Sermon on Brotherly Love | Loving the Brethren
Categories: Sermon Outlines, Topical Sermon Outlines Tags: Sermons on LoveSermon on Brotherly Love
Date written: July 8th, 2006
Scripture ref: 1 John 3:14-19
SUBJECT: Love
TITLE: Loving The Brethren
PROPOSITION: In this lesson we will study the text of 1 John 3:14-19 and look at the subject of brotherly love. Loving the brethren is 1) A sign of our salvation and of the promise of eternal life; 2) A reflection of God’s love for man and our love for God; 3) A sacrifice that must be made when necessary; 4) A work that must be done; 5) An assurance of our salvation and of our working knowledge of God’s truth.
OBJECTIVE: Each hearer ought to understand more about brotherly love as taught in 1 John 3:14-19.
Aim: That we increase in brotherly love as individuals and as a congregation.
INTRODUCTION:
1. Read: 1 John 3:14-19
2. About the Text:
1) John is often referred to as the apostle of love.
2) Perhaps this is because he discusses the subject more than in any other gospel or epistle.
3) The apostles certainly had problems loving one another.
4) There were times when they contended with one another.
5) On one occasion two disciples wanted to sit on the right and left hand of Jesus.
6) The other disciples were upset because of the request.
7) Jesus had to instruct the disciples on how things were to be in His kingdom.
8) One of those disciples was John.
9) He seems to have learned the lesson that Jesus taught regarding love of one’s brethren.
3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.
DISCUSSION: Loving the brethren is . . .
I. A SIGN OF OUR SALVATION AND OF THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE – 1 JOHN 3:14-15.
1. Jesus gave commandment as to how all would know who were his disciples. John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
2. When we keep Jesus commandments we can know that we abide in Him and He in us. 1 John 3:23-24 “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
3. When we love one another, we know that God abides in us. 1 John 4:12 “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
4. When God abides in us, we can know that we have salvation and eternal life.
II. A REFLECTION OF THE LOVE OF GOD AND OUR LOVE FOR GOD – 1 JOHN 3:16.
1. God’s example of love motives us to love one another. 1 John 4:7-11 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
2. If we can’t show our love for our brother, we can’t show our love for God either. 1 John 4:20-21 “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
3. Jesus displayed love for his fellow man as well and expects us to follow his example. John 15:12-14 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
4. God’s example through Jesus motives us to love one another. 1 Thessalonians 4:9 “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”
III. A SACRIFICE THAT MUST BE MADE WHEN NECESSARY – 1 JOHN 3:17
1. Our love must serve. Galatians 5:13 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
2. That service must come in the form of blessing one another. 1 Peter 3:8-9 “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”
3. That means we won’t cause a stumbling block for our brother. 1 John 2:10, 11 “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”
4. If we’re supposed to lay down our lives for our brother then certainly we can sacrifice lesser things for him as well.
IV. A WORK THAT MUST BE DONE – 1 JOHN 3:18
1. Loving our brother isn’t an optional matter. John 15:17 “These things I command you, that ye love one another.”
2. We must love one another fervently, diligently, with effort. 1 Peter 1:22 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”
3. This was exemplified for us by Philemon. Philemon 1:7 “For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.”
V. AN ASSURANCE OF OUR SALVATION AND OF A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S TRUTH – 1 JOHN 3:19.
1. To love one another is to follow God as His children. Ephesians 4:31-5:2 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”
2. We speak truth to one another in love so we will know the truth and abide by it. Ephesians 4:15 “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”
3. When we love as God has loved us, we can have boldness in regard to our salvation. 1 John 4:16-17 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”
CONCLUSION:
1. Loving the brethren is . . .
1) A sign of our salvation and of the promise of eternal life.
2) A reflection of the love of God and our love for God.
3) A sacrifice that must be made.
4) A work that must be done.
5) An assurance of our salvation and of a working knowledge of God’s truth.
2. Invitation