April 22, 2007

 

Cawson Street Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

The Greatest Theme: Love

 

Introduction: I recently asked a class what is the greatest theme in the Bible. Without hesitation, several in the class said, Love. The greatest theme in the Bible is love. The biblical story begins with God’s love for us. We respond to his love by loving Him and one another. This is the central message of the Bible.

 

The Love of God (Frederick Lehman, 1917)

 

The love of God is greater far, than tongue or pen can ever tell

It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell

The guilty pair bowed down with care; God gave his Son to win

His erring child he reconciled and pardoned from his sin

 

When hoary time shall pass; and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall

When men who here refuse to pray; on rocks and hills and mountains call

God’s love so sure, shall still endure; all measureless and strong

Redeeming grace to Adam’s race; the saints’ and angels’ song

 

Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made

Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry

Nor could the scroll contain the whole, tho’ stretched from sky to sky

 

The story of God’s love has been written, stretched from sky to sky, on papyri, parchment and paper with the intent that it finally be written on people, the hearts of all mankind. “Forasmuch as you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” (2 Cor. 3:3.)

 

Who is God? The story of God’s love reveals the heart of God. By inspiration, John wrote, God is love. (1 John 4:7-8.) This tells us more about God than anything else we could say. It teaches us more about redemption and salvation than anything else we could say. Love provides the greatest motivation to obey God and to serve our fellow man. The story of creation is a story about love; the story of the cross is the story of God’s love for man; the story of Israel is about love; the story of the Church is about love; the story of heaven is about love.

 

No one should think that love is soft or effeminate or permissive. The cross should have taught us better than that. No one should think that love is for women and children, but strong men do not need it. Our experiences in our homes should have served us better. No one should think that love is easy, less demanding, or less distinctive than “doctrinal” preaching. It is, in fact, more demanding and requires greater maturity in Christ than anything else we preach or do. To say otherwise is to impugn the God of love and to overthrow the Gospel of Christ.

 

For whom Christ died. One of the greatest truths of Scripture is that God loves lost mankind. (John 3:16.) He is not willing that any should perish; he would have all men to be saved. (2 Peter 3:9, 1 Tim. 2:4.) What kind of people does God love? Good people; obedient people only? Does God like some people better than others? Does God love me when I fail to be what he wants me to be? Yes! This is the overwhelming truth of Scripture. Paul said it this way.

 

“. . . because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Rom. 5:5-9.)

 

There are three levels of spirituality among men named by Paul: the lowest is the sinner, then the righteous man, and the best is the good man. The righteous man just does what is right, but not what is good or best for you. The righteous man (priest and Levite) would not beat or rob the traveling man on the Jericho Road, but he would not stop and help him either. He would argue that he did nothing wrong. He did not harm the man. We call the Samaritan who stopped and helped him the Good Samaritan for good reasons. (Luke 10:30-37.) But the third group is the thieves who were hiding along the roadside waiting for a traveler to rob. If you were asked to give your life for one of these three, which would you be willing to die for? Most of us would choose the good man. We would not want to die for those self-righteous priests and Levites hurrying to church. We certainly would not want to die for the thieves.  But God loves all three. God commended his love to all men, who are all sinners like the thieves. This is the amazing thing about the love of God. It does not mean that he is pleased with the behavior of the self-righteous or the thieves. The story of Luke 10 shows that. But there is a difference between being pleased with or approving the behavior of someone and loving them. This leads us to talk about three different kinds of love. Someone wrote that there are three different conditions that we place on love.

 

Three conditions on love. One is, “I will love you if . . .” Some people have a lot of conditions following the word, if. This is really no love at all. It is a form of manipulation of others to get what you want. Many people are needy and afraid in life. They are clinging people, like algae and snails on the bottom of a boat. You cannot shake them loose. They do not love others; they use them. Some parents do not love their children. They love them if they do well in school, if they succeed in sports, if they do their chores, if they make them happy, etc. Some husbands and wives love their mates if they fulfill their needs, if they give them an unlimited budget, if they serve them, etc. This is no love at all. We love one another at church if you agree with me, if you let me control your life, if you support my narrow self-serving agendas, etc.

 

Another kind of love is, “I love you because. . . “ This is not the highest or best form of love, but it is love and it is biblical. John wrote, “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19.) This is acceptable especially between God and man; it is not as good between fellow humans. Then it becomes very similar to the “if love” above. David wrote, “I love the Lord because he hath heard my supplications, because he hath inclined his ear unto me. Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.” (Psalm 116:1-2.) We have learned to love God because of his love for all of us.

 

But the highest and best form of love is “anyway love.” This is the nature of God’s love and should become ours. Jesus died for sinners; he was crucified by wicked men. They (we) are not good people or righteous people. There is none righteous; no, not one. Jesus knew that many would never follow Him or believe in Him, but he loved them and died for them anyway. Our efforts to reach lost people will often fail to accomplish its purpose. We will spend a lot of money on the lost. We should love them anyway. It is difficult thing being parents; children will sometimes disappoint you. Love them anyway. Husbands and wives do not always get along with one another; love one another anyway. Brethren are contrary; I am contrary. Love one another anyway. This does not mean that we approve or accept sinful behavior. It just means that we love without conditions attached. The moment that I place my conditions on love, I lower what true love is.

 

Marriage vows are in the form of “I will love you anyway, regardless of what happens.” We say things like, “For better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health, until death we do part.”