Christians: We Must Love One Another!
1 John 2:7-11
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Series: The First Epistle of John
(Prepared November 25, 2023)
MESSAGE:
*Christians: Are you walking in the light of God's love?
*Somewhere, I have an old cartoon where the pastor is closing out the service. There's another man on the platform sitting next to the preacher. The man's name was George, and you could tell George was really, really grumpy. His face looked like he had just eaten the sourest pickle in the world. And the preacher said, "Remember, God loves you. I love you. -- And Brother George is still working on it."
*Well, when it comes to walking in the light of God's love, I've got to say, "I'm still working on it. And thank God, He is still working on me." I know I'm not alone.
*Stanley Jones was a great missionary to India, and at age 83, he wrote his autobiography. In the introduction, Stanley wrote these words: "The best that I can say about myself is that I'm a Christian in the making, not yet made, but in the making at age 83. So, I face the future with confidence and even with joy. I am persuaded that the so-called end is really just the beginning in Jesus Christ He is Lord of the past, the Lord of the present, and the Lord of the future!" (1)
*Church: As long as we are in this world, we can count on the fact that God is still working in us to make us more and more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's why Philippians 2:12-13 Paul said: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."
*God is still working in our hearts to help us walk in the light of His love. So in today's Scripture, John gives us an old commandment, a new commandment, and a life-changing commandment. But it turns out that they are all the same commandment from Jesus: That is for us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
*Here John was looking back to a commandment the Lord gave His Disciples on the night before Jesus suffered and died on the cross for our sins. In John 13:34-35 Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. As I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.''
*John did not write this commandment in his first letter. But he did in 2 John 1:5 where the Apostle said, "And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another."
1. AND GOD WANTS US TO KNOW THAT THIS IS AN OLD COMMANDMENT.
*We see this truth in vs. 7 where John said, "Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
*From a human point of view, the love commandment was a little old, because about 60 years had gone by since Jesus first spoke those words. But really, it's a timeless commandment, because in the very next verse John calls it "a new commandment." So how can we understand the oldness of God's love commandment?
[1] FIRST: IT’S OLD IN AN ETERNAL WAY.
*One of the great things that we learn from this short letter is that "God is love." 1 John 4:8 says, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." And 1 John 4:16 says, "We have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."
*God is love, and He always has been. God was love in eternity past, so this love commandment is in a sense, as old as He is. It's old in an eternal way.
[2] BUT CHURCH: IT’S ALSO OLD IN AN ETHICAL WAY.
*In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment. There, God's Word says:
34. But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
36. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?''
37. Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38. This is the first and great commandment.
39. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
40. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.''
*Love your neighbor as yourself. It is one of God’s two most important commandments. And it was given to Moses in Leviticus 19:18 where the LORD said, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." The Lord’s love commandment is old in an ethical way.
[3] AND IT'S OLD IN AN ENCOURAGING WAY.
*In vs. 7 John tells us that the love commandment is something that we "have had from the beginning," and the "word which (we) heard from the beginning." God wanted us to know from the beginning what was required of us, so this godly love has always been part of basic Christian doctrine.
*And there is something encouraging here about the character of our God. You see, God is not going to change the rules on us. He is not going to pull the rug out from under us. God is not trying to trap us or trick us, and that’s encouraging. That's why the Lord’s love commandment is old in an encouraging way.
[4] AND IT'S OLD IN AN ENDURING WAY.
*The love commandment has been good enough to stand the test of time. Think about a business. Sometimes they want us to know that we can count on them, because they’ve been around for a while. They have stood the test of time, so they get a sign that says, "Established in 1923," or something like that.
*That's pretty impressive. They’ve stood the test of time. It's just not the same when the sign says, "Established in 2023," right? But God's love was established before the beginning of time, and God's love will stand forever. Most everything else around us will fade away. But God's love will last forever! And we must love one another, because God has given us this old commandment.
2. BUT GOD WANTS US TO KNOW THAT LOVING ONE ANOTHER IS ALSO A NEW COMMANDMENT.
*We see this truth in vs. 8, where John said, "Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining." The new commandment is the same as the old commandment: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. The love commandment truly is timeless, because it’s both old and new at the same time. But how is it new?
[1] FIRST, IT WAS NEW IN THE WAY THAT IT SHINED THROUGH OUR SAVIOR.
*God has always been love, but Jesus revealed God’s love in a brand-new way. No one could have ever seen the love of God the way we can see it now in Jesus Christ. It was a suffering, sacrificial love. God's love was proved on a whole new level by the cross of Jesus Christ.
*Think about the Lord's sacrificial love. Philippians 2:5-11 sums it up perfectly and says:
5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6. who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7. but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11. and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
*And Romans 5:6-10 says this to all Christians:
6. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
*The cross of Jesus Christ is the greatest demonstration of love the world will ever see. Jesus willingly suffered for us, and through the Lord's suffering, the true light of love shines brightly to everyone who will receive it.
[2] GOD'S LOVE WAS NEW IN THE WAY THAT IT SHINED THROUGH OUR SAVIOR. AND IT IS NEW IN US BY THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
*After Jesus died on the cross, rose again from the dead, went home to Heaven, and was glorified by God the Father. God's Holy Spirit was sent to work in our world in brand new ways.
*For example, the Holy Spirit came to give us conviction. Jesus had promised this in John 16:6-11. There the Lord called His Spirit by a name that means "Helper," "Comforter" or "Counselor." And Jesus said this to His disciples:
6. . . "Because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
8. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9. of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10. of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
11. of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."
*The Holy Spirit is still at work today, seeking to convict people of their sins and God's coming judgment on sin. The Holy Spirit tries to show us the seriousness of our sins.
*But the most important work of God's Holy Spirit is to shine the light on Jesus Christ. So in John 16:14-15 Jesus said this about His Holy Spirit:
14. "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
15. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."
*Everybody needs to be convicted of their sins, but it is not enough to be convicted of our sins. We must also know God's will and His work to save us from our sins, so the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit convinces us of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. God's Spirit convinces us that the Lord's perfect righteousness made Jesus the one and only perfect sacrifice for our sins. The Holy Spirit also shows us the salvation we can have through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
*Years ago, I had the joy of talking to a little boy about his salvation. His name was Lucas, and I wanted to make sure that he was ready to be baptized. It turned out that Lucas was ready. He had trusted in Jesus a couple of months before. When I asked him to tell me how it happened, one of the things he said was, "I kept feeling a tugging at my heart. God was calling to me from the inside out."
*Ten days after our Risen Savior ascended back into Heaven, God the Father sent the Holy Spirit into the world in a new way. And now through God's Word, the Holy Spirit speaks to people's hearts: About their sin, about God's payment for our sin on the cross of Christ, about how important it is to believe in Jesus, and about the coming Judgment of God. God's Holy Spirit gives people conviction. That's why my young friend Lucas could say, "I kept feeling a tugging at my heart. God was calling to me from the inside out."
*And when lost people respond to his conviction, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts and gives us a relationship with God. When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit makes us part of the family of God. John 1:12-13 and John 3:1-8 talk about us being spiritually born again into God's family. John 3:25-30, Ephesians 5:22-33, and other Scriptures talk about us being the spiritual Bride of Christ. On top of that, Romans 8:14-16 and Ephesians 1:1-6 also talk about us being adopted into the family of God.
[3] GOD'S LOVE IS NEW IN US BY THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND NEW IN THE WAY IT CAN GROW IN US.
*Our love grows and stretches as we learn how to love each other more and more. We can even learn to love the most unlovable people of all. And Church: We can always keep growing more in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
*Please listen to Paul's prayer request from Ephesians 3:14-19.
14. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15. from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16. that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17. that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18. may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height
19. to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
*Christians: We already are firmly rooted and grounded in God's love. This is why we are "able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height" of Christ's love. And Paul was praying for us to know more about the love of Christ, so our Christlike love can grow more.
*But how wide is the Lord's love? -- Wide enough to reach anyone who will turn to God and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. How long is the Lord's love? -- So long that it lasts forever! How deep is His love? -- Deep enough for Jesus Christ to leave His throne in Heaven, and come all the way down to earth for us. Deep enough for Jesus to go down to death for us, even the death of the cross. The Lord's love is so deep that He took all of the guilt of our sins on Himself. That's how much He loves us! And how high is the Lord's love? -- For everyone who knows Jesus in a personal way, His love is so high that "it will take us all to Heaven!"
[4] GOD'S LOVE IS NEW IN THE WAY IT CAN GROW IN US. AND IT IS NEW IN THE WAY IT CAN SHINE THROUGH US.
*Godly love can shine through us in a brand-new way when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! All true Christians can begin to love like the Lord loves, because His love now lives in our hearts. And God's love lives in our hearts, because the Holy Spirit now lives in our hearts. We know this because Galatians 5:22 tells us that this godly love is part of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Romans 5:5 also tells us that "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." And this godly love turns us into what Bill Hybels called "contagious Christians" who draw other people to Christ.
*Richard Wurmbrand was a Christian hero who served the Lord during the dark days of Communist oppression in Romania. Richard was put into prison by the Communists simply because he was a follower of Jesus Christ. He was released from his first imprisonment in 1956, after eight and a half years.
*Although he was warned not to preach, Richard resumed work in the underground church. He was arrested again in 1959 and sentenced to 25 years. During this imprisonment, he was beaten and tortured. Richard later told of having the soles of his feet beaten until the flesh was torn off. The next day, his feet were beaten again to the bone. Richard never fully recovered from that torture.
*At some point in prison, Richard shared a cell with a young Communist. At first, that young atheist wanted nothing to do with Christianity. But food rations were very low in the prison, and Richard began to share his bread with that young man. One day Richard was telling his cellmate about a Christian man who was like Jesus. Then the young man turned to Richard and said, "If Jesus is like you, I would like to know Him." (2)
*Godly love is new in the way it can shine through us. And we must love one another, because God has given us this commandment that is both old and new. It is as old as God is, and it is meant to be new in our hearts every day.
3. BUT GOD ALSO WANTS US TO KNOW THAT LOVING ONE ANOTHER IS THE ONLY WAY TO WALK IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD.
*We see this truth in vs. 9-11, where John wrote:
9. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
10. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
11. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
*God's kind of love makes all the difference in the world! And what a contrast His Word gives us here. It’s the difference between day and night, light and darkness, vision and blindness, life and death.
*Remember that these verses are inseparable from John's declaration of salvation in 1 John 1:5-7. There the Apostle wrote:
5. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
*And again in vs. 9-11:
9. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
10. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
11. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
CONCLUSION:
*Walking in the light of God’s love is vitally important! It defines who we are. And it can change our world. But Christian: Are you walking in the light of God's love? The Lord Jesus Christ will surely help us to do it, so let's ask Him. And if you have never put your trust in our crucified and risen Savior, receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior today! Call on the Lord to save you right now, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) A SONG OF ASCENTS by E. Stanley Jones - pp. 366-367, 372 - Source: Peachtree Presbyterian Pulpit - Series: "The Challenges of Being Married" - #3 - "Marriage is a Marathon, Not a Sprint!" - Sermon by W. Frank Harrington - Proverbs 31:10-21 - May 18, 1997
(2) SermonCentral sermon "Abide in Me" by Martin Dale - John 15:1-17 - 05/18/2003
