Talk About Love
1 John 2:7-14 • Sermon • Submitted
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Last week we discussed the importance of obedience in the life of a Christian. We said that obedience diagnoses our faith, it develops faith, and it directs us towards God’s love. Obedience is not a topic that we like to talk about very often, especially when we are saying that *we* have to obey. Obedience is a word we use for our pets, it isnt a word we typically try to use for our friendships right? Like we dont go around saying, “Hey you, you need to obey!” right? Americans, we are bad at obedience, we live in a free country where we value our individual rights, we live in “have it your way”, “you’re not the boss of me—Dont tell me what to do” type world, do we not?
Obedience isnt popular…but what we found out last week was that obedience to God is absolutely necessary. In fact, where we left off last week was in where John encourages us with this simple but very difficult truth: “By this we know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”
Here is essentially what John is saying, “If you dont obey Jesus, you arent in Jesus.” or put another way, “If you arent walking with Jesus currently, you probably arent a Christian at all…You’re just simply not saved.”
So we know that John says obedience is important but what does that look like?
There’s all kinds of things that we could say if we tried to answer that question…but the truth is tonight is that there is one simple word that encompasses everything else that the Bible communicates and this is it: We are called to love others.
That’s what we find in this passage tonight:
7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
1 John 3:11-
1 John 3:11-
Observations about Love:
Love is the most foundational command in the Bible (v. 2:11; 3:11)
Love is the most foundational command in the Bible (v. 2:11; 3:11)
11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
John says that this command was from the beginning....
What he is saying is that love is the foundation which all the other commands of God are built on...
If the commands of God were a tree, love would be the trunk and every other commandment would be branches...
Without love, the other commandments don’t exist, and all of the other commandments are attempts to help us love God and love one another...
The Command to Love Began in the Beginning:
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
genesis 2
Love is the Foundation for all of God’s Commands
3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
The first 4 commandments are about loving God
The 4th Commandment is a blend bet
The last 6 commandments are about loving People
Jesus made it clear that Loving others is the essetial part of what it means to have eternal life:
13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away. 16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
If we say we follow Jesus, love isn't optional:
If we say we follow Jesus, love isn't optional:
9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
1 john
11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
1 john 3:
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
1 john 3:
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
1 john 3:
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 john
1 john 4:
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Here is the conclusion: if we dont love others, we cannot say that we love God...
If God is love, and God loves others, how can we say we have experienced God’s love if we dont display the love of God that we recieved from him?
We cant!
Love Has to be Received before it can be Given:
Love Has to be Received before it can be Given:
1 John
v.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
If we really want to know what love looks like…we need to look no further than the cross of Christ.
Love looks like laying down your life for the benefit of someone else...
I love how Oscar Wilde defines love:
“to give and not expect return, that is love.”
But here is the reality of life…the only person who has ever truly loved without ever expecting anything in return is Jesus.
Even Oscar Wilde shows that he didnt really understand love:
He wrote later in life, “Never love someone who treats you like you are ordinary.”
You see, you cant say that real love doesn't expect anything in return…and then expect to be treated a particular way…that’s not love…that’s a business deal.
Jesus is the only person who loved perfectly and completely without ever asking for anything in return.
Jesus loved people by leaving heaven and coming to earth to take the form of humanity. He loved by serving everyone he encountered. There was no sin too great or sinner who had gone to far that His love was not made avaliable. Jesus loved people who were totally unlovable: the diseased, the dying and the dead, the faithless, the religious, the addict, the whore, the adulterer, the morally corrupt, and even the most hypocritical people. Even today Jesus loves gangsters, prostitutes, homosexuals, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jihadists. Jesus loves rich people and poor people, black people and white people…
And he loves all of these people freely…without asking anything in return...
How do I know?....The Cross...
The Cross...
On the Cross…Jesus died for the sin of the world...
He died for all sin…and all sinners…even those whom he doesnt effectively call to be saved…he died for them because he loves them.
This is the type of love that we are called to have for all people...
But what John tells us is that we only love in a way where we will lay our lives down once we have experienced the love of God in Christ who laid down his life for us.