I Wanna Know What Love Is!

I Wanna Know What Love Is!

John 14:15-31

February 15, 2004

Intro:

A. [Levels of Love, Citation: Erwin Lutzer, "Learning to Love," Preaching Today, Tape No. 99.]

Perhaps you read the story about a woman and her husband who came to a pastor and said, "We’re going to get a divorce, but we want to come to make sure that you approve of it." There are people who come to the pastor hoping that when they say there is no feeling left in their marriage, the pastor will say, "Well, if there’s no feeling left, then, the only thing you can do is split."

Instead, the pastor says to the husband, "The Bible says you’re to love your wife as Jesus Christ loved the church."

He says, "Oh, I can’t do that."

The pastor says, "If you can’t begin at that level, then begin on a lower level. You’re supposed to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Can you at least love her as you would love a neighbor?"

The husband says, "No. That’s still too high a level."

The pastor says, "The Bible says, Love your enemies. Begin there."

B. [Universal Obedience, Citation: Peter Bulkeley, Leadership, Vol. 9, no. 1.]

If God be God over us, we must yield him universal obedience in all things. He must not be over us in one thing, and under us in another, but he must be over us in everything.

C. On this February 14 weekend, I want to look at John 14. [read John 14:15-31]

D. Jesus said in (Mark 12:30-31 NIV) 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."

1. What is love?

2. How can love be commanded?

3. Our world tells us that love is a warm feeling that we get that causes us to do things that we normally wouldn’t do.

4. But if that is true, how can a feeling be commanded?

5. Love MUST be something else, so let’s look at this text to see what Jesus said love is, first…

I. Love of Jesus = obedience

(John 14:15 NIV) "If you love me, you will obey what I command.

(John 14:21 NIV) Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

(John 14:23-24 NIV) Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. {24} He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

A. "If you love me, you will obey what I command.

1. Love = obedience to His Commandments.

4. Those are Jesus’ words.

5. That is how Jesus said He would know if we love Him or not.

B. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

1. Many people say that they love God and they convince themselves that they love God by simply saying it.

2. But notice that is not how Jesus determines the truth.

3. Whose opinion about love is the right one?

C. "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him

1. Notice what Jesus says is one of the benefits of obedience: God’s presence in their life.

2. Have you noticed that people who simply say they believe in God don’t seem to ever receive any blessings from God?

3. When the obedience is not there, God is not there.

II. Love of the Spirit = obedience

(John 14:16-17 NIV) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- {17} the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

(John 14:26-27 NIV) But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. {27} Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

A. the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you