The Power of Love

One of the most over-worked words of the English language is the word love. All of us use that one word to express a myriad of meanings. For example, we say things like:

“I love you” to our parents, to our children, to our spouses, our friends, and even our Lord. But we also use that same word to say, “I love chocolate cake,” or “I love my dog or cat.” We say, “I love my recliner, or I love my iPhone.” You see what I mean?

How can one word possible convey the true meaning of all of those statements?

You won’t be surprised to learn that the Bible has a few things to say about the subject of love. It might seem like an unlikely place to begin, but 1 Samuel does have much to say about the power of love.

1 Samuel 18:1–4 (NKJV)

1Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. 3Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 4And Jonathan took off the robe that wason him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.

1 Samuel 18 describes the beginning of what might have been the strongest friendship between two young men. What was the secret of their bond of friendship? The bible calls it love.

When you understand the background of this love story, you quickly observe that David and Jonathan should be friends at all but foes. (Describe the fact that they were competitors for the crown of Israel.)

Max Lucado says in his book, Facing Your Giants, “Jonathan had reason to despise David, but he didn’t. He was gracious. Gracious because the hand of the Master Weaver took his and David’s hearts and stitched a seam between them. “The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (18:1).

As if the two hearts were two fabrics, God “needle and threaded” them together. So interwoven that when one moved, the other felt it. When one was stretched, the other knew it.” [1]

The power of love enabled David and Jonathan to move beyond their natural competiveness and build a relationship that lasted to death.

Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT) Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.

C.I.T. – The power of love found in David’s and Jonathan’s relationship is the same power that can help us in our love relationships.

I. THE POWER OF LOVE WITHIN OUR FRIENDSHIPS, 1 Samuel 1:1-4

Proverbs 17:17a (NKJV) A friend loves at all times

From the very first moment Jonathan met David, he loved him. David and Jonathan became friends for life!

“knit” to be woven or chained together. David and Jonathan’s hearts were knit together they were chained together for life as best friends.

Both verse one and three indicate that Jonathan loved David “as his own soul.” The fact that it is repeated twice in three verses is for emphasis.

Sometime later when Saul, Jonathan’s father and the King of Israel turned against David and sought to have him killed, Jonathan stood up for David against his father.

1 Samuel 19:1–2 (NKJV) 1 Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David. 2 So Jonathan told David, saying, “My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide.

1 Samuel 20:8 (NLT) Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend—for we made a solemn pact before the Lord—or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don’t betray me to him!”

The solemn pact David was referring to was the “covenant” agreement of verse 3, Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

Jonathan sealed their covenant in verse 4 by giving his own robe and military weapons to David.

4And Jonathan took off the robe that wason him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.

Illustration – Archaeological discoveries at Ugarit (Oo-ga-rit) reveal this to have been a common practice among the most intimate of relationships. Its meaning was quite powerful. It symbolized the transfer of position. It was a sign that Jonathan was acknowledging that God had anointed David to be the next King and not himself.

Before I leave this point let me say something about those today who deliberately distort the beautiful meaning of this passage. There is nothing immoral or abnormal about this love relationship or friendship between David and Jonathan. Those who suggest that David and Jonathan were involved in a homosexual relationship are doing nothing but perverting the truth of the Scriptures for their own deviant and selfish desires.

Instead, this is a beautiful story of true friendship. Someone has said, “True friendships are few and far between.” BTW, you do realize that most of our strongest friendships are made during our youth.

Why is this true?

1. As we grow older, we have less time and opportunity to make new friendships.

2. When we marry, spouses replace our friends.

3. We also become more inhibited in our older years.

4. The one exception, it is during the senior years when many are left alone and are ready to re-establish new friendships.

5. Then there are many who have given up on love relationships out of the fear of being hurt.

T/S – But as you have heard it said, “It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.”

T/S - Not only the power of love within our friendships, but notice secondly, the power of love within our families.

II. THE POWER OF LOVE WITHIN OUR FAMILIES

What does the Bible teach us about the power of love within the family?

A. Husbands and Wives

Ephesians 5:25 (NKJV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

Ephesians 5:28 (NKJV) So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

Ephesians 5:33 (NKJV) Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Titus 2:4 (NKJV) that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,

B. Parents and Children

Colossians 3:20–21 (NKJV) 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. 21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

C. Three Kinds of Biblical Love

1. Agape – Sacrificial, unconditionallove

2. Phileo – Tender affection, brotherly or friendshiplove

3. Eros – Pertains to the physical or sexual erotic love

III. THE POWER OF LOVE WITHIN OUR FAITH

Love is the powerful motivation that moved God to redeem us!

A. God’s love for Us,

John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 5:8 (HCSB) But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

1 John 3:16 (NLT) We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

1 John 4:7–10 (NKJV) 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

B. Our love for God,

1 John 4:19 (NKJV) We love Him because He first loved us.

1 John 5:2 (NKJV) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

C. Our love for one another,

John 13:34–35 (NKJV) 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Ephesians 4:31–32 (NLT) 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

[1] Max Lucado, Facing Your Giants(Nashville: W Pub. Group, 2006), 22.

Related Media

Related Sermons