What Is Love?

2021

“What is love, as defined by the online world?

Resisting a YouTube video of the 1993 hit song, the first click plunges you into a world of pink carnation- tainted tackiness. The website’s designer no doubt spends all afternoon baking cookies, sending chain emails and sighing at the "Home Sweet Home" sign on the living room wall.

Then I get a jolting, computer- generated version of Lionel Richie’s Endless Love that offends the ears.

Up next is a serious message: great philosophers could not touch love’s true essence. Which is why, obviously, this website quotes four to eight-year-olds.

Gems include: "Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday"; and "Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken". (Finding love online The Press | Tuesday, 10 February 2009)

Today we celebrate Valentine’s Day, a time to reflect on love and what love truly is. Let me tell you, you will never understand what love is, what true love is, until you understand love’s source. You may have warm fuzzies, you may have sweaty palms, you may care about another person, you may be committed, or need to be, but you will never understand true love until you know love’s source.

I. LOVE’S SOURCE

- 1 John 4:7-21

First I want you to understand that love comes from God. God is the true source of all love.

It is amazing the work we put into love and relationships hoping things will work out, when so many people never realize that God is the source of all love.

> 1 John 4:7-8 Dear friends, let us love one another; because love is from God, … God is love.

It saddens me when I think of number of people who try to build loving relationships and loving homes and loving marriages that leave God out of the equation.

> Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain;

God is love’s source.

When we think of love however, we think not only of its source, but we also must remember how it is demonstrated.

II. LOVE DEMONSTRATED

- 1 John 4:9-10

If today is like Valentines of the past, over $1 billion was spent on chocolate, $1 Billion on cards, and 218 million roses were sold in the pursuit of, or in an attempt to demonstrate love.

The Bible tells us that God sent the first Valentine. He showed what true love is. He demonstrated His love for you and me over 2000 years ago when He sent His One and Only Son to pay the price for your sins and mine.

Listen, God didn’t just love you enough to tell you about it. He didn’t just love you enough that He settled for having it written in the clouds by angels in flaming chariots. He didn’t love you enough that He stopped at sending you a love note, or a card, or calling you, He loved you enough that He sent His Son Jesus Christ.

You see, when it came to demonstrating love, FTD was not fragrant enough, chocolate was not sweet enough, and Hallmark couldn’t find the words to set you free.

The Bible says,

> Hebrews 9:22 … without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Tell someone; God cared enough to send the very best. He didn’t look for bargains. He didn’t seek the cheap way out. He didn’t look for loopholes. God did not act like all the rest, when it came to love He sent the Best.

> John 3:16 For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but hath everlasting life.

> Romans 5:8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!

If you remember the old song, sing it with me.

I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore. Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more. But the Master of the sea, heard my despairing cry. From the waters lifted me now safe am I. Love lifted me. Love lifted me. When nothing else would help, love lifted me. Love lifted me. Love lifted me. When nothing else would help. Love lifted me.

The source of all real love is God. We have seen love’s source. And, in Jesus Christ we have seen love demonstrated. This morning we also need to pause and consider love’s reflection.

III. LOVE’S REFLECTION

You know it is great when someone loves you. Isn’t it great to be loved? Sometimes the love another person shows you is so great that you just don’t quite know how to return it. To show them in return how much you love them. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out another person’s love language so that we can adequately reflect the love back to them.