What Great Love - Part 3

Passing the Love Test

1 John 3:1–2 CSB

1 See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.

Passing the love test slide 1

Passing the love test slide 2

1 John 3:10–19 CSB

10 This is how God’s children and the devil’s children become obvious. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister. 11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth. 19 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will reassure our hearts before him

1 John 3:23 CSB

23 Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us.

1. What’s the motivation of Love?

A. We love because we are loved.

1 John 4:18–19 NKJV

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.

B. We love because we are commanded to love.

1 John 3:23–24 NKJV

23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. 24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

C. We love because we are filled with love.

Romans 5:1–6 NKJV

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Illustration: If you can’t love me when I am at my worst you don’t deserve me when I am at my best.

Galatians 5:22 NKJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

2. What’s the method of Love?

A. We love in deed and truth.

1 John 3:18 NKJV

18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:18 NKJV

18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

B. We love by giving.

1 John 3:17 NKJV

17 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?

1 John 4:7–11 NKJV

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 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. 10 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. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

3. What’s the mark of Love?

A. We love God. We love our neighbor.

Matthew 22:36–40 NKJV

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Loophole: Who is my neighbor?

B. We love the brethren.

1 John 3:14 NKJV

14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

1 John 3:14 AMP

14 We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is held and kept continually) in [spiritual] death.

4. What’s the measure of Love?

4. What’s the measure of Love?

A. We love by dying (to ourselves).

1 John 3:16 NKJV

16 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.

John 15:13 NKJV

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

B. We love by choosing to love.

Psychology has indoctrinated our generation to think that self-expression is the highest good. If you don’t feel it, it isn’t authentic, and thus not real. This, combined with the definition that love is almost exclusively a warm feeling found deep within us, makes the notion that one should act loving despite not feeling it to be oppressive and a contaminate of love.

The main problem with a “wait until you feel it” love is that it comes more from Hollywood than the Bible. It fundamentally undermines the two greatest commandments Jesus gave. The command to love God with everything, and others as ourselves, often assaults this kind of love, oppresses our natural cravings, and inconveniences our self-actualization:

Love your neighbor as yourself regardless if they have wronged you.

Love your neighbor as yourself no matter how unpopular they are.

Love your neighbor as yourself notwithstanding the fact that they embody every pet peeve that you didn’t even realize you had until you met them.

Or, more importantly:

Love God with everything no matter how busy you are.

Love God with everything no matter how angry with him you may be.

Love God with everything no matter how sick, tired, or confused you are.

No footnotes, asterisks, or qualifications nuance these two commands.

“Not feeling it” is the problem to overcome, not an excuse to disobey.

Emotion follows Motion!