Video Illustration: Love Quotes
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 love always goes?
Thesis: To be able to “Love Well” means I embrace the 4 letter word, “Love” with its original definition and application given it by God. The sad reality is the word, “Love” has been twisted and distorted by this secular world and God is reclaiming its original definition. This broken world needs to experience God’s love through us His followers.
Scripture Text:
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:
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 a recognizable expression of love in the flesh that all can see and model of God is found in Jesus.
Rick Warren in his book The Purpose Driven Life says, “Life is all about love!” “Because God is love, the most important lesson he wants you to learn on earth is how to love. It is in loving that we are most like him, so love is the foundation of every command he has given us; ‘the whole Law can be summed up in this one command; ‘Love others as you love yourself” (123).
Rick Warren adds, “Learning to love God helps us to able to love others. When God is involved in relationships love is the driving force in the relationship and we form close bonds because love is designed to last for eternity.” Warren takes it a step further, “Love should be your top priority, primary objective, and greatest ambition” (124). Why Warren says, “Life without love is worthless” (124).
Knowing God personally is what enables us to love others and it also empowers us to not love the world. A person who claims to have known and experienced Jesus will also know how to love others. Knowing God gives us the ability to love – To love we must have Love living and dwelling is us. Without experiencing God’s love in our lives through Jesus and the Holy Spirit - we do not know how to really love.
God is love and it becomes obvious that without God you cannot show and model love because He is the one who defines and is love. He enables us to love! There is no love outside of a connection to God! If you Know God - you Know Love --- If there is NO Love - then NO God
We within our society have redefined the word love to mean a human emotion, but the truth is love is defined as God – God is love – God’s character and nature is love and He expresses that through action – For example: Sending Jesus to die for our sins and to redeem our relationship back to God the Father is an action of love
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus is the personification of God’s love in the flesh for us to see, hear, taste, smell and even touch.
This means when we carry out an act of love it demonstrates the qualities and attributes of God modeled by Jesus who dwells in us through the Holy Spirit – Note: When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit moves into our temple – our body – which encompasses heart, mind, soul and spirit.
T.S. - So today I want to explore Jesus’ Exemplary Model of Loving Well.
If we really want to pursue Loving Well in 2022 then no better place to look that Jesus himself – God’s personification of love in the flesh to us!
One important observation we can make about Jesus’ approach to loving well is that His work with people was a process. We sometimes think Jesus spoke and people were changed immediately – I saw him heal people like this in Scripture with a word or action, I read about how he spoke to the storm and it obeyed immediately – but when it came to people and loving them well it was always a process.
Please note the following points are taken, adapted and quoted from Norman Wright’s book:
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO CRISIS &
TRAUMA COUNSELING WHAT TO DO AND SAY WHEN IT MATTERS MOST! UPDATED & EXPANDED © 2011 H. Norman Wright Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
1. Jesus Was Compassionate (merciful):
a. There is an expression in the Gospels that appears only 12 times and is used exclusively in reference to Jesus and His Father.
i. That expression is “to be moved with compassion.” A basic characteristic of Jesus’ approach was His compassion for others. We see His compassion expressed in the New Testament:
1. Jesus said, “I feel compassion for the multitude because they have remained with Me now three days, and have nothing to eat” (Mark 8:2, NASB).
a. Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5,000 plus was set in motion by His compassion for the crowd listening to His teachings and seeing the miracles. He was performing miracles and teaching with authority to show people He was the Messiah they had all been longing for.
2. Jesus in another situation had compassion, “And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34, NASB).
a. Jesus had a compassion for the people because their religious leaders were not properly caring for their spirit and souls – he had compassion and started teaching the spiritual truths which feed their spirit and restore their souls to God the Father.
3. Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate (Luke 6:36).
a. Jesus in this section of Scripture tells His followers to have mercy and compassion even on their enemies like God did for them when they were lost.
b. If you read the next verse here of Luke 6 – Jesus says “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
i. Showing compassion or mercy to others is all about loving well like Jesus – it’s also connected to not judging others, condemning others and choosing not to forgive others!
T.S. – Jesus was compassion – the love of God in the flesh – people knew he loved and cared for them - This leads us into how Jesus loved others by accepting them right where they were – a second observation of His ability to love well is His open arm policy.
2. Jesus Accepted People
a. When Jesus first met people, He accepted them as they were. In other words, He believed in them and in what they would become. The characteristic of acceptance is seen throughout the New Testament.
i. When Jesus met the woman at the well, He accepted her as she was without condemning her (see John 4:1-26).
1. Ashley talked about this a few weeks ago.
ii. He also accepted the woman caught in adultery (see John 8:1-11)
1. I highlighted this in my first sermon on Loving Well.
iii. Zacchaeus, the dishonest tax collector (see Luke 19:1-10).
1. Was an outcast in his society but Jesus embraced Him and loved him – even invited himself over to his house for dinner.
2. I have watched the series The Chosen and I love their take on Matthew the tax collector and how they showed how the other disciples treated him!
a. But Jesus loved him – accepted him and it changed Matthews life – and he even got the honor of writing a book in the Bible called Matthew!
i. Which talked about how well Jesus loved others:
iv. Matthew 4:23-25: (NIV)
1. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. New about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”
a. By the way these types of individuals were not accepted by the majority of the religious leaders of the day – or even political leaders of the day!
T.S. – Jesus accepted people – he touched them, prayed for them, talked to them and showed them love and respect and yes, He even healed them. This act of loving well in turn told everyone watching and listening that Jesus gave people value and worth! It changed many of their lives to know Jesus loved them no matter what or were they had come from!
3. Jesus Gave People value - worth
a. One of the ways Jesus gave worth to people was to show them their value in God’s eyes, by comparing God’s care for other creatures with God’s care for them:
i. Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father (Matt. 10:29, NASB).
1. At the heart of many people’s problems today in our society is a low self-esteem or a feeling of lacking worth and value in their lives.
b. The Bible tells us we are children of God – part of the family of God!
i. How about that for royalty and value and worth!
c. Do you give people worth and or value?
T.S. – Jesus gave people value – eternal value and in the process of accepting others, valuing others He met people’s needs.
4. Jesus Met People’s Needs
a. Another characteristic of Jesus’ ministry was His ability to see the needs of people and to speak directly to them, regardless of what they might have brought to His attention.
i. Jesus feeding the crowds a couple different times as they were in remote places. Doing the miracle!
ii. Jesus and the man with Leprosy
1. Mark 8:1-4 – Lepers were outcast in Jesus’ day – Jesus reached out his hand touched the leper and he was healed!
iii. Jesus and the Centurion
1. Mark 8:5-13 The Centurion would have been a Roman Officer who had the faith and boldness to go ask Jesus to heal his paralyzed servant – Jesus met the need and healed the servant from a distance because of the faith of this Roman officer.
T.S. – Jesus met the needs of people to show them He loved them and to show us how to love well too – he met needs, but he also used the right words to connect with people – Do you recall what I said about Jesus loving well” I said it was always a process and trust me words matter through the process.
5. Jesus Used the Right Words
a. Sometimes Jesus spoke directly, even harshly. Other times He was soft-spoken. Sometimes He conveyed His feelings nonverbally: And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored (Mark 3:5, NASB).
b. Jesus always based His choice of words and inflection of voice on the situation at hand.
T.S. – Jesus choose His words wisely to love others well and so should we but note he did always emphasize right behavior as a key to loving God and loving others too.
6. Jesus Emphasized Right Behavior
a. Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “Go, and sin no more” (John 8:11, KJV).
i. He treated her with respect.
ii. He defended her to the religious leaders.
iii. He did not condemn her but forgive her with a condition “Go, and sin no more.”
b. Jesus’ desire was that those who were seeking Him would turn from their wrong ways.
T.S. – Jesus loved well by emphasizing right behavior and by getting people to accept responsibility.
7. Jesus Encouraged People to Accept Responsibility
a. In John 5, Jesus responded to the man at the pool of Bethesda by asking, “Do you want to get well?” (v. 6). By asking this question, Jesus sought to have the man accept responsibility for remaining sick or being made well.
b. In another instance, He asked a blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51). In crisis counseling, the person, couple or family must see that they need to make a choice to remain the same or to change and grow; and they must make that choice before much progress will be seen.
i. A goal of loving well, as you will see, is to help the person in need accept and take responsibility.
T.S – Jesus encouraged people to take responsibility and he also provided them hope!
8. Jesus Provided Hope
a. To many people, Jesus gave hope: And they were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” Looking upon them, Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:26-27, NASB).
T.S. – Jesus always gave people hope and so should we if we want to love well!
9. Jesus Encouraged People
a. Jesus regularly and inclusively encouraged people around Him: Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light (Matt. 11:28-30, NASB).
T.S. – Jesus encouraged people and he connected encouragement with peace of mind!
10. Jesus Emphasized Peace of Mind
a. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27, NASB).
i. If there is one thing a person who needs to be loved well and usually does not have, it is peace of mind. Jesus offered that hope. Our task in loving well is to help others discover it.
T.S. – Jesus connected peace of mind to renewing of the mind and how we view the world.
11. Jesus Helped Reshape, or Refashion, People’s Thinking
a. Jesus helped people redirect their attention from the unimportant things of life to the important (see Luke 5:22-25; 12:22-27).
b. He taught that focusing on treasures in heaven instead of on earthly treasures would lead to a joy-filled heart (see Matt. 6:19-21).
c. The truth is every one of us whether we know it or not have a worldview. There are no exceptions here everyone has one whether they admit it or not.
i. The authors of biblicalworldview.com state, “Our worldview is the set of presuppositions and beliefs that we use to interpret and form opinions and values concerning life, humanity, family, authority, justice, truth, duty, etc. Our worldview is the “big picture” and culmination of all our beliefs. It is the way we understand reality. It is the basis from which we make daily decisions.”
ii. So, our worldview makes a huge difference in the way we approach and live our life! We see through politics and elections how different people’s worldviews are – and many of us say “They are so blind – how can they think that way!” The truth is that person has a different starting point than you do as a Christian. We always start with the foundation of the Bible but others do not and this is why they think differently than we do about serious societal and political issues.
iii. But we need to understand that worldviews do matter in the entire scope of any society – it determines culture – it determines right and wrong - it determines policy – it determines belief systems – family systems – political systems and many more systems in society. It will also determine the health of a society. Opposing worldviews will always collide bringing turmoil, arguments, war, fights, tensions, political dissension and disunity.
1. Do you recall the holiday gatherings when family members with different worldviews clashed over mashed potatoes and Turkey dinner? Do you recall the tension and heated arguments – the family members who left early that night or day! They were most likely clashing over opposing worldviews.
iv. There are 5 key areas which determine our worldview according biblicalworldview.com:
1. God - Is there a personal, transcendent Supreme Being to whom we are all accountable? If so, what is this God like? If not, then what? etc.
2. Creation - Where did the world come from? What sustains it all? Is there a spiritual part of reality or is it all material? etc.
3. Humanity - Who are we? What gives us any unique value? etc.
4. Moral Order - Who makes the rules? Do some rules apply to everyone? etc.
5. Purpose - Why do we exist? Who determines this?
v. So, let’s now look at what really is a Biblical Worldview!
1. Question to explore: What is a Biblical Worldview?
a. So, what is a Biblical Worldview? A Biblical Worldview is a comprehensive understanding of the world that is formulated by the authority of the Bible (The Word of God) and the person of Jesus Christ (The Word of God).
b. According to Ken Ham creator of the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter and from his book: Divided Nation - cultures in conflict and a conflicted church – He states emphatically that there are two main worldviews in conflict in our society today – He says the battle is between – “God’s Word and Man’s Word!” He believes that you either believe the whole Word of God or you buy into one of Man’s fallen worldviews which are influenced by Satan himself.
T.S. – Jesus loved well by helping people to see things through a Biblical perspective as God sees and He did this speaking with authority all along the way.
12. Jesus Spoke with Authority
a. Another characteristic of Jesus’ approach was that He spoke with authority. He was not hesitant, backward or bashful; He was authoritative: For He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes (Matt. 7:29, NASB).
b. Jesus was very conscious of His authority. Those who know Christ and are called to a ministry of helping via counseling have the authority of God’s Word behind them.
T.S. – Jesus spoke with authority and in doing this he loved well – giving people the truth that would set them free – so even in loving well there is a thing called tough love.
13. Jesus Admonished and Confronted
a. Notice how Jesus, when necessary, admonished and confronted people: And He said to them, “Why are you timid, you men of little faith?” Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and it became perfectly calm (Matt. 8:26, NASB).
b. And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother (Matt. 18:15, NASB).
c. Another example of how Jesus admonished and confronted is in John 8:3-9: And the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” And they were saying this, testing Him, in order that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And when they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst (NASB).
d. Sometimes it is necessary to confront the person you are loving well directly about his or her problem.
Conclusion:
What do we need to know from this message?
Answer: Jesus was God’s love personified in the flesh and studying the life of Jesus you learn how to love well. His love was associated with action!
Why do we need to know this?
Answer: We cannot love well if we do what Jesus did!
What do we need to do?
Answer: Love well like Jesus and learn from Him.
Why do we need to do this?
Answer: Because loving well is what will change the world and others and open their eyes to the amazing love of God.
