Contagious Chritians Truly Love

Notes
Transcript
Intro; Last week we looked at the question “Can Christians Habitually Sin”? Absolutely not! And the main reason behind that revolves around one word were going to look at tonight, Love.
Christians can’t/won’t habitually sin because of love. The love of the Father, the Sacrifice of the Son, and the indwelling Seed of the Holy Spirit. Each facet of salvation towards sinners is manifest in love!
Let’s look at how John says that love is to be manifest in our lives.
Text; 1 John 3:11-18
11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
1. True Love Cannot Hate; 11-12
1. True Love Cannot Hate; 11-12
Message from beginning- John is reminding believers that the message of God/Jesus has never changed.
Matthew 22:36–40 (NKJV)
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
John 15:17 (NKJV)
17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
The message to love is a command of God! The reason it is a command is because if God’s love worked off emotions, then love will not be given to all or at all.
[v.12] Here are two brothers whom should love one another. I mean, there is not many people in the world at that time and to kill one of them, your brother, is not good. But Cain’s loved was based upon emotion and that’s why he killed his brother Abel.
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
The sacrifice of each brother would be accepted by God if it was the correct sacrifice given with the right attitude. There was both blood and grain sacrifices accepted by God, but this sacrifice must have required a blood.
Refusing to love God first and then others, usually shows up first in the form of envy and jealousy, which is the root form of hate!
16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
When we refuse to love, our hearts become filled with jealousy, gossip, resentment, bitterness, and anger. These sins lead to all kinds of evil acts because they are rooted in hate. Love and hate are moral opposites!
2. True Love Transforms; 13-15
2. True Love Transforms; 13-15
[v.13] John says that it shouldn’t come as a surprise to christians if the world hates us. Don’t forget what happened between Cain and Abel!
The reason the world hates christians is because a true christian can make those who are not living for God uncomfortable. A pure Christian life acts as a light that exposes sin in the lives of others.
Matthew 5:14 (NKJV)
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
John 3:20 (NKJV)
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
But the true love of God has the power to transform the lives of the worldly just like it transformed ours!
[v.14-15] The only thing that prevents any of us from being like Cain is love, the love of God in Christ!
Love for a brother is the identifying mark of a changed life in Christ. Love is proof we have passed from death to life in Christ.
9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.
Our love for one another is the fruit that indicates eternal life is at the root.
3. True Love In Action; 16-18
3. True Love In Action; 16-18
Love is an action word and therefore “Contagious Christians” must love not only in word but also in deed.
When you purchase a new automobile, certain features are “standard equipment,” while others are “optional.” In the Christian life, loving one another is “standard equipment”; it is not “optional.” Regardless of the circumstances, how unlovable people might be, or how they have hurt us, if we are Christians, we must love them.
Higle, T. C. (2006). Journey into Becoming a Contagious Christian: A Study of First John (p. 31). Tommy Higle Publishers, Inc.
[v.16] Jesus Christ put His love for unlovable people into action by laying down His life for us. Now John nor God is asking us to do what Jesus did, but he is saying that christian love needs to have more than just lip service, it needs legs on it as well!
One of the simplest ways of showing Christ-like love is giving to those in need [not the lazy] when you have the ability to.
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
No law has ever been passed that can compel one moral being to love another, for by the very nature of it love must be voluntary. No one can be coerced or frightened into loving anyone.
A. W. Tozer
Close;
Love is the key that opened the doors of heaven for Christ to come to Calvary.
Calvary is the love of the Father to take away our sin and place them on His Son.
The Resurrection is the love of Christ defeating death, hell and the grave giving man victory in Him.
When Contagious Christians Truly Love, it is the key that opens the door of the Gospel for others to believe!