THE ACID TEST OF LOVE?
LOVE THE HARD TO LOVE PEOPLE! LOVE NEVER FAILS!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I. HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO DEFINE LOVE?
A. Of all the words in the dictionary, the most poorly defined word is LOVE.
B. LOVE:
Deep affection, fondness.
Sweetheart, beloved one, delight in, admire, like very much, passion for something.
C. Then there is what some call a "LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP?"
This is two people involving ambivalent or conflicting feelings for each other.
1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
II. JESUS ASKED PETER A POWERFUL QUESTION: LOVEST THOU ME?
What you love --- you will find time for --- ?
A. Seems Peter had been boasting how much more he loved Jesus than the rest?
B. Yet Peter chided, corrected and debated with God’s son more than any other disciple.
C. Peter denied the very son of God 3 times? 3 times he is asked?
John 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou
knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me?
And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
D. FEED: SHEPHERD NOT A COWBOY!
To take care of, to guide, lead, defend, to be a shepherd for HIS LAMBS.
E. Could our love be measured by how we feed others?
F. JESUS SAYS FEED:
1. MY LAMBS --- young, tender, mild gentle.
2. MY SHEEP --- bashful, timid, thick woolly coat
G. IN ENGLISH LOVE CAN MEAN MANY THINGS?
Puppy love? Friend? Brother? Marriage?
IN THE BIBLE THERE ARE THREE LOVES:
1. EROS --- appeal to the eye,to the five senses, desire for pleasure.
2. PHILEO --- brother, friendship, to like, to be fond of,
3. AGAPAO ---ardently, supreme, perfect,
H. PETER HAS HAD TO ANSWER 3 TIMES, YES, LORD, I LOVE YOU.
LORD --- YOU KNOW.
I. WE FIND JESUS’ DEEP LOVE IS IN COORELATION WITH OUR LOVE.
Proverbs 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
III. LOVE HAS A WRITTEN GUARANTEE --- LOVE CAN NEVER FAIL.
A. We have a written promise and assurance that love will never fail.
LOVE, KEEP LOVING, AND NEVER MOVE AWAY FROM LOVE INTO BITTERNESS, HATRED OR STRIFE!
1 Cor. 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge,
it shall vanish away.
1 Cor. 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
B. There is only one successful way to get rid of an enemy, make him your friend.
C. You can give without love,
but you can never love without giving.
D. Love is an action word, it is much more than a strong emotion!
E. AS PAUL HAS HIS PEN IN HIS HAND AND IS MOVING UNDER THE MIGHTY ANOINTING OF GOD’S SPIRIT, PAUL WRITES THE TWO GREATEST CHAPTERS IN THE BIBLE ON THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
1 Corinthians 12 and 1 Corinthians 14 are master pieces dealing with the SPIRITUAL GIFTS WITHIN THE CHURCH.
F. For some reason, we believe the anointing, as Paul closes Chapter 12, he writes one of the most POWERFUL CHAPTERS OF THE BIBLE ON THE BEAUTY OF REAL LOVE.
BETWEEN CHAPTER 12 AND 14, PAUL’S PEN FLOWS TO THE SUBJECT OF LOVE.
G. WE CALL THIS THE LOVE SANDWICH, FOR GOD’S GIFTS ARE LIMITED WITH OUT THE PROPER ATTITUDES SUBMITTED IN LOVE.
H. GOD’S WONDERFUL SPIRITUAL GIFTS LOOSE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IF THEY TRY TO OPERATE WITHOUT THE REALM OF LOVE.
IV. WHAT IS THE GREATEST ACT OF LOVE?
LOVE IS THE SUPREME VIRTUE!
A. Sometimes where there is love you might see someone holding hands?
B. Some might think the kiss is a great act of love?
Ask Samson about Delilah’s kiss?
Ask Jesus about the kiss Judas gave in the garden?
C. PERHAPS LISTENING IS A VERY GREAT ACT OF LOVE.
James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
D. There is only record of one man laying his head on the chest of the son of God. John heard the DIVINE HEART BEAT.
E. IN LOVE ARE OUR HEARTS BROKEN FOR WHAT BREAKS THE HEART OF GOD?
V. CRUCIBLE: THE CALM DOWN TEST!
OUR GREATEST TEST MAY COME FROM THOSE THAT WE LOVE THE MOST!
CRUCIBLE: TO WITHSTAND GREAT HEAT, HEAT ENOUGH TO MELT, SEVERE TEST OR TRIAL.
LOVE IS NOT EASILY PROVOKED:
DO WE UNDERSTAND WHAT AN ACID TEST IS?
A. ONE OF MY BASIC POINTS OF PHILOSOPHY IS THIS:
NOTHING IS AS BAD AS IT FIRST APPEARS.
B. PLEASE UNDERSTAND WHAT A SOUL TIE IS IN THE LIGHT OF THE BIBLE.
David had many friends in life.
But there were a few special friends that were much deeper than friendship.
C. DAVID HAD A SOUL TIE WITH JONTHAN, Saul’s son.
1 Samuel 18:1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan
loved him as his own soul.
D. LIFE WILL THROW MANY TEST AT YOU.
Exam, trial,
E. Ever heard of a TEST PILOT?
TEST TUBE
CRUCIBLE
ACID TEST:
Acid is very sour.
ACID TEST IS A VERY SEVERE OR CONCLUSIVE TEST.
1 Cor. 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
F. CHARITY OR LOVE IS NOT EASILY PROVOKED ---
THE GREEK WORD FOR PROVOKED IS: PARAXUNO.
1. Paraxuno root word comes from ACID and QUICK or SUDDEN.
2. Paraxuno has another meaning:
ONE CLOSE BY ---
3. PUT THE TWO GREEK MEANINGS TOGETHER AND WE SEE A POWERFUL LESSON OF DEEP TRUTH.
To be provoked is TO FLY OFF THE HANDLE WITH ACID REMARKS
OR A TEMPER TANTRUM AIMED AT SOMEONE YOU LOVE.
G. We may pass easy tests easily?
LOVE AND LIFE MAY THROW SOME STRANGE TWIST OUR WAY?
H. MAYBE WE WILL FACE SOME GREAT TEST FROM FAMILY OR FRIENDS THAT HAVE SOUL TIES ...
I. JESUS MAY CALM THE STORM, OR HE MAY GET US TO PRACTICE A MATURE TRAIT: BE CALM DURING THE STORM.
The strange twist in life’s road will try to teach us a basic priniciple:
CALM DOWN, we must grow a spirit of calmness in the storm.
J. STAY CALM, STAY COOL--- LOOK IN THE LIGHT OF GOD’S ETERNAL WORD: TRUST GOD ---
GOD WILL PULL YOU THROUGH --- IF YOU CAN STAND THE PULL.
VI. HOW SHALL WE LOVE? HOW SHALL WE NOT LOVE?
A. Love is an action word, it is much more than a strong emotion!
1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
B. DON’T LOVE:
1. In word: by doctrine
2. In tongue: by profession
C. DO LOVE:
1. In deed: by action, moving by faith, ministry to needs.
2. In truth: Be real, not fake, not seeking return,
VII. THE MORE LIGHT THE GREATER THE VISION!
OUR TEACHER WAS KNOWN BY HIS ACTIONS AND PATTERNS OF
REACTION, AND SO WILL WE.
A. WE HAVE A STANDARD MEASURING UNIT: LOVE.
DUTY MAY GET THE JOB DONE ---
BUT LOVE WILL DO THE JOB IN A BEAUTIFUL WAY!
B. Have you ever seen a doctor do surgery in the dark?
Have you ever been in an emergency room and noticed there are bright lights and huge reflectors to maximize the light?
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
C. A good artist will have the light in the picture coming in the same direction.
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
D. OUR GREATEST LITMUS TEST OF REALITY WILL COME BY
HOW WE LOVE THE HARD TO LOVE PEOPLE IN OUR DAILY WALK?
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
E. WILL WE COME INTO THE NEW AGREEMENT?
THE NEW AGREEMENT AGREES WITH THE OLD AGREEMENT!
As Jesus loves us, so let us love the hardest to love person the same way.
F. WE MUST LOVE AS JESUS LOVES ---
JESUS WE NEED YOUR HELP!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
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