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 have These legit needs met The relationship is destined to Be unhealthy (and a train-wreck)

So we have real needs That 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

Fill in the blank: Christians should be C - like

Fill in the blank: Christians should be Ch - like

Fill in the blank: Christians should be Chr - 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 word It is seeking the best interests Of another person Biblical love never needs To be earned or repaid and It will cost us to show it

When God is primary We find our greatest needs met And are free to love others With 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 pay For Adam's sin?

Why do I have to pay For Adam's sin? Sin is rebellion. Every evil thing In this world comes from sin

Why do I have to pay For Adam's sin? My very life shows I'm not pure and clean I'm culpable

Sin is rebellion God's judgment is on sin There is…condemnation Katokrima- The exact sentence Handed down after due process And 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 good Fall- We rebel. Curse of sin Redemption- Christ dies for us Restoration- God begins to Restore what sin stole

No condemnation Not 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 mercy Has freed you from "Measuring up" Before he would be willing to Love you

God's love compels him To take away Guilt and shame At great cost to himself

So in your relationship with God You never have to measure up And 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 God He 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 because We'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 love Feeling like you Have to measure up Is death

There's never any peace At any moment, if I'm not Good enough I may lose the relationship God loves you too much to let You live like that. It's death

The mind set on the Spirit Frees 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 could Ever 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 up Be good enough and Fear reprisal if we're not We're slaves to fear Of punishment Of losing the relationship This 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 much That he makes you Family Knowing you won't always Respect or love him back And 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 much That 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 conformed to the image of Christ Sýmmorphos- having the same inner essence/identity Showing similar behavior from having the same essential nature

God sees in you What you can become And uses everything To bring it about as You seek him, esp. in hard times

Christ is being formed in you Love God, Love People Like 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 condemnation Is replaced with justification In his love, God has said, "You can't lose with me. No. Matter. What."

God's love sets us free To 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 most Says, "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 Son You can trust that whatever you Don't have now has a purpose Beyond 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 free From the lies (and truths) Of the Enemy The Accuser of the Brethren

The charge is dismissed Even if true! The moment it is brought The 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 have Our needs met The relationship is destined to Be unhealthy (and a train-wreck)

In Jesus, you have Every need met Love, acceptance, approval Being known, we matter Takes away fear, earning, losing

So instead of approaching Relationships looking to Have our needs met We consider how God's love Might be shown through us

Predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ Sýmmorphos- having the same inner essence/identity Showing similar behavior from having 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 more It's about what I need or I want From the other person

When the One who Matters most Has already met my needs I'm free to focus on imitating him Rather than trying to get mine

When a believer approaches Relationships looking to Get their needs met or bolt They are saying that Jesus Isn'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 God You never have to measure up And you never have to feel Like he's looking down on you Can you say the same thing?

Trying to earn love Feeling like you Have to measure up Is death It will kill your relationships

God loves you so much That he makes you Family Knowing you won't always Respect or love him back And says, "Forever!" Perfect love= no fear

Are you loving conditionally? Or creating a "no fear" relationship? Only one of these Mirrors Christ's love for you

God loves you so much That he redeems suffering Gives perspective and hope Rather than "fixing it" Do you point to Jesus and hope?

God sees in you What you can become And uses everything To bring it about as you Seek him in hard times

Do you encourage them to Discover and become what God Created them to be? Or try to get them to become What 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 free From the lies (and truths) Of the Enemy The Accuser of the Brethren

Do you allow others to speak Negative and critical things About the people you love? Or do you stop them In their tracks?

Pray Questions, Comments Disagreements

Early Service Opportunity

Pray for Phil Calhoun Yazidi in Kurdistan