"I will not leave you all alone like orphans; I will come back to you. In a little while the world will not se me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and that you are in me and I am in you. Those who know my commands and obey them are the ones who love me, and my Father will love those who love me. I will love them and will show myself to them"

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you plan to show yourself to us and not to the rest of the world?"

Jesus answered, "If people love me, they will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Those who do not love me do not obey my teaching. This teaching that you hear is not really mine; it is from my Father, who sent me

"I have told you all these things while I am with you. But the Helper will teach you everything and will cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name."

Ok, let's talk about love. What's the definition? What does it mean to love God or to love our fellow man or the hardest one of all, to love our enemies?

Paul goes on to say that love is: patient and kind, it is not jealous, it doesn't brag, it's not proud, rude or selfish. Love doesn't count up wrongs or get upset with others. It is not happy with evil, but is happy with truth. Love always trusts, hopes and remains strong. It never ends.

He says that most of our gifts will come to an end. The only things that will continue forever are faith, hope and love and that the greatest of these is love.

I don't know about you, but I don't think that I could come up with a better definition than that. Of course the band "The Beatles" said it pretty good too, "All You Need Is Love". Not as good as the Apostle Paul, but not to bad.

As they were driving home, a couple of hours out of Spokane, Alan started to cry. When his wife asked him what was wrong, he told her that the Lord was all of a sudden telling him that they needed to move to Spokane. His wife looked at him and told him that she was having the same feeling. Neither of them could get it out of their heads after that.

When Alan got back, he called me up and told me about his "direction from God" and asked me if they were crazy. He had a good job here and no prospects in Spokane. I agreed with him that if that was what the Lord wanted them to do, then they better find a way to do it. And they did.

Alan found a low paying construction job that due to the bad winters that Spokane gets, made him just enough to get by. After a couple of years of that he went to work selling windows for a little while and then his future changed and headed in the way that I am now sure was God's plan. He went to work for a funeral home. He did the re constructions, the cremations and helped to co-ordinate funeral services. He didn't have a degree or license to do it himself so he worked on the funeral home's ticket. That meant of course that he wasn't making as much money as he could be. He was still just getting by, but he found out that not only did he love the work but that he was extremely good at it. Especially working with the grieving families. In fact, one night while cleaning up after a Jewish funeral, he thought he was the only one left in the place, he was singing a song in Yiddish that he knew (at the top of his lungs of course) and one of the older family members heard him. She sought him out and asked him how he knew Yiddish. They ended up having a long conversation that afterward made its way through the Spokane Jewish community. As a result, Alan was the only non-Jewish person in Spokane to be able to handle Jewish funerals.

Alan finally decided that he loved the work enough to go to mortuary school and get degreed and licensed. He and his wife moved to Chicago so he could go to school, live above the mortuary in a studio apartment and the only income was he worked part time for the mortuary. They lived like paupers.

When he finally got done there, they moved back to Spokane and he went to work for another funeral home, this time making a little more money. He still had a few more classes to take and licenses to get, but he could and did do that in Spokane.

Once he had finished all of that and waited for the licenses to come, he finally became a full fledged funeral director in his own right and got paid better too. His wife had been going to school to become a CPA and was about to graduate, she even had a really good job offer in Spokane. But, that's not where this story ends. Oh, no.

As of Friday, April 13th, 2007, Alan has signed all of the paperwork, put his house on the market and given his notice at work. The reason for all of this is that as of June 1st, 2007, Alan is the owner of his own funeral home, mortuary and cemetery in Ritzville (about an hour west of Spokane). They even though in the small house that sits on the connecting lot for free. He will be working less and making a minimum of twice what he was making working for the other funeral home, and that's after expenses. His wife is starting her new high paying job in Spokane, so she will have a bit of a commute for awhile. Once she gains the experience of all the different facets that this large firm handles, she may open up her own shop in Ritzville.

Praise God! Sometimes He tells us to do things that may seem like a bad move at the time, but He sees far and knows better than we do. He knows what will tomorrow, next week and next year. He knows what will happen from now till the end of time. So who do you think you should listen to? Yourself or the Lord? Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

In Matthew 10:37-38 NCV, Jesus says, "Those who love their father of mother more than they love me are not worthy to be my followers. Those who love their son or daughter more than they love me are not worthy to be my followers. Whoever is not willing to carry the cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

How many of you can truly say that. That you do not put anything or anyone before God? Not wealth, not pleasure, not the job that you love, not your favorite pastime, not your own life, not even the lives of those you love? Don't try and answer right now, but pray on it and meditate on it and find out if and where you need to change you lifestyle or priorities. Only you can answer that question, but only God truly knows the answer. So pray and ask for his guidance in this matter, then meditate on it and await the answer.

And of course, as we read earlier in John 14, verse 21 says, "Those who know my commands and obey them are the ones who love me, and my Father will love those who love me. I will love them and will show myself to them."

That doesn't mean that we should love only those who love us. It doesn't mean that we should only love other Christians. Jesus meant that we should love everyone. Those who love us, those who are hard to love and yes, even our enemies. The perfect example in the bible is found in Luke 6:27-36 NCV, it says:

"But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who are cruel to you. If anyone slaps you on one cheek, offer him the other cheek, too. If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt. Give to everyone who asks you, and when someone takes something that is yours, don't ask for it back. Do to others what you would want them to do to you. If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you you get? Even sinners love the people who love them. If you do good only to those who do good to you, what praise should you get? Even sinners do that! If you lend things to people, always hoping to get something back, what praise should you get? Even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount! But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. Show mercy, just as your Father shows mercy."

Well there it is, love your enemies and obey the "Golden Rule". Easier said then done, I know, but the longer and harder we try, the easier it gets. The reward, I promise you, is worth it. Remember, Jesus said "you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God,". What better reward could you ask for?

"And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

In verses 8-10, Paul is simply reminding us to love one another, reminding us of what the commandments say and that "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.". All of which should be taken literally by everyone.

In verses 11 and 12, he uses the word "night" as a symbol of the sinful world we live in. This world will soon come to an end. Paul also uses another symbol, the word "day", is used to symbolize the good time that is coming, when we will be with God. He is saying in these verses that we need to prepare for the coming of the Lord, for the time is near. "now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.". This too we should take literally by everyone.

Now we come to the fun part. Verses 13 and 14. Now, I know some of you will say that everything in the bible should be taken literally. That's just fine, if that's what you believe, then that is how you should live your life. Remember that in Romans 14:1-14 it says:

"Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: 'As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.'. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean."

Now, there Paul was not talking only about food or days or anything else specific. He was simply trying to get across that what you truly believe is a sin, is a sin for you. What you truly believe is not a sin, is not a sin for you (with of course an exemption being made by the Ten Commandments and Christ's New Commandment). What you take literally or as metaphor from the bible, is how you should live. I truly believe that if you read all of the bible with an open heart, mind and soul, the Lord will tell you how he wants you to live. And remember, Jesus taught mostly by using parables. So obviously not everything is meant to be taken literally.

But I digress. I was talking about Romans 13:13-14, wasn't I? Ok. Most of us are meant to take these verses more subtly. In verse 13, when Paul says not to walk in "revelry and drunkenness,", he is not saying that we can't go out to a nice party or that we cannot have a glass or two of wine with dinner or out with friends. He is saying that we shouldn't go to the wrong kind of parties. He is saying that we shouldn't care more about "partying" than we do about the Lord our God. He is saying we shouldn't be an alcoholic who cares more about the drink than God. He is saying that we shouldn't drink so much that we loose control, through the commandments and teachings of the Lord out the window and start sinning.

When he says not to walk in "lewdness and lust", well that's pretty strait forward on the lewdness, we should take that one literally. But, as far as lust? He isn't saying we cannot lust at all, for it is one of gods many gifts to us. Used wisely, it is not a sin. We shouldn't let lust rule us or be more important that our faith or our God. But when we are attracted to someone, and let's be honest, the way we decide to start dating someone is based on attraction at first, then we get to know them, and either the attraction gets stronger and we eventually marry them or it doesn't and we decide not to date them anymore. Once you are married, you should lust after your spouse. It should not be the overriding theme of your marriage though. Your faith in God and living in a Christian marriage should be first and foremost in any good marriage. And once you have children (and you couldn't happily do that without lust), raising them in the church and teaching them what it means to be a good Christian should be at the top of your priority list. Once they are in bed asleep, your prayers and bible reading is done, then you and your spouse are allowed and even encouraged to give in to your lust for one another. Paul speaks about this in I Corinthians 7:1-5 NKJV: 

"Now in regard to the matters about which you wrote: 'It is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman,' but because of cases of immorality every man should have his own wife, and every woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his duty toward his wife, and likewise the wife toward her husband. A wife does not have authority over her own body, but rather her husband, and similarly a husband does not have authority over his own body, but rather his wife. Do not deprive each other, except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, to be free for prayer, but then return to one another, so that Satan may not tempt you through your lack of self-control.". I think what Paul is trying to say, is that we should not let lust control our lives or lead us to commit the sin of adultery or even let it put ourselves in tempting or compromising positions. Remember, in all thing the Lord your God should come first.

When he says not to walk in "strife and envy.", this is also pretty strait forward. We should try to live in harmony with others, love each other as it says in Leviticus 19:18 NKJV, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.". He is also saying that we should not be jealous of others, but be thankful for what we have.

Last, but surely not least, in verse 14 Paul said: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.". What he is saying her is that we must clothe ourselves with the character of our Lord. We must put ourselves completely under Him, and follow what He taught. We must make no provision to fulfill evil fleshly desires (such as sleeping with someone else's wife/husband, a prostitute, cheating on our own wife/husband or by having carnal relations with those of our same sex or allowing our fleshly desires to come befor God). We must be pure as was our Lord. Let us move onward and upward, and never backward to the world.

So as you can see, I do not believe we should by any means ignore the information in verses 13 and 14, for most good Christians they are not meant to be as stringent as they first appear. So its ok to go to the right kind of parties, have a couple drinks with friends (depending on each of our individual tolerance), indulge our lust with our spouses, be attracted to members of the opposite sex and so on. As long as what we do, think and feel in no ways compromises our faith, causes us to sin or allows anything or anyone to come before the Lord our God.

I challenge you to take note or even count how many time the word love is used in the bible the next time you are reading through it. For those of you who would like a good reading plan that will help you get through the bible in 52 weeks, please check out our free reading plan by clicking on the "Bible Reading Plans" link at the top of the page.

Thank you for taking the time to read my sermon. It is a topic that I feel strongly about and very much enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you. Below I have included a few more verses that relate rather well to the topics of loving God, loving each other and loving your enemies. Please take a few minute to read through them, I know you will get as much out of them as I did. God bless you all.

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

Galatians 5:13-15 TNIV
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

I Peter 3:8-9 TNIV
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

I Peter 4:7-11 TNIV
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

I John 3:11-24 TNIV
For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a fellow believer is a murderer, and you know that no murderers have eternal life in them.

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 one another. If any one of you 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 you? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who keep his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

I John 4:7-21 TNIV
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. If we say we love God yet hate a brother or sister, we are liars. For if we do not love a fellow believer, whom we have seen, we cannot love God, whom we have not seen. And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love one another.

Proverbs 24:17-18 TNIV
Do not gloat when your enemies fall;  when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.

Matthew 5:43-48 TNIV
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Romans 12:14-21 TNIV

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not think you are superior. 

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:  "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."