A Faith Decision
FOUNDATION STATEMENT: As a born again child of God this commandment of love is not
optional. This is commandment of
love is not something that you do just when you feel like doing it. Because it’s a commandment you’re
feelings about keeping it carry no weight.
You have been given a commandment by your commander
and chief and you keep that commandment whether you feel like doing it
or not. No excuse is a good excuse
for violating the commandment of love. - 1 John 3:23
I.
Your willingness to grow
and develop in the character of love will directly determine your ability to
get results in your life
A. No Character = No power
– No power = No results (Power
is the ability to get results)
1.
Without
the character of love in place in your life you will get not results
B. A CALL FOR CHARACTER
1.
The
character of love says, “How are my
actions affecting the prosperity of others?”
2.
The
character of love says what can I do to bring prosperity into the lives of
others
II. You have to settle it right now, that
you’re not going to love other people because you feel like loving them, but
you are going to love other people because you’ve been commanded to do so by
God and you’re going to keep that commandment by faith.
A. This is a commandment,
not a nice suggestion (1 Jn 3:23, Jn 13:34)
1.
This
is a commandment and me keeping it has nothing to do with my feelings
a. I don’t keep the
commandment of love because I feel like it, I keep it because it’s a
commandment
2.
My
feelings have nothing to do with me loving you
a. God didn’t tell me to
love you when I felt like doing it, He commanded me to love you all of the time
b. I might not feel like
keeping this commandment all of the time and chances are I won’t, but my
feelings are not why I keep this commandment
B. You settle it from the
start (Ephesians 3:17)
1.
When
you’re rooted and grounded in something that means you committed to it from the
beginning
2.
You
have to settle it right now and make the decision right now that you’re going
to be a steward of the commandment of love come hell or high water
a. You don’t wait until
you’re in the middle of a situation to make this decision. You make this decision now so that when
you get in the middle of a situation you don’t have to decide whether or not to
stay in love because you’ve already decided.
b. If you don’t make that
decision now, you won’t do it when you’re under pressure
3.
Do
it over the communion table
a. This is something that
you settle once and for all
C. There is no good excuse
for violating this commandment of love and if you have a reason for violating
it then you either get rid of the reason or ignore it
1.
It
makes no difference what they did to you, what they said about you, or how they
treated you fifteen years ago
2.
I’m
not searching for a feeling to with, I have been given a commandment
D. You’re
loving
by faith. To love by faith simply
means that you’re not loving because you feel like
loving. Your sole purpose for
loving is God told you to do it.
III. The Agape Love of God vs. The Human Love
A. (1) Agape is love that
has no limits (Luke 6:27-29)
1.
Agape
does not have boundaries set for operation
a. Agape doesn’t have a
limit set where it will stop loving you
b. As far as you push agape,
that’s as far as agape will go
2.
Human
is limited; Human love say’s I only go this far
a. Human has set boundaries
for its operation and it can only work in a certain boundary
b. Human love says I’ll love
you but I have a limit and when you cross that limit I’ll stop loving you
B. (2) Agape is
unconditional love (Luke 6:27-28)
1.
Under
the conditions of you hating me, I can still love you
a. No matter what the
conditions are agape loves
b. The conditions don’t
change agape
1)
No
matter what the conditions are my response will always be the love of God
2.
Human
love is conditional
a. The conditions have to be
right for human love to love you
1)
Human
love says, “As long as you don’t do this,
I’ll love you.”
b. Human love changes when
the conditions change
1)
Human
love says my response is based on the conditions and
for me to respond in love the conditions have to be right
C. (3) Agape is one-sided
love (Luke 6:27-28, 32-33)
1.
Your
side doesn’t have to be right for my side to say agape
a. There’s hate on that
side, but love on my side
b. No matter what you do on
your side, you’re going to see agape on my side
2.
Human
love is two-sided
a. Human love says you got
to do what’s right on your side if you expect to see love on my side –
You can’t hate me and expect me to love you
D. (4) Agape doesn’t do what
you’re doing to it, but Agape does what it would
have you do to me (Luke 6:31)
1.
Human
love does what’s done to it
E. (5) Agape is unqualified
love (Luke 6:35)
1.
Agape
is kind to the unthankful and to the evil
a. Agape doesn’t need you to
be good and thankful for it to love
1)
Agape
needs no qualifications for it to love you
b. You don’t have to qualify
or earn agape with right actions
2.
Human
love must be qualified for and earned
a. Human love says I’ll love
if you do these things to qualify
b. Human love only loves the
lovely and what is easy to love
F. (6) Agape is a love not
based on feelings
1.
When
agape doesn’t feel like loving you, it keeps loving
a. Agape loves when the
feelings leave
2.
Human
love says I’ll only love you when I feel like it
G. (7) Agape is a love that
requires no response (Luke 6:35)
1.
Agape
gives and gives even if it is never responded to, thanked, or acknowledge
a. Agape expects nothing in
return because it’s never about the return to agape, it’s always about the
release
2.
Human
love needs to be responded to and acknowledge and if it’s not human love will
get it’s feelings hurt
a. Human love is selfish and
always expects something in return for the love that it is showing (Luke 6:35)
H. (8) Agape love is
merciful (Luke 6:36)
1.
Agape
is quick to forgive
a. Agape makes the decision
to forgive long before it is wronged
b. Agape forgives the way that
God forgave it (Ephesians 4:32)
2.
Human
love will hold onto it when it is wronged
a. Human love says I might
forgive, but I’ll never forget
I. (9) Agape love is not
judgmental or critical (Luke 6:37)
1.
Agape
is not looking for what’s wrong with you; agape is looking at what’s right with
you
a. Agape is edifying,
uplifting, and it builds people up
2.
Human
love is critical and judgmental
a. Human love majors on what
is wrong with you
b. What’s the flesh’s
infatuation with having to make note of the negative
IV. To love like this requires a faith decision. That’s means I do it solely based on the
Word. A faith decision to love
(Matthew 14:1-14)
A. Jesus and John’s
relationship
1.
They
were cousins, but there was also a ministerial relationship between them
because other than Jesus, John was the only man that walked in the office of a
prophet and in the power of the Holy Ghost while Jesus was on the Earth
B. Jesus gets this awful new
that is best friend and cousin had been brutally murdered and he tries to take
a few minutes alone by himself, but the people followed him
1.
He
didn’t feel like walking in love, he didn’t feel like ministering to this
people, but he did it by faith and healed their sick
2.
Love
(God/The Word) motivated him; not the feeling, the person called love himself
C. This looked weak because
he didn’t go after Herod, but Jesus didn’t fight battles in the natural. His real enemy was Satan and that day he
attacked his kingdom by healing the sick.
V. The love of God is a force that has the appearance of
weakness, but is stronger than any force in existence.
A. To walk in love is to
step aside and allow the power of God to come between you and the situation
with which you are dealing (Romans 8:37)
1.
Satan
will try to tell you that if you walk in love you’re being weak and you’re being
walked on, because when you’re walking in love to the world it might appear to
be foolish and weak
a. 1 Corinthians 1:27
2.
In
all these things I am more than a conqueror because in all these things you
can’t get me out of love and if you can’t get me out of love then you cannot
defeat me.
a. If you can’t keep me from
loving, then
you can’t keep me from conquering
B. Jesus looked weak and he
looked foolish being whipped and tormented in the crucifixion, but all
throughout that whole process he stayed in love and what appeared weak and
helpless on the cross showed up in awesome power and tore hell apart and rose
from the dead and said all power both in Heaven and in Earth has been given to
me and now he’s seated far above all principality, power, might, dominion, and
every name that’s named. (Matt
28:18, Colossians 2:14, Hebrews 2:14)
1.
What
appeared to be weak wasn’t weak at all