Well… I just wanna welcome everyone here to Embrace… at all 5 of our campuses.
My name is Adam…
I’m one of the pastors here…
And as always… we are so excited that you are here…
And today… we are in the second… and final week of a series…
simply called Love is.
And now… I hope everyone survived Valentine’s Day last week…
Married and dating people…
hopefully none of you forgot about it…
otherwise you might wanna pray for your other half.
And single people… hopefully you were able
to finish watching the entire series…
of your favorite show on NetFlix.
Too soon?
No but seriously… last week we talked about what love is…
and when you ask this question around…
It seems like you’ll get a different answer…
from each and every person that you ask.
I mean… some people will say that love is family and friends…
And others will say that love is blind.
Or that love is an open door.
And has anyone watched the movie Frozen…
a trillion times?
Okay, just me.
And some people… will say that love is bacon… or love is donuts…
Or love is both at the same time.
Others will say that love is a poem.
And if you’re looking for a good pickup line…
Maybe try saying:
love is… you plus me… baby.
Or something.
And folks, it’s a miracle…
that I was able…
to convince my wife to marry me.
No but really… again…
if you were to ask around… the question of… what love is…
You’d most likely get a different answer…
from each and every person that you ask.
But for this series…
Our intent isn’t to talk about…
what we have to say about love…
Instead it’s to find out… what God has to say…
about what love is.
Now… last week…
we read the classic words about love…
found in 1 Corinthians 13…
where a guy named Paul…
is writing a letter to the church in a city called Corinth…
and in the midst of his letter to these Christians…
He begins to talk with them about what love is.
Like what God has to say about love.
And here’s what Paul says…
He says that: Love is patient... and love is kind.
Love isn’t rude… and it doesn’t seek its own advantage.
And it doesn’t keep record of wrongs.
Instead love puts up with all things, trusts in all things,
hopes for all things…
and it endures all things.
and love... it never fails.
And as we said last week…
these words might sound all romantic…
and warm… and fuzzy… right?
and they kinda give you butterflies inside…
and you get all hot and bothered…
just thinking about love…
and we just picture our spouse…
or our future spouse…
and how loving they’re gonna be…
and they’re always gonna be patient with us…
I mean… Even when they’re tired…
And when you have 4 kids…
and they drive a minivan…
They’re always gonna be kind.
And never irritated…
Because that’s not possible with love right?
Again… these words might sound all romantic…
And we might picture a beautiful wedding…
But as we shared in week 1…
these verses are actually not about marriage… specifically
Instead they’re actually for our lives as a whole…
And also… Paul isn’t talking about the love…
that we should look to receive from others…
instead he’s talking about the love
that we should extend to others… ourselves.
Again… Paul’s not talking about the love
that we should look to receive from others…
instead He’s talking about the love…
that we should look to give...
to others ourselves.
And so that’s where we were last week…
But now… continuing on for today…
Again… Paul explains what love is…
and that we’re called to give…
this kind of love to others…
and yet… just being honest here for a minute…
I know for myself… I just have to say…
that even though I know we’re supposed…
to give this kind of love to others.…
I just have to say… that I know that I long… to be loved…
and to receive this kind of love personally...
myself… as well.
It’s like… when I go through these verses…
And I hear about love being patient… and kind…
And that it doesn’t keep a record of wrongs…
I know that I’ve made so many wrongs…
and I’ve made so many mistakes…
And when I hear that love… it puts up with all things…
and it endures all things…
I know that I’m… probably not…
always an easy person to put up with…
And again… just being honest here…
And it feels weird to say this… particularly as a guy…
but I just know that I long to be loved…
and that I crave to receive this kind of love myself…
and hear this: I haven’t met a single person yet…
who hasn’t longed for the same exact thing as well.
I mean… as human beings…
we just seem to have this longing inside of us…
to be loved…
and we’ll do pretty much anything… to find it…
It’s like… when it comes to love… we’ll do crazy crazy things… won’t we?
Like we’ll work our butts off at work… for years… for decades…
trying to gain status and recognition…
often just hoping to be validated and loved by others.
And we’ll be consumed with how we look… and what we wear…
Often not in an attempt to be healthy… or feel good.
But instead only to be noticed and loved.
And we’ll compromise our values…
We’ll give ourselves away physically to others…
sleeping with anyone…
who will give us a second look.
in hopes of feeling loved.
And when we’re with certain people…
We’ll become a completely different person…
We’ll say and act…
And we’ll do the strangest things…
I mean… We’ll do things that we never ever imagined…
All in an attempt to fit in…
and feel loved by others.
And I’m just guessing that a bunch of us are here…
And we maybe grew up in a home… where we were never told…
that we were loved…
Or we felt like we needed to earn the love and approval of our mom…
or of our dad…
And years later… we’re now grown adults…
And yet we’re still trying to earn our parent’s love.
They might not even be alive anymore…
and yet we’re still trying.
Or maybe… the person who was supposed to love us…
walked out on us…
or hasn’t ever been present in our lives.
Or the person that said they loved us…
Actually took advantage of us…
Or they hurt us more than anyone else ever has.
And I’m not sure… if you have a story with this… or not…
But for me personally… and I’ve shared this before…
But I grew up in an awesome home…
where I never ever had to question my mom or dad’s love for me…
but as a kid… at school…
it was a completely different story…
I mean… I tried… and I would have done anything…
to fit in… with other kids.
anything to be loved by others…
And being crazy transparent with you… there’s no question…
that almost 30 years later… it still impacts me today…
Bec and I have been married 11 years now…
And she’s so good to me…
And yet… whenever there’s even… a small disagreement... for us.
There’s a part of me… that worries…
that she won’t… love me anymore.
Which is irrational…
And yet I often…question if she will.
And how’s that for being real?
Once more… as human beings…
we just seem to have this longing inside of us…
to be loved…
and we’ll do anything… to find it…
and we’ll look to anyone to receive it from…
Going from one person…
and one thing to the next…
and the next.
It’s like we’re on this constant…
and endless pursuit of trying to feel loved…
and to find love.
a love… that is patient and kind…
a love that doesn’t keep a record of wrongs.
a love that endures all things…
a love that never fails.
Now in the Bible… another powerful chapter…
that talks a lot… about love… is 1st John 4.
And in this chapter… it’s again… talking about the importance of love…
and loving others.
And yet… in the midst of all of it…
It simply just says this…
It says that… God is love.
Again… it’s talking about love…
And the importance of love…
And it just says… that God is love.
And just to be clear…
love isn’t… just something that God does…
Instead… it’s who… God is.
Like He is love.
Like God is the source of love.
Like He’s where all love comes from.
And in this series…
we’ve been talking about what love is…
and yet this is bigger…
Love isn’t God…
Instead… God… is love.
God is love.
And here’s the main thing… that I want us to hear today…
Once more… as human beings…
we just seem to have this longing inside of us…
to be loved… right?
All of us do.
and we’ll do anything… to find and feel love…
and we’ll look to anyone and everyone…
to get love from…
and we’re just always…
relentlessly searching for it…
Again… we just seem to have… this craving and longing for love… inside of us.
And yet hear this…
what we’re actually craving…
and longing for is… God.
What our hearts… are truly after… is Him…
More than love itself…
what we’re truly seeking… is Jesus.
More than love…
what we’re longing for…
is more of Him in our lives.
Once more… Love isn’t just something that God does…
It’s who He is.
God is love.
And you see here's the truth...
People in our lives… are able to reflect God’s love to us...
Whether it’s our parents… or friends…
our spouse… or complete strangers…
And it’s great to be loved by others… isn’t it.
And we need other people in our lives…
and this is all so important…
and God talks about the importance of loving others constantly.
for this very reason…
It’s something that is good for the soul.
Again… others are able to reflect God’s love to us…
But note this… it is impossible for others… and the love of others…
to replace God himself.
Once more… others are able to reflect God…
but no one is able to replace God.
And actually when we try and replace God…
with someone else…
our boyfriend… our kids… our friend… our mom.
Whenever we try to find… our everything in another person…
Our joy… and our happiness… and love… in them.
Whenever we run to a person… instead of God…
It actually begins to ruin the relationship
with the person…
and it’s not a good thing… for them or for us.
Why? Because it is impossible…
for anyone… and the love of any person… to satisfy us…
It’s impossible… for any person… to make us whole.
It is impossible… for the love of any person… to be enough.
And so now… switching to us here today…
I just wanna say that… if we’re here…
And we just know… that we’ve been looking for love in the all the wrong places.
Which I think would make a good country song…
or something right?
No but seriously… if we’re here…
And we just know that on a daily basis…
or maybe for years…
We’ve just been looking for validation… and love in things…
Whether it’s our career… our appearance…
Our income… or our status…
Or if we’ve been looking to find love in other people…
Whether it’s through sex… or flirting… or porn
Or going from one relationship to the next.
Or even in healthy relationships…
We’ve just been looking to others…
our spouse… our kids…
our friends…
To make us happy…
And to complete us.
Or maybe for our entire lives…
we’ve just been so desperately trying
to earn the validation of our parents…
or the validation and love…
of others in general.
Or if we’re here… and when it comes to love…
We just feel so broken…
And our lives…
or internally we’re just a mess.
Again… today if we’re here…
and we just know that we’ve been trying…
to find love apart from God.
I just wanna say… that the emptiness that we’re feeling…
this gap in our soul…
I just wanna say… that this longing inside of us…
Once more… God… He’s able to satisfy it.
I just wanna say… that only His love is enough.
Again… when it comes to love…
others can reflect God…
But no one can replace Him.
And really the first step to being made whole…
The biggest step we can take towards… feeling complete..
is just realizing this truth… that only He satisfies…
and then pursuing Him… and His love…
instead of anything else.
And really it’s just getting to the place…
and declaring… Lord, this longing… and this desire for love…
is really… a desire and longing for you.
What I’m endlessly searching for every place else…
Whether it’s in my job… or in relationships…
will only be satisfied in you.
And so Jesus… each day…
would you help me to realize this.
That I need you…
And that I’m desperate for you!
Because every place else… might fill me for a moment…
but then I’m left searching once again… for love.
And at times… it only leaves me more broken.
And so instead of seeking after the approval…
and love from others…
Help me to take in… and to live…
in the love that you so freely and generously offer to me.
And Jesus, each day…
would you help me to pursue you.
To seek you.
To spend more time with you.
Again… I think the biggest step that we can take…
It’s just realizing… that God is love.
That He’s the source of love.
He’s where love begins.
And when our hearts begin searching and longing for it…
You can just tell when you’re searching… Can’t you?
When internally you’re just looking to be loved.
My hope… is that our immediate response to this feeling…
would be to turn… and to run towards God.
That when we’re searching for love…
That we’d approach Him.
That when we’re craving love…
We’d remember that He is the source of it.
He’s where love begins…
Now closing things up today…
I just wanna go back to the verses from earlier… once more…
found in 1 Corinthians 13.
And you see… because God is love…
Another way that we could read these verses… is this way…
with it saying that: God… is patient…
and God… is kind.
And God… doesn’t seek His own advantage.
And God… He doesn’t keep a record of wrongs.
And God… He puts up with all things…
And He trusts in all things,
He endures all things.
and God... He never fails.
And in looking at these verses… It’s pretty powerful to think
that there is no other name that we could replace love with…
except God’s.
No other name fits in these verses…
Not our girlfriend’s name…
Our mom, our husband, or our best friend’s.
Because even with the best of people…
Even with people who truly and thoroughly love us.
They will in fact… let us down.
They won’t always be patient and kind.
At times… they will keep a record of our wrongs.
At times… they’ll hurt us…
They’ll drop the ball.
They won’t always love us.
I mean… at best… human love… it’s imperfect.
And more than that… if we haven’t heard…
What we’re truly longing and searching for…
is more than love. It’s God.
It’s Him!
And God… He is able to satisfy us.
And He’s more than enough for us…
He’s able to make us whole…
And He’s the only one… who can truly complete us.
I mean… Contrary to what love songs say…
another person can not complete us.
And earlier… I mentioned my wife Bec…
And I don’t think… actually I know…
that I’ve never been more crazy about her… than I am right now.
And how we met…
was the summer before my senior year of college… I filled in for a guy…
who was a pastor at a church in Wahpeton, ND…
and Becky was his daughter.
And all summer long… She would really never talk to me… and was quiet around me.
which I found out later… was a sign that she liked me.
Girls can be so confusing. But I can remember thinking though…
that there is absolutely no way…
that she would ever be interested in this guy.
And when I found out she was…
it was like Jesus you can take me now!
Thank you God!
And after being married for 11 years now…
Our marriage is far from perfect…
But I do thank God for her daily…
She know my faults…
and imperfections better than anyone…
and yet for some crazy reason… she keeps choosing me.
And I mean… she’s my best friend…
She’s the mother to my 4 kids… my 3 chickens…
and our dog Daisy.
And she brings me back to earth…
whenever I start thinking I’m a big deal...
And she’s my biggest cheerleader when I’m broken.
And there is no one else…
that I would wanna walk through life with…
But you see… the truth is….
She is unable to make me whole.
She is unable to complete me…
She is unable to fully satisfy me.
And the same is true for me… with her.
I mean… As we said earlier…
we are able to reflect God to each other…
but it’s impossible for us to replace Him.
Once more… as human beings…. we all just seem to have…
this craving and longing for love… inside of us right?
and we’re desperately searching for love…
And yet what we’re actually craving…
and longing for is… God.
What our hearts… are truly after… is Him…
More than love itself…
what we’re truly seeking… is Jesus.
And love isn’t just something that God does…
It’s who He is.
God is love.
Let’s pray!
