Untitled Sermon (2)

I. Introduction

a. Remember from last week the suspicious cash register person who looked at my $100 bill with scrutiny and how she put it up to the light to check for the watermark to determine whether it was counterfeit or not. They know if something is counterfeit if there is no watermark or it is the wrong one. Last week we saw that a counterfeit teacher is one who will not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. They also do not teach scripture from God’s word. The apostle John now shifts from the signs of a false teacher, to a command of how we are to interact with each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and in this interaction we mark ourselves as having fellowship with Jesus. This interaction between believers is the watermark on the forefront of what someone who is abiding in Christ looks like.

II. The Watermark of those who are abiding in Christ are those who love another.

a. 7 Beloved, let us love one another

b. Beloved, Dear friends, loved ones, brothers and sisters in Christ- Love one another.

c. While love one another is expected in our Christian walk, notice that it is also a command. That it is a command to love each other means that as believers sometimes and maybe often we don’t love each other and we need to be exhorted to that way of living. If we as believers automatically love each other there would be no need for this exhortation.

d. But as we seek to abide in Christ and be in fellowship with him, we need to love. This is the watermark, this is the standard.

III. There are three reasons we are to love each other

a. Because God is the source of love.

i. Vs. 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God..

ii. As believers the foundational truth that we hold to is love is sourced, comes from… God. And if love is sourced comes from God gives us reason and purpose to love. So once again John emphasizes the very place love begins.

iii. Let’s think of it this way. When I hear a rumor, my fleshly response is to engage in that rumor. For my mind to embrace it, to dwell on it and for my lips to share it most likely spread untruth. But if I want the truth what do I need to do? I need to go to the source. We have all made that mistake by assuming on someone something we have been told by someone other than the source. It’s the same way with love. We look to all kinds of people to love, but each time we do we miss the source, and that is a god like love.

b. Because the type of love we have been given. So if God is the source of love, then to know how I am to love I need to observe and see the type of love that has been given. And the type of love we have been given is sacrificial love demonstrated by God sending his Son

i. Read vs. 9-10- 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 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.

ii. Notice this type of love resulted in two things…

1. This sacrificial love resulted in your life.

a. God sent his son… that we might have life.

b. That God sent his Son resulted in eternal life that we now possess for those who have received it by faith.

2. This sacrificial love resulted in the forgiveness of sins (propiation)

a. God sent his son… that he might satisfy or forgive our sins.

b. That Jesus was the propitiation for our sins is truly beautiful. This understanding of sacrifice or propitiation is seen in where the blood of sheeps and goats sacrificed on the temple mount pointed us toward, as John the Baptist, the one who came to take away the sins of the world. Eugene Peterson, author, pastor, and professor grew up a butcher’s son. And he said it wasn’t until I was part of my dad’s business butchering the animals… blood and guts everywhere that truly came to appreciate two things… The ugliness of our sin, and the beauty of Jesus’ sacrifice and turning away of God’s wrath as our sin was placed on him.

iii. Now here is where is gets immensely practical and difficult. We are to love this same way. So, Godly love is sacrificial, meaning that one who loves in this godly way may not have love returned… love anyway. Famous Wrestling Coach Howard Ferguson wrote 10 commandments or ten imperatives, and the first one says… People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway!”

iv. Someone once told me, “no good deed goes unpunished”. You will love and love will not be returned. Yet this is the love God calls us to, because this is the type of love he gives.

c. There is a third reason why we are exhorted to Love… Because God’s Character is love.

i. Read vs. 8- 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

IV. What Loving One Another Reveals

a. Born of God

i. Read vs 7 again, 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

ii. Since God is love, as his children we bear this heritage and display our sonship when we love. We are born of Him. Not born again of him, but since we are his children we should act like our dad.

iii. Dr. Derrickson writes, the reason for believers pursuing love of fellow believers is that it reflects their spiritual parentage.

b. Know God

i. Vs. 7-8- “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love”

1. In 1 John, the apostle uses two greek words for our one word to know. There is the word oida… meaning to know. And ginosko which also means to know. Sometimes these words are used interchangeable but they are nuanced. Ginosko is used of intimacy, experiental knowledge where oida is intial, more surfacy knowledge. (Rick Saylor and Mike illustration). Do you see the difference? I Oida Mike, but I ginosko Rick. I have greater experiential knowledge and intimacy and fellowship with Rick. This is the way, I believe, the apostle John uses the words ginosko and oida. Here John uses the word ginosko representing the deeper fellowship which of course is the goal of the letter.

2. Now, with that… when we love not only to we give spiritual parentage, but we also testify that we have a deeper fellowship with Jesus.

ii. At the same time… when we do not love one another we are revealing not our eternal destiny status, but our fellowship status with Jesus. Our immaturity and lack of intimacy with Jesus.

V. So What?

a. Jesus loved the greatest of sinners like you and me, we should then love those who sin greatly.