The Christian’s Call to Imitate God's Love and Holiness
This video, titled "The Christian’s Call to Imitate God's Love and Holiness," delivers a lesson focusing on the Christian call to imitate God's love and holiness. The speaker, Bill Ward, shares personal anecdotes and draws extensively from biblical scriptures to illustrate these concepts.
Here's a breakdown of the key themes:
• Understanding God's Nature (2:52-6:16):
The sermon begins by emphasizing that God is both love and holy. Ward highlights that "God is love" defines His relational nature towards humanity, while "holy, holy, holy" (repeated for supreme emphasis in scripture) describes His absolute perfection and separateness.
He stresses that one cannot fully grasp God's love without understanding His holiness, as His love is a "holy love" and His mercy a "righteous mercy."
• Imitating God's Love (6:19-16:44):
Ward acknowledges the difficulty in loving everyone, especially those we may not "like." He discusses the tension between loving unconditionally and standing against evil, emphasizing that love doesn't mean approving sin or ignoring truth.
Drawing from Luke 6… 27-36, he encourages radical love, generosity, mercy, patience, forgiveness, and sacrificial kindness, even towards enemies, without expecting anything in return. He shares a personal story about a friend's selfless act of generosity as an example.
• Spiritual Fatherhood and Correction (17:03-21:19): Using 1 Corinthians 4:14-21,
Ward explains Paul's role as a spiritual father to the Corinthians, correcting them with love and warning them to imitate his Christ-like living. He highlights that God's kingdom is about spiritual power and transformed living, not just words, and that while God is merciful, there can be firm discipline for those unwilling to repent.
• Abiding in Christ and Pursuing Holiness (21:47-34:46): Referencing 1 John 2:28-3:9,
Ward urges believers to "abide in Christ" through faithful fellowship, which leads to confidence at His return rather than shame. He stresses that righteous living is evidence of being born of God, and that being a child of God means actively pursuing purity and holiness, just as Christ is pure. He clarifies that while believers may stumble, a lifestyle marked by continual rebellion reveals an untransformed heart.
• 10 Ways NOT to Live Out God's Love and Holiness (34:51-36:24):
The video concludes with a humorous but impactful list of behaviors to avoid, such as only loving those who agree with you, praying for enemies only so they'll realize you were right, or showing mercy only when convenient.
This serves as a stark reminder of how not to embody the principles discussed.
