Love: The Foundation of Meaningful Relationships
Summary
In our new series, "It's Complicated," we explore the complexities of relationships and the foundational role of love. Relationships often come with sensitive circumstances, and Jesus provides a clear understanding of how they should be navigated. He emphasizes two commandments: loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. These commandments are the foundation of all relationships and the entire Word of God.
Love is not just a feeling but a command, a choice, a conduct, and a commitment. It is the essence of our faith and the evidence of our relationship with God. Without love, nothing we say, know, believe, give, or accomplish matters. Love is about giving, not getting, and it transforms our lives. It is patient, kind, and does not envy or boast. It is not proud, rude, or self-seeking. Love keeps no record of wrongs and rejoices with the truth.
In times of prosperity, we may feel invincible, but crises remind us of our vulnerability and the importance of prioritizing what truly matters: our relationships with God and others. Jesus warns against storing up treasures for ourselves without being rich toward God. Our faith should lead us to love others, and our actions should reflect this love.
Real love is about making a choice to love, even when it's challenging. It is a commitment that is tested over time, and mature love perseveres through difficulties. Love is like a muscle that needs to be exercised to develop. We are called to love extravagantly, as Christ loved us, not to get something in return but to give of ourselves fully.
To cultivate love, we must engage in community and build relationships. Our church offers connect groups where we can grow in love and support one another. As we keep company with God, we learn a life of love, observing how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant, and we are called to love like that.
Key Takeaways:
1. Love as the Foundation of Relationships: Love is the cornerstone of all relationships, as emphasized by Jesus' commandments to love God and our neighbors. Without love, our words and actions are meaningless. Love is not just a feeling but a command and a choice that we must actively pursue. [01:58]
2. The Danger of Prosperity: Prosperity can make us feel invincible, but it often distracts us from what truly matters. Crises remind us of our vulnerability and the importance of prioritizing our relationships with God and others. We must be rich toward God, not just in material wealth. [06:15]
3. The True Nature of Love: Love is about giving, not getting. It is patient, kind, and selfless. Real love waits and respects boundaries. It is a commitment that is tested over time, and mature love perseveres through challenges. [27:03]
4. Love as a Choice and Commitment: Love is a deliberate choice and a commitment, not just an emotion. Mature individuals live by their commitments, not their emotions. Love requires action and is demonstrated through our behavior and conduct. [31:12]
5. Community and Growth in Love: Engaging in community and building relationships are essential for cultivating love. Connect groups provide opportunities to grow in love and support one another. Observing Christ's extravagant love teaches us how to love others selflessly. [39:13]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:53] - Relationship Statuses
[01:58] - The Greatest Commandments
[03:53] - Finding a Spouse
[05:19] - The Foundation of Love
[06:15] - The Danger of Prosperity
[07:20] - The Parable of the Rich Fool
[10:42] - What Matters Most to God
[12:51] - The Love Chapter
[13:53] - The Importance of Love
[16:58] - Knowledge Without Love
[18:26] - Belief Without Love
[21:01] - Giving Without Love
[25:10] - The Evaluation of Love
[28:21] - Acceptance and Transformation
[31:12] - Love as a Choice
[33:46] - Love as an Action
[35:43] - Love as a Commitment
[39:13] - Community and Growth in Love
[40:04] - Extravagant Love
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: "It's Complicated"
Bible Reading:
1. Matthew 22:37-40
2. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
3. Luke 12:16-21
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Observation Questions:
1. According to Matthew 22:37-40, what are the two greatest commandments that Jesus emphasizes, and how do they relate to the foundation of relationships? [01:58]
2. In the parable of the rich fool from Luke 12:16-21, what was the rich man's mistake, and how does it relate to the sermon’s message about the danger of prosperity? [07:20]
3. How does 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 describe the importance of love in relation to speaking, knowledge, and faith? What does this imply about the value of love in our actions? [13:53]
4. What are some characteristics of love mentioned in the sermon that align with the description in 1 Corinthians 13? [27:03]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the sermon interpret the command to love God and love others as foundational to all relationships? Why is this considered the essence of our faith? [01:58]
2. The sermon mentions that prosperity can be more dangerous than adversity. How does this perspective challenge common views about wealth and success? [06:15]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that love is a choice and a commitment rather than just an emotion? How does this understanding affect our daily interactions? [31:12]
4. How does the concept of love as a muscle that needs to be exercised relate to the idea of community and growth in love? What role do connect groups play in this process? [39:13]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current relationships. Are there areas where you are prioritizing material success over being "rich toward God"? How can you realign your priorities this week? [06:15]
2. Think of a time when you felt invincible due to prosperity. How did a crisis change your perspective on what truly matters? How can you maintain this perspective in times of abundance? [06:15]
3. Identify a relationship in your life where love feels more like a challenge than a choice. What practical steps can you take to demonstrate commitment and patience in that relationship? [31:12]
4. How can you actively choose to love someone in your community this week, especially if it requires going beyond your comfort zone? What specific action will you take? [33:46]
5. Consider joining or participating more actively in a connect group. How might this help you grow in love and support others? What steps will you take to get involved? [39:13]
6. Reflect on the characteristics of love mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13. Which one do you find most challenging, and how can you work on developing it in your interactions with others? [27:03]
7. How can you ensure that your acts of giving are motivated by love rather than obligation or expectation of return? What changes might you need to make in your approach to generosity? [21:01]
Devotional
Day 1: Love as the Cornerstone of Relationships
Love is the foundation upon which all relationships are built, as emphasized by Jesus' commandments to love God and our neighbors. This love is not merely an emotion but a deliberate choice and a command that we must actively pursue. Without love, our words and actions lose their meaning and impact. Love is about giving, not getting, and it transforms our lives by aligning us with God's will. It is patient, kind, and selfless, and it requires us to put others before ourselves. By loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbors as ourselves, we fulfill the essence of our faith and demonstrate the evidence of our relationship with God. [01:58]
"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling." (1 Peter 4:8-9, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a relationship in your life that needs strengthening. How can you actively choose to love that person more deeply today?
Day 2: The Illusion of Invincibility in Prosperity
Prosperity can create a false sense of invincibility, distracting us from what truly matters. In times of abundance, we may forget our vulnerability and the importance of prioritizing our relationships with God and others. Crises serve as reminders of our dependence on God and the need to be rich toward Him, not just in material wealth. Jesus warns against storing up treasures for ourselves without being rich toward God, emphasizing that our faith should lead us to love others. Our actions should reflect this love, focusing on eternal values rather than temporary gains. [06:15]
"Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven." (Proverbs 23:4-5, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways has prosperity distracted you from your relationship with God? How can you refocus on what truly matters today?
Day 3: The Selfless Nature of True Love
True love is characterized by selflessness, patience, and kindness. It is not about getting but giving, and it respects boundaries while waiting patiently. Real love is a commitment that is tested over time, and mature love perseveres through challenges. It is not proud, rude, or self-seeking, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Instead, it rejoices with the truth and seeks the best for others. By choosing to love selflessly, we reflect the love of Christ and demonstrate the transformative power of love in our lives. [27:03]
"Let all that you do be done in love." (1 Corinthians 16:14, ESV)
Reflection: Identify a situation where you have been self-seeking in your love. How can you shift your focus to selflessly serve others in that situation?
Day 4: Love as a Deliberate Choice and Commitment
Love is not just an emotion but a deliberate choice and a commitment. Mature individuals live by their commitments, not their emotions, and love requires action. It is demonstrated through our behavior and conduct, reflecting our faith and relationship with God. By choosing to love, even when it's challenging, we exercise our love like a muscle, allowing it to grow and mature over time. This commitment to love is a reflection of Christ's love for us, and we are called to love extravagantly, giving of ourselves fully without expecting anything in return. [31:12]
"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18, ESV)
Reflection: Consider a commitment you have made to love someone. How can you demonstrate that love through your actions today?
Day 5: Community as a Catalyst for Growth in Love
Engaging in community and building relationships are essential for cultivating love. Connect groups provide opportunities to grow in love and support one another, allowing us to learn from each other's experiences and challenges. As we keep company with God, we learn a life of love by observing how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant, and we are called to love others selflessly in the same way. By participating in a community, we can practice and develop our love, becoming more like Christ in our interactions with others. [39:13]
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)
Reflection: How can you engage more deeply with your community to grow in love? What steps can you take today to connect with others and support them in their journey?
Quotes
And here's what I'd like to say to you. When times are good, when times are going just right, we can feel very invincible. It causes us to feel like, man, I got everything going for me. Everything's just right. Everything's going the way it needs to go. And we can tend to believe that we're invincible. In fact, I would. I would say this. Prosperity is always more dangerous than adversity. [00:05:38] (30 seconds)
In other words, your faith in God should cause you to love others. In other words, what matters to God most is not your achievements. It's not your accomplishments. It's not your wealth. He said what matters to God most is the faith that causes you or makes you love other people. He's saying real faith in God causes you to love others. Proof or evidence of your faith is that you love others. [00:11:20] (36 seconds)
If I don't live a life of love, nothing that I say will matter. If I don't live a life of love, nothing that I say will matter. 1 Corinthians 13, 1 says this. speak any language in heaven or on earth, but I didn't love others, it says, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. [00:13:29] (35 seconds)
In other words, if you speak all of this stuff, you say a bunch of things, but you don't love people, they're empty words. You're just a chatterbox. You can impress people with the way you talk. In fact, there's a lot of eloquent speakers out there. You can get on TikTok. You can get on. instagram and and they're they have all this charisma they have all this communication skill but the bible says if they don't have any love they don't mean anything amen they have nothing in fact i will say this great speakers don't impress god love does if you can you can talk to talk but if you don't walk the walk it doesn't matter you have to walk out love you have to live out love if you don't you need to be quiet you need to quiet the la boca if you're not loving people you've got to love people you get it like a bunch of noise that you're making living a life without love the bible says nothing else matters [00:14:16] (67 seconds)
In other words, if I believe certain doctrinal truths, if I believe certain things about God, that that's all that I need. That's all I need to believe in. But look at what the scripture says in 1 Corinthians 13, 2. Even if I have the gift of faith so that I can speak to a mountain and make it move. So you have this belief. You have this great faith. You're like a miracle worker. You can cause things to move. It says, I will still be worth nothing at all without love. [00:17:56] (30 seconds)
say for no you can't compensate with things the love that you didn't give well i bought my kids but did you give them love you need to give out of love number five if i don't live a life of love nothing that i accomplish will matter doesn't matter how much you accomplish how much you got done if you don't live a life of love nothing that i accomplish matters look at what first corinthians 13 says no matter what i say or what i believe or what i do i am bankrupt without love so you can rack up an incredible list of personal achievements you may even rack up 100 000 followers people may hit like on your post in five minutes they may be 10 000 people like your post you can win all the money you can win all the money you can win all the money you can win all the money kinds of awards you can you can have an enormous amount of accomplishments you can be an entrepreneur you can have started a multi -million dollar business you can be incredibly successful but the Bible says if you don't love you are worth squat you're nada nothing built can I say that again you're nothing you're zero God said relationships and loving people is more important life is about relationship not about accomplishments so let me summarize what I've just said today God said the eloquence of an orator the knowledge of a genius the faith of a miracle worker the generosity of a philanthropist the achievement of a superstar if i don't have love in my heart it's worth zero it doesn't count the only thing that matters [00:22:56] (125 seconds)
And we're going to be evaluated. And you know what God's going to say to us? He's not going to evaluate and say, how much did you have in your bank account? How many cars did you own? How much money did you have? Let me see your grade. Let me see how many trophies you have. How many endorsements you have. What's your resume? He's going to evaluate your life on the basis of relationship. How much did you love God? [00:25:08] (24 seconds)
He loves you as you are. He accepts you as you are, but he loves you too much to keep you the same way, so his love will transform you. Love changes you. Love transforms your entire life. Hallelujah. So here's a couple of things I want to say to kind of help you to live a life of love and understand what real love is, and this is what I didn't have them put it up there, so you can write this down, put it in there. The Bible says that love is a command. Say command. [00:29:17] (32 seconds)
In other words, it's not an option. It's not a suggestion. It's a command. In fact, 16 times in the Bible, in the New Testament, God said love one another. Jesus said, I command you to love one another. 2 John 1, 6 says love means doing what God has commanded you. So I'm going to just be real clear. I'm going to be real clear with you that God expects us. He commands us to love. [00:29:49] (29 seconds)
And these are places where you can build relationships. Because I know in a larger... assembly like this, it's hard to get to know a lot of people, but we have smaller groups on Friday night. They're called connect groups. And if you want information, you can go on our website, you can text, you can email us and we'll channel you in the right. You can talk to any of the pastors here and we can channel you in the right connect group. But these groups are smaller where you get to know people. [00:39:38] (28 seconds)
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