Living Lovingly
Series: The Ultimate Lifestyle
April 13, 2008 Pastor Bill Bump
I Corinthians 13:13(NIV)
And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Why the Bible states that loving one another is so important:
A. Without love nothing else matters
— I Corinthians 13:1,2
B. Love shows we really know God — I John 4:7-21
C. To love is our number one responsibility
— Matthew 22:36-40
I. WHAT IS LOVE?
Popular misconceptions:
A. Love is a feeling
B. Love is uncontrollable
What God says:
A. Love is a choice
Colossians 3:14(NIV)
And over all these virtues put on love…
B. Love is an action
I John 3:18(NLT)
Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.
II. HOW TO DEVELOP A LOVING LIFESTYLE:
A. Accept others unconditionally
Romans 15:7(NIV)
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Everybody needs acceptance because nobody’s perfect.
B. Commit yourself personally
Romans 12:10(NIV)
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…
Romans 12:5(NIV)
So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
C. Encourage others continually
I Thessalonians 5:11(NIV)
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Three facts of life:
1. Everybody has a hurt
2. Everybody gets discouraged
3. Everybody needs a lift
I Corinthians 13:7(LB)
If you love someone...you will always believe in him, and always expect the best of him…
D. Serve people cheerfully
I Peter 4:10(NIV)
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
The Bible says God has given us gifts, talents, and abilities not for our benefit, but for everybody else’s benefit.
E. Forgive others freely
Colossians 3:13(NIV)
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
It is impossible to love another person fully if we have any resentment in our heart.
F. Share Christ verbally
I Peter 3:15,16(NIV)
...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
The most loving thing that we can ever do for a person is to tell them about God’s love.
II Corinthians 5:14(NIV)
For Christ’s love compels us…
CONCLUSION:
Ephesians 3:17,18(LB)
And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart, living within you as you trust Him. May your roots go deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love, and may you be able to feel and understand...how long, wide, deep, and high His love really is, and experience this love for yourselves...
