Sermon

Love Is...What Love Does

Theme

Love others as Christ loved us.

Object

None.

Scripture

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 and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18 (NIV)

A couple of years ago my friend Fred was so excited as he spoke of his rescue pup that he had recently adopted. He talked about how happy and energetic the puppy was and mostly how much love this little animal expressed without saying even one word. It was like everything this puppy did in a sense told Fred “I love you”. He said the puppy would greet him at the door when he arrived home, follow him around the house, sit at his feet when he was at the table, give him puppy kisses by licking his face and he even said the puppy had a smile that would light up a room. We laughed and laughed for about three minutes. Finally, I told my friend that I agree that his puppy loves him because his actions was speaking louder than any words he could ever say. In our bible lesson from (1John 3:16-18) we read how our Lord Jesus gave us the highest example of love when He laid down His life and died for us. He gave us love in it’s greatest form. Most likely none of us will ever have to die in the place of someone else but every one of us can show brotherly love by lending a helping hand and sharing our material things with those in need. If you see someone hungry…feed them. If someone is thirsty…give them a drink. If a person is all alone…be a friend. These are only a few simple ways to share the love of Jesus with others. As God’s children He expects us not to only say we love someone but to practice love by proving it with our actions. That brings me back to my friend’s puppy who loved him so much without saying a word. Like this little pup we too can express our love for others by the things that we do for them. You may not be able to do much but something as little as a smile or hug can make a huge difference in someone’s day. Remember, according to the bible…actions does speak louder than words. Prayer:

Dear Father God, thank you for Jesus who showed us the greatest example of love. Lord help us to be bold and brave as we obey you by putting our love into action. Amen