Love Is Not Unbothered or Unrepentant

But the scripture says love doesn't do that. It doesn't keep an account of wrong. Why? Because the Lord does not keep an account of our wrong. When we have confessed and repented, he gives us forgiveness, and the scripture says he cast it as far as the east is to the west. And so if we are to love like Christ loved, then we have to also challenge ourselves to love that way. Now we understand, though, any biblical teaching can be perverted. [00:46:16] (23 seconds)  #loveDoesntKeepScore

Okay? Jesus made it real, real plain, though, just in case you don't like the old testament. Jesus came in, he said, I'm a make it super, super clean for you. John fourteen and fifteen, if you love me, keep my commandments. We don't need no lexicon. We don't need no commentaries. You don't need no degrees. If you love me, obey me. [00:57:04] (22 seconds)  #LoveMeansObedience

The point is love doesn't manipulate truth to avoid accountability. It doesn't mislabel truth as judgmental to avoid accountability. Love delights in it because in it, we see our blind spots for who we are. Here's the point of it all. The point of it all is that if we're gonna be a church that learns to be gracious and patient and merciful with each other, then we also have to be a church that learns to not glory, be glad, be unrepentant, be arrogant in the offenses that we do against each other. Why? Because nothing's going to destroy a community like that. [01:40:40] (44 seconds)  #TruthNotManipulation

And he says, now I want you to be built together as the household of god, and I want you to function in unity and harmony. Listen. It is no way that you can put so many different personalities in a single place and think that those personalities at some point ain't gonna start rubbing up against each other. I'm fine with that. That's healthy. How we handle that sandpaper rub is what can be unhealthy. But I'm fine with the conflict. I'm fine with the tension because we grow and we learn through those things. [00:48:49] (31 seconds)  #UnityThroughConflict

So when James says, turn your laughter to morning and your joy to gloom, he's talking to an audience that knows what is right but won't turn. Instead, they walk in sin as if it's okay. So let's define it. To rejoice in unrighteousness is to walk in it unbothered and unrepentant of it. It's the it's the I celebrate it. Oh, yeah. I just robbed this person. Look at what I got. And it's the know I ain't supposed to do it, and I don't care. I'm gonna do what I wanna do anyway. [01:06:53] (25 seconds)  #StopRejoicingInSin

But this is the true definition of fighting for love. It's not perfection, but the one who does, who does not rejoice in unrighteousness is not a person who never falls. It's a person who doesn't stay there. And to love god and others is supposed to be what motivates us to actually care and repent and to get up and not rejoice and be unbothered. [01:18:56] (20 seconds)  #FightForLoveNotPerfection

As a follower of Christ, if I'm still breathing, I'm still fighting. Whatever temptation is at my back, I'm still thirty years later, you're still fighting. I will forever be fighting it. Yes. Because my love for the lord says I don't lay down. Yes. I might get knocked down. And I get me some sniffing salt because I'm getting back up, and we got some more work. Yes. I'm not about to just be like, you got me already. Now I'm scared. Like, no. I'm a get your lick back. [01:18:09] (26 seconds)  #NeverStopFighting

And then we'll tell the natural relationship, you don't love me, but then turn around and tell god that we love him when we do it towards him. But to walk unbothered and unrepentant in sin is not to love god, it's to love yourself. You love somebody. It's you. Right? Right? Well, I I always tell you, like, our sin is always a result of us choosing to love us over god even in that moment. [01:14:11] (24 seconds)  #LoveGodNotSelf