When Love is Loyal…

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.‘ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.‘ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22: 37-40

Jesus’ Meaning of Love Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:5

….love your neighbor as yourself. - Leviticus 19:18 Jesus’ Meaning of Love ….love your neighbor as yourself. - Leviticus 19:18

Meanings of Love Today An intense affectionate concern for another person. An intense sexual desire for another person. A beloved person. Often used as a term of endearment.

Meanings of Love Today A strong fondness or enthusiasm for something. To embrace or caress To like or desire enthusiastically; delight in something

In Our Culture Love = Feelings

What is this Love Jesus Spoke of? --Deuteronomy: A Suzerain-Vassal Treaty --God is the Suzerain He Swore to take care of His People Deut. 7:7-15 --His People are the Vassals Deut. 8:1-9

Suzerain-Vassal Treaty Deuteronomy 1. Preamble (1:1-5) 2. Historical Prologue (1:6-3:29) 3. Stipulations (chs. 4-26) 4. Blessings and Cursings (chs. 27-30) 5. Witnesses (chs. 31-34) This Love = Passionate Loyalty

bha The Hebrew word for love, “ahab”, means: Primarily, loyalty or faithfulness, Secondarily, passion. Loyalty leads to affection.

Love = Loyalty + Feelings In the Bible Love = Loyalty + Feelings

This Understanding Breaths Life Into Other Scripture "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15

This is love for God: to obey his commands This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. 1 John 5:3-4 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16

Love = Loyalty We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:19-21

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. John 4:10-12

“Do you love me?” “Feed my Sheep!” Jesus Asks Peter 3 Times John 21:15-17: “Do you love me?” “Feed my Sheep!”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

LOYALTY feelings + Biblical Love

Biblical Love The Three Perversions

The First Perversion Leads to Legalism

LOYALTY feelings + Biblical Love

LOYALTY minus + feelings

LOYALTY Fear Perversion of the Mind

Leads to hipocrisy and confusion The second Perversion Leads to hipocrisy and confusion

LOYALTY feelings + Biblical Love

LOYALTY + feelings

feelings + LOYALTY Perversion of the Will

The Third Perversion Leads to hedonism

LOYALTY + feelings Biblical Love

LOYALTY + FEELINGS feelings

Perversion of the Heart FEELINGS Perversion of the Heart

When Love is Loyal: We pledge our loyalty to God and trust in his spiritual provision. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4

When Love is Loyal: We cry out to God for a pure heart. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

When Love is Loyal: Prioritize and make covenants of loyalty: 1. To our Spouse and Children 2. To a few other Christians. (1 Samuel 18:2-4; 19:1-4) Expand loyalty to our family group. 4. Expand loyalty to the body of Christ by meeting together and using our gifts. (Jude 1:2, Ephesians 4:16) 5. Expand loyalty to the lost. (Jude 1:22-23)

God’s True Love Shines "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35

LOYALTY + feelings Biblical Love