FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES

SERMON OUTLINE

1. Introduction: Offer a personal illustration how you’ve seen or observed one of the five love languages make
a significant difference in someone’s life.
2. Love Languages Overview, with Biblical stories and illustrations for each. (It is also important to share
personal and contemporary illustrations as well.)
a. Words of Affirmation
Biblical Illustrations:
Onesiphorus —“May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often
refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he
searched hard for me until he found me.” 2 Timothy 1:16-17
Jesus —“Well done, good and faithful servant. Matthew 25:21

b. Quality Time
Biblical Illustrations:
Ephesian Church —“Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and
day with tears.” Acts 20:31
Jesus—“Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.” Mark 6:1
c. Receiving Gifts
Biblical Illustrations:
The Wise Men —“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed
down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and
of incense and of myrrh.” Matthew 2:11
Jesus —“a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured
on his head as he was reclining at the table.” Matthew 16:7
d. Acts of Service
Biblical Illustrations:
Martha —“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named
Martha opened her home to him.” Luke 10:38
Jesus —“When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread …
Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ John 21:9-12
e. Physical Touch
Biblical Illustrations:
The Prodigal Son’s Father —But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with
compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him….” Luke 15:20
Jesus —“Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’
Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.” Matthew 8:3
3. Practical Applications
There are a wide variety of applications that you can offer your congregation. Here are a few:
• Ask each person to identify the primary and the secondary love language by which they prefer to
have love expressed to them.
• Ask each person to identify the primary and the secondary love language by which they prefer to
express love to others.
• Give your church members an on-the-spot opportunity to express love to another member of the
congregation. Have them select one love language (touch, words, time, gifts, or service and express
love to another right during the service).
• Do the same as above but allow members to fulfill the assignment during the week ahead.
• Assign a different love language to each weekday and ask members of the congregation to
experiment with a different love language each day.
✝ Monday: Words of Affirmation
✝ Tuesday: Quality Time
✝ Wednesday: Receiving Gifts
✝ Thursday: Acts of Service
✝ Friday: Physical Touch
On Saturday, have them summarize their experience in a journal entry by finishing this sentence:
I prefer to express love with (love language) because …
• Have members identify the love language which they prefer God to express love to them.
• Have members identify the love language by which they prefer to express love to God. Have them
choose an activity for the week to carry out an expression of love to God.
4. Offer information about how to learn more about the five love languages. Perhaps distribute copies of the
book to visitors or offer copies for sale to church members.
5. Concluding Prayer
Father God:
We thank you that you are love itself, boundless, creative, and satisfying. We thank you, too,
that you have created us each with a unique ability to express your love. Our prayer is that this week
we might allow your love to flow through us so that others might experience you more fully. Give us
opportunities to love, and give us courage to love.
We pray this in the loving name of Jesus our Lord.
Amen.