October 11, 2004

Reading through the Bible in one Year: Proverbs 29-30

Weekly Memory Verse: Romans 12:5

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

This study will be posted a day late, I am typing it in the computer, but don’t have internet access where I am at this evening. 

1 Corinthians 13:3 (NASB95)
³ And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

2 John 6 (NASB95)
⁶ And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

Galatians 5:14 (NASB95)
¹⁴ For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

1 John 4:7-21 (NASB95)
⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷ By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love, because He first loved us. ²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.^[1]

Today’s study is about love.  We have a lot of views on love today, the term has become generic and means a lot of different things.  Yet the Bible says that “God is Love”.  I quoted a large section from scripture that establishes this fact.  Yet how many of us understand that God is “agape” love, not just a generic form of love, but a specific kind of love. Agape love does not love with an agenda, it loves without an agenda.  This love reaches beyond reason and loves others even when they are unlovely.  Paul stated that this agape love summed up the entire law.  In other words, this type of love was an example of what God is all about.  He loves.  God loves when things are good, when things are bad, and when things are just ok.  He always loves and that is the reason that Jesus was sent to die for our sin.

We have discussed the idea of agape love in depth before.  One of the passages that I have always found interesting is the one regarding Peter and love:

John 21:15-17 (NASB95)
¹⁵ So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.^[2]

For the sake of argument, I have put the word “agape” in bold letters, and the word “Phileo” in italics.  Peter understood the intense love that could only come from God.  He knew that if he claimed to agape love another person that he was loving them in spite of what they did to deserve the love.  They could spit in his face and he would still love them.  If they chose to crucify Peter, he would still love them (which they did).  It is not a love that a decision is made to love, it is a love that is freely given without expecting any return on the investment.  Phileo love is different, it is where I will love you, but you must return my love.  Otherwise, I will not love you again.  It describes a give and take relationship, one where both parties will benefit from the relationship.  Notice in the text above that Peter was being tested by Christ as to whether he had agape love or not.  After the second question, many would have reconsidered and tried to give the correct answer, Peter stuck to his guns and Jesus joined his side, he passed the test.  This is a different Peter than the one who stood with Jesus drawing a sword in the garden in order to defend his Lord and Savior.  Peter was taught humility by the occurrences of the cross.

The real question is how can we experience this love that Rick is writing about?  First, we have to understand what we are dealing with.  Then second we have to tap into the source of the love as John indicated in 1 John quoted above.  God is the source of agape love, and through His grace we are able to share this love with others. First John goes further, saying that it is not possible for the world to love each other in this unique way since this love comes directly from the God of love.  It is a unique love, unknown to the world, and only known experientially by believers.  This love that is given to us by God is intended to be shared with other believers. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (NASB95)
¹ 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 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 surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, ⁵ does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, ⁶ does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ^[3]

Is there anything that is not tolerated under agape love?  This love can only come from God, and cannot be understood by the world.  Therefore when God orders Christians to exercise love toward each other, it makes perfect sense.  Consider for a moment, Love is a gift from God.  It is expected to be exercised as a part of our Christianity.  According to First John and Paul in Corinthians, we also have the power to decide whether we are going to exercise this love in our lives or not. 

John 15:4-11 (NASB95)
⁴ “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. ⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. ⁶ “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. ⁷ “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. ⁹ “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.^[4]

John writes the words of Jesus as He explained the phenomenon of Love.  His love flows through us just like life giving sap flows from the roots to the vine to the branches of the vine.  God causes the love to water our lives and to empower our lives.  Imagine for a moment if the vine were to be rebellious and refuse to accept the sap from the root.  It would die, or at least be very sickly, and would not produce any fruit.  However, that is not God’s intention for the believer; His intention is that the believer will draw from the strength that God makes available to us.  Then make a choice to live life to its fullest, making full use of the love that God waters our lives with.

The way that we prove to be Jesus’ disciples is through the use of love in our lives.  As we live out and share this agape love with other believers, the world can see that God’s love flows through us.  There is a distinct difference between self serving love that the world has and the agape love that Jesus places in believer’s lives.  By making a choice to allow God to live this love through our lives, we will draw the world into the Kingdom of God.  I wonder how many believers are still stuck in the self serving love, not realizing that they have a much better way of living available to them.

Rick pointed out that the Ten Commandments are all about relationship; four relating to God and the remaining six relating to fellow men.   Perhaps the reason for this is because God is Love, He is the originator of relationships.  Remember, God created man to have fellowship with, not as a toy.  We are special in God’s eyes, and He created us in His image, He still wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us. 

For the rest of the lesson on Love look to Day Sixteen in the Purpose Driven Life book.  It is loaded with practical applications and further thought on the topic of love.  My midnight oil is running dry, so I am going to wrap up.  I hope to have this out to you early in the morning.  Thanks in advance for your patience.

Father, as we consider the mystery of Love, enlighten each of us and show us how to put into practice the truths that we have learned today.

In Him,

Joe Turner.