The following is the original (and longer) version of this message I gave at Celebration of Faith Church on Sunday, November 29, 1998. This was the first time I had preached in a church. God had laid this message on my heart many months earlier, and I had been wondering what God was going to do with it.

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?

In John 12:12-13 it talks about one type of love. Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem to celebrate his last 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, they were the same ones saying...

"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 felt a love towards Jesus, but, obviously, they didn't love him. Feelings...

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

OK, so how about doing godly things. Doing "God's work", as they call it. That's how we show God that we love him. Right?

Well, in the first part of 1 Corinthians 13, the LOVE chapter, it 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 idea. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says....

"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 the next couple of versus, Paul gives us a description of God's idea of what love is...

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.

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

Lets step back for a second. We know from 1 John 4:16 that "God is love". So, OK, God is love. And love is patient, love is kind ... So we know that God is patient, God is kind, and so on. But God is like ruler of the universe, sitting on a great throne, surrounded by elders and angels and lightning and creatures -- all singing his praises. This is great! 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 someplace.

We have another example, Jesus. Jesus was human, just like we are. Yet John 1 says that Jesus -- a.k.a., the Word -- was God, and that he created everything that was created and became a human being and lived among us. OK, so now Jesus is God, and God is love, so Jesus must be love, too. And we can see how Jesus acted and re-acted on a day to day basis by looking at the 4 gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

OK, so let's take a look at this 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 -- Jesus -- showed to those around him. And that is the type of love that Jesus 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; or the old, sinful nature, as Paul would put 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. It's not just our friends. In Luke 6:32-34, 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. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' lend to `sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full." _{(Luke 6:32-34)}

The short answer is ... "every person we come in contact with" is our neighbor. Again, 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".

Just for fun, go thru this checklist sometime with someone you know, a spouse or lover, a friend, or someone you "have issues" with.

OK. So, we're supposed to love our neighbor and God, following this checklist. No problem, right?

Right!! I don't think so.

Jesus, back 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 do the 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)} -- so I don't think we're going to be able to do this love thing on our own, either. In fact, Jesus said as much....

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 month, 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.

Well, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that ...

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. _{(1 Corinthians 10:13)}

So, what's our way out? 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 look at it now.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. _{(1 John 4:7)}

OK, good news. "Love comes from God".

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. _{(1 John 4:8-9)}

And more good news! God is making the first move by sending his son to us.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. _{(1 John 4:10)}

Say what?!?! "Not that we loved God", but that "he loved us". Maybe what John is saying is that our love, like our righteousness is of no value, it's like filthy rags. So, God had to make the first move.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. _{(1 John 4:11)}

OK, God made the first move. Now it's our turn. But we still have this problem -- we can't do it on our own.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. _{(1 John 4:12)}

Ah. Maybe it's God's love working thru us, rather than us doing this "on our own" that's the key.

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. _{(1 John 4:13-14)}

OK, basic salvation message: God loves us. He sent his son to die in our place. He has sent his spirit to live in us and transform us into the likeness of his son.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. _{(1 John 4:15)}

Think of it as being married -- or in our case, a really great engagement.

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 4:16)}

We rely on God and God's love. Living in love is part and parcel of living in God.

In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. _{(1 John 4:17)}

We are like him? Yes! Because God lives in us and wants to give us the love that we need to be complete.

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 make us perfect.

We love because he first loved us. _{(1 John 4:19)}

Remember, God is making the first moves. He's not asking us to do anything he hasn't already done himself.

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. _{(1 John 4:20)}

If you're not loving the people around you, you are not loving God. Love God AND love your neighbor. So, what are we to do???

And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. _{(1 John 4:21)}

We start by loving our brothers and sisters, loving those around us, then each one we come in contact with day to day.

We start first by asking God into our life, accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. And if we've already done that ... maybe asking for a fresh start, a new beginning, where we re-dedicate ourselves to God and his purpose for our lives -- to love Him and to love those we meet each day.

The good news is that anybody can do it. It doesn't cost a lot, and it brings back dividends beyond measure...

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." _{(Luke 6:27-31)}

"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." _{(Luke 6:35-38)}

Or, in Matthew 25, where Jesus is speaking of the great judgement to come ...

"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. 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, 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.'" _{(Matthew 25:34-36)}

Nothing fancy, no feelings, no "godly" works. 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. Simple stuff.

Yet, this simple stuff is the power of God, the commandment that will set us free from the love of money, the root of all evil, and free from the fear -- the fear of judgement and death.

'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)}