Active Love
Growing in the Knowledge of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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As we come to the end of our series, growing in the knowledge of Jesus, we look back and note that growing in this way involves the development of a Christ-like character and this requires diligence. This is not just a random character, rather it’s a character that includes eight graces working together in spiritual harmony.
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So far, we’ve talked about:
Building On Faith (faith)
Striving For Excellence (virtue)
Increasing In Knowledge (knowledge)
Controlling The Self (self-control)
Bearing Up Under Trials (perseverance)
Seeking To Please God (godliness)
Loving The Brethren (brotherly kindness)
But this "spiritual construction project" is not complete without the addition of love, which serves as the epitome of Peter's list of graces. It’s like the cherry on top, for each grace builds upon the one before it, but there is nothing left to build upon love. I mean, think about it, it is exalted above faith and hope
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is given first place in what constitutes the fruit of the Spirit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
love is to be adorned "above all" the graces mentioned by Paul -
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
What is “love”, and how is it any different than “brotherly kindness”?
Well, I think you’ve heard me preach about Love in Action once or twice, and well That’s what we’re talking about today. But I want to take us through the very same process that we took for each of the other graces as we traversed this landscape of “Growing in the knowledge of Jesus”
The Definition of Love
The Definition of Love
The Greek
The Greek
There are four Greek words which are translated as love:
philia - the love of close friends or brothers
storge - the love of family
eros - carnal or sexual love
And last but not least, we come to the type of love that we’re talking about today.
ἀγάπη
{aga peh}
“Love for love’s sake”
This is the highest form of love, a love that has no other reason than the sake of being, meaning it is love that just is without preconditions, without being earned, without seeking anything for itself. In other words, a love which simply seeks the highest good of others. Not just friends, family, or brethren, but even enemies the love that Jesus was talking about in
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Thus it is a higher form of love than philadelphia or “brotherly kindness”
In addition to being unearned, agape love is not an exclusive love , but an all-embracing benevolence.
It s not an uncontrolled reaction of the heart or of hormones, but a concentrated exercise of will. It is a caring love, one which becomes involved in the needs of others.
To put it simply, agape is an active love, it can be said that it is precisely the type of love needed to be able to properly exercise love in action.
Best exemplified by the Father and the Son
Best exemplified by the Father and the Son
God the Father demonstrated agape love in that His love for sinners is completely undeserved by them
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
It is only fitting then, that His love is called a "great" love -
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
God the Son demonstrated agape love by laying down His life for us -
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
And we know that there is no greater love than this -
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
This is the epitome of active love and a great example of “Love in Action”. So since the Father and the Son have shown “active love” towards all, and so we should not be surprised that it is required of those who would be Jesus' disciples.
The Demand of Love
The Demand of Love
Necessary to be Children of God
Necessary to be Children of God
Jesus commanded His disciples to love their enemies -
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
In showing “active love” to our enemies, we will be like our Father in heaven -
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
We will be different than those who love only their friends
For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
We will be perfect (complete) in the area of love and mercy, even as our Father in heaven is perfect (merciful) -
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
Jesus expects us to follow God's example of “active love” towards all!
Necessary Component to the Christian Life
Necessary Component to the Christian Life
The atmosphere of the Christian life is basically “love in action”
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
The garment of the Christian is to “put on love”
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
The motive of Christian service is that all things be “done with love”
Let all that you do be done with love.
The glue of Christian unity is to be “knit together in love"
that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,
The controller of Christian liberty is “serving one another through love”
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Are we seeing a pattern? Every aspect of our Christian life is all about “love in action” and this can only be accomplished with “active love”.
As important love is to the Christian life, it is much easier to understand why Paul says “the greatest of these is love”
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
And also, “above all these things put on love”
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
So how do we go about putting on love, or adding it to brotherly kindness?
The Development of Love
The Development of Love
Let the Father Teach You
Let the Father Teach You
The Thessalonians were taught by God.
But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;
But how does the Father teach us to love? By virtue of His character after all we know that God is Love
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
His grace, mercy, longsuffering and abundant goodness are indicative of His love.
Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.
And by virtue of His example, He sent His only begotten Son.
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
For what purpose? To be the propitiation for our sins!
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.
As the Father “so loved us”, let us learn to love others!
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Let the Son Teach You
Let the Son Teach You
How? Well rather than hearing it from me, let’s hear it straight from scripture.
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Contemplate how Jesus died for you, and you will learn the meaning of love!
Let the Apostles Teach You
Let the Apostles Teach You
Paul described what love is
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
Paul prayed for His brethren regarding love:
For the Thessalonians -
And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,
For the Ephesians -
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
For the Philippians -
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
Is it any surprise that I mention that through diligent study of the Word, and fervent prayer, our love will abound still more and more?
And finally, some concluding thoughts regarding
The Demonstration of Love
The Demonstration of Love
Demonstrating our Love Toward God
Demonstrating our Love Toward God
Some may think we show our love by, shouting if from the rooftop, declaring it on bumper sticker, or some other such “lip service”. Still others more piously believe that it’s doing whatever they think pleases God. Butthe proper demonstration of love toward God means:
Keeping His commandments.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
It means loving the brethren
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
Do you really love God? Then keep His commandments!
Demonstrating our Love Toward Man
Demonstrating our Love Toward Man
It begins with keeping the commandments of God ourselves
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
It’s not limited to friends and loved ones.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Helping to meet their needs.
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Do we really love our fellow man? Then love in deed and in truth!
Wrapping it All Up
Wrapping it All Up
As we come to the end of our study, what have we learned about “Growing In The Knowledge Of Jesus"?
It really does require effort "giving all diligence", doesn’t it?
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
It requires an ever-increasing growth in Christ-like qualities
For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Building on faith (faith)
Striving for excellence (virtue)
Increasing in knowledge (knowledge)
Controlling the self (self-control)
Bearing up under trials (perseverance)
Seeking to please God (godliness)
Loving the brethren (brotherly kindness)
With active love towards all (love)
Is the effort worth it? Indeed it is, for as we grow in this knowledge, the grace and peace of God is multiplied.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
All things pertaining to life and godliness are provided.
as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
We can avoid spiritual myopia and spiritual amnesia
For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
We will never stumble so as to fall
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
We will have an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom.
for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I pray that our time together has whet your appetite, and that you really desire to grow in the knowledge of Jesus. And I will close with Peter's final admonition:
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.