Let's take our Bibles once again
and turn to 1st John 3. 1st John chapter 3. As we go through this book also,
this is our next passage of scripture. 1st John Chapter 3, I'd like
to look at verses 11 and 12 today. 1 John 3, verse 11, For this
is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should
love one another, not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and
slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because
his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." John said, this is the announcement
that you have heard or you have understood, not only in your
ear, but in your heart. from the beginning or the commencement. Okay, but the commencement or
the beginning of what? He said this is the message that
you heard from the beginning. Well, from the beginning of your
conversion, from the beginning that God gave you life and you
truly heard it with an ear to hear, a new ear. This is the
message that we've heard. This is the announcement that
you heard from the beginning of life, your life, my life, that we should love one another. Now, until a sinner, and we're
all sinners, we've got some unconverted sinners and we've got some converted
sinners, but all men, this side of glory, are sinners. Paul said, of whom I am, but
a sinner, when he's converted, he's given a heart of understanding,
then he begins to know in heart the things of God. Those things
concerning the Lord's will and purpose to show mercy and compassion
to a chosen people through the glorious person of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, until he's converted, he
doesn't know it. He doesn't care. He's oblivious. He's dead to
it. But when the Spirit of God moves
in power upon an object of God's mercy, as I said, when that old
heart of stone and rebellion against God is dethroned, and
a new heart, a heart of flesh, not flesh meaning the corrupted
nature, but a pliable is what it means, a soft, a tender heart
toward the Lord. Then there is found within that
regenerated center something that wasn't there before. Love. Love. You know we hear a lot
about love. But I'd like to for just a few
minutes just consider what does the scriptures have to say concerning
Love. You know, if you try to describe
love, you say, okay, tell me what love is. Well, it's a feeling,
it's an emotion, it's just, you know. Well, what does God say
it is? You know, we're commanded to
love one another. And we're told that love is the
attribute or the character of a believer, and the absence of
it is the tell-tale sign of spiritual death. Listen to this, 1 John
4, 7 and 8. Beloved, let us love one another,
or let us exhibit the evidence of love, for love is of God. He's the origin of it. For love
that is of God, and everyone that loveth Everyone that exhibits
the characteristic of what Scripture says is love, that we're going
to look at in just a second, they're born of God. They're
regenerated by the grace of God. And they know God. The Spirit
of God has revealed Him. This is life eternal that they
might know, that they might see and perceive and understand something. I know we see through a glass
darkly, but we see. We know. We know something. We
know God is just. We know He's holy. We know He's
right. We know He does as He will. We
know that. That's knowing God. That's knowing
the God of this Bible. He that loveth is born of God
and knoweth God. But he that loveth not, he that
does not exhibit the evidence of what the scripture says is
love, He knoweth not God. He's lost. Listen to this. I'm going to give you the definition
of love. For God is love. God is love. Now I know what
we call love and we try to describe love. The scripture says this
is love. God. Now let's just pause for
just a second and consider what the Spirit of God has moved upon
the Apostle John to write. God is love. He is not merely said to be benevolent,
though He is, but He is benevolence itself. Never was a more important declaration
made than this. Never was a greater revelation
made in so few words. Somebody can take a book and
try to describe love. Here's how the scripture says
it. God is love. And in the darkness of this world's
sorrow and sin, Love reigns. Love rules. That's what Nebuchadnezzar said.
He doeth as he will. He rules in the army of heaven
among the inhabitants of the earth. And God Almighty, who
is revealed to be love, just, holy, good, right, love. And the reason that love is exhibited
in a believer is because God is found to be in that believer.
He who is love. Listen to what the Apostle Paul
says in 2 Corinthians 6.18. And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God, as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk
in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
Now here's the distinguishing characteristic of a believer,
the one in whom God dwells, God who is love. That believer loves
God. Is that too simple? That believer
loves the God of this Bible. Why? Because love himself dwelleth
there. God is love. And where God is,
he that loves knows God, because God's there. He that loveth not,
what do you mean? He that doesn't love the God
of this Bible. He that doesn't love God's people.
He that doesn't love God's gospel. He that doesn't love God's will,
and God's purpose, and God's revelation. He that doesn't love.
He that loveth not God. He doesn't know God. The distinguishing mark of a
believer is that he knows and loves God because God is love. And everyone that is born of
God, this is what John said, everyone born of God exhibits
that love. How does a cat act? He acts like
a cat. A dog acts like a dog. And a believer acts like a believer
that loves because God... Now remember, love is only known
by the effects that it produces. You know, you could tell somebody,
I love you. But if you don't treat them with
love and respect, consideration, all these attributes, all these
ways. What you say, you know, I don't
hear what you're saying because of what you're doing. Love, James
said it like this, show me your faith without works. Faith without
works, that's what James said. Faith without works is dead.
Somebody said, I believe God, I love God, I know, I believe
this. They're going to walk like a
believer. They're going to struggle like
a believer struggles because he sees the presence of sin within
him. But he walks like a believer
walks. A believer, he doesn't find any
confidence in himself. He finds all his confidence in
the Lord. He loves to be with God's people. He acts like a believer. Well,
knowing that love is exhibited, Not merely by what we say, but
what we do. This is what you believe. What
you believe is what you do. That's what you believe. You
can say anything you want to. This is what you do. This is
what you are, by what you do. Hold your place there. Turn to
1 Corinthians 13. We can't even go without looking
at this precious passage again. The Spirit of God moved upon
the Apostle Paul to write a chapter in this book of Corinthians concerning
love, talking about the characteristic of love. Now remember, the only
reason that any of these characteristics are found is because love himself
resides. And love himself is manifested. Love, you can call it an emotion. Love is a person. It's God. Love is God. That's
the essence of love. Not an emotion. Though I understand
that thinking, I really do. But scripturally speaking, this
is love. God residing within. Christ in
you. The hope of glory. Now listen,
alright, 1 Corinthians. Look at verse 4. Charity. How is God manifested in a believer? Charity. Love. Suffereth long
and is kind. Charity envieth not. Charity vaunteth not itself,
is not puffed up. Here's what I wrote. Love endures
long and is patient and kind with others. Love is not envious and doesn't
boil over with jealousy. It's not boastful, vainglorious,
and it doesn't display itself in a haughty way. Now let me
tell you this. Every believer has got that characteristic in
him. Boy, I'll tell you that old man
will fight it tooth and nail. There is a battle that's going
on. There's two natures in a believer. There's the presence of sin that's
still there, and there's a new man that exhibits this characteristic
right here. Verse 5. It doth not behave itself
unseemly. It seeketh not her own. It's
not easily provoked. It thinketh no evil. Brother Henry wrote this. Love
is not conceited. and inflated with pride. It's not rude. It doesn't act
unbecomingly. Love. God in us does not insist
upon its own rights or its own way. And it's not self-seeking. It's not touchy. It's not fretful,
resentful. It takes no account of the evil
done to it and pays no attention to wrong that it suffers. Buddy,
that's love. Lord, help me. Is there a struggle
with you too, with this? This characteristic's there.
God's people know Him. That characteristic is there.
But boy, that struggle. Look at verse 6. It rejoiceth
not in iniquity. Now, what did we just look at
a few minutes ago? What is iniquity? It's that which
is contrary to what God says. That's iniquity. It's contrary.
It rejoices not in a lie on God, but rejoices in the truth. Isn't that so? Isn't that so? You that know Him. Don't you
rejoice in the gospel of the truth Himself? Christ who is
truth. Luke verse 7. It beareth all
things, it believeth all things, it hopeth all things, it endureth
all things. It bears up under trials. It's
ready to believe the best of every person. It's faithful under
all circumstances and resists the trials of the flesh to forsake
or harm the brethren. Remember, love, again, is what
it does, not what it says. There's a struggle. I promise
you there's a struggle going on, but every believer possesses
that which God says he possesses. You say, well, I can't hardly
see it. Well, thanks be unto God, God does. Thanks be unto
God, the Lord sees it. I know we struggle. Our love
toward God Almighty is the result of His love toward us. And this
love must be divinely Have you ever heard this saying, you know,
I think he just killed. He just killed love. You know
what it's talking about? Someone, after a while, you just
get to a point where you just, you know what, I'm done. I'm
done. I'm done. Killed it. Thanks be
unto God, this one will never die. But the scripture sets forth
that God has provided the means of nourishment. What is it? Well, what we're doing right
here. Here we are. We're here in the gospel. I need
to be fed again. But didn't I just hear this last
Wednesday? Last Sunday, didn't I? Yeah.
And by the grace of God, we'll hear it again. Next Wednesday
and next Sunday. Because the nourishment that
we receive from hearing of the Bread of Heaven, Christ Himself,
the Gospel. We must hear it. We sing songs. Brother Gary comes up and we
sing songs of praise unto our Lord. We sing praises unto His
name. We read the Scriptures. Larry came up here. What does
God have to say? Nourishment. Lord, feed me again. In prayer, we were led in congregational
praying. He was speaking, but every believer
in their heart, they call on the Lord. You'd be sitting right
here right now praying, and who knows? The Lord does. The Scripture sets forth that
the Lord nurtures us by His means, hearing the Gospel, reading His
Word, And the greatest manifestation of love that is found within
a believer is that manifestation toward God's people. We love the Lord. That's what
we know we do. That's what Peter told the Lord.
Lord, you know I love you. Love has sounded to me more than
this. Lord, you know, you know. But let me tell you how the love
of God is known in this world. Because we can't see, perceive,
touch, right now, Almighty God. We believe Him by faith. But
do you know what I can see and feel and know of God? Right here. Right here. His body. His body. His people. Hereby perceive we the love of
God. How do we perceive the love of
God? Because He laid down His life
for us, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. By
this shall all men know you're my disciples. How? How, Lord? You have love one for another.
You're long-suffering with them. You're gentle with them. You're
patient with them. You pray for them. That's how
you perceive the love of God. By this shall all men know. Love gives. Love gives. That's what it does.
Love gives. God so loved the world. Everybody with that note? The arrangement. The order. I
told you that before. God loved the order, the arrangement
of man. And he purposed that mankind
was not going to be obliterated. Leave mankind to himself and
he will be. God loved the order of man. He loved the order of
man. So what did he do? He gave his
only begotten son to redeem out of the order of man an elect
of people that He selected and He's going to show mercy. And
whosoever believeth in Him, who's going to believe? Everyone that
the Father gave the Son. That's what the Son said. All
that the Father giveth me shall come to me. For Him that cometh
to me, I will in no wise cast out. God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son. Whosoever believeth in Him shall
not perish, but have everlasting life. So, love. God dwelling in a believer. Love. It's faithful. Faithful to God Almighty and
faithful to God's people. loyal, respectful, kind. And if it must give the ultimate
sacrifice, it will do whatever it has to do. It will lay down its life if
need be. Brethren love brethren because God loves brethren and
God resides within. And God Almighty who is love
Himself manifests Himself. through His people by loving
them. God loves them. So God in us
loves one another. Back in 1 John, last verse. Not
as Cain. That's not how, you know. Cain
and Abel had a brother. Cain had a brother. His name
was Abel. How did God's people love one
another? Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew
his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Why? Why did Cain kill Abel? Why? What was it all over? Because his own works were evil,
and his brother's righteous. Our next verse, I'll, Lord willing,
look at it next time, Marvel 13. Marvel not, my brethren,
if the world hates you, I said this before, what is it that
an unbeliever hates in a believer? He hates love. He hates God. He hates God. He does not love the God that
you love. And God in you, the hope of glory,
is resented and despised by this world. John 13, 34, a new commandment. Not new that you heard it for
the first time, but it's new every time you hear it. I give
unto you that you love one another as I've loved you, that ye also
love one another. That characteristic who is the
manifestation of that which is within a believer, is set forth
in the Scriptures as love. And God is love. So when we talk about loving
one another, here's the source of our love. It's the Lord Himself
in each of His people. They manifest God Himself loving
them. And therefore, We love Him who
first loved us. And we love each other, don't
we? May the Lord bless this word, our hearts, for Christ's sake.
All right, Gary.