When A Man Loves A Woman With All His Heart

GENESIS 29:15-20 “WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN WITH ALL HIS HEART”

A) I read about a young man that proposed to his girl as they sat looking over the beautiful

lake ... “Darling, I want you to know that I love you more than anything else in the world.”

* “I want you to marry me ... I’m not wealthy ... I’m not rich ... I don’t have a yacht or a Rolls

Royce like Johnny Green, but I do love you with all my heart.”

* She thought for a minute and then replied, “I love you with all my heart, too, but tell me

more about Johnny Green.”

B) What does it mean to love your wife or husband with all your heart?

* The Bible gives us an example in Eph. 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also

loved the church, and gave himself for it.”

* Col. 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”

C) To love your spouse with all your heart is to love as Christ loved.

* The love that Christ has for us is the heavenly example of loving our spouses with all our heart.

* His love for us is an unconditional, undeniable, and unending love.

D) In our text we see a human example of loving someone with all your heart.

* We see the love that Jacob had for Rachel ... If there ever was a man that loved a woman with

all his heart, it was Jacob.

E) This is one of the great love stories of the Bible.

* The love that Jacob had for Rachel was an example of the love Christ had for His Church.

* The love that Jacob had for Rachel is the kind of love that should exist between a husband

and a wife.

F) Jacob’s love for Rachel reminds us of certain qualities that will exist when a man loves a

woman with all his heart.

* Let’s learn about the kind of love that ought to exist in a marriage from the example of Jacob’s

love for Rachel ... First, we see:

(1) THE ATTRACTION HE PORTRAYED * Notice v.1 “Then Jacob went on .......”

A) The words “went on his journey” literally means “lifted up his feet.”

* He had just met the Lord and there was a spring in his step ... The burden of sin had been lifted

and he was a happy soul.

* v.2-3 – As he journeys, he comes upon a well and group of shepherds and their flocks.

* He strikes up a conversation with them – v.4-6.

B) Jacob asks, “Where you fellows from?” ... They replied, “From Haran.”

* “From Haran,” Jacob says ... “Do you know a fellow by the name of Laban?”

* “Yes, we know him.” ... “How’s he doing?” ... “He’s doing well ... As a matter of fact here

comes his daughter now with her father’s flock.”

* Notice v.10 “And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban .......”

C) The idea behind the word “saw” is to “gaze.” ... When Jacob saw Rachel he was hooked.

* He was immediately bitten by the love bug ... He just stood there gazing at her.

* When she drew near the well to water the flock, starry-eyed Jacob walked up and said,

“Here, let me help you.”

D) He removed the stone from the well, a stone that usually took several men to move.

* You talk about someone being pumped up, he was ... He watered the flock for her, and all the

time, he never took his eyes off her.

* Jacob was immediately attracted to Rachel – How attracted was he? – Notice v.11 .......

E) Jacob was a fellow that didn’t believe in wasting time.

* It’s obvious that he was greatly attracted to her ... He felt for her like Adam felt for Eve,

“You are the only woman in the world for me.”

* May I say that when a man loves a woman with all his heart, there is attraction.

* It’s that something that eliminates any interest in another person and draws a person to that

one special person.

F) Let me give you some of the factors that contribute to marital breakup .......

* Lack of emotional support ... Lack of honesty ... Lack of common interests ... Not feeling liked

or appreciated ... Financial problems ... Use of free time ... Sexual incompatibility.

* Most of these things could be attributed to a lack of attraction in the marriage ... A husband is

no longer attracted or interested in his wife and vice-a-versa.

* Think with me about this attraction – First, there is .......