Deep Love

I Corinthians 13 I Peter 1:22 to 25
Peter wrote to of different cultural backgrounds experiencing difficulties. Peter writes to remind them that the new birth demands a new love in the family of God. It is the hallmark of the Christian faith - our love for each other, genuine, practical love. What we do out of love for the least of our fellow believers we do for Jesus. Also when we show love for our family, friends, believers and community.
1. WHY DO WE LOVE?
Love is at the very centre of Christian lifestyle - 1 John 4: 16, John 13:35 It is in the very nature of God to love.
a) We are are to love because change has taken place in our life.
(i) We have "purified our souls". This harks back to Levitical purification, of souls by the blood of a bull. If we have been cleansed we love God in return. Before Christ, all of life was self-centred, we loved ourselves, we thought in terms of ourselves, now we have a new nature. We become self-less when we become believers. 'Oh love that will not let me go' was written by George Matheson after his fiance rejected him when he became blind. However, he knew God's love and found rest and peace.
(ii) We have obeyed the truth by the Spirit. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. 2 John 1:6 John comes back to this again and again. There is no such thing as a saving faith without obedience. Children often delay obedience, they play for time because they do not want to obey. Christians want to obey but often we lack in courage and determination. Belief and obedience come together - 1 Peter 4:17 and Romans 1:5, they want to see the obedience of faith. Christ's gospel says this too. God will deal out judgement to those who do not obey - John 3:36. Peter writes to this who purify their souls by obeying the truth.
b) We are to love because we have been born into a family - verse 23
Everyone who belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ is my brother or my sister because we are all "born from the same womb" - James 1:18. We must give evidence that we love the truth by the life we live. Being born again is linked to brotherly love (philidelphia - one born from the same womb). We love each other because we have the same father, we are of the same spiritual family. Children often squabble at home but they stick up for each other in other places. When we are abroad we stick up for people of the same nationality. As believers we stand up for each other. Peter quotes Isaiah 40 - who wrote to God's people when they were in captivity and told them they would return to their own land one day. He told them Babylon would soon be broken and fade away and a new ruler would allow them to return. God's word would stand forever. They are mortal, they would soon fade like flowers. We belong to a heavenly family, we will soon be with our father. God's word has effected wonderful changes in people's lives by the sheer force of the power of the Holy Spirit. We can often listen to the word of God for many years but does it change and affect us? It changes people from being selfish to loving and caring.
2. HOW WE LOVE
a) We are to love sincerely. The word love is bandied about, we love flowers, football, animals etc. Is it romantic or sentimental? It is a deep sincere love from the heart that Peter talks about.
In I Thessalonians 4: 9 Paul urged people ton to love more and more, it can always do more.
(i) To love sincerely is to love authentically, like God himself, without pretense. Jesus was the personification of love. It is without pretense. Jesus hated hypocrisy, acts of charity for show.
(ii) To To love sincerely often involves sacrifice. Biblical love is a self-sacrificing, caring commitment which shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved. Not simply sentiment. It also helps others sacrificially and takes time out to help out in whatever ways it can.
(iii) To love sincerely takes time. True brotherly love goes the distance even with difficult to love people.
(iv) To love sincerely is to risk saying what may be misinterpreted. Love for the lost is not always viewed as true love. Real, genuine love is often not appreciated but we must persevere in loving. We expect a doctor to give an accurate diagnosis so we must give an accurate description to people. The word 'deeply' comes from a word connected to horses who are stretching to go faster. They are durable and go faster.
We are to love with with love that lasts - Mark 12:30. Durable love receives reproofs without animosity and defensiveness. Lasting love doesn't keep a list of grievances and is glad when others prosper when we do not. Since we will be in Heaven together forever, our love for each other ought to be deep and lasting here on earth. We must work at having a sincere love, a clean love and a deep love, especially towards other Christians. There is so much thoughtlessness and carelessness. We must love all, loving the fatherless and the widow. God puts us to the test so that we learn to love as he loves - he puts different people around us at work and in our families so that we learn to care for all regardless of what they are like. We must love those we find difficult to love or get on with.