The second characteristic of humility that we will study is Agape Love
PERSPECTIVE – APOSTLE JOHN BARNES
CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMILITY: AGAPE LOVE
Agape love is the God kind of love. It is the highest, the most selfless kind of love, that could only comes from God.
God demonstrated His great love for mankind through His Son, Jesus. He set the pattern of love in action.
The love of God is clearly seen through the actions of Christ.This love ought also to be evident in the lives of the sons of God.
The Holy Spirit pours this love into the hearts of believers.
ROMANS 5:5
[5] And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
The love of God is the love of all loves. It is matchless, indescribable, immeasurable.
JOHN 15:13-14 BSB
[13] Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. [14] You are My friends if you do what I command you.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S LOVE
*God’s love is Uninfluenced
God choose to love people
DEUTERONOMY 7:7-8
[7] The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. [8] But because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
*God ‘s love is Eternal
EPHESIANS 1:4 -5
[4] For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love [5] He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,
*God’s love is Sovereign
The sovereignty of God is choosing to love for His good pleasure.
ROMANS 9:13
[13] So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” [14] What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not!
- God’s love is Infinite
No limit. Unfathomable
EPHESIANS 3:19
[19] of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. - God’s love is Immutable
His love is unchangable. Steady.
JAMES 1:17
[17] Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow. - God’s love is Holy
God discipline His sons. He does not abandoned them.
HEBREWS 12:6
[6] For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.”
*God’s love is Gracious
His love is unmerited
JOHN 3:16
[16] For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Conclusion
EPHESIANS 5:1-2
[1] Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, [2] and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.
Notes extracted from the book “Rest in the Day of Perils” – Dr S.Y. Govender
Agape love is the God kind of love
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
God is love. The love of God in Christ is not proud, it is not puffed up. God’s love is seen in humility. Humility expresses the love of God.
Christ is the love of God and Christ epitomises humility.
Philippians 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
The humility of Christ is : The loss of reputation
“7 but made Himself of no reputation”
The words “made Himself of no” are derived from the Greek word “kenoo” (G2758), which means empty, void, to empty oneself, to divest oneself of rightful dignity by descending to an inferior condition, to abase oneself. (CWSB Dictionary)
Christ emptied Himself of His dignity and reputation in self humiliation. He did not defend Himself when faced with a barrage of false accusations. Christ has many titles but He left all that behind.
The loss of His will
7 ….. taking the form of a bondservant
The word “servant” is derived from the Greek word “doulos (G1401)” and means a slave, one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other. Generally one serving, bound to serve, in bondage (Romans 6:16-17)(CWSB Dictionary)
A servant suffers the loss of his own will. Jesus said :
Luke 22:42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
John 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
The loss of His Glory – to put on human flesh
7 ……. and coming in the likeness of men
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
He became like sinful flesh
8 …….. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself
His loss of life
8 …… and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Jesus suffered the loss of life. His humility was driven by love. This is the mind of Christ
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus
Christ is love, and love is humble
It is the Agape love of God within the hearts of believers that causes us to endure and overcome suffering, for the sake of righteousness, which requires great grace.
It is this process that produces and multiplies grace.
When we are “yoked to Christ we are yoked to His fullness of grace and truth
John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The posture of humility driven by Agape love, that Jesus portrayed is despised and considered weakness by those that subscribe to the philosophy of “an eye for an eye”
It requires the Agape love of God to …….
- forgive sin
- remain kind when we are hard pressed on every side after extended periods of suffering
- remain calm and not behave rudely when we are being provoked and deliberately triggered
- to receive the offering and worship of a sinful woman with the alabaster box; to provide immunity for her in the house of the Pharisee.
The one important caution to remember about Agape Love is that it …….
1 Corinthians 13:6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth
There can be no rejoicing and peace within a prevailing culture of evil and wickedness. Jehu expressed this position well when he responded to Joram, the son of Jezebel. The presence of Jezebel in the church in Thyatira invited the judgement of sickness and death on the “disciples of Jezebel”. This was the Word of the Lord for His Church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:23). (New Testament church)
2 Kings 9:22 Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?”
So he answered, “What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?”
THE GREATEST EXPRESSION OF AGAPE LOVE IS JESUS LAYING DOWN HIS LIFE ON THE CROSS FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIM TO RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE
Romans 5:18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
AGAPE LOVE IS SACRIFICIAL – IT WILL COST US
Luke 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Jesus uses a Samaritan in this parable as a vessel who demonstrates the Agape Love of God
LOVING OUR ENEMIES IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT AGAPE LOVE
Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
JESUS TREATS JUDAS VERY WELL. JESUS CALLS JUDAS “FRIEND”
THIS REQUIRES THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD
Matthew 26:48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” 49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.
GOD USES INSTRUCTS HIS PROPHET HOSEA TO MARRY THE HARLOT GOMER TO DEMONSTRATE AGAPE LOVE TOWARDS HIS UNFAITHFUL AND IDOLATROUS PEOPLE
Hosea 1:2
2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea:
“Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the LORD.”
The prophet Hosea needed to activate the AGAPE LOVE OF GOD
to marry Gomer the prostitute.
God wanted to demonstrate His Agape Love for His unfaithful and idolatrous people
The AGAPE LOVE OF GOD forgives evil and iniquity
BUT …….. Agape Love does not rejoice in it (1 Corinthians 13:6)
This is the reason the winepress (source of rejoicing) was closed when Israel was attacked by the Medianites. Agape Love does not rejoice in evil and wickedness
Judges 6:11
11 Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
WE MUST NOT FORGET OUR FIRST LOVE LIKE THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS
1 John 4:19
19 We love Him because He first loved us.
Before we knew the church
Before we knew our biological and spiritual parents
Before we knew Him, His ways and His Word He first loved us.
JESUS KNEW US WHILE WE WERE IN THE WOMB OF OUR MOTHERS
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CCF International Church 
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