The Essence of Living Christian Mark 11:27-12:34 Misconceptions about Love #1 “Love is a feeling, not an action.” “Love is like the wind, you can’t see it, but you can feel it.” Nicholas Sparks #2 “Love is an action, not a feeling.” “Love is not a feeling, love is a response. Love is an action.” David Jeremiah “Love is primarily giving. It’s an action that leads to feeling, not a feeling first.” Timothy Keller #3 “Love knows NO boundaries.” #4 “Love knows NO rules.” “There are no rules when it comes to love. I just try and let love surprise me.” Taylor Swift “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). "Upon his authority he gives the world the right to judge whether you or I are born-again Christians on the basis of our observable love toward all Christians... [If] people come up to us and cast in our teeth the judgment that we are not Christians because we have not shown love toward other Christians, we must understand that they are only exercising a prerogative which Jesus gave them." Francis Schaeffer “Love that person who rubs you the wrong way. Love the unfaithful. The immature. The obnoxious teenager. The grumpy father-in-law. The noisy neighbor. The nosey neighbor. The fruit cake making old aunt. The unfair boss. The inconsistent friend. The lazy worker. The worrying wife. The hateful husband. The wannabe hipster. The argumentative church member. The unruly two-year-old. The angry atheist. The bitter, unattractive single woman. The unwise college student. The blatant homosexual. That snippy sister-in-law. The Muslim. “Love them”, Jesus says. “No, really. Show them who I really am by bringing some agape their way.” Yours Truly, The Fifth Gospel How Can We Distinguish Worldly Love from Christian Love? 1. Worldly love is conditional, whereas Christian love is unconditional “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:44, 46a). 2. Worldly love is selfish, whereas Christian love is sacrificial 3. Worldly love turns to hate, whereas Christian love turns to forgiveness “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). 4. Worldly love is cliché, whereas Christian love is built on character “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).