Love Like You’ve Been Changed

1 Peter 1:22 “You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.”

sincere love

deep love

all your heart love

1 Peter 1:22 KJV 1900

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

unfeigned

pure heart

fervently

Goal:

After Sunday, the people of Parkway will know that their lives have been changed therefore they should sincerely love each other.

Introduction:

Illustration: The Plastic Pumpkin

Imagine these two pumpkins. From a distance, one it looks perfect. You could put it on the table and leave it there for years.

But there’s one problem: it isn’t alive. It’s plastic.

It looks like love, but it doesn't have the life of love.

A plastic pumpkin never demands anything from you.

You don't have to water it.

You don't have to protect it.

You don't have to care for it.

It never changes, never grows, and never costs you anything.

False love can be like that.

It looks good from a distance:

We say, “I love you.”

We smile at people at church.

We shake hands.

We say, “God bless you.”

We tell people we'll pray for them.

But genuine Christian love is more than something that looks like love.

The Difference

False love asks: "What can you do for me?"

Real love asks: "What can I do for you?"

False love loves when it's convenient.

Real love loves when it's costly.

False love loves people who love us back.

Real love can love even when there is nothing to gain.

False love is concerned with appearances.

Sermon Hook

“You can manufacture the appearance of love, but you cannot manufacture the life of love. Genuine love comes from a heart that has been changed by God.”

“Peter isn't asking us to put on a better performance of love. He's calling us to live out the love that God has already planted in a purified heart. The question isn't simply,

‘Do I look like I love people?’

The question is, ‘Has the love of God so changed my heart that I can genuinely love people—even when it costs me something?’” (PAUSE FOR EFFECT)

1. The Process of Salvation: Cleansing/Purification

1 Peter 1:22 KJV 1900

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Obeying

Truth

Spirit

A. How

God’s drawing/conviction

John 6:44 “For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.”

If He did not draw us, we would not come

God’s Word

Romans 10:14–17 “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”

Can’t do this on your own

Ephesians 2:8–9 “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Can’t make it to heaven on our own

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

B. Necessity of obedience

1 Peter 4:17 “For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?”

Obeying the Truth

What is the truth — Its a Who! (Present the Gospel)

God wants a relationship with His creation

Sin separates

The price to repair is blood

Jesus paid the price

Obedience is tied to covenant relationship

1 Samuel 15:22 “But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”

John 14:15 ““If you love me, obey my commandments.”

Obedience proves faith and love

James 1:22 “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

Obedience brings blessings

Obedience reflects surrender

C. Sin of disobedience

Ephesians 2:1–3 “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.”

Because of your obedience, your heart has been purified and this has transformed the way you treat people.

We have been saved for the purpose of loving God and loving one another

Matthew 22:37 “Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’”

Matthew 22:38 “This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Matthew 22:39 “A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Deuteronomy 6:5 “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”

2. The Results of Salvation: Love

A. Love Sincerely

1 Peter 1:22 “You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.”

What does it mean to show sincere love?

KJV uses the word “unfeigned”

G505 anypokritos (anoo-pok-ree-tos) — without hypocrisy, undisguised

Before transformation love is profaned/manipulated/twisted

What we thought was love was not love at all

The love that we see on Movies, TV programs, Novels, Social Media is a transactional type of love

you give me and I give you

You stop giving me and I stop giving you

this kind of Love is selfish

this kind of Love seeks to satisfy the flesh

Because the heart has been cleansed/purified you can love for real, not a fake kind of love

The love addressed here is to the brothers and sisters/brethren

G5360 Philadephia — brotherly love, kindness

Romans 12:9–10 “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”

B. Love with a Pure Heart

1 Peter 1:22 “You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.”

KJV says love with a pure heart

G2513 katharos — purified by fire/cleansed

One cannot love out of an inpure heart

there are motives behind that kind of so called love

G2588 kardia — heart — the center and seat of spiritual life (does’t mean the organ in this context)

C. Love Fervently

G1619 ektenōs — fervently — earnestly, fervently, intensely

comes from “stretch out the hand”

Love requires action

You cannot just say you love, you must put feet to it

Call to Action:

Find one brother/sister and do something to show genuine love for them this week. Do something for them without any expectation of thanks or return.

Offer some suggestions:

Buy lunch

pay a light bill

pay a house payment

give a gift