Agape Love

Very good to see all of you here today. To be in Portsmouth, I love your area. I think your church hall is wonderful. My wife and I grew up in the Midwest, even though we've been in Florida for a long time. Driving from the Warrens, I want to thank for their hospitality last night, and inviting us here in the Mississippi Hall as well. It brought back old memories to be in an area that's just so nice and kind of the heartland of America. So it's good to see all of you. We're looking forward to meeting all of you here later on. We're up here this weekend for the council meetings, Mr. Paul Mentons. I always ask, what are the finances in the church? I'll tell you, they are good. They are good. God has blessed the church. We're in a situation right now where we have adequate funds to do the work that God wants us to do. The challenge of the council and all of us in administration is that we are looking and doing His will, and looking to see how He wants us to do with those funds. If you'll keep that in mind as well, I know that we'll all do the work that God wants us to do. One of the things when we go around, and my wife and I have had the opportunity to serve in different churches and move from place to place, there's something that marks every church that you go to. When I work outside in business and we get transferred from one place to another, people will talk about how difficult it is to move from one place to another. I never felt that. I always felt like we were at home anywhere we went. We had to get to know people, but there was something in the church that just makes moving from place to place easier. I realized that what the people that I worked with, that wasn't the case. They had to start all over, and they didn't have what we had.

There's something about the church, and every time we visit someplace or go someplace new, I feel that. I feel that in God's church. I want to talk about that today. There's a word that we use in the English language that really, whenever anyone hears it, everyone has a thought that comes to mind. If I say that word, for some of you, family members will come to mind. For some of you, your spouse will come to mind. For some of you, your kids will come to mind. I hope for all of us, God comes to mind. That word is love.

I know some of you are thinking, oh, love, I know everything there is to know about love. We're all up in age. We're all up in years, or many of us are. We've learned all those things. But, you know, there are songs that say, love is what makes the world go round. And it's in the forefront of so many songs that have been written, in the forefront of so many stories that have been written. And it's front and center in the Bible, too. You know, love is what God has called us to.

It's His love, the reason that we're here. But love is a word in the English language that can mean so many different things to many people. If I stand here and say, I love you, or if I are standing at an airport and you hear someone say, while they're on the phone, I love you, you don't know what love they're talking about. They're talking about, to their wives, that's one kind of love. They're talking to their kids, you know, that's a different kind of love.

If I stand here and say, I love you, to the church, that's a different kind of love, right? Because there's different kinds of love, and the English language has combined all those different feelings and all those meanings into one word. But in the Bible, in the Bible that was in the New Testament that was originally written in Greek, point angry, which many of the linguists and historians say is the most expressive language that was ever spoken by mankind, love is divided into four different words there that we say.

And those four words, one of them is storga, S-T-O-R-G-E. And that's the love of family. If I say, I love my kids, and you love your kids, and you love your brothers and sisters, and your cousins, your aunts and uncles, that's one type of love. And that's a different type of love than the other types of love that we have. But it's still love.

It's an emotional attachment that we have for people and a feeling that we have for them. So the one word that the Greeks used was storga to differentiate that. In the New Testament, the word storga isn't used even one time. Kind of surprising, isn't it? Not one time is the word storga used in the New Testament. Another type of love is filio. P-H-I-L-E-O. That's brotherly love. And we have the city of Philadelphia. That's the city of brotherly love. It comes from that Greek word, filio. And so the love that we would have for our friends would be brotherly love.

Friends, the feelings and the love that we have for each other, even though we may not know each other personally yet, that we have that feeling here in the church, that's brotherly love. And that's a feeling that we have for people who we feel kindly for. And that can drive us and motivate us. The word filio is used, quite a bit, in the New Testament.

Not as much as another one of the words. And then there's the Greek word eros. E-R-O-S. And that's the sexual type of love. The love between husband and wife. And that marks that in marriage. Interesting that eros isn't really used in the New Testament much either. But all those types of love, those three, we're familiar with. Every single human being experiences those in their lives.

Before I go to the fourth one, which I'm sure you're ahead of me and you know what that fourth type of love is that we're going to be talking about. Let's just think about those three types that we've talked about so far. Because they have some things in common. All three of those are emotions, right? There's a feeling that we have. There's an attachment that we have. There's something about that person that we love and are attracted to. Whether it's wife, or whether it's friend, or whether it's church member and people that have the same, you know, they call them the same truth that we are.

There's another thing that's in common with that. Every single person in the world. Every single person in the world experiences those types of love. From the person that we might say is the best person in the world to the criminal. You know, someone that we would look down on. They all experience that type of love. They have love for family, they have love for friends, they have love for spouse. It doesn't take God's Holy Spirit.

That's something that's just naturally in us, those types of love. Every single person has those type of actions and has that type of emotion of the capacity of it. It's just something that God built into all of us. They all, too, have the commonality of their... they have a basis in self, right? I'm attracted to you. You are my brother. You are my sister. You are my friend. We have common interests. We work together. We go to church together. And so we like each other.

And we have those things. But there's a basis of us. Something in it for us, if you will, in those types of love. And there's another one is that all those love can be broken. We all know people who were in love with one another got married, and that love ended. In so many cases, it's hard to even see some friends that we've had who can't even stand being in the same room with each other, who for years we would know were happy together and loved each other.

And now that love is gone. Happens in families, too. The store to love. You hear family members who just don't even speak to each other. They don't love each other anymore. They don't see each other anymore. It can be broken. And it can happen between friends, too. Something happens between friends and the brotherly love that is there. It's just broken. It no longer exists. So those three types of real love. Nothing wrong with them. They're all real. We all should experience them.

It's a gift that God has given us to do that. But every single person has that. There's another type of love that you know is in the Bible. The love that God has hauled us to. When you read the word love in the New Testament, 320 times love is mentioned. Of those 320 times, 263 of those are the word agape. A-G-A-P-E. 263 times. Now agape is a word that you've heard throughout the time that you've been in the church, even before that, probably. And there's any number of definitions that are around it. If you look it up in the English dictionary, it'll say, It's the love of God.

Other places will say, It's unconditional love. For years in the church, I heard, it's unconditional love. It's the unconditional love that we should all have for one another. The unconditional love that God had for us when He gave His Son to be sacrificed for us. So it is an unconditional love.

But agape is one of those words that the world just doesn't understand, and you can't go to a dictionary and see exactly what that word means. It's only one place that you can learn what the word agape means, and what God has called us to become in our lives. And that's in the Bible.

And I want to look at that today, and I want us to kind of bear with me as we go through some of these verses and build a definition for agape, because what God has called us to become is people of agape.

That's one of the things that's supposed to mark His Church. Let's go back to John 21 to begin with. Is there a John 21? It's kind of a poignant Scripture, and I put myself, this is Jesus Christ, and Peter speaking here at the end of John 21. Jesus Christ has been resurrected. Peter had all the heart in the world. He knew that Jesus was the Son of God. He wanted to please Him. He was an energetic individual. And you have to, as they had this little discourse between them here, think about what Peter was thinking about as Christ asked him this question. In John 21, verse 15, we'll read verses 15 through 17.

There's a couple of different... The word love is used several times here, but it's a couple of different Greek words. I'm going to replace the word love here with what the original Greek word is as we read through this. In John 21, verse 15, it says, So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, Do you agape me more than these?

He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I filio you. Ah. Christ asked one question. Peter answered it in a different way. It wasn't that Peter maybe didn't understand what agape was, because even in Greek literature with the word agape, they knew there was a love that was above the Lord's word, a filio, in Europe. But they couldn't really define it in literature anyway. It was something that was above and beyond man. And as Peter heard this question, Do you agape me, Peter?

He probably knew this word was agape, but he said, Yes, yes, Christ, I love you. I love you as a brother. You know I love you. Look what I've done. Look how I follow you. Look what I've done in my life. And Christ answered him and said, Feed my sheep or feed my lambs. In verse 16, Christ said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, Do you agape me?

Peter replied, Yes, Lord, you know that I filio you. You know that. You know I love you. Peter had to be thinking, What is Christ saying? You know, what is he saying? Yes, I love you. What more is there? You know that I feel this way to you. You know what's in my heart by what I've done and how I've yielded to you and followed you. Christ answered and said, Send my sheep. And so Christ said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, Do you filio me?

Do you love me as a brother? Do you have that feeling to me? Peter could answer this this time, but he was grieved. It's like, okay, he's asking me again, but he's asking me a different question this time. I couldn't answer him the first time. Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, Do you love me?

Filio me. And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I filio you. And Christ said to him, Feed my sheep. So what was this discourse, this conversation about? What can we learn about agape from this? One thing I think we can learn is that agape is a goal. A goal that God has for all of us is something that we have to grow into.

It's not something natural because if Peter, if Peter of all people was asked, Do you agape me? He would have said, Absolutely I agape you, God. But he rightly said, I filio you. And that's where he was at that point in his life. Yes, I love you. Yes, I love you as a brother. Yes, I would do anything for you. But at that point in time, he couldn't answer, I agape you. Because agape is something that's a goal in our life. It's not something that occurs naturally. We don't just, we don't, aren't born with agape. As the adults, we aren't born with agape. Even when we're first, when we're first baptized, you know, we grow.

Agape is a goal that Peter would later be able to say at the end of his life, Yes, Lord, I agape you. Yes, Lord, I understand what that means now. And yes, I can say, Jesus Christ, I love you by the things that he did in his life and the choices that he made. Let's go back to 2 Peter. Read something that Peter, the same Peter we read about there in John 21 wrote years later. As he grew in the way and the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. In 2 Peter 1, verse 5, we see Peter kind of giving a pattern of Christian growth, if you will. And as we've been in the church for years, we probably see this same pattern in our lives as we grow from one place to another.

And we look back and we think, oh, we didn't understand that back four or five years ago, but now we do. But in 1 Peter, he begins to talk about this kind of stepping stone, if you will, of Christian life. He says, also for this very reason, giving all diligence, you have to work at it, you have to put effort into it. If the Christian life just doesn't come automatically, we have to be making some choices and we have to be putting effort into it.

Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue. Faith comes, then add virtue. Build that into your life. To virtue, knowledge. To knowledge, self-control. To self-control, perseverance. Keep on, keep enduring. To perseverance, godliness. To godliness, brotherly kindness. And finally, to brotherly kindness, agape. At the end of all that list, we come to agape. We develop patience. We develop what we develop? Faith. Virtue. Patience. Endurance. Brotherly kindness. And agape. Throughout our lives, throughout our Christian lives, as God's spirit works in us, agape grows. And we begin to know that more and more the longer we've been walking with God and making some choices, some appropriate choices in our life.

Agape is something that God wants in all of us, and it's people with agape that will be in his kingdom. If agape isn't part of our life, we don't have to worry about being in that kingdom that we've heard about in the sermonette. Let's go back to Titus. Titus 2. Titus 2. We have Paul writing to Titus, and he's exhorting him to how to work with the church in the area that he's going to be working with there. And there's different, just like here in Portsmouth and just like our churches down in Florida, different age levels of people that attend there. In verse 1, he says in Titus 2, as for you, Titus, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. Always talk the truth of the Bible. Always teach the right things. That the older men, that the older men be sober, serious about their calling, be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in agape, in patience. The older men, Titus, teach them that agape should be something that is marked by them, something that they should be modeling, something that they should be setting an example for to the people there. If we drop down to verse 6, we see what Titus, or what Paul says to Titus about younger men. He says, likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing themselves to be a pattern of good works, letting that define their lives, making the choices in their life to do the good things so people see them and know that they are people of good works, in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

All good things, right? As we are young men, as we are older men, we could look at that and say, this is what it is. You notice that in that list for younger men, agape is noticeably missing, is it? It's missing. It's there for the older men, who have been in the church for a while, who use modern-day lingo. Younger men doesn't mean that it shouldn't be something that's in their lives, something that they should be aware of.

But agape isn't there, but it is something that should be in people that have been in the church for a while, as God's Spirit has led us.

Back in Matthew, Matthew 22.

Matthew 22.

And verse 37. And verse 37.

Christ being tested by a lawyer, the lawyer comes to him and says, What's the great commandment in the law? Jesus, verse 37, Christ said to him, You shall agape the eternal your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.

Verse 39. And the second is like it. You shall agape your neighbor as yourself.

Christ said, This is the great commandment. You shall agape God with all your heart and soul, you shall agape your neighbor.

He didn't say, You shall filio your brother or your neighbor, you shall agape your neighbor. And you shall agape God with all your heart and soul.

You don't have to turn to 1 Corinthians 2.9. It's one of my dad's favorite verses. And there's a few of them that he incorporated into our minds the whole time that we were growing up. 1 Corinthians 2.9 says, I has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into man the mind of man, the wonders that God has prepared for those who agape him.

For those who agape him. Not those who filio him, not those who storge him, those who agape him.

Agape is something that all of us should be mindful of. Agape is something that we need to have front and center in our mind. Agape is something that we need to be asking God. Help us understand it. Help us develop it. Grow it in us. Show us what we need, what we need to do. Because God has called us all to be like him. Remember that in 1 John 3? He's called us to be like him.

When he's revealed, we'll know him because we'll see him as he is. Back in 1 John 4, he tells us how God sees himself.

1 John 4 1 John 4 verse 16 Again, I'll be using the Greek word here. It turns out to be agape in all the verses we're going to read here in 1 John 4 verse 16. We have known and believed the agape that God has for us. More than filio, more than storge. We have known and believed the agape that God has for us. God is agape. That's what he is. And he who abides in agape abides in God, and God and him. Verse 17 And notice that agape has some advantages. And what it does for us is that we have to be in the same way that we do. And the agape that he wants us to have, because he is agape. And agape is perfected in us from the time that we're baptized until the time that we die. The rest of our lives, he is working on that in us. Verse 17 And notice that agape has some advantages. And what it does for us. These are things that storge doesn't do, arrows doesn't do, filio doesn't do. Love or agape has been perfected among us in this. That we may have boldness in the day of judgment. You know, I say boldness in the day of judgment, right? Because as he is, so are we in this world. Verse 18, there's no fear in agape. There's fear in arrows. There's fear in storge. There's fear in filio. There is no fear in agape. But perfect agape casts out fear. As we look at the time between now and the return of Jesus Christ, there are some harrowing things that the Bible says are going to happen, aren't there?

And if we look at those from a purely physical standpoint, we can be just torn apart by the things that are there. And we know them, and we've studied them, and we are aware of what it is. I think it will be far different when those days actually come and we find ourselves really making choices between life and death. Or whatever it is when people challenge us with what we believe. And we find our own personal security at stake or our own personal lives at stake.

Well, perfect agape, if we've developed that in the years that God has been working with us, casts out fear. We would be able to stand through those times. There is no fear in agape, but perfect agape casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears hasn't been made perfect in agape. Isn't that interesting? He who fears has not been made perfect in agape. When we have that, it won't make any difference whether we live or die.

When Peter came to the end of his life, the one who was asked back in John 21, Peter, do you agape me? He could say at the end of his life, yes, Lord, I do, and you know what? I have no fear to die for the things that I believe. I have no fear to die and give up my physical life because I believe in you, I know you, I know there's life that comes after this, that's eternal life. And so I'm willing to give it up because I believe that it came from agape. As Peter developed that in his life, and he came to understand that question that Jesus Christ asked, that we might ask ourselves, and that he would all discuss as well.

Do you, Rick, do you put your name in there, agape me? And as we understand that, and as we measure ourselves against the standard that's in the Bible, and measure ourselves against the standard that's Jesus Christ, and make some decisions in our life and choices that will build that trait in us that God wants, we learn some things about ourselves. We learn some things about ourselves, and we see that when we make those choices in our life and we're aware of what we're doing, that God will grow us.

God was faithful to producing us what he wants us to have and what we need to have if we want to be in his kingdom. John 3, 16. Agape is a trait of God. He says, inspire John to write, God is agape. It's a valuable tool to us, as well as a valuable attribute as we walk in our lives. John 3, 16, a memory verse. Those of you who watch football, I always say this, you see John 3, 16 on those placards all the time, right? John 3, 16? God so agape'd the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Did God give his Son Jesus Christ just because he had feelings of billio for us? Feelings of storga for us? Well, he does. He does. He loves us. But he didn't do it because we were endearing to God. He didn't give his life and give Christ. And Christ didn't give up being God to come down because mankind was just this very worthy being who just made him happy and did the things he wanted in spite of everything that you and I have done.

In spite of everything that mankind has done, he still made the choice because of agape that he would come and give up his life. He would give up being God, give up his life, suffer the way he did that you and I might have a future.

I mean, that's also when we think about it. We need to spend some time thinking about and meditating about what God did and what he gave up for us because it's a pretty powerful thing when we realize it. That's agape. That's the same agape that he wanted us to do. And it's something that has a lot more to do with just emotion. Storga, filio, eros have a lot to do with emotion. Agape, I won't say it has nothing to do with emotion because I think it grows into that, but agape has a lot to do with choice.

A lot to do with choice. It's something we do. God decided before the foundation of the earth, God decided, and Jesus Christ, who became Jesus Christ, God who became Jesus Christ, decided, chose, despite what mankind will do, I will become a human. I will suffer. I will give up my life. I love this creation, man, so much, I'm willing to do that for him.

It's a pretty powerful thing, isn't it? And the Bible says that we should be developing that type of love that we would be willing to lay down our lives for each other if it came to that. I don't know. I could ask that question to myself. I would say, yes, and I hope, and I ask God, is that answer, yes?

And if it's not, yes, because he knows my heart better than I do, then make it, yes, as the years go by. Yes, I would be willing to lay down my life for a brother, lay down my life for you. Very easy for us to say, yes, but God knows our heart, and God will bring us to the point where that answer, indeed, would be, yes. Just the way Jesus Christ was willing to do for us.

So as we look at agape and we see that it's a goal, something that we grow in in life, it has something to do with choice, the choices that we make that aren't necessarily beneficial to us. It wasn't in Christ's because he thought, this will be fun to be a human. This will be fun to suffer the way I did. He didn't make that choice because of...he did it because of his agape for us, something that we develop and choices that we make that build something in us as we make those choices.

The right thing to do, the character that defines us, that trait that defines us.

And that we don't do it just for our own family members. We don't do it just for our own church family members. We don't just do it for our kids or our wives. We'd be willing to do it for anyone. Anyone. Pick a person that's walking around the street in West Portsmouth. Do you obey that person and you don't even know him?

You know, there's a story in the Bible. You find it in Luke 10. You can turn there if you want, but it's the story of the Good Samaritan. That's a very poignant story when you read through it. There was this man who was beaten up and he's laying by the side of the road, injured, not able to help himself. And people pass by him. The first two people, our religious figures who you think would automatically just stop and help him, right?

But they don't. They don't. They walk right on by. They don't know him. They don't recognize him. There's nothing in it for them. They're in a hurry to get on with life and do what they need to do, get to where they were going. But then a Samaritan walks by, someone that the Jews of that day looked down upon, as people who weren't worthy, kind of a lower class than them. A Samaritan walks by and he's got a place to go to. He's got things that he has in his life. He doesn't know this man that's lying beside the road any more than the other two that passed by. But he takes the time. He takes the time to help him. He takes the time to get him treatment for his wounds. He gets him and takes the time to take him to the inn. He pays for the man to stay there. He even gives money so that there's treatment and care for him down the road. And he even tells the innkeeper, if there's anything else that he needs, let me know.

He went well above and beyond the call of duty, didn't he? There was something about him. He didn't know that person. There was absolutely no emotional tie between him and that person. Wasn't a brother. Wasn't a friend. Wasn't a family member. And yet he took the time and made the choice to not just walk on by, but to take the time to do that.

There's some powerful lessons in that story. He was willing to take the time with no regard. No regard at all. What was in it for him?

He didn't ask, is there a reward? Is there a reward for this man? He said he had no regard and he left no strings attached.

He didn't leave a note with the man. When he's well and he wants to repay me, here's where he can find me. He can just send a check to this to cover the times and do any of that. No strings attached. No conditions. Just a pure act of love and concern for someone he didn't know.

Beautiful story. Everyone who's ever read the Bible knows that story, right? And it's something we teach our kids. People in the world teach their kids. How many of us would do that?

Are we at that point that we would do that? Would we even do that for people that we know? People in the church that we see and need? You heard that in the sermonette. Are we growing in that? Are we growing in that way? Practicing the pure religion, the agape?

That goes along with it. And yet that is what God has called us to. To become people of agape. To have that mark us. To have that define us. Unconditional love, but a lot more than unconditional love. Let's go back to Romans. Romans 5.

Here in Romans 5, Paul recounts some of the things we read in 1 Peter. But let's begin in verse 3 and read through the thought here. Romans 5 verse 3.

It says, not only that, but we also glory in tribulations. That's a tough one to swallow, isn't it? We glory in tribulations. When our life is having problems in them and things aren't going the way we want, Paul says we glory in them.

Now we glory in them because we know what God is working in us and we're thankful to us. Thankful that he cares enough about us as he's developing us and molding us into who he wants us to be. We glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance character and character hope. And hope, true hope, hope in God, hope in Jesus Christ, doesn't disappoint. Because the agape of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which was given to us. Ah, the Holy Spirit. You need the Holy Spirit to understand and practice and develop agape, the true agape that God speaks of in the Bible.

The very first fruit of the Holy Spirit is agape. Not filio, storga, eros, agape. Requires the Holy Spirit. No wonder if you look it up in the dictionary.

No wonder if you look it up on the internet. No wonder the Greeks couldn't really fully define what it was. They knew it was something. They knew it was more than the love as we use in the English language. But they didn't really know what it was.

Now, we can't really know what it is until God's Spirit is in us. Because it's not a natural thing that men do. It's not a natural thing. It becomes natural as God's Spirit combines with our spirit as we let it lead us and guide us.

It becomes more natural. We become more that way if we truly are letting God lead us and develop us and mold us into who He wants us to be.

Let's go on. We were in chapter 6.

Perhaps for a good man, someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own agape toward us. In that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Even when we were people who deserved not at all Him to die for us. Nothing we did. We were far from Him.

And yet He died not just for you and me and the people of the church. He died for all of mankind. Every person that has lived.

And there has been some pretty, pretty not so good people that have lived, right? That have lived their lives, not at all, in the way that even of the morality of the world.

So we see, we're going to be, if we're going to be in God's Kingdom, we have to have His Holy Spirit. We have to have agape.

It has to be becoming, it has to be growing in us. It's a goal that at the end of our lives, older men, older women, including me, something that our lives should be marked by.

Something that is a tool for us, that as we grow closer to the end of our physical lives, we're no longer fearful because we agape God.

We trust Him. We have faith in Him. We believe Him.

And we're not motivated by fear, but we're motivated by love.

Agape, love, is a great thing. Not always easy, though. Let's turn back to Hebrews 12.

Hebrews 12. We find here an aspect of our Christian lives, because God didn't call us to have just wonderful, prosperous lives that are just a straight line of peace and joy.

Of course, we have the Christian spirit peace and joy for all the trials and things that we endure in life.

But that we're going to have an easy life that never had any problems in it. We all know that.

Here in Hebrews 12, verse 5, it says, As you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons, my son, don't despise the chastening of the eternal, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him.

He doesn't do it because He hates us. He does it because He wants us to grow. He wants us to develop. He wants us to become who we must become, though we're going to be born into His kingdom.

For whom the eternal agape is? He chases and scourges every son whom He receives.

Ah, God agape's us and He chases us because He agape's us, because He wants us to be in His kingdom, because He knows we need to be perfected and He knows what you and I need.

One thing I always caution our brethren in Florida is, you know, what I need from God, what the correction I need is different than what you may need.

And sometimes it's going to be very easy for us to look down on others and say, well, you must not be pleasing God at all, because if you're having a trial in that area, something that we don't have any issue with at all, we can find ourselves thinking on things.

Every single one of us has issues. Every single one of us has things that God will show what's in our heart that we need to weed out.

So we bear with each other, we pray for each other, we're patient with each other, because God, in His agape, is molding us, developing us, and He loves us in that way.

Now, parents, parents can relate to this, right? If we truly love our children, what does the Bible say?

We're not going to withhold the rod of correction from our children, our loop. The world today has it all wrong.

They say, no, shouldn't yell at your kids, you should never, ever, ever spank them, even very lightly.

And, hey, as children, they can make decisions that none of us can even imagine that even an adult can make.

But the world would say they have the right to make now. We live in a world that is so far, far different than anything we could have even imagined five years ago.

Someone six and seven could say, I don't feel like this sex, I feel like the other sex.

And then schools and parents are supposed to buy it.

No, just like parents who love their children mold them and direct them so that they become successful adults, successful young people.

They know what's better, or they should know what's better for that young person. God knows what's best for us.

And our job is to follow Him, allow Him to grow that, and ask Him to develop that strength in us that we need.

But He never promised that we would have a life. That we would have a life that's free from correction or free from trials.

That's just part of our life. And it's also, we should be, it's hard to be thankful for it, but we should be grateful to God that we see Him working in our lives and that He still has that love and care for us.

That agape love that He wants to develop in us.

2 Timothy 1.7. You don't need to turn there. You know the verse. It says, God has not given us the spirit of fear, but He has given us the spirit of power and of agape and of a sound mind.

That's the spirit that He engenders in us. When we are called, when we respond to that call, when we are baptized, when hands are laid on us and God puts His Holy Spirit in us, that's the spirit that He gives in us. Power, agape, and a sound mind.

Doesn't mean we have all that on day one, but through the course of the rest of our lives, we develop those things.

We're here in Hebrews 12. Let's turn one chapter over to chapter 13. Chapter 13. Verse 15. The Old Testament had its sacrifices, we know. In the New Testament, Christians have the sacrifices they make to God as well.

Sacrifices of our time, substance. Here in verse 15, we read, in 16, we read a couple of them as well. Therefore, by Him, by God, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

So when we sing hymns, when we talk of God, we talk of Him. In verse 16 says, But don't forget to do good and to share. For with such sacrifices, God is well-placed.

Don't forget that. Sing praises to Him. Talk of God. Worship Him. But don't forget others.

It's like James 1, 27, it says, pure religion is this, right? Keep oneself unspotted from the world. That takes a lot of work and dedication to God's Holy Spirit to do. And don't forget to visit the orphans and widows and take care of those who have need.

Let me read to you what Adam Clark, the commentary, says about verse 16. Because the word agape isn't used in there. But his interpretation, it follows in lines with some other of the commentaries as well, talks about this trait that we're talking about. He says, Adam Clark says about verse 16, These are continual sacrifices which God requires and which will spring from a sense of God's love in Christ Jesus.

No reliance, no reliance, even on the infinitely meritorious sacrifice of Christ, can be acceptable in the sight of God if a man have not love and charity towards his neighbor.

That's kind of like an astounding verse, isn't it? No reliance, even on the infinitely meritorious sacrifice of Christ, can be acceptable in the sight of God if a man have not love and charity towards his neighbor. Praise, prayer, and thanksgiving to God, with works of charity and mercy to man, are the sacrifices which every genuine follower of Christ must offer. And they are the proofs that a man belongs to Christ. He who does not bear these fruits gives full evidence that he is no true Christian. That follows right along with what the Bible would say, isn't it? As Adam Clark interpreted that verse that doesn't even use the word agape in it, but he certainly was talking about agape, or what it means.

So let's stop for a moment and let's recap what agape is. Is it unconditional love like many in the world and many in the church would say? It's just simply unconditional love. Yes, it is unconditional love, but it is something much more than that. It's a proof of our discipleship. It's a proof that we're following God. When John, when Peter, when Jesus Christ asked Peter the questions, he was setting a goal for him. Agape is something we work toward in life. It is a totally unselfish, out-going concern for others, not motivated by emotions, not motivated by what we will receive in turn.

What we do, it is best for the other person. It involves choice, not action. Something that we will to do. It is not at all dependent on how others treat us. It's simply we do the right thing because we have agape toward that person. It involves self-sacrifice, forgiveness, giving of our time without respect for persons with no consideration of what we will receive in return. We feel the same way and we do it for anyone, not just the people that we know or care for. It's a pretty high standard. It's a pretty high standard.

Let's go back to Matthew 5. Because as we grow into agape, we'll find some things that we might not be able to say, yes, with an absolute certainty today to God.

But later on in our life, we will. Back in Matthew 5, verse 43, the Sermon on the Mount, verse 43 says, It's kind of the way of the world, right? Those who agree with me, those who treat me well, I love them. They're friends.

But those who counter me, those who don't like me, hate your enemy. But I say to you, Christ says, agape your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Why? That you may be sons of your Father in heaven. I have to ask myself, do I love my enemies? Do I? You know, I would want to say, yes. But I'm not sure I even really fully understand what that means.

Now, those of you who have been in the church for a long, long time, you will remember back years ago, Mr. Armstrong made the comment that late in his life that he finally understood what it meant to love his enemies. Some of you have been around a long time to remember that. I understand now what it means to love my enemies.

Because there's a point in our lives where we know these things, we can repeat these things, and we can say, yes. Yes, I do. But there's a point in time that we know that we know. And I remember that well when I heard Mr. Armstrong say that, and I don't remember how old I was, but I thought, he remembers, he knows. He knows now that he can look at God and Jesus Christ and say, yes, I love my enemies. I would be willing to do whatever it takes for them. Just the way that Jesus Christ did for us. And in all of our lives, as we grow in that area, as we mature spiritually, there will be a time in our lives that we will be able to say, yes. Now I know what it means to Agape my enemies. Yes, I love them. For him, it took a while. I think for you and I, it'll take a while as well. But one day we'll know what that means. Agape transcends emotions, and Agape stands the test of time. You know, we talked about those other types of love, Storga, Ero, Stylia. They all can be broken. They all can be broken. Agape, when it's truly developed in us, cannot be broken. 1 Corinthians 13, I think it's verse 8, says, Agape. Agape never fails.

The only type of love that doesn't fail. It comes from God. Something we develop. You know, we have Agape. One of the things that I always think about when I think about forgiveness is what Jesus Christ said when He was on that tree, that stake, that boss, whatever you want to call it.

And He was able to look down on the people who wanted Him there. And He said, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they do.

And I tell myself, and I've told others, there's nothing in your life. I speak to myself, there's nothing in your life, Rick, that you can't forgive. Jesus Christ can say that to people who put Him on that stake and made Him suffer the way that He did. That's true, Agape. All of us, all of us can learn from that.

Same thing that Stephen did when he was being stoned. Father, forgive them.

When we can say that, when we can say that, we know that God is developing the Agape in us.

Let's go back to Ephesians 5. One more thing we'll look at here.

You know, Agape, one thing it does not do, it doesn't replace Eros, it doesn't replace Storga, it doesn't replace Philea. Those are all real types of love, all things that we feel and that God wants us to feel. He built it into us. There's nothing wrong with any of those. Agape is just at another level. In fact, when you add Agape to Philea, when you add Agape to Storga, when you add Agape to Eros, it makes those other loves much, much stronger.

Philea is 5, verse 25. Paul, writing to husbands and wives, we'll just look at husbands for a moment here. Verse 25, husbands, he doesn't say Eros your wives, husbands Agape your wives.

Just as Christ Agape'd the church and gave himself for her. That's interesting, isn't it? Husbands Agape your wives, just like Jesus Christ Agape'd the church and gave himself for her.

That he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word. That he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. That's what he did. That's what he wants for you and me. If we add Agape, husbands, I'll even say if we add Agape, wives, to Eros.

Can you imagine how much better marriage would be? Eros is a great love. Can you imagine mom and dad, children, if you added Agape to Storga, how much stronger Storga would be?

If we added Agape to Philia, the love we naturally have for each other because we all have the same mind, we're all here in the same church, whether we live in Portsmouth or Florida or Cincinnati or anywhere else, we love each other in that way. But if we added Agape to that, just think what that does.

Can you imagine if husbands and wives did the things that didn't just benefit them, but they actually practiced Agape in the sense that God says here. The things that are best for each other. Added those to those and that was what motivated them to have that character, to go out of their way, to please the other person even when it's less convenient for them.

Can you imagine how much stronger marriages would be? Can you imagine how much happier they would be?

Years ago, W and I were much younger and I remember the minister in the area we were living then and he made the comment that if anyone that is in the church that is truly motivated by the Holy Spirit, there would be no marital problems. They would be able to work those things out.

I remember hearing that thinking, really? There would be no marital problems if people were truly motivated by the Holy Spirit. I always remembered that. So whenever we would have our spabbles, I would think, I'm not motivated by the Holy Spirit because we shouldn't be having these things. Of course, we all have our little differences of opinion.

But with agape, if we're practicing agape, you know what? We may have our little differences, but marriages will be strong.

Arrows itself can fail. Storgae itself can fail. Filia itself can fail. Agape never fails.

And when it's added to arrows, when it's added to storgae, when it's added to filia, it never fails. It never fails at all.

So as you find yourself in those areas, think of the benefit for the person that you love emotionally.

God gives us that ability to do those things and to have that type of love.

If we let him, if we let his Holy Spirit motivate us, guide us, direct us.

Back in Colossians 3.

Verse 14.

Paul exhorts us. Above all these things, put on agape, which is the bond of perfection.

Put it on. Wear it. Grow it. Let it define you like it defines God. Put it on. It's the bond.

You know what a bond does? Ties people together. The tie that binds. Bonds us together as one.

Here's what Adam Clark says about this verse. He says, he says, Love to God and man. And man. Oh, this is speaking, he says, of love to God and man, which unites and consolidates the whole.

The bond of perfection. It's the thing that bonds God's church together.

Binds us to him. Binds us to each other. Binds us to husbands, children, family members, other friends.

Binds us together. The love that we have.

Now we turn to John 1335. Everything we've talked about. Everything we've talked about today about agape.

What it means. What God wants to grow in us. How we have to make choices. How we have to make decisions.

How we have to build it into our lives and let God's spirit build it in us.

We read that it's also supposed to define his church. Not only us individually, but us together. John 1335.

In the wrong chapter of 1335. By this all will know that you are my disciples.

If you say that you are following Christ, that you are being led by him, by this will all men know that you are disciples.

Not because you can recite memory scriptures. Not because you can recite whole psalms. Not because you can recite the whole book of the Bible. By this will all men know that you are my disciples. If you have agape.

For one another. He doesn't say if you have philia for one another, we all have that.

He says if you have agape for one another.

Because to the world, they'll see something they don't understand.

When they walk in, they'll say, this is a church that's different than the other churches I've attended. Different than the other groups. There's something about them. I can't put my finger on it. But there's something about them. They're bound together. They're a unit. They care for each other in a way that transcends and that exceeds philia or storga or Eros among the married people.

I think it's what the people in Acts 2, when the apostles went out with the Holy Spirit, and people 3,000 were added to the congregation, and they were living among each other. And then other people would look at the church and think, I see something. I see what they are. I want to be part of that. I want to feel it. I don't know what it is, but I want to understand that and be part of it too. That's what God wants for us. He wants us for it here in Portsmouth, down in Orlando, in Jacksonville, over in Cincinnati, or for wherever you're from. That's what he wants in his church and us collectively too. Takes time, takes commitment, takes effort. Is it worth it? Absolutely yes. Absolutely yes. It's the kingdom. That's the thing that's going to bind all of us together and that his kingdom is going to be marked by as well. Agape is something we should be developing in our lives today. Turn over to 1 Corinthians 13. I'll conclude here. I'm going to read verse 1, but I'm going to let you read through several verses here in 1 Corinthians 13 later. When you read the word love in 1 Corinthians 13, replace it with agape. Think of the things that we talked about today. Look at verse 1, though, just to see what Paul says, understanding what we know about the word agape now. Though I speak with the tongues of men, verse 1, and of angels, if I don't have agape, I've become the sounding brass or a clinging symbol. Kind of puts it in perspective, doesn't it? God will give us spiritual gifts. He'll give us knowledge. We'll understand more that if we don't have agape, it's kind of meaningless. I referenced, yeah, verse 8 down here. Agape never fails. It's the love of God that is being perfected in us. It never fails. So I'll leave you with verse 1 of 14. In all our lives, in all we do, verse 1, pursue, pursue agape.