GOD’S TRANSFORMING POWER
”Love”
Pastor Duane Cross | 02.23.2014

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
Galatians 5:16-25 (NLT)

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter1:22-23 (NIV)

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” John 15:16-17 (NLT)

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ there is no commandment greater than these.” Mark12-30-31 (NIV)

“The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:9-10 (NIV)

WHAT DOES LOVE REQUIRE OF ME?

3 Statements to clarify this truth:

1.) Don’t do anything that will hurt you.

2.) Don’t do anything that will hurt someone else.

3.) Don’t be anything.

GOING DEEPER QUESTIONS

These questions are designed to help you go deeper with the sermon during your week - to take a closer look at the Scripture and find fresh ways to live out the main points of the sermon. Going Deeper questions also are used in all of our Grow Groups at Hope.

Scripture Reading

Galatians 5:16-25; 1 Peter 1:22-23; John 15:16; Mark 12:30-31; Romans 13:9-10

Getting Started

Why is it difficult to change (transform) a habit or personality trait?

Who do you find easy to love? Difficult to love? Why?

Do you think the world has an accurate picture of the church? The believer? Why or why not?

A Closer Look

Read Galatians 5:16-25.

Why is there such a clash between the sinful nature and the spiritual nature?

How do you have victory in the battle between the flesh and the Spirit?(1 Peter 1:22-23)

Why did Jesus and the other New Testament authors talk so much about love in the gospels and epistles?

Digging Deeper

Look at John 15:16, Mark 12:30-31, and Romans 13:9-10

In your experience, what does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself?

How do you love a world that is so broken and sinful?

What does love require of you...

with your spouse (if married)?

with your church?

with your enemies?

with the lost?