We’re going to be discussing the power of love. Now, Webster’s dictionary defines love as a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. Affection based on sexual desire. Affection based on admiration, benevolence or common interests, attachment, devotion, unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another… and even the fatherly concern of God for humankind. But the type of love I want to focus on is the Greek feminine noun Agape. It is the highest type of love of all four types… can anyone name them? (Agape, Eros, Phileo or Philia, and Storge - Unconditional, romance, friendship, brotherly) Agape exemplfies the type of love that Christ had for His father. And conversely, the love God has for us.
Read Romans 13: 8-14. in the MSG version…
So you’re probably asking, what is that saying to us?
This is saying to us that we should never owe anyone anything but the love of Christ. It is the second greatest commandment. In Luke the 10th chapter it tells us that when the lawyer asked Jesus what was required of them to gain eternal life… Jesus answered saying, “what is written in the law?” and the lawyer answered, “to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind and thy neighbor as thyself.” And Jesus said, “do this and you will live.” Well, the lawyer wasn’t finished with Jesus just yet… he said, “Who is my neighbor?” and Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan. And you know the story… a man from Jerusalem went to Jericho and was robbed and wounded by the thieves… and left for dead… and the Word says by chance, but nothing happens by chance… it’s all planned… a priest come down and walked right past the man in need… a Levite looked at him… and kept walking… but the Samaritan had compassion… he covered his wounds after disinfecting it with oil and wine… he placed him on his own beast and took him to an inn to take care of him… the Samaritan even gave money to the host to take care of him and let the host know if they needed anything more that they would be repaid. So Jesus answered that question by saying… your neighbor… is the one in need. The one that everyone would look over… the stone that the builder rejected… the outcast… the downtrodden… the hopeless… and the hurting… those are our neighbors… those are who we should love the most… as Jesus loved even us when we were at our worst.
Love is the key! That unconditional love that Christ has for his father and his father has for us. That’s the love we should show to others… John 13:35 says that when we love others, it shows the world that we are indeed followers of Christ.
But I’ve come to tell you that any old sinner can love someone that loves them… that’s where we are at fault. The church is so wrapped up on loving those who agree with them… loving the people inside these four walls. What about loving the people that keep walking through the church property? Instead of staring at them and getting mad at them? Have we ever invited them in? Go ahead… Pinch yourself… and say “ouch.” I’m guilty too! What about that annoying supervisor or that trash talking co-worker? Have you ever told them about Jesus? Have you ever invited them to a church event? What about that lady who stole your parking spot?? The person who bought the last Turkey on Thanksgiving when you were rushing to the store to get one? Have you ever told those that you despise about the God you serve? Are you living a life that would exemplify the love of Christ?
That’s where we’re going wrong! The power of love should be working in us every day in everything that we do. Our work begins when we exit those doors on Sunday afternoon!
The church should be the beacon… but instead we are the cancer!
You’ll get that when you get home…
I’ve been there! I have been hurt by so many people that called themselves Christians that I turned my back on God. During the most trying parts of my life, being chained by something that was not in God’s will… I didn’t need condemnation; I was already condemning myself… I didn’t need to be talked about, I was already saying it to myself. I didn’t need to be preached to, I knew the word… I didn’t need to be prayed for, I didn’t believe in the power of prayer. I didn’t need to be rejected; I’ve already rejected myself… I NEEDED TO BE LOVED. That is something I DID NOT have for myself!!!! And until I felt loved… and until I knew the source of that love… I stayed in my wicked ways… I stayed depressed… I stayed in sin… I stayed in negativity… I stayed chained down… but oh glory when the chains fall off!!! That’s when I began to see Jesus!!! You know, for some people, we are the only Jesus they will ever see! Can the world see Jesus in you? If not… something needs to change… because how can you say that you love Jesus… when you’ve never seen his face… yet you’re sitting here on these pews… hating the person next to you??? That’s not what Christ gave his life for… that’s not what God intends for his children!!!
See, this is what we are missing today.... the purpose of the church is not to wake up on Sunday morning, put on our Sunday's best, pull up to the church yard in our big cars and little big cars to walk in on Sunday morning just to see what Sister Susie and Sister Sally are wearing... or to see how well the choir is singing... or how eloquent the preacher sounds today... our purpose is to serve. OUTSIDE of these four walls. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left us with a task... to go into all the world, preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We're missing the mark...
I long for the day when the people of God came to church on Sunday morning expecting a move of GOD!
But we don't. We're so hung up on superficial mess that we can't see that our duty is to love God's creation. Regardless of who they are, what they are, who they love, what they wear, what they say or do... We are to love them.
Don’t believe me? Let’s turn to the word…
And I’ll start ahead of what I wanted to say, only because we need to hear this first part… again, coming from the Message Bible…
Luke 6 starting at the 26th verse… 26
“There’s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.
27-30“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
31-34“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.
35-36“I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
37-38“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”
39-40He quoted a proverb: “‘Can a blind man guide a blind man?’ Wouldn’t they both end up in the ditch? An apprentice doesn’t lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher.
41-42“It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
So I’m going to end there… we need to work the words we speak into our lives… if you say you love God… show it… if you say you love Jesus… keep his commandments… love one another… if you say you love your neighbor… show it… in all that you do. You can tell the health of a tree by the fruit it bears… so if you are bearing wormy apples or rotten tomatoes… check your health… check your life… what kinds of seeds are you planting? Seeds of hope? Peace? Love? Strength? Or discord? Lies? Deceit? Contempt? The power of love changes things…
