Love Will Keep Us Together - 02/13/2022

Grace Place Atlanta COGBF 4700 Mitchell Street Forest Park, GA 30297 Website: atlantacogbf.org Email: info@atlantacogbf.org Phone: (404) 241-6781 Wayne D. Mack, Pastor Pastor Wayne D. Mack Sermon Notes February 13, 2022 Love Will Keep Us Together As a reminder, the month of February is traditionally considered Love Month at GP and across the nation. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. For GP, February presents an opportunity for us to celebrate LOVE in many ways including the preached Word and creative Deeds and Activities. This morning, I want to deliver on a promise I made last week that over the last three weeks in February, I would teach around a theme of love using a few popular love song titles and correlating them with the truth of Scripture. Today, our theme is derived from an all-time popular love song, Love Will Keep Us Together by Captain and Tennille. The lyrics in this song are so brilliantly and poetically woven to preach a sober message by the wife to a husband who needed to be reminded that LOVE, not Looks or Lust was the key to keeping them together. Her reminder went like this: Love will keep us together Think of me babe, whenever Some sweet-talking girl comes along, singing her song 1 Don't mess around, you've just got to be strong, just stop 'Cause I really love you, stop I'll be thinking of you Look in my heart and let love keep us together. In relationships, both secular or sacred romantic relationships, and/or one’s spiritual relationship with Christ – love is the dominant and common denominator that seals the relationship. Today, for the sake of our Love Month message, I want to share a few significant biblical perspectives on how Love Will Keep Us Together. First, let’s get a read on [or definition of] the LOVE that is at the center of today’s discourse. In our world and society, the word love is used in some many ways by so many people. In many respects, it has become a flimsy empty term that is used with little to no accountability, reverence or heart. People just use the word as a matter of rote routine or out of habit. On the other hand, I must say that our experience with the threats of COVID-19 and its sudden death effects, as well as the crazy violence in our own communities – families and close friends have come to realize how precious, yet uncertain, life is – therefore, taking nothing for granted are exchanging heartfelt expressions of love more sincerely and regularly. Back to our definition. Commonly, there are four types of LOVE. 1. Phileo or Philia – that’s brotherly love; it bodes with Philadelphia – the city of Brotherly love. It is the kind of love we have for our fellowman. Love one another. 2. Then, there’s EROS – that’s closer to LOVE the one you’re with. Eros is erotic love or romantic love. It is associated with the Greek god of sex. It refers to sensual or passionate love. 2 3. Storge – Love for family. Love for parents and siblings and cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents. 4. Agape Love [Greek] – [The Hebrew word is Ahava]. The New Testament actually uses the Greek word agape. It means unconditional or sacrificial love and has everything to do with the giver. God’s love is unconditional love or love regardless or despite one’s condition or inability to love, or worthiness of love. Believer’s at salvation experience this kind of love and are made capable of modeling it in their own lives and conduct. An example of this is God’s reminder to the children of Israel on why He brought them out of bondage: Deut. 7: 7 & 8 7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of [b]bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Plus Romans 5:6 6 For when we were still without strength [yet sinners], in due time Christ died for the ungodly [because of God’s love] Plus John 3:16. This God-kind of love is the love that is in view today and at the center of this message. This is the Love that will keep us together . . . WHATEVER! 3 God loves me and you because His character. He loves you not because of duty, but because it's who He is and what He does. With that, let me share 4 biblical perspective on how it is that Love Will Keep Us Together. Perspective One is that Love Will Keep Us Together in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:14-15 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. Perspective TWO is that Love Will Keep Us Together as a Community of Believer’s Identified with Christ. John 13:33-35 NKJ 33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus here is announcing His departure back to heaven, but in doing so, He is introducing to his disciples, and us, a new standard of love. That standard is service – service to one another and others. Jesus said love is the most distinguishing character of discipleship and we should master it. Perspective THREE is that Love Will Keep Us Together with Each Other . . . in Unity. 4 This perspective is in keeping with theme and commitment to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the church and with each other. 1 John 2 NLT 9 If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness. 10 Anyone who loves a fellow believer[b] is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness. Philippians 2: 1-5 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Perspective FOUR is that Love Will Keep Us Together in Marriage The Bible says marriage is a high priority with God – so much so until the best correlation for marriage in God’s eyes is to equate it to His church. Marriage is considered the manifestation of God’s picture of the NT church. A mystery identifies some reality hidden in the past ad revealed in the NT age to be written in Scripture. 5 Before I let the Scripture do the balance of talking on this perspective of love keeping us together, I want you to hear what God is really saying marriage is symbolic of: It is a sacred reflection of the magnificent and beautiful mystery of union between Christ an His Church (considered the Bride of Christ) completely unknow until the NT. Now, here’s God’s picture of how Love will keep marriages together: Eph. 5:21-32 NLT 21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. 25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body. 31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 6 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Captain and Tennille weigh in . . . with a word to husband from wives: You belong to me now Ain't gonna set you free now When those girl start hanging around talking me down Hear with your heart and you won't hear a sound, just stop (stop) 'Cause I really love you, stop (stop) I'll be thinking of you Look in my heart and let love keep us together Whatever Young and beautiful But someday your looks will be gone When the others turn you off Who'll be turning you on? I will, I will, I will I will be there to share forever Love will keep us together I said it before and I'll say it again while others pretend I need you now and I'll need you then, just stop (stop) 'Cause I really love you, stop (stop) Finally, in closing, know that only the Love of God will keep us and everything about that God hopes for us together. Without love, we are nothing. First Corinthians 13 1-7 reminds of this: 1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret 7 plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love, Indeed, Will Keep Us Together END 8