
Jesus led and taught his 12 apostles for
three years.
 Lived and traveled together, studied at Jesus’
feet every day.
 Came with Jesus to Jerusalem when He knew
He would be crucified.
 John (Jn. 13-17) records the last things Jesus
said to them: Jn. 13:34-35; 15:9-12
3

Concept of “love” in our day and age
misunderstood, confused, deceptive.
 Modern view of love: erotic love or
romantic love.
 Greek has four different words for love
versus our one word in English.
 Jesus commanded disciples “to love one
another” Jn. 13:34; word used is agapao.
4

Agapao: the highest and purest love.
 Agapao: “speaks of love which is awakened
by a sense of value in an object which causes
one to prize it. It springs from an apprehendsion of the preciousness of an object. It is a
love of esteem and approbation” (Kenneth
Wuest).

“They are true disciples
of Christ, not who know
the most, but who love
the
most.”
“All true love is grounded in esteem.” Phil.
2:3-4
5

Longsuffering: “to suffer long under, the
quality of self-restraint
in the
face
of
“Patience
strengthens the
spirit,
sweetens
provocation,
not hastily
the
temper, which
stiflesdoes
anger,
extinguishes
retaliate
or promptly
is the
envy,
subdues
pride, punish.
bridles It
the
tongue,
opposite of
associated
with
restrains
theanger,
hand and
and istramples
upon
the
mercy…” (Wuest)
temptations.”
George Horne
 Opposite of impatience and irritability;
it is
the spirt that “endures evils, confers
blessings.” Eph. 4:1-3
6
“We never
how
much one
loves till we
 “There
is asknow
much
difference
between
know how
much
he
isslack
willingconcerning
to endure and
“The
Lord
is not
His
genuine
patience
and
sullen
endurance,
as
suffer for as
us; some
and itcount
is the slackness,
suffering element
promise,
between the smile of love, and the but is
that measures love.—The characters that are
longsuffering
toward
us, not (W.
willing
that
malicious
gnashing
of
teeth.”
S.
great, must, of necessity, be characters, that
any
should
perish
but
that
all
should
come
Plummer):
Jas.
5:9-11
shall be willing, patient, and strong to endure
to
repentance.”
for others.—To hold our nature in the willing
service of another, is the divine2 Peter
idea 3:9
of
manhood, of the human character.”
H. W. Beecher
7

Kind: “useful, good, pleasant, obliging,
gracious, polite, courteous, willing to
form good for others”

“A kind person is one who is pleasant and
helpful both in words and deeds; not harsh,
sour, or ill-natured.”

“Kindness is a language the dumb can
speak and the deaf can hear and
understand.” (Bovee)
8

The “worthy woman”: Prov. 31:26

“Kind words are the music of the world. They have
a power which seems to be beyond natural causes,
as if they were some angel’s song which had lost its
way and come on earth. It seems as if they could
almost do what in reality God alone can do—soften
the hard and angry hearts of men. No one was ever
corrected by sarcasm—crushed perhaps, if the
sarcasm was clever enough, but drawn nearer to
God, never.” (Frederick William Faber)
“A ‘bit of love’ is the only bit
that will bridle the tongue.”
Fred Beck
9
Love requires kindness: Eph. 4:32
 Love requires tender hearts: Col. 3:12
 “The greatest thing a man can do for his heavenly
Father is to be kind to some of His other children.”
(Henry Drummond)
 Too many Christians miss kindness:


“Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little
things, in which smiles, and kindnesses, and small
obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve the
heart and secure comfort.” (Sir Humphrey Davy)

“Better to do a kindness near at home than walk a thousand
miles to burn incense.” (The Defender)
10

If you truly desire the character of love,
show it in little ways of kindness.

Love is not saying “I love the brethren”
but love is in acts of kindness that show
that love.

Stop and remember the time someone
made your day with a small act of
kindness, “Go thou and do likewise.”
11

Love is expressed positively and by
refraining from certain attitudes and actions.

Envy not only wants my grass to be greener
than yours, but also wants your grass to be
brown!

But, love delights and rejoices when others
have happiness, prosperity, rank, good
reputation, wealth, health, success: Prov.
14:30; 27:4; Matt. 27:18; 1 Cor. 3:3; Phil. 2:1-3
12

Love empties itself of pride and selfimportance; it dethrones self and places others
first.

The haughty speech of a braggart has no place
in the character of a Christian with love.

Christians are to be humble, regard others as
more important than themselves: Gal. 5:25-26;
Prov. 27:1; Jas. 3:14-16
13

If we truly love someone we will treat
them with respect: Phil. 4:8-9; Prov. 16:32

Do you treat others with disrespect or
rudeness; with conduct that is
“unbecoming”?

Do you always follow the “Golden Rule”?
1 Pet. 3:8
14

Love is the opposite of selfishness: Phil.
4:8-9; Prov. 16:32

“ME” is always at the bottom of all sin.

“The very heart and root of sin is an
independent spirit—We erect the idol of
self, and not only wish others to worship,
but worship it ourselves.” (Richard Cecil)
15
 “Selfishness takes, love gives.”
Jn.
3:16; Heb. 6:10-11; Gal. 5:13
 Recall:
our society has a very
distorted view of love (erotic love,
romantic love).
 The brethren’s concept of love can
also be idealistic and unreal.
16
 How can we love one another in an
unselfish and realistic way?
 Be devoted to one another: Rom.
12:10
 Look out for one another: Phil. 2:2-4
 Seek one another’s good: 1 Cor. 10:24
 Serve one another: Gal. 5:13
17
“Provoked” means “sharp contention.”
 People who are easily provoked are obviously
lacking in love: Rom. 12:9-10
 Are you easily provoked? 1 Pet. 3:8-9

 “Love makes all hard hearts gentle.” (George
Herbert, Outlandish Proverbs)
 “Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing
while she mops the floor after her husband has
walked across it in his barn boots.” (Hoosier
Farmer)
18
 Phrase is literally “does not reckon
evil.”
 Some people keep a mental scorecard
of wrongs, real or perceived.
 To bear a grudge, take account of
wrongs, is not characteristic of love:
Prov. 10:12; 17:9
19
Other versions: “rejoiceth not in
“Truth without charity is often intolerant
unrighteousness” (ASV); “does not delight
and even persecuting, as charity without
intruth
evil” (NIV).
is weak in concession and
 Some
take great
in the sinscharity,
and
untrustworthy
in delight
judgment.—But
misfortune
others:
2 Thess.in2:12
loyal to the of
truth
and rejoicing
it, has the
wisdomisof
the serpent with the
harmlessness
 “Truth
incontrovertible.
Panic
may
of the dove.”
resent
it; ignorance may deride it; malice
Swartz
may distort it; but there it is.”Joshua
(Winston
Churchill) 2 Jn. 3-4

20

Love is optimistic: “bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Remember your wedding day?
 Love made all things seem possible.
 Have you ever seen a young couple deeply in love
who are pessimists?

“Love makes people look at the bright side of
things. They do see the bad things, but they make
a great effort to see the good, so they do see the
good.” (Anonymous) 1 Pet. 1:22
21

How marvelous it must have been to hear the
apostles preach!

What an honor it must have been to be the
recipient of a spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:4-10).

Only given by an apostle for the “profit of all”
(Acts 8:18; 1 Cor. 12:7)

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun, what will be true?
“Love never fails.”
22
Do you have the love the
Bible speaks of?
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
1 John 4:10-21
23