Love One Another Series

***It should be noted that the outline is one that was adapted from another preacher...however, the points have been changed and so the content is (to my knowledge), original.

TEXT: 1st John 3:11-24

TITLE: REAL love

SERIES: Letters from John

TOPIC: Love

OCCASION: Burnside Christian Church, Feb 20, 2011

PROP.: John gives us some insight into what it looks like to LOVE ONE ANOTHER

INTRODUCTION: Good morning! Our text is John 3:11-24.

Today we continue in our sermon series called Letters from John. Remember where we left off last week? John was describing what it looks like to be considered a CHILD OF GOD. Verse 1 of chapter three says:

1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

And last week we ended with verse 10. A Child of God is busy doing the works of their God. What are the works of our God? Verse 10 - do what’s right. Love your brother.

And so today, John is going to tell us what it looks like to love your brother.

ILLUSTRATION: A girl gave a photo to a boy she was dating with this inscription on the back: “Dear Johnny, the last two weeks have been the best of my whole life. I will love you as long as the stars shine and until the oceans run dry. Love Susan. Ps (If we break up, I want this picture back)

We know what love ISN’T. If I was to ask you to tell me what REAL LOVE is, could you do it?

T.S.: In our text this morning, the disciple whom Jesus loved, understood what real love is all about. And he is going to give us some insight into what REAL LOVE looks like.

Let’s read our text today:

11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

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. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For 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 obey 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 Those who obey his commands live 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.

1st of all, John tells us that

I. Real love is counter intuitive (vs. 11-13)

Listen again to verses 11-13

11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

You see, John is reminding us of the command…of the message that Jesus Christ taught first taught John: Love one another.

A. to love is a choice!

Real love is counter-intuitive. A person with real love is someone who loves when there is nothing received in return. A person with real love is someone who loves another person who isn’t easy to love or deserving of love. To love someone when you don’t FEEL like it is counter intuitive! I mean, that’s why it’s commanded! Love runs contrary to our emotions a lot of times, doesn’t it?

You see, people believe that love is an emotion. But it’s more than that. You must CHOOSE to love. Listen to Jesus’ words in Luke 6. Starting with verse 24. Jesus is going to command us to love…and it’s going to be difficult!