What’s Love Got to Do With It?
The following is a sermon manuscript, preached on January 1, 2023, at Trinity Community Church in Abington, PA.
Introduction
Remember back to our study in 1 John. John, the Apostle, the Disciple whom Jesus loved, is writing to his beloved Church because false teachers had crept in as well as people had left their church over doctrinal and theological heresy. This letter was written to encourage, affirm, and establish the church in orthodox theology, in steadfast faith, and in assurance of salvation. The Apostle John strongly and emphatically opposed the teaching of those who denied Jesus’s full humanity as well as his full Divinity. John shows the church that not all those who call themselves “Christians” are actually Christians, and John then describes what defines whether one is a Christian or not by asking: “What they believe concerning the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth” and “How do they live their according to this reality?”. This is Doctrine and Devotion.
In this portion of our text in 1st John: John is going to identify the main motivation of the Christian life and expose a key characteristic of the nature of God: Love.
Many of you know a little about my past, but some of you don’t. For those who don’t, I spent 4 years attached to a submarine. Out of those 4 years, I spent over 1.5 years underwater (not all at one time, thank goodness). When you are out to sea on a submarine, you don’t get any hugs from your wife, you don’t get any phone calls, and you don’t get any days off. (You get hours off, not days). So, as you might imagine a person can only watch so many re-runs of the John Wick/Jason Borne series, Pitch Perfect, or Frozen before you are ready to go home drink hot cocoa and watch some Hallmark or Lifetime movies. It was on one specific deployment that I sent an email to my wife expressing this desire. I told her once I got home, we would do this very thing.
Maybe you are asking yourself: Why Hallmark? Well, let me explain: There is something about knowing at the beginning of the movie how it will end. Every Hallmark movie I have ever seen always has some type of positive resolution where the man and the woman find their true love and live happily ever after. Through the course of the movie, the plot develops the characters and the concept of American love in some fashion. While in most of the stories, the adults act like giddy middle school children with each other where they don’t actually tell each other that they like each other. This usually results in some tension that is resolved when the other person picks up some subtle hints of their attraction. It is the actions of the characters that tell the story. It is the interactions of the characters that tell the story. It’s never point blank obvious from the get go.
Similar to the Hallmark movie characters, our lives tell a story. Our actions and our interactions tell others something about us, about our church, and about our God. Every person has a relation to God, there is no neutral ground. Therefore, one has to ask what that relationship is? Unlike the Hallmark movie, the Love that God defines, the love that God demonstrates, and the love that we reciprocate to God and each other is no middle school, 2nd hand emotion. This Love is Real, is Deep, and is independent of feelings.
As we study our text this morning, John the Apostle will help us see the true definition of Love. It’s a love defined by the character and nature of the Living Triune God. We will also see the way in which God demonstrated His love to us in Jesus Christ and His propitiation. Lastly, we will see how these realities motivate, even drive, you, the Christian, to reciprocate this love by the empowerment and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The first aspect of our text this morning that I would like to draw your attention to is the definition of love. It is not some 2ndhand emotion as Tina Turner would like you to believe. The definition of Love is established in the nature and character of God the Father, himself.
The Definition of Love – by the Father (7-8)
1. The origin of Love:
The break between verse 6 and verse 7 is not a clean break and a complete transition from one subject to another in the conversation that the Apostle is presenting. He is continuing this thought of the dichotomy between people of God and those who aren’t. So, we must consider that the command to love is connected in some way with the Spirit of Truth. That is why we strongly recognize that the origin of love is God, Himself. John is bringing to light the fact that Doctrine devoid (empty) of love is devoid of God, and devotion without doctrine is merely error at best (idolatry at worst). In order to carry out the command to love one another in the same context as obeying apostolic teachings handed down from God to us, we must understand that Love originates in God the Father.
This is because as John identifies in our text that God is love (vs. 8). Therefore, if one says that love is something other than what God has established it to be, he or she automatically takes away from the character or nature of God. You have devalued God by devaluing an aspect of Himself. This is why John says that whoever loves has been born of God and knows God because the natural man or the lost person has no ability to love truly (or rightly).
This might get a little confusing, but let me illustrate it this way: The natural man cannot love rightly because of their state of suppressing the knowledge of God that they live in. Therefore, they can only imitate what seems right as they have seen from Christians, but when they try to operate individually, they get it wrong a majority of times. Just think of the mantra “love is love”. There are so many misguided premises about this statement that apart from God being the origin of love setting the standard that defines love, anything would go. This is why first to know God is to experience love. One cannot experience love apart from God. One cannot experience God without experiencing love. That is why True love is rooted in an experiential knowledge of God.
2. True Love is rooted in a knowledge of God:
John continues his discussion to us showing that those who do not love, do not know God since this is an integral part of His character. If one doesn’t love, then it shows that they have not truly known God experientially. This is a question that we need to confront ourselves with: “Do I love God’s people?” If the answer is anything other than “Yes”, we need to check ourselves at the door. This does not mean that we cannot have differences of opinions or disagreements, but it does mean that we view others from the same perspective that God has shown to us, GRACE.
***The immense kindness that God has shown to us is an expression of love that obligates, motivates, and calibrates our love for others.***
The Holy Spirit through the inspiration of John states that those who lack love, lack God.
Here are some questions to consider: What does your life exhibit about you? Do you minimize your sin while maximizing other’s sins – Do you think of yourself as deserving of God’s salvation? Do you love other Christians? Does your character show the fruit of love? Do you struggle with seeing yourself as less in need of forgiveness than others? How has your life practically defined love through your actions – Does this meet the character qualities of Christ? These questions will reveal aspects of your heart that need to be dealt with.
3. The character of God as the definition of Love:
Now that we understand connection between the origin of love and its rootedness in God’s character as the right perspective of love, we must consider the definition of love from this aspect as well. Culture tells us a specific way to define love: either as an emotion (cf. Tina Turner), as an action, or as a personal preference; but these are insufficient definitions of love or misguided definitions. Any definition of love that is right cannot conflict with any other portion of God’s character. Think about how Paul presents the definition of love in:
a. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 - Love is identified by its actions:
i. Patient, kind, does not envy or boast, is not arrogant or rude, is not self-seeking, irritable, or resentful, does not rejoice at wrong doing, rejoices in truth...
None of the actions of love that Paul identifies for us contradict in any way, shape, or form the character of God. We even could potentially go as far as to replace “love” with Jesus and the passage would still be true. The point is that Love is an outflowing of the character of God that is holistically and intrinsically connected with all of His other attributes in complement and consistency.
For us to really grasp what love is, we need to think about it reflectively through the character of the Living God. When we act lovingly, we are acting Godly. How exactly does God demonstrate His love for us?
The Demonstration of Love – in the Son (Atonement) (9-10)
1. The Gospel of Jesus
God demonstrates His love for us by sending His only Son into the world that we might live through Him.
a. John 3:16-21 – John wrote on this demonstration of love in Chapter 3 of his Gospel where John states that God gave His Son, so that the world would have eternal life through the Son, so that the works of those who are in Christ are seen as works carried out in God.
This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that Jesus came to save sinners from sin so that sinners may through Jesus do works of truth in God. God, the creator of all things, subjected Himself to the broken creation by clothing Himself (the second person of the Trinity) in Human flesh and learned obedience through suffering that we might be redeemed from our sin, from the captivity of Satan, and be delivered from ourselves to become a new creature created in Christ for good works to the Glory of God. This is good news for us! This is how God demonstrates His love for us. It could also be said that God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. John is emphasizing this point because it is the self-sacrificial outflowing of God’s character that is love that drives us to love God and others.
Let us put it this way: it wasn’t our love for God that drove Christ to the cross, rather it was God’s love for us. Look at (vs.10) with me: Love demonstrated to us by God not because of us, but because God by sending the Son to be the propitiation (full atoning satisfaction of the Righteous requirement of the Law, i.e.- a perfect life; as well as a full endurance of the satisfaction of God’s holy justice and wrath poured out upon sin) in the Son of God.
Ephesians 2:1-7 – This is the love that God has demonstrated towards us by sending Jesus Christ into the world.
The definition of Love and the Demonstration of Love are the foundational requirements for us to reciprocate this Love to God and to fellow Christians.
The Reciprocation of Love – through the indwelling Holy Spirit (11-23)
1. The Greatest Love Demonstrated Deserves Mirroring (vs. 11)
Remember, we have been talking about Doctrine and Devotion. Through out this little letter which is super rich, God has been showing us a true and right Doctrine of Himself. Also, throughout this letter God has been commanding that we mirror His attributes in ourselves. There is an inextricable link between Doctrine and Devotion in that Doctrine is the foundational belief, understanding, and mindset while Devotion is the application of Doctrine. Love is instrumental in the methodology in the development and application of both Doctrine and Devotion. This is what John seems to have on his mind as he shows how the Definition of Love and the Demonstration of Love in Jesus sets the benchmark for our reciprocation of God’s love towards us in our relationships with each other. If God can love us while we were sinners and hated Him, but through grace selflessly sacrificed His Son in a death that you and I deserve; we have no excuse for not showing the same love, affection, and grace to each other. There is no offense someone can make against you that is a greater offense than the multiplicity of offenses you have accrued against our Holy, Living God.
This is not to diminish the reality of hurt from sins committed against you, believe me, I have my fair that I have endured and committed myself. However, the reality of the advent of Christ that we just celebrated leaves, neither me or you, any room for self-righteousness or smugness against another Christian. So how then should we live in this reality?
2. The Love of God Perfected in and with Us (vs. 12-21)
We should love one another! Since no one has seen God (vs. 12), We exhibit God through the aspect of the love that we have for one another. Just as Jesus said, “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father”. So, it is with God’s church, that as we image the love that God has given us individually with one another, we corporately image God. God is love. This isn’t a completely unblemished image, but it is a good image worth embodying. The fruit of this love is evidence of God dwelling in us. Just as Jesus told the Apostles: “They will know you are my disciples by the love you have one for another” (John 13:35). This is transformational for you and I.
This language of God abiding in His people harkens back to the imagery of the Shekinah glory filling the top of Mount Sinai, the Tabernacle, and the Temple. This is the image of the Spirit of God residing in our hearts and in our midst. John states this reality in (vs. 13). This is a love that perfects us. This is a love that unifies us. This type of love only is possible if God, himself, abides in us. This is not a trivial matter as you can see. God means this seriously.
The Holy Spirit aids us and helps us reciprocate this love towards one another. Also, the indwelling of the Spirit leads, guides, and enlightens our eyes to truths about God in us individually and in the corporate gathering. Remember (1John 4:2-3), the Holy Spirit of God enables others to testify of the fact that God, the Father, sent Jesus Christ in the flesh to be the savior of the world (vs. 14). Those who do not believe this, or confess something differently are not from God. The reality of this right confession shows, is evidence, or manifests that the confessor has God inside of him or her, and he or she is in God. This is not possible without the work of the Holy Spirit.
The reality of God dwelling in our hearts and motivating us by the works of the Holy Spirit really confirm the love that God has for us (vs. 15). It confirms that we are his. It provides assurance of our salvation. It unites us in and with God, and with each other. It also builds us up in confidence.
(vs. 17-20) The fact that we are in Christ and Christ is in us brings a satisfaction to our souls that is a like a cool glass of clean water on a hot, humid summer day. It is like a refreshing spring of life that bubbles like a never-ending fountain of sweet ice tea at a July bar-be-que. It quenches the thoughts of punishment relieving even the guiltiest of souls. It removes the death quenching fear, the fear that I get above 20ft where I can’t move a muscle, and gives us a freedom to live in communion and intimacy with God that no one else has had before the atonement of Christ. This is love perfected with us that we may have confidence in the day of judgement, that we need not to shrink back, but we joyfully expect good on that day because we are in the favor of God. Should we have a reverential fear? Yes, but that is not the type of fear that John is speaking of here. The fear that perfect love casts out is the fear of the punishment of sin. This fear is a fear that prevents action, that removes intimacy with God, and that incurs PTSD like an abused animal at the hands of a cruel handler.
If you are fearing God this way, let me encourage you to get together with another believer and grow in grace that you might see God and Christ more Biblically as to understand the depth of love and forgiveness that Christ has granted you as His child.
This, afraid-type-posture, is not the type of reaction God desires for His people because of the demonstration of love that He has provided in Jesus Christ. Thus, the more intimately we know Him the more assurance of our salvation we have. Consequently, the more we love each other corporately, the more that we understand that God is for us and not against us. The reality of the statement “Blessed and Highly Favored” is our reality in the truest sense. We are able to conduct ourselves in this world in a humble, but confident way as to bring honor and glory to God in our vocations, and other spheres because we know that as Christ is loved by the Father, so too are we. This is exciting and motivating: (vs. 19). We love because God has FIRST loved us.
This does come with a warning, and John does not sugarcoat it. (vs. 20) Actions reveal reality. In like manner with John’s command to test the spirits, is the reality that those who say they love God, but hate their brother is a liar. John shows the illogicalness and stupidity of such a confession coupled with evil action. It is not possible to love God whom you have not seen and hate your brother (created in the Image of the invisible God) whom you have seen. This is not a thing. It is “sus”. So, for those who have this confession, their action ought to match their words. Otherwise, they be sus. They might not be who their words say they are…?
So, let me ask you where you are today with reciprocating the love that God demonstrated towards you:
Are you loving others self-sacrificially in the likeness that God has loved you? Do you have communion and intimacy with God and with God’s people? Do you have a warped perception of God that breeds anxiety expecting punishment instead of having confidence considering the judgement of Christ? Do you love God’s people properly? Where can you improve? In what areas of your life is repentance required?
As we conclude: To sum everything up into one statement (vs. 21): If you love God, you must also love your brothers and sisters. So, what does love got to do with it? Everything – It is not a 2nd hand emotion or a Hallmark story! Your actions tell the story of the reality you live inside of. They tell who you really are. Your actions reveal the true nature of your heart.
God by His attributes defines love not our culture or anything else; God in His Son demonstrates love through the atonement – the Gospel; God empowers us through His Holy Spirit and commands us to reciprocate His love unto each other. Trust in Jesus Christ and Let Us Commit This New Year’s Day to Walk Together in Love with One Another Today and Evermore.
This is the Word of the Lord, Thanks Be to God!
