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A SPIRITUAL FAMILY THAT LOVES

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.     In a lesson last week, we looked at “God’s Spiritual Family.”

 

B.      In that lesson, we learned that there are two rules that should guide every family.

1.       To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

2.       To love your neighbor, in this case your family members, as yourself.

3.       Mark 12:30-31

 

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:  this is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these.

 

C.     We noted that loving God means more than merely mouthing the words.  Loving God involves the manifestation of diligent obedience to His will (1 John 2:3-5).

 

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoso keepeth his words in him verily is the love of God perfected:  hereby know we that we are in him.

 

D.     We barely touched on the second commandment, that is, to love one’s neighbor as self.  We wanted to look at that subject in a separate lesson.  Thus, the title of this lesson is:  “A Spiritual Family that Loves.”

 

I.                    LOVE ONE ANOTHER

 

A.     Fourteen times in the New Testament the actual phrase, “love one another,” is written.

 

B.      Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John all exhort us to love one another.

1.       Jesus (John 15:12)

 

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

 

2.       Paul (Rom. 13:8)

 

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another:  for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

 

3.       Peter (1 Pet. 1:22)

 

…see that ye love another with a pure heart fervently.

 

4.       John (1 John 3:11)

 

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

 

C.     There are other passages that exhort us to love without using the phrase “love one another.”

1.       Romans 12:10

 

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.

 

2.       Hebrews 10:24

 

And let us consider one another to provoke to love and good works.

 

II.                 THE DECRIPTION OF LOVE

 

A.     Our love should be a DIVINE LOVE.

1.       John 13:34

 

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 

 

2.       Notice Jesus commands us to love one another “as I have loved you.” 

a.       Jesus is the standard as to how we are to love.

b.      We could spend a lot of time studying Jesus in the gospels and learning what it means to love as He loved.

c.       Fortunately, we have a shortcut found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.  Paul describes this divine love with sixteen descriptions.

 

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  Charity never faileth…

 

1)      We need to accurately define each of the terms Paul used to describe divine love.

2)      Then, we need to find ways to consistently apply them within the body of Christ.

 

B.      Our love should be PURE LOVE.

1.       The definition of pure that we use here is genuine, real, and sincere.

2.       It is a love that does not involve hypocrisy.

a.       Some people want to be loved, but they do not want to love.

b.      Some people will love you to your face, but hate you behind your back.

c.       Some will tell you they are seeking your best interest while plotting against you behind the scenes.

3.       1 Peter 1:22

 

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeign love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.

 

4.       Paul made a similar statement in 1 Timothy 1:5.

 

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.

 

C.     Our love should be a SACRIFICIAL LOVE.

1.       Definition:  to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else (www.dictionary.com).

2.       This is a component of divine love.

a.       “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…” (John 3:16).

b.      “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…” (1 John 3:16).

3.       Most of us will never be called upon to sacrifice our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

a.       We may have to sacrifice our time.

b.      We may be called on to sacrifice our talents.

c.       We could be asked to sacrifice our treasures.

4.       NOTE:  If it does not cost us something, is it really a sacrifice?

 

D.     Our love should be a LABORING LOVE.

1.       1 Thessalonians 1:3

 

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Saviour.

 

2.       A mother has a deep love for her children.  Question:  Does that love manifest itself in work?  Cooking.  Cleaning.  Washing.  Doctoring.  Teaching.  Counseling.  Transporting.  Comforting.

3.       It is interesting that when some are asked to labor on behalf of their brothers and sisters in Christ, they recoil at the thought, and they refuse to do the work.

 

E.      Our love should be an ENDURING LOVE.

1.       In the description of love provided by Paul, he ends with these words:  Charity “endureth all things.  Charity never faileth.” (1 Cor. 13;7-8).

2.       The word “endure” means “to bear up under,” and “to bear ill treatment bravely and calmly.

3.       Love does not have to approve. 

Love does not have to fellowship.

Love does not have to support.

But, love does have to continue.

 

F.      Our love should be a DICIPLINING LOVE.

1.       God disciplines us, and we understand that it is out of love (Heb. 12:6).

2.       Parents discipline their children, and we understand that it is out of love (Prov. 13:24).

3.       Why doesn’t the same principle hold true when the church disciplines her members? 

a.       The purpose of discipline is to save the soul (1 Cor. 5:5).

 

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

 

b.      There is no greater act of love than an attempt to save the soul of the individual.

 

III.              HINDRANCES TO LOVE

 

A.     Pride

1.       The Bible tells us that love “seeketh not her own” (1 Cor. 13:5).

2.       Pride, however, is all about “me, myself, and I.”

3.       There are some who boastfully proclaim:  “I will not love that person regardless of what God has commanded me.”  That’s a statement filled with pride and arrogance.

4.       Proverbs 16:5

Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord…

 

B.      Prejudice

1.       The word “prejudice” involves two parts:  “pre” and “judging.” 

2.       There are some who have a difficult time loving others because they are quick to prejudge them.

a.       First impression

b.      Color of their skin

c.       Where the individuals is from

d.      Affiliation with a political party

e.       Beliefs that a person holds dear

3.       The command to love does not say:  “Love another unless you find something you don’t like about him or her.” 

4.       Love is so comprehensive that it even involves a person’s enemies (Matt. 5:44; Rom. 5:8).

 

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

C.     Personalities

1.       There are some personalities that tend to rub one another the wrong way.

a.       Two domineering personalities

b.      One weak and one strong personality

c.       A feeling personality versus a very rational personality

d.      An organized personality verses one who likes spontaneity

2.       If they do not like to be around one another, it is difficult for them to show love to one another.

 

D.     Problems

1.       When two individuals have conflict, it is difficult to express love.

2.       There are certainly no feelings of love.

3.       Too, there is often no desire to do the right thing for the other person if conflict has happened.

 

E.      Paucity

1.       Paucity is defined as scarceness.

2.       How do brothers and sisters in Christ who spend little or no time with one another truly every love one another?  (NOTE:  This is true when the amount of time we spend with our brothers and sisters in Christ is one hour or less per week.  We come in late. We worship.  We leave as quickly as possible.  Love is not even manifested much less cultivated).

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.     As the family of God, love ought to be the main trait that all of us seek to develop.

1.       Paul tells us that if we have not charity, we are nothing (1 Cor. 13:2).

2.       Paul lists many needful and important Christian qualities in Colossians 3:12-13.  Then in verse 14, he writes;  “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

 

B.      John 13:35

 

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have lone one to another.