The Gift of Love- Christmas 07
The Gift of Love (and why Christians imitate it) PGBC-12/16/07 Bill Glick
Recently, I interviewed three people involved in ministries to the poor.
“Project H.O.P.E. is an interdenominational Christian service organization dedicated to meeting the immediate physical needs of impoverished people, while sharing with them the Good News of Jesus Christ.” In a nutshell, to share the gospel, while providing physical needs. Project HOPE’s ministry helps supplies homes, food, clothing, medical and/or spiritual relief to the needy of Nicaragua. They work through local pastors, churches, and government officials to assist in providing pastoral seminars, preschools, and to literally build homes.
Director Cook feels called to go everywhere all the time with the gospel and believes
every Christian needs to do something besides sitting in a pew since all believers are
called to Missions. The primary verse that inspires Project Hope is
Matthew 25:35-36. 35: ‘For aI was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’[1]
Nicaraguans are different than Americans; we have so much, and they have so little. They are poor in spirit and poor in physical needs. Providing for their physical need opens the door to help them spiritually. When a house is built for them, they ask, “Why are you doing this?” By providing hope to survive and live, eternal hope is given a door into the heart of the Nicaraguans.
Jim Hocking with “ICDI” in Central African Republic has a mission to help the poor. If a people are literally dying of hunger and thirst, they aren’t going to listen to anyone tell them the gospel. They need hope that they’re going to live. Then, they’re willing to listen to the gospel of eternal hope. The first critical issue is building trust. They know a white person from the states has food, water and most necessities of life, while they don’t.
The death rates in the C.A.R. are staggering. Eighty-five percent of the people have no pure drinking water. Twenty percent die from lack of good drinking water and malnutrition by the age of five. Additionally, AIDS, and other preventable diseases cause high death rates.
ICDI’s main purposes center on drilling wells in small villages to provide pure drinking water. They also maintain and repair wells. Because of the tremendous death rates, providing care, assistance and education to orphans is a primary way to show the love of Christ. To complete the mission of ICDI, short-wave radio programming is used as a way to educate and communicate throughout a broad area (many Africans have access to radio). Education through radio helps to change habits; habits which lead to unsanitary conditions. Communicating effective ways to become sanitary is only the beginning, the gospel is spread through radio also.
Relief efforts, such as giving food and water, is kept in balance with development efforts, such as sustainable wells
Often, upon seeing the drilling take place and receiving pure water, locals will then ask, “why did you come”? “To give you something basic to live, to bring hope.” An open door to the gospel is presented, “we came because God told us to.” Relationships must be built with the people so they have hope. They need hope for today, basic needs to live, and to be presented with hope for eternity. Once they have hope, they can understand how God values them because God loves everyone.
One verse that Jim presented was 1 John 3:16-17:
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Love INC (Love In the Name of Christ), works locally with area pastors and churches to assist the needy. “Our mission is to mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities In the Name of Christ.” They value such things as following Christ’s example of valuing the poor and needy. And valuing the body of Christ living out the two great commandments to love God and love their neighbors. Essentially, they meet the needs of the community through the resources of local churches and public agencies.
Love INC acts as a clearinghouse for anyone requesting help. The individual or family is then connected to the best source of help. Love INC has extensive networks of community resources, including local churches. This service goes beyond public assistance by providing many physical needs such as clothes, furniture and financial management. By pooling resources from several groups, the individual church or agency becomes stronger and less over-whelmed.
Local churches have limited resources in finances, material goods and available skilled laborers. Like Love INC, local churches are compelled by scripture to “love thy neighbor” and together the goal is realized.
Churches may feel more confident that their gifts of love are being honestly received and impacting lives.
The web and wikipedia:
The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.
Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day.
Saint Nicholas Day is a festival for children in much of Europe related to surviving legends of the saint, and particularly his reputation as a bringer of gifts. The American Santa Claus, derive from these legends.
Does God care about the poor?
God has always been concerned and compassionate about the poor. All men have been spiritually poor since the fall. Man has been described as being thirsty, hungry and needy, but without the bread of life and the water of life and the eternal life through Jesus all men will perish. We are poor when we don’t have our basic needs met-that which sustains true life. God lovingly provided a way of fulfilling our need through Christ His son.
Within God’s plan, having the poor with us has significance.
Deut. 15:7-11 “If there is aa poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, byou shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but ayou shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.
“Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you.
“You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because afor this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. “aFor the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’
Matthew 26:11: “For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me.”
Proposition: The poor are here so that God’s love may be demonstrated as Christ demonstrated His love for the poor.
From these passages we may learn that the poor will always be with us and by honestly and freely giving to them will result in a blessing from God.
God never gives a command without it demonstrating some aspect of His nature and character. God has abundant resources and is joyfully willing to give. We are needy and He fulfills our needs.
God’s love toward us is overflowing. When God loves us, His abundance overflows into our lives and into the lives of our neighbors.
His love demonstrated toward others reminds us of Christ’s total self-sacrificing love for us.
However, this love we show is an identifying trademark. For if we truly have been loved and redeemed and have thus become children of God, then, as part of His family, we too demonstrate the nature and character of God through imitation of our father. We are like-minded with God to love others and visibly demonstrate this love.
God is the giver and sustainer of all life. Through our own choice we are impoverished and require the giver and sustainer of eternal life, Jesus.
By replicating this act of giving “life” (providing basic needs), Christians direct attention to God.
(1 John 3:1–3)
God the Father gives the gift of Love
God gives the gift of kinship (this is who we are)
God gives the gift of completion (this is who we shall be)
1 John 3: 1 See ahow great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called bchildren of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because cit did not know Him.
2 aBeloved, now we are bchildren of God, and cit has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He dappears, we will be elike Him, because we will fsee Him just as He is.
3 And everyone who has this ahope fixed on Him bpurifies himself, just as He is pure.
3:1 Hope is made strong by the fact that God’s love initiated salvation (Eph. 1:3–6).
Christ’s return will unite the believer with the heavenly Father who loves His child with an immeasurable love.
3:2 Everyone who exercises genuine saving faith becomes a child of God at the moment of belief (John 1:12; Rom. 8:16; 2 Pet. 1:4),
God’s love for us is unique. While we were His enemies God loved us and sent His Son to die for us!
The whole wonderful plan of salvation begins with the love of God.
God the Father gives the gift of Love
God gives the gift of kinship (this is who we are)
God gives the gift of completion (this is who we shall be)
God gives us instruction of who we should be
John tells us what we are and tells us what we shall be.
God’s love for us does not stop with the new birth.
It continues throughout our lives and takes us right up to the return of Jesus Christ!
When our Lord appears, all true believers will see Him and will become like Him (Phil. 3:20–21).
Now, in 1 John 3:3, he tells us what we should be. In view of the return of Jesus Christ, we should keep our lives clean.
All this is to remind us of the Father’s love.
Salvation, from start to finish, is an expression of the love of God. (1 Cor. 2:15,16; 1 Pet. 4:3,4).
A tension exists between the first part of the verse (“now we are children”) and the latter part (“we shall be like Him”).
Such tension finds resolution in the solid hope that at Christ’s return the believer shall experience ultimate conformity to His likeness (see notes on Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 15:42–49; Phil. 3:21).
3:3 Living in the reality of Christ’s return makes a difference in a Christian’s behavior. Since Christians someday will be like Him, so we should be like Him now. Phil. 3:12–14
An unbeliever who sins is a creature sinning against his Creator. A Christian who sins is a child sinning against his Father. The unbeliever sins against law; the believer sins against love.
A group of teenagers were enjoying a party, and someone suggested that they go to a certain restaurant for a good time.
“I’d rather you took me home,” Jan said to her date. “My parents don’t approve of that place.”
“Afraid your father will hurt you?” one of the girls asked sarcastically.
“No,” Jan replied, “I’m not afraid my father will hurt me, but I am afraid I might hurt him.”
She understood the principle that a true child of God, who has experienced the love of God, has no desire to sin against that love.
[2]
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and asin is lawlessness.
5 You know that He aappeared in order to btake away sins; and cin Him there is no sin.
6 No one who abides in Him asins; no one who sins has seen Him or 1bknows Him.
7 aLittle children, make sure no one bdeceives you; cthe one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
8 the one who practices sin is aof the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. bThe Son of God cappeared for this purpose, dto destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one who is aborn of God bpractices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 By this the achildren of God and the bchildren of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who cdoes not love his dbrother.
11 aFor this is the message bwhich you have heard from the beginning, cthat we should love one another;
12 not as aCain, who was of bthe evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because chis deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if athe world hates you.
14 We know that we have apassed out of death into life, bbecause we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
15 Everyone who ahates his brother is a murderer; and you know that bno murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 We know love by this, that aHe laid down His life for us; and bwe ought to lay down our lives for the cbrethren.
17 But awhoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and bcloses his heart against him, chow does the love of God abide in him?
18 aLittle children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and btruth.
God the Father gives the gift of Love
God gives the gift of kinship (this is who we are)
God gives the gift of completion (this is who we shall be)
God gives us instruction of who we should be
God intends that we should imitate His gift of love
3:11. The phrase we should love one another highlights the habit of love displayed by those possessing the new nature.
Love is not merely an optional duty for someone claiming to be a Christian, but proof positive that one truly has been born again (John 15:12; 1 Pet. 1:22,23).
Christian love is self-sacrificing and giving. Christ’s giving up his life for believers epitomized the true nature of Christian love (John 15:12,13; Phil. 2:5–8; 1 Pet. 2:19–23).
God calls Christians to that same standard of love for one another as He had for us (see v. 16a).
God commands that we love the poor
3:17 True love is not limited to supreme sacrifices (v. 16), but shows up in lesser ones. It is a practical love that finds motivation in helping others (1 Tim. 6:17–19; Heb. 13:16; James 2:14–17).
3:18 Claiming to love is not enough. Love is not sentiment, but deeds.
19 We will know by this that we are aof the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
21 aBeloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have bconfidence 1before God;
22 and awhatever we ask we receive from Him, because we bkeep His commandments and do cthe things that are pleasing in His sight.
23 This is His commandment, that we abelieve in bthe name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as cHe commanded us.
24 The one who akeeps His commandments babides in Him, and He in him. cWe know by this that dHe abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
Chapter 4 has some practical motivations to imitate God’s gift of love.
God Is Love
7 aBeloved, let us blove one another, for love is from God; and ceveryone who loves is dborn of God and eknows God.
8 The one who does not love does not know God, for aGod is love.
9 By this the love of God was manifested ain us, that bGod has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
10 In this is love, anot that we loved God, but that bHe loved us and sent His Son to be cthe propitiation for our sins.
11 aBeloved, if God so loved us, bwe also ought to love one another.
12 aNo one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His blove is perfected in us.
13 aBy this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
14 We have seen and atestify that the Father has bsent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 aWhoever confesses that bJesus is the Son of God, God cabides in him, and he in God.
16 aWe have come to know and have believed the love which God has 1bfor us. cGod is love, and the one who dabides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this, alove is perfected with us, so that we may have bconfidence in cthe day of judgment; because das He is, so also are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but aperfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not bperfected in love.
19 aWe love, because He first loved us.
20 aIf someone says, “I love God,” and bhates his brother, he is a cliar; for dthe one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, ecannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 And athis commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God bshould love his brother also. [3]
Without a foundation of motivation, will an individual be able to sustain active love toward his neighbor? Is it enough that God says, “love your neighbor”, that we will be able to continuously love?
1 John 4 gives at least five reasons why Christians give the gift of love.
*1 John 4:7-8: Christians love because God (who is love) indwells the believer. He is the essence of love and love is inherent in all He is and does.
Therefore let us love one another, conveying the idea of making sure that love is a habitual practice.
Since God’s nature exhibits love as a chief characteristic (see also v. 8), God’s children will also reflect that love.
*1 John 4:9-11: Christians love because they desire to imitate the supreme example of God’s sacrificial love in sending His son, Jesus, to us and for us, that we might have life.
Christ is unique, as the only one of His kind. It was He whom the Father sent into the world as the greatest gift ever given (John 17:3; 2 Cor. 8:9).
God’s sending His Son gives Christians not only salvation privilege, but obligation to follow this pattern of sacrificial love. Christian love must be self-sacrificing like God’s love.
*1 John 4:12: Christians love because love is the heart of Christian witness. Jesus no longer is in the world to manifest the love of God. The demonstration of God’s love in this age is the Church. (John 13:35; 2 Cor. 5:18–20).
1 John 4:7–12 can be summed up as: love originated in God, was manifested in His Son, and demonstrated in His people.
*1 John 4:13-16: Christians love because love is the Christian’s assurance. When Christians see and recognize the manifestation of love in action, it results in confidence about one’s relationship with God. (see notes on 3:16–23)
*1 John 4:17-20: Christians love because love is the Christian’s confidence in the Judgement to come. We don’t love in order to escape judgement, but because we have already escaped judgement we love. (see notes on 3:16–23)
Confidence is a sign that love is mature.
Jesus was God’s Son in whom He was well pleased on earth; we also are God’s children (3:11) and the objects of His gracious goodness.
If Jesus called God Father, so may we, since we are accepted (Eph. 1:6).
Conclusion:1 John 4:21 John MacArthur summarizes chap. 4. One cannot love God without first loving his fellow believer. A claim to love God is a delusion if not accompanied by unselfish love for other Christians.[4]
*This Christmas, Christians should imitate their father and give the gift of love to others.
*God is love, therefore Christians love. Many godly motivations sustain the act of love.
*The impoverished have little or no hope in living, but providing basic needs opens the door to Christ and eternal hope.
*Surely loving God is demonstrated by loving others.
We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.[5] 1 Thessalonians 2:8
3216 “Thou Knowest I Love Thee”
This is how one dear man learned to love the Lord. He said: “One morning as I was going to work, I was thinking of the words, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” and wished with all my heart that I could answer them as Peter did. I felt sad that I could not. Then this thought came to me, “Well if I cannot say so much as Peter, perhaps I could turn it around a little and find something easier.”
“So I began to think there was one thing I could not say. I could not say, “Lord, Thou knowest that I do not love Thee,” and I found some comfort in that. At last, I grew bold enough to look up and say, “Lord, Thou knowest that I want to love Thee.” Then I began to think of His great love for me. I thought of His life, of His words, of His cross, and almost before I knew what I was doing, I looked up and said, “Thou knowest that I do love Thee.”
“And at that moment the consciousness of forgiveness and a new life came into my heart!”
—Tom Olson
[6]
Eph 2:8 8 For aby grace you have been saved bthrough faith; and that not of yourselves, it is cthe gift of God; [7]
2 Cor. 9:9 as it is written,
“aHe scattered abroad, he gave to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever.”
15 aThanks be to God for His indescribable bgift!
If you’ve never received God’s gift of love and would like to do so now, meet me after the service.
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a Is 58:7; Ezek 18:7, 16; James 2:15, 16
[1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, S. Mt 25:35-36
a Lev 25:35; Deut 15:11
b 1 John 3:17
a Matt 5:42; Luke 6:34; Gal 2:10
a Deut 14:29; Ps 41:1; Prov 22:9
a Matt 26:11; Mark 14:7; John 12:8
a John 3:16; 1 John 4:10
b John 1:12; 11:52; Rom 8:16; 1 John 3:2, 10
c John 15:18, 21; 16:3
a 1 John 2:7
b John 1:12; 11:52; Rom 8:16; 1 John 3:1, 10
c Rom 8:19, 23f
d Luke 17:30; Col 3:4; 1 John 2:28
e Rom 8:29; 2 Pet 1:4
f John 17:24; 2 Cor 3:18
a Rom 15:12; 1 Pet 1:3
b John 17:19; 2 Cor 7:1;
[2]Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. 1 Jn 3:1
a Rom 4:15; 1 John 5:17
a 1 John 1:2; 3:8
b John 1:29; 1 Pet 1:18–20; 1 John 2:2
c 2 Cor 5:21; 1 John 2:29
a 1 John 3:9
1 Or has known
b 1 John 2:3; 3 John 11
a 1 John 2:1
b 1 John 2:26
c 1 John 2:29
a Matt 13:38; John 8:44; 1 John 3:10
b Matt 4:3
c 1 John 3:5
d John 12:31; 16:11
a John 1:13; 3:3; 1 John 2:29; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18; 3 John 11
b 1 Pet 1:23; 1 John 3:6; 5:18
a John 1:12; 11:52; Rom 8:16; 1 John 3:1, 2
b Matt 13:38; John 8:44; 1 John 3:8
c Rom 13:8ff; Col 3:14; 1 Tim 1:5; 1 John 4:8
d 1 John 2:9
a 1 John 1:5
b 1 John 2:7
c John 13:4f; 15:12; 1 John 4:7, 11f, 21; 2 John 5
a Gen 4:8
b Matt 5:37; 1 John 2:13f
c Ps 38:20; Prov 29:10; John 8:40, 41
a John 15:18; 17:14
a John 5:24
b John 13:35; 1 John 2:10
a Matt 5:21f; John 8:44
b Gal 5:20f; Rev 21:8
a John 10:11; 15:13
b Phil 2:17; 1 Thess 2:8
c 1 John 2:9
a James 2:15f
b Deut 15:7
c 1 John 4:20
a 1 John 2:1; 3:7
b 2 John 1; 3 John 1
a 1 John 2:21
a 1 John 3:2
b 1 John 2:28; 5:14
1 Lit toward
a Job 22:26f; Matt 7:7; 21:22; John 9:31
b 1 John 2:3
c John 8:29; Heb 13:21
a John 6:29
b John 1:12; 2:23; 3:18
c John 13:34; 15:12; 1 John 2:8
a 1 John 2:3
b John 6:56; 10:38; 1 John 2:6, 24; 4:15
c John 14:17; Rom 8:9, 14, 16; 1 Thess 4:8; 1 John 4:13
d 1 John 2:5
a 1 John 2:7
b 1 John 3:11
c 1 John 5:1
d 1 John 2:29
e 1 Cor 8:3; 1 John 2:3
a 1 John 4:7, 16
a John 9:3; 1 John 4:16
b John 3:16f; 1 John 4:10; 5:11
a Rom 5:8, 10; 1 John 4:19
b John 3:16f; 1 John 4:9; 5:11
c 1 John 2:2
a 1 John 2:7
b 1 John 4:7
a John 1:18; 1 Tim 6:16; 1 John 4:20
b 1 John 2:5; 4:17f
a Rom 8:9; 1 John 3:24
a John 15:27; 1 John 1:2
b John 3:17; 4:42; 1 John 2:2
a 1 John 2:23
b Rom 10:9; 1 John 3:23; 4:2; 5:1, 5
c 1 John 2:24; 3:24
a John 6:69
1 Lit in
b John 9:3; 1 John 4:9
c 1 John 4:7, 8
d 1 John 4:12f
a 1 John 2:5; 4:12
b 1 John 2:28
c Matt 10:15
d John 17:22; 1 John 2:6; 3:1, 7, 16
a Rom 8:15
b 1 John 4:12
a 1 John 4:10
a 1 John 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4
b 1 John 2:9, 11
c 1 John 1:6
d 1 John 3:17
e 1 Pet 1:8; 1 John 4:12
a Lev 19:18; Matt 5:43f; 22:37ff; John 13:34
b 1 John 3:11
[3] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, S. 1 Jn 3:1-4:21
[4]MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. 1 Jn 4:7
[5]Tyndale House Publishers: Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2004, S. 1 Th 2:8
[6]Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX : Bible Communications, 1996, c1979
a Acts 15:11; Eph 2:5
b 1 Pet 1:5
c John 4:10
[7] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, S. Eph 2:8
a Ps 112:9
a 2 Cor 2:14
b Rom 5:15f