First UMC
Downtown Worship, July 30, 2023
You Are Loved
Locations & Times
First United Methodist Church of Lexington - Downtown
200 W High St, Lexington, KY 40507, USA
Sunday 8:30 AM
Sunday 11:00 AM
You are loved.
The word love is used 780 times in the Bible spread across 690 verses. I’ll state the obvious and remind us that love is a big idea in Scripture!
It is one thing to say the word love and another to describe what it means. If we asked 780 persons for a definition of love, my guess is that we would find a definition that highlights feelings over commitments and tolerance over transformation.
Here is how the Apostle Paul defines love in Romans 8:31. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Or in other words…God has your back!
What does God do for us because he has our back?
A) Provides INTERNAL patience and power
B) Assures ETERNAL protection from people and circumstances.
C) Builds CHARACTER from every part of life.
One final thought about the fuller importance for the common good that God has our backs. We have each other backs because God has our back is a new way to look at 1 John 4:16. If so, then we are more than conquerors takes on a whole new meaning doesn’t it?[1] We, those of us in Christ, are given power, responsibility, and authority to be the ones in life that have your back. Jesus said that his people who be known by their love right?[2] We would be known by how we have one another’s back. Maybe the meaning of success in life is how many other people’s backs we have. You want to keep score in your life? A gratitude journal and a list of people who you are standing alongside in solidarity for their good is a great place to start.
___________________
[1] Romans 8:37
[2] John 13:35
The word love is used 780 times in the Bible spread across 690 verses. I’ll state the obvious and remind us that love is a big idea in Scripture!
It is one thing to say the word love and another to describe what it means. If we asked 780 persons for a definition of love, my guess is that we would find a definition that highlights feelings over commitments and tolerance over transformation.
Here is how the Apostle Paul defines love in Romans 8:31. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Or in other words…God has your back!
What does God do for us because he has our back?
A) Provides INTERNAL patience and power
B) Assures ETERNAL protection from people and circumstances.
C) Builds CHARACTER from every part of life.
One final thought about the fuller importance for the common good that God has our backs. We have each other backs because God has our back is a new way to look at 1 John 4:16. If so, then we are more than conquerors takes on a whole new meaning doesn’t it?[1] We, those of us in Christ, are given power, responsibility, and authority to be the ones in life that have your back. Jesus said that his people who be known by their love right?[2] We would be known by how we have one another’s back. Maybe the meaning of success in life is how many other people’s backs we have. You want to keep score in your life? A gratitude journal and a list of people who you are standing alongside in solidarity for their good is a great place to start.
___________________
[1] Romans 8:37
[2] John 13:35
Sermon Archive
To return to this sermon later or to find previous sermons please checkout our sermon archive.
https://downtownlex.org/sermons/