[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 26th of July, 2015, after being on vacation last week. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
I’ve had reason the last few weeks to give thought to what it means to love someone else. I’m not talking about the kind of love between married couples or parents and children or family members for each other, although even those are sometimes difficult to maintain. No, my thoughts swirled around how to love as Jesus would have us love.
And as I prayed and pondered over all this, the Holy Spirit led me to John’s 1st letter to the early church, and what he had to share with those first Christians. Listen and follow along as I read from the New Living Translation of 1st John, chapter 4, verses 7 through 13 and 19 through 21…
And as I prayed and pondered over all this, the Holy Spirit led me to John’s 1st letter to the early church, and what he had to share with those first Christians. Listen and follow along as I read from the New Living Translation of 1st John, chapter 4, verses 7 through 13 and 19 through 21…
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. 10 This is real love — not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us.
19 We love each other because He loved us first.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
--1 John 4:7-13, 19-21 (NLT)
Let us pray… Heavenly Father, You would think we know a great deal about love considering how many songs and movies and books center on it. But Lord, loving others as You love us is difficult to grasp and carry out for so many. Speak to us this morning Your message of love that we might better understand it’s true meaning. In the grace-filled name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
One of my favorite comic strips is “Peanuts”, and I like it so much because it very often puts everyday normal life events and experiences into proper perspective. Such is the case when Peppermint Patty exclaimed to Charlie Brown in exasperation: “You know what I don’t understand? I don’t understand love!” Charlie Brown shrugged and replied, “Who does?” Patty pleaded, “Explain love to me, Charlie Brown.” Charlie replied, “You can’t explain love. I can recommend a book or a poem or a painting, but I can’t explain love.” Patty said, “Well try, Charlie Brown. Try.”
So Charlie Brown begins, “Well, let’s say I see this beautiful, cute little girl walk by.” Peppermint Patty interrupts: “Why does she have to be cute? Huh? Why can’t someone fall in love with someone with freckles and a big nose? Explain that!” Charlie stammers, “Well, maybe you are right. Let’s just say I saw this girl walk by with this great big nose…” Patty interrupts again: “I didn’t say a GREAT BIG NOSE!!!” Charlie throws up his hands and says, “You not only can’t explain love, you can’t even talk about it.”
[Based on 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking by Michael Hodgin, page 215, #553, “Can’t Talk About Love”.]
There’s a lot of truth in that. Sometimes it seems we can’t talk about love. Our own perceptions and sensitivities get in the way. We too easily become hurt or offended. And finally we just give up the attempt.
And trying to explain love, as Charlie Brown found out, is almost impossible. It’s sort of like “good art”… we may not be able to define it, but we know it when we see it. Sometimes, though, I wonder if we even know love when we do see it.
I love verses 7 and 8 of our reading this morning. In this, the Apostle John tells us that not only does love come from God our Father, but that God is love.
The word most often translated as “love” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word “agape”, which is characterized by self-sacrifice. Agape is not romantic or sexual love. It does not refer to close friendships or brotherly love.
Charity can be seen as an aspect of agape, when it indeed involves self-sacrifice – the phrase “giving ‘til it hurts” puts charity into the agape mold. The King James Version of our Bible even sometimes uses charity interchangeably with love – the best example of this can be seen by reading 1 Corinthians 13 in both the King James Version and the New King James Version, side by side.
But agape is much more than just charity. It is love that is from and of God, because, as verse 8 affirms, God is love. And God’s love is most clearly evident at the cross.
Verse 9 points to an example of how God loves us. We’re all familiar with John 3:16 as an expression of God’s love, with Him sending His only Son into the world so that the world might not perish. Well, I think the next verse, John 3:17, further emphasizes that love and shows God’s mercy and grace as well…
One of my favorite comic strips is “Peanuts”, and I like it so much because it very often puts everyday normal life events and experiences into proper perspective. Such is the case when Peppermint Patty exclaimed to Charlie Brown in exasperation: “You know what I don’t understand? I don’t understand love!” Charlie Brown shrugged and replied, “Who does?” Patty pleaded, “Explain love to me, Charlie Brown.” Charlie replied, “You can’t explain love. I can recommend a book or a poem or a painting, but I can’t explain love.” Patty said, “Well try, Charlie Brown. Try.”
So Charlie Brown begins, “Well, let’s say I see this beautiful, cute little girl walk by.” Peppermint Patty interrupts: “Why does she have to be cute? Huh? Why can’t someone fall in love with someone with freckles and a big nose? Explain that!” Charlie stammers, “Well, maybe you are right. Let’s just say I saw this girl walk by with this great big nose…” Patty interrupts again: “I didn’t say a GREAT BIG NOSE!!!” Charlie throws up his hands and says, “You not only can’t explain love, you can’t even talk about it.”
[Based on 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking by Michael Hodgin, page 215, #553, “Can’t Talk About Love”.]
There’s a lot of truth in that. Sometimes it seems we can’t talk about love. Our own perceptions and sensitivities get in the way. We too easily become hurt or offended. And finally we just give up the attempt.
And trying to explain love, as Charlie Brown found out, is almost impossible. It’s sort of like “good art”… we may not be able to define it, but we know it when we see it. Sometimes, though, I wonder if we even know love when we do see it.
I love verses 7 and 8 of our reading this morning. In this, the Apostle John tells us that not only does love come from God our Father, but that God is love.
The word most often translated as “love” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word “agape”, which is characterized by self-sacrifice. Agape is not romantic or sexual love. It does not refer to close friendships or brotherly love.
Charity can be seen as an aspect of agape, when it indeed involves self-sacrifice – the phrase “giving ‘til it hurts” puts charity into the agape mold. The King James Version of our Bible even sometimes uses charity interchangeably with love – the best example of this can be seen by reading 1 Corinthians 13 in both the King James Version and the New King James Version, side by side.
But agape is much more than just charity. It is love that is from and of God, because, as verse 8 affirms, God is love. And God’s love is most clearly evident at the cross.
Verse 9 points to an example of how God loves us. We’re all familiar with John 3:16 as an expression of God’s love, with Him sending His only Son into the world so that the world might not perish. Well, I think the next verse, John 3:17, further emphasizes that love and shows God’s mercy and grace as well…
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
--John 3:17 (NKJV)
Jesus is God, and His great love for us is manifested in His allowing Himself to be sacrificed on our behalf. But Jesus did not willingly go to the cross just for Christians. He did not die just so the Jews might have a chance of being saved. No, God gave us His only begotten Son that whosoever might believe in Him would have everlasting life! Whosoever! That means anyone – not just Christians, not just all the folks who try really hard to do what the Lord would have us do.
Jesus died for anyone and everyone that might come to believe in Him as the Son of God, turn from their sinful ways, and follow and serve Him as their Lord and Master. Jesus died for sinners, for all sinners. It’s up to the sinner to choose to return the great love He showed us by that huge sacrifice. He loved us first.
Throughout His three year ministry, Jesus made it quite clear what He expects of us. He should have left no doubt, as often as He said it. But some of us have a tough time carrying out His wishes in this regard. Again we can turn to the Apostle John’s Gospel account, chapter 13 verse 34, for one of those times Jesus gave us this command…
Jesus died for anyone and everyone that might come to believe in Him as the Son of God, turn from their sinful ways, and follow and serve Him as their Lord and Master. Jesus died for sinners, for all sinners. It’s up to the sinner to choose to return the great love He showed us by that huge sacrifice. He loved us first.
Throughout His three year ministry, Jesus made it quite clear what He expects of us. He should have left no doubt, as often as He said it. But some of us have a tough time carrying out His wishes in this regard. Again we can turn to the Apostle John’s Gospel account, chapter 13 verse 34, for one of those times Jesus gave us this command…
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
--John 13:34 (NKJV)
He loved us first, and He expects us to love each other just like He loves us. That’s a pretty clear directive, isn’t it? There’s no way we can mistake His intentions, is there? Then why do we have so much trouble carrying out this instruction? I can’t help but feel that it’s because we don’t really understand what it means to love someone as He would have us love them. Like Peppermint Patty, we need someone to explain it to us a little better. But rather than ask Charlie Brown, let’s go to Jesus Himself and what He might provide.
Do you remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? That’s one most people are familiar with, how the hated Samaritan helped the injured Jew after other Jews, including a religious leader, passed him by. The story can be found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 25 through 37.
In my opinion, Jesus uses this parable to provide us with an excellent explanation by example of what He means to love others, an example of sacrificial love, of agape. Here He shows us we should be willing to sacrifice for the sake of others, even for those who might care nothing at all for us, even for those who might hate us and wish us harm.
Do we angrily rail at homosexuals and our government for legalizing same-sex marriage across our land, or do we use that action to open dialogues with others about the life-changing effect on a person that comes with accepting Jesus as Lord and Master? Do we curse ISIS and radical Muslims for their horrible deeds and the evil they spread, or do we pray that our merciful Father God will forgive them and touch them in that very special way to soften their hearts and allow them to know Jesus and escape from their misguided beliefs? Do we turn the other cheek when we’re offended, or do we strike back? Do we forgive as we are forgiven?
Think of the church and the families of those so heartlessly slain at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. How did they react to that terrible tragedy? What was their response to the shooter? Family, those good folk live and practice the love that Jesus requires of us. Love without conditions. Love without qualifications. Love without ifs. Just like He loves us. And He loved us first.
Folks, as verse 10 of our message text says, this is real love – not that we love God, but that He loves us. So since He does love us this much, as verse 11 points out, the least we can do is to love each other. And if the parable of the Good Samaritan isn’t a good and timely enough example for us, we can use the people of Emanuel AME Church as our role models.
Then the beauty of verse 12 will come to pass, and God’s love will be brought to full reality within us. His Spirit living within us is the proof of His love, the reminder to us of Jesus’ sacrifice, the gift of His mercy and grace. And all because He loved us first.
But verse 20 cautions us to be truthful in our hearts. If we feel hatred toward another person, if we hold any resentment or grudge or misgiving against another, then we must not truly love God and Jesus.
I really believe Jesus wants this applied to all mankind, not just those who believe in Him, because He never made any distinction in His own words. And even John goes on to wonder how we could ever claim to love God, whom we can’t see with our own eyes and have to accept on faith, when we don’t really love those people all around us every day that we can see and touch and react to.
Jesus puts no conditions on love. He shows no discrimination between believer and non-believer, nor between sinner and saint. He simply wants us to love one another, as He loves us. Because He loved us first.
Amen.
Let us pray… Lord God, loving others should be such an easy task for us. We speak so often of love. We write books and poems about it. We sing songs and watch movies centered on it. We so easily love those closest to us in our lives, and we even love certain things. So Father, why do we have so much trouble loving others, all others? You command us to love all, not just those who look and feel and think and act like us. Jesus makes no exceptions when He orders us to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is unconditional love. This is what our Lord Jesus commands. This is what You want of us. And this is what we have so much trouble with.
Help us, Lord, to be more loving. Help us to look past their actions, their beliefs, their thoughts, and to look at the person as one of Your most treasured creations. Help us to look at them as You look at us. This is simply an application of that Golden Rule we learned as children, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Lord, Jesus, please help us see others as You see us. Help us treat them as we ourselves prefer to be treated. Help us love them as You love them.
Hear us now, please Lord, as we speak to You softly from our hearts, repenting of our own sin before accusing others of sin, pleading for Your mercy and Your help…
Father God, Your holy word tells us we become more like Jesus as we follow Him and serve Your will. Please help us become more like our gracious Savior in how He loves, that we might love others as He does, as He loves us. This in the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Do you remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? That’s one most people are familiar with, how the hated Samaritan helped the injured Jew after other Jews, including a religious leader, passed him by. The story can be found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 25 through 37.
In my opinion, Jesus uses this parable to provide us with an excellent explanation by example of what He means to love others, an example of sacrificial love, of agape. Here He shows us we should be willing to sacrifice for the sake of others, even for those who might care nothing at all for us, even for those who might hate us and wish us harm.
Do we angrily rail at homosexuals and our government for legalizing same-sex marriage across our land, or do we use that action to open dialogues with others about the life-changing effect on a person that comes with accepting Jesus as Lord and Master? Do we curse ISIS and radical Muslims for their horrible deeds and the evil they spread, or do we pray that our merciful Father God will forgive them and touch them in that very special way to soften their hearts and allow them to know Jesus and escape from their misguided beliefs? Do we turn the other cheek when we’re offended, or do we strike back? Do we forgive as we are forgiven?
Think of the church and the families of those so heartlessly slain at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. How did they react to that terrible tragedy? What was their response to the shooter? Family, those good folk live and practice the love that Jesus requires of us. Love without conditions. Love without qualifications. Love without ifs. Just like He loves us. And He loved us first.
Folks, as verse 10 of our message text says, this is real love – not that we love God, but that He loves us. So since He does love us this much, as verse 11 points out, the least we can do is to love each other. And if the parable of the Good Samaritan isn’t a good and timely enough example for us, we can use the people of Emanuel AME Church as our role models.
Then the beauty of verse 12 will come to pass, and God’s love will be brought to full reality within us. His Spirit living within us is the proof of His love, the reminder to us of Jesus’ sacrifice, the gift of His mercy and grace. And all because He loved us first.
But verse 20 cautions us to be truthful in our hearts. If we feel hatred toward another person, if we hold any resentment or grudge or misgiving against another, then we must not truly love God and Jesus.
I really believe Jesus wants this applied to all mankind, not just those who believe in Him, because He never made any distinction in His own words. And even John goes on to wonder how we could ever claim to love God, whom we can’t see with our own eyes and have to accept on faith, when we don’t really love those people all around us every day that we can see and touch and react to.
Jesus puts no conditions on love. He shows no discrimination between believer and non-believer, nor between sinner and saint. He simply wants us to love one another, as He loves us. Because He loved us first.
Amen.
Let us pray… Lord God, loving others should be such an easy task for us. We speak so often of love. We write books and poems about it. We sing songs and watch movies centered on it. We so easily love those closest to us in our lives, and we even love certain things. So Father, why do we have so much trouble loving others, all others? You command us to love all, not just those who look and feel and think and act like us. Jesus makes no exceptions when He orders us to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is unconditional love. This is what our Lord Jesus commands. This is what You want of us. And this is what we have so much trouble with.
Help us, Lord, to be more loving. Help us to look past their actions, their beliefs, their thoughts, and to look at the person as one of Your most treasured creations. Help us to look at them as You look at us. This is simply an application of that Golden Rule we learned as children, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Lord, Jesus, please help us see others as You see us. Help us treat them as we ourselves prefer to be treated. Help us love them as You love them.
Hear us now, please Lord, as we speak to You softly from our hearts, repenting of our own sin before accusing others of sin, pleading for Your mercy and Your help…
Father God, Your holy word tells us we become more like Jesus as we follow Him and serve Your will. Please help us become more like our gracious Savior in how He loves, that we might love others as He does, as He loves us. This in the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment