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God’s Love Languages: Pt 2
Thesis: God has a love language just like we all have love languages. Dr. Chapman’s famous book “Love Languages” says we have 5 which are: Words of affirmation, touch, gifts, acts of service and quality time.
Illustration/comparison: In 1992, this book was published and it took off like wildfire. To date, it has sold more than 10 million copies, has been translated into 50 different languages, and earned a spot on Amazon’s top 100 best seller’s list of all time. That book is “The 5 Love Languages”, by Dr. Gary Chapman. A counselor and pastor, Dr. Chapman describes five ways through which people receive love — words of affirmation, touch, gifts, acts of service and quality time.
It’s a powerful book to improve your relationships with others – the languages are rooted in love (God’s love)!
1. Words of affirmation: People with words of affirmation as a love language value verbal acknowledgments of affection, including frequent "I love you's," compliments, words of appreciation, verbal encouragement, and often frequent digital communication like texting and social media engagement.
2. Quality time: People whose love language is quality time feel the most adored when their partner actively wants to spend time with them and is always down to hanging out. They particularly love when active listening, eye contact, and full presence are prioritized hallmarks in the relationship.
3. Acts of services: If your love language is acts of service, you value when your partner goes out of their way to make your life easier. It's things like bringing you soup when you're sick, making your coffee for you in the morning, or picking up your dry cleaning for you when you've had a busy day at work.
4. Gifts: Gifts is a pretty straightforward love language: You feel loved when people give you "visual symbols of love," as Chapman calls it. It's not about the monetary value but the symbolic thought behind the item. People with this style recognize and value the gift-giving process: the careful reflection, the deliberate choosing of the object to represent the relationship, and the emotional benefits from receiving the present.
5. Through physical touch: People with physical touch as their love language feel loved when they receive physical signs of affection, a hug, including kissing, holding hands, cuddling on the couch, and sex. Physical intimacy and touch can be incredibly affirming and serve as a powerful emotional connector for people with this love language.
Introduction:
Just like it’s vital we learn the One’s we love – love language - we also need to learn and do the same for Jesus and God the Father!
God’s love language the way you really express your love to God is first and foremost expressed by Jesus when He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments!”
I have been stressing with you that love is not an emotion but in God’s definition an action – it’s a verb – love shows people they are in love with another by what they say and do!
Listen to the words about how we are to love God. Jesus taught us that God’s Language or in other words the best way to show God/Jesus how much you love them is by doing the following!
Scripture: John 14: 15-31:
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15“If you love me, you will obey what I command.
16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—
17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
22Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25“All this I have spoken while still with you.
26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
29I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
30I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,
31but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave.
Summary of Sermon 1:
The following is taken and adapted from https://disciplefirst.com/gods-love-language-2/?v=7516fd43adaa
“Did you know that God also has a love language? There is one primary way He receives love from you, one way that touches His heart. On the night before His death, Jesus gathered with His men in an upper room. His heart was heavy because they would never meet like this again. In that darkened room, with shadows dancing on the ceiling, Jesus spoke about His love language. He said” …
• “If you love me, you will keep my commandments,” (John 14.15 ESV).
• “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them is who loves me,” (John14.21 ESV).
• “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word,” (John 14.23 ESV).
Did you hear it – How to love God? – God’s love personified tells us how to touch God’s Heart with an act of love? Three times Jesus said, “If you love me, you will do what I’m commanding (instructing, teaching) you to do.” By the way remember these are the last words Jesus says to his disciples – it’s in my view His most important talk to His followers!
T.S. – The promise from Jesus is if you love Him by following His teachings and words then God the Father will send you His Holy Spirit to be with you and guide you! But to keep your relationship strong with the Lord will require commitment on our part to spend time with Jesus – quality time – dates with Jesus – it will require the DTR talks and so much more.
Story of how people connect with God differently and how we can connect and love God differently using the idea of the 5 Love Languages:
God’s Love Language story by Dr. Gary Chapman:
Greta was a fellow speaker at a national conference in Los Angeles. After I had finished my lecture describing the five love languages and the importance of understanding and speaking another person’s primary love language, she rushed over to me and said excitedly, “We have got to talk.” I didn’t know what she wanted to talk about but, after hearing her lecture on women and spirituality and observing her exuberant spirit, I was certain the conversation would not be boring. We agreed to meet the next afternoon. When we got together, Greta dived right into the subject. “Let me tell you my thoughts from last night. After hearing your lecture, it struck me that God speaks to us in our primary love language, which explains why some people have dramatic, emotionally moving conversions. “For example,” she continued, “my husband was converted at a church that a work colleague had invited him to visit. The second Sunday he attended, the friend asked if he would like to go to the front and have people pray for him. Not wanting to offend his colleague, he agreed. Several men gathered around him and began to pray aloud at the same time. Kevin said that he had never heard anything like it. But within five minutes, he was crying and asking God to forgive him. He said the sensation was like electricity running through his body, and he felt totally clean. It was like God actually touched him. “When he came home and told me about the experience, I didn’t want anything to do with it. To me it was religious emotionalism, and I couldn’t believe that he had gotten caught up in it. But he continued to attend the church and began to bring home books for me to read.” I asked Greta about her own experience of coming to faith. “My own conversion was very different,” she said. “It came through months of prayer, reading the Scriptures, and contemplation. I was motivated to keep searching because I knew how important Kevin’s spiritual experience had been to him. But I never had a dramatic experience like his. Rather, little by little, I began to realize that I was becoming a follower of Jesus. As I continued to read the Bible, it was like God began to speak to me. I realized that what I was reading was truth and that behind the truth was a God who loved me.” Nine months after her husband’s conversion, Greta was having her normal Bible reading and meditation time one morning. She read Revelation 3:20, in which Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” As Greta put it, “It seemed so clear that for the past several months God had been knocking at the door of my life. That morning I actually said to Him, ‘Come in. I want to share the rest of my life with You.’ “I didn’t cry. I wasn’t emotionally excited,” Greta explained. “It was a quiet, calm moment during which my heart opened up and allowed God to come into my life. “Now I see it all so clearly. Kevin’s primary love language is physical touch, and my primary love language is quality time. God spoke both languages and led both of us to understand He loves us,” Greta said. “I have never fully understood my husband’s experience, and he wonders how I can be so calm about my relationship with God. But both of us know that we are followers of Jesus. It has had the most profound effect upon both of our lives.” Almost without taking a breath, Greta continued, “Last night I realized that not only does God speak our primary love language to show His love to us, but we speak our primary love language in showing our love to God. My husband expresses his love to God by singing praise songs in church. He will lift both hands toward God, often close his eyes, and sing with all his heart. I will sometimes see tears running from his eyes as he sings. His emotions are stirred. He often says, ‘I felt the presence of God.’ I would never do that,” said Greta. “That’s just not me.” “So how do you express your love to God?” I asked. “By spending quality time with God, of course,” she said. “You didn’t need to ask me that; you already knew,” she said with a smile. “My greatest joy is spending time with God in studying the Scriptures. I can spend a whole morning. I lose track of time. Kevin finds it hard to spend more than ten minutes reading the Bible or a devotional book. He would much rather be in church singing praise songs and ‘feeling the presence of God.’ I realize now that he is as sincere as I. It’s just that we speak different love languages to God.” I saw Greta two years later at a marriage conference. She introduced me to Kevin. “This is the man who taught me how to love you,” she told him. Kevin had that bewildered look on his face until she said, “He wrote the book The 5 Love Languages.” Kevin smiled and said, “Our marriage has changed. I couldn’t believe it when Greta came home and started speaking my language. You will be pleased to know that we have a date night every week and every evening we have fifteen minutes of ‘couple time.’ I’m making sure that Greta’s love tank is full.” When I inquired about how the love language concept had affected their worship of God, Kevin said, “Oh, I still raise my hands in praise to God and Greta still spends her time meditating.” They both laughed and Greta said, “It’s true. But now we are giving each other freedom to express our love to God differently.”
From Chapman, Gary. God Speaks Your Love Language (5 Love Languages) (p. 49- 52). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Premise of message: Jesus told us to express our love to Him and God the Father by following His Word (being obedient to His teachings and commands). It’s important to know that God created all of us differently and uniquely, for example no two fingerprints are the same – we are all designed differently. In each of us as Dr. Gary discovered and revealed in his book, we all have unique love languages maybe even a combination of two or three of them. God designed us this way right! So does it not make sense that the best way for us to show God we love Him is to do the very thing that connects with us in relationships? The best way for me to connect with God in love is to pass the love language I have received from others back to God. For me I connect with God through quality time with Him – study, prayer, devotions, reading.
This by the way is my love language “Quality Time” share the results.
Share about the Love Language Quiz – free at https://www.5lovelanguages.com/getResultsPdf?pdf_first_name=%27%27&pdf_quiz_title=%27Love%20Language%20Profile%20for%20Couples%27&result_id=95d99f4e-9315-432e-b4f3-88c633a7052d
I. If you love Jesus – God the Father – and your love language is “Words of Affirmation” then you will express your love to God with words of affirmation!
a. For some people the most natural expression of their love to God was in using words both to affirm God and to encourage others. If this is your love language this is usually the best way that you can show God you love Him.
i. “The Bible is filled with illustrations of God speaking words of affirmation. In fact, the Bible itself is often known as the “Word of God.”
1. Chapman, Gary. God Speaks Your Love Language (5 Love Languages) (pp. 37-38). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
ii. The God of the Bible is characterized as the God who speaks. His words are designed to build a relationship with people. The Scriptures consistently declare God’s words of encouragement:
1. “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
2. “For I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
3. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
4. “I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.”
a. Chapman, Gary. God Speaks Your Love Language (5 Love Languages) (p. 40). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
b. God loves to affirm us verbally and He loves to be affirmed and with our own words of affirmation and love.
b. THE AFFIRMING WORDS OF JESUS also express this dimension of God expressing love to us through words.
i. “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
ii. “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
1. From beginning to end, the Bible pictures a loving God who declares His love by speaking words of truth, comfort, and redemption to us His followers.
2. “Such words of affirmation are a love language that God speaks fluently.”
a. Chapman, Gary. God Speaks Your Love Language (5 Love Languages) (p. 40-41). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
c. Martin Luther, the great Reformer, continually sought God, spoke to God, and served God.
i. Chapman notes, “In the realm of the spiritual, Martin Luther used powerful words in numerous ways to express his devotion to God. His words were both convicting and affirming as he wrote hymns and Bible commentaries, developed a catechism, translated the Bible from Latin to German, and delivered thousands of sermons. While other monks meditated, Luther was speaking and writing.”
1. Chapman, Gary. God Speaks Your Love Language (5 Love Languages) (p. 42-43). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
2. Can you think of others who connected with God like this in church history? Their love language was “Words of Affirmation” and they connected and loved God with “Words of Affirmation.”
a. Remember God created them this way!
d. Perhaps the best biblical example of a person whose primary love language was words of affirmation is David, the second king of Israel. On many occasions, David indicated how deeply he was moved by the words of God. Here are just a few examples:
i. “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore, I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light on my path.”
ii. “Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.”
1. David also used words of affirmation in response to God, as an expression of his love:
a. “May those who long for your saving always say, ‘The LORD be great!’”
b. “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.”
i. The above from Chapman, Gary. God Speaks Your Love Language (5 Love Languages) (p. 44). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
iii. “Clearly David’s primary method of expressing his love to God was through words of praise, thanksgiving, and adoration” (Chapman pg. 45)
1. If you have any question about David’s primary love language, read Psalm 18, in which David responds after God has delivered him from his enemies.
a. Psalm 18:
i. Psalm 18: For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: 1I love you, O LORD, my strength. 2The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. 4The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 5The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. 6In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. 7The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. 8Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. 9He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. 10He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. 11He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky. 12Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. 13The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. 14He shot his arrows and scattered ‹the enemies›, great bolts of lightning and routed them. 15The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. 16He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 18They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support… (see the rest of the song which goes through verse 50.
1. See how David is expressing His love for God through Words of Affirmation!
b. You could also read Psalm 118:
i. 1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” 3Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” 4Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.” 5In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. 6The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? 7The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. 8It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. 9It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. 10All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off. 11They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off. 12They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off. 13I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me. 14The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become salvation. 15Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! 16The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!” 17I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. 18The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. 19Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. 20This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. 21I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. 22The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; 23the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. 26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. 27The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. 28You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. 29Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
e. Ask yourself the following question to determine if this is your love language to God: “I feel closest to God when I am singing praise to Him and when I am praying. My prayers flow with praise and thanksgiving to God, telling Him how much I love Him.”
i. The truth is 100’s of thousands of followers of Jesus can identify with loving God this way. Their hearts have been captured by the words of God, and they reciprocate His love by expressing words of praise.
1. Chapman, Gary. God Speaks Your Love Language (5 Love Languages) (p. 46). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
f. But the reality is many others would have a different answer, because their way to show God they love Him is different!
II. If you love Jesus – Love personified – and you love language is “Quality Time” then you will spend quality time with Jesus and Abba Father. (You will also have many D.T.R. talks over your lifetime)!
a. If you don’t spend time with someone there is no relationship – if you don’t go on dates, or communicate with each other there is no relationship. Don’t deceive yourself! Relationships require time together! Or they will fade away!
i. Les Parrots book, “The Love List” reminds us of the importance of spending time together – by the way binging movies together is not spending quality time together!
1. Les tells us here are the things to do to take your relationship to the next level:
a. The Love List:
i. Once a Day . . . ·Take Time to Touch (If Only for a Minute) - Find Something That Makes You Both Laugh
ii. Once a Week…Do Something Active That Lifts Your Spirits - Boost Your Partner’s Self-Esteem
iii. Once a Month…Rid Yourselves of Harmful Residue - Fire Up Passion in the Bedroom
iv. Once a Year… Review Your Top-Ten Highlights, - Chart Your Course for the Coming Year.
ii. The same is true with your relationship with Jesus and Abba Father.
1. You need to spend time with the Lord – no time together means the relationship will fade – weaken – their will be a disconnect!
2. No time together means no relationship – How can you say you love someone but never talk to them, spend time together or connect with each other.
a. Please tell me how you think this is how to develop and maintain a relationship?
b. Kyle notes that all relationships must have a Time for the D.T.R. moment between the two parties (I talked about this last week and connected it with partaking of Communion):
i. “So where do you start in determining if you really are a follower of Jesus? How do you decide if this is even something you would want to consider? Let’s begin by having a D.T.R. talk with Jesus. Some of you will recognize what the letters D.T.R. stand for. If you’re not sure, let me give you a hint. For a young man involved in a romantic relationship, these letters are often enough to strike fear into his heart. He likely dreads the D.T.R. talk. In fact, many young men will postpone, run away from, and put off the D.T.R. for as long as possible. I have even known a few guys who have terminated the relationship when they sensed that the D.T.R. talk was imminent. Now do you want to guess what DTR stands for?”
1. Define the Relationship. This is the official talk that takes place at some point in a romantic relationship to determine the level of commitment. You want to see where things stand and find out if what you have is real.
a. Idleman, Kyle; Idleman, Kyle. Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus. Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
c. The Gospels record many examples of people having the D.T.R. talk with Jesus/God the Father. In each encounter the person finds themselves in a position where the question has to be answered: “How do you define this relationship? Where is this relationship going?”
i. Examples of some who Jesus had the DTR talk with:
1. Example of Peter
2. Example of Nicodemus
3. Example of Paul
4. Example of David
a. Spending Quality time with someone deepens the relationship – it also sets up time for frequent DTR talks.
d. Important comparison to note: In the Bible the comparison of Jesus is He is the Bridegroom of the Bride of Christ which includes all who are faithful followers of Jesus are the Bride (All about a relationship which is connected intimately together).
i. I found a few verses which speak of this relationship between Jesus/God and His followers – His faithful committed ones:
1. John 3:29: “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.”
2. Matthew 9:15: And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
3. Revelation 22:17: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
4. 2 Corinthians 11:2: “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”
5. Revelation 19:7: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
6. Ephesians 5:25-27: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
7. Revelation 21:2: And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
a. It’s obvious that God the Father also has a DTR moment with those who are in a relationship with His Son Jesus.
b. Illustration: The D.T.R. application to date our daughters:
i. I think about my daughters and how we wanted the DTR talk right off the beginning!
ii. I did not want my daughters dating and even marrying someone who was not committed to the relationship!
1. Who were in it for a fling or a conquest!
e. Jesus – God’s Love personified wants to be in a relationship with those who are faithfully committed followers not just fair weather fans!
i. Kyle notes, “Fans often confuse their admiration for devotion. They mistake their knowledge of Jesus for intimacy with Jesus. Fans assume their good intentions make up for their apathetic faith.” Idleman, Kyle; Idleman, Kyle. Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
1. He adds, “Fans are happy to follow Jesus as long as that doesn’t require any significant changes or have negative implications. Here is the reality that Nicodemus is about ready to have impressed on him: There is no way to follow Jesus without him interfering with your life. Following Jesus will cost you something. Following Jesus always costs something. For Nicodemus it would cost him a powerful position.”
a. Idleman, Kyle; Idleman, Kyle. Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
2. He presses the point home: “Most of us don’t mind Jesus making some minor change in our lives but Jesus wants to turn our lives upside down. Fans don’t mind him doing a little touch-up work, but Jesus wants complete renovation. Fans come to Jesus thinking tune-up, but Jesus is thinking overhaul. Fans think a little makeup is fine, but Jesus is thinking makeover. Fans think a little decorating is required, but Jesus wants a complete remodel. Fans want Jesus to inspire them, but Jesus wants to interfere with their lives.”
a. Idleman, Kyle; Idleman, Kyle. Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
f. Some people believe in Jesus (they are just fans) but they make no commitment to follow Him faithfully.
i. They say they are tight with Jesus, but they never talk, hang out, associate with Him, they do no concerts together or listen to His Word.
1. Some who say they are in a relationship with Jesus are embarrassed by Him and what He stands for!
a. Kyle states, “If you read through the four Gospels that tell of Christ’s life, you’ll find that Jesus says “Believe in me” about five times. But care to guess how many times Jesus said, “Follow me”? About twenty times.”
i. Idleman, Kyle; Idleman, Kyle. Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
b. Kyle presses how this relationship with Jesus works: “Following Jesus isn’t something you can do at night where no one notices. It’s a twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment that will interfere with your life. That’s not the small print—that’s a guarantee.”
i. Idleman, Kyle; Idleman, Kyle. Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
c. He presses us further: “When Jesus defines the relationship - he wants with us - he makes it clear that being a fan who believes without making any real commitment to follow isn’t an option.”
i. Idleman, Kyle; Idleman, Kyle. Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
g. Do you connect with God through spending Quality time with Him?
i. I do – I love going on spiritual retreats, doing seminars, workshops, reading, pondering and meditating on the Lord. I love going to IHOPKC once a year to spend a week with the Lord.
III. If you love Jesus, you will serve Him (Acts of Service- using your gifts and talents) for Him and His Kingdom.
a. Acts of services: If your love language is acts of service then serving God is the way you show your love to God,
i. God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing (Ephesians 2:10, NCV).
1. We are instructed to perform acts of Service for God and others throughout the Bible!
ii. Do you value when others go out of their way to serve you? Most likely you connect with God and love Him by serving in his Kingdom. Yes, God also loves to be loved by Acts of service for Him and His church.
1. It's things like when someone brings you soup when you're sick! You show your love to God maybe by serving in kitchen that feed homeless people.
2. Maybe you love it when someone makes your coffee for you in the morning? Most likely you connect and show God you love Him by serving coffee to others in before and after service or doing this type of a serving ministry at church.
b. But once gain this may not be the best way that you connect and show love to God!
IV. If you love Jesus, and you Love Language is ‘Gifts” then you will give gifts to the Lord and His Kingdom (tangible gifts -like offerings, tithes).
a. Giving gifts to God shows how much you love Him and if we take Jesus at His Word “If you love me you will obey my Word, my commandments) And one big one is giving gifts to the Lord and His Kingdom.
i. You can see His instruction on this is the following texts:
1. Jesus Matthew 22:21: …Then he said to them, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
2. Matthew 5:42 (GNTD): "When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something, lend it to him.”
3. Matthew 25:31-40 (GNTD): "Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.’ The righteous will then answer him, ‘When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!’"
4. Mark 12:41-44 (GNTD): "As Jesus sat near the Temple treasury, he watched the people as they dropped in their money. Many rich men dropped in a lot of money; then a poor widow came along and dropped in two little copper coins, worth about a penny. He called his disciples together and said to them, “I tell you that this poor widow put more in the offering box than all the others. For the others put in what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, put in all she had—she gave all she had to live on.”
5. Luke 6:38 (GNTD): "Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.”
6. Luke 14:12-14 (GNTD): "Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors—for they will invite you back, and in this way you will be paid for what you did. When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; and you will be blessed, because they are not able to pay you back. God will repay you on the day the good people rise from death.”
a. https://blog.bible/bible-blog/entry/what-did-jesus-say-about-giving
b. The following from https://bible.org/seriespage/4-connecting-god-through-giving by Sid Litcke
ii. Story: Two men were marooned on a tiny island. One man paced back and forth worried and dreadfully frightened, while the other man sat back, whistling and sunning himself. The first man said, "Aren’t you afraid we’re going to die here?" "Nope," said the second man. “How can you be so sure?” the first man asked. “Well, you…” said the second man, “I make $100,000 a month and I tithe faithfully to my church… My Pastor will find me!"
1. Sid states, “This humorous story identifies one of the key reasons why many pastors and churches avoid saying very much about financial giving. There is a perception (and a reality in many cases) that pastors are motivated to preach on giving only because of their own selfish concern about the budget or a building program. For many years as a pastor myself, I ventured into the area of financial stewardship and especially giving quite rarely. As I would preach expositionally through a book of the Bible, I wouldn’t avoid the subject of giving, but I hesitated to approach the subject extensively as a topic, lest I appear to be focused too much on the bottom line of the church rather than spiritual discipleship. I assumed – and it was partly true – that if people are growing spiritually, they will learn to give.”
b. But once again your love language may be different and so yes you do what Jesus commanded but you show your love to God best by reaching out to connect with Him through His presence and or touch.
V. If you love Jesus, and your love language is “Touch” then you will reach out and touch him (like Getting into His presence in worship, listening to anointed worship music, like through prayer and meditation – through connections with others who you touch and in return feel God’s touch).
a. How does God touch your heart? He does so by the gentle influence of His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads us to the Word of God, and through the Scriptures, God touches our hearts.
i. Right after Jesus raised the little daughter of the Rabbi, two blind men followed along behind Jesus. They began shouting, “O Son of David, have mercy on us.” When they followed Jesus into the house where He was staying, Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?” They told Him, “Yes, Lord.” The Bible reads that then Jesus touched their eyes, and told them, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” And suddenly they could see!
ii. In Matthew 8:1-3 we have read about a man whom Jesus touched, and healed of his leprosy. But that is only one place we can read about the touch of God upon our lives. We see touching throughout the Scriptures. It conveys love, understanding, healing, life. It speaks when words cannot. But what happens when our lives are touched by God?
1. The above from http://www.timothyreport.com/Sermons/When_Your_Life_Is_Touched_By_God.pdf
b. The apostle John says, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1-2).
i. Dave Peterson, “Everyone knows that human beings have five senses, but not everyone knows that each of those senses is carefully and specifically designed by God to serve as a portal for divine input. The opening verse of this letter from John refers to three of our senses—what we have “heard, seen, and touched.” In 2 Corinthians 2:15, Paul mentions the sense of smell and Psalm 34:18 refers to taste. That’s all five senses. You are designed to be like a Geiger counter that is finely tuned to crackle with God’s holy presence and divine power at work.” From https://www.theologyofwork.org/the-high-calling/daily-reflection/what-it-feel-gods-touch
c. Story from Christian History devotion – page 148-149.
i. Birth of revival in Ireland – Touching God and God touching people supernaturally!
1. Read story.
Conclusion:
Question: What do we need to know from this message?
Answer: God has a love language we can express to him! The love language action - it’s called obedience to His commands and teachings. God the Father and Jesus will have a DTR conversation with you about the relationship you are in with them – what will your response be? But also whatever our love language is --- this is the language we should use to express our love back to God.
Question: Why do we need to know this truth?
Answer: Many are deceived today – they call themselves Christian’s, but Jesus does not even know who they are because there is no relationship between Him and them. These people may be fans, but they are not faithful followers!
Scripture: Jesus said Matthew 7:21-23: 21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5: 7-10: 7We live by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
We also need to be expressing love back to the Lord! We need to put our love into action for the Lord!
Question: What do we need to do?
Answer: We must be honest about where our relationship with Jesus is! We must decide if we are going to pour love out on God by following and obeying His commands or not! We have to be committed to His teachings if we love Him. We have to be focused on living by His truth and reject the world’s view of love and truth. We need to be intentional in loving God back with the one or more of the love languages which connect with our hearts.
Question: Why do we need to do this?
Answer: If we want to experience Love personified and have the blessing of the Holy Spirit in our lives, then we need to be committed as a faithful follower of Jesus! We need to be fervent – fired up that we are in a marriage relationship with Jesus and God the Father! We need to be speaking God’s love language back to Him!
