God's Love Series

God's Love

Advent Conspiracy, prt. 3

Wildwind Community Church

David Flowers

December 20, 2009

Mark 12:30–31 (TNIV)

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Luke 11:42 (TNIV)

42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

John 3:16–17 (TNIV)

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John 5:42 (TNIV)

42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.

John 13:1 (TNIV)

1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

John 15:17 (TNIV)

17 This is my command: Love each other.

Romans 8:35; 37-–39 (TNIV)

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (TNIV)

9 However, as it is written:“What no eye has seen,what no ear has heard,and what no human mind has conceived—these things God has prepared for those who love him”—

1 Corinthians 8:1 (TNIV)

1 ...knowledge puffs up while love builds up.

Galatians 5:6 (TM)

6 For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.

Philippians 1:9 (TM)

9 So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately...

1 Peter 4:8 (TM)

8 Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.

1 John 3:11 (TM)

11 For this is the original message we heard: We should love each other.

1 John 4:7–12 (TNIV)

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

John 13:35 (TNIV)

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you:

-believe the right beliefs

-are in the correct political party

-prove the other guy wrong

-vote properly

-make enough money

-go to church

-love your pastor

-give above 10%

-sweat the small stuff

-read your Bible

-pray daily

-get some help

-fight against the man

-are the man

-rage against the machine

-are the one who built the machine

-do your devotions

-ask good questions

-give good answers

-stay out of the wrong beds

-don't smoke

-don't swear

-don't wear long hair

-support your community

-help old ladies cross the street

-are a member of my church

-memorize scripture

-fast

-avoid R-rated movies

-avoid G-rated movies

-avoid movies directed by Quentin Tarrantino

-avoid alcohol

What's the answer?

John 13:35 (TNIV)

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Between 3-6 B.C., Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem. (Jesus was not born in the year 0). You know the story. Humble birth. Quietness. Shepherds and angels. Peace on earth. Lived a life of love, taught constantly about love, drew people around him and told them to love. Loving like Jesus said cost something -- cost a lot. Ancient Palestine was under the boot of the Roman Empire, and Rome didn't much care what or who you worshipped, as long as Caesar was somewhere in the mix. Of course Christians weren't into worshipping Caesar, so they were terribly persecuted by Rome for a couple of centuries.