Why Love is a Fundamental Human Need: Exploring the Importance of Emotional Connection.
Basic need to love · It’s fulfilled only by our learning to love God and others. · This is what gives our lives meaning and purpose. To love Agapao (the love God had for mankind when he sent Jesus to earth) · To totally give ourselves over to something. · To be totally consumed with something. · It’s what we put first in our lives. · It’s a commitment love - it’s submitting our wills and our lives to something. We can love (agapao) God, man, or things of the world. · Agape is a noun, God’s pure, unconditional Love. To love (agapao) God means · To lose self—all our own thoughts, emotions and desires that are contrary to God’s—thus, becoming an open and cleansed vessel. · To put His Will and His Desires above our own. · Allowing His Life to become our own. · This is not an emotional love (storge), but a commitment love. Three steps of loving God · Choosing to obey His Word, not our own thoughts and feelings. - Relinquishing what we think, feel and want, and doing what He desires. - Denying ourselves—barring ourselves from following the flesh. - Obedience is the only answer. · Trusting God to perform His Will through us, not our own ability and power. - Relying upon Him (with unreserved confidence) to accomplish His Will in our lives, no matter how we feel or what we think. - Picking up our crosses—and doing what He has asked, regardless of our circumstances.
- He will align our feelings to match what we have chosen.
- He makes us genuine.
- Truth is where the word and the deed match and become one. · Worshipping and serving God.
- Worshipping means prostrating ourselves before God (inside)—serving God means presenting our bodies as living sacrifices (outside).
- Following God—cleaving unto Him, binding ourselves with Him so that we become one. Obedient unto death.
He is our Life
· When we become one with God (one heart, will and soul), then it’s God’s Life that comes forth and not our own.
· It’s God’s character, not our own.
· Jesus is not just in our lives at this moment, He is our Life!
Define the Greek word agapao (to love). How does agapao differ from storge or phileo love? John 12:24 Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Ephesians 5:2 and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
Luke 9:23 Take Up Your Cross Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.
1 John 4:8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 3. Can we agapao bad things? Give some contemporary IDEAS:
Matthew 22:37-39 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
John 3:19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.
John 12:43 For they loved human praise more than praise from God.
Luke 6:32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
The steps of loving God.
Matthew 4:1-10 The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:
He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”
Philippians 2:8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.
Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Luke 14:26-27 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
2 Corinthians 4:11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh.
Romans 12:1 A Living Sacrifice Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
5. Explain what it means to become one with God. How does this happen?
1 John 4:17 In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world.
Philippians 1:21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Personal REFECLTIONS:
1. WHAT ARE THE THINGS in your own life that you agapao? Be specific.
Matthew 16:24. Write out this verse and memorize it.
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
What must we do before God’s Love can be manifested through us to others?
John 12:24 Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.
John 15:3-4 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4: Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.
Ephesians 5:2 and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
1 John 3:16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
In your own life, what are some of the negative thoughts, emotions, and desires that are the most difficult for you to deny or bar yourself from following? What happens when you give in to these thoughts and feelings and choose to follow them? WE WILL LEARN HOW TO PROTECT OUR MIND SO WE CAN WIN OVER THESE THOUGHTS. Are there areas in your life right now where you are having difficulty trusting God because of your feelings, your situation or another person’s responses? LET’S Explain WHY WE ARE UPSET. TALK IT OVER WITH GOD AND DON'T GIVE IN TO BAD THOUGHTS. TRAIN YOUR MIND TO NOT GIVE THEM ANY POWER. DROP, ROLL AND PRAY. LAUGH AND SING TO GOD. WE ARE GOING TO Learn MORE, BUT IT HELPED ME. REPLACING BAD THOUGHTS FOR GOOD. ONLY BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE CAN DO IT. I CAN'T AS A HUMAN.
THINGS TO WORK ON Write on a note card the Scriptures that particularly ministered to you. Memorize IF YOU CAN. Sharpening your
Two-Edged Sword.
Over the next week, ask God to show you the areas where you are not loving Him. Write down in your journal what He shows you. Ask Him to help you the next time these areas come up … to choose to obey Him, trust Him, and follow Him, rather than give in to your “old ways”. HE CAN LEAD YOU IN MANY WAYS.
The reality of denying ourselves is a painful and difficult task. It is impossible to accomplish apart from Christ working in us. Our responsibility is only to be willing— willing to continually yield ourselves to Christ and allow Him to do the job through us. Ask God to continually reveal your own willingness (or unwillingness) to “die to self”.
TRY AND WRITE IN A JOURNAL. IT HELPS TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS UNDER CONTROL.
Note what He shows you in your journal. LOOK UP THESE TO GROW IN WISDOM: Philippians 2:5-11, Galatians 2:20, Matthew 10:39
John 12:24-26, John 14:21, 23, Philippians 2:7-8, Luke 22:42 Satan’s Three Temptations. Satan tries to keep us from loving God by: 1) Tempting us not to obey God’s Will, but our own desires. - Our response should be “There is no other way to live.” - We must obey God’s voice and not our own thoughts and feelings. 2) Tempting us not to trust God’s Power to perform in our lives, but our own abilities.
Our response should be “We will trust the Holy Spirit.”
- He will perform God’s Will in His way and in His timing.
3) Tempting us not to worship and serve God only, but to follow our flesh and things of the world. THIS IS WHERE I CAME FROM, TRYING TO LIVE RIGHT
- Our response should be “We will not follow or bind ourselves to anyone or anything else but God”.
(A temptation is something that causes us to choose either God’s Way or our own.)
Satan wants our faith. HE WANT US TO TRUST HIM. BUT WE ARE FOOLED BECAUSE IT’S MOSLTY ALL THE DESIRES OF THE WORLD AND WE GET LOST IN THE MATRIX.
· Our faith is built on the faithfulness (trustworthiness) of God.
· If Satan can cause doubt and unbelief in these areas, he has won.
· It takes faith to love God.
· Our faith is the only victory that will allow all things in our lives to be “born of God.”
IT TAKES FAITH TO LOVE AND TRUST GOD Why is Satan so intent upon keeping us from experiencing “abundant life?”
THIS IS SO WE CAN BE OVERTAKEN BY THE WORLD Ephesians 3:19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Romans 8:2-6 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. 6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.
Satan does not want us to love God. Summarize the three temptations he constantly throws at us. Why does God allow these temptations in our lives? WE CAN GROW AND SEE OUR FAITH HAVE WINGS. IT’S TRULY AMAZING! Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
PLEASE CHOOSE LIFE, ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live. Deuteronomy 13:3-4 do not listen to that prophet’s words or to that dreamer. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul. 4 You must follow the Lord your God and fear him. You must keep his commands and listen to him; you must worship him and remain faithful to him.
How does Jesus’ refusal of Satan’s temptations illustrate THE TRUTH? John 12:23-26, 2 Corinthians 4:11-12
John 12:23-26 Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. 25 The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 2 Corinthians 4:11-12 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you.
Jesus resisted Satan and was obedient through the power of God’s Word.
According to James 1:21-25, How is God’s Word to work in our lives?
IT GIVES US FREDOM AND PERSEVERES US FOR BATTLE, YOUR WARRIOR PREPARES FOR BATTLE, TODAY, I CLAIM VICTORY OVER SATAN BY PUTTING ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD.
BE DOERS OF THE WORD
James 1:21-25 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. AMEN 22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does.
LETS OPEN UP PERSONALLY:
LOOK UP THIS VERSE. Matthew 4:1-10. Write out Satan’s three temptations. Translate them into your own words. ARE YOU BEING TEMPTED? Matthew 4:1-10 The Temptation of Jesus 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” SEE WE MUST TRY TO LEARN HOW TO CHANGE THE THOUGHT (BAD TO GOOD ) USING GODS WORD AS A GUIDANCE AND HIS PROMISES. 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”
As you look at your own life, can you see any examples of Satan’s three temptations, IN YOUR LIFE? From Matthew 4:1-10, write out Jesus’ rebuttals to Satan’s temptations. Memorize them. Deuteronomy 8:17 You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ Deuteronomy 6:16 Do not test the Lord your God as you tested him at Massah. Exodus 17:7 He named the place Massah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
MORE YOU CAN DO TO GROW IN WISDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!! Write down the Scriptures that particularly ministered to you. Apply these TO YOUR EMOTIONS.
James 1:12-15. Summarize what James is saying.
Watch this week for Satan’s temptations. Note them and choose, instead, to love God. REPLACE ANYTHING BAD WITH GOOD GIVE IT TO GOD. HE WILL HELP YOU NOT TO SPIRAL DOWN.
LOOK UP FOR WISDOM: James , Deuteronomy 8, & Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
AMEN THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. LEARN MORE AND GROW WITH GOD DAILY.