All You need is Love

1 John 3:11–18 ESV

11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

“I say this with LOVE: L-O-V-E”

This phrase served as the theme for the last tour The King of Pop, Michael Jackson would try to pull of. This is It! It’s the behind the scenes documentary for his last world tour. This is it served as a way of letting his fans see how much work went into pulling off a world tour.

We got to see how methodical he was about dance moves, music, and everything else. Everything the good the bad the ugly would get the same the response: I say this in LOVE. . . L-O-V-E!

If a musician messed up musically, jackson would correct them and say it;s all in LOVE. His appreciation for others in LOVE. Everything in LOVE. . L-O-V-E.

John, in 1 John gives his readers the same sentiment about love. Our passage specifically, he stresses the importance of love. Love is all over this passage, God’s Love is the fuel from which John encourages us to model the Love of God to the world.

The great theologian R C H Lenski says: “The plainest activity of the spiritual life is that of loving those who are one with us, are our spiritual brothers.” John tells us to love our brothers and love all those in connection with us as visible demonstration of God’s Love in our lives. The Love we have must be seen in this dark world we live; this dark cold world of lies, murder, deception, and unfaithfulness needs examples of God’s Love. The world we live needs to feel expressions of God’s Love.

Two points tonight from our text that I hope will ignite us to actively show love to those around us: Love is Essential (11-15) and Love is Experiential (16-18).

Love is Essential (11- 15)

John starts by saying: this message you have heard. What have we heard? We have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, specifically Jesus’ command to love.

John 15:12 “12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

and John 15:17 “17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

He tells His disciples the world will know you are mine by how you treat each other, how you love one another.

This is what we have heard. The message of the Gospel which we have heard is connected to the previous passage in our series. Brett gave us some important definitions for God’s children and the children of the devil; specifically relating to works of righteousness and works of satan. God’s children must Love out Loud, Love must be on display at all times.

we know this is important because the example John uses in our text is Cain butchering his brother Abel.

Cain kills Abel, his brother because of Cain’s wickedness. Cain’s hatred for his brother was fueled by jealousy, envy. They came from the same family, had the same family devotions yet Cain was wicked and Abel was righteous. Cain’s wickedness could not stand the righteousness of Abel; so Cain struck his brother and killed him.

John says: people of God, don’t be like Cain. Don’t be filled with hatred and malice towards others. Don’t allow feelings of anger to grow in our hearts and minds because this does not show the world the outward expression of the inward reality of what God has done in our lives. We are to be controlled by God’s Love. This is why we are compelled to be kind. We are are controlled by His perfect Love.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 “14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

We Love because we live for Christ who died for us. Love essential. Charles Spurgeon says: Love is the essential mark of the True Child of God.

Love is the solution and ultimate apologetic, but Love comes with warning.

Don’t you just love watching a great show or sports or news or whatever on live tv and have the interruption of commercials. You are watching the Golden bachelor, and he’s about to say something romantic and boom. . here’s the commercial.

I’m fascinated by the commercials about medications that help with eczema. I know about this all to well. Your watching the commercial and out of nowhere the warning comes. The warning goes to the tune of: this medical treatment could cause shortness of breath, bone damage, and could cause bleeding out of the ears.

For me its easy, this is not the medication for me but, thanks for letting me know the risks of taking this prescription.

Yes, we are to love but, the world will not love you back. Don’t expect the world, this system that is antagonistic to Christ, this world in this realm. . will not love you. This proves the accuracy and reliability of the scriptures; John doesn’t say because you Love everything is going to be well and everyone will like you.

rather, he says: you are supposed to Love as a true sign of being surrendered to Christ and in turn. . . you will be hated by the world.

Look its in the text, verse 13

1 John 3:13 “13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.”

what’s the proof that the world hates you; See what cain did? that’s proof! The world is against righteousness, it is contrary to God’s law and rejects God’s Love.

world hates our love; but desperately needs Christian Love.

the world does not know what love is; because it seeks it in all the wrong places.

Political affiliations

financial status

social status

True love lived among this world and was rejected.

see what Jesus says in John 15:18–21 “18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.”

How does that make you feel? The Lord says, if you seek love from a system that is against the kingdom of God; you will not find it.

This is why the love we (believers) have for one another is vital and necessary. We must love each other well because ultimately “We All we Got”. And this love we display to others shows that we have passed from death (walking in sin, unsaved) to life (saved, filled with the spirit, controlled by God’s Love).

If we have hate in our hearts, in the same way that Cain, we are murderers. John remembering the sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:22 “22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Love is Essential, Lastly; Love is Experiential

Love is Experiential (16-18)

“Love Longs for Expression; Love can’t go without expression. You command it to be without expression, and you command it not to Live.’ Spurgeon

Love can be expressed with words, but it must also be expressed with deeds.

Actions speak louder than words.

God doesn’t command us to do something He has never done.

God is love (1 John 4:8), and being love, He must display love. He displayed His love by sending Christ to be the sacrificial atonement for our sins.

so as He is commanding us to love, love love. . love our neighbor . . . love love love;

He’s not giving empty words, just love and believe that I love you . . . NO He has given us proof of His love in Christ!

The engagement ring as proof of Love

a man can say he loves he loves but until the ring is made available, there is no real proof

christ’s example is proof of Love in Word and Deed. He lives a perfect life, proclaiming the kingdom. Performs miracles, changes lives of those around Him, then dies for those He loves.

Our love has deeper meaning when it’s experienced by others.

John talks about helping those who have needs and coming to their aid.

How has your love been experienced by others? What are we doing to help change lives and make a difference? What are doing together in sunday school classes (taking knowledge and putting it into action)? How active are we in Parishes advancing the kingdom through discipleship and evangelism?

Love has to be experienced in Church, Neighborhood, Workplace, College campuses, high school . . . everywhere

words and deeds

not just talk, actions speak louder than words.

I challenge you to think of opportunities God has placed before us to jump into action to put love on display.

This table is the show of love on display;

Philippians 2:5–8 “5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”