Elev8 – Choosing to Love Right
Joy Story 2
Choosing to Love Right
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY
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Joy is a supernatural delight found:
In the person of God
In the purposes of God
In the people of God
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Relational Containers
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Relationship with God changes our perspective of our relationships with others.
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AT LAST!
Genesis 2:18-25
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.
He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.
So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening.
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.
“At last!” the man exclaimed.“This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’because she was taken from ‘man.’”
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.
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Genesis 2:23 ESV
Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
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Genesis 2:23 NKJV
And Adam said: This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
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Hebrew – the tapping of ones fingers while waiting in eager anticipation?
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If Adam anticipated Eve, he must have at very least desired not to be on his own. He must have had some kind of imaginations of the heart. He must have felt incomplete.
God made him perfect, his own imaginations made him feel he needed more. His perfection was the ability to have free will that could miraculously align to God’s will.
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Genesis 2:16-17
The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—
except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
The completion of creation was manifest in mankind’s ability to desire more, dream of more, create more… within the incredible boundaries of God’s will.
When God saw man could choose and desire and dream with HIM, He called His creation VERY GOOD.
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The co-existence of our will and God’s will is God’s ultimate dream (Purpose and worship)
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OBEDIENCE
We have come to know this concept in a fallen broken world as obedience. But in relationship with God true obedience is freedom of exploring our dreams and desires within the wonder of God’s dreams and desires.
Relational obedience: Ideating, dreaming and desiring WITH God. “AT LAST…”
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AT LAST – JOY
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Made in His image – He has a will – We have a will
The wonder of God’s Love is that he wants to accommodate our will. He wants to see us express it and meander with Him in eternal discovery always marveling at His abounding never ending will and dreams for us. “AT LAST…”
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Ephesians 5:21
…submitting to one another in the fear of God.
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Love is discovering how our dreams and desires can co-exist with one another (just as He desired Adams to coexist with His) and then the ultimate expression of love is entwining our “free will” with His.
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Maximizing Our Relationship Potential
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Free Will Love is Complex
Free will love is deep and messy and crazy and confusing and peaceful and unsettling and warm and fuzzy all at the same time…
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Just like God has different names through scripture, so does love.
Provider – Jireh
Heals – Rapha…
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Love manifests in scripture according to the need. (Relational)
Not what we can get but what we can give…
Storge – empathy bond.
Philia – friend bond.
Eros – romantic love.
Agape – unconditional “God” love.
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JESUS WILL
God sends Jesus to demonstrate His will, His desire to entwine His will and ours…
Jesus then lives a life showing us HOW to present the right facet of love in the right moment. Love to others and love to God!
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LOVING RIGHT IS LOVING LIKE JESUS
Loving like Jesus stirs our desires and dreams, mingles them with others dreams and desires, all in the wonder of God’s Will (Love)
There’s so much pain and hurt in the world, sometimes it’s hard to see anything else. But what if, when we looked around, all we saw was love
DIVINE OSMOSIS = GRACE
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1. FORGIVES SINNERS
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
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Luke 23:32-34
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with [Jesus] to be executed.
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
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HOW DO YOU FORGIVE LIKE JESUS?
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PRAY FOR THOSE WHO HURT YOU.
Luke 6:28 NLT
Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.
Matthew 5:43-44
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
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FORGIVE AS YOU’VE BEEN FORGIVEN.
Colossians 3:13
…Forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
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2. SERVE ONE ANOTHER
John 13:1-2
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.
Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
John 13:4-5
So [Jesus] got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
John 13:1
…Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Serve when we are feeling good, when those who hurt us are busy planning to hurt us again, when we are feeling anxious, when we are at our weak moments, serve whenever…
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3. SPEND TIME TOGETHER
Like marriage like church
Cool of the evening
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Luke 7:34
The Son of Man came eating and drinking…
Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
All the believers were together and had everything in common.
They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
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SPEND TIME WITH…
Those who agree
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Friends, family, wife, husband – take them for granted
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Those who don’t agree…
Acts 2:46-47
…They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Prosperity and growth in relationships comes from fellowship not from providing or material means.
Witness and testimony
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Personal Testimony