Some Thoughts On Love

Some Thoughts On Love

1. What did all the songs (and even the skits) have in common?  LOVE
2. What holiday was this past Thursday?  Valentines Day
3. This was to be the message for last Sunday night but the service was canceled
1. I was going to remind you men that V-Day was coming; hopefully none of you FORGOT it.   (Look around!)
2. Looks like all you couples are sitting pretty close so you must not have missed it, that is Good!
4. Tonight I want to spend some time on the topic of LOVE. 
5. First we will define it, then we will go to 1 Corinthians 13 “The Love Chapter”
6. Tonight I am going to need your participation.  Questions and Answers or just looking for your input.

– It will go much better with your input.

Outline:

I         Define:  “Love”

A      Webster’s defines love this way:

1        strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (maternal love for a child)

2        attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers

3        affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests (love for his old schoolmates)

B       That is just the first couple; he goes on with almost 30 variations for the 1 word.

C       In the Greek Language (what the New Testament was written in) there were 4 different words for our ONE word Love (Can anybody tell me any of those?)

1        Eros – Physical love – – Sensual (Erotic) – not actually used in the Bible.   But this is the one with the most use in our day.  This is a very selfish kind of “love” – I love you for what I can get mentality. 

2        Storge (stor-gay) – Family love – – Parent/child, this may be the one that you have said to your children, “I love you_____________!”

3        Phileo – Social love – – “Friend” – “I love you man!”

4        Agape – Highest form of love.  Spiritual divine love – love that come from God.  This is a self-sacrificing kind of love.  When you love someone and do something for them without expecting anything in return. 

a         Example:  remember when Jesus was asking Peter if he loved him?

b        John 21:15-17

c         15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love (Agape) me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love (Phileo) you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love (Agape) me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love (Phileo) you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love (Phileo) me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love (Phileo) me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love (Phileo) you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

d        It would be like me asking you, “Would you die for me?”

e         And you respond, “You know that I am your friend!”

f         Agape love is self-sacrificing

5        A Self-sacrificing Love expects NOTHING in return…

a         John 3:16 – Love – “He gave”

b        John 15:13 – “Greater love hath no man than this…”

c         Rom 5:8 – “But God demonstrated his Love for us…”  He died for us

d        Gal. 2:20 – “…I live for God who gave himself for me.”

e         Eph 5:2 – “Live a life of love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…”

6        We could go on and on with examples of God/Christ love for us. 

7        But lets turn our focus to 1 Corinthians 13

8        This is where I am going to need some input from you!

II      This is what Love is Supposed to look like!

A      Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a

·         Patient – What does it mean to be patient? Examples of Patience!    INPUT

a         The way that God dealt and deals with Israel…  They constantly rejected Him and worshiped idols, and he waited and then finally they would come back. 

b        If it were me I would have wiped them out!  I would have got ‘Sick of It’!

c         And even today and how He could zap us dead but he doesn’t.

B       Love is not : does not

1        Does not Envy – Jealousy – Who was a jealous person in the Bible?   INPUT

a         King Ahab – wanted the vineyard, pouted to get it and ended up roaming the fields for years (like an animal) till he repented.

b        Joseph’s brothers – sold him into slavery, lied to their dad, probably though they got away with it

c         Eventually they were found out because Joseph was alive.

d        1 Cor. 4:7 “For who makes you different from anyone else?  What do you have that you did not receive?  And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”

2        Does not Boast, not Proud – Goes along with the last verse 1 Cor. 4:7

a         Who comes to your mind (in the Bible) when you hear Proud, Pride?  INPUT

b        Lucifer, Isaiah 14:13-14  Talking about Lucifer/Satan/Devil

i          “You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.  I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

ii        What happened to him?  INPUT (kicked out of heaven – Hell awaits!)

iii      Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

iv      That is who Hell was made for not us, but we end up there if we do not accept that ultimate form of Love that Christ Showed for us on the cross.

3        Not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no records of wrongs. 

a         The first three are all the effects of doing the fourth one.

b        If you do keep records of wrongs

i          You will be rude to that person

ii        That is self-seeking (keeping a tally of what they did to you and wanting to get even)

iii      You will be easily angered because all those PAST things are fresh in your mind because you are dwelling on them.

c         This is NOT Loving!  What is Love?

C       Love is:

1        It rejoices in the truth –

a         David said in many of the Psalms “I delight in the Law of the Lord.”  That is the truth!

b        Jesus said in John 17:37 “Everyone on the side of Truth listens to me.”

c         Pilate asked, “What is truth?”

d        Jesus is the truth and the Word of God is the Truth.

e         Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the way the Truth and the life, No one comes to the Father except through me.”

f         We have been studying in Sunday school the “Deception of Cults and False Religions” Satan wants us to believe anything accept the Bible and will use any means necessary to get as many people as possible to doubt the Word of God.

2        ALWAYS Protects, Trusts, Hopes, And Perseveres.

a         Four key aspect of Pure Godly Love

b        Protects – Beareth – Godly love seeks to protect at all costs, lay down your life for your love.  Even “Bearing one another’s burdens.”

i          True love wants the best for others even if that means less for themselves

ii        Put others ahead of you – don’t enjoy someone else being “dragged through the mud!”

c         Trusts – Believeth – Godly love gives people the benefit of the doubt. 

i          To often we jump to conclusions, we don’t know the whole story!

ii        We must give people the benefit of the doubt because God is at work in them, and we do not have all the details of their lives!

d        Hopes – God is coming soon, I believe it and I am getting ready for His return. 

i          The Parable of the Ten virgins…  5 were ready and 5 were not

a)      5 had their lamps and extra oil

b)      5 had their lamps but NO extra oil and were left behind

ii        Jesus’ teaching there was, Always be ready!  Are you ready?

e         Perseveres – Endureth – Love sticks in there, it doesn’t high tail it and flee at the first sign of trouble! 

i          “The tough get going when the going gets tough.”

ii        You don’t fall in and out of love (Real love)

iii      It is a choice!

iv      There is a Christian song from the 90’s called “Love is a Verb”

a)      The whole idea of the song is that it isn’t just a “state of being”

b)      It is a matter of a choice and doing something. 

c)      Verbs – requires action.

3        Love Never Fails!

a         True Godly Love Never gives up!

b        God’s love is ALWAYS consistent. 

c         He is the perfect example… God could have just given up on the world and the human race and wiped us out and started over

d        But he didn’t, He loves us and even sent His own son down here to be tortured and murdered all for your sake and mine.

e         Because He loves us.

Conclusion:

1. So from now on when you say “I Love You” which form are you using?

·         Eros (Sensual), Storge (Family), Philo (Brotherly) or Agape (Godly)

·         We can use Love in many different way.

                                                              i.      That is good because when you say “I love Steak” hopefully you don’t mean the same thing later when you tell your spouse that you love her/him

                                                            ii.      Let’s just keep in mind that when God says that he loves us that He means Agape.  The ULTIMATE form of Love.

1. This is the Picture of what True Godly Love should look like in our lives because we are patterning our lives after our perfect example, Christ!

PRAY

Closing Hymn # 708 “Behold What Manner of Love”