Love Well Pt. 2 Series

Video Transition Illustration: Loved! - showing us how to “Love Well in 2022”

The CHC challenge for 2022 – Are you willing to commit to “Love Well” this new year? To not just love but love well – to not just do the minimum but go the extra mile and love like God does – Like Jesus!

Sermon Series: “Love Well” (The beginning and summary of the series)

Thesis to series: To be able to “Love Well” means I embrace the 4 letter word, “LOVE.” But I must embrace the original definition and application given to the word “Love” by God and as God. The sad reality is the word, “Love” has been twisted, made to be filled with lust and loveless ways today. The distortion of “Love” by our secular culture is a direct slap in the face to God! But God is reclaiming its original definition and actions. This broken world needs to experience God’s love.

Series Scripture Texts: The Apostle John wrote the most about Love in the New Testament!

John 13:34-35: Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

1 John 4:7-10: 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.

Introduction to series:

The books by the author John in the New Testament focus in on the subject of love – God’s love!

LOVE’s original definition is spelled out in Scripture – it is not complicated - “God is love” says 1 John 4:8 or to reverse this thought and make a point “Love is God!” God created and defined what Love is and what it should look like, and act like in this fallen world. John 1:1 tells us Jesus and God are one which also implies that Jesus is God’s love manifested in the flesh – in other words, Jesus is a recognizable expression of love in the flesh that all can see and model.

We also looked at the Love Chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 too – written to a church which needed to mature, understand true love and grow up in love.

We came to a conclusion about Love – Love is the greatest – It is greater than faith and hope - “Love is greater” – Yes, it’s greater than faith and hope because love creates faith and hope! Did you catch that truth – Love is Greater than these other two powerhouses of life Faith and Hope!

We also highlighted the story from Focus on the family called “A Man Called Norman” by Mike Atkins.

The challenge and point of action: Since we are now into a new year, I think it is time to break out of the old ways – or our loveless ways – and embrace the New Year with the theme of “Loving Well.” I pray you are challenged to break out of self-centered ways, lust filled ways and embrace the idea of loving others well this year – the world needs God’s love. His unconditional love!

Sermon 2: Loving Well pt. 2

We started with a powerful video of what it means to love someone unconditionally like God does. It was created and adapted from the story of Hosea found in the Old Testament!

Scripture: Hosea 3:1 “1The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

Introduction:

Hosea is considered a minor prophet’s book, but He has a major problem his unfaithful wife! The Old Testament book is a parallel to the writings of John because of his emphasis on God’s unconditional divine love. Both authors in their Bible books focus on the subject of love and God’s amazing love.

T.S. - Let’s explore the message of Hosea and God’s unconditional love!

Hosea’s Hebrew name means, “God is help” or “Help, God!”

Gomer (Hosea’s wife) name in our story means, “Daughter of fruitcakes.” I will explain the significance of this name in a moment.

The story of Gomer and Hosea has been debated by Bible scholars for 1,000 of years – some say it’s a parable others say no it is literally Hosea’s true life story.