Love one another.
Community Living • Sermon • Submitted
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· 10 viewsCommunity living requires loving each other.
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In previous sermons, we set the basis for the kind of church that we want: a church God’s way, a church where all believe the same, all serve, all give proportionally, and all participate. This implicate community living.
In previous sermons, we set the basis for the kind of church that we want: a church God’s way, a church where all believe the same, all serve, all give proportionally, and all participate.
Community living was a main characteristic of the New Testament church. Although believers did not live together, they practiced communion: they ate together, share, and praise together. Such type of relationship could be harmonious only if they truly love each other.
Jesus told that that would be the mark of true disciples:
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
Rom 12:10 Jesus told that that would be the mark of true disciples:
Jesus told that that would be the mark of true disciples:
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Not only the church in Jerusalem, but also the church in Thessalonica was exemplary in fraternal love.
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Why we should love one another?
We are a family.
We are a family.
Believers have the same Father.
Believers have the same Father.
The Bible tells us that we, the believers, have been begotten by God:
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Jo
Therefore, we are the family of God; a spiritual family; and the spiritual connection is stronger than any blood connection.
We are the family of God; we are a spiritual family; and the spiritual connection is stronger than any blood connection.
We are brothers and sisters in Christ and we must treat each other as such.
The Bible commands the believers to love each other.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
Love is expected in any family.
Love is expected in any family.
Family is the institution created by God to be a place or nurturing and love for its member.
If the Father of the family is love, His children must imitate Him and act in love toward our brethren.
The Bible commands the believers to love each other.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
The NT church was a spiritual family where love reigned. Unbelievers were attracted to it because of that; they could see it; they could not deny it.
We want a church where fraternal love be evident!
In God’s family, God teaches us with His example:
God gave us the greatest example.
God gave us the greatest example.
God not only commands us to love, He shows us how. Just like He showed the disciples, after the Last Supper, how to serve one another, He also gave us the example of love.
The Father gave what He loved the most: His Son.
The Father gave what He loved the most: His Son.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
There is no greater example of love than that. He gave His son for our benefit; for us the unjust.
He gave His son for our benefit!
The Son also gave His life for us.
The Son also gave His life for us.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”
Jesus was not forced to die at the cross. He went voluntarily, to show His love for the sinners:
“For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
17-18
He was willing to sacrifice His love for the benefit of those He loved. Do you love your brethren? What are you willing to sacrifice for them?
Fraternal love must be genuine.
Fraternal love must be genuine.
If it’s not genuine, it is not love!
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
“When there is genuine love there is no hypocrisy; when there is hypocrisy there is no genuine love.”
Love must be genuine. rom 12 9
Love must be genuine. rom 12 9
“When there is genuine love, there is no deceiving.” Why should I lie to one that I claim to love?
Genuine love does not betray! How sad when there is betrayal among members of the same family!
“When there is genuine love there is no hypocrisy; when there is hypocrisy there is no genuine love.”
“When there is genuine love there is no hypocrisy; when there is hypocrisy there is no genuine love.”
Fraternal love proves how much you have grown in Christ, how mature you are.
See Graphic
Sincere love from a pure heart.
Sincere love from a pure heart.
Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
Love for the brethren is not forced! It must come from the heart and it must be sincere! Without hiding anything! It is transparent!
Sincere love from a pure heart. 1 pe 1 22
Sincere love from a pure heart. 1 pe 1 22
Fraternal love is the second highest virtue in Christian life.
Fraternal love proves how much you have grown in Christ, how mature you are.
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
2 Pe 1:5-9
See Graphic
See Graphic
Blessing instead of taking revenge.
Blessing instead of taking revenge.
To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.
Our flesh awakes in us the desire to return evil for evil, but the Spirit impulses us to do good to those that mistreat us.
If we want to be a church God’s way, revenge cannot exist in the congregation. Peter, a witness of Jesus’ example, tells us that Jesus did not return evil for evil:
and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
“Speak well of your friends; of your enemies, do not say anything.”
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
“Speak well of your friends; of your enemies, do not say anything.”
How can you speak or do evil about your brother?
Love means caring for others.
Love means caring for others.
Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.
Heb 13 1-3
These verses teach us two way of showing love for the brethren:
Showing hospitality.
Showing hospitality.
Why?Because hospitality communicates “I love you and you’re welcome in my home”. The Greek word translated “hospitality” indicates that love: φιλοξενία. φιλοs is fraternal love.
We just concluded the Hospitality month. It should not be only a September thing, but a regular practice.
Visiting those confined.
Visiting those confined.
“δεσμίων” describes someone under custody in prison, but also someone that has been deprived of his freedom, or someone confined.
Illnesses can confine a person too. Prisoners and ill people have something in common: they cannot come to us. Therefore, if we love them, we must go to them.
That’s what Jesus taught His disciples when He told them “I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me”. Their answer was, When were you sick or in prison…? Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
The NT church could live in harmonious community because they truly loved each other. They gave a living testimony that Jesus had transformed them and that they were true disciples of Christ.
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”