Service Date: March 01, 2015

here’s what you can expect from today’s

sermon what you can expect from today’s

message is really your love being

founded on God’s love and really showing

it to the world on a different level I

think one of the gems that I took away

from today’s sermon was really that most

of our issues can be tracked back to a

lack of revelation of God’s love I’m not

talking about maturity because we

believe it’s a good idea or a good

sermon topic but we’re talking about

maturity because I believe with all of

my heart that God is saying my children

have to grow up

there’s the passage of Scripture we

looked at some of the previous weeks but

one of the writers in the scripture said

to the church at the time he said at the

time that you ought to be teachers you

need to be taught and so what that means

is that there are certain points in

times in our lives where God has

scheduled us to be mature so he says at

this point in time in your life and it

has nothing to do with age it just has

to do with living and it has to do with

an expectation that’s in God’s mind that

is not an ignorant expectation but it’s

because God has already seen you

according to what he’s scheduled for you

let me say it again so it’s not God

saying hey grow up it’s not that God is

saying that I’ve already seen the whole

of your life and at this particular

point in your life you are supposed to

be at this level of maturity because if

you are not at this level of maturity

you cannot be what I have predestined

for you to be so really it’s more of an

awakening to where you are to be in this

moment as opposed to you just you know

pulling up your boot strap

and being mature does that make sense so

what I’m talking about is an awakening

to your true spiritual age and so I’ve

been talking about maturity and the

reason why I’ve been talking about

maturity and matter of fact let me go in

another direction the reason why some of

you feel awkward in this season and

that’s actually why you’re here in

church

because if you didn’t feel awkward you

probably wouldn’t be here as

consistently not you but some people

that look exactly like you but there is

a stirring a stirring in your spirit

because God knows how to to stir you

towards what he’s bringing you into

that’s what I love about God he knows

how to cause you to desire what he wants

for you it’s like a divine setup and so

some of you are in transition some of

you are feeling something and you’re

really and what’s happening is the deep

that’s inside of you is crying out for

your mind to catch up with God’s plan so

as it relates to maturity there is

nothing that causes a believer to mature

like the love of God the love of God you

probably be startled or surprised to

learn that all of your problems both

personal and interpersonal can be traced

back to your revelation of God’s love

for you you let know that has no because

if he would act right

or if she would get her act together

then my life would be fine let me let

you in on something you being fine has

absolutely nothing to do with somebody

else well let you in on something you

being fine may mean that you are going

to have to grow and evolve in love so

that you can see clearly and know how to

navigate that situation so we’re going

to talk about the love of God now I’m

going to show you I’m going to prove to

you that most of the problems that

people have in life are love problems so

let’s go to Ephesians chapter 3 verse 14

we’re going to look at a prayer that a

man of God prayed and you would be

surprised what he prayed for he was

praying for his for his sheath he’s

praying for the church that he had

planted and you would think with with

all the things just imagining you know

he’s a big huge thousand multi thousand

multiple thousand member churches and

you think that if there are multiple

thousand member churches they have to be

at least a million needs several

thousand per person and so you would

think that he’d be there praying and Oh

God

you know I just pray that you would you

would you break this bring this

financial breakthrough or this

relationship thing heal it or you know

restore this family where you think he’d

be praying that and he’s not praying for

any of that look at what he’s prays for

he says for this reason I bow my knees

to the father of our Lord Jesus Christ

I’m praying to God from who from whom

the whole family heaven earth his name

that he would grant you according to the

riches of his glory that God would grant

you to be strengthened with might

through his spirit in where in the inner

man so he starts his prayer where to

keep going just a second back but he

starts his prayer saying I’m praying for

you but I’m not praying for things that

are outside of you I’m praying for your

insides

see see what I’ve learned and what I’ve

witnessed is that the most neglected

part of a person usually is their

insides oh we’ve got our outsides

together come on somebody we’re in the

closet leave the closet hit the bathroom

mirror leave the bathroom mirror hit the

bedroom member mirror then hit the long

door mirror come on somebody then you

make your way downstairs and there’s a

little mirror and before you get to the

door I’ll guarantee you there’s one more

mirror you’ve had 17 encounters with the

mirror before you even get in your car

we are wonderful at taking care of our

outsides but the most valuable important

and significant part of who you are

which very much affects your outsides

being your insides we avoid always spend

the least amount of time dealing with it

there’s a passage of scripture that says

that that man looks at the outward

appearance but God looks at the heart

and a lot of times you look at that

passage of Scripture and you get real

judgmental with it you know you say 9

man but God’s looking at your heart like

God look at your heart to judge you he’s

not looking at your heart to judge you

he’s looking at your heart to direct you

to the part of you that you need to be

looking at because your insides

determine your outsides i’ma say it

again it’s never an external problem

it’s always an internal problem that’s

why I celebrate in the pot each of you

becoming the church this morning your

insides will determine your outsides

imma prove it because you ain’t going

with me just yet we’re gonna come back

here go to proverbs chapter 4 verse 23

I’m gonna prove it

the Bible says keep your heart that

where it literally means guarded protect

it

Fort Knox it oh I feel heaven Fort Knox

you are keep your heart with all

diligence and then he gives the yy4 out

of get out of it spring the issues of

life so all of life’s issues can be

traced back to our insides do you see it

that’s why I’ll just say this little

caveat for some of you you have to learn

particularly relationships to extend

your heart without giving your heart oh

god help me I’m about to get somebody

right now I’m about to get somebody

right right right

right now your heart is the most

valuable thing that you have your

insides are everything and so you can’t

just give it away

you can’t just let anybody in and they

come in destroy your heart kick it down

beat it down spit on it stomp on it and

then leave it you’ve been there

and whatever you do do not blindly

follow your heart you’ve heard somebody

say oh girl just follow your heart

slap that person

not for real and I’ll prove to you what

you should but not for real it’s because

is there anybody in here who has ever

follow their heart into something and

you spent the next five years trying to

get your heart back because it gave it

to somebody crazy or something crazy you

cannot follow your heart you keep your

heart because your heart can get sick

let me show you something else real

quick let me highlight proverbs chapter

4 and verse 23 you get look at you huh

oh no no I’m sorry

probably chapter 23 verse 7 will flip

around it says for as he thinks in his

heart so is he

now that’s even scarier that means that

your heart can think then that might

seem encouraging but it depends on how

it thinks oh god it pens on how it

thinks thinking everybody thinks but

some people are cray-cray

so it’s not about thinking it’s about

how you think so it’s even crazier to

know that everything all of the issues

of my life are spring out of my heart

but my heart thinks and I can’t trust it

because I don’t know if my heart is

cray-cray or not

are you hearing me

and your thoughts are shaped by your

experiences how you process things or

how you do not process things that’s why

you can fill something in your heart and

it be true to you right because

perception is reality but reality

doesn’t mean it’s truth it’s just how

you see it

and how you see it is shaped on how your

heart thinks and so a healthy heart you

can follow but if your heart isn’t

healthy and whole you can’t trust it and

that’s why as we go back to Ephesians

three over together we still friends we

I want to have a few friends once I’m

done just a few at least so that’s why

he says when he’s praying for the church

he says I’m praying that you would be

strengthened with God’s by strengthened

with might through God’s Spirit in the

inner man in the inner men God wants you

to be strong inside I know we’d be doing

on push-ups I don’t be in the gym we on

slow so I get I do all that but God

doesn’t care about that care about it

that’s for you

be healthy by all means be healthy but

the most important part of you that

should be healthy is your heart mmm

raise your have you here Wednesday night

you need to go back and watch Wednesday

I feel like I might do something

different with you I’m on this series

called getting back to love I’ll

probably just be on it through Easter

but I think since not a lot of you were

here on Wednesday night I think I’m

gonna give you a little more on on what

I talked about Wednesday night before I

press into this and the good news is I

got six weeks so I can take my time and

really get you the way I want to get you

how do you have a healthy heart how do

you get a healthy heart how do you know

if your heart is healthy or not there’s

a passage of scripture in Jeremiah

Jeremiah

I think it’s 17 and 7 or 7 to 17 one of

the two just read the whole Bible I

promise you find it’s right that’s in it

but it says it says the heart is

deceitful above all things and

desperately wicked

then it says who can know it

it says desperately wicked and now talk

about why is this really wicked this is

second not wicked like yeah it’s wicked

like it’s desperate and it’s desperate

because it needs an encounter with God’s

love that’s why the heart is desperate

we are desperate we were born watch this

family we were born in the context of

pure love there was absolutely no fear

in the beginning imagine that no fear

even the baddest of us have a little

fear yeah you can tell that you’re vegan

little fear you can’t show it but you

fear something in the beginning we were

born in the context of absolutely pure

love so as humans we have an innate

desperation for love that only comes

from God now the tricky thing is we all

are pursuing love but don’t know it and

we’re so desperate for this love

that we will miss define it and even

settle for a cheap copy that’s how

desperate we are oh how bad do you want

it today yeah we’re desperate everything

that we do we do because we’re looking

for love you don’t get fly just to be

fly

you want somebody like you

yeah searching for love but don’t even

know it that’s why self-awareness is

everything you’ve got to know how you’re

wired and I’m telling you right now you

are wired to pursue love and I’ll make

it even more specific you are wired to

pursue a love that only God can give you

and you are desperate for it I mean

desperate you’re so desperate that

you’ll take anything that might bear a

resemblance to it

Paul says I’m praying that you’d be

strengthened on your insides I know that

you’ve got all of these things on the

outside that you’re concerning that

you’re concerned about but I’m telling

you your insides are going to determine

your outsides let’s keep reading so he

says I want to see you you grow in your

inner man and then he says that Christ

may dwell in your hearts through faith

and then watch this

he says I’m praying for you I want you

to be developed on the inside one should

be strong on the inside and your insides

and then he says that you being rooted

and grounded in love so God’s love roots

you and grounds you it is your resting

station you are no longer a love

wanderer when you find and grow up in

the revelation of God’s love you will no

longer be a wanderlust when you find

God’s love let’s keep reading

so it says being I want you to be rooted

and grounded in love and then he goes on

to say now let me tell you how it’s

going to happen he says I want you to be

able to comprehend with all the saints

what is the width and the length and the

depth and the height and to know the

love

verse 19 and to know the love of Christ

which passes knowledge that you may be

filled with all of the fullness of God

so so if we work it backwards he’s

saying that I want you to be full of God

I want you to be filled boy I want you

to be filled with the fullness of God

see here’s the reality you were created

in His image and the reason why I’m

saying getting back to love is because

you are going back to how powerful you

were before you forgot you where let me

say that again you’re getting back to

how powerful you were before you forgot

you were Jeremiah 1 before I formed you

in your mother’s womb I knew you and I

ordained you and I set you apart before

you got started you were something

something crazy but when you got here

you forgot and so you’re working your

way back into it and the way that you

work your way back into it is in you

evolving in your consciousness of how

loved you are because when you grow in

your consciousness of how loves you are

you will no longer be settling for cheap

replicas and cheap imitations of God’s

love because of your desperation because

those very things are feeding your

brokenness and if you feed your

brokenness you just get more broken

Paul’s serious he’s saying I’m praying

and Paul’s a pastor so they probably

going him past I’m having trouble here

I’m having trouble in my job I’m having

trouble getting this record deal I’m

having trouble with my girlfriend

I’m having trouble my boyfriend I’m

having trouble with my boyfriend and my

girlfriend I’m having trouble whatever

I’m just having trouble because anything

goes when you’re not perfected in God’s

love because you are desperate and

nothing other than God’s love is going

to satisfy you that’s why people move

from this to that and then from that to

this and this to that and you just keep

going because you’re desperate you’re

looking there’s a part of you that’s

looking for that thing that makes you

whole it’s not a game and so people in a

get real spiritual well if I just read

more of the Bible I’ll be whole not

necessarily he says right here that when

you grow in your understanding when you

are able to comprehend the length the

depth the height the width to know the

love of Christ which passes knowledge oh

I love that which passes knowledge you

may not be able to find the love of God

in the seminary

you may not be able to find the love of

God College you may not be able to find

the love of God in your pastor but

you’ve got to find the love of God

oh I fill it and when you don’t you put

unfair and unrealistic expectations on

everyone and everything else in your

life

wives are killing their husbands

trying to extract from them that which

only God can fulfill and vice versa

congregations are killing their pastor

because they are trying to get from

their pastor that which only God can

give you’re killing your parents you’re

killing your friends you will murder

everybody because if you don’t settle

where true love comes from you are going

to be an abuser an abuser is someone who

is attempting to make a withdraw on an

individual who has not you know this

bank isn’t big enough even if he gave

you everything that was in his bank it

would still be deficient but still be a

deficit and then you become an abuser

and you wonder why the relationship

isn’t working it isn’t working because

you’re trying to get which are not in

that relationship to get

here is the truth the truth is you’re

not even in any relationships to get

uh-huh and if you enter into any

relationship looking to get something

you have already signed up for failure

because the moment that you don’t get

something you’re going to feel like you

deserve something you’re going to feel

unappreciated and you’re going to drive

your partner absolutely nuts

unnecessarily you don’t get into

relationships to get something you

selfish little thing you you get into

relationships because you are whole

enough to give something

and in the interest of time I showed you

this is a series in the interest of time

I’m going to make this last point and

we’ve got some weeks on this you want to

get to the place where you can say I

don’t need you to anything or anyone in

your life that isn’t God ah huh huh yeah

yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

you’re gonna need to say I don’t need

you and mean it now I’m not talking

about saying I don’t need you from a

place of pride hey you thought you would

get enough I know I’m coming for you I’m

coming for you not from a place of pride

from a place of love here’s when you say

I don’t need you from a place of pride

somebody hurts you and you say well I

didn’t like you anyway if they couldn’t

have hurt you if you didn’t like them

stop lying to yourself I didn’t like you

I don’t need you anymore

you’re lying first of all that’s pride

and pride oh no no no you got to go to

my Instagram i retweeted is there some

TIA

when members of our church moved away

put this thing about pride on there I

mean brokedown pride who pride is a liar

because pride says I don’t need you it

doesn’t hurt when you know it hurt I

didn’t like you anyway that’s a lie and

here’s why that’s problematic pride is

not your friend pride keeps you from

saying ouch you need to say ouch you got

to say ouch how are you going to get

healed if you can’t say ouch how are you

going to get healed if you’re cray-cray

heart

tells you that you’re not strong for

saying ouch a cray cray heart will tell

you that especially if you’re a boy

we were raised well you better not cry

why not it hurt she got the croc why

can’t cry laugh ooh

[Applause]

and we got these guys walking around no

emotion I mean it can’t get no emotion

either

tickle them nothing because you least

laugh when I tickle you and the problem

with that is that nothing can get in so

it looks like it’s your Fred old pride

is slick

it looks like he’s your friend let me

tell I went through man I wish I had

time until I went through I went through

a shutdown man people hurt me and you

know in church people see people think

that that church hurt only goes from the

pulpit to the pews you have no know it

works the other way too the pews when a

pastor spends his life his life gives up

his life for not for himself for you and

he cries with you and he prays with you

and he visits your momma when she’s sick

and he puts money in your pocket

oh we do all that and we and he takes

care of you and he’s opened up to you

and he’s pouring love at you when you

hurt him and you don’t think about it

because you’re selfish because when you

haven’t tapped into the love of God for

yourself you become selfish and needy

putting unrealistic expectations on

everybody including your leaders

I went through a season where the Sheep

hurt me and I shut down and I started

saying stuff like I don’t care

lion a dick care my whole ministry is

based on caroms I don’t care but pride

says you say that to protect yourself

you won’t hurt me again but see pride is

not supposed to protect you love is

supposed to protect you

pride enslaves you see you at your best

is you full of love you at your best is

you full of love you at your best you

like God is you full of love you can’t

flourish if you shut it down you have to

get to a point to where you can say all

I need is God I don’t need you but not

from the place of pride from the place

where you have been so perfected by the

love of God that you mean it in the

kindest way I want you I like you I love

you I desire you but I don’t need you

because all I really need is he who

feels my soul and satisfies me and rocks

me and makes me whole and who is

faithful to me until you can say that

you really shouldn’t be in a

relationship

I didn’t meet my wife Sarah God wouldn’t

let us meet each other until we both on

two parts of the country said to God

without even knowing each other said to

God God all I need is you and when we

got to that place within weeks of us

both of us getting to that place never

heard never even been God brought us

together so the relationship wasn’t

built on codependency it wasn’t built on

dysfunction I want to show you one last

passage and when done first John chapter

4 done for this week this thing is it

we’re going in at least into Easter on

this one first John chapter 4 it says

the love has been perfected among us in

this that we may have boldness in the

day of judgment now first of all that’s

powerful here’s what saying it’s saying

when love is mature among you it will

bring your spirit to a place of peace

even on the day of judgment now that

might you might don’t graze over that

you gonna bring up all my stuff

everything a thing don’t nobody know

about but me and you but you have would

have been perfected in love in the

revelation of how God feels about you

woo and this love passes now that’s why

it’s hard to articulate you’re going to

be so perfected and how God feels about

you that you’re going to be able to walk

there with all of your stuff past

present stuff that yours

Shut stuff that you just have amnesia

about it so bad you just like it didn’t

happen it did not yes it did

[Music]

but even in the midst of that you’re

going to have so much confidence and

assurance that you’ll boldly walk up

there love has been perfected among us

in this that we may have boldness in the

day of judgement because as he is so are

we in this world and what you didn’t see

earlier is it says that God is love so

we are actually becoming love we’re

getting back to love I can’t wait to

finish this series let’s go to the next

verse it says there is no fear in love

whoa whoa imagine the universe of you

with no fear who would you be with no

fear who would you be with no

desperation for love you can just be you

you don’t have to try to please anybody

you know who would you be there’s no

fear in love but perfect love casts out

fear casts out fear it says because fear

involves torment the reason why God

can’t stand fear is because fear can’t

stand you because of how it makes you

feel there’s no fear in it so as you

mature so it says because you know he

perfect love casts out fear because fear

involves torment but he who fears has

not been made perfect and look in other

words you’re fearful because you haven’t

matured enough to understand that you

have nothing to fear

[Applause]

let’s keep going I got to stop and then

it says we love him because he first

loved us we’re getting back to love come

on stand with me we’re going to continue

on next week if you don’t have to leave

don’t leave I want to pray for you if

you’re here specifically and the Lord

touched you and you realize that you the

Spirit today helped you to understand

that some of the decisions that you make

and some of the actions that you take

are because you’re desperate for God’s

love I mean he was like I was right up

in your head and I was right up in your

heart and you’re here and you say you

know what I want to I want to grow in

God’s love for me I believe based on

what I’ve heard I believe based on what

I feel God is saying in my heart right

now that I need to grow in God’s love

some questions are being answered and

you can just come while I’m talking some

questions are being answered why why I

do what I do and why I act the way I act

and even why my relationship is not

working it’s because I’m trying to get

from that relationship I’m trying to get

from that thing I’m trying to get from

that career I’m trying to get from that

look I keep doing all these things but

it seems I’m

was satisfied I want you to come and

meet me at the altar if you hear you

want to know God’s love God is love he

is love so to know God is to know love

if that’s you I want you to come

thank you Jesus if you’re here and you

don’t know God at all but something was

said today you like you know I’ve been

in a lot of churches but something hit

home in my heart today and I really want

to take a step towards God I want you to

come as well I want you to come as well

and pray for you too

and here is the last point the last

point of the invitation is this if

you’re here and you know the Lord but

you straight like all have done and

today you say I’m home

I’m coming back I thank God I know he

loves me I didn’t think that that the

bets were still on but but but I believe

they are now I’m coming back and you’re

here you just want to come home you want

to rededicate your life I want you to

come as well it’s a love thing we’re

getting back to love I’m so excited

about this series what I’m doing we’re

going to be different people because

they’re you that you are when you know

that you are unconditionally and

radically loved by God to the point of

being full is a completely different you

otherwise it’s a different you you that

that you thinks differently that you

expects differently that you doesn’t

discount his or herself that you doesn’t

just take anything that comes your way

because you’re so desperate

it doesn’t take counterfeits that you is

patient that you is strong that you is

wise that you is focused that you will

easily give up the good thing in

anticipation for the god thing that you

is powerful that you doesn’t get

distracted

that you is strong and that you has an

accelerated destiny because you don’t

spend your time trying to get free from

the things that you’ve embraced looking

for love and we all are going to grow in

this love is it name anyone else who

wants to come if you feel like you

supposed to be down to just come I love

you we got to start another service in

nine minutes I’m not rushing you I’m

saying God has said enough come on down

we don’t have to say anything else if

you just feel like you’re supposed to be

here be here and here’s why I emphasize

that because I don’t want you to get in

your car saying man I wish I could come

down here and then then your great great

heart starts convicting you and making

you feel like you missed something no we

can just eliminate all that altogether

right now you’re just like he’s talking

you just come on down and meet me at

this altar right now that’s what I’m

talking about that’s what I’m talking

that’s what I’m talking about that’s

what I’m talking

that’s what I’m talking about you’re

gonna be able to say I love you but I

don’t need you and for some of you

you’re gonna say hit the road Jack and

don’t you come back you understand what

I’m saying hallelujah I love you I want

to pray for you

father thank you so much for this rich

time that we’ve had in your presence

here today

thank you for speaking these words of

truth I think that you’re maturing us

you’re growing us up God you want us to

be rooted and grounded in love you want

us to be strengthened in our inner man

strengthened on the inside strong enough

to handle anything God and you want us

above all to be filled with all the

fullness of God I thank you for those of

you touch that you’ve touched here today

and I thank you for new human beings

arising out of this experience we are

completely different when we encounter

your love when we hold on to your love

we think differently we walk differently

we talk differently

we expect differently we love

differently and I thank you god you’re

doing a new thing in the hearts and in

the minds of those are here at this

altar and god I pray God that all cheap

replicas would be ejected in the name of

Jesus hit the road Jack don’t you come

back the war the war the war

and I think AG you are the real thing

and you will satisfy over and beyond

anything because your love passes

knowledge perfect us in this love mature

us in this love ground us in this love

and I thank you for the joy that’s

coming back I thank you God for the joy

of the Lord and the joy of our salvation

which is our strength thank you God for

the beautiful work that you’re doing in

the lives these your beautiful people I

just want you to repeat after me

Heavenly Father I thank you for your

love I thank you for your grace and I

thank you for your goodness I thank you

for Jesus Christ thank you for making

him who had no sin to become all of mine

all of my insecurities all of my

brokenness all of my limitations all of

my shortcomings you placed in his body

nailed it to the cross and put it to

death but when he was raised up leaving

all those things in the grave I too have

been raised up free from insecurity and

full of love I receive your love right

now I receive the knowledge of your love

grow me in that love and I am forsaken

today all false love I release it right

now and let it go and I will no longer

expect other people and other things to

do for my heart that which only you can

I receive you Lord Holy Spirit come and

fill me up fill my heart with your love

and perfect me from glory to glory I’m

forgetting what’s behind me and I’m

excited for what’s ahead of me thank you

for this moment I’ll never be the same

in Jesus name Amen amen god bless you

[Music]