This is the message I gave at Casa De Cristo on Wednesday, November 17, 2004. There is also an earlier, longer version available as well.

In the Bible, Matthew 22:34-40, it says

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "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 22:34-40)}

So, what is this love thing? We talk a lot about love, but what is it?

John 12:12-13 talks about one type of love. Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem to celebrate Passover...

The next day the great crowd that had come for the [Passover] Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!", "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!", "Blessed is the King of Israel!" _{(John 12:12-13)}

They really loved Jesus. They thought he was the greatest.

Yet a few days later, this same group was yelling...

"No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" _{(John 18:40)}

"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.
They all answered, "Crucify him!" _{(Matthew 27:22)}

They had felt love towards Jesus, but, obviously, they didn't love him.

Feelings... Love is a verb, not an adjective. Love is something you do, not something you feel. Feelings change from day to day. Jesus, I think, was calling on us to be a little bit more stable.

OK, well maybe we need to do godly things. Doing "God's work", as they call it. That's how we show God that we love him, right? We do things for Him.

Well, in the first part of 1 Corinthians 13 talks about doing "godly" things....

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, ...
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, ...
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, ... _{(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)}

Now I don't know about you, but most people would be impressed by someone who did these things -- tongues, prophecy, mountain moving faith, charity and sacrifice. I'm impressed. Most would say that this person was close to God and God must love them.

But Paul says otherwise...

.... I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
.... I am nothing.
.... I gain nothing. _{(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)}

If I "have not love, I am nothing.". Obviously, Paul thought that love was something other than doing godly works. And Jesus confirms this, in Matthew 7:21-23, saying....

"Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" _{(Matthew 7:21-23)}

So ... Love is not a warm fuzzy feeling. And love is not doing godly works. So what is it?!?!

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul gives us a description of God's definition of love...

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 13:4-8)}

Love is not a feeling. Love is not doing godly works.

    Love is an attitude,
        a course of action,
            something you do,
                how you treat people,
                    day in and day out.

So you ask, OK, how does this work? How do we give meaning to these words?

We know from 1 John 4:16 that "God is love". But God is ruler of the universe, sitting on a great throne, surrounded by elders and angels and lightning and creatures -- all singing his praises. He's our father. But it's kind of hard to relate to what God, ruler of the universe, would do on a day to day basis with that annoying person in the next office or that person who just wants to "be our friend" (please, please, please) every time we go out someplace.

The answer is Jesus.

John 1:14 says "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us". Jesus was God, yet he became a human being and lived among us. And we can see how Jesus loved -- how he acted and re-acted on a day-to-day basis.

OK, so let's take a look at these verses again. And, to make things easier, I've put together a checklist to help you "keep score".

In the checklist, you will see blank loves blank -- somebody loves somebody. Let's fill in the blanks with Jesus loves the people he came in contact with -- or "Jesus loves everyone".

OK, Jesus is patient with people. I think we can see that. He was always talking with them, listening to what they were saying and explaining to them God's ways. If you go thru the checklist, you can find examples of each item there from Jesus' life.

This is the type of love that God, as Jesus, showed to those around him. And that is the type of love that God expects us to show, too.

Let's go thru this list again, only this time we're going to use "I love God".

This is a pretty serious list. Notice there is no mention here of money, no mention of great works, no mention of sacrifice -- except maybe sacrifice of one's ego and self-centeredness; the old, sinful nature, as Paul called it. Anybody can do this. There is no external reason why we all can't attain this goal. Peace of cake, right?

But, in the words of the TV commercial ... there's more!

We are also supposed to love our neighbor.

Now, who is our neighbor? In Luke 10:29-37, Jesus gives us the answer as a story of the good Samaritan -- that's a whole sermon in itself. The short answer is that it's not just our friends, but every person we come in contact with is our neighbor. In Luke 6:32-33, Jesus says...

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' do that." _{(Luke 6:32-34)}

Jesus set the bar higher. Every person we come in contact with is our neighbor.

So, go back thru the checklist, now, and fill it in with "I love those around me". As you go thru it, try thinking of someone who's been particularly annoying or "un-lovable" lately.

We're supposed to "love your neighbor as yourself". One of the issues these days is that we have a hard time loving ourselves, much less loving our neighbor. Talk a look at the checklist for "I love myself".

Make a note of "I am not proud" and "I am not rude". It brackets how we should look at ourselves.

OK. We need to love ourselves, our neighbors, and God. We've got our checklist. We're all set, right?

I don't think so.

Jesus, in Matthew 22:40, said...

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. _{(Matthew 22:40)}

So that means, if we could do these two commandments on our own, we could probably do the whole law of Moses on our own, too. Jesus said that all of the law was based on these two commandments.

But, we know that we cannot keep the law of Moses on our own -- scripture says that all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God _{(Romans 3:23-24)}. I don't think we're going to be able to do this love thing on our own, either. Jesus said as much when he said....

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. _{(John 15:12-13)}

We have enough problem trying to give our little 10% tithe each week, much less laying down our life for our friends. Yet that is what God expects from us.

So, how is this going to work? I sure can't do it on my own. What has God provided us to allow us to meet this high bar -- this command to love one another?

Or, to put it another way, how do we get this love?

1 John 4 could be called the other Love chapter. Lets take a quick look at a couple of verses, 1 John 4:15-16...

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. _{(1 John 4:15-16)}

We rely on God and God's love. God is the one who provides love in our lives -- that's why we need to stay focused on Him.

And the best news is a few verses later...

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. _{(1 John 4:18)}

Because we love, we are free and have no fear! If we are still fearful, if we still worry, we have not let God transform us with his love.

Let me close -- yes, only another 45 minutes, people -- with some random thoughts...

- Jesus said you should "love your enemies" _{(Matthew 5:44)}. Psalm 35:11-14 gives a graphic description of how that works...

Ruthless witnesses come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good
and leave my soul forlorn.
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
I went about mourning
as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
as though weeping for my mother. _{(Psalm 35:11-14)}

Can we meet this test?

- In the last days, Jesus said things are not going to be easy...

Then they shall deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated by all the nations because of my name; ... and because of the abounding of the lawlessness, the love of the many shall become cold; but he who did endure to the end, he shall be saved; _{(Matthew 24:9,12-13)}

We need to hold on to love, no matter what happens. The song says, "They'll know we are Christians by our love". We need to make sure that we never deny our faith. That we never deny love.

Things may get rough in the future, but God's standards for our lives never change. We have to decide ahead of time what we will do when the time comes. We will stand firm, hold true to our faith, and love!

- And finally, on a happier note, Proverbs 17:17 says...

A friend loves at all times _{(Proverbs 17:17)}

You want a simple pattern for love, be a friend. Laugh with them, cry with them, be honest with them, give them space when they need it, and always be ready with a hug. God wants to be our friend. We need to be friends to ourself and to everyone we come in contact with.

There's nothing fancy about love. It doesn't rely on feelings. There's no requirement of "godly" works.

Love is just a day to day attitude, a way of life. Looking out for your neighbor. Helping out wherever you see a need. Standing up and giving support. Letting hurts go. Simple stuff.

Yet, this simple stuff is the power of God, the commandment that will set us free from all fear -- including the fear of judgment and death.

Jesus said...

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and, `Love your neighbor as yourself.'
... "Do this and you will live." _{(Luke 10:27-28)}

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