Macklemore, Love & Truth

MACKLEMORE,

LOVE& TRUTH



MACKLEMORE BIO

•  Doesn’t struggle with our topics from the last 2 weeks

–  He doesn’t care much about living up to cultural
expectations, hence “Thrift shop”

–  He is one of the most authentic songwriters today

•  Hip Hop demands a powerful presentation of lyrics

–  You can’t hide behind anything, its you and the mic

MACKLEMORE BIO

•  In a documentary he says, “I know what it’s like to be a
failure…” & admits that he doesn’t “have it all figured
out.”

•  He sees music as his outlet for expressing his feelings
about what is most valuable to him

MACKLEMORE BIO

•  Has battled substance abuse throughout his life

–  Went to rehab in 2008
–  Has written several songs about this struggle

•  “Otherside”; “Starting Over”

•  Tonight we are looking at, “Same Love”

–  There are so many issues I could talk about (his view on
homosexuality for example) but tonight we are discussing
Macklemore’s view on love & truth



MACKLEMORE & ME

1.  I adamantly agree with so much that he is saying

–  Hating or looking down on anyone from a different
cultural background than you or with a different sexual
preference than you is absolutely wrong

–  Our racial slurs and sexually degrading comments are
detestable and are never OK

MACKLEMORE & ME

2.  I really wish it was this easy & really want what he is
saying to be true.

–  I wish we could all just love & accept everyone & never have to
tell anyone we disagree with them.

–  Unfortunately, sincerely wanting something to be true, does
not make it true.

MACKLEMORE’S ANGER

•  He is very angry at self-righteous religious bigots & any others
who may be inserting themselves as judge over others.

–  He is right to be angry at this. (Westboro Baptist)

–  Those who stand on their supposed “morally righteous”
behavior, are not being what Jesus called them to be.

MACKLEMORE’S CONFUSION

•  Unfortunately, he is guilty of the very thing he hates.

–  Inserting himself as judge of the people he sees as judgmental
is equally as wrong.

•  Macklemore seems to be saying we should accept at all
costs & never ask any questions.

•  Truth cannot be determined subjectively like wine-tasting

OUUR CNUDLTEURREL’YSI&NMGACISKLSEUMEOSRE’S

1.  His beliefs, and several of ours, don’t seem to be based
on anything other than uninformed emotional cultural
creeds

2.  We are often mistaken about the nature of truth & love.

OUR VIEUWNDOEFRTNREUATTHH& LOVE

•  When we don’t know the truth, we get insecure & scared.
•  We are uncomfortable to disagree with anyone.
•  We are afraid to hurt anyone’s feelings.

OUR VIEUWNDOEFRTNREUATTHH& LOVE

•  We want to be OK with everyone believing whatever they
want which leads to no one truly believing anything.

•  Rather than figuring out the truth, our cultures is taking
the easy road & saying that everything is true.

OUR VIEUWNDOEFRTNREUATTHH& LOVE

•  Underneath our view of truth & love…
– > is self-protection & fear.

•  Not rejoicing in truth & caring about others knowing the
truth (even if it offends them) is actually selfish & self-
protecting, NOT LOVING.

OUR VIEUWNDOEFRTNREUATTHH& LOVE

•  At the end of, “Same Love” Mary Lambert quotes 1 Cor. 13:4

–  “Love is patient, Love is kind”

–  We should be patient & kind to all – We should love all.

–  This is SO TRUE, BUT there is more to this chapter…

TRUTH & LOVE

•  1 Cor. 13:4-7

–  Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not
arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not
irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but
rejoices with the truth…

TRUTH & LOVE

•  You cannot separate Love from Truth

•  You cannot just love for love’s sake with no regard for what is
true. True love tells the truth!

LWOVHEA&T ITSRRUETAHL?

True love fully acknowledges the truth about
someone & is self-sacrificing, not self-
protecting.

JESUS, TRUTH & LOVE

•  John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he GAVE his only Son…”

–  Please go read all of 1 John 4 as well.

•  This is not self-protection, but self-sacrifice!

–  Love acknowledges the truth. It doesn’t sweep differences under the rug.

JESUS, TRUTH & LOVE

•  The truth about us is that we’ve all messed up majorly (Rom. 3)

•  Since God is loving, He acknowledges this truth about us &
does something about it.

•  We don’t have to take the punishment we deserve, but
instead can believe that Jesus took it for us.

JESUS, TRUTH & LOVE

•  I’m a complete idiot.

•  Because of Jesus, my future is incredibly bright.

•  Anyone can get in on this.

CHRISTIANS, TRUTH & LOVE

Church should be more like an Alcoholics Anonymous
meeting.

–  We’re all really messed up & are here because we need help.

–  “I’ve got a big problem & have nowhere else to turn.”

–  We are all equally in need of grace & no one is better.

–  “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.”

of oRurEcAoLmLmIFoEn EnXeeAdMfoPrLgErace.

DISCUSSION

1.  How have you viewed truth & love?

2.  Would you agree that everyone is in equal need of grace?

3.  Would you say you view yourself as hopeless apart from
Jesus?