Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26 Minus Love Love’s Source Love in Action A Practical Question

Minus Love  Without love, all the other marks fall short. 1. Joy – Love = Hedonism; living for life’s pleasures without a sanctifying relationship to Jesus 2. Holiness – Love = Self-Righteousness; like the Pharisees, we become hypocrites 3. Truth – Love = Bitter Cold Orthodoxy; right teaching that does not win people 4. Mission – Love = Imperialism; colonialism in ecclesiastical dress 5. Unity – Love = Tyranny; no compassion for people nor an interest in involving them Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26

Minus Love  Love expressed in relationship to God and man yields all the other marks. 1. Love for God the Father leads to Joy! 2. Love for Jesus leads to Holiness! 3. Love for the Word of God leads to Truth! 4. Love for the world leads to Mission! 5. Love for Christian brothers and sisters leads to Unity! Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26

Love’s Source  Jesus says the source of love is God!  If you know God, then you know His nature.  Part of God’s nature and character is love.  Therefore, if we do not know love, then we do not know God – 1 John 4:7-8! Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26

1 John 4:7-8 (NASB) 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Love’s Source  Jesus says the source of love is God!  If you know God, then you know His nature.  Part of God’s nature and character is love.  Therefore, if we do not know love, then we do not know God – 1 John 4:7-8!  This was a foreign idea, a strange paradigm! Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26

Love’s Source  Jesus says the world does not know God as a God of love!  No Greek, no Roman, no Egyptian, no Babylonian in Christ’s day or any century before had ever thought of God’s essential nature as love!  The view of God was “you serve me, I’ll serve you.”  Jesus introduces an entirely new idea! Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26

Love’s Source  God’s extravagant love had sent Jesus (His one and only perfect Son) to die for us!  storge – fondness, usually within a family  philia – friendship, as in philanthropy  eros – sensual love, as in erotic  agape – word used to talk about God’s love A righteous, holy love A righteous, holy love A gracious, sovereign, everlasting love A gracious, sovereign, everlasting love Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26

Love in Action  Agape became the supreme word for talking about God’s love.  This was a new love initially revealed by God through Judaism.  But, now it is to be disclosed in its fullness in Jesus Christ through biblical Christianity.  God loved us first through Jesus and the cross so we could show that same kind of love to others. Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26

Love in Action  Jesus shows that we find love at the cross!  Jesus shows that we should also demonstrate love as He has.  Love is to be shown in us personally!  Why is Jesus concerned about this?  He is going away so the only way for others in the future to see Jesus in action is in us. Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26

A Practical Question  How do we put this amazing love of God into practice?  We need to love one another by listening to each other.  We need to be sharing ourselves – time, talents, finances, and what is going on with us spiritually. (That presumes we are growing!)  We need to be serving others. Get involved in others’ messy lives in order to share our messy lives. Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26

Application How are you doing love? Are you listening to others? Are you sharing your life with others? Are you serving others? What is holding you back in this area? Mark #6 – Love John 17:23-26