Love on the Rocks

Is our Love __________

Introduction

Today we will continue our series on Love, but today we will discover a few ways the bible tells us we should love. The purpose of this is to Love like never before with a new outlook on how we love the Father, our Spouse, Children, brothers and sisters in faith and everyone else. Can you imagine a time when Love abounds in our current condition and society. Love for neighbor, I remember a time when you could leave the keys in the car and the door unlocked at night. I remember a time when love was a normal thing. Today society is not about love but it is about what can you do for me. Kind of a Quid Pro Quo type of relationship instead of one based on Love. The scripture really gets into some depth about the subject of Love. Jesus command that we Love, The father showed his Love. You can love like God or you can Lust like society today, which they think is Love. Society lust for this and that, and anything else they can get. Its more about me me me, when it should be about HIM HIM HIM. So I want to ask you this morning How do you Love?

Here is a portion of the Song by Neil Diamond.

you need what you need, you can say what you want Not much you can do when the feeling is gone Maybe blue skies above, but it's cool When your love's on the rocks

Scripture

1 Timothy 1:3–7 “3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. 5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.”

Today I want to talk to you about the heart of the matter Love on the Rocks.

Pure Love

Here in this passage we see the purpose behind the commandment. The Commandment is Love

“'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.'

So lets look at Loving with a Pure Heart.

In Genesis the scripture says The heart of all men is contuniously Evil.

We see Paul sending this letter to Timothy. Timothy is in Ephesus. Now the Church in Ephesus was moving forward but appear to be some what complacent. Pauls letter warns them to not give heed. The pure heart does not need to fall to the fables, Genealogies, and False Doctrine. Paul goes on to tell the church at Ephesus the church should be being edified rather than contemplating these false doctrines and things.

You know Church some times we are kind of like the chruch at Ephesus. We get a little complacient and begin to contemplate other things. Maybe a hobby or a sport or anything else we put before watching out for our own heart. How do we keep our hearts pure. We need to stregnthen our Faith, in the Words of God and in his Scripture. You know that everything we take in is going to affect the type of person we are both to others and to God. When we fill our self with the things of God preaching, teaching, and worship on a daily basis then our hearts become pure and more like his. When we seek our relationship to be stronger in the Lord then we can grow closer. We must know the word of God so that we are not like the scriptures in Revelation speaks about the church at Ephesus. In this letter Paul says some have strayed away, some turned aside to idle talk, or desires to be teachers of the Law. The church is no longer bound by the law, so why (because it is easy)are they worried about the law, it is what they have known for generations.

2. Good Conscience

The church in Ephesus is in a place where some type of influence is keeping them from the things of God. In this passage the letter speaks directly to having strayed, some have turned aside to idle talk, others desiring to be teachers of the Law. The church is not bound by the law but they continually look to the law. I would guess that it is because that is all they have known for generations. They are simply falling back to what is comfortable. This is a decision that was made because to turn aside or swerve they stepped away from or turned from the one who has died for their sins.

I believe Paul is telling the church our Minds must be aware of what is going on around us. This world we live in is much like that today. If we do not pay attention to what is going on around us something could sneak in just like the serpent did with Eve and Adam in the Garden. We must understand that all around us is a spiritual battle and evil is trying to change your mind and heart. Because if he changes the mind and the heart he is able to control our behaviors, reactions, what we say. Loving God from a place of good conscience. You know when your conscience is telling you no. Its the feeling deep down inside us telling us not to do what ever it is. If we can protect ourselves from being in places we do not belong, or from allowing things to influence us then we can keep a good conscience. The scripture uses to turn aside. I look into this and the best way I can put it is like this. When your driving a car if your going to swerve for what ever reason it take a conscience effort to turn the steering wheel. We must work to control what is feeding us spiritually. Is it your study of Gods word or is it being caught up in Gossip, or thing like this. What guides us people and desires of the heart or is it someone of power, maybe a relative. We must refrain from anything that make us less pure. God wants to pour into you not this world. What are your desires.

Here is a Quote from A.W. Tozer.

No law has ever been passed that can compel one moral being to love another, for by the very nature of it love must be voluntary. No one can be coerced or frightened into loving anyone.4

A. W. Tozer

3. Sincere Faith

Paul is stressing to the people of the churches around the Ephesus area that they must have sincere faith. This young christians are only a few years old in the faith, they should be strong in the faith still, but Paul expresses concern, because of the increase of false doctrine, and wanting to revert back to the law when things begin to get a little uncomfortable or unfamiliar. When things get uncomfortable and or unfamiliar you better have some strong faith. Paul urges that we follow the commandments of the Lord, Jesus said it like this, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all of your might or stregenth. Women what kind of stregnth does it take to go through Labor and deliver a child, this is the type of strength Jesus is saying we must have.

Paul is telling us here we must love without hipcrosey, genuinely, and from a place of sincerity. The bible says the love is patient, kind, does not provoke. Are we patient with our spouse, our family, our friends, our co workers? Patience is something we all could use more of especially me when it comes to my car. I’ve been without it for two months now and I am ready to just hope in and go for a ride. But, it is currently getting a new interior. Something good is happening and I struggle to be patient. Do you ever do things like this? Don’t answer that question. Is God doing something good for you and you can not even be patient for him to do his good works. Some times we just need to be still and allow God to impart into us something good. Remember if your good to your children the scripture says how much more would God give to us. Have you ever wanted something so bad and was not able to get it? This is the way we should be for the Father. Give him time in your lives, let God do some good work in you and me. What does sincere love look like? To love without pretense. No expectations from the one we love like this. When I think of sincere love my mind goes directly to John chapter 3.

John 3:16–17 “16 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. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Here we see that God the Father desires to Love man, He was willing to give His son for us. Think back to when the first passover occured, those who did not have the blood over the door the first born son was taken. Are we willing to give our first born to save man? No we do not have this kinda of love with in us, only God loves in such a manner. But he is calling you and I to have enough faith to believe that he can do what ever he chooses to do for us (make us love like him). If you tell me you have Hope for the soon coming King, but your life does not bear the fruit associated with Love then you do not have Hope. Hope comes from your faith. You must believe beyond what anyone thinks is possible. Brother Albert has expressed this type of Faith to me, He says he desires to walk on water and has faith and Hope he will one day do just that. One author says it like this, it refers here not to the body of accepted Christian doctrine, but to the personal trust of the individual in that truth and the God who revealed it. Another author says it like this, it can refer to holding on to the accepted contents of the Christian faith in contrast to false teachings, or, more likely, trust and confidence in God or Christ Jesus that is not polluted by any pretense or hypocrisy, a trust to the point of obedience no matter the cost… Do we have Faith like this sincere Faith.

The Letters to Timothy and Titus A. Timothy Charged to Oppose False Teachers (1:3–11)

The goal of the Pauline and apostolic instruction is not merely “love,” however understood, but specifically the love engendered by personal trust in the God who came so that believers might receive and express his love. Such trust is what Paul means by “a sincere faith.” It is rooted in gospel truth

Closing

Today we have talked about commandment of how we should Love. We have discussed this in three general areas today. First from a pure heart. The kind of heart that is full of our Lord and Savior’s love and word. Second from a good conscience, like you know when you should not be doing something. You know that uneasy feeling you get in your heart and stomach. and Finally from a place of sincere faith, the faith that Jesus had in his Father on the night he was betrayed, were he said not my will but thy will be done.

Love should be

from a Pure Heart

from a Good conscience

from sincere Faith