Love out of a Pure Heart

What is the point?

1 Timothy 1:5 AV

5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Pure Hearted Love

Before we talk about love, lets first see where this love should come from.

True biblical love should flow out of a pure heart.

What does that mean?

Pure heart love is love that loves without a selfish motive.

You may or may not have experiebced this: A friend who loves you, but when your financial situation changes or you you stop giving to them, their love dries upo like the morning mist.

That is not love out of a pure heart, bnut love out of a selfish heart.

It is a love that loves to get, and loves only when it gets.

Pure hearted love is a love that does not expect anything in return.

Often it does get, but it does nor expect to get.

Luke 6:32–34 AV

32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

What is the point in love?

Why is loving such a big deal? Does it really matter?

Short answer: Yes!

The reason love is so important to the Christian is becuse of 1 simple truth.

1 John 4:8 AV

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Without love, you do not know God for God is love.

Thinking you are a christian without love is like thinking you can live without air. Survive without water and ....

Who do we love?

God

Now we may truly say as Jesus did that we must God AND our neiughbor.

That is true, but you will not love your neighbor if you do not love God.

1 John 4:20 AV

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

So in fact, loving your neighbor is all about loving God.

Before we get a big head about how we love God we must always remeber this simple truth:

1 John 4:19 AV

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

and:

Romans 5:8 AV

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

There can absolutly no pride, self righteousness or boaating when it comes to loving God.

We only love him because he first loved us, and when he first loved us there was nothing in us that worthy of any of his love.

God did not look upon any of us and swoon.

We were utterly misrible wretches in whom no good thing dwelt.

Romans 7:18 AV

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

This is what sets God’s love apart, it is called Agape love in the greek.

In a natural sense things are loved because of some beauty they posses. There is something in the object that makes it worthy of our love.

But Agfape love does not work like that. Agape love is not based on emotion or feelings of attraction or beauty. Agape love is based soley on the will.

It is a decision to love based on the goodness of the giver and NOT on the worthiness of the reciever.

So God chose to love us, when he did this and when we recieved the blessing of that love by faith in Jesus Christ, then:

Romans 5:5 AV

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

His love towards us gave us the capacity to love him.

How much do you love God?

Now, do some Christians love God more than others?

That is an intresting question, because how do we measure love?

It turns out you can measure love.

Jesus made this very clear because true biblical love is not some unqualifiable thing but a vwery real and vewry practical thing.

Matthew 15:8 AV

8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

You love for God is NOT measured in what you say or how often you say it.

And you cannot hide behind the false thought that your love for God is between you and God and God knows how much you love him.

Jesus gave us a clear indication of how much we love him:

John 14:15 AV

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

My f riends listen closley:

Your obedience to the Word of God is direcly related to your love for God.

So even if we look at the most basic of Jesus commands?

1: Pray everyday.

2: Raed the word daily.

3: Daily confession and repentance.

4: Worship God every day.

A heart that loves God is drawn naturally to these disciples like metal is naturally drawn to face north.

Jesus made it clear that the single most important commandment in the bible is:

Mark 12:30 AV

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

How do we grow in love for God?

This is the essence of this whole sermon.

Simple: In scripture and prayer take the time to see and learn just how gracious God has been towards you in forgiving you sins.

Jesus made a profound statment aboout this:

Luke 7:36–47 AV

36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

Your love for God is going to depnd on just how much you realise he has forgiven you.

Do you think the pharasee has “less” sins that the woman? Of course not. But they were “less” in his mind.

And thats what made all the difference.

The Puratins had a practice which is totally foregn in todays siocity.

Today its all abourt self worth and feeling good about yousekf and puffing up youself. The Puratins praced what is called Self Depreciation.

They would break down the self and raise up God’s grace.

Examples:

Yet I sin

John the baptist understood this when he said:

John 3:30 AV

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

When something decreases it depreciates.

Self depreciation does not leave us in puddles of self pity, rather it builds us up in the Spirit and gives all glory to God.

And our love foir him grows stronger every day.

As the Pslamet said:

Psalm 8:4 AV

4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Change the word man toi your name:

What is Rudy that you are mindful of me and that you even came to me?

Conclusion:

Love is the greatest all of the attributes.

1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

This the point of it all Church.

That you would each day love God like he loves you.