The Advent of Christ: Then & Now - True Love

By now, I pray that you are beginning to see how all of these themes tie together. Not one is independent of another. They are mutually dependent upon the relationship of the others. Love is the response of having something to hope in, by which we have peace and joy. Love however, contrary to popular belief, is not a feeling. Love is an action…it’s a verb.

All the time on TV and movies we hear the phrase, “Oh I think I am falling in love!” As we define it today, they are correct. A word better suited for that however is ‘infatuation’. Like this, most people think that the opposite of Love is Hate. Again, hate is not the opposite of Love; Apathy is the opposite of Love. Apathy is simply a lack of interest. You would just not care either way.

Probably the most famous set of verses on Love is 1 Corinthians 13. It spells out what love truly is. As I read verses 4-7, keep this idea of Love is an action in mind.

3 And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor,

and if I give my body to be burned,

but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy;

is not boastful; is not conceited;

5 does not act improperly; is not selfish;

is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs;

6 finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth;

7 bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

Did you see when it described love it did it in the form of actions? Love isn’t just actions though; it is the attitude behind them as well. Verse 3 explains that better.

So now that we have an idea of what Love is and isn’t, we are ready to focus on our verses for today. If you would, please flip to the Gospel of John, first we’ll read chapter 15:9-17.

9 "As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love.
11 "I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12 This is My command: love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn't know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 17 This is what I command you: love one another.


Jesus tells us to remain in his love. What does that mean? Well, for further clarification, Jesus was just telling the story of how he is the vine and we are the branches and in order to produce fruit, we must stay attached to the vine. Jesus goes on with this word picture. Staying attached to Jesus means to keep the commands he has given us, exactly like Jesus carried through on God the Father’s commands.

Now, don’t get me wrong here, it isn’t to say that we must be perfect. We are human, we will never be perfect like Jesus was. However, this is the standard to which we must keep to.

To the Israelites, remaining in his love meant keeping his Laws, decrees and sacrifices schedule, with the proper attitude…Love; not legalism. The Pharisees lacked this.

Yes, the standard bar is high. Extremely high. However, it is all the more reason that we stay attached to Christ, because we cannot do it on our own.

Jesus continues. The whole reason why Jesus does this is so that his joy can remain in us; making our joy complete. Then, Jesus gives us a command. Not a suggestion, a command. Love others as he has loved us. The greatest way you can love another person is by laying down your life for them. There is no greater act.

Like God called Abraham his friend, Jesus is now calling us his friends, compared to ‘slaves’. The word slave carries with it a connotation sometimes that a slave cares nothing for his master’s business. But a friend cares a great deal.
A man had just arrived in Heaven, told Peter how grateful he was to be in such a glorious place, and asked Peter to give him one glimpse into Hades in order that he might appreciate his good fortune even more. This Peter did.

In Hades he saw a long table extending as far as the eye could reach, laden down with the most delicious of all varieties of foods. But everyone around the table was starving to death. When asked for an explanation, Peter said, “Everyone is required to take food from the table only with four-foot-long chopsticks. They are so long that no one can reach the food from the table to his mouth, and therefore each one is dying of starvation.”

Quickly they returned to Heaven, and behold, the new arrival saw an identical table, laden down with identical foods, but everyone around the table was happy and well fed. Then he said to Peter: “With what do they take the food from the table?” and Peter answered, “Only with four-foot-long chopsticks.” At that the new arrival inquired: “Then why are all those in Hades starving to death while all those up here are so well fed and happy?” Whereupon Peter replied: “In Heaven we feed each other.”

The difference in a Christian walk is action…or lack thereof. Will actions save you? No. Never. The only action that will save you is by loving and remaining in Christ. That’s it. But, if we are truly God’s friend, we will love others, unequivocally, without hesitation, no strings attached. The acts that we do show the attitude of the heart.

God chose us. Whether that means predestination or not, God has chosen us. Period. We are to go out therefore and produce fruit by staying connected to the vine…Jesus Christ…loving others as he did us.

We can only lay our life down for our friends once…or can we lay it down more often? No, we will only die physically one time…however, we can die daily to ourselves. We can give up bad habits to show the way, such as smoking, cursing, having a bad attitude, drinking to excess, among others.

Love = Sacrifice. We must sacrifices ourselves on a daily basis for those whom we are engaged in daily relationships with, whether good or bad.

Love = Christ. Christ sacrificed a great deal for us. How much more should we be doing too?

Love = God. It was God’s plan from before the world was created. Before God was…Yahweh…“I AM” The Great “I AM” has first loved us. How much more should we love Him? Bearing fruit that lasts is the key. What is your attitude? How will you be remembered at your funeral? Death is scary. But sooner or later, we all must go through it. Will you be remembered for Love? Lust? Laughter? Anger? Work?

I will leave you with this question. How will you be remembered? What is your fruit? Make your fruit Love today. It is never too late to be changed. Remember, Love is an Action.

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