All You Need Is Love

1

“All You Need is Love??”

June 25, 2017

Romans 12:9-21New Living Translation (NLT)

9Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.10Love each other with genuine affection,[a]and take delight in honoring each other.11Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[b]12Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.13When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.15Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.16Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.18Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”[c]
says theLord.

20Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”[d]

21Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

IN 1967 THE BEATLES CAME OUT WITH ANOTHER HIT SONG….SOME OF YOU WILL REMEMBER THE WORDS….

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

ROMANS 12:9 SAYS…..Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.

DOES THAT MEAN THAT THE BEATLES AND THE BIBLE SAY THE SAME THING?

IS ALL YOU NEED AS A CHRISTIAN IS “LOVE?”

THAT ALL DEPENDS! IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOUR DEFINITION OF “LOVE” IS!

OXFORD DICTIONARY:

1. An intense feeling of deep affection. (A FEELING)

2. A strong feeling of sexual attraction for someone. (A SEXUAL FEELING)

3. Affectionate greetings conveyed to someone on one's behalf. (GIVE HER MY LOVE)

4. A great interest and pleasure in something. (I LOVE FOOTBALL)

5. A person or thing that one loves. (SHE IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE)

6. The score of zero in tennis.

NOW….THE PROBLEM IS THAT NONE OF THESE DEFINITIONS ARE CORRECT FOR THE WORD THE BIBLE USES HERE!

ONE OF THE VERY FIRST THINGS TO DO IF YOU WANT TO BE A “REAL CHRISTIAN”….IS TO DECIDE WHO/WHAT IS YOUR AUTHORITY!! WHO ARE YOU GOING TO LISTEN TO WHEN IT COMES TO DECIDING HOW YOU ARE GOING TO GUIDE YOU LIFE AND WHAT YOUR ATTITUDES ARE TO BE AS A CHRISTIAN.

HOW DO YOU MAKE DECISION ABOUT RIGHT AND WRONG???

IS THE CULTURE AROUND US YOUR AUTHORITY?

ARE YOUR OWN PERSONAL FEELINGS YOUR AUTHORITY??

OR IS THE BIBLE REALLY YOUR AUTHORITY FOR ALL THINGS IN FAITH AND LIFE??

I WOULD SUGGEST TO YOU THAT IF YOU WANT TO BE A REAL CHRISTIAN THAT THE BIBLE NEEDS TO BE YOUR AUTHORITY! AND EVERY CHRISTIAN NEEDS TO LEARN TO NOT ONLY READ THE BIBLE BUT TO INTERPRET THE BIBLE RIGHTLY!

AND IT IS NOT HARD TO DO! EVERYONE HERE CAN LEARN TO INTERPRET THE BIBLE RIGHTLY! BUT IT TAKES SOME DESIRE ON YOUR PART TO WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE BIBLE REALLY SAYS…..AND NOT MERELY WHAT OUR SOCIETY WANTS IT TO SAY!

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IN BIBLE INTERPRETATION (AND EVERYONE INTERPRETS THE BIBLE) IS THAT WE TAKE OUR ENGLISH DEFINITIONS AND APPLY THEM AUTOMATICALLY WITHOUT THINKING.

THE TRUTH IS…..THE BIBLE USES A GREEK WORD HERE IN THE N.T. FOR LOVE!!! AND THERE IS NO SINGLE ENGLISH WORD THAT INTERPRETS PROPERLY THE GREEK WORD THAT IS USED!

THE GREEK LANGUAGE, YOU SEE, IS MUCH MORE EXACT THAT THE ENGLISH! IN THE GREEK THERE IS THERE IS 4 SEPARATE WORDS WITH 4 DIFFERENT MEANINGS AND THEY ARE ALL TRANSLATED IN OUR ENGLISH BIBLES AS “LOVE.”

BUT PASTOR…..I CAN’T LEARN GREEK!! YOU DON’T HAVE TO…..YOU CAN CARE ENOUGH ABOUT REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE…..THAT YOU CAN GET BIBLE STUDY HELPS THAT TELL YOU ALL THIS IN ENGLISH!!!

EROS= (EROTIC) SEXUAL LOVE…PHYSICAL LOVE

STORGE= FAMILY AFFECTION…LOVE BETWEEN FAMILY MEMBERS

PHILIA= THE WARMTH OF FRIENDSHIP LOVE; (PHILADELPHIA….CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE)

AGAPE= THE MOST COMMON WORD IN THE N.T. FOR LOVE; VERY RARELY USED IN CLASSICAL GREEK; ALMOST LIKE IT IS A VERY SPECIAL KIND OF LOVE THAT THE N.T. USES THAT IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER LOVE. AGAPE OR IT’S DERIVITIVES ARE USED OVER 250 TIMES IN THE N.T.

THE OTHER 3 WORDS FOR LOVE ALL HAVE TO DO WITH “FEELINGS” OF ONE KIND OR ANOTHER.

BUT AGAPE DOESN’T HAVE TO DO WITH FEELINGS LIKE THE OTHERS. AGAPE HAS TO DO WITH THE MIND OR THE WILL. TO AGAPE SOMEONE IS TO WILL TO ACT LOVINGLY TO THEM WHETHER THEY ARE LOVEABLE OR NOT…..WHETHER WE LIKE THEM OR NOT!

AGAPE IS THE UNIQUELY CHRISTIAN TERM FOR LOVE WHICH MEANS WE ARE TO LOVE OUR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS; OUR NEIGHBORS; OUR ENEMIES; AND EVEN ALL THE WORLD!

AGAPE LOVE….MEANS THAT NO MATTER WHAT SOMEONE IS LIKE…..NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO…..OR WHAT WE FEEL ABOUT THEM…..AGAPE LOVE ALWAYS SEEKS THE OTHER PERSON’S HIGHEST GOOD. IT IS THE LOVE THAT GOD HAS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD!

IN FACT, CHRISTIAN AGAPE LOVE IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE NATURAL MAN. NO ONE CAN AGAPE LOVE WITHOUT THE “LOVE OF GOD BEING SHED ABROAD IN THEIR HEARTS” (ROM. 5:5)

IT IS TO “LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART, SOUL, MIND, AND STRENGTH” AND TO “LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES.”

NOT TO HAVE LOVING FEELINGS FOR EVERYONE…..NO EVEN TO LIKE EVERYONE…..BUT TO LOVE AS GOD LOVES….WHO AS JESUS SAYS IN MATTHEW 5:43-48…..43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a]and hate your enemy.’44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,45that you may be childrenof your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?Are not even the tax collectors doing that?47And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

HOW DOES THE BIBLE EXPECT US TO BE AS PERFECT AS OUR HEAVENLY FATHER? IN LOVE! GOD WILLS THAT EVERY CHRISTIAN BE “PERFECT IN LOVE!!”

NOW THE PROBLEM WITH OUR CULTURE IS THAT WE HAVE SOME MESSED UP IDEAS ABOUT LOVE!!! MOST OF THE TIME…..OUR IDEAS ABOUT LOVE ARE NOT BIBLICAL AT ALL!!! IN OUR CULTURE…..LOVE ALWAYS HAS TO DO WITH FEELINGS OF ONE KIND OR ANOTHER!

EVEN WORSE…….OUR CULTURE BELIEVES THAT YOU CAN’T LOVE SOMEONE AND JUDGE THEM AT THE SAME TIME!! THE ULTIMATE SIN IN OUR SECULAR CULTURE IS TO JUDGE SOMEONE. THEY EVEN TAKE THE BIBLE OUT OF CONTEXT AND QUOTE: “JUDGE NOT!”

BUT THE SAME BIBLE THAT SAYS IN OUR VERSES TO : 9“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.” ALSO SAYS IN THE VERY NEXT PHRASE: “HATE WHAT IS WRONG.”

THE APOSTLE PAUL IN I CORINTHIANS GIVES US AN ILLUSTRATION:

1 Corinthians 5:1-2(NIV)

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.2And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourningand have put out of your fellowshipthe man who has been doing this?

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 (NIV)

9I wrote to you in my letter not to associatewith sexually immoral people—10not at all meaning the people of this worldwho are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.11But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[a]but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolateror slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

12What business is it of mine to judge those outsidethe church? Are you not to judge those inside?13God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”[b]

IN VERSE 5…..PAUL GIVES THE REASON WHY THEY SHOULD EXPELL THE MAN…..”SO THAT THE SINFUL NATURE MAY BE DESTROYED AND HIS SPIRIT SAVED ON THE DAY OF THE LORD!”

YOU SEE…..PAUL JUDGED THE PERSON BECAUSE HE LOVED HIM…..AND DIDN’’T WANT TO SEE HIM LOST BECAUSE OF HIS SINFUL LIFE!

IN 2 CORINTHIANS 2…..WHEN THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH JUDGED THE SINFUL BEHAVIOR OF THE MAN…..IN FACT, HE DID REPENT AND TURN FROM HIS SIN. AND PAUL WROTE THE CHURCH AGAIN AND LISTEN TO WHAT HE TOLD THEM:

“I WROTE YOU OUT OF GREAT DISTRESS AND ANGUISH OF HEART AND WITH MANY TEARS, NOT TO GRIEVE YOU BUT TO LET YOU KNOW THE DEPTH OF MY LOVE FOR YOU…..THE PUNISHMENT INFLICTED ON HIM BY THE MAJORITY IS SUFFICIENT FOR HIM. NOW INSTEAD, YOU OUGHT TO FORGIVE AND COMFORT HIM, SO THAT HE WILL NOT BE OVERWHELMED BY EXCESSIVE SORROW. I URGE YOU, THERREFORE, TO REAFFIRM YOUR LOVE FOR HIM.”

YOU SEE…..AGAPE LOVE AND JUDGMENT ARE NOT OPPOSITES AT ALL! IN FACT, IF YOU REALLY CARE FOR SOMEONE’S SALVATION AND FORGIVENESS…..YOU WILL HELP THEM TO SEE THEIR ERRORS AND PRAY FOR THEM TO REPENT!

THAT’S WHY PAUL CAN SAY: “LOVE MUST BE SINCERE. HATE WHAT IS EVIL; CLING TO WHAT IS GOOD….”

JAMES 5:19-20 PUTS IT THIS WAY…..James 5:19-20(NIV)

19My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truthand someone should bring that person back,20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will savethem from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

IT WAS JESUS WHO TOLD HIS DISCIPLES IN JOHN 7:24…

24Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

YOU SEE…..TO AGAPE LOVE SOMEONE AND TO JUDGE SOMEONE ARE NOT OPPOSITES AT ALL IN THE BIBLE! TO AGAPE LOVE SOMEONE…..YOU MUST LEARN TO JUDGE THEM CORRECTLY AND NOT BY MERE APPEARANCES!!

Let me give you a real life example of this AGAPE LOVE…..

Bible College professor YohannaKatanacho pastored a small church in the Israeli city of Jerusalem. As a Palestinian living in Israel, and a Christian to boot, he faces a wide variety of persecution. One of the more dangerous forms of harassment comes from the Israeli soldiers who patrol the city, looking for potential terrorists. These soldiers routinely impose spontaneous curfews on Palestinians, and even have the legal right to shoot at a Palestinian if he or she does not respond quickly enough to their summons.

Christ's command in the Sermon on the Mount to "love your enemies" seemed impossible to Yohanna. And yet there it was—unambiguous and unchanging. "For me, love was an active and counter-cultural decision, because I was living in a culture that promoted hatred of the other," Yohanna says. "And not only did the context promote hate, but the circumstances fed it on a daily basis—the newspapers, television, media, neighbors, everything. One of the markers of the Israeli Jews and the Palestinian Arabs is alienating the other. To break that marker, I must have some other worldview."

At first, Yohanna tried and failed in his attempts to feel love. Instead, the Israeli soldiers' random, daily checks for Palestinian identification cards—sometimes stopping them for hours—fed Yohanna's fear and anger. As he confessed his inability to God, Yohanna realized something significant. The radical love of Christ is not an emotion, but a decision. He decided to show love, however reluctantly, by sharing the gospel message with the soldiers on the street. With new resolution, Yohanna began to carry copies of a flyer with him, written in Hebrew and English, with a quotation from Isaiah 53 and the words "Real Love" printed across the top. Every time a soldier stopped him, he handed him both his ID card and the flyer. Because the quote came from the Hebrew Scriptures, the soldier usually asked him about it before letting him go.

After several months of this, Yohanna suddenly noticed his feelings toward the soldiers had changed. "I was surprised, you know?" he says. "It was a process, but I didn't pay attention to that process. My older feelings were not there anymore. I would pass in the same street, see the same soldiers as before, but now find myself praying, 'Lord,letthem stop me, so that I can share with them the love of Christ.'"

"When Love Is Impossible,"Trinity Magazine(Fall 2005), p. 16-17

9Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.10Love each other with genuine affection…..

LOVE AS GOD LOVES! IS GOD GOING TO JUDGE THE WORLD? YES! WILL ALL CHRISTIANS STAND BEFORE THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST? YES! (ROMANS 14:10-12)

TO “LOVE AS GOD LOVES” IS NOT NATURAL FOR US! IN FACT, IT IS JUST THE OPPOSITE!

WE MUST BE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD…..TO BE ABLE TO LOVE LIKE GOD!

AS PAUL SAYS….”THE LOVE OF GOD MUST BE POURED INTO OUR HEARTS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT WHOM HE HAS GIVEN US!”

I CORINTHIANS 14:1…..”MAKE LOVE YOUR AIM!!”

NEXT WEEK IS INDEPENDENCE DAY SUNDAY…..WE WILL CONTINUE THE REST OF THIS PASSAGE…..AND DEAL WITH SOME OF THE OTHER ISSUES THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT “GOD’S AGAPE LOVE” AND THE FREEDOM HE HAS GIVEN US TO NO LONGER “LIVE AS THE NON-CHRISTIANS LIVE….BUT TO LIVE A LIFE OF “AGAPE LOVE.”