Life As It Was Meant To Be

Part 3: Love As It Was Meant To Be

Louie Marsh, 6-22-2021

The Critical Command:

 LIVE a Life WORTHY of God!

 

“12we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:12, ESV)

 

“4but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4, ESV)

 By saying they are approved Paul seems to be saying he’s living worthy – but how is this possible??

 “10so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” (Colossians 1:10, ESV)

 

As you can see this is a common command in the Bible!

 

Worthy - “the measure or weight that balances the scale.”

 

Imagine a big scale, on the one side is everything God has done and is – Christ’s death on the cross, His Grace, Love, forgiveness, etc.  Now what about my end??  How is it possible to do this ??? By getting to the heart of the command!

 

• What is at the heart of this command? –

 

37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”” (Matthew 22:37–40, ESV)

 

Love is the heart of the Christian life and is the only way I can even come close to living worthy of God! All the Scriptures hang on this!

 

“1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1–2, ESV)

 

Without love it doesn’t matter what else you do – LOVE is the only way to live like God wants you too – so let’s look at how we can love like God wants us too.

 

Four Steps In Living Worthy of God:

 

1) LOOK to Christ as my source of love.

 

“1For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.” (1 Thessalonians 2:1–2, ESV)

 

Paul had a rough time in Phillippi – he was persecuted, jailed, and eventually ran out of town! What did he do?  Take time off to heal his wounded spirit, get depressed because he was over stressed?

Nope! He took right off, went over the mountains to Thessalonica to preach the Gospel there!!

How did he do that??

 

“13I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, ESV)

 

Paul looked to Christ as the source of His love!!  He didn’t depend on love from others to keep him going – although it doesn’t hurt either!!  But bottom line for Paul – Christ was his source of the love that matters!

 

This Means:

• I don’t BROOD over past suffering.
  
  
• I don’t HARDEN MY HEART to protect myself.
  
  
• I don’t RELY on people’s love & acceptance to keep going.

 

2) MAKE God be my audience of one.

 

“4but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel…6Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4, 6, ESV)

 

“10For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10, ESV)

 

• I must live to PLEASE God alone!

 

We’ve talked a lot about this – but it’s so important – if you live for an Audience of one – your life will be so much more peaceful and happy!

 

• This frees me from being a PEOPLE PLEASER.

 

Here’s the truth – remember this – YOU CAN’T REALLY LOVE PEOPLE AS LONG AS WE NEED THEM!!  The truth is when a lot of us say I love you what we really mean is I need you!!  That needy, clinging, controlling, confining spirit so many people think of as love isn’t!!

          Once I’m free of need, I’m really free to give myself to others!

 

• It allows me to have REAL, HEALTHY relationships.

 

Now I relate to you on a healthy basis – not on the basis of what you do for me or what I do for you!

 

3) LIBERATE myself from impure motives.

 

5For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. (1 Thessalonians 2:5, ESV)

 

To do this I must…

• LIVE by the standards in God’s word.

 

You DON’T use your standards – they will either be too high or low, and you DON’T go by your feelings!!

 

• LISTEN to others who are wise and mature.

 

People can help you – and often see things about yourself you can’t!

 

• RELY on God’s help!

 

DO NOT try and do this yourself – you will go crazy!!  Why did I think that, what were my motives, and why am I asking why?  AHHHHHHH!!!!

 

“23Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23–24, ESV)

 

grievous way = way of an idol.

 

“39then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),” (1 Kings 8:39, ESV)

 

Only God knows your heart – so go to Him!!

 

“11For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:11, ESV)

 

4) LEARN to give my soul to others in Christ.

 

“7But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”…“11For you know how, like a father with his children, 12we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8,11–12, ESV)

 

The word for self or lives here is the word Psyche, soul!  Real love is giving the deepest part of you to others.

 

This Requires:

 

• A personal and long lasting COMMITMENT to others.
  
  
• The willingness to be OPEN to others.
  
  

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