Overflow | Week 3 | Pastor Kevin Kringel |
Overflow
Week 3
2 Cor. 5:14-15 Christ’s love compels us
The law of biogenesis: life produces life
(First birth: biological life; Second birth: Zoe “spiritual life”)
It is natural and the right use of life to desire to reproduce life.
It is wired into who we are, which leads to what we do.
“God’s purpose for us as we become more like Jesus is to reproduce the life of Jesus in others through us.” -Kenneth Boa, Conformed to His Image
Evangelism and the discipleship that follows afterward are an expression of the Overflow of God’s love and goodness we’ve received, flowing into others.
We seek the “Greatest Good” for those we love. (I want us to get a new vision for the gospel, it’s not a sales pitch, it’s not just words, when someone receives it, the Greatest Good for a human being begins.)
The greatest good for the non-believer
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13–14 (NIV)
The greatest good for the believer (discipleship)
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans 8:29 (NIV)
In seeking the “Greatest Good” for others, we do not just tell them a message; we are compelled by love to give our lives as well
“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NIV)
Do we believe the love of God is the “Greatest Good” for us? For others?
“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16 (NKJV)
Being Drawn into God’s Love: Bow and Arrow
The more we allow ourselves to be drawn into the love of God, the more we feel that internal compelling to go and share with others.
The arrow represents our heart, the bow is God’s love.
An arrow without the drawing has little to no force and falls short. Many times, we feel guilty about sharing our faith; we know we were made to do it, but there's no force behind it. It's like looking at the arrow and telling it its purpose, so it should just go do it. But the arrow is meant to work with the power of the bow. The bow gives it force and focus.
Matthew 28:18-19 “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’”
Go and make disciples is set in a larger story than just that verse. If we lift that command out of the three years of the disciples walking with Jesus, experiencing his love all the way to the cross and back, we can hear it as just a command.
But "Go and make disciples" follows their personal experience with the Love of God. Now Go, tell your story of the love of God you’ve received and share with them. (You didn’t receive as a sermon but as a person.)
Story: A life drawn into the love of God. The man from the Caves:
In Mark 5, Jesus crosses the sea into Gentile territory, the region of the Decapolis, the “Ten Cities.”
The man is described as:
And somewhere in this man’s story, there may very well have been doors opened through darkness, sin, trauma, spiritual oppression, violence, or perversion. Scripture doesn’t tell us every detail, but we know the enemy had devastated his humanity.
The love of God crosses the sea for one broken man. (Jesus passed through a storm to get to him, then turned around and got back in the boat).
While everyone else is trying to avoid him…Jesus came to him.
Jesus confronts the darkness, delivers him, and then the Bible says the people later found him: “dressed and in his right mind.” Mark 5:15
Then the healed man begs, “Let me go with You.”
But Jesus tells him:
“Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.” Mark 5:19 (go bring this greatest good to others)
So the man goes back.
Back to the people who feared him.
Back to the people who chained him.
Back to the people who pushed him out because they didn’t know what to do with him.
And the Bible says he went throughout the Decapolis proclaiming what Jesus had done for him.
The man who once terrified the ten cities becomes a witness to them.
Seeking their highest good.
The demoniac does not preach because of obligation. He preaches because love changed him.
Many believers know God loves them intellectually, but still live emotionally distant from Him.
We can quote: “God is love.”
And yet still live hurried, guarded, anxious, disconnected, and spiritually shallow.
The invitation of Jesus is not merely to know about His love…it is to abide in His love.
Jesus said: “Abide in Me…” John 15
I think many of us have visited the love of God, but few have learned to live there.
A married couple can technically still be married while becoming emotionally distant.
Not because they stopped believing in each other…but because they stopped slowing down, listening, opening up, pursuing, lingering, and connecting.
Love deepens through presence.
The same is true with God.
You do not drift into intimacy. You move toward it intentionally.
So how do we actually go deeper into the love of God?
1. Slow down long enough to notice Him.
We cannot experience intimacy with someone we constantly ignore.
Many of us give God moments, but never full attention.
The Psalm says:
“Taste and see that the Lord is good…” Psalms 34:8
Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is:
2. Stop hiding from God and become honest.
Intimacy cannot grow where pretending exists.
Many Christians give God polished prayers instead of honest hearts.
But the Psalms are full of real emotion:
One of the beautiful ideas from the early church was that confession was not only about admitting sins…it was about uncovering your heart before God.
Augustine of Hippo wrote Confessions, and it was more than a list of failures. It was the story of a soul becoming honest before God.
Confession is saying:
“God, here’s where I’m afraid.”
“Here’s where I’m disappointed.”
“Here’s where I’m struggling.”
“Here’s where I feel distant.”
“Here’s what I actually desire.”
“Intimacy begins where pretending ends.”
But the amazing thing about the Gospel is this: God already knows everything about you and still wants you near Him.
As we close today remember:
1 John says, “We have known and believed the love that God has for us.”
Not just heard about it.
Not just studied it.
Known it.
Believed it.
Lived in it.
The invitation today is not: “Try harder for God.”
The invitation is: “Come closer.”
Because there is more of His love than you’ve experienced.
More peace.
More communion.
More joy.
More freedom.
More nearness.
The people most transformed by God, bringing love to others, are usually the people most convinced they are deeply loved by Him.
Sharing God is not a gimmick or burden to them. It’s the force of His love drawing them in and compelling them into the world, bringing the “Greatest Good.”
Altar:
1. Lord, here I am, draw me close, help me to move from just knowing to believing (relying) on your love.
2. Salvation: God’s love is reaching out to you today for your greatest good
Week 3
The Love That Draws You In and Sends You Out
2 Cor. 5:14-15 Christ’s love compels us
The law of biogenesis: life produces life
(First birth: biological life; Second birth: Zoe “spiritual life”)
It is natural and the right use of life to desire to reproduce life.
It is wired into who we are, which leads to what we do.
“God’s purpose for us as we become more like Jesus is to reproduce the life of Jesus in others through us.” -Kenneth Boa, Conformed to His Image
Evangelism and the discipleship that follows afterward are an expression of the Overflow of God’s love and goodness we’ve received, flowing into others.
We seek the “Greatest Good” for those we love. (I want us to get a new vision for the gospel, it’s not a sales pitch, it’s not just words, when someone receives it, the Greatest Good for a human being begins.)
The greatest good for the non-believer
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13–14 (NIV)
The greatest good for the believer (discipleship)
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans 8:29 (NIV)
In seeking the “Greatest Good” for others, we do not just tell them a message; we are compelled by love to give our lives as well
“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NIV)
Do we believe the love of God is the “Greatest Good” for us? For others?
“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16 (NKJV)
Being Drawn into God’s Love: Bow and Arrow
The more we allow ourselves to be drawn into the love of God, the more we feel that internal compelling to go and share with others.
The arrow represents our heart, the bow is God’s love.
An arrow without the drawing has little to no force and falls short. Many times, we feel guilty about sharing our faith; we know we were made to do it, but there's no force behind it. It's like looking at the arrow and telling it its purpose, so it should just go do it. But the arrow is meant to work with the power of the bow. The bow gives it force and focus.
Matthew 28:18-19 “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’”
Go and make disciples is set in a larger story than just that verse. If we lift that command out of the three years of the disciples walking with Jesus, experiencing his love all the way to the cross and back, we can hear it as just a command.
But "Go and make disciples" follows their personal experience with the Love of God. Now Go, tell your story of the love of God you’ve received and share with them. (You didn’t receive as a sermon but as a person.)
Story: A life drawn into the love of God. The man from the Caves:
In Mark 5, Jesus crosses the sea into Gentile territory, the region of the Decapolis, the “Ten Cities.”
The man is described as:
- possessed by unclean spirits
- isolated from society
- uncontrollable
- tormented
- self-destructive
- naked
- living among the dead
And somewhere in this man’s story, there may very well have been doors opened through darkness, sin, trauma, spiritual oppression, violence, or perversion. Scripture doesn’t tell us every detail, but we know the enemy had devastated his humanity.
The love of God crosses the sea for one broken man. (Jesus passed through a storm to get to him, then turned around and got back in the boat).
While everyone else is trying to avoid him…Jesus came to him.
Jesus confronts the darkness, delivers him, and then the Bible says the people later found him: “dressed and in his right mind.” Mark 5:15
Then the healed man begs, “Let me go with You.”
But Jesus tells him:
“Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.” Mark 5:19 (go bring this greatest good to others)
So the man goes back.
Back to the people who feared him.
Back to the people who chained him.
Back to the people who pushed him out because they didn’t know what to do with him.
And the Bible says he went throughout the Decapolis proclaiming what Jesus had done for him.
The man who once terrified the ten cities becomes a witness to them.
Seeking their highest good.
The demoniac does not preach because of obligation. He preaches because love changed him.
Many believers know God loves them intellectually, but still live emotionally distant from Him.
We can quote: “God is love.”
And yet still live hurried, guarded, anxious, disconnected, and spiritually shallow.
The invitation of Jesus is not merely to know about His love…it is to abide in His love.
Jesus said: “Abide in Me…” John 15
I think many of us have visited the love of God, but few have learned to live there.
A married couple can technically still be married while becoming emotionally distant.
Not because they stopped believing in each other…but because they stopped slowing down, listening, opening up, pursuing, lingering, and connecting.
Love deepens through presence.
The same is true with God.
You do not drift into intimacy. You move toward it intentionally.
So how do we actually go deeper into the love of God?
1. Slow down long enough to notice Him.
We cannot experience intimacy with someone we constantly ignore.
Many of us give God moments, but never full attention.
The Psalm says:
“Taste and see that the Lord is good…” Psalms 34:8
Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is:
- turn the noise off
- open Scripture and read it slowly (maybe out loud)
- sit with worship and listen
- Take a walk and pray
- stay with Him after the words run out (5 minutes of silence)
2. Stop hiding from God and become honest.
Intimacy cannot grow where pretending exists.
Many Christians give God polished prayers instead of honest hearts.
But the Psalms are full of real emotion:
- fear
- doubt
- grief
- frustration
- longing
One of the beautiful ideas from the early church was that confession was not only about admitting sins…it was about uncovering your heart before God.
Augustine of Hippo wrote Confessions, and it was more than a list of failures. It was the story of a soul becoming honest before God.
Confession is saying:
“God, here’s where I’m afraid.”
“Here’s where I’m disappointed.”
“Here’s where I’m struggling.”
“Here’s where I feel distant.”
“Here’s what I actually desire.”
“Intimacy begins where pretending ends.”
But the amazing thing about the Gospel is this: God already knows everything about you and still wants you near Him.
As we close today remember:
1 John says, “We have known and believed the love that God has for us.”
Not just heard about it.
Not just studied it.
Known it.
Believed it.
Lived in it.
The invitation today is not: “Try harder for God.”
The invitation is: “Come closer.”
Because there is more of His love than you’ve experienced.
More peace.
More communion.
More joy.
More freedom.
More nearness.
The people most transformed by God, bringing love to others, are usually the people most convinced they are deeply loved by Him.
Sharing God is not a gimmick or burden to them. It’s the force of His love drawing them in and compelling them into the world, bringing the “Greatest Good.”
Altar:
1. Lord, here I am, draw me close, help me to move from just knowing to believing (relying) on your love.
2. Salvation: God’s love is reaching out to you today for your greatest good