Love
(In the Authorised / King James version of the Bible: ‘charity’ = ‘love’)
A. GOD'S LOVE for us
A1. How does love work?
Like a central heating system:
The boiler heats the hot water in the radiators.
The radiators then heat the rooms.
In the same way:
God loves us.
We then radiate His love to those around us.
1 John 4:7-8
7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God;
and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
--> God is love and the source of our love:
So we need to RADIATE God’s love to other people.
If we’re not already doing that - let’s start today!
Further reading
Psalm 69:16
John 13:1, 16:27, 17:26
Romans 1:7, 5:5 & 8
Ephesians 2:4, 5:2
2 Thessalonians 2:16
1 John 4:9-11 & 16
Revelation 1:5
A2. HOW MUCH does God love us?
Ephesians 3:19 ~ And to know the love of Christ, which passeth (= surpasses / exceeds) knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
--> God loves us MASSIVELY:
We can’t fully understand this.
It’s as hard as looking up at the stars and trying to measure the universe!
Further reading
John 3:16
Galatians 2:20
1 John 3:1 & 16
A3. God loves us ALL THE TIME
Romans 8:38-39
38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
--> NOTHING can separate us from God’s love:
So when things seem to be going badly - don’t trust our feelings to tell us if God loves us.
He does - all the time!
B. WHY should we love others?
Here are six great reasons.
B1. Jesus told us to!
John 15:12 & 14
12This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
…
14Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
--> Jesus DIDN'T SUGGEST that we love each other - He COMMANDED us:
When Jesus gives commands, He expects us to obey - just like in the military.
Otherwise we won’t be His friend!
(verse 14)
Further reading
John 13:34-35, 15:17
Romans 13:8-10
Galatians 5:22
1 Thessalonians 4:9-10
1 Timothy 6:11
Hebrews 10:24
1 Peter 3:8, 4:8-9
2 Peter 1:7
1 John 3:10-11, 14 & 23; 4:20-21
2 John 5-6
Revelation 2:19
B2. God says that love should take first place in our Christian life
Mark 12
Verses 28-30
28And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that He had answered them well,
asked Him, Which is the first (= most important) commandment of all?
29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30And 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.
--> Loving God is the MOST important thing we can do.
--> It’s the Gold medal of our Christian life.
Verse 31
31And the second is like (= similar), namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
--> Loving others is the SECOND most important thing we can do.
--> That’s the Silver medal of our Christian life.
Further reading
Deuteronomy 7:9, 10:12, 11:1 & 13-17, 19:9, 30:6, 16 & 20
Matthew 22:34-40
Galatians 5:13-14
1 Timothy 1:5
James 2:8
B3. Love goes on into eternity
1 Corinthians 13
Verses 1-3
1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (= love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge;
and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Why does Paul say that love is the most important gift of all?
Verses 8 & 13
8Charity (= love) never faileth: but whether (= if) there be prophecies, they shall fail;
whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
…
13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (= love).
--> In Heaven - we’ll no longer need the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
--> But we WILL still need love.
During our life on Earth, God’s getting us ready to join Him in Heaven - and He wants to spend eternity with loving people!
B4. Becoming more loving is an expression of our Christian character improving
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
12And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
13To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
--> Once we’re saved and we know that we’re going to Heaven ...
... we have the opportunity to improve our character - including how we love others:
Being saved is like eating plain bread - it keeps us alive.
Being saved and loving others is like bread plus our favourite topping - not only does it keep us alive, it’s much better!
Further reading
Colossians 3:14
2 Thessalonians 1:3
1 Peter 1:22
1 John 4:12 & 16-17, 5:2-3
'Becoming more like Jesus' message on WholeCounselofGod.com
B5. We show others what God is like
We often judge a school (fairly or unfairly) by how its pupils behave.
In the same way - unbelievers judge God (fairly or unfairly) by the behaviour of Christians.
When unbelievers see us loving others - they form a positive impression of God.
But when unbelievers see us not loving others - they form a negative impression of God.
Further reading
2 Corinthians 4:11
Ephesians 1:15
Philippians 4:5
Colossians 1:4
1 Timothy 4:12
B6. When we love others - we also help ourselves
Proverbs 11:17 ~ The merciful (= kind) man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
--> Being kind to others DOES US GOOD.
Think how we feel after we’ve:
Helped someone.
Been nasty to someone.
--> So we should choose to love.
Further reading
Proverbs 15:17
1 John 2:10
RECAP of why we should love others
1. Jesus told us to.
2. Love should be #1 in our Christian life.
3. Love goes on into eternity.
4. Loving more is an expression of our Christian character improving.
5. We show others what God is like.
6. When we love others - we also help ourselves.
C. WHOM should we love?
1 Thessalonians 3:12 ~ And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
--> We should love EVERYONE.
--> Which makes it simple - we don’t even need to decide whom to love!
Jesus even told us to LOVE OUR ENEMIES:
Matthew 5:43-48
43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans (= tax collectors) the same?
47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so?
48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.
As Richard Baxter - the English Puritan preacher - wrote in 1656:
‘The love that confines itself to one’s own group is not Christian love.’
Q - But HOW can we love our enemies when they do BAD things?
Revelation 2:6 ~ But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
--> Jesus hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans - but apparently not the people.
--> In the same way - we should hate the sin, but love the sinner.
Illustration
Q - How do we feel when a baby’s sick on us?
A - We may not like the horrid mess they make, but we still love the baby!
Further reading
Proverbs 24:17-18, 25:21-22
Luke 6:27, 32 & 35
Hebrews 13:1-3
D. HOW should we love others?
D.1 Treat others in the same way as WE'D LIKE to be treated
Matthew 7:12 ~ Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
--> We can apply this ‘Golden Rule’ in almost any circumstance.
Further reading
Proverbs 17:17
Luke 6:31
D2. Be KIND
Romans 12:10 ~ Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.
--> The word ‘kindness’ comes from the word ‘kin’.
--> We should love others in the same way we love our ‘kin’ (= our close family).
So our churches should be like a kind, loving family (not like a competitive, profit-hungry business)!
Further reading
2 Corinthians 6:4 then 6
Ephesians 4:32
Philemon 5 & 7
D3. Our love must also be PRACTICAL
It’s easy to just have the language of Christianity - but without the love.
We need to show our love by helping other people:
1 John 3:18 ~ My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Further reading
Luke 10:25-37 (Good Samaritan)
1 Corinthians 12:25, 16:14
James 1:27
1 John 3:17
So let’s not miss these opportunities to love others!
Amen