God's Last Words

Walk in Love

Matthew 11: 2-11 (NRSV)

I have often heard it said that love makes strong men’s knees weak, and that people in love do foolish things they’d never consider otherwise. How about this story:

At the end of their very first date, a young man takes his favorite girl home. Having had a good time, he decides to try for that important first kiss. With some confidence, he leans with his hand against the wall, smiling, he says to her, "Darling, how 'bout a goodnight kiss?"

Horrified, she replies, "Are you mad? My parents will see us!" "Oh come on! Who's gonna see us at this hour?" "No, please. Can you imagine if we get caught?"
      
"Oh come on, there's nobody around, they're all sleeping!" "No way. It's just too risky!" “Oh, please, please, I like you so much!!" "No, no, and no. I like you too, but I just can't!" "Oh yes you can. Please?" "NO, no. I just can't." "Pleeeeease?..."
      
Out of the blue, the porch light goes on, and the girl's sister shows up in her pajamas, hair disheveled. In a sleepy voice the sister says: "Dad says to go ahead and give him a kiss. Or I can do it. Or if need be, he'll come down himself and do it. But for crying out loud tell him to take his hand off the intercom button!"

Today we are going to talk about love. But we’re really not going to talk about romantic love, rather the real measure of love. Real love is an absolute value:  True love doesn’t have a “happy ending;” true love doesn’t have an ending. God truly loves His creation no matter what.

Some children were asked, “What is love?” One little girl answered, “Love is when your mommy reads you a bedtime story. True love is when she doesn’t skip any pages.” God never, ever, skips pages. His love is the same, today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

That is what Christmas is all about. It’s not political, it’s not oppressive, it’s really not even religious in a way. The gift of Jesus; his birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and promise of return is the ultimate manifestation of God’s Love for His creation. It’s a fact, not an opinion, or even a wish. Listen to God’s word:

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples ³and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

⁴Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. ⁶And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

⁷As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. ⁹What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

In the Old Testament Love is usually represented by 2 words, “‘aheb” or “shakab” and are context sensitive, meaning the context in which they are used conveys what they mean. The Jews generally avoided words that conveyed strong emotions.

In the New Testament there are 4 types of love: divine love, brotherly love, family love and romantic love. The Greeks were more emotional in their writings and coined terms for each type of Love directly.

“Eros,” or romantic love is the type of love displayed between man and woman, husband and wife.

“Storge,” is a term for love in the Bible you may not be familiar with. Even though this Greek word for family love is not specifically found in Scripture, examples of it are seen throughout the Bible. It is best manifest as the natural love a parent has for their child.

“Philia,” is the type of love in the Bible that most Christians practice toward each other. This is most often the type of love commanded by God and Jesus that we are to have for our neighbors.

“Agape,” is the highest of the four types of love in the New Testament. Jesus as the Messiah showed this kind of divine love to his Father and to all humanity.

Grace is the best manifestation of agape love, Godly love, we have. Advent and Christmas are the products of agape love.

Being a Christian is about love, and understanding how to love like God does.

To love like Jesus, we need to understand a simple truth. We cannot live the Christian life on our own.

Sooner or later, in the midst of our frustration, we come to the conclusion that we're doing something wrong. It's not working. Our best efforts just don't cut it. All of us want to love like Jesus, but we always fall short.

We want to be generous, forgiving, and compassionate enough to love people unconditionally. But no matter how hard we try, it just doesn't work. We may love, but we don’t like. Our humanness gets in the way.

Jesus was human too, but he was also God incarnate. He was able to see the people he created in a way that we can't. He personified love. In fact, the Apostle John said, "God is love..." (1 John 4: 16)

Our problem is that, unlike Jesus, you and I are not love. We can love, but we can't do it perfectly. We see others' faults and stubbornness. When we remember the slights they have done to us, a small part of us can't forgive. We refuse to make ourselves as vulnerable as Jesus did because we know we'll get hurt again. We love and at the same time we hold back.

Yet Jesus tells us to love as he did: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (John 13: 34)

How do we do something we're incapable of doing? We turn to Scripture for the answer and it's there we learn the secret of how to love like Jesus.

We don't get very far before we learn the Christian life is impossible. Jesus gave us the key, however: "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." (Mark 10: 27)

He explained this truth in depth in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John, with his parable of the vine and branches.

The NIV uses the word "remain," but I like the English Standard  Version  that uses the translation "abide:"

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (John 15: 1-10)

Abide means to continue with, continue in, be with, cleave unto, tarry, live with and assimilate into your life. We are to accept and assimilate God’s love into us.

Did you catch that in verse 5? "Apart from me you can do nothing." We can't love like Jesus on our own. In fact, we can't do anything in the Christian life on our own.

We must learn to walk in truth, obedience, and Love in order to abide in Christ’s love and realize God’s Grace.

It sounds a lot easier than it is but abiding means “resting and accepting things as they are, as well.” Abide in the love of Christ. Amen.