Pray for our Youth

The Essentials:

Real Love

We all have the same Basic Needs

- To be known fully- Acceptance- Approval- To know we matter

Problem:The moment we approach

Relationships looking to haveThese legit needs met

The relationship is destined to Be unhealthy (and a train-

wreck)

So we have real needsThat God has placed within us

And when we seek to Have them met by another Person, it causes problems

Fill in the blank:

Christians should be - like

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Christians should beC - like

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Christians should beCh - like

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Christians should beChr - like

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way

in which he walked- 1 John 2:6

…be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us- Eph. 5:1-2

Love is an action wordIt is seeking the best interests

Of another person

Biblical love never needsTo be earned or repaid and

It will cost us to show it

When God is primaryWe find our greatest needs met

And are free to love othersWith the love he's shown us

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this

body of death?

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men- Romans 5:18

Why do I have to payFor Adam's sin?

Why do I have to payFor Adam's sin?

Sin is rebellion. Every evil thingIn this world comes from sin

Why do I have to payFor Adam's sin?

My very life showsI'm not pure and clean

I'm culpable

Sin is rebellionGod's judgment is on sin

There is…condemnationKatokrima- The exact sentenceHanded down after due processAnd a guilty verdict

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men- Romans 5:18

Wretched man that I am!

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

Gospel:

Creation- God: Very goodFall- We rebel. Curse of sinRedemption- Christ dies for usRestoration- God begins to Restore what sin stole

No condemnationNot because I follow the Law

Not because of my Religious performance or

Morality or "better than Hitler"

For those…in Christ Jesus

God in his great love and mercyHas freed you from "Measuring up"

Before he would be willing to Love you

God's love compels himTo take away

Guilt and shameAt great cost to himself

So in your relationship with GodYou never have to measure upAnd you never have to feel

Like he's looking down on you

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death

The Great Exchange

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin…

…he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous

requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not

according to the flesh but according to the Spirit

In your relationship with GodHe took the penalty

For your disobedience and Replaced earning his love with

The freedom to receive His love(At great personal cost)

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit

Law leads to death becauseWe're never good enough

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind

on the Spirit is life and peace

Trying to earn love is death

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind

on the Spirit is life and peace

Trying to earn loveFeeling like you Have to measure up

Is death

There's never any peaceAt any moment, if I'm not

Good enoughI may lose the relationship

God loves you too much to let You live like that. It's death

The mind set on the SpiritFrees you from condemnation- Even when it's deserved –

Brings life and peace

Vs. 12…So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh

We owe more than we couldEver hope to repay

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the

Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,

you will live

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,

but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom

we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Living "in the flesh"Is slavery

Romans 7

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with

punishment. The one who fears is not made

perfect in love- 1 John 4:18

When we have to measure upBe good enough andFear reprisal if we're not

We're slaves to fear Of punishment Of losing the relationshipThis is not from God

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs- heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…

God loves you so muchThat he makes you Family

Knowing you won't alwaysRespect or love him backAnd says, "Forever!"Perfect love= no fear

…provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be

glorified with him

We are debtors…I don't get to scream, "Unfair!"

…provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be

glorified with him

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us

God loves you so muchThat he redeems suffering

Gives perspective and hope

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words

And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the

Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints

according to the will of God

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be

conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might

be the firstborn among many brothers

Predestined to be conformedto the image of Christ

Sýmmorphos- having the sameinner essence/identityShowing similar behavior fromhaving the same essential nature

God sees in youWhat you can become

And uses everythingTo bring it about as You seek him, esp. in hard times

Christ is being formed in you

Love God, Love PeopleLike Jesus

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified

Present tense or past tense?

The ruling of condemnationIs replaced with justification

In his love, God has said,"You can't lose with me.No. Matter. What."

God's love sets us freeTo become what he

Created us to be

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who

can be against us?

If the One who matters mostSays, "You're free"

Who can say, "No, you're not"?

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

God, why did you do this to me?God, how come I can't have…?

If he gave you his SonYou can trust that whatever you

Don't have now has a purposeBeyond your immediate desire

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is

God who justifies

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us

God sets you freeFrom the lies (and truths)

Of the EnemyThe Accuser of the Brethren

The charge is dismissedEven if true!

The moment it is broughtThe enemy is laughed out of court

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation,

or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or

danger, or sword?

As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through

him who loved us

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come

…nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all

creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

- Romans 8

Problem:The moment we approach

Relationships looking to haveOur needs met

The relationship is destined to Be unhealthy (and a train-

wreck)

In Jesus, you haveEvery need met

Love, acceptance, approvalBeing known, we matterTakes away fear, earning, losing

So instead of approachingRelationships looking to

Have our needs metWe consider how God's love

Might be shown through us

Predestined to be conformedto the image of Christ

Sýmmorphos- having the sameinner essence/identityShowing similar behavior fromhaving the same essential nature

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way

in which he walked- 1 John 2:6

…be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us- Eph. 5:1-2

…put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true

righteousness and holiness- Eph. 4

Relationships can get twisted up:

- I'm not getting what I need- When you start acting right, then I'll be nice to you…- Co-dependent

In all of these and moreIt's about what I need or I want

From the other person

When the One who Matters most

Has already met my needsI'm free to focus on imitating him Rather than trying to get mine

When a believer approachesRelationships looking to

Get their needs met or bolt

They are saying that JesusIsn't the One who matters most

In their life

Keep your heart with all vigilance

Ponder the path of your feet

In your relationship with GodYou never have to measure upAnd you never have to feel

Like he's looking down on you

Can you say the same thing?

Trying to earn loveFeeling like you

Have to measure up

Is death

It will kill your relationships

God loves you so muchThat he makes you Family

Knowing you won't alwaysRespect or love him backAnd says, "Forever!"Perfect love= no fear

Are you loving conditionally?Or creating a "no fear"

relationship?

Only one of theseMirrors Christ's love for you

God loves you so muchThat he redeems suffering

Gives perspective and hope

Rather than "fixing it"Do you point to Jesus and hope?

God sees in youWhat you can become

And uses everythingTo bring it about as youSeek him in hard times

Do you encourage them toDiscover and become what GodCreated them to be?

Or try to get them to becomeWhat you want for them?

In his love, God has said,"You can't lose with me.

No. Matter. What."

Does your Covenant Relationship reflect this reality?

God sets you freeFrom the lies (and truths)

Of the EnemyThe Accuser of the Brethren

Do you allow others to speakNegative and critical things

About the people you love?

Or do you stop themIn their tracks?

Pray

Questions, CommentsDisagreements

Early Service Opportunity

Pray for Phil CalhounYazidi in Kurdistan