What's Love Got To Do With It?

The "I BELIEVE" Series

“What’s Love Got To Do With It?”

TEXT: Galatians 5:6

We’re still focusing on faith. I told you that before this year is through, I’m going to make a believer out of you. I’m going to make sure you are faith filled and faithful. I’m going to keep you in the faith by keeping you in the love of God by keeping you in love with Jesus. Some one is saying to themselves “What’s love got to do with it?” Galatians 5:6 says faith worketh through love. 2Corinthians 13:5 says

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? You can’t be in faith if you are not in love with Jesus. You have to keep yourself in the love of God by keeping yourself in love with Jesus. 1 Corinthians 13: 1 - 8 says -

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though 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, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, F42 but have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails…

Then verse 13 say this: And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

We have to make sure we don’t fall out of love with the Lord, Jesus Christ because you can’t be in faith if you are not in love with Jesus. Faith works through love. We have to keep ourselves in the love of God by keeping ourselves in love with Jesus because you can fall out of love with Jesus Christ.

Revelation 2:1-5

1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

In Revelation 2 Jesus said I see your works, I see your labor, and I see your patience, but He never said I see your faith because they fell out of faith when they fell out of love with Him. Verse 5 of the text from which we read says “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen.” Some of you have fallen out of love with Jesus. I didn’t say you don’t love Jesus. I said you are not IN LOVE with Jesus. The zeal is gone. The thrill is gone. You find yourself enduring the Christian life but not enjoying it. You find yourself just going through the motions of church work but your heart is no longer in it. You find your self going to church but never expecting God to meet you there. You’ve left your first love. If you don’t keep yourself in the love of God by keeping yourself in love with Jesus you can fall out of love with Jesus.

Jude 1:21 - Show Context

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Love is not by chance. It’s by choice. You have to keep yourself in the love of God. You have to keep yourself in love with God. It’s called the thrill of the hunt. You maintain the zeal and you maintain the thrill by going after God. You go after God by looking for Jesus and following Jesus. If you don’t keep yourself in the love of God by keeping yourself in love with God, you will fall out of love. He keeps Himself in love with you! Lamentations 3:21-23 tell that His compassions fail not because He renews His mercies toward you every morning. He keeps Himself in love with you but it takes TWO to make a love relationship work. You have to keep yourself in love with God just like you have to keep yourself in love with your spouse. Some of you have lost your first love because there is no hunt for the will of God. There is no hunt for the way of God. There is no hunt for the worship of God by following Jesus. And just like a coffee pot, If you do nothing long enough, there is an automatic shut off. If you are in automatic shut off, there are some things you need to do.