“Live in Love as Christ Also Loved Us”

“Live in Love as Christ Also Loved Us”

There is the command: Live in love as Christ loved us. What does that look like and how do we do it?.

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved. - Ephesians 2:4-5

How are we loved by Jesus?

Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” - John 15:9-17

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 8:37-39

    I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

We are loved beyond any other possible love.

But what are we to about the command: Live in love as Christ loved us. What does that look like and how do we do it?.

    In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he gives a list of  concrete actions that Paul suggests, and they all have their foundation in the love of God. Today we are called to  “Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph. 5:1-2, NRSV).

What does it mean to imitate God? Earlier in this passage, Paul gives a helpful list of actions to consider.  I like lists because I can check them off as I’ve completed them and it shows me where I need to do further work. I’ve compiled a list from the scripture and had it printed at the end of the bulletin. Let’s take a look at the list.

[ ] Get rid of lies. Christians are commanded to share the Good News. For our witness to be trustworthy, we need to get rid of the lies in our lives.  I hear you thinking, “But I don't lie.” Well, that's a lie According to a 2002 study conducted by the University of Massachusetts, 60% of adults can’t have a ten minute conversation without lying at least once. But even that number makes it sound better than it really is; those people in the study who did lie actually told an average of 3 lies during their brief chat. And I know you’re sitting there right now insisting you would be part of the 40% that didn’t lie. That’s what the liars in the study thought, too. When they watched the taped conversations back, they were shocked at how many fibs they had told.

So what do the scriptures say about lies?

Proverbs 12:22 “The LORD detests lying lips but he delights in people who are trustworthy. Psalms 34:13 “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.”
 And of course number 9 of the 10 commandments, “Thou Shalt Not bear false witness.” Revelations 21:8 tells the end of liars, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Being a liar is judged as harshly as murderers, perverts, and idolaters. Not good company to be in.

[ ] Speak the truth. Okay, here is the opposite side of the coin.

Alex Luckerman M.D. started in Psychology Today, “Imagine developing a reputation for tactful but complete honesty upon which others know they can always rely. What an invaluable resource you'd become! People who say they want to hear the truth but are in reality more interested in being praised will quickly learn either not to ask you for your views or that the value of hearing the truth, no matter how painful, is greater than keeping their egos protected because it affords them the opportunity to reflect and self-improve. Others often have a far more accurate perspective on our character flaws than we do. If we're genuinely interested in improving ourselves or our work, what we need from them isn't flattery; it's the truth.” and here are supporting scriptures:

Ephesians 6:14 “Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” John 4:24 “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and truth.” John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”

Here is one that I missed getting into the checklist … don’t be angry with me.

[ ] Be angry but don’t sin. Is it possible to be angry and not sin? The answer is “Of course it is.” Repeatedly we read of God’s anger in the Old Testament and it is impossible for God to sin. But can we, you and I, be angry without sinning? It is harder for us but if we have righteous anger … that is anger at the same thing that God is angry about … we can do it.

Moshe Ratson MBA, MS, LMFT believes that anger had many positive benefits

1. Anger is embedded in our primitive need to live and protect ourselves against aggression. Anger drives people to be extremely vigilant about threats and sharpens our focus.

2. When you experience physical and emotional distress, anger strongly motivates you to do something about it. As such, anger helps you cope with the stress by first discharging the tension in your body, and by doing so it calms your “nerves.” That’s why you may have an angry reaction and then feel calm afterward.

3. Anger protects what is ours, helping us feel in charge rather than helpless.

4. In day-to-day situations, anger serves as a positive force to motivate us to stand up for ourselves and creatively find solutions to the challenges we face.

5. If things are not the way they are supposed to be and need to change, anger propels us to do something and motivates us to find solutions to our problems.

6. Anger serves as an internal guidance system that indicates something is not quite right, that someone has treated us unjustly or unfairly. Anger helps communicate to others: “You’d better treat me fairly; otherwise, you’ll pay a high cost.”

7. Anger tries to eliminate whatever prevents us from realizing our desires. It energizes and pushes us to act in service of achieving our goals and working toward our ideals.

8. When we are angry, we often feel positive about our ability to change the situation, empowering us to take action and move from an undesirable position to a desirable one.

9. Anger serves as a social and personal value indicator and regulator. It is activated when our values are not in harmony with the situation we face.

10. Anger also strongly asserts our position and may lead to compliance by others. Anger drives us to respond to conflict in a way that helps us bargain to our advantage.

11. If anger is justified and the response is appropriate, usually the misunderstanding is corrected, leading to increased cooperation.

12. Anger may lead to better outcomes in business negotiations. While two parties negotiate, the negotiator who seems angrier may be in a better position to tilt the agreement in their favor.

13. Anger is a raw, “superficial” emotion that prevents (defends/blocks) you from feeling even more painful emotions.

14.  Anger provides insight into ourselves, as it is the layer of deeper issues that are most hidden. This is why it is important to trace the trail of anger and dig down to find and address its source.

15. Anger can make you a better person and can be a force of positive change. It provides insight into our faults and shortcomings.

16. Individuals willing to embrace uncomfortable emotions such as anger, rather than avoiding or repressing them, have greater emotional intelligence

However, we have to be careful to not make the anger personal … because then it becomes about us and sin can come in.

[ ] Don't go to bed angry or as some translations say, “Don’t let the sun set on your anger.” If you remember that the Jewish day begins at sundown, you will understand that this means to not carry your anger over to the following day.  The longer anger goes unresolved the more it begins to ferment. That is when it becomes a sin.

[ ] Quit stealing  This one should be so self evident that we don’t have to discuss it. However we humans tend to judge stealing in terms of the value of the item. Stealing a car is very bad … stealing a paperclip isn’t. Unfortunately God sees things in black and white. Either it is a theft or it isn’t. Remember the parable of the talents? A man gives him servants some cash and leaves for awhile. He comes back and asks for an accounting. Two have invested the money and earned more for the master. One hides it and only returns what was given to him. The master rewards the faithful ones and says, “because you were faithful with the little, I’ll trust you with more.” It works in reverse. If you can’t be trusted with the little, you’ll never be trusted with more.

[ ] Work hard  I’ve seen people who worked hard who never made headway. So, there is more to what Paul is saying than “putting your back into it.” Some people work as though they are running in place … it is all up and down motion … not forward motion. We must work, it is part of the curse of sin. Adam was told by God, “By the sweat of your brow, you will produce food to eat until you return to the ground.”

John Wesley had this to say about work, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” And that part about giving all you can leads right into the next item on the check list.

[ ] Share with those in need   Be sympathetic to the needs of others. I found over twenty places in the bible where God commands his people to take care of the widows, the orphans, and the foreigners. Jesus simply said to treat others as you want to be treated. Every day we are surrounded by those in need. Some need physical assistance and some need emotional support. Some need material things like a bag of groceries or a tank of gas. But what each of them needs is for you to share the love of God with them.

[ ] Speak only what is good   James 1:26 reads, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” Proverbs 16:28 “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” Okay, it is confession time for me. I’m a teaser. I do it without malice. However, sometimes it goes too far and I have really offended or hurt someone. I need to keep a tighter rein on my tongue. “If you can’t say something good about someone … don’t say anything!” is what I need to keep in mind.

[ ] Don't upset the Spirit. The Spirit of God is love. Anything that is not love grieves or saddens the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 16:14 “Let all that you do be done in love.”

[ ] Don't hurt anyone   There are so many ways to hurt a person. Physically, Emotionally, Socially, and all the other “lys”. The children song that says,

“O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do
O O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do.

And

O be careful little mouth what you say

Remember, sticks and stones may break my bones but hurtful words will stick with a person forever.

[ ] Get rid of bitterness.   Joanna Weaver, a Christian author wrote, “Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Bitterness is the watered down version of anger. We spoke earlier about being angry without sinning. Bitterness is anger deep in sin. Bitterness, like a virus, begins small but continues to grow if you don’t destroy it.

[ ] No hot tempers  James 1:19-20 “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

[ ] Stop Loud quarreling  Proverbs 15:18 “a hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.”  Be patient. Think, in a hundred years will it still be important who's right and who is wrong? If it won't be, the it's really not important now either.

[ ] No cursing  Okay, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” is the second of the ten commandments. Our words have power. Listen to what Jesus said in

Matthew 16:19, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free."

[ ] Get rid of hatred. (1 John 3:15) Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”  Proverbs 10:12 gives the cause and the cure, “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.”

[ ] Be kind.  Kindness is love dressed in work clothes. Kindness seems such a simple thing and yet it is the greatest example of the love of God at work in a person’s life.

[ ] Have sympathy.  Sympathy is the ability of understand the feelings of others. It is different from empathy and more useful. As an example, if you see a person caught in quicksand and have empathy, you would climb into the quicksand with him. However if you had sympathy, you would understand their distress and work to get them out of the quicksand.

[ ] Be Forgiving. “Forgive us our trespasses (sins) as we also forgive others.” As we forgive … in the same way we forgive … forgive us. God said, “I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember it no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34) And also, “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”) That is how He forgives; completely. That is what we are to strive for to forgive and never bring them back to our lips or minds.

[ ] Imitate the love God has shown you.  God loved us before we knew him. He loved us as we were … warts and all. (Romans 5:8) But loved us enough to not leave us there. He changed us, made us new again. ( 2 Corinthians 5:17) We are able to love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:10)

Here ends the lesson.