some looked a little bit too

good literally put the tape on the face

with the hat sideways and some of us

were Goofy and bought a grill on Amazon

just for fun and we was going all the

way it it was a great time but while I

was getting dressed that night and

trying to figure out what I wanted to

wear cuz I was

excited I reached in my drawer and I saw

a watch that was my grandfather's Pastor

Cindy's it's this watch right here and I

was like cool 2000's gold was in so let

me we it at like be it be fun a couple

years ago last year actually I took this

watch to a

jeweler because the watch wasn't working

when my grandfather passed away I was

honored to get some of his jewelry in

remembrance of him and I had never worn

it so this was going to be the first

time of me wearing it and so I took it

to the jeweler last year and I had asked

him hey I need to get the battery

changed on this and the Jeweler wow

that's a beautiful watch that's so cool

I haven't seen one like this before for

but the problem is they don't make

batteries like that

anymore so he says so do you want me to

I mean we can melt it and you could turn

it into something else or you can sell

it and if I sell it BR you can't change

the wash battery what you going to do

with it so I was like trying to figure

out what was going on

here I decided to keep it I was like it

it has a value to me even though it

wasn't working there there was still a

value so I kept it couple weeks ago I

put it on to go to the blend that night

and as I'm worshiping that night I look

down my watch started

ticking I was so excited thank you for

sharing the excitement now let me let me

say it I'm not saying Jesus resurrected

my

watch I'm not saying he can't I'm just

not saying he did that that's not what

happened I learned something about my

watch that night

this watch is an autowind

watch it runs off of

movement if it stays still it's not

going to tick and the time won't change

but as long as it feels a movement it

will continue to tell you the right time

that is just like our faith with Jesus

the more I Engage The more I work with

the more I put in action my relationship

with Jesus he will show me the right

time to love to encourage to speak truth

to celebrate he knows exactly what we

need exactly when we need it but we need

to make sure we're engaging in our faith

let's do that this week let's find a way

how can I grow my relationship and my

love for God knowing believing and

expecting that it's going to transform

my relationship with other people father

God we love you so much be Beyond

grateful for the example that you have

God thank you for being clear with us on

what real true love is Jesus your

example of love to where we're not

shooting from the hip trying to wonder

how we can love people the best you've

showed us how and God I thank you for

allowing us to partner with you in what

you're doing I pray that our

relationship with you grows and as we

continue to pursue you obey you love you

I pray that we're able to see the

byproduct of our relationships with

spouses friends colleagues workers other

classmates kids continue to grow in

Jesus name we pray amen we hope this

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blessed week