1 John 3:13-18

¹³ Do not be surprised, brothers, 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 the name of Jesus. Amen.

This world is broken. Infected with sin and death, all creation longs to be set free from its corruption and continual decline (Ro. 8:19-22). Everyone looks for an escape from this brokenness. Ever since humanity’s Fall into sin, there has only been one solution to sin, death, and evil, and that solution is found in God’s promise of mercy which He freely gives through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only One who can set us free from the chains of sin, death, and the devil. And yet, people try to offer alternatives.

In 1969, The Beatles offered their solution to the world’s problems, “All you need is love; all you need is love; all you need is love, love; love is all you need.” If you read through the lyrics to that whole song, they really are saying human love can fix everything. Just a few years earlier, the band The Youngbloods had tried rally everyone behind the same platform. “Come on, people now; smile on your brother; everybody get together; try to love one another right now.” Both of those songs sound similar to what is being offered in this text, but they couldn’t be more different. They are different because the world is so broken, fallen, and lost that even the concept of love is twisted.

Love is not simply what makes you or someone else feel good. The world wants you to think that love can be redefined in all sorts of different ways. But the world’s attempts at love are only empty words and talk. Behind the world’s efforts at love is this creepy, demented delusion that if we simply ignore sinful things or dress them up in nicer terms, then the nastiness will go away. The world doesn’t want to hear about murdering babies in the womb, so it will call it ‘choice’ over a ‘clump of cells.’ The world doesn’t want to hear about fornication and adultery, so the world will talk about ‘alternative lifestyles,’ or ‘equality’ – sounds much nicer. The world tries to convince everyone that we can stop the pain of gender dysphoria by simply using a person’s preferred pronouns.

Now, please know that I picked each of those specifics because they have been staring us in the face all month. The same is true for any number of sins. But in each of those cases, the world’s proposed solutions might bring slight, momentary comfort, but that is all. Those petty solutions, which are only talk, always end long-term pain.

You cannot love a drug addict by feeding their addiction. It is not loving to continually give money to a druggie and never encourage them to get help for their addiction. If someone is continually hitting themself over the head with an iron skillet, you have to tell them, “Stop doing that.” And if they say, “I was born this way,” you tell them, “No, you weren’t.” And take the skillet away. Both that drug addict and person who is harming himself might see your actions and words as unloving. They might accuse you of hating them and the way they were born. But that’s complete nonsense.

Now apply that same logic to the various sins that are so rampant in our culture. The world’s solutions to those sins that are dressed up in a false, fallen idea of ‘love’ do nothing more than allow those who are harming themselves and others to continue doing so.  Scripture is clear, Pr. 12:10 says, “The [love] of the wicked is cruel.” (And when Scripture uses the term ‘wicked’ there don’t think of only a few, select, especially bad sinners. The ‘wicked’ are all of us apart from faith in Christ.) Pointing out the harm and pain that sin causes is loving. Dear saints, please use your God-given wisdom to say it in the most loving way possible.

Now, before you start patting yourself on the back, Christian, don’t think that you are guiltless when it comes to loving only in word and talk. How many times have you responded to someone who is hurting by saying, “You’re in my thoughts and prayers” heart emoji, heart emoji, heart emoji, and press the ‘care’ button, then go about your day? We’re all guilty when it comes to this. Repent.

It can be hard (especially on social media) to love in ways that extend beyond word and talk. The hurting person may be hundreds of miles or half a world away, so how can you love them in deed and truth? Well, one of the best lessons I learned during my pastoral internship came from an elderly German woman named Ruth. Many of you have heard me mention her before. Several times I would greet Ruth after the service, and she would tell me about her medical problems or appointments coming up. I would listen and say, “I’ll be praying for you,” and dear little five-foot Ruth would look up at me and say in her deep German accent, “Do it now,” and I would. I was too intimidated not to. It took months her regular reminders for me to go straight to prayer.

Dear saints, your prayers are not merely words and talk. They are you, as God’s beloved child, requesting your loving heavenly Father to spring into action. Remember that, especially on social media, but also in your daily conversations. Write or say a prayer then and there and continue upholding that person in prayer.

The only way we can know what love is, is to look to Jesus and what He has done for us on the cross. “By this we know love, that [Jesus] laid down His life for us” (1 Jn. 3:16). We know love only in knowing Jesus crucified for us. You can’t find this love anywhere else, and you can’t produce this love apart from fellowship with God through faith in Christ.

The Holy Spirit works faith into your heart and pours God’s love into you. By filling you with that love, the Holy Spirit also enables you to love others. Faith and love go together. The love of God that we receive through faith is the very love we show our neighbor by our deeds. Yes, sin remains in us as long as we live in this world, but God continues to pour His love into us and delivering His forgiveness. God’s love for you is so great that you cannot contain it all, so it spills out of you to your neighbor.

Yes, we fall short in our love, and when we do we repent. We repent and God springs into action. He points us to Christ who laid down His life for us. Jesus’ death conquered hate and death once and for all. Christ has laid down His life for you. He forgives you of all your sin, cleanses your guilty conscience, and delivers you from Satan’s power.

This is what His love does and will continue to do all the days of your life. And that, dear saints, is the source and strength of every act of love you and I will ever do. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.