Its All About Love
The Bible tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, and that faith works
by love (Galatians 5:6, Hebrews 11:6).
Love is a commandment; Jesus teaches us as He was asked which is the great
commandment in the law? And in Matthew 22:37-40 He answers “Jesus said to him,
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with
all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like to it,
you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the
law and the prophets”.
In John 13:34-35 Jesus says “a new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men
know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another”. Again in John 15:
10,12,17 Jesus says “if you keep My commandments; you shall abide in My love,
even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. This is My
commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. These things I
command you, that you love one another”. As Jesus teaches in the sermon on the
mount in Matthew 5:43-48 “you have heard that it has been said, you shall love your
neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you. That you may be the children of your Father which is in
heaven; for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on
the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have
you? Do not even the publicans the same? And if you salute your brethren only;
what do you more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be you therefore
perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”.
Why do you think that Jesus repeated this over and over? Because He knew that
the devil would use the lack of walking in love against whom ever he could. The devil
comes against all love; our love towards God, by tells people that God is responsible
for the hurt they feel. Against the love in marriages, because he wants to break up
families; he promotes lusts instead of love, there was a song awhile ago that said
“what’s love got to do with it”? But the Bible tells us that we are made in the image of
God, and God is love (I John 4:16-21) “and we have known and believed the love
that God has to us. God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in
him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of
judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but
perfect love casts out fear; because fear has torment. He that fears is not made
perfect in love. We love Him, because He first loved us. If a man say, I love God,
and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he that loves not his brother whom he has
seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment have
we from Him. That he who loves God loves his brother also”.
God has equipped to walk in this love (Romans 5:5) “because the love of God is
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us”. Paul tells Timothy
in II Timothy 1:7 that “for God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind”.
Love is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and we can tap into this fruit by yielding
ourselves to the Spirit. Paul prayed for the church of Ephesus in Ephesians 3:16-19
“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened
with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith,
that you, being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth, and the length and depth, and height. And to know the
love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of
God”.
In Colossians 3:14-17 we are told “and above all these things put on charity (love),
which is the bond of perfect-ness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to
the which also you are called in one body; and be you thankful. Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God and the Father by Him”.
The love chapter shows us what love is (I Corinthians 13:1-8) “though I speak with
the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge and though I have all faith, so that I
could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all
my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not
charity, it profits me nothing. Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not;
charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up. Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil. Rejoices not in iniquity, but
rejoices in the truth. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all things. Charity never fails, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail,
whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall
vanish away”. I Corinthians 16:14 says “let all your things be done with charity”.
If you study this through, you will see why the devil comes against your love walk.
But the Bible tells us that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). I Peter 5:8-9 tells us “be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about,
seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the
same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world”. The devil
uses people to come against you to try to get you out of your love walk (I John 3:
11,14 and 4:8-11) “for this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that
we should love one another. We know that we have passed from death to life,
because we love the brethren. He that loves not his brother abides in death. He
that loves not knows not God; for God is love. 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”.
We are instructed in Ephesians 5:1-2 to “be you therefore followers of God as dear
children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor”. It takes practice to
walk in love, but it can be done by walking in the word.
I Corinthians shows us the rewards of walking in love, in (I Corinthians 2:9-10) it says
“But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God
has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep
things of God”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: October 1, 2010
The Bible tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, and that faith works
by love (Galatians 5:6, Hebrews 11:6).
Love is a commandment; Jesus teaches us as He was asked which is the great
commandment in the law? And in Matthew 22:37-40 He answers “Jesus said to him,
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with
all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like to it,
you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the
law and the prophets”.
In John 13:34-35 Jesus says “a new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men
know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another”. Again in John 15:
10,12,17 Jesus says “if you keep My commandments; you shall abide in My love,
even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. This is My
commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. These things I
command you, that you love one another”. As Jesus teaches in the sermon on the
mount in Matthew 5:43-48 “you have heard that it has been said, you shall love your
neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you. That you may be the children of your Father which is in
heaven; for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on
the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have
you? Do not even the publicans the same? And if you salute your brethren only;
what do you more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be you therefore
perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”.
Why do you think that Jesus repeated this over and over? Because He knew that
the devil would use the lack of walking in love against whom ever he could. The devil
comes against all love; our love towards God, by tells people that God is responsible
for the hurt they feel. Against the love in marriages, because he wants to break up
families; he promotes lusts instead of love, there was a song awhile ago that said
“what’s love got to do with it”? But the Bible tells us that we are made in the image of
God, and God is love (I John 4:16-21) “and we have known and believed the love
that God has to us. God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in
him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of
judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but
perfect love casts out fear; because fear has torment. He that fears is not made
perfect in love. We love Him, because He first loved us. If a man say, I love God,
and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he that loves not his brother whom he has
seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment have
we from Him. That he who loves God loves his brother also”.
God has equipped to walk in this love (Romans 5:5) “because the love of God is
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us”. Paul tells Timothy
in II Timothy 1:7 that “for God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind”.
Love is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and we can tap into this fruit by yielding
ourselves to the Spirit. Paul prayed for the church of Ephesus in Ephesians 3:16-19
“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened
with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith,
that you, being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth, and the length and depth, and height. And to know the
love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of
God”.
In Colossians 3:14-17 we are told “and above all these things put on charity (love),
which is the bond of perfect-ness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to
the which also you are called in one body; and be you thankful. Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God and the Father by Him”.
The love chapter shows us what love is (I Corinthians 13:1-8) “though I speak with
the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge and though I have all faith, so that I
could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all
my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not
charity, it profits me nothing. Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not;
charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up. Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil. Rejoices not in iniquity, but
rejoices in the truth. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all things. Charity never fails, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail,
whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall
vanish away”. I Corinthians 16:14 says “let all your things be done with charity”.
If you study this through, you will see why the devil comes against your love walk.
But the Bible tells us that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). I Peter 5:8-9 tells us “be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about,
seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the
same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world”. The devil
uses people to come against you to try to get you out of your love walk (I John 3:
11,14 and 4:8-11) “for this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that
we should love one another. We know that we have passed from death to life,
because we love the brethren. He that loves not his brother abides in death. He
that loves not knows not God; for God is love. 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”.
We are instructed in Ephesians 5:1-2 to “be you therefore followers of God as dear
children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor”. It takes practice to
walk in love, but it can be done by walking in the word.
I Corinthians shows us the rewards of walking in love, in (I Corinthians 2:9-10) it says
“But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God
has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep
things of God”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: October 1, 2010
