3:1 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! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Notice the terms, lavished, children of God. This is something special. God’s love is amazing. Too much for us to fathom, but rejoice in it. Revel in it, take it.
Interesting, there is a passage following these statements on sin. It is as if John says sin is the opposite of love for God. Family, treated specially. Not treated like one of the workers in the business, not treated as a slave, but as a son or daughter. Now lets be realistic, we treat our families much better and give them more significant attention. Or at least we try to. God treats us as if we are significant in His life. Love is a funny thing – it changes the way we look at people and situations. God’s love for us means He looks at us differently. So much different that He lavishes us with love.
How deep the fathers love for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (as the song that we sang said earlier)
1JN 3:11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
Note: This is a Command – not feeling, not emotion but command. John doesn’t think we can fall in love, he tells the people and thus us too, that we have to. No choice. This is a long way from the popular concept of love but it is totally releasing. How? We don’t have to even like people. We make a choice to love, to do the best for them, to allow them God’s grace to be experienced through us. It is not about being like someone, having anything in common or even understanding them. We can love – if we are obedient and choose to. So how does this fit us? Love is a decision. You can choose to love me as your pastor or be disobedient to God. Oooo. On the same line of thinking, you can choose to love the other people in this church or be disobedient. Your choice. My choice. Am I willing to love you? I have to be. To be in harmony with God means I need to be obedient. I have to choose to love you.
Again – as the song we sang earlier said – This is His commandment – that we love each other.
1JN 3:16 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.
So what is the best way to be obedient? Imitate God – Imitate Christ – lay down life. We’ve talk a bit about this recently, last year in Ephesians 5 – over the Christmas period and here is the point – Christ’s example is not just an example – but the role model. There is something else we often forget here. Jesus died for our good. He came back for our good to. He rose again for our good. V 16b And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. That is give all for their spiritual and physical good. We sometimes need to die for someone but often we need to live to be their advocate. It may not just be physical thing. One aspect of Christ’s example is that He did all in His power to draw people closer to God. Now that is a huge expression of love. How can we do that? Do I need to tell you, do I need to spell it out again? How can we draw people closer to God? Love ‘em. Demonstrate God’s love by you loving them, by me loving them. When we hear the so when I survey the wondrous cross – do we ever ask ourselves – how do I imitate that?
- And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
WE know who Jesus is, we respond to who He is and what he has done then we imitate his love toward others. Here is the faith bit. We know what we believe – if so do it. Are we willing to believe enough to allow our faith to invade our life and life’s practice to love people? To be obedient, the answer must be yes. But the hard thing is dealing with this question. Is our faith and belief strong enough to facilitate change? Be persuaded and demonstrate that persuasion by how we live. Give our love, live our love.
As we sing this last song – respond. In your heart, openly, share your response with someone around you. If need be, come out the front and openly declare in front of the whole church that you are going to attempt to love God and us. Respond to the command of love.
I’m not asking for a first time commitment, although it may be.
I’m not asking for a decision to be baptized although you may want to.
I’m not asking for membership, although we welcome you with open arms.
I’m not asking for a commitment to missions although that is valid too.
I am asking if you will respond to God’s call to love openly, honestly and publicly.
Come forward or speak to those around you and sought it out between you and God as we sing this song.
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