Calvary Baptist Church - Canyon Texas - David Crump, Pastor

1 John 4:7-14 7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. V 7 –love comes from God. People who exhibit Christian love have been born of God and know God. Love comes from the new life that we receive at salvation and from fellowship with God. 1 John 2:3-6 3We know that we have come to know

There is a Hebrew word that is especially difficult to translate into English. The word is chesed. It is used in the Old Testament to describe the attitude that two parties to a covenant should have toward each other. It is not used to describe general kindness towards people. It is the loyal, persevering love that a man should have toward his wife and a wife toward her husband. It is also used to describe God’s love toward His people. It describes not just the love of God for His people, but the loyal, steadfast, persevering love of God. Chesed is translated in the NIV most commonly as “love,” “kindness,” and “unfailing love.” Chesed – “loving loyalty” Exodus 33:18-20 V 18 – show me your glory V 19 – all my goodness and proclaim my name V 20 – you cannot see my face Exodus 34:5-7 V 5 – proclaimed his name, the Lord. V 6 – abounding in “chesed” V 7 – maintaining “chesed” God's loving-kindness is that sure love which will not let Israel go. All Israel's persistent waywardness could never destroy it. Though

Love God. Love People. The Life of the Cross We have misunderstood the message of the cross if we think that the only thing that is asked of us is to say yes to God’s love. The longer you hang around the complete message of the cross, the more you find that it compels you to act. The cross compels us to respond in obedience and service that is rooted in love. Jesus didn’t just teach us to have a new private spiritual life. He showed us a new way of life altogether. He showed us how we are to live and interact with each other. You know about His death, but do you know how He lived? Does your life reflect how he lived? He taught us not to hate, worry, lust, be consumed with the things of this world. He taught us: Luke 9:23-25 23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Our lives should reflect the way Jesus lived. More than simply contemplating the work of Christ on the cross, we must also be students of Christ’s life and teaching.

Becoming Worship Everywhere we go, everything we do, every thought, every relationship is to be affected by the work of Christ on the cross. In everything, we are to reflect the glory of Christ. We are changed by reflecting, contemplating, beholding and remaining in Jesus Christ. Last few weeks: • When I see how Christ loved me, I see how selflessly I am to love others. • When I see how Christ forgave me, I see how I am to forgive others freely. • When I see how Christ gave himself for me, I see how I am to love my wife sacrificially. • When I see how Christ gave everything for me, I see how generous I am to be. • When I see how far Christ went to seek and save me, I see how I am to be leading others to know Him. The way I love others, forgive others, love my wife, love my kids, how generous I am, how willing I am to share what I’ve found in Christ with others – these all reveal how much or how little I’ve let the Holy Spirit mature me, grow me. But I am not asking you to modify your behavior. That wouldn’t

Becoming Seeking, Reaching, and Finding Him Everywhere we go, everything we do, every thought, every relationship is to be affected by the work of Christ on the cross. In everything, we are to reflect the glory of Christ. Through the cross of Christ, God is restoring a people to reflect His glory. How do we reflect His glory? We begin by reflecting, contemplating, and beholding Jesus Christ. Psalm 139:1-4; 5-12; 13-16 God planned and created your inmost parts. Your personality, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, and interests were all created by God. And He ordained the days of your life. Acts 17:22-23; 24-28 God determined when and where you should live. So that you might seek him, reach out to him and find him. God put people into your life to help you find Him, because He wants to be found by you. God put you in people’s lives to help them find Him because He wants to be found by them. Where you work and live was planned by God. It was no accident. There is purpose for you there. The people at you

We are loved, forgiven and accepted by God. We did not have to earn it; it was done for us through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We are declared to be holy by the work of Christ on the cross and being made holy by the work of Christ continuing in our lives. We are just becoming what we have been declared to be. How are we changed? How do we grow spiritually? We are changed by reflecting, contemplating, and beholding Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:18 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect (or contemplate - behold) the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Why is there so much in the scriptures about us reflecting and being light? We understand why Jesus is called the light. God is said to live in unapproachable light, but why did Jesus say, “You are the light of the world?” Why does Paul write, “Live as children of light?” We may not feel very bright. Why so much in the scripture about us being light? We’ll

We are to become what we already are. We are declared to be holy by the work of Christ on the cross and being made holy by the work of Christ continuing in our lives. The very heart of Christianity is this: we are loved, forgiven and accepted by God. We did not have to earn it; it was done for us through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The old covenant was weak in that it was not accompanied by spiritual transformation. Because of this, it was inadequate, temporary, and imperfect. So it wasn’t obeyed and did not bring life. It was written on hearts of stone, not with the Spirit on the heart. . So God promised a new covenant; one that was to be better and more glorious than the first. Jeremiah 31:31-34 31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I

Becoming What You Already Are The Scriptures teach that we are to work out our salvation. We are to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. But do we ever rise to that totality of love and devotion? We cry out regularly like the apostle Paul in Romans 7, “What a wretched man am I.” We get frustrated with our progress. We feel like we’ll never get better or figure out our place or calling or that we’ll always struggle with our sin. The truth is that our change, spiritual growth is a painfully slow process. The apostle Paul talked about his spiritual goals in Philippians. Philippians 3:7-11 Philippians 3:12 12Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (ESV) That very statement is the key to endurance and joy. “Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Or “Christ Jesus has made me his own.” All my reaching and striving is not to belong to Christ. We already belong to him. All my reaching is not to earn Go

The Highest Price for the Greatest Gift Did Jesus suffer and die for you personally? Is this the way we should understand the suffering and death of Christ? Or should we understand Jesus’ sacrifice only in the context of the whole world? In John 3:16, the giving of Christ is God’s demonstration of His love for the world. We can all agree that Christ’s suffering and death was, among other things, His love for mankind. The question is, really, are we individually, personally valued by God? Or is His love only for the whole of us, not personally, not individually? Let’s look at the understanding of one of the early believers who witnessed Christ first hand. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) Paul was captured by this fact: Christ “loved me and gave himself for me.” He took the act of Christ’s sacrifice very personally. He said, “He loved me. H

Easter Where We Meet God The Crucifixion Matthew 27:33-44 The Death of Jesus Matthew 27:45-56 The Burial of Jesus Matthew 27:57-61 The Resurrection Matthew 28:1-9 John 2:18-22 18Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" 19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." 20The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. Why did Jesus draw the connection between the Jewish temple and his own body? The temple was the dwelling place of God in rare times when the glory of God filled the holy place. But in Jesus, the presence of God does not come and go. He is God. The Bible says about Jesus, “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in b

Palm Sunday Luke 19:28-41 The event traditionally known as Palm Sunday is fraught with meaning. It is hard to think of any close contemporary equivalents that would parallel the mood of this entry and presentation. It could be compared to a regal coronation ceremony, but that does not work in this case, because Jesus is being presented as a regal figure but not crowned as one. Luke has built up the journey to Jerusalem as full of significance. Jerusalem is the city of Jesus' fate and destiny. From Luke's perspective Jesus is still approaching the city and has not officially entered it, since his condemnation of Jerusalem's rejection in verse 41 takes places as he approached. Events move quickly from this point, so that after the procession and the lament over Jerusalem, Jesus moves inexorably toward his death. Announced as the king, he is rejected as king. Vv 28-31 Still outside the city, moving through villages just a few miles to the east, he prepares to enter the capital. He takes control of events as well

Pointing UP Grander Vision Living The longer the average person has been a Christian, typically, the fewer non-believers he knows and fewer opportunities he has to share His faith. But if you would be willing to leave your comfort zone, you could be used by God to point someone to Him. How do you get the opportunity to point people toward God? 1. Develop friendships 2. Discover their stories 3. Discern next steps How do you move from shallow conversations to really making a significant difference in people’s lives? • Be with them. Last week: God’s story: Our sin has separated us from God. We try to reach Him, but we can never be good enough to overcome the chasm. God bridged the gap for us by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. If we trust in Christ, He will take away our sin and guide us for the rest of our lives. Your story: I was once… but now I’m… What God has done in your life, the grace and love He’s shown you, He wants you to share that with others. Luke 5:1-11 (1-3, 4-7, 8-11) Jesus gave Peter and

Pointing UP The Power of Story We don’t disagree with the need to point people toward God, we just struggle with how to do it. 1. Develop friendships 2. Discover their stories 3. Discern next steps How do you move from initial interactions to really making a significant difference in people’s lives? • Be with them. Have you ever been in a conversation that turned spiritual and found yourself tongue-tied regarding how to explain who God is and what he has done in your life, this message is for you! Christ-followers often struggle to convey God’s redemption. How do you convey the difference Christ has made in your life in a way that you could share it in conversation? If you haven’t thought it through, you can talk it to death, confuse it, or use so “Christianese” so that only someone who wasn’t a believer cannot understand it. Whether you’re gifted in evangelism or not, you can be prepared to engage people in spiritual conversations and point people toward faith in God. When conversations take a spiritual tu

Pointing UP Living in 3D Is the God that you know worth knowing? Would other people love the relationship with God that you have? Would you be willing to leave your comfort zone to pursue someone whom God puts in your path? People are worth pursuing. If you’re willing, what do you do once you reach the destination – the person standing on the other side of the room? What do you do next? We don’t disagree with the need for people to be pointed toward God, we just struggle with how to get it done. • Develop friendships • Discover their stories • Discern next steps Develop friendships The longer a person attends church, the fewer friends they have who are unbelievers, the fewer discussions about God they have with unbelievers, the fewer opportunities they have to share their faith. This is the path of almost every average Christian. But as we walk with Christ, we ought to see an increasing love for people and an increasing propensity to reach out to them in friendship. Luke 15:1-2 Jesus hung out with peopl

Pointing UP Worth Pursuing Romans 5:8 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Luke 19:1-10 Jesus left the fellowship of the trinity, the glory of the Godhead, the praise and adoration of the angels, and wrapped himself in humanity to reach out to people like you and me. John 17:5 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. He left the glory of heaven to pursue us on the earth, making an incredible statement that “people are worth pursuing.” What does it take to see people come to know Christ? Usually, someone has to leave what’s comfortable and step out into the unknown and take a risk. “Almost without exception, Christ-followers tell me that their faith stories involve someone somewhere who took a risk to walk across a room and to reflect the curiosity, kindness, and love of Christ. Someone somewhere made the decision to take the gift they’d been given and bestow it on them – at the time, a

Pointing UP The Greatest Gift John 8:1-6 The teachers of the law and Pharisees – condemning. The trap: put Jesus in a place where he can’t win. If he lets the woman off the hook, he’ll be denying the validity of the law. But if he allows her to be stoned, he might be accused of being unmerciful – or even of being an enemy of the Roman government, which was the only group allowed to carry out capital punishment. John 8:7-9 Jesus’ reaction wrecks the Pharisee’s whole day. They had no reply. Of all the people gathered there, the one who had every right to condemn her was Jesus. He was the one and only perfectly righteous person there. He would be right to judge her sin. She was left with the one who could judge her without being a hypocrite. John 8:10-11 But he did not condemn her. He said, “Neither do I condemn you.” Amazing words from a perfect, righteous, holy God. This woman went from being thrust into public embarrassment with her great shame announced publicly to everyone around. She had feared for her

I shared with you last week that when Brenda and I really struggled in our marriage, we at one point had given up. But then we started trying again. Now we had tried before. We had tried for years. I felt like I had given and given to our relationship – like I was the most giving man to ever take on the burden of a wife – and was somehow the most under-appreciated man in the world. Turns out, Brenda felt like she was the most giving woman to ever take on the burden of a husband – and was somehow the most under-appreciated woman in the world. We thought we were working so hard and really putting ourselves out there. How can that happen? That you both feel like you’re putting so much work into your marriage and yet it’s not working? It happens all the time. The God who created the whole idea of marriage gives us a path to our spouse’s heart in His word. It only makes sense that the God who created men and women and marriage and who loves us so much would give us the keys to an intimate marriage. In the

Brenda and I had years of marriage trouble. We didn’t get along. We didn’t understand each other. We kept offending each other. We were both hurt. We both felt like we were giving everything, but felt like the other one was not putting any effort into our marriage. We eventually quit trying. Until… one day we went to a marriage conference. We learned there that God’s plan for marriage was for us to walk in companionship and unity. We realized that our marriage trouble was not just trouble between us, but allowing it to remain was disobedience to God. We came to understand that allowing the discord in our marriage to continue was walking in sin. God has a design for marriage – even your marriage. God has designed marriage to be the closest human relationship. It is to be characterized by love, unity, and companionship. The unity of marriage (Gen 2:23-25) The woman was made from the man’s side. They are made from the same material. The man is to leave his family. To be united with his wife. The two

My hope for us above everything else is that we’ll have a vibrant, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. Individually and corporately that we’ll be caught up in loving and pursuing Him. We talked about how easy it is to miss a relationship with Christ in the parable of the Prodigal son. We can miss relationship with Christ like the younger son in his sin, he wandered away from the father. Or like the older son in his self righteousness and judgmental attitude, he was with the father, but missed the whole idea of relationship. We want to embrace the Father, relying only on His grace. We’ve talked about how to be in relationship with God is through being in the Scriptures, but that too often, we don’t want to be. So we confess to God our brokenness and ask for His help. We talked about how important prayer is in our relationship with God, but that too often we don’t pray consistently and we don’t pray for the most significant things. So we ask God for help to pray according to His will and His purposes.

My hope for us above everything else is that we’ll have a vibrant, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. Individually and corporately that we’ll be caught up in loving and pursuing Him. The best way to be in relationship with God is through connecting and communicating with Him. God communicates with us by the Holy Spirit and His Word. We communicate with Him through prayer. A vibrant, dynamic relationship can only happen through vibrant, dynamic life in the Word and in prayer. But I know that for most of us a deep, consistent prayer life has been difficult. No matter if you’ve walked with the Lord for a month or 60 years, it’s been difficult to sustain the prayer life that brings a vibrant relationship with God. For some of you it’s because you want to pick and choose the parts of your life that you give to Christ. You have created what Tim Keller calls a Stepford God. He cannot confront you or correct you. You do whatever you want. That relationship is dead – you’ve cut the real, living God out. For