Sermon Title: Pruning of your heart.
Scripture Text: 1 John 4:7,8,15; Acts 8:26-40; John 15:1-8
Illustration by song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epArSqlMQ-E
God’s love can be explained by knowing about “the love/agape feast”. The agape feast is explanation of God’s Love.
(1) A love feast or agape feast was a fellowship meal eaten by Christians in the early church. There is biblical evidence for the practice of these communal meals, during which Christians gathered not just for the sake of sustenance and socializing, but for the sake of fellowship (Acts 2:46–47; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34.
Don’t get distract when I use the original words in Greek. Please listen closely.
1 John 4:7, 8, 15
4:7 Beloved, (agapetos - worthy of love) let us love (agapao - social or moral sense) one another, because love (agape – God’s love gave his son)(1) is from God; everyone who loves (agapao - social or moral sense) is born of God and knows God.
4:8 Whoever does not love (agapao) does not know God, for God is love (agape ).
4:15 God abides in those who confess (homologeo - to concede) that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide(meno /or man-no - to remain as one) in God.
Short rendering by me:
We that are worthy of God’s love should love all people in a social or moral sense because God’s loves us so much he gave his only begotten son for us. God abides in those who confess or concede that Jesus is the Son of God and they remain as one in God.
Here is a story about Philip that is one of these people that loves and abides in God and God abides and loves him. Listen to this and how God used Philip. This Ethiopian eunuch wasn’t necessarily one that had surgery that allowed them to be sent to the Harems as guards and workers. This eunuch was a high official in the court of the Queen.
(Pastor’s Tell or read)
Acts 8:26-40
8:26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.)
8:27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship
8:28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
8:29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it."
8:30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
8:31 He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
8:32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.
8:33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."
8:34 The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"
8:35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.
8:36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?"
8:38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
8:39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
8:40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Phillip was used by God because he was willing to be used. He was abiding in the Love of God (agape) Phillip had four daughters that were prophetesses. Phillip was truly blessed by God in his ministry and his family.
We have heard about what Love is. There are different understands of words in the English language than in the original meanings of our word for Love.
We looked at a person that confessed or conceded that Jesus is the Son of God and loved God with the same abiding Love that God had for him. agape is the True God Love that we should have and strive to keep. Phillip was used to explain Scripture and offer salvation to a high official of the Ethiopians. A person in the court of the Candace would be available to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Agape, God’s Love, and abiding in God’s Love by doing his will for us we can see how God see’s us and how He cares for us in this Scripture.
John 15:1-8
15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.
15:2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.
15:3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.
15:4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
15:6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
15:8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
Have you confessed your Love for God. Are you abiding in God and is he abiding in you. Can you feel Him, Do you know this God Love. Are you doing the best you can to bear much fruit for God. Are you a true disciple of His?
