Perfect Love - Week 4: “Perfect Love Takes Priority” - Full Service

See, perfect love doesn't dominate us. It doesn't fight for space. It simply takes the space that we give it. But perfect love only works from the driver's seat. And the good news for us today is this, that Jesus is not looking for perfection out of us. Jesus was already perfect for us. He's not looking for perfection. He's just looking for priority. [01:12:30] (26 seconds)  #JesusSeeksPriority

And the same can be true of our spiritual lives. See, lot of us want Jesus in the car with us. Right? We're good with him being close. We like his presence. Maybe we even want his guidance a little bit. But letting him drive, well, means trusting him with things we can't control. It means releasing our grip on the wheel, going where he wants to go, and prioritizing the things that he says are first in our hearts. [01:11:30] (32 seconds)  #LetJesusDrive

So here's the question for us today. If someone followed you for a week, not just listening to your words, but observing your actions, where does your time go? Your talent, your treasure, your attention. If someone were to follow you for a week and watch all that, who would they say is in the driver's seat of your heart? [01:12:02] (26 seconds)  #WhoDrivesYourHeart

Modern missionary Jim Elliot says this, that he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. So remember, perfect love, it's not a thing. It's not an emotion. It's a person, and that person is Jesus. And Jesus refuses to compete with lesser loves for priority in our lives. He must sit on the throne of our hearts at the top of the list. But how do we do this? By practically choosing him every single day. [00:59:36] (34 seconds)  #GiveUpToGain

The Greek word for that is cosmos. That's everything that you see around you. That's everything on this planet, outside of this planet. Everything in the physical realm that we inhabit is the world. He's not talking about that. He's also not talking about people in the world. We know that God loves people deeply. He loved them so much that he came and he died on the cross so that we could be redeemed. So what is John talking about? Well, he's talking about a system in a way of life that opposes God. [00:51:32] (28 seconds)  #WorldSystemVsGod

And church, what I would like to tell you today is that this is not a theoretical thing. I don't wanna bring the mood down too much, but there is a real enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy everything that you are and everything that you have. Why? Because you are made in the image of God and because God loves you. [00:45:28] (23 seconds)  #RealEnemyExists

And what happens is that we usually get wrapped up in these worldly things and then we start to resemble the world rather than represent Jesus, which is what we are called today. Remember over the last couple of weeks, we've talked about the importance of reflecting the light, walking in the light, not being in darkness. But when these idols slowly creep into priority into our hearts, we end up walking in darkness little bit by little bit by little bit at a time. [00:53:20] (28 seconds)  #ResistWorldlyIdols

Love matters. Love is important. And Valentine's Day actually is a great reminder that love shapes how we act. It shapes the things we spend our money on. It shapes the things that we do. It reveals to us what our priorities really are because we always prioritize what we love. [00:36:15] (21 seconds)  #LoveRevealsPriorities

But when you're teaching your kids to drive, there comes a moment where you realize something. It's a scary moment. And what you realize is that you are no longer in the driver's seat. You are no longer in the driver's seat. Your hand is no longer on the wheel. You can't control everything about that car. You can't control the way it turns. You can't control where it is going. You can't control the decisions that that car is going to make because someone else is in the driver's seat. [01:10:57] (33 seconds)  #HandsOffTheWheel

And I get it. Sometimes putting God first, that can be a little bit scary. Why? Because we are giving up control. This past year, my oldest turned 16. And so that means for a little while now, her mother and I have been teaching her how to drive. If you've ever taught your kids how to drive, you know that this is a deeply spiritual experience. [01:10:24] (29 seconds)  #DrivingIsSpiritual

And Jesus was the only one to ever perfectly fulfill every single one of those rules. He is the king overall with his victory won on the cross and through his resurrection. He is the perfect priest who sacrifices himself for us. He is the perfect prophet who reveals God's word to us. And if we are in Christ, what John is saying here is that we are anointed to share in all of that. [01:09:35] (28 seconds)  #AnointedInChrist