Enabled: The Love that Changes Everything

Introduction:

Common ideas of love today:

(1) Acceptance-based idea of love

(2) Material-based idea of love

(3) Lust-based idea of love

(4) Skeptical idea of love

desensitized due to prior hurt/betrayal

desensitized by sin

desensitized by hurt from other Christians

Having clarity about the only love that changes everything matters because it is a way to know if you are really OK with God or NOT. It is a way to see if you really have eternal life or NOT. It is a means to discern whether you are forgiven of sin or NOT. This is a matter of eternal consequence. Do not be deceived. God is NOT mocked.

Thesis:

We must be clear about the ONLY love that changes everything!

Explain the context.

What is the love that changes everything?

Body:

(1) (I John 3:11-13) It is a Dividing Love

To be truly loving is not to be completely accepting. Why? Because if you love Jesus, you trust Jesus as Lord. If you trust Jesus as Lord, then you will love others, but you will not love the lords they love. When you don’t love the lords they love, you will always be implicitly saying that they are wrong. Being a child of God will cause you to be hated among those who are not children of God.

True love for Jesus and love for others does have boundaries that distinguish you from those who are motivated by other gods.

You cannot be in love with Jesus and in love with what Jesus hates at the same time.

This results in being hated by those whose gods you refuse. Hear what Jesus told his disciples. John 15:18-20.

(2) (I John 3:14-15) It is an Encouraging Love

This love, when exercised toward brethren, is a love that proves we passed from death to life. When someone is not a child of God, they are dead. This death is a matter of being separated from God, who is Life. This death is a matter of being an enemy of God. But, when an individual confesses Jesus as their Lord and Savior, there is a way to know for sure if they are genuine in the faith. Here there are two ranges to consider:

(i) Those who say they are saved, but have a false assurance based on their own thoughts/ideas.

(ii) Those who say they are saved, but find encouragement of their salvation by actively loving others.

Any ongoing hatred in our hearts for others is evidence that we are NOT children of God.

(3) (I John 3:16) It is an Undeniable Love

How can we be sure that this love is real?

We know this love of God because we see that Jesus laid down his life for us. This shows how the Worthy One laid down his life for the Unworthy. The Pure One laid down his life for the Impure.

How is this kind of love possible?

To perceive or know the love of God is to experience this love of God. Thus, it is not just that God is the example. Why? If this verse just meant that God was the example, then we could all give an excuse why I hate others. We could all say, “Well, we are not God”.

But to perceive is to experience God’s love. Thus, when someone is truly changed by believe on Jesus as Lord, when someone receives the love of God in Christ — this love changes everything because this love of God gives us the power to love others like we have been loved.

This is also a reminder that there is a perfect Standard for this love, and we are not that Standard. We attempt to live out this love of God but it is not perfect. There is only one Perfect Person who had accomplished this love. Thus, we should not allow the failure of other people to be the reason why we do or don’t love this way. If we have experienced this kind of love, then we should strive to live it out.

(4) (I John 3:17-18) It is a Practicing Love

This is not a mere sentimental love or an invisible love, but it is a practicing love. Expression without practice is evidence of absence.

Conclusion: