The Love Connection

Love is the most important thing yet it’s the most difficult thing to do. Loving the way God wants us to love is impossible on our own. We need to abide in the vine… God’s Love.

We think about love we tend to see it through a selfish lens. Do I feel loved? Am I receiving Love? Does this person love me?

It’s easier to love when we feel love. Love can be more about me but Jesus’ love is more about loving God and loving One Another.

In our series, One Church, we have discussed the importance of being a unified church and being aware of those things that cause disunity within the church.

Our Words Matter

Our Connection with Jesus matters

Valuing one another’s diversity as partners within the Body of Christ.

Having that love connection is the greatest thing if we are going to become that One Church.

Jesus gives us 2 commands that deal with the importance of love and these 2 commandments sum up the entire Law and the Prophets…

Matthew 22:36–39 ESV

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The first law refers to the “vertical” our relationship with God but this second law focuses on “horizontal” relationships—dealings with fellow human beings.

A person cannot maintain a good vertical relationship with God (loving God) without also caring for his or her neighbor. “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The word “neighbor” refers to fellow human beings in general.

After talking about our diversity within the Body of Christ Paul emphasizes that connection… Love.

What is Love, what’s the big deal about love, why is love the greatest gift?

1 Corinthians 13 ESV

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

[PRAY]

We could have great Faith, we could have amazing and encouraging hope but the greatest of these is Love. Love must be the connection in everything we do as the church… every relationship… every ministry… every mission… every sacrifice. If love is not our motivation and if Love is not flavored and marinated in everything we do, we need to question, why are we doing it… for the love of God… why?

Our words are only noise without love.

Our words could be profound, even prophetic, full of wisdom and knowledge but if Love is not in our words, it’s only noise.

1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

It’s not what you say, It’s how you say it. Are you saying what you are saying because you are venting… negative… critical… judgmental… accusatory or because you love the person or people your are talking to.

We could speak words of faith, mountain moving faith, self sacrificial faith yet if we don’t speak in love we are not adding any value to the conversation or to the person we are talking to.

1 Corinthians 13:2 ESV

2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

When love is that connection between what is said and how it is received the conversation will be a blessing to both parties.

If we have to explain a negative, critical, or judgmental comment after it’s been said, it probably wasn’t said in love.

Sometimes we say things out of anger and frustration but we need to be aware of how we are feeling before we open our mouth.

Sometimes the most difficult people to love are the ones in your own house because they see you all the time… good/bad, happy/angry, success/failures.

Many times the people in your own home bear the brunt of our angry words.

The most loving thing you can do when that happens is to humbly go to the person you insulted and seek out his/her forgiveness.

1 Corinthians 13:3 ESV

3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Our public perception is less important then our private life because God sees it all, especially what’s done in private.

The way we show love is not for show it must pass the love test…

The Love Test:

Paul presents for us a clear application of real love… messy love… but this is what love looks like for us to love the way God loves.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 ESV

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

This is a familiar read often recited at weddings… but when we slow down, break it apart, examine it and then apply it to our messy life it’s hard to do.

Love can be complicated. Love is far from easy. We can read this beautiful, flowery and poetic chapter and be in awe of how nice it sounds.

Paul explains what love is and what love is not.

Love…

is Patient

is Kind

is a Burden Carrier

Believes, hopes, and endures ALL Things

Rejoices in the truth.

Am I being patient or am I rushed… Am I showing kindness even when that person doesn’t deserve it… Am I lifting burdens when I see someone struggling?

Are there people that I don’t believe nor desire God’s best for… Have I lost hope for individuals… have I stopped praying, stop reaching out and encouraging, I’m unwilling to endure… It says ALL THINGS.

Love Bears all things - Protects

The word in Greek, stego, means “cover” or “hide by covering.”

This does not refer to hiding hurtful sin but to protect someone from embarrassment, gossip, or other harm. When believers love one another, they refuse harmful gossip and protect one another from those who would try to slander another person. Love Bears All things

Love Believes all things - Trusts

Love never loses faith and is willing to think the best of others. It does not mean that believers must be gullible, trusting everyone; no, it means that they are willing to think the best instead of the worst of others. Love gives the benefit of the doubt. With real love, believers can deal with conflict lovingly and people are freed to be honest and open. Love Believes ALL things

Hopes all things - Hopes

Believers who love look forward, not backward. They seek for growth and maturity in the church, knowing that God is working in every person. They know that failure is not the end, and they trust in God who promises Romans 8:28 . Love Hopes ALL Things

Endures all things - Perseveres

Believers who love are active and steadfast in their faith. They hold on, no matter what difficulties they face.

No Hardship or pain will ever stop love. When believers persevere, they face suffering within the body. They face persecution. They hang on when the going gets tough.

They strive to save their marriages despite disappointment, to continue to trust God despite setbacks, and to continue to serve God despite fear or sorrow. When believers truly persevere, nothing can stop them. Love Endures ALL things

The most loving thing you can do is to speak the truth but when truth needs to be spoken is is spoken in love.

Where there is truth, Jesus is present because HE is the only truth… God’s Word is the only truth. Rejoice in those opportunities to respectfully and lovingly share God’s Truth.

Love is not...

Envious, Boastful

Prideful, Rude

Irritable, Resentful

Love is not Going to rejoice when other people suffer.

Love is the most difficult thing you can do especially if you are the victim of a painful situation. Even when it’s not your fault, even when that person hates your guts, even when that person wishes you nothing but pain.

God’s love demonstrates that HE came to bear all things. God still has the power to transform lives no matter how messed up they might be.

It’s the love of God that leads us to repentance. There is never a situation that is too much, or too painful for God to handle. Give every situation to the Lord… that pain is not a burden you were created to carry… that’s why Jesus came.

Jesus came to give us the power to forgive and the power to love people who are unworthy of love.

None of us are worthy of God’s love so therefore, God never gives us an exemption when it comes to loving people.

Boundaries are loving, healthy and Biblical.

It is very possible for you to love someone from a distance.

We don’t have to be in the same circle. We have to be friendly but we don’t have to be friends with everybody. Some people are toxic but they still need to be loved, so love them from a distance by setting clear boundaries for your own spiritual and emotional health.

Family members…

Love will always remain

Words of prophecy, words of knowledge, tongues they all are wonderful and benefit us, they build up our faith, they help us walk through moments of discouragement. They are needed in the moment but they will pass away.

1 Corinthians 13:8–10 ESV

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

The one thing that will always remain is love, God’s love, Agape Love.

The word for love used here is agape. The Greeks had different words that described different kinds of love.

The word agape connotes a deep, abiding, self-sacrificing love—the kind that looks out for the other person first.

The kind of love Jesus has for us and that’s the kind of love God requires his people to have for one another.

Love is a Growing and Maturing process.

Just because we become a Christian it doesn’t mean we will automatically begin to love well. Part of growing up is recognizing that the things of the world are only temporary but God’s love is forever.

Jesus may be in our heart but Grandma and Grandpa are in our bones. Sanctification is a process

1 Corinthians 13:11–12 ESV

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Right now, we only know in part but at the time of Christ’s return we shall know fully.

That understanding will be complete, as is God’s present understanding of each individual.

As believers, our knowledge is still growing and maturing but God already knows each person fully.

Instead of boasting about spiritual gifts as believers we should realize that these gifts are nothing compared to what they would experience in heaven.

Keep growing, Keep trusting God in the process, and keep abiding in God’s love so you can love God and love others better and better everyday.

Colossians 3:12–14 ESV

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Take Away: