Embracing Agape Love: A Call to Action
Summary
The essence of our gathering today is to explore the profound rhythm of love, particularly as we approach the Christmas season. Worship is not just about the sermon or the music; it's about our hearts, our songs, and our prayers directed towards glorifying God. We enter to worship and exit to serve, carrying the love we experience here into the world. Today, we delve into the concept of love, not just as a feeling but as a divine commandment that shapes our lives and relationships.
We began with a light-hearted look at how popular music describes the lengths people will go to in the name of love. From climbing mountains to enduring pain, love is portrayed as a powerful force that drives us to extraordinary actions. However, the true measure of love is found in the scriptures, particularly in 1 Corinthians 13, which describes love as patient, kind, and enduring. This love, known as agape, is selfless and unconditional, the highest form of love that God calls us to embody.
Agape love is not just a concept but a call to action. It is the love that God demonstrated by sending His Son, Jesus, to redeem us. It is the love that Jesus commands us to have for one another, a love that identifies us as His disciples. This love transcends friendship and romance; it is a sacrificial love that should be the foundation of all our relationships, including with our enemies. Agape love is the key to walking in joy and peace, as it covers a multitude of offenses and allows us to forgive and be forgiven.
As we reflect on this, we are challenged to let agape love be our primary motivation in all we do. Whether in our marriages, friendships, or business dealings, this love should guide our actions and decisions. It is a love that values relationships over being right, that seeks to serve rather than be served. As we leave today, let us commit to living out this love, forgiving others as we have been forgiven, and choosing love in every situation.
Key Takeaways:
1. Worship as a Heartfelt Offering: Worship is not just about the sermon or music; it's about our hearts and prayers directed towards glorifying God. We enter to worship and exit to serve, carrying the love we experience into the world. This mindset transforms our worship into a heartfelt offering to God. [37:53]
2. Agape Love as the Highest Form of Love: Agape love, as described in 1 Corinthians 13, is selfless and unconditional. It is the love that God demonstrated by sending Jesus to redeem us. This love transcends friendship and romance, calling us to love others sacrificially, even our enemies. [43:23]
3. Love as a Divine Commandment: Jesus commands us to love one another as He loved us, identifying us as His disciples. This love is not just a feeling but a divine commandment that shapes our lives and relationships, calling us to embody agape love in all we do. [46:53]
4. Agape Love as a Foundation for Relationships: Agape love should be the foundation of all our relationships, including marriages and friendships. It is a love that values relationships over being right, seeking to serve rather than be served, and ensuring that all we do is done with love. [54:04]
5. Forgiveness and Joy through Agape Love: Agape love is the key to walking in joy and peace, as it covers a multitude of offenses. It allows us to forgive and be forgiven, recognizing that love is more important than holding onto grievances. This love empowers us to choose forgiveness and humility. [57:37]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [37:53] - The Rhythm of Love
- [39:16] - Love in Popular Music
- [40:52] - Love's Extraordinary Actions
- [41:28] - Love's Transformative Power
- [42:24] - Love and God's Word
- [43:23] - 1 Corinthians 13: The Love Chapter
- [46:53] - The Four Types of Love
- [50:13] - Agape Love in Scripture
- [51:54] - God's Call to Agape Love
- [53:14] - Agape Love as Motivation
- [54:04] - Agape Love in Relationships
- [56:14] - Agape Love in Business
- [57:37] - Agape Love and Forgiveness
- [01:02:08] - The Challenge of Agape Love
- [01:04:03] - Invitation to Salvation
- [01:06:37] - Closing Worship and Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Rhythm of Love
Bible Reading:
1. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
2. John 13:34-35
3. Matthew 5:43-46
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Observation Questions:
1. According to 1 Corinthians 13, what are some characteristics of agape love? How does this passage describe the importance of love in comparison to other spiritual gifts? [43:23]
2. In the sermon, what examples from popular music were used to illustrate the lengths people will go to in the name of love? [39:16]
3. How does the sermon describe the role of worship in our lives, particularly in relation to love and service? [37:53]
4. What does the sermon say about the different types of love mentioned in the Bible, and which type is considered the greatest? [46:53]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of agape love as described in 1 Corinthians 13 challenge common perceptions of love in today's culture? [43:23]
2. In John 13:34-35, Jesus commands us to love one another as He loved us. What does this commandment imply about the nature of our relationships with others, especially within the church community? [46:53]
3. The sermon mentions that agape love should be the foundation of all our relationships. How might this principle transform our interactions with others, including those we find difficult to love? [54:04]
4. How does the sermon suggest that agape love can lead to forgiveness and joy, and what might this look like in practical terms? [57:37]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a recent situation where you found it difficult to love someone unconditionally. How might embracing agape love change your approach to similar situations in the future? [54:04]
2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of worship as a heartfelt offering. How can you incorporate this mindset into your daily life, ensuring that your actions glorify God? [37:53]
3. Consider a relationship in your life that could benefit from agape love. What specific steps can you take to demonstrate selfless and unconditional love in that relationship? [54:04]
4. The sermon challenges us to forgive as we have been forgiven. Is there someone you need to forgive, and how can you take a step towards reconciliation this week? [57:37]
5. How can you make agape love your primary motivation in your workplace or community? Identify one action you can take this week to serve others selflessly. [56:14]
6. Reflect on the idea that love covers a multitude of offenses. How can this perspective help you handle conflicts or misunderstandings in your life? [57:37]
7. The sermon encourages us to choose love in every situation. What is one practical way you can remind yourself to choose love, especially when faced with challenges or disagreements? [01:03:00]
Devotional
Day 1: Worship as a Heartfelt Offering
Worship is a transformative act that goes beyond sermons and music, focusing on the heart's intention to glorify God. It is an opportunity to align our hearts, songs, and prayers with the divine, creating a space where we can experience God's love and carry it into the world. This act of worship is not confined to the church but extends into our daily lives, where we are called to serve others with the love we have received. By entering to worship and exiting to serve, we embody a rhythm of love that impacts our communities and relationships. [37:53]
Psalm 95:6-7 (ESV): "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand."
Reflection: How can you transform your daily routine into an act of worship that glorifies God and serves others?
Day 2: Agape Love as the Highest Form of Love
Agape love, as described in 1 Corinthians 13, is the ultimate expression of selflessness and unconditional love. It is the love that God demonstrated by sending Jesus to redeem humanity, transcending friendship and romance. This divine love calls us to love others sacrificially, even those we consider enemies. Agape love is not merely a concept but a call to action, challenging us to embody this love in all aspects of our lives. By doing so, we reflect God's love to the world and fulfill our calling as His disciples. [43:23]
1 John 4:11-12 (ESV): "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."
Reflection: Who in your life is difficult to love, and how can you begin to show them agape love today?
Day 3: Love as a Divine Commandment
Jesus commands us to love one another as He loved us, making love a divine commandment that shapes our lives and relationships. This love is not just a feeling but a deliberate choice to embody agape love in all we do. It identifies us as His disciples and calls us to prioritize love in every interaction. By choosing love, we align ourselves with God's will and create a foundation for healthy, meaningful relationships. This commandment challenges us to love beyond convenience, extending grace and compassion to all. [46:53]
John 15:12-13 (ESV): "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."
Reflection: In what ways can you intentionally choose to love others as Jesus loves you, even when it is difficult?
Day 4: Agape Love as a Foundation for Relationships
Agape love should be the cornerstone of all our relationships, including marriages and friendships. It is a love that values relationships over being right, seeking to serve rather than be served. This selfless love ensures that all we do is done with love, fostering an environment of mutual respect and understanding. By prioritizing agape love, we create relationships that reflect God's love and bring joy and peace into our lives. This love challenges us to put others first and build connections that honor God. [54:04]
Colossians 3:14 (ESV): "And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."
Reflection: How can you prioritize agape love in your relationships, ensuring that love guides your actions and decisions?
Day 5: Forgiveness and Joy through Agape Love
Agape love is the key to walking in joy and peace, as it covers a multitude of offenses and allows us to forgive and be forgiven. This love empowers us to choose forgiveness and humility, recognizing that love is more important than holding onto grievances. By embracing agape love, we experience the freedom and joy that comes from letting go of past hurts and extending grace to others. This love transforms our hearts and minds, enabling us to live in harmony with God and others. [57:37]
Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV): "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Reflection: Is there someone you need to forgive today? How can agape love guide you in extending forgiveness and finding peace?
Quotes
"It's our heart, our songs, the words we sing, the words we say, our prayers, our heart of submission to the Lord. That's what's important. That's what's most important because we're here to glorify Him, amen? We come in to praise the Lord. We leave. While we're here, we'll get some instruction. We'll get some encouragement. But we leave to go out and do ministry to the world we live in. We used to have a sign at the building on Ritchie that said, enter to worship. And then on the way out, it said, exit to serve." [00:37:13] (28 seconds)
"Everything in our life, every decision we make, needs to be supported by God's word. If you're doing something contrary to God's word, it will not work out well for you. Here, or in eternity, live life according to God's word. So what did God's word say about love? I'm going to read it, you probably thought I might. First Corinthians chapter 13, starting on verse one says, though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass and clinging cymbals." [00:43:23] (23 seconds)
"Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself. Love is not love. Love is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, it's not provoked. That means it's not selfish. It's not provoked. It thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." [00:44:25] (28 seconds)
"John 13, 34 and 35 is Jesus commands us, his followers, to love one another as he loved them. Let me read it for you so you know that I'm telling you the truth. 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, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another." [00:47:38] (21 seconds)
"Agape love should be our primary motivation. Our primary motivation. Let me read you a text here. 1 Corinthians 6, 13 and 14 says, watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love. Agape love should be our primary motivation. Motivation. Now listen, I'm gonna just help you a little bit here, okay?" [00:52:49] (26 seconds)
"Bosses, if you look at your employees, not as resources, but as people, as children of God, as people, that you should look at as joint heirs with you and with Christ, I promise you your employees are going to be more loyal to you than they ever have been before. Why? Because they know that you value them and not just what they can provide for you. It's agape love. It's how it works." [00:56:38] (25 seconds)
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