Embodying God's Transformative Love for the Lost

 

Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound and transformative power of God's love for the lost, as exemplified through personal stories and biblical teachings. We began with the story of my wife, Joe, who, at a young age, prayed for her heart to be broken for the lost. Her experience was immediate and overwhelming, as she felt God's heart for every person, regardless of their background. This deep compassion continues to manifest in her life as she prays for others, embodying the love and concern that God has for each individual.

We then turned to the Apostle Paul's words in Romans 9, where he expresses an intense sorrow and willingness to be cut off from Christ for the sake of his people. This radical love mirrors the sacrifice of Jesus, who was willing to be separated from the Father so that others might know Him. Such love is not merely human; it is a supernatural gift from God, poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

The story of Maximilian Kolbe, a priest who sacrificed his life for another in a concentration camp, further illustrates this selfless love. His actions, though seemingly extraordinary, are a reflection of what normal Christianity should look like—laying down our lives for others as Christ did for us. This sacrificial love was also evident in the early Christians who stayed in plague-ridden cities to care for the sick, often at the cost of their own lives. Their actions led to the spread of Christianity, as people witnessed the tangible expression of God's love.

We are challenged to consider who we would be willing to lay down our lives for and to recognize that such love is not something we can muster on our own. It is a divine gift, a love that God pours into our hearts, enabling us to love others in ways that are humanly impossible. As we seek to embody this love, we become living testimonies of the gospel, known for our willingness to make real sacrifices for the sake of others.

Key Takeaways:

- God's love for the lost is a profound and transformative force that can break our hearts and compel us to action. When we pray for this love, we must be prepared for God to answer in powerful and unexpected ways. [00:33]

- The Apostle Paul's willingness to be cut off from Christ for the sake of his people is a radical expression of love that mirrors the sacrifice of Jesus. This love is not humanly possible but is a supernatural gift from God. [02:23]

- The story of Maximilian Kolbe exemplifies the selfless love that Christians are called to embody. His sacrifice reminds us that true Christianity involves laying down our lives for others, just as Christ did for us. [04:02]

- The early Christians' willingness to care for the sick during plagues, even at the cost of their own lives, demonstrates the power of sacrificial love. Their actions led to the spread of Christianity as people witnessed the tangible expression of God's love. [05:19]

- Loving others with the love of God is not something we can achieve on our own. It is a divine gift, poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, enabling us to love in ways that are beyond human capability. [06:59]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:13] - Joe's Prayer for the Lost
[00:58] - God's Heart for Every Person
[02:01] - Paul's Radical Love
[03:12] - Story of Maximilian Kolbe
[04:34] - Normal Christianity
[05:01] - Early Christians and the Plagues
[05:39] - Being Known for Sacrificial Love
[06:08] - Who Would You Die For?
[06:41] - The Supernatural Gift of Love
[07:18] - Conclusion and Prayer

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Romans 9:1-3
- Romans 5:5
- 1 John 3:16

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Observation Questions:

1. What was the Apostle Paul's emotional state as he expressed his feelings for his people in Romans 9:1-3? How does he emphasize the sincerity of his statement? [02:01]

2. How did Joe's prayer for a heart for the lost manifest in her life, and what was her initial expectation? [00:33]

3. What actions did Maximilian Kolbe take in the concentration camp, and how did his sacrifice impact the man he saved? [04:02]

4. How did the early Christians respond during the plagues, and what effect did their actions have on the spread of Christianity? [05:19]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. What does Paul's willingness to be "cut off from Christ" for the sake of his people reveal about the nature of sacrificial love? How does this compare to the sacrifice of Jesus? [02:23]

2. In what ways does the story of Maximilian Kolbe illustrate the concept of "normal Christianity" as described in the sermon? [04:34]

3. How does the sermon suggest that the love of God is poured into our hearts, and why is this significant for loving others? [06:59]

4. What might be the reasons behind the early Christians' decision to stay and care for the sick during the plagues, despite the risks? How does this reflect their understanding of the gospel? [05:19]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt a strong sense of compassion for someone. How did you respond, and what might you do differently now in light of the sermon? [01:46]

2. Consider the people in your life who do not know Christ. How can you pray for a heart like Joe's, and what steps can you take to reach out to them? [00:33]

3. Maximilian Kolbe's story challenges us to think about who we would be willing to sacrifice for. Who in your life would you make a significant sacrifice for, and why? [04:02]

4. The early Christians were known for their sacrificial love during the plagues. How can you demonstrate this kind of love in your community today? What practical steps can you take? [05:19]

5. The sermon emphasizes that loving others with God's love is a supernatural gift. How can you cultivate a deeper reliance on the Holy Spirit to love others in your daily life? [06:59]

6. Think about a situation where you might need to make a real sacrifice for someone else. What fears or obstacles might you face, and how can you overcome them with God's help? [05:39]

7. How can you be a living testimony of the gospel in your everyday interactions, especially with those who are different from you? What specific actions can you take this week? [06:08]

Devotional

Day 1: God's Love Compels Us to Action
God's love for the lost is a powerful force that can transform our hearts and lives. When we open ourselves to this love, we may find our hearts broken for those who do not yet know Him. This love is not passive; it compels us to act, to reach out, and to share the hope we have in Christ. As we pray for this love, we should be prepared for God to answer in ways that may surprise us, leading us to new opportunities to serve and love others. [00:33]

"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." (2 Corinthians 5:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life is God calling you to reach out to with His love today? How can you take a step towards them in love and service?


Day 2: Radical Love Beyond Human Capability
The Apostle Paul's willingness to be cut off from Christ for the sake of his people is a profound expression of love that mirrors the sacrifice of Jesus. This kind of love is not something we can achieve on our own; it is a supernatural gift from God. Through the Holy Spirit, God pours this love into our hearts, enabling us to love others in ways that are beyond human capability. As we seek to embody this love, we become living testimonies of the gospel. [02:23]

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you ask God to fill you with His supernatural love today? How might this change your interactions with others?


Day 3: Selfless Sacrifice as a Reflection of Christ
The story of Maximilian Kolbe, who sacrificed his life for another, exemplifies the selfless love that Christians are called to embody. His actions remind us that true Christianity involves laying down our lives for others, just as Christ did for us. This sacrificial love is not extraordinary but should be the norm for those who follow Jesus. As we reflect on this, we are challenged to consider who we would be willing to lay down our lives for and how we can live out this love in our daily lives. [04:02]

"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:16-18, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life might God be calling you to serve sacrificially? What practical steps can you take to show them Christ-like love today?


Day 4: The Power of Sacrificial Love in Action
The early Christians' willingness to care for the sick during plagues, even at the cost of their own lives, demonstrates the power of sacrificial love. Their actions led to the spread of Christianity as people witnessed the tangible expression of God's love. This kind of love is not just about grand gestures but is often seen in the small, everyday acts of kindness and service. As we seek to live out this love, we become a light to those around us, drawing others to the hope we have in Christ. [05:19]

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality." (Romans 12:9-13, ESV)

Reflection: What small act of sacrificial love can you offer to someone in need today? How can this act be a reflection of God's love to them?


Day 5: Divine Love Poured into Our Hearts
Loving others with the love of God is not something we can achieve on our own. It is a divine gift, poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, enabling us to love in ways that are beyond human capability. As we open ourselves to this love, we become living testimonies of the gospel, known for our willingness to make real sacrifices for the sake of others. This love transforms us and those around us, drawing us closer to God and to one another. [06:59]

"And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (Romans 5:5, ESV)

Reflection: How can you invite the Holy Spirit to fill you with God's love today? What difference might this make in your relationships and interactions with others?

Quotes

"when my wife Joe was 13 she was sitting like you are she was listening at a a Christian Gathering to an Indian missionary and as she listened to him she could just hear this longing that he had in his heart for the lost and she remembers saying to the Lord I know I'm supposed to have that in my heart but I just don't like my heart is cold I don't feel anything towards those who don't know you and she said Lord would you would you break my heart for the lost like this man's heart is broke for the lost" [00:00:00]

"and she just wound up on the floor in front of all these people just balling her eyes out as she just felt something of the Lord's heart for the lost and she's she's on the floor and she's weeping and she says that different faces just kept going through her mind you know every color every ethnicity every age and just a a face would just stop in her mind and the Lord said would say would you go for them and she'd say yes' and then would you go for him yes would you go for her yes" [00:01:00]

"Paul expresses his heart for the lost in Romans 9 he says I speak the truth in Christ I am not lying my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart for I could wish get this I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people those of my own race the people of Israel that's crazy right like surely he's exaggerating like he's just going for a dramatic effect there" [00:02:00]

"but three times he knows we're going to think that three times at the beginning of the passage he says my conscience confirms it I am not lying I speak the truth three times and but but isn't that the gospel like isn't that Jesus like willing to be cursed and cut off even from his father that those who don't know him would know him I learned just recently about a man named maximilan Colby he was imprisoned in awit in World War II" [00:02:40]

"and there came a point where a a prisoner had fled and so what the guards decided to do were they were just going to randomly pick 10 prisoners numbers and then they were going to put them in a dungeon and starve them to death as a way of deterring future escapes so they read out the 10 numbers randomly maximillian's number was not red the man next to him his number was red and he dropped to his knees and this man said my wife my children and maximilan a priest immediately stepped forward" [00:03:20]

"and he said can I take that man's place and he was allowed to and he went with nine others into that dungeon and ministered to them and prayed for them for the next two weeks until he died and that man who he gave his life for spent the rest of his life going around and telling people about the grace that he had received that seems crazy like put yourself in that situation that seems crazy crazy but it's actually that's that's normal Christianity" [00:03:50]

"Jesus Christ laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for others and this is why Christianity spread in the first place first few centuries one of the biggest reasons that Christianity spread is because in the plagues in the first century and the third century when everyone ran for the hills that's where we get that phrase from everybody ran from the hills I don't want to get infected I don't want my family to get infected many of the Christians stayed" [00:04:30]

"they stayed in the cities to care for their infected neighbors who had the plague and many of them contracted the plague themselves and died in the place of some that they nursed back to health isn't that incredible like statistically through those plagues you were more like to survive if you had a Christian as a neighbor like isn't that awesome like wouldn't it be awesome if we could be known like that again like you move into a neighborhood right and somebody's thinking oh this is awesome" [00:05:10]

"like a Christian just moved next door like if my family ever goes through something and they need somebody to make a real concrete sacrifice on behalf of my family I know the people next door are going to make that because that's what their gospel says that's what they believe who would you give your life for how many people would you give your life for next person you see walking by in this park probably not a Christian what if you had to choose what if you had to die or that person had to die" [00:05:50]

"what if you were maximilan Colby you're you're this happens you're sitting there what choice do you make that might seem humanly impossible you're absolutely right humanly impossible and I'm thankful for that that's good news because if I had to try to muster up in myself that sort of love for other people not a chance but that's not human It's Supernatural That's a gift it's Ro Romans 55 God has poured out his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit" [00:06:30]

"which has been given to us it's not something we do something God does it's not our love it's his love it's a gift it has been given to us Joe my wife didn't manifest that in herself when she was on the floor and just felt the love of God for others she couldn't do that but she could pray for it" [00:07:00]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?