Bearing Fruit Series
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
Love
Love
Summary: A look at Love as the primary manifestation of the fruit of the spirit, it’s character in 1Cor 13 contasted with the gifts of the Spirit in 1Cor 12
The Fruit of The Spirit - Love
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Introduction
Last week we examined this passage discovering that the abundant life that God intends us as believers to experience is through our yielding to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. That in so doing it is not merely a strong act of our human will, but a surrendering of it to the will of the Holy Spirit. In so doing the Holy Spirit is then able to produce in us the life of the Spirit that manifest it’s self as fruit, principally qualities of character found in Christ sometimes referred to as graces of the Spirit. God wills that our life be so submitted to the influence of the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit that our lives would like a beautiful diamond manifest and radiate with the splendor and glory of Christ.
Today as we continue in the examination of this passage I want us to examine the first manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit described for us as “LOVE!” “The Fruit of the Spirit is love….”
1. Love Is the Sum of God
1. Love Is the Sum of God
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
These verses show to us that God does not just love us, but rather that God IS LOVE! That the entire being of God is manifested in this – He Is Love!
“Never was a more important declaration made than this; never was more meaning crowded into a few words than in this short sentence—God is love.” (Barnes N.T. Notes)
God is not merely a loving God – HE IS LOVE! Agape!
The Greek word agape is the characteristic term of Christianity.
Unlike the English language which only has one word for love the Greek language has three words.
Eros was the word used in Greek literature to express sensual physical love and is never found used in the scriptures.
Phileo was the word used to express “tender affection” or brotherly love.
The third word while used in Greek literature at the time was not as common. It is the Word Agape. It was this third word that the Apostle Paul and other N.T. writers ceased upon to describe the Love Of God.
It signifies properly a love which chooses its object and implies implicit obedience. It is used in the N.T. exclusively to express that spiritual bond of love between God and man and between man and man, in Christ which is characteristic of Christianity.
Agape love indicates the nature of the love of God toward His beloved Son
And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
- Toward the human race generally
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- toward those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ ().
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Agape love expresses the essential nature of God
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Love can be known only from the actions it prompts, as seen in God’s love in the gift of His Son
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Love found its perfect expression in the Lord Jesus, Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Is it any wonder then that the Apostle Paul trying to write and instruct us in walking in the Spirit, that the first manifestation of the Spirit’s indwelling presence and effect in our life should be to manifest it’s self in LOVE!
2. Love Is the More Excellent Way
2. Love Is the More Excellent Way
The Apostle Paul when writing to the Corinthian Church in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 describes the multiplicity of the gifts of the Spirit and how they are divided amongst the members of the body severally and separately by the will of the Holy Spirit and that every member receives by the Spirit individual gifting. That one gift is greater or lesser in importance and that one should in no way envy another’s gift or boast of his own.
As he completes this section on the gifts by telling them,
But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
The More Excellent way is Love and again the word used is the word Agape.
Listen to the description of this love and see if there are any similarities to what Paul says in Galatians about the Fruit of the Spirit.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
Does any of that sound familiar? Does it sound anything like “joy peace longsuffering gentleness goodness, faithfulness, meekness or self-control.”
Love is the Principal manifestation of the “Fruit of the Spirit” It is also the principal motivation.
As opposed to the flesh that would act out of self desire, self motivation, self preservation, self gratification, agape love acts out of self denial. It chooses instead the preservation and edification of the object of it’s love. This is how God loves and if we submit our lives to the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit he will reproduce in us this same Love.
(Illustration – Love That Overcomes)
After the U.S.S. Pueblo was captured by the North Koreans, the eighty-two surviving crew members were thrown into a brutal captivity. In one particular instance thirteen of the men were required to sit in a rigid manner around a table for hours. After several hours the door was violently flung open and a North Korean guard brutally beat the man in the first chair with the butt of his rifle. The next day, as each man sat at his assigned place, again the door was thrown open and the man in the first chair was brutally beaten. On the third day the same happened again to the same man. Knowing the man could not survive another beating a young sailor took his place. When the door was flung open the guard automatically beat the new man senseless. For weeks, each day a new man stepped forward to sit in that horrible chair, knowing full well what would happen. At last the guards gave up in exasperation. They were unable to beat that kind for sacrificial love.
3. Love Is the Manifest Proof of True Discipleship
3. Love Is the Manifest Proof of True Discipleship
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
“ Agape love conveys God’s will to His children about their attitude toward one another. Love for one another was a proof to the world of true discipleship.”
“Love is like oil to the wheels of obedience. It enables us to run the way of God’s commandments.
I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart.
Without God’s AGAPE love moving in us and through us towards others, we are as nothing (1 Cor. 13:3).
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Such Spirit-inspired love never fails but always flourishes.”
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
Conclusion
If we were to try and measure how much you love Christ, what measurement would you use?
Would you use the same measurements that most of the world utilizes? Not understanding that God’s measurement of love is the only true standard of love?
How would you like to get to the end of your life, stand before God and realize that you used the wrong measuring tool to measure your love for Him?
