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Love One Another
July 19, 2009
Pastor Mike Evans
 
“Love One Another”
July 19, 2009
I John 3:11-18
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, [1] that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
In his Sunday sermon, the minister used "Forgive Your Enemies" as his subject. After the sermon, he asked for a show of hands as to how many were willing to forgive their enemies. About half held up their hands. Not satisfied, he harangued the congregation for another twenty minutes and repeated his question. This received a response of roughly eighty percent. Still unsatisfied, he lectured for fifteen more minutes and repeated his question. All responded except one elderly gentleman in the rear.
"Mr. Jones, are you not willing to forgive your enemies?" "I don't have any." "Mr. Jones, that is very unusual. How old are you?" "I’m 101". "Mr. Jones, please come down in front and tell the congregation how a man can live to be 101 and not have an enemy in the world."
The old man teetered down the aisle, slowly turned to face the congregation, smiled and said, "I outlived every one of them!"
As we begin this morning, I want us all to focus upon the three words, “…from the beginning.” From the beginning all of us supposedly have heard the message that we should “love one another.” The question I would like us to ask ourselves is this: How is it that we should have known this? Why would it be that we should have understood that “from the beginning” this was “the message?” Namely, that we should love one another.
Let me just say up front here that I take the words “from the beginning” to mean from the beginning of God’s revelation to mankind. From the earliest recording of God’s revealing of Himself to men, this has been the message: that we should love one another. After stating this as a simple matter of fact he fleshes it out over the next seven verses.
From the beginning you say? Perhaps we were supposed to have understood this fundamental message of loving one another from the inter-relationships among the members of the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have always lived with a perfect and eternal love one for another.
But I don’t know that John would have expected us all to have apprehended this perfect and eternal love flowing between the members of the Trinity. Outside of the religious and cultural centers of that day, people were pretty simple folk. But I do think that even an illiterate believer during the Dark Ages between the fifth and eighty centuries could have understood this relationship described in our Lord’s high priestly prayer in John Chapter 17.
Well, how else were we supposed to have “heard” from the beginning that we should love one another? The command to “…love your neighbor as yourself” appears only once in all of the Old Testament: Leviticus 19:18. In its context it appears in the midst of a whole slew of commands having to do with personal relationships.
If taken in context, I believe it is referring only to God’s covenantal people. In other words what I am suggesting is that the word “neighbor” as it is used in the Old Testament is limited to God’s people. There is no command of which I am aware to “love one’s enemies” in the Old Testament.
It is certainly not one of the 10 commandments (or 10 Words) that appear in both Exodus Chapter 20 and Deuteronomy Chapter 5, and yet when Jesus summarized the Law and the Prophets he gave the so-called Golden Rule: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
There is a command to love one another within God’s covenantal community (Lev.19:18) but there is no command to love those outside the fold of God’s covenantal community. Moses, (speaking directly for God) wrote in the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy, “…love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6: 4-7).
So what did Jesus do with this command to “love God” in what we call the New Testament? In Luke 10 Jesus ups the ante by a quantum leap as he not only adds the command to “Love your neighbor”, but he expands the word “neighbor” to include anyone in need of anything. In other words I don’t see there being a command anywhere in the Old Testament to “love your neighbor” as Jesus restates the meaning of this word “neighbor” in the New Testament.
In Luke Chapter 10, Jesus told a story to a lawyer, Sometimes even lawyers can learn most effectively through the telling of a story. Beginning with verse one Luke writes: “And behold, a lawyer stood up and put him (Jesus) to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’”
“And he (Jesus) said to him, ‘You have answered correctly: do this, and you will live.’ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” And here is where Jesus up’s the ante. In response to his question Jesus then tells the story of the Good Samaritan which is a story of a man who was going to Jericho from Jerusalem when he was accosted by a band of robbers and badly beaten. Left for dead, this poor soul was helpless to help himself.
Three different men came upon the man on that dusty and dangerous road. One was a Jewish priest who simply passed by on the other side of the road completely ignoring him. Next a Levite, a member of the tribe from whom those who performed priestly functions, came. He too passed by on the other side of the road.
Finally, a Samaritan (half-breed) came upon the beaten man and “had compassion.” He treated the man’s wounds, set him upon his own animal, then took him to an inn, where he gave the innkeeper two day’s wages with these instructions: “Take care of him, and whatever more you spend I will repay you when I come back.”
Jesus then asked the question, “Which of these three do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go and do likewise.”
Isn’t it just like Jesus to use a Samaritan (hated by the Jews) who was not even a part of God’s covenantal community as an illustration of how someone within the Jewish community of faith ought to have responded? God used an unsaved Samaritan as an example for Christians to see, for all time, as to how they ought to conduct themselves, and who we should consider our neighbors to be.
My friends, we are under direct orders from the Son of God Himself to love our neighbors, with the word neighbor being defined as basically anyone in need of something. And guess what? That’s all of us!
You might well say to me, “But there are simply too many people and too many needs.” And I would come back with something like, “Yes, there are many people with incredible needs, but who is God speaking to your heart about?” Who is God impressing upon your heart? Who is it that you empathize with but have not offered anything of practical assistance to? Go and be a neighbor instead of watching yet another re-run on television.
Jeremiah prophesied about the future of this New Covenant where the Law of God would be written, not just upon tablets of stone, but upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit. In Jeremiah 31:33 God, speaking through the prophet said, “I will put my laws within them and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God and they shall be my people.” This was a future promise. It was not yet a reality.
Under the old covenant, the Holy Spirit could and would come and go. That’s why David prayed as he did in Psalm 51:11 (in his heartfelt repentance over his sin with Bathsheba) “…and take not your Holy Spirit from me.”
In Matthew 5:17 Jesus speaking to the crowds said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Then in Matthew 7:12 Jesus said, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Years later Paul would write in Galatians 5:14 “For the whole Law is summed up in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’” keeping in mind of course, Jesus’ reframing of the definition of the word “neighbor”.
Thank you for your patience as we have taken a brief biblical tour in our quest for the answer to how we were to possibly know that “loving one another” has been the message from the beginning. From here, John goes on to illustrate both in positive and negative ways as to how this is the case.
The first example John uses to illustrate his point that Believers are to love one another is the true account of Cain and Abel (vv. 11-12). Cain killed his brother Abel and is immortalized in the euphemism “raisin’ Cain” to this very day. If a person is up to no good and excelling in mischievous deeds, that person might be classified as raising Cain, as in the spirit of Cain.
The tragic story of Cain and Abel is found in Genesis 4:1-16. The first two children born to Adam and Eve were both boys, one whose name was Cain (the firstborn) and the other whose name was Abel.
Abel was a “keeper of sheep”, and Cain was a farmer, a “worker of the ground.” Since Cain was a worker of the ground he offered to the LORD a sacrifice of produce from the ground… “a fruit of the ground.” But Abel brought to the LORD a blood sacrifice, an offering of the firstborn of his flock. Probably a lamb.
The text tells us that “…the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So already we are seeing the precedent for a blood sacrifice that was ultimately demonstrated by Jesus Christ the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Cain became very angry and “his face fell.” And the LORD spoke to Cain and said, “Why are you angry? And why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” This idea of sin crouching at the door is an allusion to a demon waiting for Cain to open the door. Even just a little crack will do. Cain opened the door just a crack and the evil one jumped all over this opportunity. Cain’s jealousy and anger were the catalyst that led him to commit the first murder in history.
Verse 8 of Genesis Chapter 4 says, “Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘where is your brother?’ He said, ‘I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?’”
So not only did Cain murder his brother in cold blood, but he also stood before the LORD of heaven and earth and lied. Brothers and sisters, we should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one, and murdered his brother Abel.
Why did Cain kill Abel? The text in I John tells us that it was “because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.” Somehow God must have revealed to them what would constitute an acceptable sacrifice. Rather than being repentant for what must have been seen as utter disobedience, Cain rose up and killed his brother Abel. Jealousy and anger can cause human beings to do some drastic deeds. Rather than kill God, as I am sure Cain would have preferred to do, he set his sights on Abel. Brothers and sisters, do not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. Rather, we are called to love one another!
The second example John uses is this world’s hatred of Christians (vv. 13-15). “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
If there are any lingering doubts in your mind about the depravity of man, then listen closely to the following fact: According to Don Carson, New Testament professor at Trinity University, “About 170 million people, in the 20th century, were murdered by their own governments, completely apart from the losses in wars. From D.A. Carson, Christ and Culture, footnote number 13, p. 120. See website “Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War” at www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/welcome.html
One of the first tests of a genuinely converted soul is that person’s attitude toward “the brothers.” How does one know that he has passed out of death into life? The answer is found in whether or not he loves the brothers (here referring to Christian men and women).
As far as hate being akin to murder, that is what Jesus Himself taught in Matthew 5:21-22. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool! will be liable to the hell of fire.’”
We should not be surprised that this is the way the world around us is continuously working. Just the title of the following newspaper article I cut out sometime last year is a great example of this fact. And keep in mind that this is about two Presidents, the first from Peru and the second from Bolivia. Here is how the headline was titled: “Called fat, Peru’s leader suggests Bolivian shut up.” Now that’s very Presidential. don’t you think?
Harboring anger and bitterness against a brother in Christ and insulting a brother in Christ, either to his face or behind his back, ethically speaking is the moral equivalent of murder in God’s eyes.
As far as knowing that “…no murderer has eternal life abiding in him”, I invite you to turn with me to First Corinthians 6:9-10. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Praise the Lord that He is slow to anger and abounding in love.
Puritan Thomas Manton (in the 17th century) instructs us: “Go to Christ that he may pardon you; your hearts are not right with God if you do not take this course. After daily transgressions, seek out a daily pardon. The children of God are like fountains; when mud is stirred up, they do not flow until they can become clear again. Particular sins must have particular applications of grace, for in themselves, in their own merit, they leave you under a curse” (Thomas Manton, James, p.135).
The third example for us of the epitome of love is Christ’s supreme sacrifice on our behalf (v.16). Brothers and sisters, this is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid down his own life of his own accord, in perfect and necessary conformity to the will of the Father, whose bidding was the Son’s raison d’être.
The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the highest illustration of love that we could ever know. The apostle who wrote these words is the same apostle who wrote the simple, yet profound words recorded in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But it is not mere mental assent to this fact that saves a person. The word believe is a loaded word in John’s writings.
With Christ as our example, we too are called to lay down our lives for our brothers at times. The Gospel of John 15:13 records Jesus’ words, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
The dramatic rescue in the Des Moines River a couple of weeks ago by a crane operator and a brave soul prove my point. A man and a woman both in their 60s, I think, found themselves in deep trouble when the boat they were in was swept over the dam at the edge of downtown Des Moines.
Caught in the broil at the base of the dam for the better part of thirty minutes, they were trapped as if in a washer, sometimes going under, sometimes bobbing up for air. Tragically the man died. But if not for the courage and quick thinking of a bridge building crew nearby, the woman surely would have also succumbed. This kind of thing resonates with the human soul because that’s how God has wired us. When we see a man risking his life to save a woman trapped in the broil at the base of a dam, our hearts can resonate with that. As old Solomon declared at the end of his life, “God has set eternity in the hearts of men.”
The fourth example of how we should love one another is a very practical example of opening your heart to a brother in need (vv. 17-18). “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him. Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth.”
As the old saying goes: “Actions speak louder than words.” I ask you to again consider the facts of the parable of the Good Samaritan if you have any doubts. Or, as James repeatedly emphasizes, believers must be “doers of the Word, and not hearers only.”
In James 2:14-17 he wrote, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister (fellow believer no doubt), is poorly clothed and lacking in daily good, and one of you says to them ‘Go in peace, be warm and filled,’ without giving them the things they needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have good works, is dead.”
If we are not used to “opening our hearts” to a brother in need, then I encourage you that the next time you see a brother or sister in need and you have the resources to meet that need, whatever it might be, meet that need. Try it just once and see how it goes. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we must strive to maintain open hearts toward one another.
In Galatians 6:10 the Apostle Paul speaks of how those in the body of Christ are to relate one to the other: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” There is a priority that should be given to believers, but then to all of our “neighbors” as well. And who is my neighbor you might ask? And so we end up right where we began.
This text is about love. Six times the word “love” appears in these eight verses. It’s about this message that we have heard from the very beginning: that we should love one another. Amen.
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