The Christian Life is a Life of Love!

1
The Christian Life is a Life of Love!

• Love isnt something we are in it is something
  that we do
• Love is active Good Will!
• For God so loved the world that He gave His only
  begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
  not perish but have everlasting life. (John 316)

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True Love isActive Good Will

• Gods love for man compelled him to act
  decisively for our salvation (cf. John 316)

3
John 316

• For God so loved the world that He gave His only
  begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
  not perish but have everlasting life.

4
True Love isActive Good Will

• Gods love for man compelled him to act
  decisively for our salvation (cf. John 316)
• The Love which God has shown teaches us how to
  love each other (1 John 410-11)

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1 John 410-11

• 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.

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True Love isActive Good Will

• Gods love for man compelled him to act
  decisively for our salvation (cf. John 316)
• The Love which God has shown teaches us how to
  love each other (1 John 410-11)
• Love is to be expressed as an active force in our
  day-to-day dealing with others (1 John 316-18)

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1 John 316-18

• By this we know love, because He laid down His
  life for us. And we also ought to lay down our
  lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this
  world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and
  shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of
  God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us
  not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in
  truth.

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Who Should We Love?(Matthew 22)

• Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a
  question, testing Him, and saying, 36 Teacher,
  which is the great commandment in the law? 37
  Jesus said to him, You shall love the LORD your
  God with all your heart, with all your soul, and
  with all your mind. 38 This is the first and
  great commandment. 39 And the second is like it
  You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On
  these two commandments hang all the Law and the
  Prophets.

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Who Should We Love?(Matthew 22)

• God The Supreme Object of My Love
• Lk. 1426 Matt. 633 Psa. 11997 1 Jn. 52-3

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Luke 1426

• If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his
  father and mother, wife and children, brothers
  and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he
  cannot be My disciple.
• Even the fondest of earthly loves becomes hatred
  by comparison

11
Matthew 633

• But seek first the kingdom of God and His
  righteousness, and all these things shall be
  added to you.
• We demonstrate our love for God by placing the
  things of God supreme in our priorities. Its
  something that we do!

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Psalm 11997

• Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all
  the day.
• When we study, meditate and learn from the
  Scriptures, and seek opportunities to teach it to
  others, and defend it against its foes, then I am
  evidencing my deep, supreme love for God.

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1 John 52-3

• By this we know that we love the children of
  God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
  3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His
  commandments. And His commandments are not
  burdensome.
• If I truly love God, I will seek to learn his
  will and obey that will in all things.

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Who Should We Love?(Matthew 22)

• God The Supreme Object of My Love
• Lk. 1426 Matt. 633 Psa. 11997 1 Jn. 52-3
• Loving My Neighbor The Secondary Object of Love
• Lk. 1029-36 Jn. 1335 1 Cor. 1231 Matt.
  544 Rom. 1219-21

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Luke 1036-37

• So which of these three do you think was
  neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? 37
  And he said, He who showed mercy on him. Then
  Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise.
• The neighbor we love is anyone whose needs we are
  in a position to meet. Again, it is doing!

16
John 1335

• By this all will know that you are My disciples,
  if you have love for one another.
• We especially should have love for those of like
  precious faith.

17
1 Corinthians 1231

• But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I
  show you a more excellent way.
• While spiritual gifts were important, the
  greatest of all things which abides forever is
  love (cf. 1313).

18
Matthew 544

• But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those
  who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and
  pray for those who spitefully use you and
  persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your
  Father in heaven for He makes His sun rise on
  the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the
  just and on the unjust.
• Jesus even commands us to love our enemies!

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Romans 1219-21

• Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather
  give place to wrath for it is written,
  Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.
  20 Therefore If your enemy is hungry, feed him
  If he is thirsty, give him a drink For in so
  doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.
  21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
  with good.

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Who Should We Love?(Matthew 22)

• God The Supreme Object of My Love
• Lk. 1426 Matt. 633 Psa. 11997 1 Jn. 52-3
• Loving My Neighbor The Secondary Object of Love
• Lk. 1029-36 Jn. 1335 1 Cor. 1231 Matt.
  544 Rom. 1219-21
• Loving Myself The Final Object of Love
• Not 2 Tim. 31-5 But, Matt. 2239 Eph. 528
• Care and protection of self. Highest Good.

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2 Timothy 31-5

• But know this, that in the last days perilous
  times will come 2 For men will be lovers of
  themselves, 5 having a form of godliness but
  denying its power. And from such people turn
  away!
• In this context, self love becomes selfish love!
  We love self more than we love God!

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Matthew 2239

• And the second is like it You shall love your
  neighbor as yourself.
• We are to seek our neighbors welfare as we seek
  our own. We are to seek our own highest good.
  But, our highest good is served when we live
  righteously before God!

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Ephesians 528

• So husbands ought to love their own wives as
  their own bodies he who loves his wife loves
  himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh,
  but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord
  does the church.
• Same as before. We are to seek our wifes
  welfare as we seek our own.

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Conclusion

• We should emulate Jesus in our expressions of
  love
• who went about doing good and healing all who
  were oppressed by the devil, for God was with
  Him. (Acts
  1038)