Study of 1 John

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Let’s Pray for God to speak through this message.

How we know what Love is

Right away John hits us with a truth that we need to be reminded of on a constant basis in my opinion.

1 John 3:16 NIV

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

I think it is very fitting that this is verse ended up receiving the designation of the chapter and verse it did. The love of Jesus Christ is expressed in two different John 3:16. I always wonder if that was done very purposefully by the original translators who began numbering the Bible.

Like did they sit there and think. Oh, we should totally make these work out perfectly. Let’s make this work out so people are like.

John 3:16 NIV

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 3:16 NIV

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

This is how we know what love is, God loves the world so much...

It is a beautiful feature that is amazing to think about even if it was done on purpose because it reminds us of the truth that this passage has for us.

The Cross

The Cross is the most magnificent expression of love that we have. It is this action and reminder that we need on a regular because it points us to how we are to treat each other.

Jesus was willing to bear the sins of the many. It is through this action that we see how God defines Love. Love is self sacrificing. In fact Jesus take this idea of self sacrifice to the point of death. We must be mindful of this point because it is here that we find the example that Jesus sets for us.

For Jesus love moves beyond just a word or a thought it moves to Action...

Love is Active

One of the great challenges that we face is that we must remember that love is an active things in our lives. It was this idea that had me thinking about my thoughts on a lot of things. We talked about earlier the need for the carpet in the church. It is one of these things that it is challenging to discuss because well for a variety of reasons.

The first is that it is a struggle because man its a lot of money. You have those struggles of like can we be okay without it. As I was praying about this before I brought it to the board God reminded me about somethings I learned working in retail.

The 5 Ps

Proper planning prevents poor performance.

We used this all the time when it came to talking about anything that might be coming down the road. We used this to develop an attitude of being proactive instead of Reactive. If we wait to long on the carpet the idea that someone might get hurt becomes a reality as it becomes dangerous as a tripping hazard. If we wait too long now we have to come up with the money a lot faster than we did before. That is a difficult thought. Instead we are being active in pursuing this and planning and giving ourselves the opportunity to be faithful and prevent potential harm at the same time being good stewards.

Now I know you might be saying what does this have to do with the idea love being Active?

Love is Active

The truth is love is Active but not Reactive. The love we are supposed to have for each other as Christians is not supposed to be a love that is only reactive. It is supposed to be active and working constantly. It is in the fellowship of believers that we find this love and connection to each other.

This is the challenging part for all of us though because it means that we have to get into the difficult parts of church. One of the biggest challenges we face is that we want to private and a part of church. Yet, this is not what we are called to. How else are we supposed to live up to things like this...

1 John 3:17–18 NIV

17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

How can we help one another if we do not be active in our love for one another. To be active in love with other and to know what others need we can’t be isolated. How can we help our brothers or sisters in Christ if we don’t share what is going on.

Now to the second difficult thing that comes with this.

Generosity

When it comes to our fellow believers we have to be generous. We need to have a heart that is willing to help one another. Yes, and at times this may require us to be sacrificial when it comes to support. We might have to give up our time to go sit with people in illness. We might have to give up of our finances to help one another. WE might have to invest our emotions and risk getting hurt at times or experiencing the emotions of others.

Now some of us may face the challenge of people need to earn their own or take care of themselves. Why should I help? I don’t need to help others.

This is a common challenge that many people will hear when it comes to helping others, especially financially, yet is that what our response is suppose to be.

I think the real truth comes in the fact that if we are in relationship together we come to the truth that we can’t see people we love hurting and suffering and we will do what we need to help.

Suddenly those financial concerns aren’t as big of a deal.

Yet, does that mean we can’t be responsible and challenge each other when things are going rough and it is caused by our own doing?

Example. One of us is struggling finacially but are making poor life choices like living outside of their means. I think we have foundation for that when it comes to passages like this.

1 Thessalonians 4:9–12 NIV

9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

We are called to be responsible and diligent with all aspects of our lives. We shouldn’t be dependent on others. Yet, don’t mistake this to say.

See the Bible says everyone is supposed to work so i don’t have to help.

No, we were taught first to love and we recognize that love comes with sacrifice and we at times will need to help one another.

There is one other part of this passage that we need to look at this morning.

1 John 3:19–24 NIV

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

The Condemned Heart

When I first read this part of the passage i was amazed by this idea of the condemned heart. Have you ever felt that way even when you are living in a manner that many would say is pleasing to God. You might say things like this.

I hope I am doing right by God?

I hope i have been living how he wants me to?

Am I really enough?

Now you could be saying these things from two points of view.

If you are saying them because you know there is open sin in your lives then we need to deal with that and your heart condemns you because well you need to hear the truth.

Than for those of us who may be overly hard on themselves I am hear to tell you that.

1 John 3:20 NIV

20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

God knows who you are and what you do. His grace is enough for us. God’s Love for us is greater than the anxiety, uncertianty of our hearts.

It is this love that we are reminded that we can stand before Him confident in who we are and that his love is enough. IT is his love that pushes us to show love to our brothers and sisters in christ and it is his love for us that brings us to the point that when we seek him and his help we are focused on the things God wants for us not on our own earthly desires.

God’s Love in Action

God’s love for us is still in action. It didn’t end when Jesus left. It lives on in us through the work of the Holy Spirit. it is here that we find this confidence and we know That God is for us not against us. He desires to work and move in us if we let him.

How is God working on you right now?

What do you need to give to him?

Is there some Sin in your life you need to turn to him?

Is there aspects of your life that you have fear or uncertainty?

We must never forget. That God is for us.

When we embrace this truth the dread and fear of life disappears because we know that God has us. It is this same thought that drives us to love for one another.