In Part One we discovered Gods commandment to

In Part One, we discovered God’s commandment to love one another.

It’s not a command to love however we want or according to what we feel is right.

It’s a command to love sacrificially and go the extra mile.

It’s a command to love patiently with long suffering.

It’s a command to love with great kindness, gentleness and compassion.

It’s a command to live by the Word of God and treat one another the way you would like to be treated.

Today we turn our attention to another passage about love in I Peter 4: 7 -11.

I Peter 4: 7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

I Peter 4: 8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

I Peter 4: 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint.

I Peter 4: 10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

I Peter 4: 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who speaks the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which

I Peter 4: 11 God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Don’t just think about yourself or your own needs.

Remain aware of the people and needs around you.

Be gracious to one another.

Share who you are in Christ.

Share what you have.

One picture of gracious love in the Hebrew has to do with tents side by side.

But with that gracious love comes some responsibility.

Please don’t mistreat me, my hard work or my stuff.

Proverbs 10: 12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.

Instead of allowing the devil to awaken hatred and strife, choose a more excellent way.

Choose love!

We can understand the physical side of things, but what about the spiritual?

Galatians 6: 1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one

Galatians 6: 1 looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

Galatians 6: 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6: 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

It’s one thing to do this for a repentant believer in Christ and it’s another thing to expect nonbelievers to act like believers.

Have you ever come in contact with someone who just doesn’t give a rip?

They don’t seem to care about God.

They don’t seem to care about you.

They don’t care about what the Bible says.

They don’t care about what you think or say.

They only seem to want what they want.

We should never sign up to be abused.

God doesn’t want you to be a door mat.

God expects us to love and be patient with fellow believers in Christ Jesus who are repentant.

Matthew 23: 37 Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together,

Matthew 23: 37 the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

You wanted what you wanted.

And every time I tried to send you some real help, you abused it.

I longed to give you the help, security and protection that you really needed.

I wanted to gather you up and keep you safe, but you weren’t interested.

Even in the fire!

How about Psalm 91

Psalm 91: 3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.

Psalm 91: 4 He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you make seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

The Lord longs to cover us.

He longs to surround us and protect us.

But are we interested in His way?

Psalm 61: 3 For you have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy.

Psalm 61: 4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.

Psalm 57: 1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by.

Even the first Passover has to do with the Lord covering His children with His wings.

H 6453 פסח pesach / peh'-sakh A pretermission, that is, assistance, exemption; Passover (the festival or the victim): - passover.

That’s how He wants us to love one another.

He doesn’t want us to take our toys and go home.

He doesn’t want us to crawl into the fetal position and such our thumb as a victim.

He doesn’t want us to return evil for evil or blow for blow.

He wants us to love with His kind of love.

Like a mother hen longs to cover her baby chicks and keep them safe.

Love covers a multitude of sins.

That doesn’t mean there’s a cover up so you can just keep on sinning.

It doesn’t mean that you can just continue being abusive to those around you.

It means that your sin doesn’t scare us.

At least those who are spiritually mature.

We’re not going to take it personally.

We going to move toward you in love and help you overcome.

We even hope that you will do the same thing for us.

I Peter 4: 8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.