“Is your conduct about love in line with Christ’s?”

“Is your conduct about love in line with Christ’s?”

Text: 1 John 3:11-18

Introduction: Do you have a desire to love as Christ loved. Can you love according to how He says we should exemplify love? What traits of love is compatible with our Saviors love? These are all questions that must be answered in order that our love is in line with the Saviors love. It is not uncommon in our culture to hear testimonies on loving one another revved up in an effort to garner “Amens”or validate our actions based on emotionalism. If our conduct is to match the Saviors examples, three truths are extracted from this text.

What or Who should our love bear a likeness to? (1 John 3:16) (NKJV)

“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.” (NKJV)

Genuine love can never be authenticated by words alone. Saying I love you must align with our actions and demeanor. John declares in this verse that we can know that our love is like Christ’s love when we reach the point of denying self. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23) His cross in this text is symbolic to or figuratively exposure to death, which means that whatever it is in this life I identify with genuine love doesn’t match up with Christs’, I must be willing to let it die for the sake of Christs’ principles of what genuine love is. When a life is surrendered to Christ, we grow to the point of giving up our own preferences for the sake of others. The Greek meaning of laid down means to set, put or place. This carries with it the idea of giving up something of your own for someone else’s well-being. so if we are to correctly exegete this verse it suggests that because of the benefits that we have recieved through unmerited favor, we ought to lay down our lives for one another. Christs’love is an example of the the kind of genuine love as He sacrificed His life in order that we might have life. We should embody this same kind of passion as we interact with one another.

How should I (We) react to Christ’s practice of Love? (1 John 3:17) (NKJV)

“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?” (NKJV)

The strangest thing about this verse is, there is no application taken to determine whether one needs help. Matthew records that there was a day wherein Jesus saw the multitude and immediately His heart was touched. (Matt. 9:36) The multitude did not have sufficient resources, sickness and diseases, no shepherd to lead them and they fainted. Corona Virus, unemployment, unconcerned, manipulative, and selfish, leadership promoting make america great, leading many astray in an effort to keep others suppressed. There are implications in the text that the welfare of the people was not being attended to by those who had the responsibility and resources to do so. John challenges us with a charge, that if we see those conditions, speak out against them. Help those who are in need and since we are in need, wake up america, go to the polls and vote. Don’t pass judgement or complain, If love abides in you and in you is the love of Christ, do something and do the right thing. Jesus was moved to the point of doing something about what He saw! Are we walking around with blinders on? John reminds us that we as Christians have a responsibility to strengthen those with whom we worship, work, walk, and live with. We see the need, I challenge every child of God to react in a loving way and that way is the way of Christ.

Why should we accept or respond to Christs’ Plea? (1 John 3:18)

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (NKJV)

For those of us who are in need, John prescribes the assistance from believers to attend to this great demand. Talking or discussing matters with no resolutions or intent to make life better is not good. COVID 19, economics, poor leadership, and many other factors are evident. However the greatest need for the human soul is a connection with Jesus Christ. If we are to love as Christ loved us, we must come to know Him as Lord and Savior. The only way we can do the greater works than He did is to share the saving message of His love for humanity and practice loving one another in deeds and in truth. Let us not be guilty of not sharing this great gift of love with all that we come in contact with. He is the answer for the world today, above Him there is no other for Jesus is the way, the only way that exemplifies truth and perfect love.

Closure: So as we depart today He came, lived and died so that we who are His followers can show others, what a wonderful loving Christ we serve. It is our duty to share and lift Him up for the world to see. Lift Jesus and He will draw all men unto Himself.