Sermons on Active Love:

Extravagant Love

Contributed by Ryan Ferwerda on Apr 5, 2019

There are some stories that are so wonderful they leave us feeling blessed just by hearing them. The story of God's extravagant love is one such story.

There are certain stories that at the moment you read them or hear them they have the ability to really tug on the strings of the heart. They are so moving, so beautiful that you can’t help but feel blessed just by the mere fact of having heard or read them. This is exactly the way I felt when I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Denomination: Lutheran

Need Love? Series

Contributed by Shawn Drake on Dec 22, 2021

This is the 4th sermon in the Advent Series "A COVID Christmas 2.0".

Series: A COVID Christmas 2.0 [#4] NEED LOVE? 1 John 4:7-12 Introduction: In the late 1960’s, the Beatles were asked to write a simple song that would be performed on the 1st live Global TV show. The song was, “All You Need Is Love”. While the idea of the song is not the same type of love that ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-12

Denomination: Baptist

Love Or Cosmetology? Series

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Sep 15, 2021

Valentine's Day: If church members do Christian things like feed the homeless or go on mission trips, and these acts are done without love, then people are just wasting their time. Without love, God doesn’t care what we do for Him.

Neil Postman writes in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, “that we have reached the point where cosmetics has replaced ideology [or “practice”] as [a] field of expertise.”(1) The verb “cosmeticize” means, “to make something unpleasant or ugly superficially attractive.”(2) It’s common for people ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

True Love Series

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Sep 15, 2021

Valentine's Day: Human beings have distorted the meaning of love. Some of the distortions about love are that love is purely physical, or that love is only a temporary state. These interpretations about love are way off base.

The Greek writer Lucian who lived from 120-200 A.D. made an observation about Christians. He said, “It is incredible to see the fervor with which the people of that religion help each other in their wants. They spare nothing. Their first [leader, Jesus], has put it into their heads that they are ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-21

Denomination: Baptist

The Celebration Of Love Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

Romantic love is to be celebrated because the whole redemption plan of God's love revolves around the romance of human love.

Sir Wilfred Grenfell, the famous medical missionary to Labrador, was a fast worker when it came to falling in love. He was on board a ship returning to England when he spotted a charming lady on deck. He was 43 years old, and so it was not as though he had never spotted a charming lady before. ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 29:1-30

The Praises Of Love Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

When lovers cease to compliment one another, they are losing their admiration, and taking each other for granted. Healthy love never stops singing the praises of the lover.

A neurologist was flattered when a patient in a mental hospital said to him, "We like you better than any other doctor we have ever had." "But why?" asked the doctor, with a smile, showing his delight. "Because," replied the inmate, "You are more like one of ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 1:9-12

The Fragrance Of Love Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

How is a Christian suppose to smell? According to Paul, he is to smell sweet and pleasant, like the perfume of God in Christ.

Napoleon and Josephine adored violets. She often wore the extremely expensive violet scented perfume as her trade mark. Only the wealthiest people could afford it. When she died in 1814, Napoleon planted violets at her grave, and just before his exile to St. Helena he made a pilgrimage to it. ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 1:1-17

Love And Lust Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

Solomon sought to persuade the beautiful Shulamite girl to yield to lust, but she remains steadfast in her loyalty to love. This is a story of a great temptation, and a powerful testing of love.

A French pilot, by the name of Guillaumet flew over the Andes on a regular basis. One time he disappeared for a week, and hope that he would be found was given up. He was eventually rescued, however, and his first intelligible sentence was, "I swear that I went though what no animal would have ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 1:4

Love Is A Choice Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

Every choice in life can be evaluated by asking, is this a loving choice? If it is not, it is a bad choice. All sin is a bad choice, for it is a violation of love for God or others. Everything that is right is so, because it is loving.

Missionaries often get into complicated cross-cultural issues. Such was the case of the missionary to Africa who had the chief of a tribe all ready for church membership. Only one barrier blocked the way. The chief had 50 wives, and the church would not admit him to membership until he dismissed ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

The Expression Of Love Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

God inspired Paul to give them this great love song as the greatest tool in history to aid men in the expression of love. Paul tells us what love does, and what it does not do. He reveals to us how to express love.

Predicting the unpredictable is what weather forecasting is all about. There are so many variables that nobody can be sure what tomorrow holds. Back in 1816 Mt. Tambora in what is now Indonesia erupted with a blast 80 times greater than that of Mt. St. Helens, and sent a massive cloud of volcanic ...read more

Love Is Not Proud Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

When Jesus came into the world He did not come in pride to dominate, and to have His own needs met. He came in love to serve and meet the needs of others

Ignorance may be bliss, but it is a fools paradise when others are in the know. General Motors learned this the hard way back in the early 60's when they launched a campaign to sell their new compact, the Chevy Nova, in Mexico. It was a flop, and the sale figures were appalling. That is when ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4

Educated Love Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

If we link love and learning we will have life with a capital L, for it will be the abundant life Jesus came to give us. Educated love will love according to priorities.

The best of Christians make their share of mistakes, but John Turner was apparently trying to get a large portion of his quota of mistakes out of the way all in one day. John was a conscientious pastor who got to his church early one Sunday morning, and he discovered that he had left his sermon ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:1-11

The End Is Love Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

Paul took very seriously the exalting of love to the supreme place in the Christian life. In all of his letters it is the supreme goal, for to be filled with agape love is to be filled with Christ.

Someone has said, "You can never win in the game of life if you don't know where the goal posts are." You can't win in any game if you don't have a goal. Great men in every walk of life have been those with a goal, and a determination to reach it. It is difficult to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:5

A Loving Father Series

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Jun 8, 2021

Father's Day: The father should be the hero of this parable. He had been watching and waiting with love and patience. Like the father who was looking for his son to return, the Lord is waiting for us to come home to Him.

Luke chapter fifteen contains three parables. The third parable, which we are going to look at this morning, is sometimes called, “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” Commentator William Barclay says, “For centuries the third parable has been called ‘The Parable of the Prodigal Son.’ It would be ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Denomination: Baptist

God Is Love Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 25, 2021

We are never nearer God than when we love, and we are never nearer to being what he wants us to be than when we love.

Tolstoy wrote a story called "Where Love Is, God Is." It is about an old cobbler named Martin who lived alone. One night as he read the story of Jesus visiting the Pharisee, and the poor welcome he received, he prayed that the Lord would visit him. In his sleep he heard a voice saying, ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-8