June 13, 2004 The Fruits of the Spirit: Love
Tina Turner - whom I believe was abused by her husband Ike during their marriage - once sang a song called, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” I can only remember the second line of the song when she asked, “what’s love, but a second hand emotion?” That’s a pretty pathetic view of love, isn’t it? You can listen to just about any song or watch any TV show and realize that people just don’t know what love really is. One kid said, “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
If we want to know what love is and how important it is, we need to go back to the original Love - our God and Lord. The Bible doesn’t just say that God loves, but that God IS love. In the same way, in today’s text to the Galatians, Paul doesn’t say that love is just a second hand emotion. It is the first fruit of faith. Even though we’re saved by faith, love is still an essential part of being a Christian. Paul also said this of love -
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Co 13:1-3)
He also wrote the Corinthians -
Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Co 13:13)
Why is love so important? We’ll examine that with the theme -
Christianity: What’s Love Got to Do With It?
I. It’s the foundation
Whether you’re Christian or not, everyone is born with a need and a want to be loved - to know that someone cares about them. If kids are going to be even semi-functional, they need to be hugged, kissed, and continually told, “I love you.” If you end up ignoring your kids and complaining about them all the time, I can almost guarantee you that they’ll end up with problems at home and at school - sometimes for the rest of their lives. They’ll end up angry and resentful, because they didn’t get the love they needed.
Even if we are raised right, when we get older and more dependent we still need love - we need to know that someone cares. The sad thing is that many people just plain don’t care. In New York City traffic was stopped on a bridge while someone was contemplating to jump and commit suicide. One motorist was so ticked off that this was situation was holding up traffic that he shouted out his window - “go ahead and jump already!” You’d think that this guy would have cared more for someone’s life than a half an hour of his time - but I guess not. Or try this. Walk down the hall at work. When someone asks you, “how’s it going?”, tell him. Tell him about the corns on your feet. Tell him about your child’s problem with sleeping through the night. Watch the look on his eyes as they glaze over. He doesn’t care about how you’re doing. Unless you have a personality that he likes, a face that he’s attracted to, or something else to offer him, he’s not going to care about how you are. He’s just trying to say hi and get on with his life. That’s the way most people are. Unless you have something to offer them, they don’t care about you. They don’t know you. If you aren’t feeding for them or caring for them, most people could care less whether you lived or died. It’s depressing, but it’s true.
Since there is such a lack of love in our world, it means that people are looking for love all the more - but in all the wrong places. So now we’re facing the fact that fifth and six grade kids think that they can find love by imitating what President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky did. Over seventy percent of African American girls are having children out of wedlock. Other people may not look for love through sexual gratification, but nonetheless they become extremely depressed and suicidal over the sense that nobody loves them. They say to themselves, “if I died - would anyone really care? Who would really even notice?” They pay for psychologists to show them some attention or force others to at least listen by showing signs of suicide. These people don’t know what love really is - but they know they’re missing something - and they’re searching for that missing link in their lives - for somebody to really show some care and concern.
The wonderful thing about Christianity is that it is the greatest love story ever told - and it intimately and eternally involves us. We know what love is - because we know Jesus Christ. Paul described this love we have in the fifth chapter to the Romans -
When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Ro 5:6-8)
Paul also understood what love was in the way that God treated him. He wrote Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:12-14
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Paul found great comfort and strength that God was merciful to him - even though he persecuted Christians and even took part in their death. The story of Christ is the greatest love story ever told - and it involves us. God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to live and die for us - even though we didn’t deserve it. This is the basis of our faith. Psalm 27:10 states, Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. That’s the most wonderful thing about being a Christian. We can come to a holy God with the worst sins, the most terrible reputation - but through the blood of Christ we know that God covers our sins still loves us. I think these children’s description of love illustrate it well -
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”
This is why Paul said that love is greater than faith - because our faith finds it’s foundation on God’s love. The foundation is the most important part of the building. If you build on sand, it does no good. If God didn’t love us in Christ - we would have no basis for our faith. But since we know that God loved the unlovable by sending Christ, and that God loves the unlovable by covering them in Christ - we can always go back to this fountain of youth and find renewal for our souls and a reason for living. We don’t have to drive to the gas station for it. God has placed this love in our hearts through the gospel of Jesus Christ. So when we ask about Christianity - “what’s love got to do with it?”, how do we first of all answer that? It has everything to do with it. It is the basis and foundation of our faith.
II. It gets us thinking outside the box
With the death of Ronald Reagan and his funeral this week, many people have been studying his policies and talking about his presidency. During these interviews I’ve heard many people say that they were very influenced by his positive attitude and dedication to crushing the Soviet Union’s evil empire. When you see someone do something great, it influences you. There may be some debate among us over Ronald Reagan’s leadership, but there is none among us over Jesus Christ. We constantly live under the greatest and most caring Ruler of the Universe. We see the way He cares for us. We experience the food He feeds us with, the forgiveness He covers us in, and the wonderful patience He has. This can’t help but INFLUENCE the way we live and the way we LOVE.
The first thing that impresses us about the love of God is the way that God thought about more people than just Himself. He could have very easily said, “it’s their mess! They got in it, and they can get out of it. To hell with them!” In His foresight, God could have also seen that many people would abuse His gift of forgiveness and love. He could see that many of us would take God’s love and patience for granted, and use it as an excuse to keep on sinning. He could have said, “I’m not going to die for them - they aren’t going to appreciate it anyway. I’ll just stay up here in heaven.” But He didn’t! He cared about us so much that He was willing to leave His heavenly realm and come to earth. That’s the first part of God’s love that is impressive - the fact that God thought about other people besides Himself.
That’s what being a Christian is all about. When we know that God loves us in Christ, it naturally gets us thinking outside of the box. Instead of just asking, “what’s good for me?”, we start asking, “what can I do for other people who need my help?” We try to emulate Christ in the way we act toward others. This starts in the home. We need to ask ourselves, “what does my spouse need? What do my children need? How can I show love to them? Could I play a game with my children today? Could I go to a movie with my wife? Could I have a devotion with my children and family every morning?” When we live with the Spirit of love, it gets us thinking outside of the “me” box. And as we grow in Christ through the Word and sacrament - this just keeps on expanding. Pretty soon we start thinking beyond our family, to our church family. You may notice someone’s name on the prayer chain. So not only do you take the time to pray for that person, but you also call them to see how they’re doing. You start thinking about your neighbors - how can I show them the love of Christ? When you really grow, then you are even able to say, “how can I love my enemies?” Love is about thinking outside the box - asking yourself, “who am I here for?”, and expanding your horizons to try and love as many people as the Holy Spirit gives you strength to.
III. It’s about time
When you think about expanding your horizons, it may seem that finding someone to love is a difficult thing. But it’s not. Consider the story of the Good Samaritan. The rich young man asked Jesus “who is my neighbor?” He was wanting to know WHO to love. How did Jesus answer him? In the story of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan was just walking down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. He wasn’t going on some holy pilgrimage to the Holy City. He was actually going away from it on just a normal business trip of some sort. But the way was dangerous - a steep and rough incline that was known to have robbers through it. It wasn’t a very loving atmosphere. Yet as he was minding his own business and walking along the road, he happened to walk by a man who had been beaten and robbed. Without looking for it, this beaten up and bloody mass of a man suddenly became his neighbor, someone to love.
And how did the Good Samaritan act toward the man? He loved him in several ways. The first thing he did was to take the time to care for the man. I’m sure that the Good Samaritan - like every man - had an agenda - he had places to go and people to meet. Everyone is busy. Everyone has things that they have planned to do. But the Samaritan took the time to bandage his wounds, put on oil and wine, take him to an inn and take care of him for a night. He spent a whole day and an evening changing his agenda and his plans so that he could help this man in need. Love is about time. So Paul told the Ephesians, Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Eph 5:15-16)
Life isn’t about what YOU want or what YOU have planned. Out of love for God and man, we need to take the time to love them. If you don’t have the time, then MAKE it. Sometimes I use time as an excuse not to do the things I know I should. I say to myself, “I don’t have time to visit that prospect. I don’t have time to play a game with my kids. I have to get my sermon and Bible class written.” So there they desperately stand, calling to me and begging me for my time, and I smile and wave good-bye to them. Men, how many times have your wives practically begged you just to find a night a month to go on a date with them, to listen to them, or to spend a few minutes talking to them every evening? But you can’t find the time to do that? You’re too busy working that you can’t spend a few minutes with your kids? Who did you marry? Your wife or your job? Children, you can spend five hours a day watching TV, but you can’t spend one hour a day doing chores without complaining? Are you too busy to learn a few Bible passages for Midweek classes? And you say you love God and your parents? If you know your husband likes being on time, can’t you take the time to get ready ahead of time? How can we say we love God and yet not take the time to come worship Him and listen to Him for just one hour a week? I believe our love is really lacking when it comes to the way we use our time.
That’s what makes the story of Christ so wonderful to me. God could have come up with the excuse that He was “too busy” to come to earth right now. He had to keep the sun shining and the earth rotating and the stars in their places. But He didn’t. Since God is love, He eternally planned and revolved His time around saving man. He did it by spending 33 years on this earth - sleeping with us, working with us, listening to us, talking to us, and dieing for us. He considered us worthy of His time -even though we weren’t. Imagine how menial it would have seemed to Jesus - who knew how to run the universe - to take the time to learn how to walk. Imagine how much of a waste of a time it would have seemed to us to learn the Bible that WE wrote! But Jesus didn’t think this was a waste of His time. In love He took the time to do these things as our substitute and save us - without complaining! So when we see Jesus do these things, again, we see that love is about taking time out for God and time out for people. It’s about saying to myself, “life isn’t about what I want. It’s about what God wants. If my wife needs some time to spend with me, then I’ll take it. If my kids need some time for me to read them a story, then I’ll make it. If my God wants me to come and listen to a sermon and sing songs to Him, then I’ll take the time to do it.” When I love God I will adjust my schedule to love the people and the things that come down my path, even when it means I’ll be late for what I have planned.
III. It’s about effort
There are many aspects to love, but the final aspect to this fruit of the Spirit I’d like to cover is the EFFORT aspect. Love takes work. John 3:16 says, God so loved the world that GAVE His one and only Son. This gift wasn’t free - not for God. For the recipient - us - yeah, it’s free. But when you give someone a gift - you either have to make it or buy it. You have to work for it. The gift of God’s love came with a lot of hard work. The Good Samaritan didn’t just spend time with the beaten up man - he spent effort. It took work to apply those bandages and that oil. He had to get some blood on his hands and his outfit. He had to lift that man and walk along side of him while he took him to the inn.
In the same way, Jesus came to earth to work. He didn’t just sit around. Luke 21 says, Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, 38 and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple. (Lk 21:37-38) Notice what Luke says about Jesus. EACH day Jesus was teaching at the temple. The people came out EARLY in the morning to hear him. EACH evening he went out to spend the night on the Mount of Olives - often times praying. There are examples in the Bible of Jesus staying up all night healing people and teaching them. When Jesus crossed the sea with his disciples after teaching throughout the day, Mark says, A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mk 4:37-38) Jesus was so exhausted from teaching that He was able to sleep through a serious storm that was bad enough to scare experienced fishermen. Finally consider Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. 45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” (Lk 22:39-46)
Jesus then went on to do the most grueling work of all - dying on the cross for the sins of the world. The point I’m making is that love takes work and effort. It’s not just about feelings. It’s about action. Love’s got to do with action and effort - hard work. If you want to love people - it’s going to take work. It isn’t easy getting up with your kids in the middle of the night. It takes effort to play ball games with them. It takes work to make conversation with your family and to cook dinners and to call people. That’s what love does.
IV. It’s for you
Now, I can tell you all about what love is and what love does. But if you don’t see that Jesus did these things for YOU - to make YOU HOLY - you’ll never have the energy to even begin to love like Christ. It’s not something you can convince yourself to do. It is a fruit of the Spirit - something He works through hearing the message of Christ. However, today the Holy Spirit is calling to you through these words. He’s working through your brain and calling to your heart. He’s saying to you, “it’s time to stop thinking of love in terms of what I want and what makes me feel good and what’s good for me. I want you to see love in the fact that God left heaven in the Person of Jesus Christ - took the time and the effort to live and to die and to rise from the dead - so that you could enjoy heaven with Him. That’s what love is about. It’s time to start thinking about love in these terms. What can I now do for God? What can I do for my fellow man? How can I take time for them? What can I do for them?”
Now, your flesh might be saying, “pastor, that’s just not practical. I just can’t take the time that you’re asking. I don’t have the energy to do these things! And even if I do, it won’t do any good.” Don’t listen to it. Whether we make a difference or not is not the point. Not everyone may appreciate our love. Not everyone may thank us for it. But when we take the time and effort to love people, we do what we’re made to do. God didn’t send Christ just to get results from us. He sent Christ because He is love. But there are results. We now have the fruits of the Spirit. We are the results. Therefore we can love and we will love. Some of us more than others. But in the end, whether you love much or little - all of us can go back to the complete love God has for us through faith in Christ Jesus. That’s what Christianity is all about. Amen.
