Love Changes Everything
Notes
Transcript
What is Love?
What is Love?
Love — A quality or feeling of strong or constant affection for and dedication to another
Affection — a feeling of liking and caring for someone or something
The world defines love as a feeling which leads one to certain action. But this isn’t how scripture defines it. Just as we saw with the term “joy” there is a different and deeper understanding of the word love when we take our definition from God’s perspective.
Christian love — Is a divine grace. It is a fruit of the Spirit. It is something produced in and through us as believers and followers of Christ.
This means my capacity and motivation to love is not based upon my feelings. So Christian love is never dependent upon the way he or she feels when it comes to love.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Christian love is actually grounded in God’s love for us. it is a response to something God has chosen to do not anything we initiate on our own. 1 John 4:19
Tony Campolo tells the sad story from his high school days of how he failed to truly be a Christian. There was a boy in his class named Roger. Roger was gay. Everyone knew and tormented him for it. They heaped verbal and even physical abuse upon him. One day the abuse reached a crescendo. Five of boys dragged Roger into the shower room, shoved him into the corner and urinated all over him. Around two o’clock the next morning Roger went down to the basement of his house and hung himself. When they told Tony, he says he realized he wasn’t a Christian. He knew all the right answers and sincerely believed all the right things and had lots of good moral practises. But Tony didn’t live faith out when it came to Roger. If he had he says he would have stood up for Roger when the others were mocking him, he would have been a friend, and just maybe, Roger would still be alive today.
Around two o’clock the next morning Roger went down to the basement of his house and hung himself.
When they told Tony, he says he realized he wasn’t a Christian. He knew all the right answers and sincerely believed all the right things and had lots of good moral practises. But Tony didn’t live faith out when it came to Roger. If he had he says he would have stood up for Roger when the others were mocking him, he would have been a friend, and just maybe, Roger would still be alive today.
We love, because He first loved us.
So love is a fruit of the Spirit, something God enables us to do even when we don’t feel like doing it. Something we can possess even in unpleasing or difficult circumstances. But this begs the question…what exactly is love???
Real love is defined in terms of actions and attitudes. If we look at and Paul’s definition of love it is a list of attitudes and actions.
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
Real love is a gift from God, founded and grounded in God’s love of us, demonstrated through our attitudes and actions toward God and others.
Mark was an 11 year old orphan who lived with his aunt, a bitter middle aged woman greatly annoyed with the burden of caring for her dead sister’s son. She never failed to remind young Mark, if it hadn’t been for her generosity, he would be a vagrant, homeless waif. Still, with all the scolding and chilliness at home, he was a sweet and gentle child.
Mark’s schoolteacher had not noticed him particularly until he began staying after class each day (at the risk of arousing his aunt’s anger, she later found) to help her straighten up the room. They did this quietly and comfortably, not speaking much, but enjoying the solitude of that hour of the day. When they did talk, Mark spoke mostly of his mother. Though he was quite small when she died, he remembered a kind, gentle, loving woman, who always spent much time with him. As Christmas drew near however, Mark failed to stay after school each day. His teacher looked forward to his coming, and when the days passed and he continued to scamper hurriedly from the room after class, she stopped him one afternoon and asked why he no longer helped her in the room. She told him how she had missed him, and his large gray eyes lit up eagerly as he replied, “Did you really miss me?” Mark’s teacher explained how he had been her best helper. “I was making you a surprise,” he whispered confidentially. “It’s for Christmas.” With that, he became embarrassed and dashed from the room. He didn’t stay after school any more after that.
Mark’s schoolteacher had not noticed him particularly until he began staying after class each day (at the risk of arousing his aunt’s anger, she later found) to help her straighten up the room. They did this quietly and comfortably, not speaking much, but enjoying the solitude of that hour of the day. When they did talk, Mark spoke mostly of his mother. Though he was quite small when she died, he remembered a kind, gentle, loving woman, who always spent much time with him.
As Christmas drew near however, Mark failed to stay after school each day. His teacher looked forward to his coming, and when the days passed and he continued to scamper hurriedly from the room after class, she stopped him one afternoon and asked why he no longer helped her in the room. She told him how she had missed him, and his large gray eyes lit up eagerly as he replied, “Did you really miss me?”
Finally came the last school day before Christmas. Mark crept slowly into the room late that afternoon with his hands concealing something behind his back. “I have your present,” he said timidly when his teacher looked up. “I hope you like it.” He held out his hands, and there lying in his small palms was a tiny wooden box. “Its beautiful, Mark. Is there something in it?” I asked opening the top to look inside. “Oh you can’t see what’s in it,” he replied, “and you can’t touch it, or taste it or feel it, but mother always said it makes you feel good all the time, warm on cold nights, and safe when you’re all alone.”
Mark’s teacher explained how he had been her best helper. “I was making you a surprise,” he whispered confidentially. “It’s for Christmas.” With that, he became embarrassed and dashed from the room. He didn’t stay after school any more after that.
Finally came the last school day before Christmas. Mark crept slowly into the room late that afternoon with his hands concealing something behind his back. “I have your present,” he said timidly when his teacher looked up. “I hope you like it.” He held out his hands, and there lying in his small palms was a tiny wooden box.
“Its beautiful, Mark. Is there something in it?” I asked opening the top to look inside.
I gazed into the empty box. “What is it Mark,” I asked gently, “that will make me feel so good?” “It’s love,” he whispered softly, “and mother always said it’s best when you give it away.” And he turned and quietly left the room.
“Oh you can’t see what’s in it,” he replied, “and you can’t touch it, or taste it or feel it, but mother always said it makes you feel good all the time, warm on cold nights, and safe when you’re all alone.”
I gazed into the empty box. “What is it Mark,” I asked gently, “that will make me feel so good?”
“It’s love,” he whispered softly, “and mother always said it’s best when you give it away.” And he turned and quietly left the room.
Love is something we do and if we do not do it we are either not Christian or being a poor one at best.
Tony Campolo tells the sad story from his high school days of how he failed to truly be a Christian. There was a boy in his class named Roger. Roger was gay. Everyone knew and tormented him for it. They heaped verbal and even physical abuse upon him. One day the abuse reached a crescendo. Five of boys dragged Roger into the shower room, shoved him into the corner and urinated all over him. Around two o’clock the next morning Roger went down to the basement of his house and hung himself. When they told Tony, he says he realized he wasn’t a Christian. He knew all the right answers and sincerely believed all the right things and had lots of good moral practises. But Tony didn’t live faith out when it came to Roger. If he had he says he would have stood up for Roger when the others were mocking him, he would have been a friend, and just maybe, Roger would still be alive today.
Love can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Some love cars, football and ice cream but in reality they are simply expressing a preference. Some love their boyfriend, girlfriend, country or job but in reality they are simply expressing the fact they like these people or things. For the Christian love is much greater than a preference or affinity for someone or something. For the Christian, love is a decision to demonstrate right attitudes and actions toward someone because of God’s attitude and action toward us.
Love really does make you feel but the feelings come after we love not before we do so. The decision of the will to love creates the feelings we so often call love. Real love is a matter of the heart and will; a heart of gratitude toward God and a will impacted by the relationship we have with Him through Jesus.
God is Love
God is Love
The Bible doesn’t say love is God but it does say God is love!
Love as an attribute of God — “Love is the highest characteristic of God, the one attribute in which all others harmoniously blend.”
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
“The highest disclosure and most complete proof of God’s love is in redemption.”
“The highest disclosure and most complete proof of God’s love is in redemption.”
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
So in terms of God, love is the chief characteristic of who He is; this is seen in His attitude and actions toward us, the greatest of which was the death of Jesus for our sins.
Love can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Some love cars, football and ice cream but in reality they are simply expressing a preference. Some love their boyfriend, girlfriend, country or job but in reality they are simply expressing the fact they like these people or things. For the Christian love is much greater than a preference or affinity for someone or something. For the Christian, love is a decision to demonstrate right attitudes and actions toward someone because of God’s attitude and action toward us.
God loves me so I love Him. God loves me so I love others. God died for me so I die to my self for Him. God loves me so I can love others as He does. God put the needs of others ahead of His own so therefore, by His grace, I can too. This is love!
Advent is a time when we see God’s love in the incarnation…the first step to the cross and our redemption. So the incarnation is the first moment in which God demonstrates His greatest expression of love to us.
God’s Love Became Flesh
God’s Love Became Flesh
1. Most perfect expression of God’s creation, revelation and salvation…God put on flesh and became the pinnacle of all His creation…Jesus was the physical manifestation of God’s glory (demonstrating His goodness to all), the high point of His revelation to mankind…and He would go to the Cross to be the complete and total salvation to all who believe.
Most perfect expression of God’s creation, revelation and salvation…God put on flesh and became the pinnacle of all His creation…Jesus was the physical manifestation of God’s glory (demonstrating His goodness to all), the high point of His revelation to mankind…and He would go to the Cross to be the complete and total salvation to all who believe.
Word — Most perfect expression of God’s creation, revelation and salvation. Jesus was the physical manifestation of God’s glory (demonstrating His goodness to all), the high point of His revelation to mankind. Jesus was love in the flesh.
John takes it a step further…the Jewish reader wold understand the language of verse 14 in terms of the Tabernacle and Tent of Meeting…the place in which God’s glory dwelt when the people were wandering through the wilderness…John is saying…God’s glory was housed in flesh while Jesus walked the earth…we saw the glory of God no less than our ancestors did in the wilderness when we looked upon Jesus.
Glory of God — The character and power of God revealed. Think about that! The character and power of God on display for the eye to see and the ear to hear.
Grace and Truth — In Jesus we see the pinnacle of God’s revelation of Himself to mankind…all we need to be saved..God’s explanation of who He is and what He can do…what He intend to do for us.
These are the wonderful things God did for us…He became flesh, demonstrated His glory and revealed to us how we might be saved from our sins and saved unto eternal life.
God’s love is demonstrated in attitude and action, motivated by the perfection of His heart, and it moves Him to pour grace and love on the undeserving and unloveable.
There was nothing in us to warrant God’s love of us. There was nothing in us that would ever give Him reason to do so. But in Himself He found the reason and capacity to do just that…love us.
So we celebrate the love of God and the first step of its demonstration to us through the life of Christ…the incarnation…the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
And this love changes us...
Love Changes Us
Love Changes Us
We have seen God’s love. We have seen what love really is! Love is who God is and something He demonstrates toward us. It is His heart and the expression of His heart to you and me. Ultimately this was demonstrated to us when He decided to redeem us, stepped out of heaven to be born in a manger, live and die on the cross to pay for our sins.
Love is something we do and if we do not do it we are either not Christian or being a poor one at best.
God love us and we in turn love Him back. In our helpless, feeble, brokenness we love Him with all we have and all we can.
We love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength because we are grateful for who He is and what He has chosen to do for us.
And because we love God we love others too. Regardless of whether or not they love us. Regardless of whether we believe they deserve to be loved. We love as we have been loved, unconditionally and without end! We love others because we have been loved by God, He loves them and wants us to do the same.
Love is something we do and if we are not doing it, we are not truly Christians or acting as a poor one at best.
Tony Campolo tells the sad story from his high school days of how he failed to truly be a Christian. There was a boy in his class named Roger. Roger was gay. Everyone knew and tormented him for it. They heaped verbal and even physical abuse upon him. One day the abuse reached a crescendo. Five of boys dragged Roger into the shower room, shoved him into the corner and urinated all over him. Around two o’clock the next morning Roger went down to the basement of his house and hung himself. When they told Tony, he says he realized he wasn’t a Christian. He knew all the right answers and sincerely believed all the right things and had lots of good moral practises. But Tony didn’t live faith out when it came to Roger. If he had he says he would have stood up for Roger when the others were mocking him, he would have been a friend, and just maybe, Roger would still be alive today.
We love everyone, saint and sinner, likable or unlikeable, those like us and those radically different from us. God loves them and in our love for Him we find the capacity to do the same.
The greater our understanding and appreciation for God’s love of us the more we become like Him and love like Him. The greater our gratitude and motivation to love both He and others.
God loves us so much more than we can ever comprehend. He loves us completely, totally, without condition. He loves us with a capacity and intensity which can only be described as infinite. You and I are the object of God’s infinite love. This changes everything doesn’t it?
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and in so doing reveals His glory, shows us truth and grace and saves us. Why? Because He loves us. How does this change your Christmas? How does this change your life?
This time of year it is good to be reminded of God’s love of us in the Manger. And that reminder should both encourage and convict us to love as we ourselves have been loved. Is there someone you need to forgive this morning? Is there someone you need to love whom you have refused to love?
Is there some relationship in your life which you haven’t done your part to reconcile? The Word became flesh to reconcile you to God.
Can you, in some small way, give to someone else what has been given to you? Can you love, give grace and reconcile with those toughest and most undeserving of your love?