How Do I Get To Agape Love?
4 [Agape] is patient and kind. [Agape] is not jealous or boastful or proud
5 or rude. [Agape] does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
6 [Agape] does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
7 [Agape] never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and [Agape] endures through every circumstance.
Last Week: Agape Love Defined
Last week, we dove deep into God's Agape Love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. We saw that Agape Love is the environment-the "ocean for the fish, air for the birds"-where every Christian is called to live and operate in the gifts of the Spirit.
But as we started looking closer at what Agape Love really looks like, the obvious question came up:
How do I get from where I am now to truly living out Agape love?
The Agape Love Test
- Many of us did not "score high" on the Agape Love test.
- So today we ask:
How do we get to Agape love from where we're at?
Agape Love Is Supernatural
- Agape love is purely God's love.
- You can't have it unless God pours it into your life and it bubbles up out of you.
- God's Agape Love is the opposite of our self-nature love.
"…God's love [Agape] has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
- The only way to live in Agape love is to have God's life replace our life.
- We give up our old life to be crucified, and God gives us new life in Christ.
- We walk in that new life by continually being emptied of the old and filled with the new.
The Miracle of Transformation
Living out Agape love is the supernatural transformation of our lives-the life of Jesus Christ living through us.
This is the greatest miracle of transformation you will ever see-and it's the greatest miracle others will ever see in you.
The Three Big Events in the Christian Life
- Salvation - The moment you put your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This is by God's grace through faith alone and is instantaneous.
- Sanctification - The "in-between." Our lives are transformed for God's glory. This is where people see God in us and experience God through us.
- Glorification - The moment a Christian dies and is instantly in the presence of the Lord. This is all God's work.
Sanctification is where we join God in His supernatural transformation. If we don't, our lives will never be supernaturally transformed.
Four Ongoing Requirements for Getting to Agape
Prerequisite: Genuinely surrender your life to Jesus Christ; put your full faith in Him as Savior and Lord.
These are not just steps, but ongoing requirements:
1) Become a Living Sacrifice
"I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated, set apart) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and (your) spiritual worship."
- A living sacrifice is something consumed for the glory of God-with no self left.
- We must be willing to give ourselves fully to God, holding nothing back.
For further study: Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 2:17
2) Continually Crucify Self
- Every day, we must crucify self so that Agape love can be displayed.
- To crucify self means to decisively remove self-generated responses, thoughts, emotions, and desires so the life of Jesus can come out.
"My old self (my self-life) has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..."
For further study: Ephesians 5:18-20; Colossians 3:1-17; Galatians 5:16-26
3) Take Every Thought Captive
- Our lives are controlled by what we set our minds on. What you focus on is where your life will go.
"4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."
"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think..."
For further study: Ephesians 4:22-24; Romans 8:5-6
4) Obey God-Not Your Feelings
- You have the power of the Holy Spirit living in you, but the Holy Spirit won't override your will.
- You choose to obey; the Holy Spirit becomes your power to obey.
"What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice..."
"15 If you love me, obey my commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you [the Holy Spirit], who will never leave you."
For further study: Romans 6:5-14
Review: The Path to Agape Love
- Become a Living Sacrifice:
Be willing to give everything you are to God, holding nothing of self back. - Continually Crucify Self:
Aggressively deny the thoughts, emotions, and actions that come from your self-nature. - Take Every Thought Captive:
Set your mind on God's love. The Holy Spirit will empower you to live out Agape love. - Obey God-Not Your Feelings:
Choose to love with Agape love, against what your self-nature desires. Trust God enough to love as He calls you to, no matter how you feel or what you think.
If you do your part, the Holy Spirit inside you will give you the supernatural power to let the Agape love of God genuinely come out of you.
Application & Discussion
- Where do you struggle most: surrender, crucifying self, your thought life, or obeying God over your feelings?
- How can you practically take steps in one of these areas this week?
- Are you relying on the Holy Spirit's role in empowering you for Agape love?
Choose to walk the path to Agape love this week. Surrender, crucify self, renew your mind, and obey God. Rely on the Holy Spirit for supernatural power.
Holy Spirit, I surrender all that I am to You. Crucify my old self and fill me with Your life. Help me to take every thought captive, obey You over my feelings, and let Your Agape love flow through me to others. Amen.