B IBLICAL L OVE Introduction Questions

B IBLICAL L OVE Introduction Questions

1. There is no such thing as love at first sight. 2. God has one particular husband/wife chosen for everyone (whom we will eventually marry). 3. Males are more obsessed with sex than females. 4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it to date during High School? 5. Most people (75% or higher) have only 1 or 2 true friends. 6. In general, it is foolish to marry before you are 21 years old. 7. When dating, it is wise to cut off close friendships with people of the opposite sex. 8. When is it wise to begin dating? 9. It is wrong for a Christian to date a non-Christian. 10. It is wrong for a Christian to marry a non-Christian. 1. There is no such thing as love at first sight. 2. God has one particular husband/wife chosen for everyone (whom we will eventually marry). 3. Males are more obsessed with sex than females. 4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it to date during High School? 5. Most people (75% or higher) have only 1 or 2 true friends. 6. In general, it is foolish to marry before you are 21 years old. 7. When dating, it is wise to cut off close friendships with people of the opposite sex. 8. When is it wise to begin dating? 9. It is wrong for a Christian to date a non-Christian. 10. It is wrong for a Christian to marry a non-Christian.

T HE F OUR L OVES (G REEK ) A. Agape: Selfless and Unconditional – Perfect love. God’s love for his son and all believers B. Eros: Romantic love between a man and woman. Includes physical attraction C. Philia: Love between friends D. Storge: Love between family (not used in the Bible)

I C ORINTHIANS 13: 4-13 (NIV) If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I C ORINTHIANS 13:4-13 (M ESSAGE ) If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good. We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

1. There is no such thing as love at first sight. 2. God has one particular husband/wife chosen for everyone (whom will eventually marry). 3. Males are more obsessed with sex than females. 4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it to date during High School? 5. Most people (75% or higher) have only 1 or 2 true friends. 6. In general, it is foolish to marry before you are 21 years old. 7. When dating, it is wise to cut off close friendships with people of the opposite sex. 8. When is it wise to begin dating? 9. It is wrong for a Christian to date a non-Christian. 10. It is wrong for a Christian to marry a non-Christian. 1. There is no such thing as love at first sight. 2. God has one particular husband/wife chosen for everyone (whom will eventually marry). 3. Males are more obsessed with sex than females. 4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it to date during High School? 5. Most people (75% or higher) have only 1 or 2 true friends. 6. In general, it is foolish to marry before you are 21 years old. 7. When dating, it is wise to cut off close friendships with people of the opposite sex. 8. When is it wise to begin dating? 9. It is wrong for a Christian to date a non-Christian. 10. It is wrong for a Christian to marry a non-Christian.

C HARACTERISTICS OF A T RUE F RIEND 1. Willing to sacrifice the friendship for the sake of the friend. “A wound from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” Proverbs 27: Transparency and trust. 3. Unconditional acceptance.

1. There is no such thing as love at first sight. 2. God has one particular husband/wife chosen for everyone (who will eventually marry). 3. Males are more obsessed with sex than females. 4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it to date during High School? 5. Most people (75% or higher) have only 1 or 2 true friends. 6. In general, it is foolish to marry before you are 21 years old. 7. When dating, it is wise to cut off close friendships with people of the opposite sex. 8. When is it wise to begin dating? 9. It is wrong for a Christian to date a non-Christian. 10. It is wrong for a Christian to marry a non-Christian. 1. There is no such thing as love at first sight. 2. God has one particular husband/wife chosen for everyone (who will eventually marry). 3. Males are more obsessed with sex than females. 4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it to date during High School? 5. Most people (75% or higher) have only 1 or 2 true friends. 6. In general, it is foolish to marry before you are 21 years old. 7. When dating, it is wise to cut off close friendships with people of the opposite sex. 8. When is it wise to begin dating? 9. It is wrong for a Christian to date a non-Christian. 10. It is wrong for a Christian to marry a non-Christian.

B IBLICAL ( AGAPE ) L OVE : D EFINING C HARACTERISTICS AGAPE love is an action. You do not have to actually feel it for you to give it. you can show love without feeling anything at all. 1. Includes enemies “Love your enemies” 2. Others before self 3. Judged by our treatment of the “least among us”. Q. Who are the “least among us” today? A. Anyone God places in our lives who are the hardest to love (people who give you no reason to love them)

M ATTHEW 25 The Sheep and the Goats 31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

M ATTHEW "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

W HAT IS THE MESSAGE OF M ATT. 25? 1 The proof of being a true disciple of Jesus is in your love for the “least among us” – the people who are hardest to love. 2 Why? Because the way you treat the “least among you” is the way you treat Jesus. * This is not salvation be works – rather it simply reminds us that if we are truly transformed by the power of God’s free gift of grace, it will be reflected in our Christ-like love.

Y OUR A SSIGNMENT Retell the parable for today— Write a new, modern parable for today that gets across the message of Matthew 25. How might it look for someone to show love to the “least among us” today? It should be one page long (double spacing) and must be written Write a poem with the message of Matthew 25, taking the spirit of the message and translating it into life today. (Also type written) Draw a picture that illustrates how the message behind Matthew 25 could be lived out in contemporary life. You are trying to get across the same message as Jesus, how would you do this today by using a contemporary metaphor?