Valentine's Day Or fervent vows that Cupid's dart Has ...crossroadschurchinaugusta.com/.../12/Sermon...Love.pdfValentine's Day Mere affectionate display, Or fervent vows that Cupid's

"Send me not on Valentine's Day

Mere affectionate display,

Or fervent vows that Cupid's dart Has whistled its

way to the depths of your heart.

No, my darling, if your love runs deep In the morning just

let me sleep!"

What Do Jesus- Followers Believe

about ___ and Why?LOVE


about ___ and Why?

1. By “Jesus-Follower” we are referring to those who are committed to Jesus & His Word.

2. You are encouraged to bring a friend who is still “on the way” to faith.

INTRODUCTION


about ___ and Why?

3. Special invitation cards are available; opportunities to ask questions and discuss issues after the service . . .

INTRODUCTION


about ___ and Why?

REALITY

TRUTH

GOD

JESUS

EVIL

FORGIVENESS

NATURETHE DEVIL/ANGELSTHE WORLD

DEATHTRAGEDY

JOY

THE SUPERNATURAL

TOPICS

BELIEF1 2

Our sermon notes as well as a schedule of topics is on the

Crossroads Fellowship Church

website!

3 4

LOVE5


about ___ and Why?LOVESome Preliminary Considerations:

1. There is a world of difference between LOVE and LUST.

LUSTLOVE

“I’m willing to sacrifice you for my needs!”

“I’m willing to sacrifice myself for you!”



Some Preliminary Considerations:

1. There is a world of difference between LOVE and LUST.2. In our present broken, fallen condition we love imperfectly. And others love us imperfectly.


about ___ and Why?LOVE2. In our present broken, fallen condition we love imperfectly. And others love us imperfectly.

To live above, with saints we love, that will be glory.

To live below, with the saints we know, now that’s a different story!




3. We don’t make up our definition of love — God is love and defines love!4. Those who love God will have a holy hatred of sin and its consequences!

Study the word “hate” or “hatred” in

the Bible!




5. Romantic love is sometimes hard to define!




5. Romantic love is sometimes hard to define!6. Valentine’s Day has an interesting religious background . . .

because married soldiers might be afraid of what might happen to them or their wives or families if they died. Valentine lived in a very permissive society. Polygamy would have been much more popular than just one woman and one man living together. And yet some of them seemed to be attracted to the Christian faith. But obviously the church thought that marriage was very sacred between one man and one woman for their life and that it was to be encouraged. Valentine secretly married them despite the edict.

St. Valentine was a Roman Priest under Emperor Claudias who persecuted the church and prohibited the marriage of young people. This was based on the hypothesis that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers

"One of his judges was a man called Asterius, whose daughter was blind. He was supposed to have prayed with and healed the young girl with such astonishing effect that Asterius himself became Christian as a result."

In 269 AD, Valentine was sentenced to a three part execution of a beating, stoning, and finally decapitation all because of his stand for Christian marriage. The story goes that the last words he wrote were in a note to Asterius' daughter. He signed it, "from your Valentine."

Valentine was eventually caught, imprisoned and tortured for performing marriage ceremonies against the command of Emperor Claudius the second. There are legends surrounding Valentine's actions while in prison.




7. Sometimes love is communicated in song — and sometimes not!

6. Valentine’s Day has an interesting religious background . . .

Famous Love Songs!“Nobody loves me but my mama — and she might be jivin’ me too!”“You’re nobody ‘till somebody loves you!”“My wife ran off with my best friend — and I sure do miss him.”“Am I double-parked by the curbstone of your heart?”“I got the hungries for your love and I’m waitin’ in your welfare line”

BB King

Famous Love Songs!“I wish I were a woman (so I could go out with a guy like me)”“You done tore out my heart and stomped that sucker flat!”“If you won’t leave me I’ll find someone who will!”




7. Sometimes love is communicated in song — and sometimes not! 8. There are different love languages which can help us understand each other better.


about ___ and Why?LOVESome Surprising

Conclusions from I JohnLet’s look briefly at one of the New Testament letters and learn something about LOVE!

What Do Jesus- Followers Believe about ___ and Why?LOVE

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our[a] joy complete. (I Jn. 1)

One would expect John to say in v. 3- “so that you also may have fellowship with HIM”!

That’s not what he says! “so that you may have fellowship with us”!

How does this work?

WHEN WE

HAVE FELLOWSHIP

WITH ONE ANOTHER, WE

HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST!

TRYING TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST WHILE IGNORING

HIS BODY/PEOPLE IS IMPOSSIBLE!

US YOU

CHRIST

1

2 3


That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our[a] joy complete. (I Jn. 1)

One would expect John to say in v. 3- “so that you also may have fellowship with HIM”!

That’s not what he says! “so that you may have fellowship with us”!

How does this work?

US

YOU

CHRIST

1

23

FELLOWSHIP WITH US MEANS

FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST BECAUSE WE

ARE IN FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST!

3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.


1:7- “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

Walking in the light means walking

where He is. And it gives us fellowship with other believers.

3:10- “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

Not loving other believers in Jesus = being a child of the

devil!



3:14- “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.”

We know we have passed from death to life — because

we love each other!

I would have expected: “We know we have

passed from death to life . . . because we believe in

Jesus!”


3:16-18- 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 and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

We would have expected John to say: “We ought to lay down our lives for Jesus!”But that’s not what he says!

We know what love is — Jesus laid down His life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another!


3:16-18- 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 and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

We know what love is — Jesus laid down His life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another!

What does that mean? Martyrdom?

No! “Laying down our lives” = caring materially for one another!


“The call of Jesus is not to deny your

neighbor, take up your comfort and follow

your dreams!”

4:7-12- 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.


We would expect: Since God so loved us, we also ought to love God!

That’s not what John says! “We also ought to love one another.”

4:19-21- 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.


We can’t love the invisible God if we don’t love our visible brothers and sisters.

Little Chad was a shy, quiet young boy. One day, he came home and told his mother that he’d like to make a Valentine card for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, "I wish he wouldn't do that!" She had watched the children when they walked home from school and her Chad was always behind them. They laughed and hung on to each other and talked to each other, but Chad was never included. Nevertheless, she decided she would go along with her son. So she purchased the paper and glue and crayons. For three weeks, night after night, Chad painstakingly made 35 Valentines.

Valentine's Day dawned, and Chad was beside himself with excitement. He carefully stacked them up, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door. His mother decided to bake him his favorite cookies and serve them nice and warm with a cool glass of milk when he came home from school. She just knew he would be disappointed and maybe that would ease the pain a little. It hurt her to think that he wouldn't get many Valentines--maybe none at all.

That afternoon she had the cookies and milk on the table. When she heard the children outside, she looked out the window. Sure enough, there they came, laughing and having the best time. And, as always, there was Chad in the rear. He walked a little faster than usual. She fully expected him to burst into tears as soon as he got inside. His arms were empty, she noticed, and she thought he was saying the words, “Not a one. I didn’t get a single one.”

When the door opened she choked back the tears. "Mommy has some cookies and milk for you," she said. But he hardly heard her words. He just marched right on by, his face aglow, and all he could say was,

“I didn’t miss a one. Not a single one!”

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