POWER Vs. Love

Notes on the sermon Power Vs. Love by Tony Campolo:

Fredrick Niche said, "The basic drive of human personality is the will to power; people essentially desire to dominate and control other human beings."

The problem is power; the will to power.

What goes wrong with marriages today?  There is an inverse relationship between love and power.  In any relationship whoever is expressing the most power is expressing the least love.

In any relationship as power increases, love decreases and as love increases, power decreases.

The principle of least in interest says that in any relationship the one who cares the least is in the position to control the other.

Power is built on lack of love. 

A Christian should never ask who is going to be the master, but rather who is the servant.

Jesus' kingdom is not about who is the master or who is in control.

Male chauvinists lack the capacity to love.  An example of this would be James Bond.

If someone like John Wayne begins to become a love image he looses power.

Because love makes you vulnerable. 

Love puts you in a position where you can be hurt.

That is why marriages in America aren't working, because people are deliberately withholding love from each other in order to increase their respective positions of power.

We're so concerned about maintaining our power in respect to each other, that we forget that we then loose the ability to love.

Power is contingent upon the absence of love.

When you say I love you, you instantaneously relinquish power.

Women are tired of being pushed around by pushy, dominating husbands.  But the answer to dominating husbands is not to create dominating wives, aka feminism.

Marriage has become about who controls what?  And who will exercise power over whom?

As women go on power trips, they, like men, loose the capacity to love.

Jesus

Jesus emptied himself of his power and made himself like a slave and humbled himself unto death.

Down through the eons of time the all powerful God demonstrated his power, but 2,000 years ago he knew he had to show us his love in all it's fullness.

So he set aside his power.

The all powerful God became a baby in a manger!

Why would God become a weak crying baby?  Because love is about giving up power.

Greater love has no one than this that the infinite powerful God showed infinite love and layed down his life for us. 

All the way through Jesus' life Satan was trying to get Jesus off the love trip and onto the power trip.  Thus the temptations in the wilderness.  They were all relating to power.

But Jesus said, no I have another way; if I be lifted up and die in weakness I will draw all men unto myself.

Love draws, power coerces.

When we become Christian it is not because God forces us into is, because love will not allow God to use power.

Love expressrs itself in weakness.  It is intriguing that love can make us so vulnerable and weak.

Jesus wouldn't come down from the cross because that was where he showed us his love.  He knew that was the best way to show how much He loved us. 

Jesus could have called 10 thousand angels if he wanted to.

To live in the flesh is to lean on power and to use power and coercion to bring about what you want.

But Jesus confronted humanity in humility and weakness to show his love.

The greatness of God is his love.  He essentially IS LOVE.

Marriages

"Husbands love your wives the way Christ loved the church."  How did he love the church?  He became a slave. 

What woman would have any problem submitting to a guy who says he is her slave?

But if he is her slave and she is submissive who is in charge?  Jesus.  Jesus is to be Lord of the marriage.

Both in the relationship should say that they would be willing to set aside any dreams, hopes and aspirations for the other.  "Sumit to one another," Paul says. 

The only fight that Christian are allowed to have is to try to outdo one another in love.  Let each esteem the other better than himself.

Christianity transcends male chauvinism and ardent feminism.

Christianity is the ultimate liberation because it comes in love; it teaches us how to love.

It's not that women need to be liberated from powerlessness, but it's that men need to be liberated from power.



In raising kids we want them to obey us not because they are afraid of us.

Because perfect love casts out all fear.  It would be ideal that they love us so much that they just want to do things to please us. 



God wants us to obey him because we love him.  Jesus says, "If you love me you will keep my commandments."

Jesus is coming back a second time, but this time He will come in power.

He is with us in love now though, don't waste this time. 



Love makes kids and parents vulnerable.

People hurt us when we love them more then they love us.

Our love for others makes us vulnerable to their hurt.

When you win arguments what have you won?  Nothing.  And you destroy love.


Nothing frightens me more then religious people with power.  Whenever the church has had power it has forfeited its nature of love.  It is not what it was meant to be. 


Power only creates the illusion of success.  In the end power fails, but love never fails.

How can you change the world without power? 

Love can be more powerful then power.



Do you believe in love, or do you believe in power?



Christians have to make an incredible commitment to love and set aside power.

Refuse to make your enemies your enemies because God's enemies are not God's enemies; he loves us even when we are at war with Him.  He will NEVER stop loving us.


To be a Christian is to do whatever Jesus would do if he was in your shoes.


We are to act and to think like Jesus and by his grace we must do it and we must be it.

Watch out when the system thinks well of you.

Power vs. Authority

There is a difference between power and authority.

Power is when you obey me because you know that behind my order I can make you do what I'm asking you to do.  Power implies the possibility of coercion.

However authority means what that person asks they have a right to ask.  It means that you obey out of a sense of personal desire. 

Jesus spoke as one having authority.  What gives people authority?  How much they sacrifice for us.

When Jesus was on the cross in agony he was thinking of you, of me.  We owe him.  We need to be saying, "Jesus after what you did there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you."  His sacrifice is the basis for his authority.

Since Jesus humbled himself God exalted him. 

His lordship is not based on twisting people's arms but on a sacrifice.

We need to come to realize that we owe him our very life.

The world is still waiting to see the love of God come from the church.  They have seen us play power, but what about love?

It is our job as the church to love the unlovable. 

The church lacks authority for this reason.  We are always trying to get power because power is something that people who lack authority have to go after.

Dreams

America is perishing for lack of dreams and visions.

Jesus is saying to us come dream with me.  Come share a vision with me.

With love we can do impossible things!

We get authority by living out sacrificial love. 

Jesus asks, are you able to be crucified with me?  Can you forfeit power and embrace love. 

Can you give of yourself as you have never given of yourself for His kingdom?

To be converted means that you are no longer motivated by power, but the love of Christ compels you.

May we all seek to be more loving and lay aside any will to power. 

God help us in this.  Amen! :)