LOVE Part 1
Patrick J van Rensburg
Mat 22:37 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matt 22:39 Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
“Love is giving another person what they need the most when they deserve it the least, at all cost”
God is Love
1 John 4:8 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (NIV)
Practicing Love means reflecting God’s light
John 13:34-35 (NIV) 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Jesus introduces a “new command”
In His day, there were 613 commandments in Jewish law. 365 negative ones and 248 positive ones. Rather concerning yourself with hundreds of details, focus on one essential thing! – LOVE
Matt 22: 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (NIV)
Jesus presents the content of the message:
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” By their love the disciples would be recognized as God’s people. What is the result? Many will be drawn to become disciples themselves
Three dimensions of God’s Love
Justice – God’s compassionate love in action – Compassion
Truth – God’s trustworthy love in action – Trustworthiness
Grace – God’s accepting love in action – Acceptance
Three dimensions of God’s Love use in the book of Psalms
Psalm 33:4 For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful (truth) in all he does. 5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love (grace). (NIV)
Psalm 36:5-6 (NIV) 5 Your love (GRACE), Lord,
reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness (TRUTH) to the skies. 6 Your righteousness (JUSTICE) is
like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and
animals.
LOVE = JUSTICE (Compassion) + TRUTH (Trustworthiness) + GRACE (Acceptance)
Justice – Compassion
Matthew 25:34-46 New International Version (NIV) 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Truth – Trustworthiness
John 3:21 New International Version (NIV) 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Grace – Acceptance
Matthew 18:21-24 New International Version (NIV) 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
- Deception – The result of stressing Justice and Grace and bypassing truth – Lie
- Mercilessness – Stressing Justice and Truth, but lack understanding of grace
- Injustice – Stressing Truth and Grace.
Love is hard work
Growing in LOVE is not easy. It requires effort and hard work. Love is hard work
Decide today that you are going to love
Put God first in everything you do
Start with your own house
Focus on God’s family
Participate in a Care Group.
Leave your comfort zone
Spend time with others