I want to speak today about love. The Lord gave me this message even before He led Jeff to ask me to speak. I know in my heart that this is God’s word for you. I know he’s led me to this and it is Him who has brought you here this morning. So then a responsibility lies with you, as it does at every meeting. A responsibility and a wonderful opportunity! Do you want to hear from God this morning? Do you want God to quicken your heart, change you, teach you…? Let’s pray and all of you pray with me that God would move this morning. Anything He does won’t be because I have any wise words or smart thoughts. I know my delivery won’t be great and my message could be clearer and more stirring… but I trust and depend only on the Holy Spirit to use me as a channel and to bless you as you desire him and yield to Him. Let’s Pray…
I know that you all know this but someone please tell me what the greatest commandment is…? Let’s turn to it in Matthew’s gospel. – Matthew 22:36-40
Consider this… Consider the implications of this… We have this whole book! (the bible) we have doctrine, teaching, prophecy, law, history, science, relationships, kings… And in all of this book, in all of this world, in all that we know… This is the greatest thing in all the world… LOVE! – And if it is not with all your heart, soul, strength and mind… It is not love. Love is everything! Love is ALL or it is nothing.
God tells me these are the greatest commandments in His creation, and simply from a God-given desire to obey I want to seek out this love, to learn this love, to love… What about you?
So why is love great? What is it? I can tell you a couple of things that it is not! – It is not an emotion! It is not a weakness!!
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 – Paul writes, under the inspiration of the holy spirit, that nothing at all matters apart from love. Without love, life is nothing! Consider the ministries and gifts mentioned here… From a man who truly knew what he was writing about, from God all-powerful and almighty.
So what else is there? What are you living for? What are your aims/desires? What is your most precious thought? Does it have anything to do with obeying this commandment? Learning this love? Aligning to God’s word? To truly love is not simply to be nice to people. It is not an attitude to work on or create within yourself – 1John 4:7-8 “Everyone that loveth is born of God” – Compare verse 8 with Matthew 7:21-23
Let me ask you… Do you love? Do you know what love is? Do you know what love looks like in your life? Does your daily life include these qualities? 1Corinthians 13:4-7 Do you really desire, strive, seek, pray to love/live like this? Let’s be honest! Is this a priority at all? Is love THEE priority?
In a nutshell, without any revelation of application etc. love is this… A willing and complete denial of self for the good of another.others! (repeat) – A wonderful example of this is the wedding vows that are often times so flippantly spoken – “For better, for worse…richer or poorer…in sickness and in health…til death do us part” If people really stopped to consider what they were saying… I’m sure there would be less marriages! And this small example means nothing outside of our wonderful Saviour’s example! Our bridegroom! Romans 5:8 – You know, love gives all of itself with no thought of self gain. “whilst we were yet sinners” – While we were still hateful, ungrateful, unresponsive, unloving… Christ loved us! Christ gave all, He willingly gave all that he was with no thought of gain for himself. His only desire and hope being that we would choose to love Him back! That we would allow Him to bestow His love upon us. Like the marrying couple promising to give themselves to each other regardless of whether the other loves them back or not! The wonderful celebration of marriage being that both parties have this love!
And in that beautiful union love calls for a separation from everything else. A rejection of all else and the giving to one other. I really want to talk to you about yielding yourselves to Christ. About separating your hearts from this world but unto Jesus! Oh I wish that I could make you love Him and love Him more but I can’t! Oh Holy Spirit please quicken our hearts to understand and receive this. From the very beginning this principle or separation is taught. In Genesis 2:23-24. There is a leaving of one and a cleaving to another. – We leave the yoke/bondage of one and become joined, become one with another. We see this much more poignantly in 1John 2:15-17. And what is “the world”? Verse 16 says the world “is not of the father” So if you truly want to know what things your shouldn’t love or give yourself too… I suggest/recommend you start by prayerfully considering that. Out of a God-given love for Him may you seek to love Him more and to recognise “the world” for what it is.
Love is not an easy thing. Please do not sit there thinking that love is merely the experience/emotion/warm feeling you have for family, friends or your boyfriend/girlfriend… I hope by now you see it is so much more than that! Love is God! God is Love!!
I’m struggling now to convey my thoughts. I can only pray that God will quicken our hearts and speak His word to each of us. Please know that this message has honestly been all that God is doing in my heart recently. I believe He has given me these words to share with you and with a focus on Holiness. This is only the start of a lesson, the start of a journey but truly it is the greatest lesson in this whole earth/life/bible… To love!! It will hurt, it will cost everything but… will gain Christ! To love God is to separate yourself to Him. To become like Him. 1Peter 1:15-16 This is not written lightly. If we truly love Christ, if we want to please our father, our Saviour, our good shepherd…Surely we will seek out what this means in our life. Surely we will separate ourselves, JOYFULLY, knowing that it will please our Saviour.
And the final thought, the challenge, the question for you/us is this… Will you seek out this love? By the grace and mercy of God will you pray, desire and cry out to love, to know God’s love and to give God’s love?
It is a love for all others. A love for enemies, for work colleagues, fellow students, friends… etc. A complete and willing denial of self for the glory and testimony of Jesus! Do you love Him enough to seek to live this way? Will you ask for such a love? Such a life?
Love can be hard. Eg Romans 12:1-2 but read Hebrews 12:1-2
When considering that God is love read John 15:5
Pastor Lee Shipp has said it “It’s not what you don’t do” – Love acts regardless! Love does something. Love gives itself. By the grace and mercy of God by the power of His Holy Spirit.
John 17:26 – The crescendo and climax! The entire glory and purpose of His coming…
Romans 12:10 – If you truly desire to have your heart exposed and to have a cry within you that prays oh God please change me and make me more like you… Try remembering these 3 words as you go through each day… “preferring one another” – WWJD?
Learning With Lovell 