What is LOVE?
1. LOVE is a Fruit that comes from abiding in the vine.
Abide in me, and I in you. A branch can’t bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, and you are the branches: He who abides in me, and I in him produces much fruit: because without me, you can do nothing. John 15:4-5
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control... Galatians 5:22
I began this study, saying all the fruits were equal. There’s no fruit above another fruit. But we will see, God does place one of the fruits above the others. Love IS above the others
2. LOVE is a commandment.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second (greatest commandment) is like it, “Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39 (We will circle back to this verse a few times.)
“I give a new commandment to you, ‘Love one another; in the way I have loved you...’
John 13:34
3. LOVE is a sign
By this, all will know that you are my disciples…” John 13:35
By this, they will know… The evidence we are getting Christianity right. THE revealer.
4. LOVE is the GREATEST VIRTUE
These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:14 NIV
5. LOVE is the only thing that counts, according to Paul.
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Galatians 5:6 NIV
Although I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13: 2-3 (Paul names the best of the best, but they are nothing without love)
6. LOVE fulfills the entire law
One of the Pharisees, who was a lawyer, asked Jesus a question, tempting him, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second (greatest commandment) is like it, “Love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:34-40
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:40
The whole law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: LOVE
Proverbs 10:12 …Love covers all sins
Who should we LOVE?
1. LOVE the Lord your God.
By-product of who you already are. Revealer of how we’re doing in our love of Jesus
One of the Pharisees, who was a lawyer, asked Jesus a question, tempting him, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Matthew 22:36-38
2. LOVE your neighbor.
The second (greatest commandment) is like it, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39
Who is my neighbor? Luke 10:29-37, the good Samaritan.
If accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? If looking only at your love for others?
Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:18 (substitute “love” for “works.” Show me your faith without your love, and I will show you my faith by my love.)
Matthew 5:23-24 NIV) “If you’re offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. (To obey is better than sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:22) Obey the command to love before you offer your gifts.)
3. LOVE yourself.
Love others As Yourself
“Love your neighbor AS YOURSELF.” Matthew 22:39
Problem – We even struggle to love ourselves
Things you say about yourself
4. LOVE fellow believers — John 13:34-35 The pastor said, “We can lacerate people with our tongues, wound them,” and we can even kill them, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
5. LOVE your husband and children.
Teach young women to love their husbands and to love their children… Titus 2:4
Culture where the women didn’t get to choose their husband.
“Choices lead. Feelings follow.” “Motions are the precursors of emotions.”
Older women – we are all older than somebody. I heard a message this morning “We are so busy chasing youth and beauty and fulfillment that we have left our real calling.” Does that sound like you? What are you chasing?
6. LOVE your enemy.
If honest – our love is often based on attractiveness, worthiness.
Not so with God. God demonstrated his love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. Romans 5:8,10
Even our enemy is made in the image of God
Saul was trying to kill David, David said, I will not lift my hand against God’s anointed. 1 Samuel 24:6
You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48
The pastor asked, “How do we love our enemy? We step aside and act ‘through Christ.’ If you know, Jesus, if you believe in him, you will look like him, act like him, love like him.”
Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place, forgave the guard from the concentration camp who viciously abused her sister.
What gets in the way of LOVE?
1. Disconnected from the Vine (withdrawing or pushing away from God and others)
Sin separates us from God then we accept Jesus, and we are reconciled. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, (Romans 8:28) but something CAN interfere with our ABIDING IN HIM. What is it? Sin But abiding reconciles us again. John 15:5
What are some phrases we say to describe that feeling of being spiritually disconnected from God?
2. Love of the world. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.1 John 2:15-16
o Pride - #1 on God’s list if 7 things he hates, the pastor said, “Paul's great gospel destroys the burden of sin & the stain of pride. What gets in the way of love? Pride.
o Hating the way God made you – You are created in God’s image, so you are hating the image of God
o Comparison/Envy/Jealousy
o Unforgiveness – results in bitterness - If you can’t get along with someone, particularly a sister in Christ, Satan is at work. You can bet that you two working together could do a MIGHTY work for God. Satan is stopping God’s work by that small incident that has become a huge wound in the branch So be quick to reconcile, be quick to forgive past hurts and especially ESPECIALLY those 20-yr old historical hurts
o Continued Sin – results in guilt and shame
o Busyness – even good stuff
These causes us to withdraw and isolate ourselves from others. We thrive in relationships and connection to each other through the Vine and those things aren’t in the Vine. Our harmful ideas are exposed through connection. The Vine or the world – we choose every minute of every day
3. Living/Serving without love.
Although I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. Although I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2-3
Sometimes we are doing all the good things, but we’re not feeling the love. We have the wrong heart intent.
Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and Ananias brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whilst it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Acts 5:1-5
How do we love more?
We tend to look at the results /actions and say I need to fix that. I need to do more loving things. But the answer is going back to true Love, going back to God, Go back to the Vine. Abide. Fall in love with Jesus. Not what we have to do, it’s who you are.
1. Understand the depth of God’s love for YOU.
Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Luke 7:36-47 NIV - When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
We’re all the woman. None of us has been forgiven LITTLE.
2. Receive God’s love
The capacity to love comes from receiving love.
We can know it, but we have to receive it. Receive it in salvation, but receive it daily, hourly, continuously through abiding in Christ. Staying connected to the Vine.
(1 John 4:19 NIV) We love because he first loved us.
We love HIM (God) because he first loved us. (Every other translation)
But both are true.
(Romans 5:8 NIV) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
3. Choose to love
We are made in the image of God. Trinity creatures. Our soul is mind, will and emotion
We can know God, Choose God, Love God
Invest in love. Invest your time, invest your energy in others and your love for them grows.
(Colossians 3:14 NIV) And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
1 Corinthians 13 The LOVE chapter
We have no hope of bearing the fruit of LOVE apart from the Vine.
If you aren’t seeing the fruit…go back to the Vine
