October 30, 2011 Luke XVII: Love God
10.30.11
Luke 12:35-36
today is the last day
live every day like it is the last day
like Jesus returns today
That means obeying what Jesus commanded: What did he command?
Love God with everything you have.
Every action must be burning on the fuel of love for God.
if it seems good, it isn’t obedience to Jesus unless it is done out of love for God
Loving God changes your life because it changes every single thing you do
12:42-43
Jesus has given us a job to do.
We are to always be doing the job.
Your job is not to accomplish this or that.
Your job is to love God (in every action)
12:51
Jesus came to make enemies and those who follow him get new enemies as well.
If you do everything out of love for God,
people will separate from you.
We are not people pleasers.
We are God pleasers.
If your life and good deeds is doing what people like in order that they will like you, this is not the faith.
This is not love of God or obedience to Jesus.
13:22-25
many church people think that at the end they will be able to enter the door
think they are right with God
but they will be turned away
They are self-deceived.
You can call yourself Christian and go to church and look good to others
but if your way of life is self-absorption and world-absorption, doing what you want or think you must do to succeed in the world
if your way of life is not doing everything out of love for God,
then you do not belong to Christ.
If the fruit of the Spirit is love for God and a person does not have it or live out of it
then he does not have the Spirit.
we are told that if a person experiences God’s love for her, she will love God
if loving God is not your way of life
then you must consider the fact you are likely not a Christian
Jesus died on the cross to bring us forgiveness of sin (remove guilt)
but also to set us free from the power of sin and to give us his Spirit to give us love for God to motivate all actions
a Christians who finds sin in his life
(and we will! some us need to find more because we don’t see our sin)
it is an interruption of his way of life
must repent and return to the way
those saying they are Christians
way fall into sin but if they live in it as a way of life
then they are not Christians
14:7-11 (not literal advice, parable)
To do good in order to be honored and praised by others is not love.
Do good by humbling yourself
and doing what God wants out of love for him.
Seeking praise from God alone.
14:12-14
To do good in order to receive back from other people is not love.
Do good out of love for God
to those who don’t reward you
and accept as your only reward salvation.
14:15-24
Many people who are living ordinary lives and doing decent and respectable things,
Even good deeds,
are distracted from God and his invitation to salvation and to live out of love for him.
14:25-27, 33
how do you go from being part of the crowd to being a disciple?
not simply about seeking forgiveness
we must “give up everything” to commit to Jesus.
What does this mean?
you no longer do anything because you want it
you are committed do things only out of love for God
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