God is Love! Our Loving Response.

The Sermon uses scripture 1 John 4:7-21.  It was preached on April 29, 2018 at Lake City Presbyterian Church in Lake City, SC.

God is Love! Our Loving Response.

  

This week we continue with First John and the subject of love.
Last week was about being God’s children

and loving each other.

The theme of love continues this week:

          Where does love begin?

                    “love is from God”

A simple answer but true.

Last week we talked about agape love

          -the supreme type of love,

          God manifests himself to us as love;

          God’s revelation in Christ.

Our human capacity for love is not original.

          God takes the first step,

                   God reaches out to us,

          and because of God’s love, we know love,

and can reach out to each other in love.

“We love because he first loved us”.

You and I are loved by God.

Throughout his letters and in John’s Gospel

the apostle John uses the term ‘beloved’

when addressing the reader;

He is not only expressing his love for the reader,

          he is also reminding us of God’s love for us;

God addresses humanity as ‘beloved’.

God is the source of love; God is the essence of love.

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s love in manifest in action.

          God makes covenants…

                    “And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”

          God gives protection, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

The love that comes from God a is related to faith;

thus there is a relationship between faith and love.

One commentary states it simply…

          “belief is the response to God’s love that enables the community to practice love for one another.”

The apostle John focuses on community/fellowship…

κοινωνία, (koy-nohn-ee'-ah)

God’s love is the basis for our obligation to love one another.

Yet there is a problem…

          sometimes we proclaim love for God but not for our neighbor,

                   “Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.”

God’s love is perfect love, unfortunately our love is not.

And you and I cannot claim personal faith that involves

 only our relationship to God;

we are commanded to follow these words:

love one another,

even those who are sometimes hard to love.

What may get in the way?        Fear.

          Fear of showing our own vulnerability;

          Fear of rejection;

          Fear of loss.

The alternative…love.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”

This reminds me of a Martin Luther King Jr. quote…

          “Fear knocked,    

Faith answered,

          There was no one there.”

There is a connection between faith and love.

Love and faith can cast out fear,

just as light overcomes darkness.

God’s light, crucified risen light, of Jesus Christ,

          shines only God’s perfect love.

          “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

From our scripture today, we can know…

          God is the source of perfect love

and love is essential in the character of God,

          you and I can experience God’s perfect love, and

          we can have confidence of God’s perfect love.

There are many ways you and I define God;

          we anthropomorphize God by attributing human

                   characteristic and behavior to God.

          We try to define God in the only ways we know how.     

Yet this does not give us knowledge of God.

Paul writes in First Corinthians:

          “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge;  but anyone who loves God is known by him.”

Knowledge of God is best defined only in terms of love:

God is love.

“God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.  So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.  God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”

God is love!

When we know God’s love, our faith is our response to God

          and we can better live as Children of God.

How can God’s love change us?

When Moses brought down the 10 commandments

from Mt Sinai, it had an impact of change on the Israelites.

One of my former professors in seminary,

Carson Brisson, explains it well:

They (the Israelites) as they flee Egypt

and approach Mt Sinai, (are)

little more than a horde of former slaves

at the mercy of each other and the wilderness.

But when they depart from Mt. Sinai

they are much more.

          They have received on that height Yahweh’s divine law

                   that will mold them into Yahweh’s people.

God’s divine law changed them.

And when Jesus, God made flesh,

came to walk among his people,

God’s divine love brought about

a new covenant and the new commandment…

                             love one another. 

From the disciples down the centuries to you and me today,

          how does divine love, change us?

          how does it change the world?

You and I are changed by divine love;

          we have confidence and assurance because

God took the first step,

          reaching out to humanity with love and mercy,

          sending Jesus to teach and preach God’s love and grace,

          and we respond as we strive to be disciples

and live as examples of God’s love in the world.

 Because of our belief and faith:

we share our faith,

we do for others,

you and I help change the world by our actions.    

Our love and actions are our response to God’s love.

Love and faith are connected.

Love inspires us to do for others;

we respond to God’s love, with love for each other.

The Holy Spirit works within each of us;

the Holy Spirit leads, and we follow. 

You and I follow God's commandments 

and they aid us in living a life that honors God,

that helps us live in a peaceful and just society,

and that brings us towards discipleship,

following Jesus' example. 

Our good works are tied to our faith.

What we do as acts of love is our faithful response to

God's will and to show love for our neighbors

A quote from theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

“There is no faith without good works,

and no good works apart from faith”.

Faith and good works are intertwined. 

It is almost a which came first question.

Do we do good works because we are faithful,

or do we show our faith by doing good works? 

Both are true. 

We are blessed to have opportunities to share our faith

through the good works we do and

to have a faith that enables,

even commands us to do for others.  

I mentioned this hymn last week,

and it seems to fit again this week:

"We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord....we will work with each other, we will work side by side....and they will know we are Christians by our love. "

You and I work side by side;

          side by side with each other,

          side by side as Christians, as disciples.

May we go forth today,

sharing our faith and doing good works as we respond to

 God's love,

God’s will, and  

God’s command to love one another,

as we strive to be better disciples of Christ,

as we let the Holy Spirit work in us, and

as we share God's love with our neighbor,

our community, and the world.

Children of God: Love One Another!

The Sermon uses scripture 1 John 3:1-7, 16-24.  It was preached on April 22, 2018 at Lake City Presbyterian Church in Lake City, SC.

 

This sermon uses the lectionary text from last week (the 3rd Sunday of Easter) as well as the lectionary text for this week from 1 John  Originally I was going to do a two week series on 1 John chapter 3, then dates for preaching were changed and I combined the 2 sermons into one.  However, an opportunity came up for me to preach the 3rd Sunday of Easter in North Carolina so I pulled out the original sermon for it.

Thus, you will notices many similarities from last week, even the same text in part.

 

  

Children of God: Love One Another!

 For the next 2 weeks I will be preaching from First John.

This week is celebrating that you and I

are called Children of God and

as such we are commanded to love each other.

Next week is a similar theme which will focus

on the simple fact that God is love!

Love is at the center of the message of the New Testament;

          loving each other as brothers and sisters in Christ,

          all as children of God.

Who fits into the category of “children of God”?

“Children of God” is meant to unite us as one,

          a phrase of unity;

          no matter our differences whether they involve

                   race,            gender,       nationality,

age,             background,

political views, or life’s circumstances;

we can all come together as each of us is a child of God.

Unity is both a gift and an obligation for the church.

A couple of years ago at seminary,

there was a discussion about diversity on campus,

some thinking that there was not enough.

But I did see diversity present. 

Each individual brought their own unique experiences

to the collective. 

There were opportunities to learn from each other;

and push ourselves beyond our own comfort zones.

As I looked around the seminary campus

I saw many “children of God”…

Many from other countries…

          Korea Ghana         Kenya         Germany              Hungary

each a          “Child of God”;

Men and Women, Gay and Straight,

Married,      Divorced,             Single,         Engaged

each a          “Child of God”;

all ages from 20-something and just out of college to

          those over 50, either retired

or searching for a new beginning with a second career

each a          “Child of God”;

different denominations

          Presbyterian Baptist        Lutheran

          Methodist   Episcopalian

each a          “Child of God”.

 

Categories that divide us change

as you and I do not look for the differences

but look at each other as Children of God.

So we may come together in the grace of God’s light

to see each other as brothers and sisters.

Take a moment to look at your neighbor and

do not see the differences…

          Republican or Democrat,

          Clemson or Carolina,

          different generations, marital status, or backgrounds;

see them with God’s love as another child of God.

So what does the phrase “children of God” mean?

It is a term for the faithful, those believers who

          know God’s love and

the experience of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

          “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him may not perish,

but may have eternal life.”

God’s gracious love; that is divine love!

One commentary on First John proclaims…

          “The consequence and proof of the love of God

                   is being and being called,

                   children of God.

The love of God is described as a gift,

                   which means that we do nothing to merit it.”

Since being called children of God is a gift of God’s love,

          since we did nothing to earn it,

          you and I should not boast about it.

In his institutes John Calvin puts it this way…

          “Boasting about the merits of works destroys our praise of God for having bestowed righteousness as well as our assurance of salvation.”

God’s love is God’s gift to us through Christ.

In understanding what God wants for us,

the apostle John’s words give hopeful expectation

Beloved, we are God’s children now;

what we will be has not yet been revealed.

 What we do know is this:

when he is revealed, we will be like him,

for we will see him as he is.

There are those 2 words in there that seem contradictory:

          now and not yet.

What we are now and what we will be but are not yet.

Look at it this way, in human terms…

          When we are young, we know we are children and

                   experience parental care and love; yet,

          you and I do not understand what it means

 to be children until we are grown.

From First Corinthians chapter 13:

          “When I was a child, I spoke like a child,

 I thought like I child, I reasoned like a child;

when I became an adult, I put an end to my childish ways. 

For now we see in a mirror dimly,

 but then we will see face to face. 

Now I know only in part; then

I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

I do love that scripture…

For now we see in a mirror dimly,

 but then we will see face to face. 

          Face to face, up close and personal;

                   in the Greek…

          prosopon pros prosopon.

God’s love for us is personal, God knows us.

We do not yet understand the full meaning

of being God’s children until the time is fulfilled,

in eschatological terms, the coming of

God’s heavenly kingdom.

We do not have to earn God’s love, yet, as children of God,

          we do have responsibilities.

There is more than just being called children of God,

it is in the being children of God.

The spiritual awareness of what God wants for us;

          living as children of God.

Our responsibility is the way we live.

The apostle John mentions sin;

          doing right and avoiding sin is the mark of God’s children.

Everyone who does what is right is righteous.

Avoiding sin, we do our best,

          however, because of our human frailty you and I do sin.

Believers should never intend to sin, or

make a habit of sin;

          what you and I can do -acknowledge sin and renounce it.

And all who have this hope in him purify themselves,

 just as he is pure.

The impurity John speaks of is the pollution of sin;

          if we are purified, we are cleansed of sin.

From the beatitudes,

          “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

God has cleansed us through Jesus,

          Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Being cleansed, leads me to thoughts about baptism.

You and I are blessed by the sacraments

of baptism and the Lord’s Supper;

they draw us into unity as brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Baptism welcomes us into the community of faith;

it is a sign and seal of God’s grace in the forgiveness

of our sins and the covenant in Christ. 

Whether as a child or an adult, baptism welcomes

each of us into the family of faith,

to be called a child of God;

we are made clean of sin.

As Paul says in the Letter to the Galatians:

          “…in Christ Jesus

you are all children of God through faith.”

So, going back to those words of now and not yet,

          Beloved, we are God’s children now;

what we will be has not yet been revealed.

God’s work is not yet complete.

You and I are welcomed into the family of faith,

          called children of God,

          our sins forgiven,

          assured of God’s love,

          and live with hopeful expectation of what is to come.

God’s work is not yet complete.

You and I still have a lot of growing to do.  

Always changing,

always learning,

always becoming,

always reforming,

always hoping…

We also have that new commandment:

          Love one another!

From the Gospel of John 13:34-35:

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This love is love in fellowship… κοινωνία, (koy-nohn-ee'-ah)

          agape love…

Agape love is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love.

It is the kind of love Jesus expressed for his disciples.

Agape love is more than emotions, more than feelings,

Agape love is active;

it demonstrates love through actions:

God gave his only Son and Jesus gave his life,

that through his death and resurrection,

he could take on our sins.

Jesus acted out of love.

Love one another!

This should be the easiest of commandments to follow.

So what does loving one another,

          love in action, look like?

We follow as Jesus leads...

          Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another

When you and I act out of love, we fulfill the commandment.

Kindness, hospitality,

giving, comforting,

praying for each other…

By this everyone will know

that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another

Known by love.

They will know we are Christians by our love.

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
They will know we are Christians by our love.

Love is the commandment of the new covenant,

          the good news,

          redemption and salvation.

By being children of God, we know love;

          by living as children of God we know

God’s love for us leads us to love one another

          and thus, be known as disciples of Christ.