Sermon Central
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Loving The Way He Loves
Contributed by Christian Cheong on May 21, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: The secret to loving is first receiving God’s love, knowing you are greatly loved, and quit focusing on people and start focusing on what God has done.
We are taught to love others. This is what God command, that we love one another. But how can we? How can we be kind to those who harm us? To those who are unkind to us? How can we forgive those who backstab us? How can we love the way Jesus loves? We want to. We long to. But how can we?
The Woman Who Wet Jesus Feet With Tears and Wiped Them With Her Hair - Luke 7:40-47
40 Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.
41 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
She can do so much, because she realised she has been forgiven much.
She can sacrifice more, because she knew she has been greatly loved.
To show much love - we have to know how much we are loved and forgiven by God.
No wonder SIMON did nothing - apparently he did not know Jesus, and how much he has been forgiven.
This is the 7:47 principle - you want to love others they way Jesus loves, then take note of this.
Not to be grounded by hatred, unforgiveness, bitterness, but soar in the skies with freedom...
Can you love the way Jesus loves? How can I love much?
I need to know how much I’m forgiven. It has to do with my relationship with God. Do I really know how much God loves me? Do I really know how much I’m forgiven?
We TRY our best to love - but can love be forced out of us?
Can we conjure up love by the sheer force of will. Try harder. And love will flow out. Can love be manufactured? Is this the way?
But what can I give? I can only give what I have...
(1) THE SECRET TO LOVING IS RECEIVING GOD’S LOVE
WE ARE MISSING A STEP HERE - Could it be that the FIRST STEP of love is not toward people, but toward Him? Could it be that the secret to loving is receiving? RECEIVING from Him - forgiveness, mercies, grace, love... and only then can we allow that to flow out of us. 1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."
Many people tell us to love. Only God gives us the power to do so.
Max Lucado: "A marriage-saving love is not within us. A friendship-preserving devotion cannot be found in our hearts. We need help from an outside source. A transfusion. Would we love as God loves? Then we start by receiving God’s love.... By instructing people to love without telling them they are loved is like telling them to write a check without our making a deposit in their account."
No wonder so many relationships are overdrawn. Hearts have insufficient love.
TRY THIS - Look at 1 Cor 13:4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
Replace the word love in this passage with your name. [GET ALL TO TRY READING THROUGH THIS WAY.]
How do you feel? As I do that, I felt I’m a liar. Many of these lines are not very true of me.
It set a standard I could not meet. No one can meet it. No one can without Jesus. God is love, the Bible says. Let’s insert Jesus name in place of the word love and see how it sounds:
"Jesus is patient. Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. Jesus is not rude, he is not self-seeking, he is not easily angered, he keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Jesus always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails."
