Grow Your Love

Introduction

Loving people can be difficult—and we all know it. Especially someone like Jocelyn James, a woman in Alabama who was arrest 16 times in a span of 5 years. She was arrested for robbery, theft, receiving property falsely, everything but murder pretty much.

You have met people that you have a hard time with let alone love easily. In fact there may be someone in this room that the very sound of their voice sends you into meltdown. Or when you see them walk into the church or room you are in you begin to smolder from anger or disdain.

So a question that can/should be asked, “Can people see that you have love for fellow believers? Even toward those who rub you the wrong way? Even toward those who have different thoughts or opinions than you? Including political differences?

Do you show it through facial expressions? Through words that you speak TO them or ABOUT them? Do you speak kindly to them or do you shun them by giving them the cold shoulder or silent treatment?

Its not always easy to love others—including fellow believers.

And yet the Scripture tells us we are to love each other.

Jesus says

John 13:35 (M:BCL)

35 This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

This is why the Apostle Paul is so passionate about the believer and their quality of love.

Text

Philippians 1:9–11 ESV

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

1. God wants us to have a love that grows

Philippians 1:9 (ESV)

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more...

(Agape love—for fellow believers—to mature)

So often our culture says love is conditional.

I love you IF you agree with me

I love you IF you do what I say

I love you IF if is benefitting me to do so

NOT what God is saying to us here

Selfless love

Not hinged on what you do

Hinged on the fact you are created in the image of God

Romans 12:10 (ESV)

10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Note

Colossians 1:8 (NLT)

8 He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.

Galatians 5:13 (NLT)

13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

Mark 12:30–31 (NLT)

30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’

31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Note

1 John 3:18 (NLT)

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

Look at how Jesus demonstrates this love through a story He shared when answering a question

ILL. Good Samaritan

Trans. Paul goes on to say “Your love may abound more and more WITH KNOWLEDGE

2. God wants us to have a love that is shaped by His Revelation

Philippians 1:9 (ESV)

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge...

JBQ—What is the Bible? God’s revelation to His people of Himself and His plan of salvation.

Love not shaped by our emotion

Love that is shaped by His Word

1 Timothy 6:3–4 (ESV)

3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,

4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

Not a love shaped by God’s Revelation but is shaped by our emotions

Fire Bible (Chapter 1)

we truly know God’s Word only as we live the Word and it becomes part of who we are.

If we are not in His Word daily; and living His Word every moment of every day; Our love is not and cannot be shaped by HIS revelation.

If our love is NOT being shaped by His revelation

what is shaping us?

The things we fill up on

**A lot of great books by a lot of wonderful people—but if that is what we fill up with we are merely filling up with a person’s thoughts and opinions rather that the Word of God that is

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

Powerful enough to grow and shape the love that God has called us to demonstrate through our lives

3. God wants us to have a love that is discerning.

Philippians 1:9 (ESV)

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,

We are able to apply God’s Word and do what it says.

Applying God’s Word /putting into practice.

Knowing how to apply love to our everyday circumstances in life.

This is a love that knows what to do

Sometimes its to give a word;

Sometimes its to send a card, fix a meal

Sometimes to give a rebuke

Sometimes to simply listen

ILL. Jesus & Woman at the well (going through Samaria)

This love helps us to

Philippians 1:10 (NLT)

10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

How to live our lives loving others

4. God wants us to have a love that is fruitful.

Philippians 1:11 (ESV)

11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ...

Fruitful means evident.

A love that is produced in our relationship with God through Jesus.

The natural expression that happens in our relationship with God. It becomes evident and a blessing to others.What kind of fruit does He want? Obviously the fruit of the Spirit

John 15:4–5 NLT

4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Trans. Paul said all of this to say “to the Glory and praise of God”

The point is

5. God wants us to have a love that leads to worship

Philippians 1:11 (ESV)

11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Romans 12:1 (NLT)

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

A love ultimately centered on worshipping God and honoring Him. Not what we get our of it—it glorifies God.

**Go through points —leads to worshipping and honoring God.

Conclusion

Remember at the beginning of this message I told you about Jocelyn? Let me tell you the rest of the story.

Yes—she was addicted to drugs and lived a life that produced that fruit. She was arrested 16 times in a span of 5 years —most of those arrests were made by Officer Terrall

One day Jocelyn was watching the news and heard a story of a man who needed a kidney and the doctors had already told him the chance of a match would be close to impossible.

In that moment Jocelyn said, “The Holy Spirit told me I was a match for that man. So she made connections with the medical team to donate her kidney. So today, Officer Terral has a kidney donated by the very woman he had previously arrested several tines before . There relationship today, according to him is life a father/daughter relationship.

Her story doesn’t end—she is the director for a ministry in Alabama that ministers to young women who have been addicted to drugs and teaches them life skills to better themselves.

It doesn’t end there—Jocelyn has a jail ministry in one of Alabama’s prisons.