The sermon's main point is to explore and understand the concept of agape love, a selfless and unconditional love from God, and to strive to embody this love in our interactions with others.
Good morning, church family! Today, we're going to dive into one of the most powerful and challenging aspects of our faith: Agape love. Now, agape isn't your everyday kind of love. It’s not about romantic feelings or even the love we have for our friends and family. No, agape is a selfless, unconditional love that only comes from God. It's what compels us to love even when it's hard, even when we don't feel like it.
John Piper once said, "If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full." That truth is at the heart of agape love.
Let's look at how Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Isn’t that beautiful, folks? That’s the nature of agape love. It's powerful, it's challenging, and it's what we're called to embody as followers of Christ.
Would you join me in prayer? Dear Heavenly Father, today we thank You for Your agape love, a love so deep and vast that we can scarcely comprehend it. We ask that You help us grasp, even just a little, the nature and power of this love You have for us. And Lord, give us the strength and courage to reflect this love to others, even when it's challenging. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.
Alright, church, let’s get started. Buckle up because this journey into agape love is going to be a life-changing one!
Agape love is a unique kind of love that originates from God. It's not a love based on feelings, emotions, or personal gain. Instead, it's a love that is selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional. It's a love that seeks the best for others, regardless of the cost to oneself. This is the nature of agape love, and it's a concept that is both beautiful and challenging.
A. The nature of agape love can be seen in how it is patient and kind. Patience, in this context, is not just about waiting for something or someone. It's about enduring difficult circumstances and people without losing love for them. Kindness, on the other hand, is about being gentle, considerate, and good to others. It's about treating others the way you want to be treated. These two aspects of agape love, patience and kindness, show us that this love is not just about feelings, but about actions.
B. Agape love also does not envy, boast, or become proud. Envy is a feeling of discontent or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck. Boasting is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities. Pride, in this context, is a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired. These three things, envy, boasting, and pride, are self-centered and contrary to the nature of agape love, which is selfless.
C. Furthermore, agape love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. These aspects of agape love show us that this love is not about getting what we want, but about giving what others need. It's not about holding grudges, but about forgiving and forgetting. It's not about getting angry easily, but about being slow to anger and quick to forgive.
D. Agape love also does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. This means that agape love does not take pleasure in wrongdoing, but finds joy in what is right and true. This aspect of agape love shows us that this love is not about condoning or participating in evil, but about standing up for and rejoicing in the truth.
E. Finally, agape love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and never fails. These aspects of agape love show us that this love is not about giving up, but about never giving in. It's not about doubting, but about believing. It's not about despairing, but about hoping. It's not about failing, but about succeeding.
Transition – In all these ways, we see the nature of agape love. It's a love that is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not dishonoring, not self-seeking, not easily angered, not record-keeping, not delighting in evil, rejoicing in the truth, always protecting, always trusting, always hoping, always persevering, and never failing. This is the love that God has for us, and this is the love that we are called to have for others.
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