BIBLICAL LOVE
Biblical Love • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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INTRODUCTION
Love is a widely misunderstood word in our day
Love is a widely misunderstood word in our day
In the sixties it was “make love not war”
Song of the seventies “If can’t have the one you want - love the one your are with”
In our day love is seen as fornication and/or acceptance of most everything
Sadly, even the church there many false views/concepts with regard to love
The whole Bible centers around love…
The whole Bible centers around love…
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
13 But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
But what is love?
But what is love?
What place does it have in the life of the Christian?
How can we best demonstrate our love toward God and man?
These are some of the questions we shall seek to answer in this lesson as we begin with...
DISCUSSION
THE DEFINITION OF LOVE
THE DEFINITION OF LOVE
The Greeks had four words which translate as “love”
The Greeks had four words which translate as “love”
EROS - carnal, sexual love
PHILEO - the love of close friendship
STORGE - the love of family relationships
AGAPE - that love which seeks only the highest good of others
It is this love that is Paul mentions and defines in…
4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; 6 rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; 7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Jesus uses the same word in…
43 Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: 44 but I say unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; 45 that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the Gentiles the same? 48 Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Taking a closer look at “agape”
Taking a closer look at “agape”
Agape has to do with the mind:
It is not simply an emotion which rise unbidden in our hearts
It is a principle by which we deliberately live.
Agape has supremely to do with the will.
It is not an uncontrolled reaction of the heart, but a concentrated exercise of the will
It is a caring love one which becomes involved with the need of others
It is does not depend upon the one being loved having to earn such love
It is not an exclusive love...
Expressed only to select few
But an all-embracing benevolence, shown toward all
As we define love, let us consider…
The perfect illustration of “agape”
The perfect illustration of “agape”
It begins with the God of love…
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
God’s love is a completely undeserved love…
8 But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God’s love is an inseparable love…
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Indeed, God’s love is a great love willing to save sinners!…
4 but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), 6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: 7 that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus:
Agape finds its complete fulfillment in Christ
God’s love reaches its peak in His Son Jesus Christ…
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus has fully demonstrated such love…
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Therefore, we come to know what love really is when we look at Jesus Christ…
16 Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Having a better understanding of the definition of Agape - let’s turn our attention to…
LOVE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN
LOVE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN
The Place of Love
The Place of Love
Love is to be the “atmosphere” in which the Christian walks…
1 Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell.
Love is to be the “tie that binds” the “garment” the Christian is to put on…
12 Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; 13 forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14 and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.
Love is to be the “universal motive” for all that we do…
14 Let all that ye do be done in love.
Love is to prevent our Christian liberty from turning into destructive selfishness…
13 For ye, brethren, were called for freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one to another.
Love is to characterize our preaching and teaching of the truth…
15 but speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ;
So we have seen the place of love in the place of love in the life of a Christian - but consider also…
The Demonstration of Love
The Demonstration of Love
Love must be demonstrated toward God
Improper demonstrations:
Some think we prove our love by shouting from the roof top
Others, by putting it on a bumper sticker and honking if they love Jesus
And others, think that whatever they do “in the name of the Lord” will be pleasing to Him
Yet consider Jesus’ words in…
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Proper demonstration of love toward God:
Keeping His commandments…
15 If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him.
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my words: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you.
Loving our brethren…
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen. 21 And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.
Do we really love God? What is our attitude toward keeping His commandments and loving the brethren?
Love must be demonstrated toward man
Showing love toward those who are brethren in Christ
Love for one another is fundamental to the doctrine of Christ
11 For this is the message which ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another:
34 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
We best demonstrate our love toward our brethren by...
Helping them when they are in physical need…
16 Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath the world’s goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth.
Helping them when they are in spiritual need…
8 above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of sins:
19 My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 let him know, that he who converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.
Loving God and keeping His commandments…
2 Hereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and do his commandments.
Showing love toward those who are not Christians
Love for others must go beyond loving those who love us…
27 But I say unto you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, 28 bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you. 29 To him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and from him that taketh away thy cloak withhold not thy coat also. 30 Give to every one that asketh thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 And if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for even sinners love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even sinners do the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to receive again as much. 35 But love your enemies, and do them good, and lend, never despairing; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. 36 Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
We demonstrate that we are truly the children of God when out of love we:
Do good to them that hate us
Bless those that curse us
Pray for those that spitefully misuse us
Don’t resist them when they do evil to us
Do unto them as we would have them do unto us
Treat them as our Father in heaven treated us!
CONCLUSION
It should not be surprising to learn that one who produces the fruit of the Spirit demonstrates the virtue of love in his or her life
It should not be surprising to learn that one who produces the fruit of the Spirit demonstrates the virtue of love in his or her life
The Father demonstrated love in offering His Son as a sacrifice for sin
The Son personified love in the way He lived and died for us
The Spirit of God revealed what love is through the Word
Shall not the one born of God and walking by the Spirit manifest love in both his attitude and actions?
Even if we already excel in the matter of love...
Even if we already excel in the matter of love...
There is always room for growth...
9 But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another; 10 for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more;
There is always the need for prayers such as this one...
12 and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you;
We have spoken of God’s wonderful love for us; have you yet responded to that love?...
We have spoken of God’s wonderful love for us; have you yet responded to that love?...
4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5 but after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
