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“Motivated by Love”
Introduction: In I Corinthians 13:13 we read, “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three: but the greatest of these is love.” The Apostle Paul tells us in this verse:
There is a need for FAITH.
There is a need for HOPE.
But there is a greater need for LOVE.
This morning I feel God would have us dwell on the “greatest of these, love.” Years ago there was a story told about a poor little boy named Johnny.
This was winter in Chicago, and Johnny was on his way to Sunday School. Rain or shine, hot or cold, Sunday after Sunday, Johnny was always in his place in Sunday school.
This morning it was colder than usual. But the weather didn’t stop Johnny. He tramped on block after block, passing by many churches. As he went into an alley to catch a breather he ran into someone who was already there.
The man smiled at Johnny and said, "Hello Son. Where are you going on this cold morning?" "To Sunday School," the boy replied.
"Fine" said the man. "I teach a Sunday School class myself. May I ask where you attend?" The boy replied, "Oh, I go to Mr. Moody’s Sunday School."
The man looking surprised, said, "Mr. Moody’s Sunday School is a long way from here. Why don’t you come to my Sunday School this morning? It’s closer.” Again the boy replied, "No thanks mister, I’d rather go to Mr. Moody’s Sunday School."
When the teacher could not persuade the boy, he asked him why he went so far through the cold just to be in Mr. Moody’s Sunday School.
Little Johnny looked up at the man with all his boyish sincerity and said, "Mister, I go because they love a fella over there."
What a motivation, "because they love a fellow over there." In our world full of people, you will hear an unmistakable cry, coming through loud and clear, “I want to be loved.”
LOVE IS IMPORTANT! This is no news to God; He created us for love. In the Greek language of the first century, three different words were used to describe three different kinds of love.
Eros love refers to a self-serving passion. This word, not used in the Bible, is a love for the sole purpose of sexual satisfaction. Translated, “I love you because you give me pleasure. If you stop giving me pleasure, I stop loving you.”
Phileo love refers to a friendship. This is a social kind of love often translated in the Bible by the word “friend.” This is a 50/50 relationship, “if you don’t give anything in return, or if there is a conflict, our relationship will end.”
Agape love refers to giving of one’s self. This is a love with the "divine dimension" found in John 3:16, “For God so LOVED the WORLD (that is the world full of people, you and I) that He gave His only begotten Son…” This is a selfless love rooted in the very being of God.
It’s a love whose fundamental attribute is that of sacrifice.
It’s a love that is persistent, passionate, impartial, unconditional and everlasting.
No wonder we read in Jeremiah 31:3. “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love…” Here we see three things about the Love of God.
FIRST: God’s love never had a beginning. He never began to love us. He always loves us. His love is eternal.
SECOND: God’s love never pauses. His love for us never has a RECESS, noran INTERMISSION, nor is INTERRUPTED. Listen, you will never go into SIN that is deep enough to go beyond the love of God.
THIRD: God’s love never ends. Not only does God’s love never have a beginning, nor does God’s love ever pause, but it also never ends.
No wonder we read in John 3:16; "For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."In this verse we have an exposition of divine love.
Its origin is in the HEART of GOD.
Its extent has reached to all the world.
Its power is so strong that it gave us God’s only begotten Son.
Its exclusivness is to whosoever believeth and,
Its effectiveness should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Hymn writers wrote,
Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade;
To write the LOVE OF GOD above would drain the ocean dry,
Nor would the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.
No wonder we read in Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth His LOVE towards us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Think about it, dwell on it, meditate on it, and sing it. This is one of my favorites hymns:
I stand amazed in the presence, Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could LOVE me, A sinner, condemned, unclean.
How marvelous, How wonderful! and my song shall ever be:
How marvelous, How wonderful! Is my Saviour’s LOVE for me!
How can we ever forget the love that sent Christ to the cross on our behalf? It should literally take over our soul. Someone wrote:
I looked at His HANDS, those pierced hands where NAILS were driven in. And I realized only the crucified one could save the world from sin.
I looked at His FEET, those bleeding feet which trod the weary way up Calvary hill to where the throngs did turn from Him that day.
I looked at His SIDE, that pierced side, where His blood was shed for me and I cried, "LORD DRAW ME NEAR THE CROSS OF CALVARY NEARER YET NEARER TO THY BLEEDING SIDE."
I looked at His CROWN, that crown of thorns which cruel hands had wrought and my heart was touched, as I thought of His love, and what that love had wrought for me.
With that all encompassing love in mind, please go with me to II Corinthians 5 and follow me as I read verses 11-21,
“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. (12) For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. (13) For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. (14) For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: (15) And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (16) Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (18) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Now notice our text in verse 14, “For the love of Christ constraineth us…” Paul is telling us that the greatest single force in the lives of Christians to motivate us is the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
At least 55 times in the New Testament we are commanded to love. Someone best said,
“The best proof that Christ has risen is that HE is alive. And for our contemporaries, the only way of seeing Him alive is for us Christians to “love one another.”
When our hearts have become saturated with the Love of Christ we are ready to REACH OUT TO OTHERS WITH THE SAME ETERNAL LOVE by sharing the Gospel of Christ. Sixteen times in the New Testament we are admonished to "Love one another."
On the night Jesus was betrayed He said to His disciples in John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another."
Paul was always thrilled with a church that was maturing and growing. The proof of that growth was their love shown to one another, as we read in
II Thessalonians 1:3 "…because your faith groweth exceedingly, and the LOVE of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth."
Philippians 1:9, “And this I pray that your LOVE may abound yet more and more …”
Colossians 1:3-4, “We give thanks to God … since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which ye have to all the saints…”
Now here in II Corinthians 5:14 notice the key word "CONSTRAINETH" This is a very difficult word to translate from the Greek into the English as it has a number of meanings. In fact in the New Testament it has been translated as:
"To be taken with" I have been taken with the Love of Christ.
"Keep in" The Love of Christ keeps me in.
"Hold" The Love of Christ holds me.
"Stops" The Love of Christ stops me.
"Press" The Love of Christ Presses me.
With those translations in mind, let me summarize the word constraineth for us by using two words.
First: "The Love of Christ RESTRAINS ME." This is a picture of reining in a horse, literally to hold him in check. Paul says, in effect, "The Love of Christ KEEPS ME BACK FROM DOING THE THINGS that would be so shameful as to bring disgrace upon His name.” The Love of Christ has got such a hold upon my life, that when faced with temptation, I refocus on Him. Every day of your life you ought to focus on the love and goodness of God in your life. When you do, that focus will help to restrain you from allowing temptation to become sin in your life.
Second: "The Love of Christ MOTIVATES ME." Paul is saying that the “LOVE OF CHRIST” should have such irresistible control of your life that as a Christian you live with ONE OBJECT in view, that Jesus Christ is to have NO RIVAL.” In other words as a Christian you have something that has gripped your heart and possessed you until the world says "There goes a FANATIC for Christ."
The Apostle Paul had looked with spirit-enlightened eyes into the heart of God, and Christ’s love for him had so GRIPPED HIM, he could have said, "The Love of Christ has taken over my whole life."
Some years ago an article in a leading magazine asked this question: "What is love, can anyone define it for me?" The article went on to answer the question giving 3 kinds of Love.
The first kind of love is the "IF" kind of love. This is the love that is given "IF" certain requirements are met.
If you are a good boy or a good girl, the parents say to a child, you will get something real nice for Christmas. That is a CONDITIONAL LOVE.
It’s the kind of love that says, "I will love you as long as you keep on giving me the things I want. But if you don’t, I’ll not love you any longer." THAT’S A LOVE WITH STRINGS ATTACHED. It’s a love that is offered in exchange for something that you can get for yourself.
This is the wrong motivation. Praise the Lord! I am glad that God doesn’t treat me with an "IF" kind of love.
Thesecond kind of love that was described was a "BECAUSE" kind of love. A person is loved “BECAUSE” of something HE IS.
I love you because you are beautiful, or because you have money.
I love you because you are strong, or because you are good to me.
I love you BECAUSE _________________
Again, praise the Lord we don’t have a God who loves us "BECAUSE" of who and what we are.
Now the third kind of love that was listed in the article was the "IN SPITE OF" kind of love.
This is a love where no strings are attached.
This is a kind of love where nothing is expected in return.
This is a kind of love not based upon what one does or who one is.
Rather, it’s the kind of love that says,
I love you even if you are ______________.
I love you "IN SPITE OF” your faults.
It’s the kind of love in marriage that says, "I will keep loving you day after day until death do us part."
Praise God His love is not conditional.
God does not love us because,
God does not love us if,
God loves us in spite of.
It is this kind of love that Paul tells us about in II Corinthians 5:14, “For the love of Christ constraineth us.”
It is this kind of love from God that ought to make us reach out to the lost world of humanity to bring them to Jesus Christ.
It is this kind of love that we need to possess at the Green Street Baptist Chapel toward one another.
It is this is the kind of love that this old sinful world, who doesn’t understand what true love is all about, needs to see and feel from a people who have been possessed by the love of God.
The best kind of love that we can offer is no comparison to the love of God. Please turn with me to I John 4:9-12,
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
In verse 10 we read, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Here again is our AGAPE, the Love of God on Calvary, where "He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all…"
It is not a surprise that we can love a PERFECT GOD.
It is not a surprise that we can love a BENEVOLENT GOD.
It is not a surprise that we can love a GENEROUS GOD.
But that is not real love, rather
Real love is a perfect God loving an imperfect people.
Real love is when He who knew no sin could love us who are bathed in sin.
Real love is He who in the Heavens could love a people who deserved to go to Hell.
Think of the vastness of this universe and picture the earth as one lone star in the galaxy of all the stars. Now think of this planet, and the spot where you are sitting, and then realize GOD LOVES YOU. To me, my friend, that is the greatest news of all time. Do you remember this song?
I am so glad that our Father in Heaven
Tells of His LOVE in the Book He has given;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see,
This is the dearest, that Jesus LOVES me.
Hold it right there! Let’s move from heaven to earth. Let’s bring the Love of God to where we are today.
We live in a world of heartbreak.
We live in a world of broken dreams and broken lives.
We live in a world full of tears and problems.
We live in a world where little boys and girls, big boys and girls, lonely shut-ins, people in our ministry and in our community need to know that someone is compassionate toward them and loves them for Christ’s sake. As one little girl expressed it in her hurt-filled world, “I just wish someone would hug me!"
How then can this eternal love of God be shown to the world around us?
In verse 11 John issues a rallying call when he pleads with the believers to love each other. "If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." Now that word "OUGHT" comes from the Greek which means "I owe you something." It speaks of moral obligation. Since God so loved us, the best way to express our appreciation to God is to love others. Yes, I owe you something. I owe it to you to love you.
In verse 12 John is saying, “It is true that no one has seen God concretely, BUT PEOPLE CAN SEE GOD IN YOU.” Listen to this,
“The church is God’s audio presentation to a dying culture. People are looking and people are listening. People should be able to walk into a Christian fellowship and see the God of love within the lives and activities of his people.”
My friend, it’s not my belief. It’s Christ’s love in me and from me that communicates to the unsaved world. The people in Edwardsville, and all over this valley, in every boro and township around here:
Don’t care about your Confession of Faith.
Don’t care how much you know about the Bible.
Don’t care how much time you spend in church.
Don’t care how much time you spend in prayer.
God’s love is PROCLAIMED in the Word of God, and His love is PROVED at the cross. But here we have something deeper. God’s love is PERFECTED in us. Fantastic as it may seem, God’s love is not made perfect in angels, but in sinners like you and me who are saved by grace.
The unsaved neighbors want to see Christianity with skin on it.
They unsaved neighbors want to see if you are for REAL.
The unsaved world is looking for Christianity in "shoe leather."
Listen brethren. God has placed an obligation ON us and it is by this that we shall tell the world not only God is love but Jesus saves.
Years ago a Salvation Army worker found a derelict woman alone on the Streets of Chicago. She proceeded to invite her to come into the chapel for help, but the women refused to move. The workers assured her, "We love you and want to help you.” She went on to say, "God loves you and Jesus died or you." But the women did not budge.
As if on divine impulse, the worker leaned over and kissed the women on the cheek taking her into her arms. At that moment the women began to sob and like a child was led into the chapel, where she ultimately trusted Christ.
Afterward she said, "You told me that God loved me, but it wasn’t till you showed me that God loved me that I wanted to be saved."
Therein lies the secret of missionary endeavor and every form of evangelistic outreach. Our lives ought to speak so loud, that men on the street should be pleading with us to turn the volume down!
"God is love" is not simply a profound biblical statement. It is the basis for a believer’s relationship with God and with others. “His love is not PAST HISTORY, it is a PRESENT REALITY."
This community has enough churches. What it needs is one church that doesn’t hang out its church sign saying, “We’re having regular service.” What we need is a church that preaches the old time gospel where its people are “MOTIVATED by the LOVE OF CHRIST.”
I challenge you to reach out to little Johnny so that he will want to go there because they "LOVE A FELLA OVER THERE.”
On the other hand, perhaps there is someone already here who needs the Saviour’s love. Come to Jesus without delay.
Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou biddest me come to thee, O’ Lamb of God , I come.
May I challenge you again, as we move into the fall and winter season of 2009 and on into 2010, to take a fresh look at Calvary and see the everlasting Love of God. Then pray, “Lord help me to see the value of a lost soul and through me HELP THAT LOST SOUL TO SEE THE EVERLASTING LOVE OF GOD.
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If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon “Motivated by Love” then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.
Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in
Acts 16:31, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”
If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior let me know? Please send an e-mail to, pdmikBBM@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life.
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In His Amazing Grace,
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