More Great Reasons To Live With Godly Love Series

More Great Reasons to Live with Godly Love

1 John 3:16-24

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Series: The First Epistle of John

(Prepared January 4, 2024)

BACKGROUND:

*Most of us here know that the Apostle John was a very old man by the time he wrote this letter. Bible scholars estimate that it was written between 85 and 100 A.D. By that time, John was living in Ephesus, a Roman city on the western edge of modern-day Turkey. Just as Jesus had prophesied, John's native land of Israel had been crushed by the Roman army. Jerusalem had fallen, the Temple had been destroyed, and Jewish national life had basically ended.

*Also by this time, false teachers were spreading poisonous lies in God's churches. Some denied the divinity of Christ. Others denied the humanity of Christ. And John denounced these false teachings in the strongest possible way. So, one of the greatest themes in this letter is the truth of the Gospel. (1)

*Another great theme is the life-changing power of Jesus Christ. God's only begotten Son can turn any sinner into a saint, if they will put their trust in Him by receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And one of the biggest changes is starting to live with godly love for others. That's the patient, merciful, sacrificial love that God has for us, and He wants us to have as Christians.

*God wants us to have this kind of agape love for our neighbors, for lost people, and even for our enemies, but the special focus in this letter is Christians loving one another. And we know that this is one of God's greatest priorities, because the Holy Spirit led John to use the original words 51 times this very short letter. Today we will see more great reasons why Christians should live with godly love. Please think about this as we read 1 John 3:16-24.

MESSAGE:

*If you are saved today, it happened in part because some other Christians loved you the same way that God loves us. Of course His love in infinitely greater, and we see this truth verses like John 3:16 where Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

*God has shown us His love in countless other ways, but we see it best of all in the cross of Jesus Christ. In today's Scripture John was talking about the cross in vs. 16 when he said, "By this we know love (that is, the love of God), because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

*John was talking about love without limits, and it is amazing in two ways. First and foremost is the amazing truth that God laid down His life for us! That the eternal Son of God was willing to humble himself to become a man, and die on the cross for our sins. Thank God for the cross! And thank God for the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

*Love without limits is amazing because God laid down His life for us! But it is also amazing, because John said, "We also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren!" One preacher said this means loving one another in a cross shaped way, and that's what God wants us to do. (2)

*Does God call us to literally die for each other? -- The answer is yes, if necessary, and millions of Christians have laid down their lives for one another. But in Luke 9:23 Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." And the Apostle John gave us an example of this sacrificial love here in vs. 17-18 where he wrote, "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."

*Every Christian should live with godly love! It's one of God's greatest priorities for our lives, and today's Scripture gives us more great reasons why.

1. FIRST: WE SHOULD LIVE WITH GODLY LOVE, BECAUSE IT GIVES US MORE ASSURANCE OF OUR SALVATION.

*We already saw this truth up in vs. 14 where John said, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death." All Christians should know that we are saved by God's grace through faith in our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ. But when we are saved, we will start living with godly love, and this agape love is one of the best assurances we can ever have of our salvation.