“Loving Greatly”
(1 John 3:11-24)
Series: A Word for the Church [on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
October 3, 2021
The Passage
11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believerin need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.
19 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight. 23 Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.
Introductory Comments:
We are continuing our series in the book of 1 John. These are the words with which John finished the passage last week, “Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister.”
I told you last week that we would come back to this statement about loving our brothers and sisters. Well, here we are. This is John’s introduction to the next section: “For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” So, today’s sermon is entitled, “Loving Greatly.” [on screen]
So, today, let’s talk about love a little bit. Before we do, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
Have you ever had someone compare you to someone to whom you really did not want to be compared? Perhaps they said something like, “Wow, that guy is like Hitler when it comes to his employees!” Or, perhaps the one that’s hard for certain people to hear, “You’re acting just like your father.”
Well, in today’s passage, John gives a terrible comparison for a certain behavior; one which you will definitely want to avoid, but one from which we should learn.
So, this morning, we’re going to look at four aspects of love that come out of this passage.
First, . . .
I. We should love (11-12)[on screen]
Let’s get this clear: Christians are to be people of love. Love is a gift from God, love is who God is, and love is who we are to be as followers of God.
Let’s look at what John has to say about this. Look at verses 11-12.
11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
John says right out of the gate, “ . . . this is the message you have heard from the beginning . . .”
This message is foundational and fundamental. It’s one of the oldest messages for the followers of God.
What’s the message? John says, “We should love one another.”
John is going to speak a lot more about love in chapter 4, so I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. However, as followers of Jesus, we must understand the old and sacred message to love one another.
John then gives us a picture in verse 12 of what we should avoid doing. This is how we should not act: like Cain! We should love instead of being like Cain!
Of course, Cain was the one who committed the evil act of murdering his brother, Abel. Cain and Abel were the two sons of Adam and Eve. They were the very first humans born on the earth; they were brothers! Yet, Cain, driven by a lack of love would kill his brother.
Church, listen: we are to be people of love! Don’t be like Cain; be like Jesus! Learn to love!
Next, we learn that . . .
II. The world does not love (13-14)[on screen]
Now, you might say to me, “Pastor, not many people show me love; why should I love other people?”
Well, that’s true, the world is not very loving. However, our love for other people is not conditioned upon whether or not they love us. Our love for other people is built solely on the fact that we’ve been changed by the deep, wide, powerful love of Jesus Christ!
Listen to what John said in verses 13 and 14:
13 Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.
Why would we be surprised if the world doesn’t love us?
Remember, when we speak of “the world,” we’re speaking about the things in this world that are against the ways of God.
The world doesn’t have the love of God, so why should we expect the world to show us the love of God!
Remember from last week, just a few verses ago, in 1 John 3:1, John said, “The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him.” [on screen]
Church, don’t be surprised if the world doesn’t show you love and don’t look to the world to show you love in the first place. You don’t need the love of the world! You need the love of God!
The love of the world can’t bring you from death to life! The love of the world can’t break your slavery to sin! The love of the world can’t heal your marriage and your family! The love of the world can’t break the cycle of addiction and generations of brokenness! However, the love of God can do all that and more!
John then tells us how to really know that we’ve been changed by the love of God; whether we’ve passed from death to life. John says in verse 14 (this is how we know), “ . . . because we love our brothers and sisters.”
Well, what if I don’t want to do that? What if I don’t want to love other people? What if I don’t want to love my brothers and sisters in Christ and other people in the world?
John answers the question for us. He says, “The one who does not love remains in death.”
So, do you love? Do you love other people? If you don’t, you are still in spiritual death. Let me make it easier for you to understand: if you don’t love other people, you may very well not be a Christian. You might say, “Well, I don’t think that’s very nice, Pastor Matt!” Well, take it up with John, not with Pastor Matt. John says, “The one who does not love remains in death.”
Also, this message may not make you feel better about yourself, but it might just lead to you being rescued from death and sin! If you don’t love, perhaps it’s because you haven’t been changed by God’s love!
The world doesn’t love. When we don’t love, we’re not being like God, we’re being like the world.
Next, . . .
III. We should not love as the world loves. (15-18)[on screen]
You know, the world thinks that it knows what love is, and because of God’s grace that He has shown to everyone on the earth, everyone knows on some level how to love. However, the world doesn’t know what true love is! The love of God is true love!
John speaks about true love. Let’s listen to what he says in verses 15-18:
15 Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believerin need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.
Again, John tells us what it means when we don’t love. In verse 15, John says that if we hate other people, if we don’t love other people, we are murderers.
Now, that’s kind of drastic, isn’t it? A murderer? Really?
Well, listen to what our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-22. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” [on screen]
So, it doesn’t appear that John is that far off base, does it? He sounds a lot like Jesus!
So, don’t be like the world! Don’t hate others! Don’t lack love so much that you are essentially a murderer!
John reminds us in verse 16 how we have come to experience love in the first place! Jesus saved us! Jesus laid down His life for us!
Since Jesus laid down His life for us, that should change our lives. John explains in verse 17 that if we’ve been changed by God’s love and we love others, then it will show in the way that we show love to other people.
John gives a very practical example of what this looks like. He speaks about someone who has material needs and a follower of Jesus who would have the ability to meet that need.
John asks this question regarding the person who has the ability to meet a need but is unwilling to do so: “how does God’s love reside in him?” Here’s another way of asking the question: how can we claim to love God if we are unwilling to love others?
Church, we should not love like the world! The world will tell you that they offer love, but they don’t offer true love! We should not be like that! We should not claim to offer love but not actually offer the real thing!
John says this in verse 18: “Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.”
Let us love in action and in truth! Let us love greatly!
That takes us to our final point:
IV. We should love (19-24)[on screen]
John gives us another encouragement that we should love (by the way, this is not the last time that we will talk about loving one another in the book of 1 John).
19 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight. 23 Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.
John says, “This is how we will know that we belong to the truth . . .” Well, what is this? John is saying that when we love others well, that is how we know that we belong to the truth.
John goes further to say that when we love well, it confirms that we belong to the truth and it will “reassure our hearts before him.” Of course, John is talking about reassuring our hearts before God.
Think about this: God uses this miracle of love that is within us to comfort us in our faith. Church, when you love others with godly love it should give you confidence that you are, in fact, a follower of Jesus and you have been changed by the love of Jesus! How awesome is that?
John then wraps this up nicely in verses 23 and 24: “23 Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in him.”
John makes it easy for us to understand what we should focus upon: believe in Jesus and love one another. That’s pretty simple! Church, do you want to know how to have a productive spiritual life and a thriving church? Believe in Jesus and love one another!
In verse 24, John says if we keep the commands of Jesus we will remain in Jesus and Jesus will remain in us! So, let us be faithful and obedient!
Finally, John gives us a beautiful reminder of how we really know that God is in us, and that is by His Holy Spirit supernaturally reminding us that we are His. In verse 24, John says “And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.”
What a wonderful blessing God’s Spirit is to us! What a glorious gift to have the Spirit of God confirm that we are the children of God!
Listen to what Jesus said of the Holy Spirit in John 14:25-26, “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.” [on screen]
So, we have reassurance of our relationship with Jesus based upon our own obedience to the commands of Jesus, as well as the supernatural reassurance of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.
God the Father has told us to love, Jesus has told us to love, and the Holy Spirit will continue to teach us and remind us to love.
Church, we should love.
Concluding Thoughts:
Throughout his letter, John has been giving us tests to see if we’ve been changed by Jesus. Well, here’s another one: do you love other people? If you don’t love other people, there’s a problem.
That takes us nicely to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: The evidence of God’s love changing our lives is the presence of God’s love in our lives. [on screen]
(repeat)
Is there godly love in your life? Well, then you have probably been changed by God’s love! If there isn’t godly love in your life, perhaps you haven’t been changed by God’s love.
Here’s one weekly challenge this week; here’s what you can do:
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
1. Love greatly. [on screen]
As a church, we exist to develop disciples who love God, love the church, and love others.
Well, how are we doing? Are we loving greatly?
I’m so blessed to see it when you all love others. I love seeing you serve people through our food pantry. I love it when you serve at a bereavement meal for a family who lost a loved one. I love it when you come to Center Shot to love on families who visit our church to shoot archery. I love it when you go out in the neighborhood and love the families of our cities by praying for their households. I love it when you show love to children in our schools by packing food bags to deliver to them. I love it when I see our youth painting chairs in downtown Bartow. I love it when you serve others in our church by teaching small groups or serving with our children. I love it when you love!
So, think about how you can love greatly this week!
This week, think of these questions:
How will I love God?
How will I love the church?
How will I love others?
Remember this: don’t just love a little bit, love greatly!
Closing:
If you’ve been changed by the love of God, live as a person of love.
If you’ve never experienced the love of God, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Listen to this from Psalm 36:5-7, “Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your judgments like the deepest sea. Lord, you preserve people and animals. How priceless your faithful love is, God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” [on screen]
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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