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CLICK HERE to view the sermon video. Sorry about the blur. I must be preaching too fast. *wink*
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Beloved, let us love one another…” The word “love” is tossed about all too frequently, and with all too many meanings these days. For the worldly-minded, love is mainly about that touchy-feeling emotion which reaches its pinnacle in Hallmark movies or in the physical release experienced by any two people—and sometimes more than two people. And in the eyes of the world, anything that is called “love” cannot be a bad thing, even if it is harmful to the spiritual wellbeing of those who engage in it. It doesn’t matter if a couple lives together or participates in the act of procreation outside of marriage; after all, the individuals love each other, and love can’t be wrong. When a couple who has been having sex becomes pregnant, regardless of marital status, subsequently decides to abort their unborn child, this murder is viewed as an act of love; after all, what kind of future can there be for an unwanted child? And since “God is love,” certainly—if He exists—He must approve these acts which are performed in the name of love.
For couples who are contemplating marriage or for couples who are experiencing marital difficulties, I frequently discuss love in terms in commitment and hard work, because the touchy-feely emotions come and go in even the most loving of couples. In this, I think our forefathers had a certain wisdom in arranging marriages. When two young people are brought together under the banner of commitment, love often grows; when the emotion is what brings two people together, as Don Henley sang, “Sometimes love just ain’t enough.”
When it comes down to it, true love has to do with serving others, with putting the welfare of others above self. Suddenly, “love,” which we believed was just an emotion, becomes a verb, a “doing word.” And that’s well-nigh impossible for us, because we are not wired to be selfless. We are always looking for what we have coming to us, our fair share. If love has to do with what we do for our neighbor instead of what we feel, then suddenly it’s not okay to give in to the lusts of the flesh; suddenly it’s not okay to act only in your own best interest.
With that definition before our eyes, it makes sense when the Apostle John writes, “God is love.” The cross is the ultimate sign of love for the people of God. Nowhere in all the history of creation has love been demonstrated as clearly as in the crucifixion of Jesus. The sinless Son of God dies the death of sinners, the innocent Lamb becoming the Sacrifice to pay the price of the sins of the world.
Inscribed upon the cross we see
In shining letters, "God is love."
He bears our sins upon the tree;
He brings us mercy from above.
It is true love which brings our Lord to bear the burden of the debt of sin. He certainly didn’t hang on the cross for His own sake. He didn’t need to die. Death is the wages of sin, and someone who doesn’t earn a debt doesn’t have to pay it back. But He chooses to lay down His life anyway. He chooses to love His neighbor—He chooses to love you—even more than He loves Himself.
“God is love.” This truth is central to the Gospel. Since God is love, everything He does, He does out of love. He gives us His holy Law out of love, so that we know how to live in a manner which pleases Him. And, knowing that we would fail to keep the Law, in His great love He promised a Savior, One who would keep the Law perfectly in all its strenuous demands, One who would bear the sins of the world, One who would die the death of sin. Jesus tells us, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” And nowhere else is this so evident than in our Lord’s suffering and death for us and for our salvation. “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”
In response to this great love from the God who is love, we rejoice to show love in two ways. First:
We sing the praise of Him who died,
Of Him who died upon the cross.
And in addition to rejoicing in this love we receive from God, as John tells us: “Beloved, let us love one another.” Yes, that love starts with His love for us. But in the love He gives to us, He also sets you free to love your neighbor. And where you fail to show that love, He also gives you the freedom to confess your sins and be forgiven time and time again.
As we continue on this journey to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us give Him thanks and praise, for He has perfectly loved His Father in perfect obedience to the Law, and He has perfectly loved His neighbor in giving the benefits of that obedience to us. No greater love has ever been given. No greater love has ever been shown.
To Christ, who won for sinners grace
By bitter grief and anguish sore,
Be praise from all the ransomed race
Forever and forevermore.
In the name of the Father and of the (†) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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