Where is the Love of God in Your Heart? -Pastor Michael A. DADA

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:27-28; 1 John 4:19–21 Introduction We live in a world that talks constantly about love. It is in our songs, our films, and our everyday conversations. Yet, despite all this talk, our communities and hearts often remain fractured, impatient, and weary. 1. The Source: Received, Not Manufactured First, we must understand that the love of God is not something we can generate through willpower. First John 4:19 reminds us: "We love because He first loved us." The love of God in your heart begins with a realization of what Christ has done for you. When you truly grasp the depth of His grace—that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us—that revelation transforms your inner life. You cannot give what you have not received. 2. The Evidence: Love for Others Second, the true place of God's love in our hearts is revealed in how we respond to the people around us. John writes with striking clarity in 1 John 4:20: "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen." It is easy to love God in prayer, but the real diagnostic test of your heart is the person who irritates you, the neighbour who disagrees with you, or the colleague who let you down. The love of God does not seek revenge; it forgives. It does not harbor bitterness; it seeks reconciliation. 3. The Action: Beyond Words into Truth Finally, the love of God cannot remain passive. First John 3:18 challenges us: "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." When the love of God takes root in your heart, it changes your hands and your feet. It moves you toward kindness, generosity, and service. It prompts you to reach out to the lonely, extend grace under pressure, and speak encouraging words in a *cynical world (means believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest, dishonesty, or hidden agendas, rather than sincere goodness or virtue) a)True Christ centered love is not hypocritical John 6:52 -71 Love cannot be manufactured or programmed. It is either you leave or you stay. Those leave are better than those stay and pretend to love. Orpah was better than Judas Iscariot as lovers. b)True Christ centered love does not breed contempt. Mark 6:1-6 This passage focuses on Jesus returning to His hometown of Nazareth to teach in the local synagogue, only to face intense skepticism and rejection from the people who grew up with Him. The core elements of this context include: 1. Familiarity Breeds Contempt 2. The Cultural Stigma of a "Carpenter" 3. The Identification of His Family To justify their skepticism, the crowd lists His immediate family members to prove how "ordinary" He is: His mother: Mary His brothers (brethren): James, Joses, Simon, and Judas His sisters: Also mentioned in the following verse (Matthew 13:56) 4. The Consequence of Unbelief Because the people of Nazareth took offense at Him and lacked faith, the narrative concludes with a tragic spiritual consequence. Matthew 13:58 notes that Jesus did not perform many mighty works there because of their unbelief. C ) True Christ centered love does not allow negligence and misplace pirorities. Matthew 25:1-13 and Revelations 3:14-22 The Five Foolish Virgins The Mistake: They took their lamps to meet the bridegroom, but took no oil with them in vessels, unlike the wise virgins who brought extra oil. The Delay: While the bridegroom tarried (delayed), all ten virgins grew drowsy and fell asleep. The Midnight Cry: At midnight, a cry went out: "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him". The Scramble: All the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish virgins realized their lamps were going out and asked the wise virgins for oil, who refused, telling them to go buy some for themselves. The Lockout: While the foolish virgins went to buy oil, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. The Rejection: The Laodiceans Church The Rebuke ("Lukewarm"): Jesus tells the church they are "neither cold nor hot" and warns that He is about to spit (or vomit) them out of His mouth. Like their local water supply, their spiritual state was useless and apathetic. Spiritual Pride vs. Reality: The Laodiceans prided themselves on being wealthy, a major banking hub, a producer of glossy black wool textiles, and home to a famous eye-salve medicine. Jesus counters that they are actually "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (Revelation 3:17). The Counsel/Call to Repent: Jesus urges them (just as the Wise told the Foolish Virgins to go) buy from Him: