Sermon Tone Analysis

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.

Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Love.

There are literally millions of songs, poems, sonnets, plays and movies written, produced and acted out about love.

We can be so cavalier about how we use the word love, assigning it to so much that we water down it’s true meaning.

• I love those shoes

• I love that dress

• I love that color

• I love that car

• I love that food

There are even those who will say the words I love you to a person just to get what they want, whether it’s sex or material things, and the one they speak it to is so in need of hearing those words they yield whatever it is the person is asking of them, even to their very soul.

The words are sometimes spoken, “if you love me, you will...” But what is true love, what does it mean to love and be loved, what does love look like.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning in her Sonnet 43 had this to say about love...

How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints.

I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

Gary Chapman tells us there are 5 Love Languages

1. Acts of Service

We can be so cavalier about how we use the word love, assigning it to so much that we water down it’s true meaning.

2. Physical Touch

3. Words of Affirmation

4. Receiving Gifts

5. Quality Time

The Love Boat theme song tells us that love is exciting and new, then invites you to come aboard.

People go on television shows like the bachelor and bachelorette, and do things, in front of cameras, with complete strangers in hopes of finding love.

In another show called, Married at First Sight, people marry complete strangers and the first time they see them is when they are walking down the aisle to get married.

Love.

People look for new and better and more exciting and different ways of expressing their love for one another from having it written across the sky, to a simple note in a lunchbox.

Love.

It’s something everyone needs, it’s something everyone wants.

Helen Baylor sings in her song, Testimony, “We all wanna be loved”.

And she’s correct, from the youngest to the oldest, we all want someone to love us and we all want to love someone.

We must recognize, love is only true love when it’s given willingly and gladly.

You can’t make someone love you, true love is not something you can work for, beg for or pay for.

Love is expressed in many ways, but what does the Bible say about love?

The word love is mentioned in the Bible more than 400 times, a man’s love for a woman, a parent’s love for their child, a child’s love for their parent, a country’s love for its leader, the people’s love for God and God’s love for His people.

There are many examples of love in the Bible.

You really want to know what true love between a man and a woman should look like?

Read the book Song of Solomon, as Solomon expresses his love for the Shunamite woman and she expresses her love for him.

Now I already talked about how cavalier we can be with the word love.

But as we look more closely at this word, in the Greek there are three different words for love, which better express what is being said.

I love those shoes

The Greek word agapao, is used by Jesus and is a caring or godly concern for someone even if you do not know or like him or her.

It’s an unconditional love.

In almost all of his teachings Christ used this word.

The Greek word Peter used to respond to Christ is phileo, which means brotherly affection.

It’s the root of the word Philadelphia and is why the city of Philadelphia is known as the city of brotherly love.

The third description of love found in the Greek language is the word eros, this word was used by the ancient Greeks as the name of one of their pagan gods.

We get our English word "erotic" from this Greek word, which is used in reference to something sexual.

I love that dress

Eros is not found in the New Testament and one reason for this is God is more concerned about how we treat him AND each other rather than He is about our physical sensations.

We must learn to control our bodies and not let our bodies control us.

What else does the New Testament have to say about love?

Well, we of course must go to the “Love chapter” to see.

• Love is patient, it will wait for you.

This is not just talking about sex.

Have you ever been with an impatient person, who always wanted you to hurry up for them, despite what you may be doing?

Love doesn’t hurry you along to fit its on whims and desires.

I love that color

• Love is kind, it has a gentle nature and wants to do good for and to you.

It doesn’t hurt you emotionally, mentally or physically.

• Love is not envious.

It’s not jealous of your accomplishments but will rejoice and celebrate them with you.

• …or boastful.

It doesn’t brag about what it’s doing, not tooting its own horn

I love that car

• …or arrogant.

It doesn’t think of itself as better than you

• …or rude.

We all know and have dealt with rude people.

That’s not what love looks like.

I love that food

• It doesn’t insist on its own way.

Love won’t pout when things don’t go its way

There are even those who will say the words I love you to a person just to get what they want, whether it’s sex or material things, and the one they speak it to is so in need of hearing those words they yield whatever it is the person is asking of them, even to their very soul.

The words are sometimes spoken, “if you love me, you will...” But what is true love, what does it mean to love and be loved, what does love look like.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning in her Sonnet 43 had this to say about love...

How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways.I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day’s Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints.

I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace.