Sermon Snippet – Love Thinks
INTRODUCTION – We have seen from God’s Word that love both works and sings. Today we will see that love thinks – not stinks! Love is more than an emotion; it includes our entire being.
1. LOVE IS INTELLIGENT
I Corinthians 13 is a familiar passage about love and is frequently used in weddings. Verse 6 tells us that charity (active love) “rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.” Real love that seeks the best for others, then, is based on a thoughtful analysis of available facts. It is not based on what is fake or false or fleeting. We need to evaluate the truthfulness and trustworthiness of others before we can make a genuine commitment of love. The same approach informs our relationship with Jesus Christ, God the Son. Can He be trusted? Is the Gospel message true? A careful evaluation of the claims of Jesus is crucial, for the eternal implications are staggering. Jesus stated in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” If He is not “the Truth,” we have no hope of anything except this moment. However, His words and works are perfectly joined: He has thoroughly demonstrated that He fully fulfills all of His absolute claims. We can have an everlasting relationship with Him, based on “the truth.” Another aspect of intelligent love is that we think seriously about who we are: are we people who can be trusted with the love of another? We need to be steady and stable, loyal and dependable. Our Savior is all of these – and far more.
2. INTELLIGENT LOVE LEADS US TO GOOD CHOICES
Love based on truth combats baser emotions such as hate, prejudice, jealousy, apathy, and envy. All of these negatives are based upon ignorance, upon a rejection of the truth. For example, both Psalm 37:1 and 73:3 warn of the dangers of envy. Amos 5:14-15 employs the word “hate,” but its meaning is not of a surging, vicious, overwhelming emotion that hurts others. Rather, it speaks of a choice: “Hate the evil” means to decide to oppose evil (like the vile pro-rape rallies that have occurred recently in our cities and at our colleges). It is wise for us to see what God chooses against; Proverbs 6:16-19 is one precise passage. It is also wise to agree with Him about the truth of what is good and “love the good” (Amos 5:15).
CONCLUSION – Someone once said (I am sorry that I cannot remember whom), “Jesus died to take away our sins, not our minds.” It is the kind intent of our Savior to renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2) so that our love will be increasingly intelligent and thoughtful. May we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18a).