An Invitation To Love

Love

We do not know what love is! Please listen and understand that I truly, with much thought and consideration say that we do not know what love is!

Just for a minute consider in your mind what love is, what it looks like, how it feels… And I know that you’ve barely scratched the surface…

Tonight I do not propose to have the answers or the wisdom and insight to explain and define love… I do know however that God has given me a word for this meeting. This meeting is a marker in your life, a decision point, a night of revelation, of conviction, challenge and response!! – God’s purpose in this meeting is not to educate you about love but to challenge you to learn it! To seek it out! To exercise it! To make it the most precious thing to you!

It will have nothing to do with my wise words or counsel. Only I know God has laid this on my heart and I know that He is sovereign and has brought you here tonight! – So let’s turn to God’s word and start to learn a little of the value and importance of love.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 / 10:12
Matthew 22:36-40
Mark 12:28-34

Matthew 22:40 – “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”

Mark 12:31 – “There is none other commandment greater than these”

Consider this… Consider the implications of this… We have the 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 Hs 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!!

If love is not your priority, if it is not your driving force, if love is not your hearts desire, if it is not something you seek after and long for… Read this. 1John 3:11-24 Look at verse 14! Do we love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) our family in Jesus? I know this question will cut anyone who truly desires to love God and to please Him. Verse 16 has it all summed up with no room for excuses! What right do we have not to love one another? Is God not worthy enough? Is your way more comfortable? Do you find that the people you are commanded to love are not worthy of it? Do they despise your love? Do they misinterpret it or misunderstand it? Do you find it is unwanted or unappreciated? Please read verse 16 again! – Consider Hebrews 12:1-4 and consider Paul’s command to the Romans. Romans 12:9-10 “preferring one another” … I prefer you to be happy rather than me, I prefer God to bless you rather than me, I prefer friends to enjoy you rather than me, I prefer you to be comfortable rather than me… These things I prefer!! It makes me happier! I choose you over myself, before myself… I prefer to be the giver rather than the receiver…

This is no natural desire or attitude. It cannot be attained, learned in school, bought or accomplished in self effort! It is God! God is love! It is His gift and His entire glory and purpose! John 17:20-26 – The crescendo of this wonderful, beautiful and eternally intimate prayer is this “that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them”! – Christ’s hearts desire, His hope and His prayer is this! That His fathers love would be in us and that He would be in us! That alone deserves our mediation and wonder for eternity! Surely this is a love worth finding out? Is there anything greater in this life? Consider also the beatitudes… Matthew 5:3-12 They are all simply qualities of that love. Qualities of Christ! And all are blessed! Or the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. All those fruit is in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7! Love is the greatest thing! God is love! And it is only 2 things that Christ desired/prayed to instill in us! Himself and His love!

To seek and to learn/find love is to discover and to know the very heart and character of God.

Let me finish with this. We read the greatest commandments. Mark 12:28-34 So let us read Christ’s desire and pleading for those that follow Him. John 14:15-31