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Sermons from 1 John |
LOVING ONE ANOTHER (Pt.5) |
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Other sermons from 1 John
Sharing The Word Of Life (1:1-3) Other sermons in this study is being added as they are prepared & preached. |
One thing that is never in doubt is the Lord’s love for us. The Lord’s love for us is never in question. His love is never on trial. We do not have to wonder or worry if He loves us. His love for us is never in question. However, our love for Him is always in question. Our love is always on trial and always being challenged. We read in Deuteronomy 13:3, "Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." God was constantly proving or putting them to the test to see if they really loved Him. In the New Testament we have the example in John 21 where Jesus asked Peter three times, “Lovest thou me?” Peter's love was being challenged and put to the test. Jesus described the kind of love we should have for the Lord in Mark 12:30, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." Jesus was quoting from an oft repeated command in the Old Testament such as in found Deuteronomy 6:5, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." A little boy declared that he loved his mother “with all his strength.” He was asked to explain what he meant by “with all his strength.” He said: “Well, I’ll tell you. You see, we live on the fourth floor of this tenement; and there’s no elevator, and the coal is kept down in the basement. Mother is busy all the time, and she isn’t very strong; so I see to it that the coal hold is never empty. I lug the coal up four flights of stairs all by myself. And it’s a pretty big hold. It takes all my strength to get it up here. Now, isn’t that loving my mother with all my The Lord’s love for us has been proven. There is no doubt about His love for us. But, just as the Lord proved His love for us, we are to prove our love for Him. Seeking the proof of our love is why our love is constantly challenged. As we continue John’s discussion of loving one another, we find that our love for the Lord is put to the test by whether or not we love one another. First, we see: 1. A VERBAL PROCLAMATION OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD In verse 20 we find the words, "If a man say, I love God ..." A claim is being made that one loves the Lord. Someone is saying, “I love God.” As I think of this claim, I think of: A) A LOVE THAT SHOULD BE TRUE If there is anything that should be true, it is that we really do love the Lord. A Christian ought to be able to say with all truthfulness and correctness, “I LOVE GOD.” When we say, “I love God,” it ought to be answered with the “Amen” of heaven. John has said much about God’s love for us. In light of His love for us, why would we not love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind? As Gustave Dore was putting the finishing touches on the face of Christ in one of his paintings, an admiring friend stepped quietly into the studio. She looked with bated breath upon the painting. Dore sensed her presence and said graciously, “Pardon, madam, I did not know you were here.” She answered, “Monsieur Dore, you must love Him very much to be able to paint Him thus!” “Love Him, madam?” exclaimed Dore, “I do love Him, but if I loved Him better I would paint Him better!” Our love is always proven to see if it is indeed a true love. If we love Him we will serve Him, follow Him, obey Him. With Dore we must say, “If I loved Him better I would serve, follow, and obey Him better.” B) A LOVE THAT SHOULD BE TOLD In verse 20 one is saying that they love God. As Christians we should never be ashamed or intimidated in expressing our love for the Lord, telling others that we love the Lord and proclaiming our love for God. When I think of telling others of our love for the Lord, I think of a wonderful story I read about. A pastor Rittenhouse and his family were on vacation traveling down the highway when they saw a suitcase fly off the top of a car going the opposite direction. They stopped to pick it up, but the driver of the other car never stopped. The only clue to the driver’s identity was a twenty dollar gold piece inscribed: “Given to Otis Sampson at his retirement by Portland Cement Company.” After extensive correspondence, Otis Sampson was located and contacted. He wrote a letter telling him to discard the suitcase and all its contents, and send only the gold piece. Mr. Sampson used the phrase “my most precious possession” several times to describe the gold piece. Pastor Rittenhouse did so, and wrote a cover letter telling Otis Sampson about his most prized possession, Jesus Christ. A year later, the pastor received a Christmas package. In it was the twenty-dollar gold piece. Mr. Sampson wrote, “You will be happy to know we have become active members of a church. We want you to have this gold piece. I am 74; my wife is 72. You were the first one to tell us about Jesus. Now He is our most prized possession." We ought to say that we love the Lord and when we say that we love the Lord what we say should be true and that love that should be told! Secondly, we see: 2. A VISIBLE DEMONSTRATION OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD We have heard it said, “What you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you are saying.” We should say that we love the Lord, but it is possible to say it and not really mean it. Such is the case of the one that John describes. First, we see: A) A CLAIM THAT IS DENIED In verse 20 one is saying that they love the Lord, but John describes how they "hateth his brother," thus this person "is a liar." The evidence that his claim is false and the cause of his claim being denied is that this person “hateth his brother.” The word "hateth" means "to detest” and carries with it the idea of persecution. The word is descriptive of actions that often result from ones hatred of another. Celeste Smith’s description of hate is a good description of the word “hateth”
Hate comes on a cloud; Fleetly, Softly, Silently.
Hate comes in disquise; As envy, Jealosuly, Pride.
Hates knows no boundary, No limits, No finish, No ending. I read about a Philadelphia woman in her will instructed her executor to take one dollar from her estate, invest it and pay the interest on this investment to her husband, “as evidence of my estimate of his worth.” Another woman—also from Philadelphia—bequeathed her divorced husband one dollar to buy a rope to hang himself. A feud long existed between the towns of Great Basle and Little Basle in Switzerland. The inhabitants of Great Basle showed their contempt for their neighbors by attaching the figure of a black face to the town-clock, out of whose mouth protruded a long red tongue every time the bell struck, making faces at Little Basle The feeling of hatred manifests itself in many ways. Sometimes in words, sometimes in actions. In the case of the man John describes, he says he loves the Lord, but he hates his brother. John denies the claim by calling him a “liar.” Speaking of liars, I heard about how a police officer pulled a guy over for speeding and had the following exchange: Officer: May I see your driver's license? Driver: I don't have one. I had it suspended when I got my 5th DUI. Officer: May I see the owner's card for this vehicle? Driver: It's not my car. I stole it. Officer: The car is stolen? Driver: That's right. But come to think of it, I think I saw the owner's card in the glove box when I was putting my gun in there. Officer: There's a gun in the glove box? Driver: Yes sir. That's where I put it after I shot and killed the woman who owns this car and stuffed her in the trunk. Officer: There's a BODY in the TRUNK? Driver: Yes, sir. Hearing this, the officer immediately called his captain. The car was quickly surrounded by police, and the captain approached the driver to handle the tense situation: Captain: Sir, can I see your license? Driver: Sure. Here it is. It was valid. Captain: Who's car is this? Driver: It's mine, officer. Here's the owner' card. The driver owned the car. Captain: Could you slowly open your glove box so I can see if there's a gun in it? Driver: Yes, sir, but there's no gun in it. Sure enough, there was nothing in the glove box. Captain: Would you mind opening your trunk? I was told you said there's a body in it. Driver: No problem. Trunk is opened; no body. Captain: I don't understand it. The officer who stopped you said you told him you didn't have a license, stole the car, had a gun in the glovebox, and that there was a dead body in the trunk. Driver: Yeah, I'll bet the liar told you I was speeding, too The word "liar" speaks of a "falsifier of truth." John is very plain and states that if we say we love God and we are filled with hatred for someone we are making a false claim. We are a liar! Furthermore, we see: B) A CONDUCT THAT IS DISCREDITED John adds in verse 20, "...for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" John contrasts our relationship with God and man. We have a relationship with God, although we have never seen Him. On the other hand, we do see man. One pretends that He is love with God, One that He cannot see, but he does not love his brother, one who he can see with all his needs. John says, “Impossible.” Such conduct is not possible. The point that John is making is that if we love God there is a visible demonstration of that love and that visible demonstration is our love for one another, a love that is manifested in the ways we show our love for one another. John stated earlier, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother had need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" This love for one another John has been describing is a love that is fleshed out, seen in shoe leather, manifested in deeds and actions. It is more than words. It is a love that is seen in works. A.J. Gordon: “I have long since ceased to pray, “Lord Jesus, have compassion on a lost world!” I remember the day and the hour when I seemed to hear the Lord rebuking me for making such a prayer. He seemed to say to me, “I have had compassion upon a lost world, and now it is for you to have compassion. IF WE MAKE THE CLAIM WE LOVE GOD, YET DO NOT LOVE OUR BROTHER, IT REVEALS THAT WE REALLY DO NOT LOVE THE LORD. Thirdly, we see: 3. A VITAL EXPECTATION OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD We read in verse 21, "And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." When I speak of that which is vital, I refer to that which is fundamental, basic, and indispensable. We see this fundamental and basic fact of loving God in the fact that: A) LOVING ONE ANOTHER IS A COMMAND The word "commandment" speaks of an "injunction." John has made clear that keeping the commandments of God is part of the evidence that we are saved (CP. 2:3-4). Loving one another is not a choice. It is a command! Sir Leonard Wood once visited the King of France and the King was so pleased with him he was invited for dinner the next day. Sir Leonard went to the palace and the King meeting him in one of the halls, said, “Why, Sir Leonard, I did not expect to see you. How is it that you are here?” “Did not your majesty invite me to dine with you?” said the astonished guest. “Yes,” replied the King, “but you did not answer my invitation.” Then it was that Sir Leonard Wood uttered one of the choicest sentences of his life. He replied, “A king’s invitation is never to be answered, but to be obeyed.” The commands of God demands our immediate and complete obedience. Furthermore, we see that: B) LOVING ONE ANOTHER IS A CONDITION It is a condition in our loving God. In order to love God we must love man. In short, you can’t love God if you can’t love your brother. In the days of the early Church the heathen had a saying, Man is a wolf to a man whom he does not know.” But concerning the Christians, they exclaimed, “They love each other without knowing each other,” and “Behold, how these Christians love one another.” I once came across this version of 1 Corinthians 13: If I have the language perfectly and speak like a native, and have not His love for them, I am nothing. If I have diplomas and degrees and know all the up-to-date methods, and have not His touch of understanding love, I am nothing. If I am able to argue successfully against the religions of the people and make fools of them, and have not His wooing note, I am nothing. If I have all faith and great ideals and magnificent plans, and not His love that sweats and bleeds and weeps and prays and pleads, I am nothing. If I give my clothes and money to them, and have not His love for them, I am nothing. If I surrender all prospects, leave home and friends, make the sacrifices of a missionary career, and turn sour and selfish amid the daily annoyances and slights of a missionary life, and have not the love that yields its rights, its leisure, its pet plans, I am nothing. Virtue has ceased to go out of me. If I can heal all manner of sickness and disease, but wound hearts and hurt feelings for want of His love that is kind, I am nothing. If I can write articles or publish books that win applause, but fail to transcribe the Word of the Cross into the language of His love, I am nothing. Love for others is a vital expectation of the Christian life … it is a vital expectation of our love for God. |