Andrew Fountain - Living Right 6: Practical Love

• Sixth of our series on “Doing what’s right without being legalistic” (second to last)

0. Review from previous times

1. We asked the question: What does the word “holy” mean?
   
   • Jesus re-defines holiness:
     
     • His total denial of self as he poured out his life as a love-gift was the ultimate act of obedience
   • This does not contradict the law (love God, love your neighbour)
     
     • but goes way beyond what the Old Covenant ever commanded

• Rom 12:1 makes it very clear:
  
  • I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your whole person as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God which is your spiritual worship.

2. God’s main agenda for us at Newlife Church and for you as an individual
   
   • Being a community of love, with his loving presence in us

• But what does this actually mean in practice?

1. What makes love valuable?

• Is it better to love beggars?
• It is true that God demonstrated this kind of love
  
  • Luke 14 --love to the crippled, the lame & the blind
  • We are commanded in Ephesians 5:1-2 to imitate Jesus' example of love
• But almost all the commands in the NT for us to love relate to other believers
  
  • It is not about who you love, but about how you love them

2. What does this love look like in practice?

• 1 Corinthians 13:1-7
  
  • Philippians 2:1-5
• What about people who are a pain?
  
  • Ephesians 4:1-3
• But what if they have have wronged you or treated you badly?
  
  • Colossians 3:12-14

3. What does this love NOT look like?

• There is a list of these in 1 Corinthians 13:4

4. Love is sometimes tough

• 1 Thessalonians 5

Response

• Ultimately love cannot be taught!
• But our main teacher is the Holy Spirit

Updated on 2009-10-18 (r.84) by Andrew Fountain