The Walk of Love
Sermon Purpose: To call the hearer to manifest the love of God in every area of life.
Sermon Proposition: There are 3 principles of walking in love.
I. The universal request to walk in love. V.5
A. The urgency of the request to walk in love. V.5a
B. The unveiling of the request to walk in love. V.5b
(Mark 12:28-34; Matt. 22;37-38; John 8:42-45)
Leviticus 19:17 ' You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 " And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
Jeremiah 31:33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
C. The unity of the request to walk in love. V.5c (John 13:34-35)
II. The divine requirement to walk in love. V.6a
A. The unambiguousness of the requirement to walk in love. V.6a
(John 14:15-17; 21; 23; John 15:12-17; 1 John 3:13-18; 1 John 5:2-3)
B. The ultimatum of the requirement to walk in love. V.6b
(John 15:9-11; Eph. 2:4-5; 1 John 2:3-6)
(“Christian love in terms of obedience to God. A Christian who truly seeks God’s best for his brother and sister can only do so by obeying what God commanded him to do.”)
“John defines love, not as a sentiment or as emotion, but as obedience to God’s commands. This is walking in love.”
III. The Christian’s responsibility to walk in love. V.6c
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
Hebrews 12:5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?
“The word ‘love’ has reference to practicing love as a habit in one’s life. Both walking in truth and in love is the behavior of hospitality.”