“I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT TRUE LOVE” 1 John 3:11-18
FBCF – 8/13/23
Jon Daniels
INTRO – HATE is such a strong word – Denotes strong, intense emotions & feelings – “intense hostility & aversion; detest, abhor, abominate, loathe.”
- “I hate squash.”
- “I hate math.”
- “I hate the stomach virus.”
- “I hate spiders.”
Today – “I Want to Know About” series – “True Love” today – opposite of hate. Not talk about sappy, syrupy Hallmark Channel love – or “puppy love” – or the misguided slogan of the LGBTQ community – “Love is love.”
Going to talk about TRUE love & how we as Christ-followers express it in our world today.
EXPLANATION – 1 John 3:11-18
In the Church, the Body of Christ, we say “I love you” a lot. Do you know what the world says to those of us who belong to Christ – “I hate you!” – v. 13. Gk word – miseo – “to detest (especially to persecute)” Why does the world detest us?
- John 15:18-19 - “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” (NLT)
- The world hates us b/c we stand for everything that the world hates.
- The world hates us b/c it does not & cannot understand us. (1 Corinthians 2:14).
- The world hates us b/c it hated Jesus, & still does.
- The world hates us b/c it is under the control of Satan.
In the midst of this violent world of hatred, you & I called & commanded to love w/ God’s agape’ love. Not romantic, sentimental, or sexual love. Not friendship love. But love that is intentional, sacrificial, & puts the needs of others above our own.
- Love God – Love others – Matthew 22:36-40
- Includes those we like & those we don’t like.
- Includes those who are friends & those who are enemies.
- Paul - 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV)
So how do we do this? How do we love others in this world of hate? In a world that hates us? In a world that stand in opposition to us? Do we water down the message of the Gospel so as to not offend anyone? Do we compromise our standards? Do just keep our mouths shut about the love of Christ? NO! Leads to application:
APPLICATION – Christ-followers must speak & show true love to all people.
How? 3 ways:
LAY DOWN OUR LIVES – v. 16
TV commercial several yrs ago – police officers who had been shot in line of duty but were wearing bulletproof vests. Could have been killed.
- We think of that as ultimate kind of sacrifice.
- Willing to lay down life for someone else.
Jesus calls us to life of sacrifice, life of willingness.
- John 15:12-13 - “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Paul in Romans 12:1 & 1 Thessalonians 2:8
- “…present your bodies as living sacrifices…”
- “…we were ready to share with you not only the Good News from God but even our own lives…” (GNT)
The Christian life is a life of sacrifice & surrender.
- Began w/ ultimate sacrifice – God offering His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins – John 3:16.
- “Greater love…” – John 15:13
- We come to know Him as we sacrifice & surrender our wills, our desires, & our hearts to Him.
- That’s what true salvation is! We can’t say we love God & continue to live a life of sin – 1 John 1:6
The laying down of our lives is a lifelong process. And as we continue to do this, growing closer to Him & more like Him, we are more & more able to love others in this world of hate. We begin to see other through His eyes.
LAY DOWN OUR SELFISHNESS – v. 17
What criteria did Jesus use to reach out & help others?
- The woman who touched the hem of his robe
- The paralytic lowered down through the roof
- The demon-possessed people
- The lepers
- The woman caught in adultery
Was it their social status? Size of bank acct? Number of social media followers or likes? Potential that the person showed? Race/ethnic b’ground? Family history? Education? Popularity?
No! None of these were considerations when He reached out to someone to show them the love of God.
- He had a “see a need, meet a need” mentality.
- Not everyone was healed, fed, forgiven, or cleansed
- But the ones who were were those He touched, those with whom He came into contact.
- Their lives were changed when He touched their lives.
Why do we need to lay down our selfishness, turn loose of some of our material possessions & money, & meet someone’s physical needs?
- B/c we are following the example of Christ when we do that.
- We are being obedient to the Word of God when we do that.
- And, many times, it will open the door for us to share the Gospel w/ someone.
o Mission Byram
o Mission Flora
Not just a matter of selfishness w/ our money. For some of us, that’s easy – just stroke a check or give some money. Most of us here today could give away $20, $50, $100 a week & never miss it. But we are selfish when it comes to our time, our energy, our lifestyles, our schedules.
- Don’t want to be inconvenienced.
- Don’t want to change our regular routines.
- Don’t want to get outside of our comfort zones.
Which leads to last point:
LAY DOWN OUR “ALL TALK, NO WALK” LIFESTYLE – v. 18
Suppose you were head coach of a football team. Team has been losing games. Call all the players & assistant coaches together for a meeting. Begin discussing what can be done. Address weaknesses. Talk about adjustments & ideas as you discuss all the issues & problems team has been having. After a lengthy & productive meeting, you end meeting by saying, “Now go out there & keep playing just like you’ve been playing!”
- Ridiculous! What was point of meeting if it wasn’t going to change the way things were done on the field?
- If things don’t change out on the field where the action is, the team will continue to lose, no matter what was said in the locker room mtg.
And yet, this is what happens many times in church.
- Come together weekly.
- Have great meeting – great worship service.
- Get excited as we talk about the possibilities.
- Dismiss the meeting.
- Nothing happens.
- We are unchanged & others stay unchanged. The community stays unchanged. Lost people stay unchanged.
- We continue to be defeated, but, in our case, the stakes are much higher than on a football field.
- People’s eternity hangs in the balance!
Why does this happen? Goes back to 1st 2 points – We have not laid down our lives & our selfishness.
- We basically don’t want things to change.
- We don’t want our seat to change, our schedule to change, our lifestyle to change, our routine to change, our activities to change, our group to change, our church to change.
We talk about loving God, but we refuse to lay down our lives & our selfishness. And when we refuse to do that, “how does God’s love abide in [us]?” It doesn’t.
- V. 18 – Don’t just talk about it – Live it! Show it! Do something w/ it! Make a difference in someone’s life!
CONCLUSION – 10 people for TRUE LOVE MINISTRY PROJECT
