Reflections: On Love (2023)
Reflections (2023) • Sermon • Submitted
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· 125 viewsLove, are there enough words, things that can be said or demonstrated?
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Love can you get enough?
Love can you get enough?
Key passage (Php4:8-9)
We have been reflecting on things that are true, honorable, right, things are are pure, lovely and of good repute, things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Things that Paul said if you have seen, if you have heard these things, do these things. One of the things to reflect on is love. Previously we have looked at faith and hope and this morning as it says in
Starting scripture today (1Cor13:13)
1Cor13:13
But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The greatest thing is love.
(insert illustration of love) high’s and low’s (keep it brief)
This morning we will look at love defined, love demanded, love developed and love demonstrated.
I. Love defined
I. Love defined
Merriam Webster: Strong affection for another; attraction based on sexual desire; affection based on admiration, benevolence
English language does not truly define love as in the Bible as in the Greek there are four words.
Eros - Carnal sexual love, reserved for marriage (Heb13:4)
Philia - brotherly love (Jn11:3)
Storge - family love (not used in N.T.) - this word in and of itself is not used, but in a compound with Philia it is used (Rom12:10)
Agape - Love that desires the great good, highest good (Jn3:16)
I want to develop just a little more when it comes to Philia and Agape since both used so much in the scripture
Agape: Active, good will, we are commanded for this kind of love
Phlia - That which is freely given, not commanded, not forced and it from heartfelt decisionAg
Agape according to Thayers and Strong’s can in some scriptures be defined as “brotherly love, affection)
Also you can find the use of Philia is commanded in the scripture
Philia in scripture (Rom12:10)
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
So we the definition, some same we have the command (which means demand) for love, so let’s go that now.
II. Love Commanded
II. Love Commanded
We are commanded to love God (Mk12:30; Mt10:37)
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
In that verse it is agape love, then you can see in other verses it is philia love
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
We are commanded to love each other (Jn13:34-35)
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
There the combo word I mentioned before, it is the Greek word Philiastorgos
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
With this love for one another, it is affectionate, it is demonstrated for and to each other.
We are commanded to love our families (Eph5:25, 28-29; Tit2:4)
Husbands to love their wives
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
Or even
28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
Wives love their husbands and their children (even if husbands are children)
4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
So love God, love each other, love husband, love wife and children now brings us to neighbors as well as enemies.
We are commanded to love our neighbor (Mk12:30-31; Mt5:44)
31 “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
So important that Jesus linked it with loving God
30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
Then there is the tougher one because of our feelings, our thoughts, our ways, which are not God’s ways but still we can do it through Christ Jesus, to love our enemies
44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Love crosses all barriers, breaks down all walls. Where we are weak, love is made strong in Christ and it can be developed so we reflect Christ.
Love Developed
Love Developed
(insert illustration/slide falling into love)
You don’t fall into love; love is developed; love comes with decision, determination and dedication.
Love developed is taught to us by God (1The4:9)
9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
That is brotherly love (phileo)
It is exemplified by Christ (1Jn4:9-10; Rom5:8)
9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
God teaches us how to love one another, but let me give on more example.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Again, love exemplified by God in Jesus
Love is taught by Jesus (1Jn3:16; Jn11:3, 5, 13:1)
No better example than His willingness to die for us
16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
In the manner in which he loved his disciples
3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
How He loved His Apostles (aka disciples)
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
Jesus teaches us to love one another by not only His words but His actions.
Love is taught by Paul (Eph5:1-2, Php4:1)
How we ought to walk in love
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Who he also demonstrated, exemplified for us
1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
Paul was not alone, Peter taught it too, to love fervently (1Pt1:22, 2:17)
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
Who also spoke, taught of brother love too
17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
But it was not just the apostles, but it was the disciples, the followers of Christ or in other words Christians (Tit2:3-4)
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
Older woman, teach younger, encourage younger to love husband and children
Even young can demonstrated, exemplify love (1Tim4:12, 2The1:3)
12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
Or how about not just young in age, but young in faith.
3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater;
In our transformation to be move like the Son, we can develop heartfelt affection for one another
We can take our brotherly love and add our love for the greatest good for someone and come to this scripture
Agape love (2Pt1:7; 1The4:9)
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
Godliness, kindness, and love!
when we demonstrate agape love for one another the heartful affection will follow as a result
9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
God teaches us to love one another, then asks us to do it!
IV. Love Demonstrated
IV. Love Demonstrated
Exemplified by sending the Son so we can have life (Jn3:16) and that He would be God’s perfect sacrifice.
God’s perfect and acceptable sacrifice (1Jn4:10)
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
It was demonstrated in the sacrifice (1Jn3:16)
16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
It is demonstrated in deed and truth (1Jn3:17-18)
17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
It is demonstrated in obedience (1Jn5:2-3)
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
It is perfected laid out for us in 1Cor13:4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
True love, is patient, kind, it is humble, polite and bears all things, hopes all things and desires the best for the other person.
Love never fails for it is Christ in you that does it!
So what is love? - it is heartfelt affection toward God and man; coupled with wanting, desiring the best for everyone. We can learn about love where we are short by God’s word and through God’s people. We need to be willing to learn.
A scripture to remember (1Pt1:22-23)
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
(Invitation) if you have purified your souls, great, love one another, if you have not had your soul purified by the washing of the water, then now is the time, come be born again.
(Insert invitation slide) (Song) (Prayer)