Andrew Fountain - Living Right 5: Love and the Spirit

• Fifth of our series on “Doing what’s right without being legalistic”

0. Review from previous times

1. We asked the question: What does the word “holy” mean?

• Jesus re-defines holiness:
  
  • His total denial of self as he poured out his life as a love-gift was the ultimate act of obedience
  • This does not contradict the law (love God, love your neighbour)
    
    • but goes way beyond what the Old Covenant ever commanded
• Rom 12:1 makes it very clear:
  
  • I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your whole person as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God which is your spiritual worship.

1. God’s main agenda for us at Newlife Church and for you as an individual

• Phil 2
  
  1. Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy,
  2. complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose.
  3. Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.
  4. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.
  5. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,

2. Love and Power

1. God has decreed that Unity will result in a blessing from him
   
   • Psalm 133
2. Jesus’ prophetic prayer for the church in John 17
   
   • John 17 especially v.20-23
3. The Spirit poured out
   
   • The four places in the New Testament when the Spirit was poured out on a new group, it was on the back of unity
   • Pentecost, the Samaritans, the Gentiles, the twelve disciples of John

3. Ephesians 4 —Connection between the presence of the Spirit and love/unity
   
   • Positively in Eph 4:2-3
     
     • with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
       eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4. Ephesians 4 —Not grieving the Spirit
   
   • Ephesians 4:20-32
5. Spiritual gifts
   
   • Rom 12
     
     • Rom 12:10: Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honouring one another.
   • 1 Cor 12-14
     
     • 1Co 13:2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing
   • Ephesians 4 — we have just looked at this
   • 1 Peter 4 — Peter introduces the list of supernatural gifts in v.8 with
     
     • Above all, keep loving one another earnestly...

Response

• pray for each other’s needs now:
  
  • Power and love united!