Sermon 1 John 3:7-21 Love One Another

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon 1 John 3:7-21 Love One Another

May 3, 2015

This is the third in my series of sermons drawn from the important book of First John. This book was written to a church that was trying to be faithful to the Gospel of John. A group in the church had been mistaken about the identity of the Son of God in whom you must believe to have eternal life. They thought this was some kind of spiritual divine being; certainly not a human being. And certainly not a human being that had been executed by the Romans. But the pastor of the church has written to assure them that the Son of God was the flesh and blood person named Jesus. Jesus had claimed to be this Son of God and his bodily resurrection proved it.

The pastor of this church then told them that just as Jesus is the Son of God so too are we children of God. And as children we learn about God, grow into Christ, and show Christ to others the same way children learn about and grow into adults. Just as children imitate adults to learn and become one so too do we imitate Christ to learn more about and grow into him. Today we will see what we must do to grow into Christ. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our rock and redeemer.

1 John 3:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Evangelical churches in the United States believe strongly that Christians must love God because he loved us first. We love God by worshiping him. We love God by studying about him in Bible study. We love God by praying and meditating on scripture every day. We love God by growing his church and be bringing people to faith. The good news that evangelicals proclaim is that God loves us and so we must love God.

Mainline churches believe just as strongly that Christian must love their neighbor. Mainline Christian volunteer to feed the homeless. They bind up wounds of the injured, pray for the sick, and give clothes to those who need it. They work with their churches and government for social justice to provide for the needs of people. The good news mainline churches proclaim is that the God loves us and so we must love our neighbor.

This division has been with us since the early church. In the church of First John the group who left believed that God was a spirit and thus there was no need to care for flesh and blood people. All we had to do was believe. Those who remained in the church believed that God came to earth as Jesus in the flesh. To imitate him we must care for other flesh and blood people.

So what do we do? Do we spend our time in prayer and worship and Bible study to come closer to God? Or do we spend our time outside of the church helping those in need? The author of First John says there is no difference. There is only one command. And that one command is you must love both God and neighbor. It is not either love God or love others. It is love God and love others. You must do both.

Evangelical and mainline churches are both correct in part, but they only go half way. If you spend all your time loving God but neglecting the needs of others you are not following Christ. And if you are meeting the needs of others, but you are not enough spending time loving God with worship and prayer then you are not following Christ either. You must love God and love your neighbor.

And why are we to do this? We love God and our neighbor because that is what Jesus did. He laid down his life so that God would be glorified and people would live lives of fullness. We are not called to lay down our lives. But we are called to love God and our neighbors with all of our hearts, all of our souls and all of our minds.

But how can we do this? It's overwhelming! Well, the only way we could love God and love others that much is if we are first loved by God. And that is exactly what happens. God loves us first. We are filled with his sacrificial love. And then we are able to love God and the people God created fully.

The Apostle Paul put it this way in First Corinthians chapter 13.

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, 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.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

The reason God loves us is because by definition God is love. He made his love manifest for us by sending his son into the world. What binds the Father and Son together is love. The Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father. The bond of love between Father and Son is the Holy Spirit. The Son loves the Father by sending the Spirit. And the Fathers loves the Son by sending the Spirit. Our triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the trinity is held together by love. As children of God we are adopted into this Holy Family by loving God and loving one another.

And this is the message the author of First John sent to two groups who disagreed over doctrinal differences. God loves you. If you want to love God you must also love one another. Love must overcome differences in doctrine. The people who have left the church and people who remain must love God and love each other just as God loves them.

And what about us? God loves us. God hears our prayers. God wants us to live our lives to the fullest. To that end he sent Jesus Christ to us as a gift. He wants nothing in return. Out of gratitude we should love one another, love the people in our families and communities, and even love our enemies. If we love we get to know God better. If we love we become more and more like Christ. If we love we show Christ's love to a world in need. This is truly a full life of love.

 Let's pray. Father in heaven we thank you for the love you have given us. We thank you for the love you showed to us by sending your own son to die for us. We thank you Jesus for coming to earth and experiencing death so that we may experience life to the full. For all these reasons and with the help of the Holy Spirit we pledge to love you with worship and prayer and we pledge to love others by serving their needs. We thank you for the full life you have given us. Amen.