 |
|
You need to ask yourself the question, who do I love?
So love is a sacrifice of self—it’s pretty concrete. How do you know if you love someone? Well, someone might say, “I just do.” I can’t put my finger on it!” That’s not love—that’s sentimentalism or lust or nostalgia, or some other thing, but it is not love! That brings us to our second point.
Love is not only a sacrifice of self but…
2. Love is not subjective, but always has an object. “I heard of your…love unto all the saints” The object here is the saints, but we need to ask, why do we love the saints? Look at verse 15, because of their “faith in the Lord Jesus.”
The object of our love is those who love Christ because the ultimate object of our love IS Christ!
Love is a powerful transforming thing. Do you fear things in life. Fear is what controls us much of the time. But if we give our all to Christ, and we love Him more than all, then fear will be gone!
(1 John 4:18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
You see love is not subjective. It is a commitment. When there is a commitment to Christ, you love him, you sacrifice all for him. You count Him as infinitely valuable!
So we’ve seen the attributes of love…
B. Now let us look at the Aim of love. Be careful what you love! Love will seal your destiny!
1. Do you love the world?
John tells us that whatever we love is going to determine our destiny. Look at (1 John 2:15) . He says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
(1 Corinthians 16:22) If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
Do you realize if you love the world, you will be destroyed with the world?
(2 Peter 3:10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Do you love the Lord? Do you love the saints? If you love the Lord, you will love His people.
John cuts it straight in his first epistle: (I John 3:14) ff, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”
Do you love the Lord? If you love the Lord He will be LORD!! He will dominate your life. You will do what He says, and go where He tells you to go!
(1 John 2:17) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Conclusion: You may be here today, and these marks are not in your life. Instead of faith, you live for the world; instead of love for God and others, you love yourself. Where is your life today? Repent—turn from your selfishness, you lying, stealing, and lustful thoughts. Stop coveting after this world, and turn to Jesus Christ to save you!
Closing Hymn: 91 The Steps of a Good Man are ordered by the Lord
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Church History, Issue 47.
[2] Clark Haak. The Reformed Witness Hour. Learning Contentment. http://www.prca.org/refwitness/1999/1999apr25.html. Accessed 15 January, 2006.
BaptistInfo.com - The End
Copyright © 2008
Welborn Computer Services
