What is love?

Randy Broberg, Maranatha Chapel, September 19, 2013

Happy

Valentine’s Day

Darling!

Is it an expression of love if

you are doing it only

because you have to?

Love Begins Where

Duty Ends.

If you do something you are

required to do, it’s not love.

Love must be

voluntary,

not

obligatory.

Which qualifies as kind?

“Will you take care of me while daddy is gone?”

Luke 6:27-31

27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good

to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray

for those who mistreat you. 29 Whoever hits you on the

cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away

your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him

either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever

takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 31 Treat

others the same way you want them to treat you.

Luke 6:32-36

32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For

even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those

who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do

the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive,

what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to

receive back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do

good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will

be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind

to ungrateful and evil men. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is

merciful.

Matthew 5:40

40 If anyone wants to sue you and take

your shirt, let him have your coat also.

Matthew 5:41

41 Whoever forces you to go one mile,

go with him two.

Matthew 5:43-46

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE

YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? .

The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25-29

25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher,

what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”26 And He said to him, “What is

written in the Law? [m]How does it read to you?” 27 And he

answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND

WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND;

AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 28 And He said to him, “You have

answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”29 But wishing to justify

himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:30-32

30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from

Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they

stripped him and [n]beat him, and went away leaving him

half dead. 31 And by chance a priest was going down on

that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the

other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the

place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:33-35

33 But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon

him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and

came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil

and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and

brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the

next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the

innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever

more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’

The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:36-37

36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a

neighbor to the man who fell into the

robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed

mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and

do the same.”

Romans 5:6-8

6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ

died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a

righteous man; though perhaps for the good man

someone would dare even to die. 8 But

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while

we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 Corinthians 6:7-8.

7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for

you that you have lawsuits with one

another. Why not rather be wronged?

Why not rather be defrauded? 8 On the

contrary, you yourselves wrong and

defraud. You do this even

to your brethren.