Sermon Info
Summary
As Christ-followers, we are called to live a life of love. Love is the distinguishing mark of a Christian. We are called to love God and to love others. Sometimes it is hard for us to love. We are selfish by nature. We want our way. Yet, love is putting God and others before ourselves. It is one thing to talk about love and another to actually live it out in our lives. Can the people around you see you love God and love them by your actions? Love is a verb and love is what makes a beautiful life. Let’s live a life of love this week and every day.
Content
The Distinguishing Mark of a Christ-Follower
A Beautiful Life is one that is filled with love. It's a life that overflows with the love of Christ that, consequently, pours into everything else that we do. In the book of 1 John, the apostle John uses the word love 42 times. That's a whole lot of love! So, why is love so essential to creating a life that is beautiful?
- Love is a defining characteristic of a Christ-follower.
- Jesus' life, death, and resurrection was the ultimate act of love, and we were created to be "little Christs" and to live like Jesus did.
- Others see and know Jesus based on the way we love them.
To love is to make a choice and a commitment. It's not an easy thing, but it's something that God has commanded us to do. We must not take that command lightly. When you look back at your life over the past few years, do see that you’ve been growing in love? Do you see yourself becoming more gracious, more peaceful, or more kind?
What the Bible Says about Being Filled with Love in 1 John 3
In 1 John 3, we learn a lot about love from the apostle John. He says, A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35). John explicitly states that it’s through our love that others will know who Jesus is. That means the opposite is true, too. If we don’t love like Jesus does, then they won’t see that the way we live is different, and we won’t be reflecting Jesus in our lives.
And Jesus didn’t command us to love without showing us exactly what that looks like. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us (1 John 3:16). Jesus showed us the perfect representation of what love really is by dying for us on the cross. This is the kind of love that He calls us to. The Bible calls it agape love, which means unconditional. It’s not any kind of love that’s dependent upon anything at all. Agape love serves fully, loves deeply, and gives without expecting anything in return.
So, we know the importance of loving others, and we see the perfect example of love – so how do we love in this way? John writes, Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18). To love in the way that Jesus did, we must make an active commitment, a real choice, to love those in our lives in our words and in our actions.
Can the people around you see you love God and them by your actions?
The way we love radiates to the world who our Jesus is. Our God is a God of love, and Jesus was our perfect example of how we can love others. Can the people around you see you love God and love them by your actions? Love doesn’t just happen on its own. You must make a choice to love – it’s a commitment to loving others with the agape love of Christ.
What you believe about God is the most important thing about you. When we know and believe that God is love and loves us unconditionally, it, in turn, gives us the ability to pour out that same love to those around us. Will you make the choice to grow in your love for Christ and for others?
