Living the Love of Jesus Adapted from a Eric Snyder sermon http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?SermonID=44010

1. Adapted from a Eric Snyder sermon
http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?Sermo
nID=44010

2. There is a story about a legalistic Seminary
student who wanted to have a scriptural basis
for everything he did.
He felt he was on solid ground if he could
quote Bible book, chapter & verse to okay his
actions.

3. He did all right with that until he began to fall in
love with a beautiful girl.
He wanted very much to kiss her, but he just
couldn’t find a scripture to okay it.
So, true to his conscience, he would simply
walk her to the dormitory each night, look at
her longingly, & then say "Good night."

4. This went on for several weeks, & all the time
he was searching the Bible, trying to find some
scripture to okay kissing her good night.
But he couldn’t find one, until finally he came
across what the Apostle Paul wrote, "Greet
each other with a holy kiss."
He thought, "At last, I have scriptural authority
for kissing her good night."

5. But to be sure, he went to his hermeneutics
professor to check it out.
After talking with the professor, he realized that
the passage dealt more with a church setting
than with a dating situation.
So once again he simply didn’t have a passage
of scripture to okay kissing his girl good night.

6. That evening he walked her to the dormitory &
once again started to bid her "good night." But
as he did, she grabbed him, pulled him toward
her, & planted a 10-second kiss right on his
lips.
At the end of the kiss, the Seminary student
gasped for air, & stammered, "Bible verse,
Bible verse." The girl grabbed him a 2nd time,
& just before kissing him again, said, "Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you."

7. "Dearest Jimmy, No words could ever express
the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking
our engagement. Please say you’ll take me
back. No one could ever take your place in my
heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love
you, I love you! Yours forever, Marie... PS, And
congratulations on willing the state lottery."

8. In 1993 the Sports man review stated that toy
companies watch divorce rates.
When it rises, so do toy sales.
According to the analyzers, four parents and
eight grandparents tend to compete for
children’s affections, so they buy toys.
The love of Jesus is different than any other
kind of love in our lives.

9. ESV

13. There’s an old story of a man who was walking
at night, and saw another man searching for
something near a lamp post. Approaching, he
asked the man what he was looking for, and
the man, without looking up, replied, “My
watch”. The first man asked, “Well, precisely
where were you standing when you dropped
it?”

14. Continuing his search, the man pointed a
finger in the distance and said, “Over there
somewhere.”
Incredulous, the first man said, “Well then sir,
why are you looking for it here?”
Finally looking up in frustration and meeting
the first man’s gaze, the searcher replied
testily, “Because sir, the light is better here!”

15. Some have been looking for God in all the
wrong places.
The great truth of Jesus is that He came into a
darkened world so that you can find what it is
that you have been missing. Perhaps it’s
easier to look for him on Television, or at work,
or on the golf course. But if you have lost him
you need to find out where he is.
When you get there He wants to give you a
new life.

16. February 15, 1921. New York City.
The operating room of the Kane Summit
Hospital.
A doctor is performing an appendectomy.
In many ways the events leading to the surgery
are uneventful.
The patient has complained of severe
abdominal pain.

17. The diagnosis is clear: an inflamed appendix.
Dr. Evan O’Neill Kane is performing the
surgery.
In his distinguished thirty-seven-year medical
career, he has performed nearly four thousand
appendectomies, so this surgery will be
uneventful in all ways except two.

18. The first novelty of this operation?
The use of local anesthesia in major surgery.
Dr. Kane is a crusader against the hazards of
general anesthesia.
He contends that a local application is far
safer.
Many of his colleagues agree with him in
principle, but in order for them to agree in
practice, they will have to see the theory
applied.

19. Dr. Kane searches for a volunteer, a patient
who is willing to undergo surgery while under
local anesthesia.
A volunteer is not easily found.
Many are squeamish at the thought of being
awake during their own surgery. Others are
fearful that the anesthesia might wear off too
soon.
Eventually, however, Dr. Kane finds a
candidate.
On Tuesday morning, February 15, the historic
operation occurs.

20. The patient is prepped and wheeled into the
operating room.
A local anesthetic is applied.
As he has done thousands of times, Dr. Kane
dissects the superficial tissues and locates the
appendix.
He skillfully excises it and concludes the
surgery.
During the procedure, the patient complains of
only minor discomfort.

21. The volunteer is taken into post-op, then
placed in a hospital ward.
He recovers quickly and is dismissed two days
later.
Dr. Kane had proven his theory.
Thanks to the willingness of a brave volunteer,
Kane demonstrated that local anesthesia was
a viable, and even preferable, alternative.

22. But I said there were two facts that made the
surgery unique.
I’ve told you the first: the use of local
anesthesia.
The second is the patient.
The courageous candidate for surgery by Dr.
Kane was Dr. Kane.
To prove his point, Dr. Kane operated on
himself! A wise move. The doctor became a
patient in order to convince the patients to trust
the doctor.

23. Jesus came to earth and he wants you to trust
Him for a new life made complete in Him.
The love of Jesus conforms us to a new
people.
On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo
in San Antonio, Texas, is a portrait with the
following inscription: "James Butler Bonham--
no picture of him exists.

24. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James
Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his
uncle.
It is placed here by the family that people may
know the appearance of the man who died for
freedom.“
No literal portrait of Jesus exists either.
But the likeness of the Son who makes us free
can be seen in the lives of His true followers.

25. The love of Jesus transforms our lives in such
a way that Jesus is seen in us.
The Love of Jesus Commits us to new ministry.
Whatever is done for God, without respect of
its comparative character as related to other
acts, is service, and only that is service.

26. Service is, comprehensively speaking, doing
the will of God.
He is the object.
All is for Him, for His sake, as unto the Lord,
not as unto man.
Hence, even the humblest act of humblest
disciple acquires a certain divine quality by its
being done with reference to Him.

27. The supreme test of service is this:
’For whom am I doing this?’
Much that we call service to Christ is not such
at all. If we are doing this for Christ, we shall
not care for human reward or even recognition.

28. Our work must again be tested by three
propositions:
Is it work from God, as given us to do from
Him; for God, as finding in Him its secret of
power; and with God, as only a part of His
work in which we engage as co-workers with
Him."
What can I do because of this insight of
Christ’s love for me?

29. 1. A faith centered in Christ.
ESV

30. 2. A faith that works for Christ
ESV

31. 3. A faith to live for Christ
ESV

32. 1. A position on the Rock
ESV

33. 2. A position’ of Acceptance
ESV
3. A position of no Condemnation
ESV

34. 1. An Assurance over doubt
ESV

35. 2. An Assurance over Temptation
ESV

36. 3. An Assurance of eternity
ESV

37. 1. A self-denying life
2. A cross-bearing life
3. A Christ following life
ESV

38. 1. Pray for our enemies
ESV

39. 2. Pray for all in Authority
ESV
3. A prayer that is steadfast
ESV
ESV

40. Ivan the IV was the first Czar of all Russia.
He was such a cruel man that they called him
"Ivan The Terrible.“
He married 7 wives & abused them all.
He was immoral & violent.
He used to throw animals off the Kremlin Walls
just to watch them die.

41. But when he died in 1584, historians record
that they shaved his head & dressed him for
burial in the robes of a monk, hoping that God
would think that Ivan the Terrible was a monk,
& thus allow him into heaven.
We cannot get to heaven by disguising
yourself & hoping God will think you are
someone else?

42. He knows my name he knows everything
about me, and he knows everything about you.
His love is different than any other love. But if
you want to experience the full benefit of His
love you have to surrender your whole self.
Are you willing to let him change you?
He wants to make you new.

43. Down the corridors of time He is shouting
trough this text, come home.
Let’s start fresh again.
The promise of God is that He will never
forsake you or leave you.
He is not going to leave or refuse to come with
you, He is not going to pass away.
He can be trusted.
If you want to trust him with your life, come.