momentum

momentummoved by love

Theme:Heart momentum moved by love

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momentum

growing loveSermon: Growing loveDate:7 July 2013 morning servicePreacher:Pastor Francois van NiekerkIntroductionWe have spoken much about the wonderful love of God. I believe with you that we will all grow in His love, and especially, that we will see more and more godly change in the lives of those around us by this same love flowing through us.The Apostle Paul penned a powerful and anointed prayer along these lines:

2Philippians 1:9-10 (MSG) And this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush.

The Apostle Paul penned a powerful and anointed prayer along these lines:So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lovers life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.Philippians 1:9-11 (MSG)Lets unpack this powerful prayer and trust that it will become effective in our lives.

3Philippians 1:11 (MSG) Live a lovers life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

EVER INCREASING LOVE

momentumMain pointsEver-increasing loveIs it possible to increase in love? Yes, it is! This is exactly what Paul prays for.Gods love is unlimited in nature. It is alive and growing.To keep increasing in godly love, we must keep receiving Gods love on a personal level. We should consciously ask and receive His love at every opportunity that we have in spending time with God or praying.Lets make this a daily action, so that we may abound, flourish and overflow with Gods love.

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I pray together with Paul that you will experience Gods ever-increasing love in your life!

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momentumWise LoveWise loveHow do we love well?

7WE LOVE WELLby loving wisely

momentumWe love well by loving wisely.So where does this wisdom come from? Gods love is inherently wise, and makes us wise:But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.James 3:17 (NIV)Paul prays for us to become wise in and through the love of God.This is not only about quantity (loving much), but also about quality (loving well).Love appropriately. For this, we need to grow in understanding and gain depth of insight. Loving inappropriately is to love what God hates or to base our love on feelings or human judgment.Jesus is our example. His actions were not based on the pressure of needs but on the wisdom of love.Use your head and test your feelings. Remember that Gods love is not primarily based on feelings or on the knowledge provided by our five senses. It is based in obedience to the lordship of Jesus in other words, we direct the love He gives wherever and however He wants (according to His will) under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.This leads to what I call mature love.

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momentumMature loveFOR CHRIST GUIDED BY CHRIST3. Mature love for Christ and guided by ChristThe Message translation describes it beautifully. It calls it a lovers life and uses the following words to explain:

9A LOVERS LIFE

momentumsincere pure & simple in motive

intelligent not sentimental circumspect think before doing

exemplary set a standard Sincere pure and simple in motive, not for personal gain.Intelligent not sentimental but discerning by the Spirit what really matters.Circumspect thinking carefully before doing or saying anything, careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences.Exemplary setting a standard by the way you love.Mature love is all about loving the way Christ does all for Him.

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Such a wise lovers life makes Jesus proud and wins the prize!

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FRUITFUL LIFE

momentum4. Fruitful lifeUltimately, this lovers life is about causing people to see the beauty of Jesus through us and drawing them to Him. This should be the ultimate fruit of our lives our offering to God.As The Message puts it, bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

12=Loving wellLiving wellLifeFruitful=Glory & Praise of GOD

momentumIt can be summarised like this: Loving well is living well = fruitful life = glory and praise to GodApplicationJoin me today in devoting your life anew to love others with Gods love, to love like God loves and to make the beauty of Jesus known.Ultimately God is glorified when people see His love in action through our lifestyle. This is what we live for that God will be glorified through our lives!Prayer: I pray that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well.That you will love appropriately, using your head and testing your feelings.That your love will be sincere and intelligent not based on sentiment.I pray for you to live a lovers life, circumspect and exemplary that Jesus will be proud of the way you live.I pray for bountiful fruits from your soul that will make Jesus Christ attractive to all, and getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. Amen.

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