Linden Road Church
Love God Love People: Why is Love Difficult?
Worship Gathering
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http://live.linderoad.church
Sunday 9:00 AM
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The word “tithe” literally means tenth or 10%. Tithing, or giving ten percent of your income, isn’t merely giving something to God. It’s giving back what was his to begin with. All that we have, or hope to have, comes from him. The Bible says that tithing is a reminder that God is the supplier of everything. It teaches us to always put God first in our lives. You may text to give – or use this link for our secure online portal TEXT TO GIVE: 419-370-3877
https://giving.parishsoft.com/App/Giving/lrpcLove God Love People: Why is Love Difficult?
The antidote to our problem is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and be intentional about loving God and loving others.
He did this because He loved the entire world.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:1-3
We have desires that compete with the world around us.
Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.”
Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.
And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door;
it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Genesis 4:1-9
These desires inside of us are powerful. So powerful in fact, that sometimes, we do things we’re not proud of.
These types of stories aren’t unique. Many of us struggle with the difficulty of relationships and the call to love others.
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Genesis 4:7
Sin is always at our proverbial doorstep, and it wants to “have” us… but, we must master it.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. “The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit…” Galatians 5:16-17
What are some examples of this sinful nature?
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:22-26
It’s a humbling thing to admit…
▪you’re difficult to love.
▪difficulty in loving others.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:7-10
We must learn to humble ourselves before God.
Submitting ourselves to Him and being obedient are ways we express our love and affection. Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15
If we “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10
Take some time to take inventory of your relationships and attitude this coming week.
Do you see evidence in your life of the Holy Spirit?
The antidote to our problem is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and be intentional about loving God and loving others.
He did this because He loved the entire world.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:1-3
We have desires that compete with the world around us.
Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.”
Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.
And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door;
it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Genesis 4:1-9
These desires inside of us are powerful. So powerful in fact, that sometimes, we do things we’re not proud of.
These types of stories aren’t unique. Many of us struggle with the difficulty of relationships and the call to love others.
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Genesis 4:7
Sin is always at our proverbial doorstep, and it wants to “have” us… but, we must master it.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. “The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit…” Galatians 5:16-17
What are some examples of this sinful nature?
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:22-26
It’s a humbling thing to admit…
▪you’re difficult to love.
▪difficulty in loving others.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:7-10
We must learn to humble ourselves before God.
Submitting ourselves to Him and being obedient are ways we express our love and affection. Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15
If we “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10
Take some time to take inventory of your relationships and attitude this coming week.
Do you see evidence in your life of the Holy Spirit?
