Love Without Expecting Anything in Return
Love Without Expecting Anything in Return
John 11:1-5
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, he whom You love is ill.” [Now] when Jesus heard it He said, “This illness does not lead to death. [It’s] for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
Mary and Martha are in the thick of probably their most difficult situation. They are in a heated moment. Their little brother, Lazarus, their beloved little brother, is on death’s doorstep. He is hours from passing into eternity. They get a very logical plan: They’re going to write a note.
They’re going to put it in a runner’s hand to deliver to Jesus. They are sure that this note
will compel Jesus to come down the road and save His friend, their little brother’s life.
Now, keep in mind, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are the closest natural family to Jesus on the planet, other than His literal family. So, they send this note: “Lord, the one You love is sick.” The end.
This is what Mary and Martha believe will move God most; His love for Lazarus, not Lazarus’ love for Him. You see, the essence of the Gospel is overwhelmingly God’s love for man. The most famous verse in the Bible is: John 3:16, “For God so loved the world …”
Look at that word, so, in front of love. He didn’t just love, He so loved.
But, have you ever considered how ridiculous and illogical this most famous verse is?
“For God so loved the world …”
The word world includes everyone, including the “bad system and the bad people.”
The words “so loved” can be changed to “obsessed”
So, consider this: John 3:16 in today’s version might read like this: “God was so obsessed with bad people that He put on skin and bone, and came to the earth, and died for everyone!
Someone once said to me “God doesn’t make sense.” God is a mystery. That’s what makes Him God. If you understand God, that’s not God. God’s ways are higher than our ways. His love is higher than our love. God loves all people, including bad people. God is obsessed with all including bad people. Even bad people who stay bad, God stays in love with them.
What would love be without choice? Without choice we would lose the definition of love. In our culture and society, forced love is how you go to jail. That’s called “abuse.” God is not abusive. He gives choice. You can either acknowledge this obsession towards you, or you can ignore it.
It is your choice, but the obsession remains… God so loves.
It’s not about my performance, and my deeds, and my efforts, it’s all about HIM
Mary and Martha, made it abundantly clear they used the word love in their note: “Lord, the one You love is ill.”
The word love that they used, there, is the word that we most often refer to when we use the word love. It’s what our songs are sung about. It’s phileo. Those of you who are familiar with the original language, phileo is the word used here by Mary and Martha. Phileo is earthly love. Phileo is how people get married. Phileo is how people have best friends. Phileo is love that is based upon reciprocation.
Mary and Martha write the note to Jesus, and they go, “The one that You love, and loves you back, is sick.” But what they did not understand was; God does not phileo you? God has a love that is exclusively His. It flows from His being. The essence of who He is, and it is not phileo. It is the love from another realm, from another dimension, from the essence and core of His being. God does not feel love, God does not merely express love, God is love. God always acts in consistency with the contents of His character! God cannot deny Himself.
God is love. But God is not phileo. God is agape. What is agape? Agape is love that absolutely does not need any reciprocation, whatsoever. It is unconditional, it is relentless, it is persistent, and it is aggressive. And it will not take “no” for an answer. It will remain. This is God. This is how God functions. He has agape for every human being that has ever lived! God does not phileo humanity; God agapes humanity.
The HUMAN being is the object of God’s relentless obsession! He will not stop loving you. He can’t. Biblically, we have come to understand, God cannot help Himself. We’ve got to get the message out, that if you’re bad, God’s obsessed with you! He can’t help Himself! You can’t shake Him. You can run, but you can’t hide! His love remains.
John 11:1-5
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, he whom You love is ill.” [Now] when Jesus heard it He said, “This illness does not lead to death. [It’s] for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
Mary and Martha are in the thick of probably their most difficult situation. They are in a heated moment. Their little brother, Lazarus, their beloved little brother, is on death’s doorstep. He is hours from passing into eternity. They get a very logical plan: They’re going to write a note.
They’re going to put it in a runner’s hand to deliver to Jesus. They are sure that this note
will compel Jesus to come down the road and save His friend, their little brother’s life.
Now, keep in mind, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are the closest natural family to Jesus on the planet, other than His literal family. So, they send this note: “Lord, the one You love is sick.” The end.
This is what Mary and Martha believe will move God most; His love for Lazarus, not Lazarus’ love for Him. You see, the essence of the Gospel is overwhelmingly God’s love for man. The most famous verse in the Bible is: John 3:16, “For God so loved the world …”
Look at that word, so, in front of love. He didn’t just love, He so loved.
But, have you ever considered how ridiculous and illogical this most famous verse is?
“For God so loved the world …”
The word world includes everyone, including the “bad system and the bad people.”
The words “so loved” can be changed to “obsessed”
So, consider this: John 3:16 in today’s version might read like this: “God was so obsessed with bad people that He put on skin and bone, and came to the earth, and died for everyone!
Someone once said to me “God doesn’t make sense.” God is a mystery. That’s what makes Him God. If you understand God, that’s not God. God’s ways are higher than our ways. His love is higher than our love. God loves all people, including bad people. God is obsessed with all including bad people. Even bad people who stay bad, God stays in love with them.
What would love be without choice? Without choice we would lose the definition of love. In our culture and society, forced love is how you go to jail. That’s called “abuse.” God is not abusive. He gives choice. You can either acknowledge this obsession towards you, or you can ignore it.
It is your choice, but the obsession remains… God so loves.
It’s not about my performance, and my deeds, and my efforts, it’s all about HIM
Mary and Martha, made it abundantly clear they used the word love in their note: “Lord, the one You love is ill.”
The word love that they used, there, is the word that we most often refer to when we use the word love. It’s what our songs are sung about. It’s phileo. Those of you who are familiar with the original language, phileo is the word used here by Mary and Martha. Phileo is earthly love. Phileo is how people get married. Phileo is how people have best friends. Phileo is love that is based upon reciprocation.
Mary and Martha write the note to Jesus, and they go, “The one that You love, and loves you back, is sick.” But what they did not understand was; God does not phileo you? God has a love that is exclusively His. It flows from His being. The essence of who He is, and it is not phileo. It is the love from another realm, from another dimension, from the essence and core of His being. God does not feel love, God does not merely express love, God is love. God always acts in consistency with the contents of His character! God cannot deny Himself.
God is love. But God is not phileo. God is agape. What is agape? Agape is love that absolutely does not need any reciprocation, whatsoever. It is unconditional, it is relentless, it is persistent, and it is aggressive. And it will not take “no” for an answer. It will remain. This is God. This is how God functions. He has agape for every human being that has ever lived! God does not phileo humanity; God agapes humanity.
The HUMAN being is the object of God’s relentless obsession! He will not stop loving you. He can’t. Biblically, we have come to understand, God cannot help Himself. We’ve got to get the message out, that if you’re bad, God’s obsessed with you! He can’t help Himself! You can’t shake Him. You can run, but you can’t hide! His love remains.
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