Holy Hashtags: Loving Others in the Online Community

Reading of the Word

1 John 4:7–21 NASB 2020

Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

Prayer of Illumination

Spirit of the living God, seal in us the Word of truth, the gospel of salvation, so that we can faithfully follow and joyfully serve our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is in his name that we pray. Amen.

Introduction

Love, in its purest form, is often best understood through the eyes of children. When children describe love, their words are unencumbered by societal expectations or complex emotions. Instead, they offer simple, honest, and heartwarming insights that capture the essence of what it means to truly care for another person. Whether it's a tender gesture, a kind word, or an act of selflessness, children's explanations of love reveal a deep, innate understanding of this universal emotion. Their innocent perspectives remind us of the fundamental, uncomplicated beauty of love.

Let me give you some examples of how some kids define what love is:

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”—Rebecca, age 8

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”—Billy, age 4

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French Fries without making them give you any of theirs.”—Chrissie, age 6

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”—Terri, age 4

“Love is the best feelings in your heart.” -Colton

Love is something that is incredible, has many different forms, and the root of all love is from God. He is the source of love and calls us to act as in love since God created us all “in his image.”

Recognizing and Experiencing God’s Love

Remembering that God doesn’t just love, he IS love!

Without the love of God, our ability to love would be absent.

We can’t love without Him because He first loved us and is the source of love. We can never even scratch the surface on how much God truly loves us in this life. His love has no limit.

Jesus coming to earth to live, suffer and die for us is the best way for us to understand God’s love.

If we need one word to describe God, it has to be love. No other attribute of God is possible without love.

Holiness without love is emptiness.

Before we had the opportunity to love God, he already loved us.

He doesn’t wait for us to pursue him. He pursues us because he yearns for a relationship with us.

Psalm 23:6 CSB

Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

Why does he pursue us so much? He doesn’t want heaven to be without you. He doesn’t want heaven without those in our community. He has done everything possible to make sure this happens. He died so that you and I can live.

People are not in hell because God rejected them. They are there because they rejected God.

Salvation is available to all but we have a choice to make. This choice, one way or the other, has consequences that will follow us to eternity.

Many times, it seems many Christians are more eager to condemn people than to show them love.

“You know, some Christians just want to put people in hell too quickly.” -Jimmy Swaggart.

God didn’t give up on us; we cannot give up on others.

We can reap the rewards of God’s love:

We are born of God

How? We encounter and experience God through the forgiveness of our sin.

Psalm 103:12 NASB 2020

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.

By believing in Jesus as the Savior of the world because of his love for us, he went to the extreme to make sure we could live as his children.

By confessing him with our lives to the world.

We know God personally.

His presence is with us.

Even when it feels like everything is falling apart, his love is still there with us.

Isaiah 54:10 NIV

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

He does so much for us as we experience his love.

Provides, heals, blesses, encourages, leads, strengthens, holds, bears, supports, fights, and most of all, he loves us so that in this life, we lack for nothing,

Radiating God’s Love to Others

We have been able to recognize God’s love as he has pursued and shown us his divine nature. Now we need to take that love we experience and radiate it to the world so that others can have the same experience that we have had.

Imagine a radiant heat radiator in a cold, dim room. Just as the radiator spreads warmth, God's love comes forth from us to those around us. When we are filled with His love, it naturally flows outwards, touching and warming the hearts of others. As it says in 1 John 4:12, "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

Loving others is not an option; it is a commandment.

John does not mince his words here. He tells us what we need to do, no exceptions.

If we don’t love others, it proves we don’t love nor know God.

If we don’t love God, the truth is not within us.

If we don’t love others, anything we do for God is in vain.

We aren’t doing things for God if we do not love. We instead are doing it for ourselves.

If we don’t love others and confess God, we are sinning against God through our disobedience.

Sin condemns us as we are not doing God’s will.

God will do things, one way or the other, to try to draw us to do his will.

Sometimes he has to drag you by the ear while we are saying ouch ouch ouch.

We must radiate this witness of Christ through the screens we use each day.

Our witness online shows who we truly are.

On social media

By what we post

We must be careful in what we post.

I will not get into theological debates online.

I will not get into political debates online.

I will post my faith in Christ and will not waver from it.

Persecution will come. Trust me. But stand firm in your faith.

By how we comment on other posts

Pray before you post. God can use comments to reach others.

We must remember that what we put out there cannot be taken back. Think and pray before you act.

The internet is the easiest place we can go to hurt others. Don’t hide behind a screen being a bully and then come out into society and act like you love others!

Our neighbor is still our neighbor, even on the other side of a keyboard halfway around the world.

By what we view and share

What are our eyes seeing and ears hearing?

Are we watching things that we should not be seeing? Are we listening to things that we shouldn’t be listening to? Are we reading things we should’t be reading?

What we consume is what we are. What we are will be what comes back out of us. We have to make sure that what comes out of us is a witness for Christ to the world.

Remembering That God’s Love Extends Far and Wide

God’s love isn’t limited to just in-person relationships.

We must love everywhere we encounter people, even on the internet.

Loving people in other settings but not loving them behind a keyboard is still disobedience to the commandment of love that God has called us to.

Don’t be a keyboard Karen.

What is a “Keyboard Karen?” A woman who completed high school and spends a lot of time on the internet everyday trying to sway the minds of anyone by posting incorrect, fear mongering information about absolutely everything. Often wears a tinfoil hat. Someone that is a bully behind the keyboard but a totally different person in society.

We must be people that recognize that we need to show God’s love even behind a keyboard because God uses this tool known as the internet allow others to encounter God.

We cannot just be concerned about ourselves when it comes to salvation. We must work to take as many people as we can to heaven with us. This takes prayer, effort upon our part, and living what we proclaim.

Application

How do we apply this to our lives each day?

We use the internet to glorify God and to further the sharing of the Gospel.

Sharing God’s Word with our neighbor through the internet.

By advocating for them and elevating their voices above our own

There are countless ways we can do this. We can write a blog, we can share a Christian video from YouTube, we can pray with someone who is struggling, post a social media post of encouragement, etc.

Developing and fostering our own faith so that something that can be used in negative and evil ways can be used instead to uplift, inspire and draw us and others closer to Jesus.

We make spiritual growth a priority and commitment.

God is pursuing us so we need to pursue and meet God.

Experiencing and deepening our faith requires relationship.

If we don’t make Jesus a priority, the devil will make us a priority.

We carve out time to intentionally spend with God daily.

We just do it.

We don’t let excuses creep in and steal this away from us.

Excuses are the tool of the devil that steals God’s best from us and replaces it with a mediocre and weak imitation.

To Sum It Up: The way I treat people online reveals my heart toward God and my neighbor.

Conclusion

As we close, let's remember the power of technology to bless our community. In a world where screens often isolate us, we can choose to use them to connect, support, and uplift those around us.

This week, I challenge each of you to think of one way to use technology to bless someone—whether it’s a kind message, a virtual prayer group, or a simple phone call. Let’s prioritize building relationships and sharing the love of Jesus through our screens.

By valuing our community over our devices, we can turn technology into a tool for unity and love. May God inspire us to be His hands and feet, both online and offline.

Prayer After Message

Heavenly Father,

As we conclude our time together, we thank You for the gift of technology and the ways it can connect us. Help us to use this tool wisely and lovingly. Guide us to see opportunities to bless others through our online interactions.

Lord, teach us to be intentional with our words and actions online, to spread kindness, encouragement, and Your love. May our digital presence be a reflection of Your grace and compassion.

Grant us the wisdom to prioritize relationships over screens and to use technology to build up our community. Inspire us to reach out to those who feel isolated, offer support to those in need, and share the hope we have in You.

As we go forth this week, fill our hearts with a desire to love others as You have loved us, both online and offline. May our actions bring glory to Your name and further Your kingdom.

In Jesus' name, we pray.

Amen.

Benediction

Do not hold back the power of the Holy Spirit; celebrate with all your might Christ’s victory over sin and death. Be brave and tell the truth about evil. Serve the weak; comfort the grieving; encourage the despairing; honor everyone to whom respect is due. Remember that in life and in death, body and soul, you belong to God, who promises resurrection in Jesus Christ.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit go with you now and give you his peace. Amen.