Victory Church
A God-Honoring Life: The Other Side Of Love
Archived – February 2, 2025

A God-Honoring Life: The Other Side Of Love

February 2, 2025

A God-Honoring Life:
The Other Side Of Love
2.2.2025

Introduction

The love of God is the baseline that is to rule all of our personal interaction.

John 13:34-35 (NKJV)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We are to act and respond in love…

We all are imperfect in this. All of us. No exceptions.

Spiritual growth is seen in how we handle relationships. And in how we deal with challenging personal relationship situations.

Spiritual growth is shown not in how we deal with the people we get along with, but how we deal with people who mistreat us, take advantage of us, or do things that rub us the wrong way!

Last Sunday, we examined the importance of loving our enemies: blessing them with our words, doing good to them, and praying for them.

This love the HS placed in us is powerful!

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT)
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Today, we are going to address what I call The Other Side of Love.

vs 6 – Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

The Amplified Bible
It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

Weymouth’s Translation
She finds no pleasure in injustice done to others, but joyfully sides with the truth.

The Living Paraphrase
It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.

The Passion Translation
Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong.
Love is not weak. It is unselfish.

Last week, in addressing loving your enemies I mentioned that when others do you wrong, you don’t retaliate. YOU turn the cheek.

Remember, love doesn’t take account of the evil done to it; it doesn’t pay attention to a personal wrong committed against it.

Love doesn’t make a list of wrongs done to you individually.

But when things happen that affect another individual or group of people, love will hold a person accountable.

God’s love for us is based on His justice…

God could not just forgive and forget our sin! Adam, the first man’s sin affected us all. God HAD to deal with Adam’s sin because of His justice, and because it affected every single human.

Psalms 89:14 (NLT)
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.

God doesn’t forgive our sin just because He loves us; His justice demands that He be fair when He forgives; fair to Himself and the laws He established to govern the universe; and fair to His enemies, and fair to man.

You see, towards the human race as a whole, God doesn’t act
as though we did nothing wrong.

His justice and holiness means that He must deal with sin, which is disobedience to His known will. He must deal with our sin by the payment of a just penalty. Jesus took our sin penalty so that we could be freed from sin!

God did not pauperize us when He forgave us. The justice behind His love gives us dignity.

And so when something occurs and it affects others, not just you, then the loving thing to do is to stand with what is right and what is true, and call it out! Be willing to stand for what is right when someone does something that affects a lot of people!

That is not popular in a day when people hide behind an internet wall.

God had to do that with our sin, and Jesus’ sacrifice paid for all of our sin!

The redemptive thing to do when someone’s actions hurt others is to call it out!

The God Kind of Love will challenge hypocrisy, irresponsibility, and sin!

Love is kind to everyone, does not respond in kind to wrongs committed against it, and will be silent toward personal persecution.

But, love will defend the weak and stand for truth when unfair actions hurt others.

Notice Jesus’ attitude towards hypocrisy and injustice:

Mark 11: 15-19 (NKJV)
So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'” 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. 19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.

Luke 11:37-54 (NLT)
Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders
As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. 38 His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. 39 Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! 40 Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? 41 So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over. 42 What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 43 What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces. 44 Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.”
45 “Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.” 46 “Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden. 47 What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago. 48 But in fact, you stand as witnesses who agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in their crime by building the monuments! 49 This is what God in his wisdom said about you: ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them, but they will kill some and persecute the others.’
50 As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the world—51 from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation. 52 What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.” 53 As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions. 54 They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.

Jesus showed love by revealing the hypocrisy of the hypocritical religious leaders of His day.

Notice the scriptures’ attitude towards irresponsibility:

Love also stands for truth when dealing with irresponsible people.

It is love to call out irresponsibility in someone when it hurts and affects others.

Proverbs 27:5-6 (NKJV)
Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Message
A spoken reprimand is better than approval that’s never expressed. 6 The wounds from a lover are worth it; kisses from an enemy do you in.

Good News Translation
Better to correct someone openly than to let him think you don’t care for him at all. 6 A friend means well, even when he hurts you. But when an enemy puts his arm around your shoulder–watch out!

Proverbs 28:23 (NKJV)
He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue.

The Living Bible
In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.

Message Paraphrase
In the end, serious reprimand is appreciated far more than bootlicking flattery.

Notice how Paul deals with a believer who is setting a bad example for others:

When someone does something that brings harm to others, love will call it out!

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 (NKJV)
But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, 9 not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. 10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. 13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. 14 And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Titus 3: 10-11 (AMPC)
[As for] a man who is factious [a heretical sectarian and cause of divisions], after admonishing him a first and second time, reject [him from your fellowship and have nothing more to do with him], 11 Well aware that such a person has utterly changed (is perverted and corrupted); he goes on sinning [though he] is convicted of guilt and self-condemned.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 (NLT)
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us.

Sin is like yeast in a batch of dough!

If you do not confront the wrong in a person that may affect others, then do you really love them?

Paul deals with a person who is dividing the church.

Titus 3:10-11 (NLT)
If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them. 11 For people like that have turned away from the truth, and their own sins condemn them.

Living Paraphrase
If anyone is causing divisions among you, he should be given a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with him, 11 for such a person has a wrong sense of values. He is sinning, and he knows it.

Acts 20:29-30 (NLT)
I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30 Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.

Notice how Paul dealt with a believer living in open sin:

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 (NLT)
When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

Here Paul deals with a man who is persecuting him and affecting the church:

2 Timothy 4:14-16 (NKJV)
Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. 15 You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words. 16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.

Love stands for what is right!

And love will speak up when a person’s wrong way of living hurts others!

Bottom line, when people do things that aggravate and affect you, turn your cheek, as Jesus said.

But when someone does something that hurts others, address it!

Action Points:

Do you keep lists in your head and remember when people treat you in a hurtful way?
Is it an act of love to call a person out for their actions that hurts others?
What is the difference between keeping personal lists towards an individual who hurt you and addressing an issue publicly that a person has done that might harm a group of people?

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