2015-02-22
Pastor Jonathan Falwell
Memory Verse:
1 John 3:23
“And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”
Last week, we talked about God’s amazing love. To recap briefly…
Part 1: God’s Love And Its Impact On Us
1. He loves us as His own – think of it, God considers us His children.
2. He hasn’t even begun to show us how much. As great as God’s love is today, it’s nowhere near what it will be one day.
3. His love should change us, so what should we do?
– Purity within
– Purity in our relationships with others
Today, let’s move to the second part of 1 John 3 and talk about the way God’s love for us and within us should impact those around us.
1 John 3:11
“This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them. 16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person 18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. 23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.”
1. Loving others is commanded by God
11 “This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.”
2. Love is a sign of the transformed life
14 “If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.”
3. Love is a verb
18 “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.”
4. Your love for others is the path to experience God’s perfect plan for you
24 “Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.”