Love in the life of a believer / Amor en la vida del creyente
1 John • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
What are the various marks that distinguish us as the people of God?
There are many answers to this. One could say that a mark of the people of God is that they gather on the Lord’s Day to worship God.
Another mark is that the people of God gather to learn from God’s word.
In we learn that one of the clearest mark of the people of God is Christian love.
John has exhorted us to walk in obedience to God’s commandments:
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.
¿Cómo sabemos si hemos llegado a conocer a Dios? Si obedecemos sus mandamientos.
There are many commandments in the word of God. We are called to worship God, we are called to abstain from evil, we are called to be truthful. However, John concentrates on the greatest of all the commandments: the commandment to love one another.
In our time today we will consider:
An old and new commandment
Love in a believer’s life
I. An old and new commandment
I. An old and new commandment
I. Un mandamiento antiguo y nuevo
I. Un mandamiento antiguo y nuevo
Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
:7
Queridos hermanos, lo que les escribo no es un mandamiento nuevo, sino uno antiguo que han tenido desde el principio. Este mandamiento antiguo es el mensaje que ya oyeron. Por otra parte, lo que les escribo es un mandamiento nuevo, cuya verdad se manifiesta tanto en la vida de Cristo como en la de ustedes, porque la oscuridad se va desvaneciendo y ya brilla la luz verdadera.
John starts to apply the word of God to our lives.
This is a necessary step. We cannot simply read and study God’s word without applying it to our lives.
John has called us to obey God’s commandments and now he focuses on the commandment to love. He wants to make it clear that we understand true Christian love is in the life of a believer.
Notice how John speaks about this commandment that is both old and new.
It almost seems like a contradictory statement.
How can something be both old and new?
The commandment to love is an old/ancient commandment: .
“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
»No seas vengativo con tu prójimo, ni le guardes rencor. Ama a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. Yo soy el Señor.
Many people think of the God of the Old Testament as a God of judgement, anger, and fury. Many people see him as a vengeful God who must be appeased.
The truth of the matter is that the God of the Old Testament is the same God in the New Testament.
The commandment to love one another has its roots in the Old Testament Law wherein we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves.
John describes this commandment as “old”, as a commandment his hearers had heard “since the beginning” (2:7).
At the same time, John describes the command to love as a new commandment. How can this be?
The commandment to love is old because as we have seen it has its roots in the Old Testament.
Ever since Old Testament times God commanded the love of neighbor. God did not approve of hate, revenge, or vengeance.
Nevertheless, the command to love is new in at least three ways.
We must first understand how Jews considered the command to love.
Jews were confortable in loving other jews. After all, they considered themselves the chosen people of God. How could they not love each other if God himself had chosen them to be his people?
Jews did not consider this commandment an obligation to love gentiles. In fact, they considered them as inferiors. Jewish men would pray every morning: I thank you God that I am not a woman a slave or a gentile.
Jews did not consider it necessary to love Samaritans. The Samaritans were a mixed people. When they Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom of Israel they took for themselves Jewish wives. This gave rise to the Samaritans. Jews considered them as inferiors and saw them with repulsiveness.
In reality, love within the Jewish community of Jesus’ day was very particular. There were those who were worthy of love and those who were excluded.
John, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells these first century Jewish believers in Jesus: God has given us an old commandment. You know this commandment for it is revealed in the Law of Moses. However, let me tell you that you cannot continue to practice love as you do. You must see the commandment to love as a new command from Almighty God. The command to love is new in at least three ways:
The command to love is new as it relates to who we must love.
We are not called to only love believers. We are called to love indiscriminately.
This does not mean we will have warm and fuzzy feelings for everyone but rather that we will see all of humanity as created in the image of God and worthy of respect and dignity.
This is why racism and discrimination has its origin in the pit of hell. We are called to love and respect all people, regardless of their culture or race - for they are created in the image of God. They are image bearers of God.
We cannot see others as inferiors to us. We cannot see others as being worth less than we are.
How can we demonstrate love to others? Especially those who hurt us, who revile us, who hate us? We can pray for the salvation of their souls. We can pray that God would change their hearts and be granted the gift of salvation.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do - is not necessarily love those who are our co-workers, our neighbors, our friends. Most of the time, we demonstrate respect and we strive to maintain a cordial relationship with them. For many, the hardest people to love are those who we are explicitly commanded in scripture to love:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Ephesians 5
Esposos, amen a sus esposas, así como Cristo amó a la iglesia y se entregó por ella
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
»Honra a tu padre y a tu madre, para que disfrutes de una larga vida en la tierra que te da el Señor tu Dios.
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Y ustedes, padres, no hagan enojar a sus hijos, sino críenlos según la disciplina e instrucción del Señor.
It is very easy for us to respect others but fail to love and respect those in our own household!
The command to love is new as it relates to how much we must love.
We are called to love in view of the example that Jesus demonstrated on the cross.
God sent his son to die on our behalf. God loved the world in this way: he sent his son to die for those who had sinned.
Jesus loved us in that he gave his precious life for us. He died in our place. He gave up that which was most precious.
We are called to love in the same way. We must love to the uttermost.
That is why we are called to demonstrate radical love:
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Pero yo les digo: Amen a sus enemigos y oren por quienes los persiguen, para que sean hijos de su Padre que está en el cielo. Él hace que salga el sol sobre malos y buenos, y que llueva sobre justos e injustos.
This understanding of love shows us that love is not some sappy emotion. Love is to sacrifice our wants, our desires, our own love for the good of others.
Love is demonstrated when a man’s wife becomes sick with cancer and he cares for her. He does not forsake her until she recovers or the Lord takes her home.
Love is demonstrated when a mom can go many nights without sleep to care for her sick children.
Love is demonstrated when a man is tempted to have an affair at the office. He will never get caught but he remains faithful to his wife because of the great love he has for her.
Love is demonstrated when a child sees their elderly parents become more frail as they age and instead of putting them in a nursing home they have them move in until the Lord takes them home.
Love is demonstrated when a couple forsakes vacations, eating out, nice cars so that they can save up enough money to adopt a child - a child who will have the opportunity to experience a wonderful life in a Christian household.
Why? Why do Christians act this way?
The command to love is new as it relates to why must love.
The only reason why we must love in this way - is because we have been loved by God.
The love we have for others allows us to have a glimpse of the love that God had for humanity.
The love we have for our spouse, for our children, for our parents, for the people of God - allows us to, in a small way, understand the love God has demonstrated to us in Jesus Christ.
Why must a husband love his wife? He is able to help her understand God’s love for her.
Why must parents love their children? Parents are able to understand what it means to have a heavenly father.
Why must children love their parents? Parents are able to understand the gift of God’s love even though we are such imperfect parents.
Why must we love the people of God? Jesus said:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
»Este mandamiento nuevo les doy: que se amen los unos a los otros. Así como yo los he amado, también ustedes deben amarse los unos a los otros.
II. Love in a believer’s life
II. Love in a believer’s life
II. Amor en la vida del creyente
II. Amor en la vida del creyente
John closes his exhortation by reminding his readers that if do not love we do not know the truth:
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
El que afirma que está en la luz, pero odia a su hermano, todavía está en la oscuridad. El que ama a su hermano permanece en la luz, y no hay nada en su vida que lo haga tropezar. Pero el que odia a su hermano está en la oscuridad y en ella vive, y no sabe a dónde va porque la oscuridad no lo deja ver.
We must love. It is not an option.
We must ask God for his grace that we may love one another.
Do not let your heart be filled with darkness. The only we will expel the darkness is by loving one another.