Sermon Central
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"Anything-Love=nothing!"
Contributed by Tony Searles on Mar 11, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: We can do a lot of things for a lot of reasons...but if what we do is not "seasoned" with a measure of love, genuine love, it is for nothing.
1 Cor. 13:1-3
?If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. [3] And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.?
?Anything ? Love =Nothing?
Prayer?
Everyone loves the philanthropist!
-Why? Because he is a giver!
-And we, quite honestly, would love to be one the receiving end of the philanthropy. J
A philanthropist is a person who practices philanthropy.
So what is philanthropy?
-It is a ?LOVE of mankind; shown in practical kindness and helpfulness to humanity.?
-Basically, being benevolent.
And Notice?
There is a key word used in that definition?LOVE!
In fact, even one of the roots, of this compound word, PHILAnthropy; suggests just that very thing?LOVE!
-As you might remember, there are THREE types of love, as described in the Bible?
*Eros?depicts the love between a man and a woman.
*Phileo?refers to a love of friendship.
*Agape?characterizes the Love God has for us, and He demonstrated through His only Son, Jesus Christ.
-Same as the word as Charity; that you so often here if you are a KJV?er.
*Agape love is?
-A matter of will rather than feeling?
-The basic element in Christ-likeness?
And the AGAPE love, is the love we are focused on here tonight.
Actually, it is the same love that we each are to be marked WITH, and be known BY; as described in John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
-Friends, there is no doubt in my mind, or heart, that this is a quality (love) that God wants each of His Disciples to be recognized with.
-And?
*This is what will separate the saved, from the unsaved?
*This is what will reveal the genuine Christian from the church-goer?
*This is what will divide the religious from those with a relationship?
?If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen? [21] And God himself has commanded that we must love not only him but our Christian brothers and sisters, too.? NLT
What this is trying to reveal to the reader is that?
-Our love for God will be expressed in its love for other believers.
-Because that ?perfect love, which casts out all fear? in verse 18; sweeps away all hate too!
So then, possessing God?s love will result in; not only a fearless confidence, but also a LOVE FOR THE BRETHEREN!!!
-And this is the kind of love that we should be demonstrating towards one another?
-This is the kind of love that should be flowing out from us, towards other people?
-This is the kind of love that should mark everything we do, and are?
*Agape love?a love like that of God the Father; this is what should be within us.
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If you think about it?we should ALL be philanthropists?
We should all have a basic love for mankind, shown in kindness and helpfulness towards one another.
-This is the most practical way by which we can demonstrate God?s love to this lost world.
-Being, quite literally, His hands and feet extended; demonstrating GOD?S love in practical ways towards others. (we see this done throughout the Scriptures)
*That is the heart of a Philanthropist.
*That is the true essence of the genuine Philanthropist.
-It isn?t just about millions of dollars?it is the heart.
Do you have a philanthropic heart?
Do you demonstrate the AGAPE type love to this world?
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Isn?t this what Jesus wanted us to get when He told the story of the ?Good Samaritan?? (Luke 10)
-He was giving us a practical illustration of His love as it should be shown to this world.
-He showed us His love in action, as it was being demonstrated to the down-and-out?to the broken and bruised.
*Even when ALL others passed this guy by?
*There was one who stooped low to pick him up?he got him shelter and mended his wounds?and even PAYED to have him cared for until he had fully recovered!
Jesus used this story to prove a point to a lawyer?
This lawyer was questioning Jesus about how to go about inheriting eternal life?
-Jesus then asks him to remember what the Law says?
-What does the law say???
