Crazy Love Galatians 5:22; 1 John 4:7-13

Galatians 5:13-14 “You, my brothers, were called to be free Galatians 5:13-14 “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

“A new command I give you: Love one another “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

1 John 4:7-13 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

1 John 4:7-13 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”

Crazy Love God is the source of love. Love is most vivid in Jesus. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9

Crazy Love God is the source of love. Love is most vivid in Jesus. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Crazy Love 1 John 4:8 “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” God is the source of love. Love is most vivid in Jesus. Love grows in disciples.

Crazy Love I John 2:9 “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” God is the source of love. Love is most vivid in Jesus. Love grows in disciples.

The Challenge of Love Love is difficult in close quarters. 1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.”

The Challenge of Love Love is difficult in close quarters. Family is the laboratory for love. 1 John 4:20 “If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”

The Challenge of Love Love is difficult in close quarters. Family is the laboratory for love. We are to love the unlovable.

The love for equals is a human thing–of friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles. The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing–the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world. Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat

The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing–to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. The world is always bewildered by its saints. Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat

And then there is the love for the enemy–love for the one who does not love but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured’s love for the torturer. This is God’s love. It conquers the world. Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat

Luke 6:32-35 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.

Luke 6:32-35 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

Bearing The Fruit of Love Love values others. 2 Corinthians 5:16 “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.”

Bearing The Fruit of Love Love values others. 1 Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Bearing The Fruit of Love Love values others. Love builds others up. Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Bearing The Fruit of Love Love values others. Love builds others up. Love serves others.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” I John 3:16-17

Bearing The Fruit of Love “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 Love values others. Love builds others up. Love serves others. Love makes the first move.

Who do you need to love?