Gripped By His Love
INTRO: Many people make resolutions around this time of the year. They are usually about losing weight, better grades, breaking habits, reading the Bible, attending church better, etc. But love? Seldom do they plan on more love. I hope I can show more love this year.
Love has been the focus of many things. Stories, movies, poems, and more have been captivated by stories of love. Yet it also has been abused and blamed for actions not so pure. But love is important to us as Christians and important as well to unbelievers.
Before we look at anything else, let us remember God is love according to 1 John 4:8. Nothing the devil sends our way or nothing he substitutes compares to the real thing. God’s love is strong and compelling.
I want to talk about love tonight. We just cannot escape love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 KJV 13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
1 John 4:7-13 KJV 7Beloved,
let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born
of God, and knoweth God.
8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God
sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and
sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God
dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath
given us of his Spirit.
To Love God
Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV 5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deuteronomy 10:12 KJV 12And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
To give strangers - Deut 10:19
Deuteronomy 10:19 KJV 19Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
To give neighbors – Matt 22:39
Matthew 22:39 KJV 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
To share with our “brethren” - John 13:35; John 15:12
John
13:35 KJV 35By this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 15:12 KJV 12This is my commandment, That ye love one
another, as I have loved you.
To increase with others around us– 1 Thes 3:12
1 Thessalonians 3:12 KJV 12And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
Love is commended to us (from God) – Rom 5:8
Romans 5:8 KJV 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
As unworthy
Galatians 5:6 KJV 6For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Not the lack of actions
Faith is driven by love
Galatians 5:22 KJV 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Love boosts faith
Ephesians 3:17-19 KJV 17That
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in
love,
18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye
might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Rooted and grounded in love
Brought alive in His love – 18
Gain knowledge of Christ in His love
Ephesians 5:2 KJV 2And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Mirrors in us
Colossians 1:8 KJV 8Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
Colossians 3:8-14 KJV 8But now
ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication out of your mouth.
9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man
with his deeds;
10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after
the image of him that created him:
11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor
uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is
all, and in all.
12Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have
a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond
of perfectness.
Helps us fit our new role – 10
Helps us be like Christ - 13d
1 John 4:7-12 KJV 7Beloved,
let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born
of God, and knoweth God.
8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God
sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and
sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God
dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
We can know it
We can believe it
We can dwell in it
He can dwell in us
Gary Marcum – New Beginnings Church – 010310pm