A FAITH DECISION

FOUNDATION STATEMENT: As a born again child of God this commandment of love is not optional. It’s a commandment and you’re feelings about keeping it carry no weight.  You have been given a commandment by your commander and chief and you are to keep that commandment whether you feel like doing it or not.  No excuse is a good excuse for violating the commandment of love. 

I. You have to settle it, that you’re going to love other people because it’s a commandment.  You have to decide to keep that commandment by faith whether you feel like doing it or not.

A. This is a commandment, not a nice suggestion (1 Jn 3:23, Jn 13:34)

1. This is a commandment and me keeping it has nothing to do with my feelings

a. My feelings have nothing to do with me loving you

i. God didn’t tell me to love you when I felt like doing it, He commanded me to love you all of the time

B. You settle it from the start that you are going to keep this commandment of love (Ephesians 3:17)

1. When you’re rooted and grounded in something that means you committed to it from the beginning

2. You have to settle it that you’re going to be a steward of this commandment come hell or high water

a. Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a situation to make this decision.  Make this decision now so that when a situation comes you don’t have to decide whether or not to stay in love because you’ve already decided.

i. If you don’t make that decision now, you won’t do it when you’re under pressure

C. There is no good excuse for violating this commandment of love and if you have a reason for violating it then you either get rid of the reason or ignore it

1. It makes no difference what they did to you, what they said about you, or how they treated you

D. To love by faith means that your sole purpose for loving is God told you to do it

1. I’m not searching for a feeling to love with , I have been given a commandment

II. The Agape Love of God vs. The Human Love

A. Agape is love that has no limits (Luke 6:27-29)

        1. Agape doesn't have a limite set where it will stop loving you

                a. As far as you push agape, that's how far agape will go 

2. Human is limited; Human love say’s I only go this far

a. Human love says I’ll love you but I have a limit and when you cross that limit I’ll stop loving you

B. Agape is unconditional love (Luke 6:27-28)

        1. No matter what the conditions are agape loves; the conditions don't change agape

2. Human love is conditional

a. The conditions have to be right for human love to love you 

C. Agape is one-sided love (Luke 6:27-28, 32-33)

1. Your side doesn’t have to be right for my side to say agape

a. There’s hate on that side, but love on my side

2. Human love is two-sided

a. Human love says you got to do what’s right on your side if you expect to see love on my side

D. Agape doesn’t do what you’re doing to it, but Agape does what it would have you do to me (Luke 6:31)

1. Human love does what’s done to it

E. Agape is unqualified love (Luke 6:35)

1. Agape doesn’t need you to be good and thankful for it to love

a. You don’t have to qualify or earn agape with right actions

2. Human love must be qualified for and earned

a. Human love says I’ll love if you do these things to qualify

b. Human love only loves the lovely and what is easy to love

F. Agape is a love not based on feelings

1. Agape loves when the feelings leave

2. Human love says I’ll only love you when I feel like it 

G. Agape is a love that requires no response (Luke 6:35)

1. Agape gives and gives even if it is never responded to, thanked, or acknowledge

a. Agape expects nothing in return because it’s never about the return to agape, it’s always about the release

2. Human love needs to be responded to and acknowledge and if it’s not human love will get it’s feelings hurt  (Luke 6:35)

H. Agape love is merciful (Luke 6:36)

1. Agape is quick to forgive (Ephesians 4:32)

2. Human love will hold onto it when it is wronged and it says, “I might forgive, but I’ll never forget.”

I. Agape love is not judgmental or critical (Luke 6:37)

1. Agape is not looking for what’s wrong with you; agape is looking at what’s right with you

a. Agape is edifying, uplifting, and it builds people up

2. Human love is critical and judgmental

a. Human love majors on what is wrong with you

III. To love like this requires a faith decision.  That’s means I do it solely based on the Word.  (Matthew 14:1-14)

A. Jesus gets this awful news that is best friend and cousin had been brutally murdered and he tries to take a few minutes alone by himself, but the people followed him

1. He didn’t feel like walking in love, he didn’t feel like ministering to this people, but he did it by faith

2. Love (God/The Word) motivated him; not the feeling, the person called love himself

B. This looked weak because he didn’t go after Herod, but Jesus didn’t fight battles in the natural.  His real enemy was Satan and that day he attacked his kingdom by healing the sick. 

IV. The love of God is a force that has the appearance of weakness, but is stronger than any force in existence. 

A. To walk in love is to step aside and allow the power of God to come between you and the situation (Romans 8:37)

1. Satan will try to tell you that if you walk in love you’re being weak and you’re being walked on (1 Corinthians 1:27)

2. In all these things I am more than a conqueror because in all these things you can’t get me out of love and if you can’t get me out of love then you cannot defeat me.

a. If you can’t keep me from loving,  then you can’t keep me from conquering

B. Jesus looked weak and he looked foolish being whipped and tormented in the crucifixion, but all throughout that whole process he stayed in love and what appeared weak and helpless on the cross showed up in awesome power and tore hell apart and rose from the dead and said all power both in Heaven and in Earth has been given to me and now he’s seated far above all principality, power, might, dominion, and every name that’s named.  (Matt 28:18, Colossians 2:14, Hebrews 2:14)

1. What appeared to be weak wasn’t weak at all