In Chicago a few years ago a little boy attended a Sunday school regularly but his parents ended up moving to another part of the city. Even though it was a considerably longer walk the little boy continued the walk to his same Sunday school. A friend asked him why he went so far and told him that there were plenty of others just as good nearer his home. “They may be as good for others, but not for me,” he replied. “Why not?” she asked. “Because they love a fellow over there!”
Of the many emotions that can consume us the one that can change our lives and even our world for the better is love. What needs to be displayed in this world more than patience, kindness, generosity, humility, courtesy, selflessness, calm, optimism, sincerity, support, faith, hope, and endurance? It is not ironic then that Paul wrote that “love suffereth long, and is kind; love eniveth not, love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
In other words, everything this world needs the most can be found in the principles of brotherly love. Love is a principle largely misunderstood in modern times, particularly the love that we are to have for God. But the Bible tells us what “True Love Is…”
Title: True Love Is…
Text: 1 John 3:11-24
Main Point: God set the parameters of true love because He is the embodiment of true love, a love that has been shown to all mankind. And just as He has loved us, He expects us to love, both Him and one another. When one understands the possibilities present when true love saturates one’s life it doesn’t take too much effort to comply.
- True Love is a Resolve – 1 John 3:11 – “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” As early as Leviticus 19:18 we have written confirmation that God legislated the need to love one’s neighbor as their self. But while this might be the first written confirmation of God’s will it is apparent that God told man to love one another from the creation (vs. 11). John mentions how Cain betrayed God’s law by murdering his brother, Abel (vs. 12). This proves that one cannot maintain a heavenly relationship with God while at the same time hating his brother. Hatred is of the world and a heavenly relationship cannot be maintained on the world’s terms. The world is consumed by hatred, particularly regarding righteousness and righteous people (vs. 13). Thus by committing our lives to love we can know that we have abandoned the past ways of the world, passing from spiritual death to spiritual life (vs. 14). But we must learn to love. It is a resolve we must develop and maintain, and one on which our very relationship with God depends (Matthew 22:37-38).
- True Love is a Reflection – We are not islands in life. We are who we are and what we are because of God (1 John 3:16). Read and compare the similarities between 1 John 3:16 and John 3:16. These two verses compliment each other to inform us that our love, both toward God and toward man, is a reflection of a greater love already displayed toward us by God. 1 John 4:19 – “We love him, because he first loved us.” We are amazed by such love, but not only are we amazed, but we are impacted by that love to reciprocate that love back to God and to reflect it out into the world. When true love reigns in our lives it does so as a reflection of God’s love.
- True Love is a Resource – Do you ever have a day when you are emotionally zapped and you have no idea how you will make it through? We all need reassurance at times there is a strength on which we can rely to not only endure but to thrive. John offers us such a reassurance (1 John 3:18-19). The concept of knowledge is a common theme throughout the book of 1 John. The word “know” is a derivative word is used 33 times in 27 verses through the book. Most often it is used in view of our relationship with God (as used in 3:19, knowing we are of truth). And even John states such is meant to assure our hearts before him. This means that the love of God is a resource we have near at hand to tap anytime we need to encourage us throughout life. But this mean, took, that our love must be a resource that God and others can look to with surety and trust as well.
Many men are willing to sacrifice anything and everything they have for the sake of true love. With God it is available all the times. If only we will access it by our obedience.