If You Love God, All Things are Possible!
I John 5:3
DATE:
9 January, 2000 AM Michael
O'Neal, Albany, GA PLACE: BBC Blarney
Text: 1 John 5:3
I. Introduction
A. The philosophy of this age is that people don't love others because they don't love themselves. I disagree. People love themselves. I believe that people don't love others because they don't love God.
B. Love is four things:
1. Love is a commandment we obey (Luke 10:27)
2. Love is a choice we make (Revelation 2:4) - Notice that they LEFT their LOVE. Their love did not leave them. If you have lost your love, it is still where you left it. It didn't go anywhere.
3. Love is a concern we have. Love primarily is a desire to give to another person that which God would have them to have. I.e., food, or companionship when lonely.
4. Love is a commitment we keep - The first commandment is to love God with all your heart. The second is to love your neighbour as yourself. Don't get the cart ahead of the horse. Love God first, and you will find it easier to love others next. The HARD part is loving GOD. Do the hard task first, and the rest will then seem easy.
C. We find it so very hard to do right things - the Bible says the problem is from our hearts, and is based upon what we love.
1. We ALL love - it is in our nature
2. But we all DON'T love God - and I mean Christians as well!
II.
Background (Acts 11:19-26)
A. Lots of Persecution occurring at the time - Stephen was just stoned back in 7
B. People were scattered around by the persecution - but still preaching - yet, to only the Jews
C. Until some folks come up as far as a city called Antioch of Syria (300 miles north of Jerusalem)
D. There, the believers just forgot about distinctions, and preached to everybody - including the Greeks! And loads of the Gentiles got saved!
E. Well, this news traveled back to Jerusalem very fast
F. Even the apostles were surprised, and send Barnabas to check this out
G. When Barnabas gets there, he sees God's grace in the lives of these gentile believers and has just one thing to say (11:23)
1. With purpose of heart - determination from the heart
2. These new believers should CLEAVE unto the Lord - can mean to either divide (as with a cleaver, a butcher's cleaver), or to adhere to as in cling
a. As in marriage (Gen 2:24)
b. Throughout Old Testament (Dt 11:22; 30:20; Josh 22:5) In the Old Testament people loved God! It was not a buch a rules and regulations - it was about knowing and loving God!
H. Why all the emphasis on loving God, and clinging to Him? Because THAT is the secret to the Christian's life - the source of the ability to stay true, and grow, handle troubles, obey God, and be consistent (1Jn 5:3)
I. I am talking about loving God! Jesus said in Jn 14:15, "If you love me, then you will keep my commandments, and you will be able to keep my commandments!
J. The foundation of the Christian's life is not a church, or a doctrine - it is a love for God - Christianity is a vibrant relationship with God!!! That relationship will show itself in four ways
III.
Message - What Love Will Do
Theme: If you Love God:
A. It is Easier to Love other Christians
1. We are commanded to love other Christians - but we can't until we love God first (Jn 13:34,35; 15:12,17)
2. 1 John 4:19-21 "And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." (1Jn 4:19-21; 5:2; 2:9-11; 3:14-18)
3. If you love God, then you should realize that you and other Christians
a. Have a common family
1) The family of God - not everyone is in this family
2) It is a miracle whenever anyone gets born again
3) So love them!
b. Have common faults
1) You are NO BETTER than another - take heed lest ye fall!
2) People just HIDE their sins better than others
3) Every Christian is a Christian because of Christ - PERIOD!
4) So love them!
c. Have a common future
1) Stuck with each other for ever and ever and ever!
2) Like a bunch of people in an airplane - learn to get along - the only folks who truly can have unity in spite of multiple cultures, and backgrounds and race are CHRISTIANS who love GOD!
3) So love them!
d. If you have a problem loving other Christians, then you have a problem loving God - you evidently have a very shallow relationship with Christ! Repent and fall back in love with the One who loved you first, and gave Himself for you (Gal 2:20b)
Theme: If you Love God:
A. It is Easier to Love other Christians
B. It is Easier to Love your Critics (Luke 6:27) - your enemies
1. If you love the Lord Jesus Christ more than you love yourself, think about how HE feels about your critics.
a. Jesus died for them, so love them
b. Jesus desires their salvation, so love them
c. Jesus depends on you to reach them, so love them
2. You will never be able to handle enemies, and defeat and troubles in your life until you have a daily love relationship with Christ!
Theme: If you Love God:
A. It is Easier to Love other Christians
B. It is Easier to Love your Critics
C. It is Easier to Love the Confused - the unsaved
1. Why did Peter go and preach the Gospel to Cornelius in Acts 10? Because he loved Gentiles? Cornelius was a Roman soldier that was part of the occupying army of Rome. The Jews hated the Romans. Yet Peter went, and loved Cornelius! Why?
2. Because a couple of days prior, Jesus talked with Peter and asked Him to tell those he hated, and those he had problems with, and those he found it hard to talk to - tell them about salvation in Christ!
3. Peter doesn't go because of anything else than his love for the Lord!
4. You will NEVER be a soul-winner until you develop your love for the Lord - until you nurture, and cultivate a loving relationship with Christ
Theme: If you Love God:
A. It is Easier to Love other Christians
B. It is Easier to Love your Critics
C.
It is Easier to love the Confused
D. It is Easier to Love your Companion
1. Again, notice that we commanded this (Tit 2:4; Eph 5:25,31,33). A grievous command if we have no love to start with!!! But oh so easy when our cup is running over! AMEN!
2. Malachi 2:14-16 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant (vow). And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
3. God has given you your companion for three reasons:
a. For companionship, so love your companion!
1) Your best friend should be your spouse. If you love God, you will see to it that it is so. This is so hard because we have not known what love can do in our homes - didn't grow up with visible love - only want to have TV love, and word-love!
2) Oh if we loved God, it would FIRST overflow in to our marriages!
3) If you are saved, and have an unsaved spouse, they should be so overwhelmed by your love for them since discovering the love of Christ (2Cor 5:14)!
b. God has given you your companion for completion, so love your companion!
1) Men need wives for a help
2) Ladies need husbands for a help - I know the world says women don't need men - the truth is, women don't need animals or jerks!
3) God intends for you to have your spouse to be complete! You were never complete without loving Jesus - He says you are not complete without loving someone else too!
c. God has given you your companion in a covenant, so love your companion!
1) Marriage vows should be kept
2) Marriage should be a picture of the relationship of Jesus Christ to His church, and His church is eternally secure and eternally His!
3) If you don't love your spouse, you are breaking your covenant with man and with God!
4. If you are in an impossible marriage situation, then the answer is found in setting your full affection on Christ - something happens after than that can overwhelm any hard relationship! AMEN!
Theme: If you Love God:
A. It is Easier to Love other Christians
B. It is Easier to Love your Critics
C.
It is Easier to love the Confused
D. It is Easier to Love your Companion
E. It is Easier to Love your Children
1. Psalms 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
a. God gave them for happiness, so love them! A happy man has his quiver full (children are compared to arrows, or a man's weapons)
b. God gave them for help, so love them!
Note: If you train your children right, you won't find a better helper for mother than the children as they get older.
c. God gave them for holiness, so love them!
Note: God unites men and women in marriage to produce a godly seed, according to Malachi 2:15.
d. (Mal 2:15) And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. Lost
IV. Conclusion: Love God first, and you will be able to love others as you should.
A. Remember, first of all what love is::
1. Love is a commandment we obey
2. Love is a choice we make
3. Love is a concern we have
4. Love is a commitment we keep
B. So, let me warn you - if in the year 2000, you develop your walk with the Lord into a love-relationship as it was intended to be, these will be the by-products:
1. You will find yourself loving
a. Other Christians
b. Your Critics
c.
The Confused
d. Your Companion
e. Your Children
2. I think then we would be like God intended Christians to be!