How Important is Love?

July 17, 2011

Introduction

 

Jerome, in his commentary on Chapter 6 of the Epistle to the Galatians  tells the well-loved story that John the Evangelist continued preaching in Ephesus even when he was in his 90s.

The evangelist was so enfeebled with old age that the people had to carry him into the Church in Ephesus on a stretcher.

And when he was no longer able to preach or deliver a long discourse, his custom was to lean up on one elbow on every occasion and say simply: “Little children, love one another.” This continued on, even when the ageing John was on his death-bed.

Then he would lie back down and his friends would carry him back out. Every week, the same thing happened, again and again. And every week it was the same short sermon, exactly the same message: “Little children, love one another.” One day, the story goes, someone asked him about it: “John, why is it that every week you say exactly the same thing, ‘little children, love one another’?” And John replied: “Because it is enough.” If you want to know the basics of living as a Christian, there it is in a nutshell. All you need to know is. “Little children, love one another.”

If you want to know the rules, there they are. And there’s only one. “Little children, love one another.”

http://revpatrickcomerford.blogspot.com/2009/04/little-children-love-one-another.html

 

            But who was John?  He was a fisherman, but he was something else, Jesus called him and his brother, Sons of Thunder.  (Mark 3:17 NKJV)  James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder,"    How did they get such a name?

 

In (Luke 9:51-56 NKJV) we read, “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, {52} and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. {53} But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. {54} And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" {55} But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. {56} "For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village.’

 

Body

 

I.        How important is love?  Let’s consider some thoughts together.

(1 John 4:7-21 NKJV)  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. {8} He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. {9} In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. {10} In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. {11} Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. {12} No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. {13} By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. {14} And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. {15} Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. {16} And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. {17} Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. {18} There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. {19} We love Him because He first loved us. {20} If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? {21} And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

 

II.     How do we describe love?

 

(1 Cor 13:4-7 NKJV)  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.

 

(1 Cor 13:4-7 Phillips)  13:4 - This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience - it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance.  (13:5-6) - Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails.  (13:7-8a) - Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.

 

1. Jesus had the greatest love.

 

(John 15:12-14 NKJV)  "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. {13} "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. {14} "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

 

2. Who are we to love?

 

1.      First and foremost, we are to love God.

 

(Mat 22:35 NKJV)  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, (36)  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" (37)  Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' (38)  "This is the first and great commandment.

 

2.      Then we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.

 

(Mat 22:39 NKJV)  "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

 

3.      Jesus explained that love is to extend to our enemies.

 

(Mat 5:43-46 NKJV)  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' {44} "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, {45} "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. {46} "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

 

3. Does love mean we overlook everything?

 

(Luke 17:3-4 NKJV)  "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. {4} "And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

 

1.      Jesus said He rebukes those who are in the wrong.

 

(Rev 3:19 NKJV)  "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

 

                                          Conclusion

 

I.  Being pleasing to God means that we must do what He says.

 

(Luke 6:46 NKJV)  "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?

 

II.     We show our love for God by our obedience to Him.

 

       Have you put on your Lord in Christian baptism?

  

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