Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
1/18/98 am
If You Love Me You Will
Reading — Luke 7.36-50
In our reading, Jesus stands in contrast between personalities:
- Simon, a well-to-do Pharisee.
- And a sinner, an unnamed woman of ill repute.. A street walker.
Simon had invited Jesus to a dinner party at his home. Simon, either deliberately or carelessly did not provide a proper welcome to Jesus:
- His feet were not washed.
- He did not kiss or hug Him at the door.
- Neither did he anoint Jesus’ head with oil.
Yet while they were eating; a lady, a sinner, a woman of the street came in; and apparently oblivious to what was going on around her, begin to cry at the feet of Jesus. She bathed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. She kissed, not His face or neck, but His feet continually. She anointed, not His head, but His feet with perfume.
Jesus, sensing Simon’s disapproving thoughts about this woman and why Jesus would allow such to continue, said, Simon, I have something to say to you. A man had two debtors:
- One owed one him 500 denarii, the King James says 500 pence.
- The other 50 denarii, 50 pence.
One amount was 500 days... Two years wages. The other about two month’s work. Now, the man forgave both debts. Then Jesus asked, Simon suppose who loved him the most? The reply was, of course the one he forgave the most. Jesus said, Simon you are correct. When I came in:
- You gave me no water for My feet.
- You didn’t anoint My head with oil.
- You didn’t greet Me with a kiss.
But this lady continues to kiss My feet, she wiped My feet with her tears and she anointed My feet with costly ointment.
WHY?... Why do you suppose she does this Simon?... Because her sins are many. Then Jesus said to her, your sins are forgiven. Your see church, this woman loved Jesus... Really LOVED Jesus!
- She was not ashamed of her love for Him.
- And she was willing to demonstrate her love.
Are we? Which of these two people are we more like?... Simon or this sinner lady? The lesson is obvious isn’t it? You see,
- If we really love God,
- If we really love Jesus,
We will express our love by the way we live. And there will be visible demonstrations of that love... RIGHT?
Now for our lesson this morning, let’s note what traits, what qualities will be present in our lives, if we really love Jesus. How do we demonstrate our love for God and His Son?
FIRST, IF WE LOVE GOD, JESUS, WE’LL WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HIM.
It always amazes me when people tell me they love Jesus and never study their Bibles or attend Bible classes where Jesus and God are: Taught, Examined, Explored, and talked about.
Folk, a genuine love for God and His Son will drive us to study, study, study.
Listen to this scriptural logic... This progression:
- John says, Many other signs did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and believing you may have life in His Name.
- Paul declares that we are saved by grace through faith. You see, grace is God’s part of our salvation and faith is out part.
- John says, life is in believing in Jesus. Again, Paul writes, salvation is through faith.
- Now church how do we get this salvational FAITH? Romans 10.17 tells us that faith comes from hearing the message through the Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Do we want to increase our faith?... Be a student of the Word.
David put it in these words, Blessed, HAPPY, is the man that:
- Walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
- Nor stands in the way of sinners,
- Nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law does he meditate day and night.
Question...
Do we love Jesus enough to come to Bible class twice a week?
Do we love Jesus enough to make arrangements to come to Ladies’ Class?
I compliment our young women who have resolved, this new year, to come to this class.
Sometimes, in my study, I hear excuses for not attending Bible classes like:
- Well, I don’t like the teacher
- The book they’re using doesn’t suit me.
- Or it’s just so hard for our family to get around on Sunday mornings or Wednesday evening. I love you, but that’s just an excuse for what the real problem is... A lack of love. Why not resolve this morning to attend Bible study.
Do we love God enough to be into the Word daily? No. No... I don’t have time is an excuse for a lack of love. Lets be honest this morning, if we love Jesus, we will want to know more about Him, and we’ll want to know how we can live to please Him... RIGHT?
LOVE DEMANDS WE SUBMIT TO HIS AUTHORITY.
Again if we fail here, we expose our lack of love. Jesus plainly and simply says in John 14.15, and 14.23 , If you love me you will keep my commandments. Then in John 15.14 He says, you are my friend if you do the things I command. There is always present a desire to please those we love.
I once read recently about a man who responded to the invitation. He wanted to be a member of the church, but he refused to be baptized for the remission of sins. The preacher and Elders read several passages dealing with:
- Baptism and salvation,
- Baptism and the forgiveness of sins,
- Baptism and being clothed with Christ,
- Baptism and being added to the church, the body of the saved.
He still refused, but agreed to meet with them the next day. The next morning he came to the meeting 30 minutes early explaining that he had decided he loved Jesus enough to do all that he ask including baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. Audience, how much do we love God? Spurgeon once wrote, If God so much as commands me to hold up my little finger, and I refuse, that speaks of a coolness in my love for Him. Yes, yes, if you love me you will keep my commandments.
THIRDLY, OUR LOVE IS REFLECTED IN OUR WORSHIP.
The Hebrews’ writer admonishes, Forsake not the assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is, but exhort one another... And so much more as you see the day approaching. Question... How excited do we get as Sunday approaches? Jesus said, where two or three are gathered together in my name there will I be among them. Face to face with Jesus in worship. He is here this morning!... Does that excite you? I believe it does, if we love him. Are we like David?... I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.
Is it possible that some of us, in our love for Jesus, identify more with Simon than David and this lady in our text?... Only casually interested in Jesus. Simon invited Jesus to come to dinner, but there was a lack of love demonstrated. Some of us come to worship, but just mechanically, ritualistically go through the exercise of:
- Singing,
- Praying
- Giving,
- Taking the Lord’s Supper,
- Listening to a lesson,
- And fellowshipping with one another.
Jesus said, God is looking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. In spirit worship is a demonstration of our love. Flippant, casual worship is a demonstration in the lack of love. Church, it does little good for us in the church of Christ to restore the New Testament pattern in worship; then: Ritualistically, Mechanically, Routinely, Flippantly, go through the motions with: No spirit.... No excitement... No enthusiasm. Form without substance is not the kind of worship God desires.
OUR LOVE IS ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED BY GIVING.
God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son. Paul put it in these words, walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us.
I like what Bob Massengale said in his Shepherd’s Vision... Did you catch it? He said, we can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving. You see, if we love God, we will be found unselfishly giving Him our all,
- Our energy,
- Our ambitions,
- Our time,
- Our talent,
- Our treasure, in accordance with His truth.
Listen to me church, love is not only demonstrated best by giving, the value of the gift is a measure of the depth of our love. A $5 check from a millionaire expresses little love toward the recipient. Jesus taught us this lesson using the widow and her two mites. He said her gift was the greatest of them all... WHY?... Because it was all she had. Paul said our giving will be what it ought to be, when we like the Macedonian church, first they gave themselves... Are we willing?
Question? What did the amount we dropped into the collection plate, this morning, say about our love for Christ, God, the church, etc? Now don’t compare the amount to others. Just compare the amount given to the amount of God’s blessing toward yourself.
We are commanded to give as we have been prospered. I believe that means not one of us here this morning would be giving the same. Paul’s admonition is; count your blessings and then give accordingly. Shallow giving is a demonstration of shallow love and vice versa. God help us to demonstrate the depth of our love by sacrificial giving in 1998. I am convinced that if we did, our Elders would have trouble finding ways to wisely spend church monies. Of course, our love is not measured by money only; but by how we give ourselves.
POINT NUMBER 5, LOVE FOR GOD IS ALSO DEMONSTRATED BY OUR LOVE FOR OTHERS.
Listen to these verses from First John:
- This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
- For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And He (Speaking of Jesus) has given us this command: Whoever loves God must... MUST love his brother also.
Don’t be telling others how much you love: God, the Bible, Truth, Jesus, the church, and then launch into gossip, character assassination and making light of a brother. This betrays our genuine feelings for Jesus. You see, how we feel about Jesus’ is how we feel about His body, the church. Jesus said, the world around you will know that you are my disciple... WHEN? When you love one another. Love from God is best demonstrated when we pass HIS love on to others. Question?... Do we love God, Christ enough to pass that love on the others?... I hope we do!
Go with me to the Sea of Galilee. It is early in the morning. Fog shrouded the shore. At first they couldn’t make out who it was. Those in the boat could see it was Jesus walking toward them. A fire has been built, Jesus has breakfast ready. He invites them to breakfast. They eat and then Jesus and Peter begin to walk along the seashore.
- Peter do you love me?... Feed my sheep.
- Lovest thou me?... Tend my lambs.
- Peter do you really love me?... Follow me.
The question of the hour is:
- Are we feeding sheep?
- Are we tending His flock?
- Are we following Him?
“O love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee:
I give thee back the love I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer fuller be.”
How much do you love Jesus this morning?
- Enough to learn about him,
- Enough to submit to His authority,
- Worship Him properly,
- Give as he asks,
- And love one another?
Do you love him enough to become his child by faith, repentance and New Testament baptism.... Immersion in water for the forgiveness of your sins??
Do you love him enough to dedicate or rededicate your life to him?
Do you love him enough to do it NOW?
