Pray for Love - Part A

So mature love is not sentimentality, nor is it emotion it has banks, first thing. His knowledge second Peter chapter 1 says make every effort to add to your favorite goodness, and goodness no. So follow me love should be growing to love should also be knowing knowledge is one of the banks that allows the free flow of love.

Someone once said the great illusions of our time is that love is self-sustaining.

It is not love must be fed and nurture today on connect with scriptwriter Skip explains the priority that love should have in your life and how your love can be abounding. Now we want to tell you about a recent that will help you with victoriously to the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is mysterious in the Bible. Jesus even said moves like the wind, so Christians are instructed to know and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit help counsel and comfort as I think reminds us, you can't neglect the spirit Scripture is of the Holy Spirit from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation. Not only is the Bible full of the Holy Spirit candy to the Holy Spirit is a divine person who helps us think you need all the help you can get to live your Christian life.I'm we need help discover the Holy Spirit is pastor Skip DVD study expound Holy Spirit and for a limited time you can also get a copy of Gilenya called Howard discover your spiritual gifts. Both resources are our things, your gift of $25 or more dance this teaching outreach to get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888 okay Philippians chapter 1 SQ pipes extorts today's most people never associate prayer with pop music, but there is an interesting country song that's been around for a few years by a guy named Sharon Lowenstein goes by Jaron and it's a song called. I pray for you. It's a song based upon the bitter breakup that he had with his girlfriend and he puts an interesting twist on prayer is that I have been to church since I don't remember when things were going great till they fell apart again so I listen to the preacher. He told me what to do. He said you can go hating others who have done wrong to you. Sometimes we get angry but we must not condemn, but the good Lord do his job and you just pray for them, so his courses. I pray your brakes go out running down the hill. I pray a flowerpot falls from a windowsill and knocks you in the head like I'd like to.

I pray your birthday comes a nobody calls to prayer flying high when your engine stalls.

I pray all your dreams never come true.

Just know wherever you are, honey, I pray for you.

I think we can do much better than that.

And Paul does better than that in the book of Philippians. You'll notice in chapter 1 verse four that he mentions that he prays for them. In verse three says I thank my God upon every remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine, making request for you all with joy. Now, if you know anything about Paul. You know that in many of his letters he includes his prayer for his audience when he writes the book of Ephesians, he includes a prayer rewrites the book of Philippians when he writes the book of Colossians includes a prayer when he writes the book of Thessalonians.

He includes a prayer in first Thessalonians, when he writes to Timothy, he includes a prayer to Philemon.

He includes a prayer that is a part of Paul's life. He prayed for people and he did it regularly, and he told him what he prayed for and I think it's safe to say that nothing really defines a person's spiritual life. More so than that person's prayer life. And Paul had a deep and abiding one notice an interesting note about that whenever you read Paul's prayers for people he never once prays for anything physical. I'm not saying he never did.

It just never recorded that he did what he prays for our things that he thought were much more important than just a general blessing for the church or a physical ailment, but what he wrote down world were the really heart issues that matter the most.

In this case we find out that he prays for love verse nine he says and this I pray so here is the main request this.

I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment that you may approve the things that are excellent that you may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and the praise of God.

Now Paul is one thing that is praying for one specific thing above all else, and that is love.

That is the sum of his prayer.

He's praying for their love all of the other phrases beyond that in verse nine, 10, 11 support that one main no. Why would Paul pray for their love well because that is the hallmark of their faith right. He said now abide faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love. Jesus said by this all men will know you are my disciples by the love you have for one another. So he prays for the most important expression of their Christian faith, and that is the expression of love. By the way, Paul also mentions the idea of love, not only here but also in those other books that I just mentioned. Colossians Ephesians Thessalonians, and others were not surprised because faith is important and hope is vital, but love is the culminating hallmark now Dwight L.

Moody once said something interesting. He said you know a man can be a good doctor without letting his patients or a good lawyer without letting his clients or good geologist without loving rocks or science, but a man cannot be a good Christian, without love, and I'm really glad it's Mother's Day because I of all the people that I think set the standard for self less living and unselfish love.

It's a it's a mother believes I can say that in my family. You've heard the old saying he has a face only a mother can love that says more about a mother than a face says it says that a mom's love is always there. It's always steadfast no matter who you are, what you've done, you can always count on a mother's love and I found that to be very very true in my own situation, the Jews used to have a saying that God couldn't be everywhere and so he created mothers. I think it's more of a statement rather than absolute theological statement of its it's a way of saying the way God expresses his presence is so often through the life of a godly mother. So were so thankful today that it's Mother's Day and we can express that to what I want to show you in Philippians 1 verses 910 11 and Paul's prayer are four attributes of mature love for attributes of mature love.

Now as we go through these four attributes. What I'd like you to do is to be comparing your own expressions of love to what Paul prays for theirs ought to be for attitudes four attributes of mature love. The first is this our love should be plentiful. Look at verse nine and notice and this I pray that your love may abound still more and more the word abound means to super abound or to exceed a fixed number or a fixed measure. Now it's evident that they already love one another. Paul filter love and Paul makes note of it in this book, you'll notice in verse nine. I pray that your love may abound notice is still more and more. In other words, that implies they already do it. He just doesn't want them to do it less. He wants them to continue to do it, and to do it more that your love would abound still more and more how do you increase something that's already overflowing is pretty easy to turn on the house and walk away. Let her run. This is a mistake I made in my own yard. I have inadvertently watered my neighbors yards from time to time by trying to fill a little pond or water area of my grass aura tree and I forgot and two hours later it's like oh there's water everywhere now. When Paul says I'm praying for your love to abound what is.

He's speaking of specific it's possible that he is praying that their love would be the kind of love that goes out of the boundaries of loving just the church, and loving different kinds of people in the world. That certainly would be in line with what Jesus was all about. He said for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son a few years ago when I went to Iraq for the first time I told you that I brought shoeboxes with me 20,000 shoeboxes that many of you packed. We brought them into Baghdad. The most striking thing about that trip is what one of the Iraqi official said to me, he made a statement that was shocking. He set up to this point in my mind, he said, I always thought we always thought that it was the Christian West that hated us but I can see by this token of your love. That is the Christians the love us your simple shoebox expressions were like overflowing love into another culture never experienced something like that before.

However, I believe that Paul is referring to the specific demonstration of love to one another within the church. I don't think he speaking of loving God, I don't think you speaking of loving God's world. I think he is specifically speaking of loving God's people.

The church, what I say this because he writes the same thing almost in first Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 12. Let me read it to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other. Why is that important.

I think it's important because sometimes it's easier to love people. You never see the people you see every day. The easiest thing is talking about. I love the world, all I love the world, but the people in your own home or in your own workspace. It sometimes more difficult. It's like a cartoon I once saw in the main character said all I love the world is just the people I can't stand easy to say I love people I never see but people you do see and work with and live with its different so I think he is praying that their love for one another.

What overflow would abound more and more that that hose of love would keep on running interesting. One of the church historians named Herculean made mention in his writings that when the church started growing rapidly in the Roman Empire that the government sent spies into different congregations because they were afraid that this new group of citizens. These Christians would be very disloyal to the Roman government.

So one of the spies when into a church, came back and wrote this report. These Christians are very strange people. They speak of one by the name of Jesus, who is absent, but whom they seem to be expecting it anytime in my how they love him and my, how they love one another. Interesting that unbelieving spy in a Christian congregation made note of the fact that they love one another so intensely. So take a little test in your mind right now and ask yourself this is your own love abound that the word that describes the expression of your love.

Think about your marriage is your love toward your spouse, and abounding love or in your home toward your children are toward your parents or among your friends, would you say that that is a good description of your own love experience in your life you're the kind of a person that love does keeps growing and growing and abounding more and more. You say that even possible while yes it is possible, it is possible, because in Romans chapter 5, Paul said the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the love of God has been poured out, or literally, it gushes out, it implies there is no limit to it at all. What that means, then, is that we have an unlimited capacity to love.

If you're one of those type of people I met a few who say I'm just fresh out of love. I loved all the love out. I've got no more love to give. It's all gone now I see what you need a better connection because the love of God gushes out as poured out by the Holy Spirit. Last time I checked, he never ran out.

So what this implies is is if God's love flows into your life it out. I will flow out of your life.

If God flows in must flow through to others. Malcolm Muggeridge, a British journalist once wrote the biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis or any other disease but rather the feeling of being unwanted uncared for and deserted by everybody. The greatest evil is the lack of love that terrible indifference toward one's neighbor who lives at the roadside, assaulted by exploitation corruption, poverty and disease. What all of this tells me is that if I have such a capacity that the Bible tells me that I have to let people that nobody around me should ever feel love starved. They should never feel love start, they should feel love saturated love so but not love start because of the love of God as poured out by his Holy Spirit into me than it can then be poured out. Truman I have to receive it so that I can give it our love, then, should be plentiful. That's the first attribute of a mature love. Second, our love should be perceptive, no watch what he does in a pocket of just said, and this I pray that your love may abound still more and more.

But he doesn't do that. He says that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment. Now this is important because now Paul is qualifying what overflowing love is to look like by adding these parameters of knowledge and discernment. See Paul is not naïve. He's not throwing out love like some clichés are tolerate anything except everything kind of love he says no, the overflowing love that I am speaking about one another needs banks just like a river has banks and one bank is called knowledge and the other bank is called discernment and your love needs to flow within those banks to be safe.

See overflowing love sounds really great but it is like a river, and if that water has free flow without any direction or discretion it can kill people.

A few years ago I was in Honduras. They had just had a flood and I was in a helicopter going over these villages. The homes were washed out schools, hospitals were gone.

People were huddled in masses in in the jungles, trying to find a place for shelter and it was all because of a river that over flowed its banks waters a blessing, but that much water that just flows wherever wants to can destroy people's lives, so too with love. If our love is just pure emotion without discretion or direction can bring devastation needs those banks in which the flow so let's look at them.

Let's look at them one by one the first bank is called knowledge that your love may still abound more and more in knowledge. What is that mean the word And gnosis.

The Greek word for knowledge here means an expert knowledge of mature knowledge brought on by experience. If you know anything about Paul's writing. You know that Paul will often take love and knowledge and combine them.

Sometimes he'll oppose them will show the difference between, for example, if her scripting chapter 8 he says knowledge of tossup, but love builds up his contrasting love and knowledge were first Corinthians chapter 13 though I speak with the tongues of men or of angels, but I have not love, I become like a clanging cymbal sounding brass and though I can understand all mysteries and have all knowledge, but I have not love, I have become nothing. So he says knowledge needs love, but he also says love needs knowledge for that love to be responsible love member when Paul spoke about a seller's group of religious brethren of his. He said they have a zeal for God, but it's not according to knowledge, and he faulted them for that is pure emotion but no knowledge. Now if you diminish your need for knowledge and you place feeling about knowledge, like so many people do this to us in your heart man where you feel like doing that is the most dangerous irresponsible thing you could ever do, and you would be a dangerous person to live that way. Why do I say that well you can feel out of love with your spouse and feel in love with somebody was neither spouse or parent can feel they are to give something. Whatever they the child wants to their child is on a given because I feel that that's the loving thing to do like to be the worst thing to do whatever they want. You may feel that love is letting another Christian do whatever he or she wants to do this for you need knowledge.

The knowledge of Matthew chapter 18 were Jesus said sometimes the most loving thing you can do is to confront another brother or sister. And that's love so mature love is not sentimentality, nor is it a motion it has banks. The first bank is knowledge second Peter chapter 1 he says make every effort to add to your faith goodness and the goodness, knowledge. So, follow me. Our love should be growing, but our love should also be knowing knowledge is one of the banks that allows the free flow of love. There's another bank. I want your notice. Also in verse nine and that is discernment that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, discernment means insight mature insight or sensitive moral perception.

Allow me to explain. We might have an affection for somebody else but that doesn't mean we have the right to express that affection. Anyway, we see fit. We need to bring discernment into see, there are moral and ethical considerations that are to govern the overflowing expression of our love the people to discern something is to distinguish to make a difference in so every parent knows this. That love is expressed in different ways at different times to the same child one day a parent will give a gift to a child.

Another day a parent will spank a child both are legitimate expressions of love. Another example is that of Jesus Christ. Sometimes he feel a person. Another day he would overturn the tables in the temple and with the whip drive out the money changers.

Both are expressions of love, but in two different contexts. One day Jesus would save the crowd. You are blessed, blessed are you another day look at another crowd filled with Pharisees is a huge whitewash sepulchers.

Both are expressions of love from the one who is the author of love himself. Most of us know that the most frequently used Greek word for love in the New Testament is what, shouted out agape. Agape is the Greek word for love that expresses God's love for us. Generally, love for one another is to be at that supreme superior. That's what we aspire to agape love will make sure that your agape is in sloppy dialogue with sloppy adopting sloppy and obvious is saying you love somebody, but it's really a selfish love to do something or say something because I don't want to be disliked by that person.

That's love.

You got that Skip Heitzig with a message from the series technical joy. Right now we want to share about an exciting opportunity. You take your knowledge of God's word. Even the thing taking classes and studies can fit into your life, free college student impressed after years of wanting training ministry. I found now I can keep in my life and I can fill as little as often as my schedule recurring schedule definitely works my work and family. Learn more about God in your schedule, recovered like today.college must first work in you before he works through you share these Bible based teachings so your life can be saturated fats.

You seem to impact this world. What we want to give him an opportunity to help connect others to God's word and keep these messages coming to you that I didn't get to call 800 9218 8892 by the thick connect with.com/standings.com/donate to him tomorrow is Skip placing shares how you can take your love to a higher level people with greater purpose than ever. So Skip Heitzig presentation of connection communications to God's never changing truth ever-changing time