In this section of Scripture, the key verse is verse 6. John tells us that as followers of Jesus, we should aspire to live like Him. But what does a Christ-like life look like? John says a Christ-like life is characterized by one primary virtue - Love!
This shouldn't surprise us at all, since John tells us that "God is love" (1 John 4:16). Paul said all the requirements of the law are fulfilled by the life of love (Romans 13:10). In fact, Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22-23, that a life characterized by love is a life which transcends any requirements of any law anyone could devise!
So John tells us that if we are to live like our Lord, love will be the chief characteristic of our life. But how will love be expressed when we live like our Lord?
1. Our life will express love for God - vs. 3-6
How? Through our devotion to His Word (v. 5a).
There are three things involved in obeying the Word of God -
A. We must love it.
Why should we love God's word? Because through it we come to know better the one who loved us enough to give Himself for our sake!
In the May 23,1991 edition of the Houston Chronicle, a story was told about Joyce Simpson, an Atlanta fashion designer, who claimed to receive an answer to her prayers in the middle of a fork full of Pizza Hut's spaghetti. She had prayed for a divine sign to help her decide on whether to stay in the church choir or quit and sing professionally. While driving past the billboard she claimed to have seen Michelangelo's version of Christ's face in strands of spaghetti hanging from a fork. To her, it meant she should stay in the choir.
Fortunately for Joyce, she saw Jesus. Other people claimed it looked like deceased rock star Jim Morrison, a puppet or Willie Nelson.
Listen, the only sure revelation of Jesus Christ is the Word of God! That's why we should love it!
B. We must learn it.
If we're to know Christ better, we need to learn more of His Word.
"The Scriptures point to me!" - John 5:39b (NLT)
Because it is through God's Word that we come to know Christ better, we should make every effort to learn it!
In his book, Know Why You Believe, Paul Little observes that . . . "It is interesting to note that many widely quoted books are read by title only. Three that come to mind are the Bible, Origin Of Species, and Das Kapital. People, speaking with confidence, claim a certain book as the authority for their viewpoint. But when you pin them down, you find that they have really only read the first few pages."
It's interesting that he lists the Bible along with Origin Of Species and Das Kapital. He is saying the typical Christian is as ignorant about the Bible as the typical person is ignorant of books like Origin Of Species and Das Kapital. How about you? Are you among those who has only read the first 50 pages?
"We say we love the Word of God, we say we know it's true. We quote a passage here or there, but never read it through."
When you study the Bible "hit or miss" you're likely to miss more than you hit!
C. We must live it -
It's one thing to love God's Word and learn God's Word, but that's not enough to show we love God. If we love God, we must go on to live it!
Christians like to argue over which version of the Bible is best. Some like the King James version, others the New International Version or the New American Standard Version. But too many prefer the Reversed Standard Version. When we read God's Word and recognize a call for change, we reverse direction and back away from God's call.
Unless we're willing to make what changes might be required to obey God's Word, anything we say about loving God is merely lip service!
2. Our life will express love for others - vs. 6-11
How? Through the distinctiveness of our walk (v. 5b-6).
A. The nature of our love for others - v. 6; 1 John 3:16
The way that we love others when we are living like our Lord is that we will lay down our life for their sake!
B. The need for our loving others like Jesus loves us - vs. 7-8
This command is old, yet is it is new. How can this be?
It is old as far as the Lord's Word is concerned (Leviticus 19:18)!
It is new as far as a lost world is concerned (v. 8b).
This love is something the world knows nothing about! It seeks to meet the needs of others rather than meeting its own needs; concerns itself with the rights of others rather than its own rights; thinks of serving others rather than being served; seeks to give rather than to receive; and is sacrificial rather than selfish.
In A Book Of Saints, Anne Gordon tells about Father Maximillian Kolbe, a prisoner at Auschwitz in August 1941. A prisoner escaped from the camp, and in reprisal the Nazis ordered ten prisoners to die by starvation. Kolbe offered to take the place of one of the condemned men. He was kept in the starvation bunker two weeks and then put him to death by lethal injection on August 14, 1941.
Thirty years later, a survivor described the effect of Kolbe's action: "It was an enormous shock to the whole camp. We became aware that someone among us in this spiritual dark night of the soul was raising the standard of love on high." He spoke of how Kolbe's sacrifice gave them hope to carry on, as Kolbe's sacrifice, he said, "became for us a mighty explosion of light in that dark camp."
While Father Kolbe made a dramatic sacrifice for others, we are to make daily sacrifices for others. That's part of what's involved in "taking up our cross daily" (Luke 9:23; 1 John 3:16). As we live this way, a dark world will know more of the light of God's love!
C. The necessity of our living by love - vs. 10-11
1) As we live by love we know the way to go - v. 11
Paul made it clear that Christ-like love for others is a factor which can guide us in the decisions of life.
"Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought." - Phil. 2:1-5 (Easy to Read)
Lee Iacocca once asked legendary football coach Vince Lombardi what it took to make a winning team. Lombardi said, "There are a lot of good coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still don't win the game. Then you come to the third ingredient: if you're going to play together as a team, you've got to care for one another. You've got to love each other. Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and saying to himself, 'If I don't block that man, Paul is going to get his legs broken. I have to do my job well in order that he can do his.' The difference between mediocrity and greatness is the feeling these guys have for each other."
2) As we live by love we show the way to go - v. 10
"The Troubles" is the name given to the conflict in Northern Ireland during the 20th century. It began in the late 60s amid a campaign to end discrimination against the Catholic/nationalist minority by the Protestant-dominated government and police. Violence escalated after the campaign, leading to The Troubles which lasted for three decades.
During this time, some militants in the North attacked a home in the South, killing a father and his 12 year old son; but the mother lived. Later, one man was sent back to finish the job. So he broke into the home and lay in wait under the woman's bed. That evening, the woman returned from a prayer meeting where fellow believers had gathered around and prayed for her. She tossed her Bible on the bed and prepared for the night. She knelt and prayed, thanking God for the support of her church family and saying, "Lord, it's so hard, but please bless the man who killed my family!" The man hiding under the bed rolled out from underneath and said, "I'm the one who did it!" That evening, she led him to Christ.
Such is the power of Christ-like love for others!
Conclusion:
The world is truly more interested in what we practice than in what we profess! May you and I live in such a way so that when we tell someone we are a Christian, it will confirm their suspicions instead of surprising them!
May they know we are Christians by our love. As expressed for God through obedience to His word and expressed for others through a distinctive, loving Christ-like walk.
