SERIES: In His Image: Reflecting Jesus SERMON: Reflecting Love (No. 2)

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1 I. INTRODUCTION Question: "Do you love Jesus?" Most say, "Of course I do!" But Jesus had to ask Peter this question three before he understood the implications "Do you love me enough to die for me?" Do you really love Jesus not your church or your denomination but Jesus? Does it transform you? Many Christians profess to love Jesus but do not live out that love. Love is the most misused word in the English language, among the world and Christians. Love is often confined to feelings and emotions, but His love is much deeper than that. A more challenging question: Do you love like Jesus loves? Do you love the unlovable? Those who are critical? Those whose lifestyle contradicts your beliefs? II. SCRIPTURE FOCUS JOHN 13:34-35 A new command I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples." (John 13:34-35) The world will know we are Christians, not by the church we attend or the bumper stickers we display, but by our love. The command is not new. Jesus was saying, "I am showing you a new way of looking at things." AN EXPECTATION: Love one another o Just those I find easy to love people I get along with and who agree with my theology? No. o Matthew 5:44, "But I tell you; Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." o Jesus expects a different kind of love a love that challenges and changes the hardest of hearts, and saves marriages and restores families. AN EXAMPLE: As I have loved you o This is the love that sits at the feet of sinners and says, "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more." This is the love that goes to a cross and dies that someone might see the extent of God's love.

2 o A woman at a well, a tax collector in a tree, and a thief on a cross could all tell of this kind of love. o Living like Jesus is loving like Jesus. A TESTIMONY: By this all men will know... o It s not what you say but what you do; not how you live but who you live. To convince this world that Jesus is real is to love as He loves. o Our world recognizes the hypocrisy of many Christians. They see us as fakes. We do not have and do not live the real thing. Remember, "They will know we are Christians by our love." III. JOHN 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) This is probably the most famous verse in Bible the gospel in a nutshell'. We don't think of what comes after verse 16: "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17) Christ came to save, not to condemn. Unfortunately Christians, use condemning attitudes and condescending words to bait people toward salvation. That doesn't work. Jesus had a ministry of reconciliation, not judgment. God never administers judgment before He offers grace. Loving like Jesus means I have an overwhelming compassion for the lost. IV. GIVES REFLECTING A LOVE THAT. o "But God demonstrated his own love for us in this; while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) o Just as Jesus came to give His life "as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28) so we are meant to give our lives in seeking and saving the lost.

3 o When we pray to love as Jesus loves, He will give us an overwhelming love for the unsaved. We will see our mission as reaching lost people. IS NOT SELECTIVE o We won't just love the loveable, but those who are down and out, who are in the closet of sin, and whose lifestyles may be alien to us. o Jesus said, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:13) He went out of his way to meet with one lost person; He told stories about the one lost sheep; He wept over Jerusalem. o It is time we are Jesus to a lost and dying world. HAS A PURPOSE o To reach someone with the love of Jesus. o When did you last lead someone to the Lord? o When you start loving as Jesus loved, you will have no problem leading someone to the Lord because so many are desperate to be loved in this way. V. MATTHEW 22: o "Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... Love your neighbor as yourself." o The statement came out of a question; "Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" o In the English language we have only one word for love. In the Greek there are several different words for love, descriptive of each kind of love expressed. o Jesus was intentional in his use of the word and often used agape. Agape love is unselfish, unconditional, and all embracing, and it seeks the highest good of others. It is not based on feelings, but will. Living Jesus love is a choice. o Love God totally and unselfishly as your utmost priority. What flows out horizontally flows from our relationships vertically. o If you do not love God absolutely, you cannot love others unconditionally.

4 VI. WE ARE TO LOVE. UNCONDITIONALLY o Loving someone else is often conditioned by who they are or how they live. o Remember, Jesus loved us unconditionally, so we also must love unconditionally. UNSELFISHLY o Living Jesus love is putting everyone else before myself. o This goes against the philosophy of today, where I am first, God is second, and everyone else somewhere down the totem pole. Living Jesus love is putting God first and others second. WITHOUT JUDGEMENT o We are good at stereotyping. If we don t agree with something, or someone, especially their lifestyle, we become very critical. o The only people Jesus ever really criticized were the Pharisees because they were making claims they never lived. He never judged the sinner or His lifestyle. He taught transformation, not judgment. o We miss so many opportunities to love that come across our path every day. o Jesus love desires to save, transform, change. VII. 1 CORINTHIANS 13. 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. (1 Corin. 13:4-6) When I hear these traits - how do I measure up to them? Paul said this to a congregation of well-meaning, but misguided people. They were dysfunctional, finding every reason to argue. They loved God but could not get along with each other.

5 Living Jesus love is more than loving God with all our heart it is loving each other as we love ourselves. Love is the highest and the best form of God's expression through us to our world. Paul wants outsiders to look at the church and not see division and discord, backbiting and hatred. He wants outsiders to notice something different. He wants Christ's followers to live Jesus. VIII. CONCLUSION I reflect Jesus love when I look for every opportunity to show that love to someone who needs to see it. You will meet someone today who needs to see and experience Jesus love through you. Do you love Jesus - truly love Jesus? Live that love.