Sermon Series: What’s Love Got To Do With it? Everything! You Can’t Fail When You Walk in Love

by | Jan 5, 2025 | Sermon

Presenter: Rev. Dr. JoAnne P. King
Date: January 5, 2025

Good morning and Praise the Lord Saints. Remember a few weeks ago, when Pastor Darryl was teaching the Story of Noah? He asked us to read John 15:1-5 and be prepared the next week to give a scripture that you have sown in your heart and what you expect to reap as a harvest. Min. Jeronda, Min. Cheryl and myself said that we would sow love using different scriptures that we were standing on. I used the scripture that said that “Love never fails.” So, the title of this sermon is: You Can’t Fail When You Walk in Love. Why? Because Love is eternal.

Today, we will cover how to walk in love? The following topics will be covered.

  • You can’t fail when you trust God’s plan.
  • You have to develop a high reverence for God’s love.
  • God loves you just as much as He loves Jesus.
  • You have a born-again spirit that enables you to bear fruit, operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and walk fearlessly in Love.

You can’t fail when you trust God’s plan.

You can’t fail when you trust God’s plan because He is always trying to help you. He told us in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” In this Scripture, God is letting us know that He has a plan for our lives. His plan will give us peace and an expected end and not evil. If we fail to trust God’s plan then we will not have peace nor the expected end that God intended.

In Psalms 32:8-10, we are told what happens when we follow God’s plan for our lives. “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.”

In Ephesians 5:1-2, we are told to: “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.”

When we fail to trust God’s plan, we are really leaning unto our own understanding. It tells us in Prov. 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Trust in means to confide in, so as to be secure and without fear.

Here are 7 examples of heart trust:

  • Abraham (Gen. 24:1-8) = “And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shall be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.”

  • Eleazar (Gen. 24:12-27) = “And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man wondering at her held his peace to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not. And it came to pass as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold: And said, Whose daughter art thou? Tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. She said and moreover unto him, we have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”

  • Jephthah (Judg. 11:11) = “Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh.”

  • David (1 Sam. 30:6-8) = “And David was greatly distressed: for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
    And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the Ephod to David.
    And David enquired at the Lord, saying Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And He answered him, pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.”

  • Asa (2 Chr. 14:9-15) = “And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with a host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah. Then Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God: for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God: let not man prevail against thee. So, the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah: and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were over thrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the Lord, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil. And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the Lord came on them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them. They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.”

  • Hezekiah (2 Ki. 19:14-37); 2 Ki. 18:4-7 = “He removed the high places, and break the images, and cut down the groves, and break in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; and he prospered withersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria and served him not.”

  • Nehemiah (2:4-8); 1:4-11= “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the “God of heaven. And said, I beseech thee, Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments nor the statutes, nor the judgements, which thou commandeth thy servant Moses. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.”

In all thy ways acknowledge Him means:

Begin, continue, and end every work, purpose, and plan with God. Self-sufficiency and self-confidence have been the ruin of mankind ever since the fall. Man’s sin has been to live independently and without God in the world. True religion consists of full acknowledgement of God in all human affairs.

He shall direct thy path means:

The Hebrew word yashar, means rightly divide. It is the same idea as rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) = “Study to shew thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Rightly dividing truth means:

The Greek word is orthotomeo which means to set straight; handle right. Only here, it means, not only to give the true meaning, but also the true application to the various times and classes of people. Truth must be divided dispensationally, prophetically, historically, and with regard for classes and subjects. The chief fundamental principle of interpretation is to gather from the Scriptures themselves the precise meaning the writers intended to convey. We must apply the same principles and grammatical rules to the Bible, and exercise common sense and reason with it as with other books. One should take the Bible literally wherever it is at all possible, as we do all other books. When the language cannot be taken literally, we know it is figurative. We should then get the literal truth conveyed by the figurative language.

We need to develop a high reverence for God’s Love.

In order to develop a high reverence for God’s love, we need to understand the meaning of the word Love. I think the meaning of the word Love is best understood by the nine ingredients of divine love found in 1 Cor. 13th chapter. Measure your love by them. They are:

  • Patience – love passive; no hurry; suffers long; bears, believes, hopes and endures all things (v 4, 7).
  • Kindness – love in action; never acts rashly or insolently; not inconsistent, puffed up, or proud (v 4).
  • Generosity – love in competition: not envious or jealous (v 4).
  • Humility – love in hiding; no parade; no airs; works then retires (v 4).
  • Courtesy – love in society; does not behave unseemly; always polite; at home with all classes; never rude or discourteous (v 5).
  • Unselfishness – love in essence; never selfish, sour, or bitter; seeks only good of others; does not retaliate or seek revenge (v 5).
  • Good temper – love in disposition: never resentful (v 5).
  • Righteousness – love in conduct; hates sin; never glad when others go wrong; always gladdened by goodness to others; always slow to expose; always eager to believe the best; always hopeful, always enduring (v 6 – 7).
  • Sincerity – love in profession; never boastful and conceited; not a hypocrite; always honest; leaves no impression but what is strictly true; never self-assertive; does not blaze out in passionate anger, nor brood over wrongs; always just, joyful, and truthful; knows how to be silent; full of trust; always present.

In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul tells Timothy to tell those who are rich not to be high-minded but be ready to give. People who have a lot of money tend to trust in money and uncertain riches rather than God. They don’t realize that God gives us all things to enjoy.

Anything that one wants from the Kingdom of God: “you must: “seek the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Love, and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.”

Satan’s job is to distract you any way that he can from God’s love by telling you lies about God. He wants you to curse God and die. Like he challenged Job (Job 2:9).

God loves you as much as He loves Jesus.

You are not only filled with God’s Love, you have been born of that Love.

In 1 John 4:17, it says: “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world.” [By God dwelling in us, by our dwelling in Him, by having the fulness of love in our lives and by the perfection of that love in daily manifestation, we may have boldness in the day of judgment. This is possible because we are like God – holy, pure, loving, good, and true in this world.]

In 1 Cor. 2:16b says: “But we have the mind of Christ.” [The same anointing that led Jesus’ mind can lead our minds as well.]

In Phil. 2:5 says: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” [Jesus didn’t think it was robbery to be equal to God, and you have been put in the same place. By taking your place in God, you don’t take away from the deity or majesty of God.]

  • To be put in this place, we had to be born again in the image of Jesus.
  • We were not just filled with God’s Love; we’re born of that Love!

In John 17:23, Jesus prayed that the Father would reveal to the believers that He loved them as much as He loved Jesus. [We were born of the Spirit, born of the Word, born of the Spirit of Love, born of the Word of Love, and re-created into the likeness of Love.]

In closing, you have a born-again spirit that enables you to bear fruit, operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and walk fearlessly in Love.

  • Our inner man already has the fruit of the spirit.
    • o. that fruit must grow and become dominate in our thinking, until it is demonstrated in our lives. (Gal. 5:22-23)
  • The more you talk about, confess and practice God being Love, the more fear gets flushed out of our hearts. Then love, joy, peace, long-suffering, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control can begin to work in your life.
  • In 1 Cor. 12:8-11, it tells us that without the Love of God, the gifts of the Holy Spirit will not work correctly.
  • When you were born again, your spirit man was totally re-created. Your spirit has been born again (1 Cor. 13:1-8).
    • o. Love, is kind, and so are we. Loves does not envy, is not jealous, is not proud or puffed up, and neither are we.
    • o. Love rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
    • o. Love never fails, and neither do we when we walk in Love and walk in God’s commandments.
    • o. We have no fear, because we have faith in God and His Love.

Remember, you can’t fail:

  • When you trust God’s plan.
  • When you have developed a high reverence for God’s love.
  • When you recognize that God loves you just as much as He loves Jesus.
  • And know that you have a born-again spirit that enables you to bear fruit, operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and walk fearlessly in Love.

    Because of the four things mentioned above, You Can’t Fail When You Walk in Love. Amen, so let it be done!