These couple of months in Africa I have the opportunity to preach a lot!! Here is the first sermon I wrote on Sacrificial Love:
I just turned 23 last month and I asked God for a word to mediate on for this next year of my life. God what do I need to learn?
He pointed me to: 1st John 3:13
Do not be surprised because the World Hates You.
These are not the words I expected to hear but as he kept speaking to me through 1st John 3, He told me that he wants to teach me about Sacrificial Love.
When we look into 1st John 3 we hear the message about Gods commandment to love one another. But not to just love those in your family or your close friends, but truly sacrifice to love everyone in this world.
Let me read it to you all today.
1 John 3:11-16: “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because of his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 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. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the words and 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 in truth.”
This is an extreme commandment from God that holds a lot of weight, If we do not love, we are murderers? We cannot just love in words but in deeds? That may not sound like a big task but I want to ask you today how are you laying your life down for others? How are you sacrificing your time, your resources, your desires and wants in order to love others? What are you doing for your wife? For your kids? For your neighbor? For your church community? For those who have less than you?
Christ asks us to be a church body through our actions toward one another, not just our words. He asks us to love hard people. Have you given up on a relationship? Do you live for others in the same degree that God loves us? Laying our lives down for others.
If Jesus came down in human form for one week and followed you around, what would he see? Would you stand out because of your generous actions toward others? Or would God see someone that attends church and tells their neighbor they care for them, but does not actually take time to know and serve them?
I know that I do not always live this way. I love others in the ways I know how to love and I do not go beyond those expectations. I find it hard for me to intentionally forgive and lay my life down for those who need extra love or to hear the truth.
In John 3:23-24 God tells us that when we keep this commandment we abide in God and God abides in us.
23-24” And this is his commandment that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.”
If we do not love to this degree of sacrificing ourselves for others how do we change? Our actions may change for a week, a month or even a year but soon they will fade as we get caught up in our own lives. What needs to change is how we receive God’s love. we need to be better receivers. God is constantly pouring his love out to us and his love endures all things. His love is constant. With his love we are capable of loving others to the same degree. Gods love will never change but what will change is our ability to receive his love. Your job as a son and daughter of Christ is to be outrageously loved by God.
God has so much to bestow on us and we can’t go to all the places of his heart if we don’t open our hearts to him first. Are your hearts open to receiving the fullness of Gods love? Are your hearts open to loving others in this fullness?
If we want to live in the fullness of God and abide in his love than we must believe in our resurrection from death to life. God has made us new and through his constant outpour of love he reminds us that we no longer need to act in hate or hard feelings, but we have an eternal source that gives us grace, forgiveness and a love that sets us free. If we are to truly live in that identity we need to sacrifice ourselves just as God did to give the love that others deserve. How else will others experience Gods abiding love if we we are not abiding in his fullness to begin with. Before we sacrifice our time and resources out of obligation, consider sacrificing fear or whatever may be holding you back to receiving His fullness. Brothers and sisters, it is such an honor to be here in Africa to spend time loving on your people and to truly feel the love from God that your people have given us. I hope our team has encouraged you in your faith, just as you have encouraged us. May the Holy Spirit be with you and fill your days with love and His fullness. AMEN!!
