WHAT DOES LOVE
LOOK LIKE?
JJ Daniel, Washington
I.
LOVE TOWARD GOD. IV. LOVE = PEACE
II.
LOVE TOWARD OTHERS. V. LOVE = MATURITY
III.
LOVE IN MARRIAGE. VI.
LOVE LOOKs LIKE...
The Bible is full of instruction about every
kind of love, and relationship; the most important, of course, being our love
toward God Himself.
I. OUR LOVE TOWARD GOD:
Matthew 22:36-38 KJV
“Master, which is the great
commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the
first and great commandment.”
John 14:15 “If you love Me keep my commandments!”
Jesus
left us two commandments:
1.
LOVE ME
2.
LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
John: 4:21 KJV
“He that hath my commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of
my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”
“LOVE” is not a suggestion or just a good idea;
LOVE is a COMMANDMENT!
II. LOVE TOWARD OTHERS:
When we go looking for love – in any
relationship, will we know how to recognize it when we see it?
Ø
What comes to mind, when we think about
“love”?
Ø
Do we have a correct picture of what love is?
Ø
When we say “love” is it just a meaningless,
empty word?
Ø
Is love an emotion?
‘I LOVE YOU” – IS EASY TO SAY…
BUT
WITHOUT CORRESPONDING ACTION THE WORDS MEAN NOTHING.
What
did Jesus mean when He said: “You’ll
know my disciples by their love for one another” (John
13:35)? Does that mean that if we
don’t love… we are not His disciples? YES! That’s exactly what it means!
I
John 4:8 AMP “He
who does not love has not become acquainted with God (does not and never did
know Him). For God is love.”
I
John 4:16 KJV
“And we have known and
believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in
love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1
John 5:2 KJV “By
this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his
commandments.”
1
John 3:24 KJV “And
he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in Him. And hereby we
know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit, which he hath given us.
I
John 3:16
“This is how we know what love
is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.” It goes on to instruct: “and we
ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
Ø How
many of us actually lay aside the things that we would like to do, the things
that we value (i.e. time, choice of campaign, finances and our own desires),
to first do good to those around us?
Ø How
often do we give up our day-off, to take the widow shopping; or to play a game
of baseball with the fatherless child?
Ø How
many times have we taken the price of those new shoes we want – and used it to
be a blessing to someone else?
I John 4:11 KJV
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we
ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love
one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.”
1
John 3:18 KJV “My
little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in
truth.”
I
John 4:17-20 AMP “But
if anyone has this world’s goods (resources for sustain life) and sees his
brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against
him, how can the love of God live and remain in him?
Little
children, let us not love (merely) in theory or in speech but in deed and in
truth (in practice and in sincerity). By this we shall come to know (perceive,
recognize, and understand) that we are of the Truth, and can reassure (quiet,
conciliate, and pacify) our heart’s in His presence.”
John
15:13 KJV Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
HOW
LONG SINCE YOU’VE PUT ACTION
BEHIND
THE WORD “LOVE” ?
III. LOVE IN MARRIAGE:
When
we go looking for that special someone to “…love and cherish” the rest of our
life… where do we begin? How do we know when it’s really LOVE?!
Ø Is
this kind of love all about emotion? – What happens when the emotions dry up?
Ø Is
it all about physical attraction? – What happens when the looks fade with age?
Ø Is
this kind of love exempt from the “love others” kind of love? – NOT!!
Ø Is
there a separate list of rules, and a different class of instruction for the
“marrying kind” of love?
I
don’t have space to go into the different kinds of love, but y’all know all
that anyways. However, if you have any other foundation – other than the love
described above, in any relationship… it will not last! Jesus, and His love is
the only sure foundation. If we build a
relationship on any other foundation, it crumbles!
All
that the Bible teaches about “loving others” DOES APPLY to our spouse, and to our children, and even to those siblings
that we’d rather not talk about; to our in-laws, and even to those who have
hurt and abused us.
The
marriages that were born out of “loving God – and loving others” are the
marriages that will last a lifetime. When we live our life for others… we will
then find the “love” we’re looking for! If we take all that the Bible says
about “loving others” out of the equation of “true love” – what’s left? Selfishness, self-centeredness, self-gratification…
etc. etc. etc.
To find TRUE LOVE… take ‘YOU’ -
your self, out of the equation!
When speaking of Marriage, Paul said: Ephesians
5:25 “Husbands, love your wife as
Christ loved the church – and GAVE HIS LIFE FOR IT.”
Ephesians
5:22 NIV “Wives submit to your
husbands as to The Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is
the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.”
(“submit”
is only a ‘dirty word’ – when we don’t have understanding of what this means,
but an entirely different topic that we can’t cover today. We are taught to
submit to each other, Men and Women alike: I Corinthians 16:16; Ephesians 5:21;
Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 5:5 )
How
do we follow the example of JESUS in our love-walk? … DIE!
Jesus
loved us… all the way to the Cross, then He laid His life down; He tells us to
love others the same way.
Want
to know how to KNOW when it’s “TRUE-LOVE” that will last? – Go back to part II
of this article, take another look at those Scriptures – with “love and
marriage” in mind. When God, and His love are the foundation you build on, He
will grow that relationship into the life of beauty that you desire.
NO
GREATER LOVE THAN THIS,
THAN
FOR A MAN TO LAY HIS LIFE DOWN FOR HIS FRIEND
(or
a spouse). John
15:13
IV.
LOVE = PEACE:
Peace
is something that every person desires. Even the very young, who wouldn’t know
to call it “peace” – still search for something to make them calm, serene,
content and happy. Every man and woman living looks for help, when it comes to
handling stressful and un-desired circumstances. As we grow to know the Father,
and His Word – we come to understand that it is the Peace of God that we are
looking for.
If
we do a study on the word “PEACE” we see that it means “harmony” and
“unity.” In a Bible-study of the word
“LOVE” we find that “LOVE” also means “harmony” and “unity.”
Ephesians
2:14 AMP “For
He is Himself our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both
Jew and Gentile one body, and has broken down the hostile dividing wall between
us.
While talking about “peace” – Paul goes on to
talk about the “Dwelling place” that God is building into “ONE TEMPLE” …
Eph.
2:21 “In
Him the whole structure is joined (welded) together (harmoniously), and it
continues to rise (grow), into a holy temple in the Lord (a sanctuary
dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord). In Him (and in
fellowship with one another) you yourselves also are being built up (into this
structure) with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in the
Spirit.
John
14:27 tells us that the peace of God is something
that people who do not know Jesus can’t even understand.
NO
JESUS = NO PEACE. NO PEACE = NO
JESUS!
V.
LOVE = SPIRITUAL MATURITY:
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.
In
the Book of Ephesians when Paul tells us to GROW UP… he talks about Unity, and
the church being “one Body.” He goes on to explain that when we finally live
our life in unity and harmony with others - THEN we are MATURE Christians – and
God will THEN be able to dwell in us “fully.”
Ephesians
3:16-19 says that God wants to dwell in us, with all
of HIS POWER and HIS GLORY – He wants to bring us into “all the fullness of God
and flood us with Himself!” It also
says that this will happen… WHEN we are living a life of unity and harmony
-“LOVE.”
The words “I love
others – like Jesus does” means nothing without putting them into action; and
is not fooling anyone! If we LOVE others – we will live in UNITY and HARMONY
with them!
1John 3:14 We know that
we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that
loveth not his brother abideth in death.
I Corinthians 13:11
AMP “When
I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a
child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put
them aside.
II Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brethren… Be perfect, be of
good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace
shall be with you.
SPIRITUALLY MATURE?
1. HOW MUCH FRUIT IS
EVIDENT IN YOUR LIFE?
John 15:16 Ye have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring
forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of
the Father in my name, he may give it you
Galatians
5:22 “tHE FRUIT OF THE
SPIRIT IS LOVE…”
2. DO YOU LOVE PEOPLE?
HOW MANY HAVE YOU TOLD ABOUT JESUS?
3. HOW MANY SICK
HAVE YOU PRAYED FOR?
4. HOW MANY DEVILS
HAVE YOU CASTED OUT?
Matthew 10:7-8 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils:
freely ye have received, freely give.
NO
EVIDENCE? - WHY NOT?
Matthew18:19: Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth… as touching any thing that they shall ask,
it shall be done for them of my FATHER, WHICH is in heaven.
Mark 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought
against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your
trespassesWhen you stand praying…
JAMES 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the
Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven
him. Galatians
5:6 … but faith which
worketh by love.
Matthew
5:44 But I say unto you,
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:46 For if ye love them which love you,
what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
IT
IS EASY TO SAY I LOVE THEM… I FORGIVE THEM;
BUT
WITHOUT CORRESPONDING ACTION,
THE
BIBLE SAYS WE LIE!
1John
2:4 KJV “He that
saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth
is not in him.”
I
John 2:10-11 KJV “He
that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of
stumbling in him. But he that hateth
his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he
goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
1 John 5:2 KJV
“By this we know that we love the
children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.”
Ephesians
is another book of the Bible that instructs us in the subject of loving others,
and being mature Christians. When we read chapter four of this book, especially
in the Amplified version – it becomes crystal clear that if we call our self
“Christian” – but do not live in harmony and love toward others – we are
fooling our selves! Just saying that we love and forgive others means. If we
don’t live in unity with them – we are deceived, and lying to our self.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV
tells us that God gave the 5-fold ministry to “MATURE” the Body of Christ… and vs.
13-14: “…until we all reach unity in the faith… and become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Then we will “…no
longer be an infant, tossed back and forth…”
Peter 1:4-10 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this,
giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if
these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be
barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind,
and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old
sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren,
give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these
things, ye shall never fall:
Matthew7:20-21
By their FRUIT you will know them; Not every one that says unto me, Lord,
Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven.
LOVE
= UNITY and HARMONY.
NO
UNITY = NO LOVE! . . . NO LOVE = NO GOD!
VI. WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK
LIKE?
Ø Love
is Patient.
Ø Love
is kind.
Ø Love
is never envious.
Ø Love
is not jealous.
Ø Love
is not boastful.
Ø Love
is not proud.
Ø Love
is not conceited.
Ø Love
is not rude.
Ø Love
does not insist on its own way.
Ø Love
is not self-seeking.
Ø Love
is not irritable.
Ø Love
is not fretful.
Ø Love
is not resentful.
Ø Love
keeps no records of wrongs.
Ø Love
does not rejoice at injustice.
Ø Love
rejoices when right and truth prevails.
Ø Love
never gives up!
Ø Love
never loses faith.
Ø Love
always hopes.
Ø Love
endures through every circumstance.
Ø Love
believes the best of others.
Ø
Love never fails! I Corinthians 13:
4-8
I Corinthians 13:1-3
“Though I speak with the tongues of
men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a
tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all
mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could
remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all
my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not
charity, it profiteth me nothing.”
2
Thessalonians 1:3 We
are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that
your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward
each other aboundeth;
God
bless you, and shine His face upon you. I pray that He will bring us each into
the fullness of His power – and mature us to be the “Dwelling place” that He
created us to be. (Eph. 3:17-19)
