Love Is Costly
Love is the foundation of everything, and it must be the bedrock of our lives, but it always comes with a cost.
K.P. Yohannan emphasizes the profound and costly nature of love as exemplified by Jesus' command to His disciples to love one another. He reflects on the apostle John's final message of 'Love one another,' highlighting that love was the foundation of Jesus' ministry and must be the foundation of our lives as well. Yohannan points out that while we are familiar with the concept of love, we often hesitate to pay the price it demands, which can involve self-denial and sacrifice. He challenges listeners to consider what they are willing to give in the name of love, reminding them that true love requires action and commitment. Ultimately, he encourages believers to embrace opportunities to express Christ's love, even when it is difficult.
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The story is told that when the apostle John was a very old man who could hardly walk, the believers would carry him and sit him before the congregation to share. It is said that the only thing he could say was repeatedly the phrase, "Love one another. Love one another."
In John 13, Jesus spoke directly to His disciples about loving one another: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another" (John 13:34). Up until this point, the disciples had only seen how Christ loved them and those around them. This is the first time that He calls them to love one another just as they had seen Him love them. Jesus was essentially saying to them, "I'm just about to leave now. But I want you to understand this one thing--love each other. Love has been the foundation of everything I have done. So too it must be with each of you."
Love was the bedrock of Jesus' life, the very reason He came to seek and save the lost. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). Therefore, love must be the bedrock of our lives. No matter what good we do in life, it all must fl ow from the spring of Christ's love within our hearts.
Yet even in the familiarity of Bible verses, we still find it difficult to love one another. Why is that? One of the reasons is because we do not want to pay the price. You see, love is always costly.
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave . . . " (emphasis mine). Gave what? What was the price of God's love? His Son, Jesus. The cross was the price God paid because of His love for us.
We can ask ourselves the same question: What is the price of our love? Put your name in that verse, "For __________ so loved that he/she gave . . . " Gave what? The price of love will differ in form for each one of us, but God will always bring us opportunities to display His love to others. But remember, the price will always be costly--it will always involve saying "no" to self in some way. It could be quietly suffering and not defending yourself. It could be going the extra mile and taking the slack when somebody else didn't do the job. But whatever it is, God has brought these situations into your life to make you more like His Son, enabling you to display His love through your life.
Sermon Outline
- Love is the Foundation of Everything
- Love is Always Costly
- Displaying God's Love in Our Lives
- Opportunities to display love will come, but we must be willing to pay the price
- God brings these situations to make us more like His Son
Key Quotes
“Love has been the foundation of everything I have done.” — K.P. Yohannan
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” — K.P. Yohannan
“Put your name in that verse, 'For __________ so loved that he/she gave . . . '” — K.P. Yohannan
Application Points
- We must be willing to pay the price of love to display God's love in our lives.
- The price of love will differ for each one of us, but it will always involve saying 'no' to self in some way.
- God brings us opportunities to display His love to make us more like His Son.