Follow Along with the Message

What Does Love Require of Me?

Pastor Tom Lundeen

Note Ephesians 5:15-17 ; John 3:16; Ephesians 5:1-2; Titus 3:4-8a;2 Corinthians 5:14; Galatians 5:6b; Matthew 22:36-40; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a 

1. What  Love Is Not

When we hear/read the beautiful and full meaning of 3 words by John, God is  (1 John 4:8, 16), if we end up only interpreting that from a human perspective, it will take us to places that will  our lives and relationships.

By definition, God’s love cannot be grasped by our own intelligence and .

Most people think the word love means things like:

A.  feelings/emotions—God commands us to love others; not have warm  feelings about others.

B.  attention/sex.

C.  acceptance—God’s love gives  acceptance (He loves you no matter what you’ve done); but not  acceptance (He loves you too much to let you stay the way you are).

D. Positive /feelings—God’s love can produce good feelings...but it can also bring conviction, , uncomfortableness, and the realization of our need to change. (Thompson).

2. What God’s Love Is

(note 1 John 3:16; 4:9-10, 19; Romans 5:6-8)

God’s love isn’t a , it’s a .

Love is  for the highest good of another.

The full picture of what God’s love is is far more  than our small and often inaccurate understanding of love.

Jesus is the embodiment of  love. But He:

• Physically drove out the moneychangers in the Temple ().
• Warned of a terrible place called .
• Forgave and healed people and also told them to  no more.
•  rebuked the religious leaders (note Matthew 23).
• Also hung on the cross and the first thing He said was, Father, forgive them.
• Reached out to the most  people at that time.
• Patiently taught and modeled what real love and truth is to His disciples even when they argued with each other about who was the greatest…
• Touched and healed lepers.
• Crossed ethnic and  barriers.
• Made crystal clear that the  mark of what it means to be His followers to a lost world is this incredible love…(note John 13:1-5, 34-35).

Am I making better decisions so I can have fewer regrets?:

• Perhaps the best way to start to understand God’s love and what it looks like is to see…(note John 1:14; Ephesians 4:15; Galatians 5:6b).
• Making better decisions and having fewer regrets has to involve God’s love... who we are (note John 13:34-35).

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