Sermon Starters -- Pour Me Some Love

Title: "Pour Me Some Love"

Occasion: Victory Highway Wesleyan Church, December 6, 2020

I. Introduction

• The surprise themes of Advent
• New Testament texts of love (1 Cor. 13; Matthew 5 and 22; John 3:16)

Text: Romans 5:1-11

• Prayer
• 5:1-11 in the flow of Romans (concludes what came before, begins what follows)
• We are in between the first and second coming. Victory over individual and cosmic Sin is won, but final consummation awaits. In the meantime, we struggle with suffering and temptation.

A. God loves us -- no really!

• Often two kinds of people -- those who don't realize they don't deserve God's love and those who don't think they have it.
• The Sheldon Coopers (Big Bang Theory) -- "Could it be me? No, I'm a delight."
• The person who doesn't hear the part after the "but" ("I like you, but...")
• On the other hand, there is the person that David Seamands said has a broken antenna. 
• Reread Romans 5:6-8
• "While we were God's enemies Christ died for us."
• Some want to wiggle out of God's love for his enemies or want to redefine love to where it doesn't mean what it seems to mean. God has shown us what it means.

B. The Holy Spirit is God's love poured into us.

• Romans 5:5 is a little ambiguous -- is it God's love or our love of God?
• Probably God's love for us, in the first place
• The context is one of suffering and testing.
• Reread Romans 5:3-5
• The love of God gets us through trials and temptations.
• Victor Frankl tweet: "A person with a why can bear any how."
• We have something better than Frankl's random "why." We have the true why and purpose. And we have the Holy Spirit to power us through.
• Illustration of needing others.
• Without God, we are stuck in Romans 7.
• James 1:5 tells us to seek wisdom from God in times of trial.
• Suffering leads to perseverance leads to character leads to hope.

C. The love of God overflows from us to others

• The other possible meaning of Romans 5:5
• Illustration of overflowing (e.g., water)
• What does it look like?
• Illustration of love overflowing.
• Golden Rule is how it plays out (Matt. 7:12)
• Tweet: Love rejoices with those who rejoice. It weeps with those who weep.
• Not always easy -- your sibling, during an election

III. Conclusion

• I believe God would have come even if Adam had not sinned, because God loves us.
• Don't know what you're facing, but the love of God is ready to flow into you.
• Give love until you feel love. When you feel love, it will overflow.