Priority of Love!

 

Intro: “Valentine’s Day” celebrates romantic love between two people. But today I would like to talk about agape love that is a spiritual love between God and man. Agape love is a self- sacrificing and unconditional love that God has for mankind and mankind should have for God. God’s love for us and our love for Him are very different from romantic love. Today we will look at God’s priority for love.

I. All love begins with G od. Love is the royal law on which the whole universe is founded. Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.” God has drawn us through Jesus. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 1 John 4:16 (NLT] ¹⁶ We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

II. We love God in return. Mark 12:30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. 1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.

a. A Christians’ love for God is based on His love for us. God’s love is the source, the initiator of all love. People cannot love God on their own; it happens as a result of His loving us first. By obeying the royal law of love, everything abides in perfect harmony, joy, peace and fruitfulness.  b. How do we know if we really love God? John 14:23-24 ²³ Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ²⁴ He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

III. We love others. Mark 12:31 And the second greatest commandment is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

a. Jesus said to love others as we love ourselves. When Jesus said to love your neighbor “as yourself,” He simply was emphasizing how important it is to love others and be genuinely concerned for their welfare. Jesus said in John 13:34-35 ³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." 

IV. We are to love our enemies. Matthew 5:44 (NKJV) But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Jesus said for people who are called by His name to love all mankind and pray for them, even our enemies. We are to respect and honor all men even though they don't honor and respect us. Every human being has something that is commendable because they are made in the image of God, and they are fellow human beings with a soul to be reached for God. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This is the amazing merciful love of God that He stooped down to save sinners like us who were His enemies and in opposition against Him. We would expect God to save only righteous and good men, but it catches us completely off-guard when it is stated that He loves and saves sinners. And we are commanded to love all people with this same love by which God loved us, even our enemies by praying for them that God in His love would open their eyes to the truth of the gospel. When God's royal law of love is broken, disharmony immediately results and then comes evil and miseries of every kind that we see in this world today. Godly love is the only hope for mankind.

Conclusion: 1 Corinthians 13 ^13 “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” May we make God's royal law of love a priority for this year and always and then share it with others and watch their lives and ours change.                                                      Invitation: Father God says in Isaiah 54:10 (NLT) “For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then, my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you.” God in His mercy offers an eternal covenant of blessing to all who will confess their sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive them. Have you taken advantage of God's eternal covenant blessing of salvation that He offers you through His Son Jesus Christ? If not, the bible says that today is the day of salvation. Don't put it off!