Study 2 - Walking In Love
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SUMMARY: This episode unpacks what it means to walk in love through Ephesians 5, highlighting Christ’s sacrificial love as the ultimate example. Learn how humility, unity, forgiveness, and Spirit-led living shape authentic Christian love, challenging believers to move beyond words into action and reflect God’s love daily.
UNEDITED TRANSCRIPTION: Our second session is about walking in love. Walking in love. We're going to go ahead and read from Ephesians chapter five and verse two. Ephesians chapter five, verse two, and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. And then also from the same chapter, starting from verse fifteen, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. In the previous study, we have before us the nature of God. First he is light mentioned first and then he is love. But here in Ephesians we see that in chapter five, walk in love came first and then walk in light. So the only way to be accepted by the Lord and. And to walk in love is through this offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. That's the only basis we can't as sinners, meet with the righteous God and and get the salvation, but it is only through his love. That's why walking in love mentioned first, but then the first one be. Therefore be imitators or the same word that comes. The word mimics. And uh. In order to. As children of God, he is light and he is love as his children. We ought also to walk in love and to walk in light. I think it's helpful just to back up just a moment and see in the context of this chapter, uh, really backing up to chapter four, where we're. We see, he says, I therefore, as a prisoner of the Lord, I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling in which you have been called. And then from that proceeds this very practical section, chapter four, chapter five, and chapter six. And in that section leading up to our verses we see that to walk worthy of the Lord, to walk worthy of the calling in which we've been called, is a different kind of walk than what we see those who are walking in darkness are doing. Uh, when we think about this, uh, walking, uh, it is number one. If you look in chapter four, verse one, uh, verse two, sorry, with loneliness, how are we to walk worthy of the calling in which we've been called with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, with bearing with one another in love. And here he. He emphasizes these things that it's a. It's a walk of humility. It's not a walk of pride. It's not a walk of arrogance because God resists the proud. But he gives grace to the humble. And so if we want to be imitators of God as brother and he has just pointed out that this word imitators means mimic to mimic God. If we want to do this, it cannot be with pride. It cannot be with we're better than them. Uh, it it cannot have any kind of, uh, uh, expression of, um, that we're better than any other group or any other people or, or even better than the sinners. We are what we are now by the grace of God. And we should never lose sight of that. But not only is this a walk of humility which is expressed here in these verses one and two, but it's also a walk of unity, a walk of unity with one another, that we're to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, the unity that the Spirit of God has already established in the finished work of Christ. It's not that we're to make a new unity, um, but we're to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit. It's not the unity of the church. It's not the unity of the body. It's the unity of the spirit. What he has done when he out of the two made one new man, as we find earlier in chapter two. And so this is the unity of the spirit that we're to endeavor. So this walk that we have is a walk of unity. And then from verse seventeen down to verse thirty two, we see it's a different kind of walk altogether from anything that the world has. When we look at verse, verse seventeen, he says this, I say, therefore testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in there in the futility of their minds. And then he goes on to talk about having their understanding darkened and, and that their blindness of their heart he mentions. And then then he contrasts. He says, but you've not learned Christ. You've not so learned Christ. And so all the way down he. He contrasts that those that are in darkness and those that are in light as. Just to piggyback on where we've been, uh, he says, you've You've not learned Christ this way. And so there's a different walk. It's a walk of humility. It's a walk of unity. It is a different walk in contrast. And he says, uh, in verse thirty, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Uh, let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as there's the standard, even as Christ forgave you. And so these things bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor. They're not in keeping with the Spirit of God, and they're not in keeping with imitating God. And he goes on to say, therefore, therefore. Now based on all of this that we've had in chapter four leading up to this point. Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love. And he mentions that Christ is the pattern as Christ also has loved us. That's the pattern. And Christ has given himself. Or if you would, Christ has given himself up for us. And because Christ has given himself up for us, and. And in doing so, what did that do when Christ gave himself up for us? What did that do to the heart of God? It was an offering. An offering that means something for God's pleasure, an offering for the pleasure of God, but also as a sacrifice. That's a payment. So for the pleasure of God and for the payment of our sin sacrifice. And we see that he offered himself as an offering, gave himself up as an offering, a sacrifice to God. And when God smelled this sacrifice, this offering for his pleasure, the sacrifice for his payment for payment, when God smelled this, it was sweet smelling aroma to his holy nostrils. If I could express it that way. And so in that same way, now you and I are to offer ourselves, there's there's a verse in First John chapter three, verse sixteen. It says, maybe I can just read it real quick. First John chapter three and verse sixteen where it says, by this we know love, because he, the Lord Jesus, laid down his life for us. He laid down, he offered it up in Ephesians. But here he lays it down for us, as we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. There's the standard. Now, we might never be called. We may never be called to lay down our life, uh, physically for another person. But I'd like to suggest that when we're talking about walking in love, it's laying down my own what I think are rights, laying down my own preferences, laying down my way and Laying down and allowing my my brother to have his way. It it's it's not about me. In other words. And the Lord Jesus said this in John. Thirteen verse thirty four by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. And so this is the kind of love that we're speaking of here, back in Ephesians chapter five. Being imitators of God as dear children, follow your father's footsteps. After that, to add to that, briefly the verse that Brother Tim mentioned, the expression, verse sixteen, because he. Because he Back in Ephesians, brother. Also read from chapter four and be kind to one another. The last verse in the chapter tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ. Chapter five. Brother Henry mentioned verse two, walk in love as Christ. And then we know later on in chapter five, verse twenty five, husbands, love your wives just as Christ. There is a clear distinction, a clear pattern, a clear picture of what God wants to bring before us. The of these things forgiveness and love. In Christ there is that which the world desires to teach us about these things. A pattern of, uh. We might say how to handle things in the world that the world wants to say. This is the way to do it. How to love in a temporary fashion nowadays. But there is that which God wants to show us from His Word, not what is of men, but what is of himself. It is clearly from God's design. If we're going to understand what love means, it must be that we see it from God's perspective who he is, how he desires to love. If there's going to be any glory for God, it must be because it's what he has shown us. And in Christ we have no bigger, no higher authority as in Christ. There is nothing else to turn to. If we are in Christ, that's the ultimate. Uh, do we know that the Epistle to the Ephesians formed from six chapters. The first three one speaks about our privilege in Christ, the second three which started by chapter four, about our duty, our responsibility. We got every privilege by his grace, not by because we are worthy. Also, we must believe steadfastly that we cannot do our responsibility without depending upon his grace. This is the thing which encouraged us, which, if we are a beginner in the trek of faith, or we are in faith from years ago, uh, we read about that we must imitate our God. But Paul in First Corinthians eleven encourages the people to imitate. For him like he imitate Christ. We cannot follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ without. Uh, be in intimate relationship with him, talking with him. Uh uh uh, forgive my sin, Lord. Uh, test my heart, my lord. Correct me, my Lord. I need this exercise to be done every day. Not only every day, but every hour of the day. We are surrounded by devil, by enemies. That's why we are need to be in an intimate relation with the one who loved us. He put before us his example. And another thing I want to share. That. When we love each one of us. What. When we love one another. We cannot love by our own love. We are not source of love, but we are a channel to reach. With his love to his people, his love, his love power inside our hearts by the Holy Spirit, his love. We can get it from the fruit of the spirit. The fruit of the spirit is love. We cannot reach anything without. Start by the root. The root of the fruit of the spirit is love. Without love There is no anything more. Uh. There is no joy. There is no peace. There is no nothing. That's why we need to depend upon his grace, upon the Holy Spirit which dwells inside us, and the fellowship with the Lord. He is the source of all blessing for our life and for our people, which with whom we live. Is this love, as you say, Brother Nabeel? Uh, it the the word love here is agape love. It's divine love. It's a love that loves the one in whom is the recipient of, uh, no matter what he, he loves. God is love. And so as you, we think of this, we have that in first John chapter four, verse eight. I think it is. God is love. It's it's again the nature of God. And as you think of this, it's the standard for the kind of love, divine love that you and I are to share. Now, I can love, uh, certain brothers because, uh, they're easy to love. Uh, who here doesn't find it easy to love brother John? He's an easy brother to love. Or brother Jerry Levitan was an easy brother to love. But there might be other brothers, like maybe Tim Hadley. That's not as easy to love. And, you know, I didn't need the Amen, brother. But. But. Divine love doesn't just love the lovely divine love Loves even the unlovely. And this is God's love. And if you look back very briefly. If we just look back at the book of Ephesians, where this command, this imperative is given that we're to love even as God has loved us. How did he love us? First of all, the first time we find it, it's in chapter one verse four, where we read, uh, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. That we should be holy without blame before him in love. So he's predestined us in love. He's chosen us in love. This is the character of God. This is the sorry, the nature of God. And then in chapter two, it's mentioned again this love, this agape love in verse four, after. He might remind us of what we once were. Flowing with the course of this world. Completely bankrupt. With no power to show anything of signs of life toward God. Verses one to three of chapter two. He says in verse four, in contrast to what we were. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, he loved us when we were unlovable. He's the only one that would love us when we were unlovable. That's the kind of love we've been loved. And then look at chapter three. It's mentioned again in chapter three and verse twenty. He says, uh, sorry, let me back up. It's, uh, Paul's prayer for empowerment. Paul prays two prayers in Ephesians, one for enlightenment in chapter one, one for empowerment in chapter two. And that empowerment is seen here. He says in the middle of verse sixteen, uh, well, in beginning of verse sixteen, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, in order that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width, length, and depth and height. To know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge that you may be filled with all fullness. And then he goes on. And so here the third time. This manner of this divine love is mentioned. It's that in order to to, for us to know this love that passes all knowledge. Now he says with all that as facts that God has done in our lives, indicatives things that God has done. Now he says you in the same way, love one another in the same way. Let that love flow. And when we realize in the one sense what debtors we are, what debtors we are to the love of God, who am I to harbor something against my brother or my sister? How can I hold that against that brother for whom Christ died and displayed in his life the same love that he displayed in my life. How can I do that? And that's why it's so important to connect. Chapter four verse thirty to thirty two with chapter five. As we move forward and to realize that this is the love of God. This is a divine love. And the only way I'm going to do it is if I do it through the Spirit of God. It is significant, I think, that it's added in verse fifteen. The verse fifteen. Yeah. Walk carefully. It's not just haphazard or, you know, love everything and go on, but it's a careful walk. It's it's something that we have to watch out for. And he gives us the reason, he says, because the days are evil. The. I don't think we have to look far to see how much evil is surrounding us. We see it every day, all around us. It's open and blatant and we need to walk carefully. We don't want to bring Christ or God into association with any of these things. By our walk, by our conduct. Just want to go back to the point Brother Paul brought before us as Christ. But here he continues, not only speaking about the love of Christ, but speaking about a specific aspect here. Given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. Yes, he speaks about him offering Himself to God on the cross, but he doesn't speak here about the aspect of the sin offering. It speaks about the aspect of the burnt offering. And because here it says a sweet smelling aroma, we don't see the sweet smelling aroma in the sin offering, but we see it in the burnt offering. I want to say, Christ love for us was not by words, it was by deed to the uttermost. And we have a good example for that. In Aquila and Priscilla, who risked their neck for the Apostle Paul. Now we have some chapters in the Bible. The whole chapter speaks about one thing. For example, we have Hebrews eleven. It speaks about the faith. First Thessalonians four speaks about the hope. And we have first Corinthians thirteen speaks about the love. So if we really want to walk in love, we have this beautiful checklist in First Corinthians thirteen. So if I list those to do things, if I can say every morning I put first Corinthians thirteen before me, and at the end of the day, I see which of these characteristics of love I really able to take. Then I think I'm walking in love. In another word, the perfect example in first Corinthians thirteen. If we remove the word love and we put Christ, it fits perfectly. He is the only one that the perfect example for someone walked in love. Presented love because his nature is love. I think there's some one of us, or maybe all of us, when we think Steeply in these subjects, we can feel that we are failing to fulfill this. Uh, this, uh, this orders. But we have a verse from the second Philippians that encouraged us to complete our, uh, walking in the race. Up till the end, the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian people. For it is who God. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. He gave us the will. We are not willing by ourselves, but God will give us the will. Not only the will, but the power to do. That's why we cannot faint when we read about our responsibility towards each other and towards the surrounding people. God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure, not for our own pleasure, but for his good pleasure. This is amazing verse that will encourage every one of us to do his will by depending upon his power and upon His Holy Spirit and upon his work. Also, Brother John. Yes, one of the beautiful things about our love chapters in several different sections of the Bible is that it teaches us not only what love is, but what love is not. And it says, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and even give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profited me nothing. You see love suffereth long and is kind. Love him yet not love vaulted not itself is not puffed up. It does not behave itself unseemly. It seeketh not her own. It's not easily provoked. It think it no evil. Love rejoiceth not in iniquity. But rejoices in the truth. And love berith all things. And believe in all things. And hope in all things. And even more important, Endureth all things. Love never failing. But whether it be prophecy, it shall fail, and whether it be tongues shall cease, and whether there be knowledge shall fade away. Why? For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, meaning our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Then that which is in part shall be done away with. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood. As a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man I put away childish things. And it tells us that for now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now we only know in part. But then shall we know even as also we are known. That's the love that he wants to separate it from us. Amen. Amen. Amen. You know, I just like to comment on what brother mentioned earlier. Uh, being we're at the Easter season, we sometimes hear it very wrongly, erroneously said and taught that our Lord Jesus was forsaken by the father. And this verse is very helpful in Ephesians five two to show us his brother. Heinie mentioned that the one of the aspects, the greatest aspect, perhaps of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus was that his obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. And there's the demonstration of his perfect love. And the father's response then, uh, was to smile upon that sacrifice. And as it says, here was a sweet smelling savor. And so that's to be contrasted with the sin or trespass offering. Where the darkness came over the Lord, and he bore our sins, cried out at the end of the three hours. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? So at the same moment, our Lord Jesus, as the obedient one, is pleasing to the father, just as Isaac was to Abraham when he yielded himself to his father there in Genesis twenty two. Our Lord Jesus was pleasing to the father in his obedience unto death, demonstrating his perfect love for the father in his obedience. And that is a different view than the one that we see when he took our sins and was forsaken of God. And it is so very important to make that distinction. Amen. Amen. When we talk about the walking in love, we found ourselves in a higher or more deeper level of walking. Because walking in light, as we mentioned before, is just only to reflect the light of the Lord Jesus. But here, as we read in Ephesians five, we found ourselves before a high measurement. We have to walk as Christ and what he did, he laid down his life towards us. Ephesians, as we know that it consists of five, six chapters, the first three chapters talking about the position in our life in Christ, in heavenly places, and what. But the third and the fourth and the sixth chapter. The last three. Talking about our working and our responsibility. The problem happened when there is a gap between this and this. We have a higher position, but we work on our own. Like the son of the King, he cannot walk or do anything. He has protocol to follow and have restriction of his life. The problem for this level how to work and love. It is easy to talk. Apostle John in chapter first Epistle of John and chapter three, we can read some verses that show us how difficult. When we read this one in. First John chapter three and verse eighteen, my little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and truth. This is what makes it hard and difficult. And to walk in love. Because easy to talk, easy to show. But actually it must be not only words, but deed and the truth as mentioned here. And there's a question now, as we said before, how I can walk or what things that can help me to walk in love, which is hard or high level or deep level. The first thing we can read it in. One verse here in Galatians chapter six, verse two. Galatians six, verse two, talking about something. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. So bearing one another burden. Help us to show that love. There is something here we have to pay attention to. To fulfill the law of Christ. What is the law of Christ? The Christ have a law? Yes. What is this? The new commandment. We know that the Ten Commandments, that love and whatever. But here the Christ give us a new commandment of love. A new level, a new concept of love, which is to lay ourselves down for one another, to love, and in deed and in truth, this is the first thing we have to fulfill the law of Christ, which is the level of the new commandment of love. The second thing we read also in the first chapter three and verse twelve, it tells us something very important to us as we know our level of love. During our walking in the wilderness, it fluctuated up and down. But we have to do something to keep walking in love as Christ did in first Thessalonians chapter three. And verse twelve says that. And the Lord make you to increase and abandoned in love, one towards another and toward all men, even as we do towards you. So here we have to ask the Lord. He is the only one to help us to keep in high level of walking in love. So here told that the Lord increase. Increase you in love. These two things that may help us to bear burden for one another. The second thing is to pray, to ask the Lord to increase the level of our love and our walking. I'd like to just clarify something. Yeah, there was this discussion about we're walking as children of the light, and if we're children of the light, it's because we're born again and we have the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit within us. And so we are to walk as those children to be that which we are. We are children of the light. The. The moon was always a picture of Israel to reflect the responsibility that they had, and was given unto them by God. And they would say in the commandments, right, love thy neighbor as thyself from Leviticus chapter nineteen. And they. They failed in that. But that in which they failed we can succeed. Why? Because on the day of Pentecost we were no longer in darkness. We're now in the light. And so we as children of God, we are to walk in that light, knowing that in the light there is no room for the flesh. The old man cannot walk in the light. The old man cannot love, but the new man that's within us, that is where the power and the victory is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. And in knowing our position as a child and a son is a son. And we're just to not merely reflect, but be that which we are. And why are we that? Because of what he's done for us on Calvary's cross and the day of Pentecost, we are now children of the light. So can we walk in the light? We can, because that's what we are. We're to reveal our nature. That is the Holy Spirit within us, not the old man, of course. And then now can we love? Of course we can love. Because again, as in the light, there's no room for for the flesh. So such is there in love. There's no room for the flesh. Just a just an observation. It is always interesting to see the first mentioning of an incident or an accident, or even a word. And the last one. So the first mentioning of the word love in the Bible was in the book of Genesis, not in Genesis three, but in Genesis twenty two and verse two. And I will read the verse. Genesis. Twenty two. And verse two. And that describes what love is. And he said, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, Whom thou lovest, and get into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee all. This is a. This is love. Your son, whom you love. We know that this passage is an illustration of the uttermost love. The uttermost love, the love between the father and the son. And though he had loved his son, but in full obedience, the son did what the father Wants him to do that stuff. And the last mentioning is when God spent the whole Bible speaking and teaching of love to him and love to one another. But in the book of revelation and in chapter two also it says, but I have this against you. That you listened and you continued throughout the ages, loving one another and loving me. We did not learn the lesson. We did not learn the lesson. But I have this against you that you have left your first love. But although this was the condition and it's our condition now. But God is giving me and you and you another chance. Remember from where you had fallen and returned. So we all had fallen in showing love. And although we speak much about it. But the Lord is advising us and is directing us on how to show and restore our love to him, that's first, that's for sure. We cannot love anything else or anyone else unless we have that love for him and then our love for one another. Genuine love, not love by words, will definitely be the outcome of our love and obedience to our God and our father, as well as to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's interesting, Brother Zechariah, that in Genesis twenty two where you mentioned the first place love is mentioned. It's also the first place obedience is mentioned. And it's that's what we're talking about, being obedient in this act of love. It's also the first place where the lamb is mentioned. And that's interesting as well, because it's through the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we know what true love is, that God demonstrated his own love toward us while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, loved me and gave himself for me. We understand what love is because of the Lamb. What's interesting, as you go through the book of Genesis in this manner of love, is that you go into chapter, the next place where love is mentioned. It's the love that Isaac had for his wife. And he took her into the tent and he loved her. And these two places, twenty two and twenty four, are very positive aspects of love. But as you move through the book of Genesis, what you find is almost, I would say, almost the rest of the times. And there's quite a few of them that the word love is mentioned in the book of Genesis. It's a selfish love, and that's our problem. We lose sight of the example of Christ, loving the church and giving himself for her. And what kind of love was that in Ephesians chapter five, verse twenty five? It was a sacrificial love. He loved the church and gave himself for her. But it was also a sanctifying love that he might set her apart. It says that he might sanctify her by the washing of the word. But it's also a securing love. And that's interesting because in verse twenty seven, it says of chapter five of Ephesians that he might present her to himself without spot or wrinkle. Why is that securing? It's securing because it reminds everyone of us, of the assurance of this truth, that one day our blessed God, our blessed Lord Jesus, is going to present us to himself, those that are now seated in the heavenlies and and were trophies of his grace for all eternity. One day we're going to be presented to himself as His bride. And how beautiful that is. So how does that love apply to us? Sacrificing love? It's not. What about me? It's not about what I think, but it's how can I sacrifice for you? And then it's a sanctifying love. It's a love that is setting my brothers and sisters apart for, uh. For to help them understand how much I love them. That I sent that love apart. Now this is in keeping. By the way, the husbands love your wives and loving them sacrificially, husbands loving your wives, loving them in a sanctifying way, and husbands loving your wives in a securing way. But I just want to apply it to us as brothers and sisters in in the body of Christ today, in the family of God, in the local testimony. Uh, if my love for my brother and sister is a securing love, then they're not going to be threatened to come and speak to me. They're not going to be threatened if I come and speak to them, because they know that I love them. This is how practical this truth gets. And, you know, a lot of assemblies suffer today because securing love isn't evident locally. And so we need to encourage one another. And just to comment on Brother Samir, uh, he asked the question and he answered it. I want to add an answer for him. Um, he asked the question of it. Does Christ have a law? And and we answered, yes, it's a law of Christ. It's the law of love. Love one another. In James chapter two, verse eight, there that same law is called the royal law. And it's beautiful. And, and, and I'll just read it because just to add to what he was saying, if anyone really fulfills the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You do well, you do well. I wanted to, uh, I wanted to just mention one thing, brother Lance. Um, we've been talking a lot about loving one another, and, uh, we don't want to forget the aspect that we need to love sinners Earth. And God so loved the world and loving sinners is to be compassionate, to care for where they are and where they're going. And this should characterize us as believers. I was reading a little booklet by D.L. Moody, bunch of little stories of those who loved others and drew them to the Lord. And may the Lord help us to to do that. Amen. Amen. I want to add to that, Brother Sam, that, uh, the Lord Jesus said to love our enemies. And so love is not just an emotion, but first, it is a decision. So that's very important because we have so much, uh, marriage and problems within marriage, even divorce and love is a decision. So it's not adequate to say that I no longer feel the way that I used to. Feelings is not what love is about. It's about a decision. We have at least one couple that's engaged here today and going to pledge themselves to love one another for the rest of their lives. Of course, all of us who are married have made that pledge, and all of us that have received Christ as Lord and Savior have made that pledge to love him and to love God with all our hearts for the rest of our lives. So it's a decision that we make. It's so significant in the world that we live in, because Brother Tim brought up the other places in the Bible where love is used. And I'm just going to read in chapter twenty five where it says, verse twenty eight, And Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison, and Jacob and Rebekah loved Jacob. So because of partiality, because of feelings and emotions that satisfied themselves a love not based upon loving the other, but how that one makes me feel. And that's how people fall out of love. You no longer make me feel the way you used to. Well, that's not love to start with. So this love, uh, is a is a sad thing. As Brother Tim mentioned, the rest of the Bible or the rest of Genesis filled with it. Esau loved Isaac, loved Esau because he ate of his venison, meaning that when when Esau made the touchdown, uh, Isaac was. That's my son, right? And, and and he loved him because of how he made him feel. But that's not love. Love is, as you said, sacrificial. Praise the Lord. Amen. I have one thought for our condition. In most of our local assemblies we complaining of the diminished number of the true believers and also our weak testimony, our weak witness. And we usually refer to the absence of the gifts. But when we read carefully the Word of God, it is not the absence of the gifts, but the absence of love. Uh, Apostle Paul said that knowledge puffs up. But love Edifies the Corinthians Assembly were rich in every gift, spiritual and material, but they are not had a good testimony because the absence of love. That's why we need to pray, to confess our weakness, our sharing for the spiritual level which we reach. It is not only the responsibility of some people, but all of us are sharing in the weak condition we have. It is not because the absence of gifts, but the absence of love. Love edifies. And we must all of us pray to the Lord, that he may increase our love to him and to one another. There is an assembly which is a Thessalonian one. The Lord said to them, according to the brotherly love, I want to. I have no more words to you, because you are learned from God to love one another. But I ask for you to increase in your brotherly love. It is not. There is no upper limit for the brotherly love. When we look to the Lord, oh, how he loved us. We can understand the real standard we have now. May the Lord increase our love to him. That is why we can reflect his love in us towards one another. The Lord Jesus said in John's Gospel. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love, one for another. Okay, so, um, love is unmerited. We learn that love is a giving life, a giving love. We've learned that in John three sixteen and in Ephesians five twenty five. We learned that love is a working love. Not love in words. We also learned that there are degrees of love there. They who are forgiven much, love much. There's one more. It says he loved us first. So there is a initiating love. Don't wait for your brother. Do not wait for your brother. Do not wait for your sister. You love them first.
