Defining Christlike Love (Part C)

Colossians chapter 1 and you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled. That's the process of propitiation that is the mercy seat of God. That is God finding a solution and we receiving the solution. We do not initiate with God. Any reconciliation any love God initiates, we either receive it or we don't.

This is cross-referenced with our pastor and teacher. Rick asked Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first John, please stay with us after today's message here. More information about cross-referenced specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, defining Christlike love is the title of Pastor Rick's message is teaching in first John chapter 4 today. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God and the father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of the father in truth in love.

That's what he says in truth and love ever note here to just read John three verse 18 my little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

According to the Scripture.

That's why the world doesn't have this they can get it without this Jesus Christ.

Maybe you been bullied by someone. Maybe you've been honestly wrong.

Do you think that justifies hatred in Christ. Now Christ, if I remember you said father forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. He was always ready to love. Do you think will the only ones that heard him say that, of course not you think those who crucified him. They were there close enough.

Of course they heard him. You think maybe they thought about it after God's word is a return void. When God spoke, and he knew would do something he knew would do something then a new new would do something down through the ages. So this love this agape love. Unlike the other laws it's not restricted to that which is popular. It's not restricted to brotherly love is not restricted to social law. For whatever other kind of love that goes beyond what the other loves are restricted by Leo. Love is a restricted love. It's a good love. I love to read the word of God. Philo but I love the God of the word agape you put those two together and you have a powerful alloy you have a strong alloy God is given these logs even arrow cirrhosis, fine. If you keep it in the context or out of the context of sin is nothing wrong with that Greek word, depending on how you use it.

He says in verse eight he who does not love does not know God, for God is love. If we have no spiritual and practical concern for others based on what God is said that our faith is questionable spirit of God is not abiding in us that should be terrifying to us and it also should be stabilizing any religious experience that fails to deepen our relationship with Christ is a counterfeit religious experience. If you have some years you know, singing the law even if you singing to the Lord. But you're not growing closer to him. You need to question what's going on. Do you agree with that or would you say no it's okay it's okay to sing songs to the Lord and not even care what is being said. So long as you feel good that would be crazy. Yes, God does love us just as we are, but he also loves us enough to not leave us as we are and to do something about it. He's got to inject this love, and it's got to be something that we sign off on that we received that we say yes. Amen. That's true. I wanted a W Torosian said the apostle John makes love for our fellow Christians to be the test of true faith. Ms. Wright that's what John is doing you say your Christian house. I love doing it gotten so used to hearing it you don't check it anymore.

Oh yeah I know I'm supposed to love. I know that but but what one kind irritated right now. Okay you think you get a pass from heaven about the other guy in English and give them one doing is treating you this way is hard this long thing is hard won't tell yourself it's worth it that we need summons a thin incentive do we not we do. God doesn't just say look I want you to work in following me in loving one another and in the end, you get nothing. He does not say that Satan does that Satan doesn't say it but he doesn't.

God says no.

I have an eternity for you. You going to need faith to lock into this and what you can't connect without that faith and that faith has within it is all the things it is true, it has love.

It has blood on it.

God's love. He says here in verse eight.

Otherwise, why would he ever bless anybody if God were in love, who could ever come up to his standards of holiness. I cannot say that I do not know how good I do know how I know how God blesses people on why he blesses them he can. He blesses them as a sovereign, he does it because he is love.

That's what he to lose weight with this one of the hardest words in the Bible to believe in the world with her so much sorrow and suffering throughout human history. How can you tell me God is love, got a look beyond the sorrow you have to look beyond the curse.

When Eve stumbled into sin and then Adam plunged into it as Eve was seduced Adam willfully when in God. Of course all beyond any eventually got them to see beyond it to winnow different.

We have to remind ourselves to see beyond whatever is comes our way.

Maybe you hit was something that just challenges your faith I got.

I thought you loved me at that you cared that you shield about me. I applied your word. Everything keeps falling apart.

The liens they haven't eaten me up and they've taken some big bites pulling ready to. I'm not trying anymore what maybe should try harder faster because it is not getting it anyway.

I don't know what I was saying. I get so insulted when people don't laugh at my funny jokes that leaving the church. Okay, back I'm back. So one of the hardest things again and yet if okay so God is love Depaul know that about Peter when Peter was being crucified upside down and you know God is love. When Paul was about to be beheaded and you know God was love. When John was being tortured and as an old man put on banished to an island that he did he know God was love. Of course they didn't want what power did God exert over these people in Scripture and in history so that they did not back down when faced with horrible things such as fire liens, crosses, stone rings suffering discouraging's wild beast and back down. They were taking them to the Coliseum and tying them to oppose the letting animals eat on them alive. They did not deny the Christ as their Lord. This is the abiding witness of the Holy Spirit. So when the Bible says God is love is me. It means business, you're going to have to get a better dictionary if you're using the world's definitions of love by using the Bible's definitions of love, you begin to see it illustrated stated and demonstrated in this illustrated in Abraham take now your son, your only son, and offer them up to me about offering. Now you tell me that Abraham love God when he said Isaac let's go corseted something must've been something else going on inside that man to do that I can't even put myself in that spot. And then of course is the Christ himself demonstrating his love for us, not waiting for us to be good. Romans five verses six and April when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. That would be us as there are no other type of people until God makes someone godly to the blood of Christ, and he continues that God demonstrates his love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. You know the prisoners as well. You are not good enough yet for salvation. You never going to be good enough. That's a lame excuse need to step up see the light and receive it. As Paul said, I saw the light when he was telling his testimony Christ sought, and he never stopped preaching verse nine. In this we love God barred me in this the love of God was manifested toward us that God has sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him. Again, God's love revealed by statement illustration and demonstration throughout the Scripture God is saying that and you can only harness it by faith. You cannot harness it otherwise or is it just becomes a story and many have done that to liberal theology is taken hold of Western civilization. Reducing it will, this is just a story didn't really happen. Sampson was not really someone who went through those things is just story they do that with everything Daniel really didn't go in the lion's den was delivered know these things are really they really happen and I I choose to agree with what Jesus said them. What someone who says Jesus didn't say for a number of reasons, but most importantly that internal witness of the Holy Spirit that speaks to me and says you are mine and backs up his word were so many infallible troop proofs so we have an eternal father and therefore the only begotten son is also eternal. We are created beings. He is not what we're discussing here in verse nine. This is the love of God manifested toward us that God sent his only begotten son into the world. This was not a prophet. It was not an angel. Satan has is religion that will pop up and say that they'll either say Willie was equal with they are no the Mormons in their you know don't receive him wrong. The Vatican, they love to say Mary's equal this blasphemy to say anybody is equal with the Christ any born any any human being is equal with the crisis straight out blasphemy to the Christian now we are going to come across people who believe that were not to hate them for. We also not to tolerate such nonsense in our hearts, one second, we don't yield to that we saddle believe that not only the Bible preaches that and I think it's a lie and I think it's a lie from hell and you might not like me for that. I'll still love you. Of course I have to, but it's not true. So the only begotten, begotten son emanating from God coming from God, we come from our parents course the virgin birth says God to man. He's coming as a man, but he's coming from me and I'm going to use a human being to pull it off. And that's exactly what he did and he began to preach to a chosen people in a chosen place at a chosen time according to the prophets.

It was all written down before he got here so know what to say I was in him.

The objections have been overruled, not sustained God's life. John 11 God is light. John 15 God's love John 48. God is spirit.

John John's Gospel, the others are drawn first John John's gospel chapter 424 God is faithful. First Corinthians 19 this faithfulness is not demonstrated by his saving us they could've let Daniel perish in the den and God would've been no less faithful to Daniel. After a few bites Daniel would've woke up in heaven will not have it yet, but he would've been righteous yields of this is nice this is nice are. I like it here. I don't want to go back there we might live through him. Two purposes are given for Christ's death on the cross here in John chapter 4, first John verses nine and 10 is where he gives it the first one is that we might live through him. Colossians 3 we have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge. According to the image of him who created him there.

We are the image of Christ. Christ likeness. That's what he is talking about to be like Christ, you know little kid wants to be like his dad or some other hero.

At some point we want to be like our hero ultimately is to Christ and God does not applaud. Incidentally, great talents is likeness that he applauds God is not looking for a great one. Hope you have the talent I could really use you is looking for us to be like Christ and he'll do the rest.

After that he has used talents because he gives them but that's not what he's looking for, we discover talents we really have little to do your someone who can tremendous artist second is draw things that others gather that the talent given to them. They then asked for that they have to develop it. Perhaps those who don't have it. I can prove it I can start singing for you and prove that sooner certain talents that are assigned in certain one.

Others are not. Matthew's gospel chapter 4 and he said to them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men see that we might live through him be fishers of men for him. Have you forgotten that verse is there anybody you don't raise your hand. But ask yourself you are you have you said I forgot about that. I'm supposed to be a fisher of men of souls are supposed to be like Christ. That's what he did. I have to go through Samaria and there he met the woman at the well and all village came to Christ if you waited for the races Jewish people. It's not anti-Semitic.

But there was racial issues between the Samarian's and the Jewish people, especially those of Jerusalem. If you waited for them to go take the message.

It never would've gotten there, that he might be a propitiation for our sins is the second reason that we might live through him that he might satisfy the holiness of God.

When looking at the unholiness of sinners verse 10 and this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be propitiation for our sins that were propitiation in the Greek is translated in Hebrews 95 as a mercy seat. That's the meaning I think the history the translators of done right that work. So what we have and that were living in a time where people are trying to take away some of our religious phrases. Some of them, maybe they couldn't give them up, but some of them are really good and propitiation is one of his satisfying God in the face of our sinfulness because it then tells the story how it happened. It takes us to Calvary. Colossians chapter 1 and you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled. That's the process of propitiation that is the mercy seat of God. That is God finding a solution and we receiving the solution. We do not initiate with God.

Any reconciliation any love God initiates, we either receive it or we don't. And the demands of his justice.

They must be satisfied in Christ is done it.

Romans four verse 25, who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification because we sinned, he died and so God says I've I would like to see some of that coming from you going to get to that in a moment in the blue Bible is God's word to man.

This is why we cross reference in the instrument bring other verses into it was a listen. This is what God says in case a little foggy on this. Here it is from another angle, this is what God is saying to man. It is not man making up things about God. It is God revealing his mind to us so we don't have to guess about so many things propitiation for our sins. God making us acceptable so that we can get into heaven and stay there propitiation means satisfaction by sacrifice is so much baked into that one word you can use another word, but you have to open it up. You could use one word in place of propitiation Calvary where he died. Why, who, when, how come, where, when, why, who all those important things. One of my beautiful passage of Scripture. Second Corinthians 5 to the end, but I just take verse 18. Now, all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and is given us the ministry of reconciliation. How many Christians don't have that. How many of us lose sight of the fact that we are supposed to bring solutions reconciliation that sound ministry. All of us when I'm frightened I was to point all ministry is frightening. If you sit down and think about it too long. There's always going to be objections. There's always going to be something to chase you away from stepping into the lion's den will then use cases stay true to the image he was tossed we are to be ministers of reconciliation and the last time you thought about that. We look for solutions in Christ, not outside of Christ. Sometimes there is none. Because the other side will not submit it's it's something very difficult when a person is says they're Christian and then nonresponsive to Scripture that just not going either just to shut you down and you say, do you know that this is opposite of what is being said.

They don't care council sessions over the nothing more. Anybody can do you you know you committed to God's character that propitiation for our sins is what he says entire plan was authored by God worked out on the cross and we come along we can receive it. Verse 11 beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another, shall we should but I'm not standing here telling you well. I am going to say this.

I know that God has allowed me love people and if I stood here said you know I felt so much in love. I'd be lying. And I'd be bad mouthing God because he has help me love people that I otherwise before before Christ and never would've love that even now I am not going to come up people who I think may have been done me wrong and I would feel in my flesh, justified in not loving. I can tell you the worst ones. I still have any hatred. I've love for them. I would love to find a way to reconcile things. I know that's usually not how it goes sometimes with most of the time. It does not. So I know Christian love is possible. I don't have to like a person but I have to love them and what's good for the pastors good for the person in the pew. You don't have to love me. I have to love you. That was made clear to me when I entered in the ministry.

Don't look for them the love you and the many have you been to love them, you know different. You have to love is not an option. If you going to be in Christ, you have to pursue this. It was not sentiment, the sentiment of Jesus Christ that saved us.

It was not Jesus agreeing with the principal and philosophy of love. It was him executing love as he was executed because of his love. Christlike character is not doing good but it's being like Christ, you catch that doing good is not enough being like Christ is what whereafter it been doing good is part of it only says if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. The secret of having love coming into us is to have love going out from us, that is a fact.

If you would be if if you would have a friend you have to be friendly. Love is supposed to stand in the way of hatred. We covered this earlier. It is supposed to interfere with hate with whenever possible.

Love the love of Christ is to interfere, it does it with truth and determination, and blood hate is trying to do the same thing but on the opposite side is trying to interfere with everything that is good and loving and fine if you think love is just a sentimental thing this agape love. You missed and you not going to get it when you we begin to understand it is a bloodier fair. Then we begin to enter into without suffering without loss. There is no serving Christ flat out if you are afraid to do something for Christ. That is more than likely him speaking in some way getting you ready maybe he's saying yeah you don't need to do this is a good fear or you saying keep going keep going.

I'm with you.

I've got this. Some people don't serve in the church is airfreight. That's not a reason to not serve this reason to get in is a person, but I might fail and everybody would see me yeah within a picture of you would posted on the Internet.

Tell everybody you failed Christ was the worst thing that can happen when a torrent spoon you be cranking around all over the place anyway want to close this up. I'm sure you you want me to close it up. Also if you want to serve Christ be ready be ready to be afraid, be ready to say I don't. I'm afraid this is not going to work and I'm going to suffer loss yet what I have to do. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22 and according to the law almost all things are purified with blood without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin's principle of our faith. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference cross reference is a ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you'd like to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference.com find a number of teachings from Pastor Rick available there. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast you subscribe will be notified of new editions of cross reference. Just search for cross reference iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast apps. You can also follow the links@crossreference.com. We're glad we were able to spend time with you today to the next time to continue learning from the book of first John pastor I hear cross-reference