Sermon Outline: 1 John 3:2-10
1 John 3:2-10
P.S. I Love You (Practically Showing God)
Pastor Jason Stewart
I. Introduction:
As we continue on this morning in a series entitled, P.S. I love You, which I explained in detail last week, means “Practically Showing” I Love You. We discussed last week how God has Practically Shown us His Love, and this week we will be looking at how we can Practically Show God that we love Him.
Thinking about this concept of practically showing love I was thinking about for our own lives there are certain ways that are more effective in making each of us feel loved. And it is different from one person to the next. In fact, in the book entitled, The 5 Love Languages the author does an excellent job in helping married couples show each other practical love on a more effective level.
The premise of the book is simple. We all have what Gary Chapman refers to as a "Love Tank." Somewhat like an emotional gas tank, the fullness of our love tank reflects how much love we feel in our current relationship. When we are neglected, the level of our love tank drops. When our loved ones effectively communicate their love for us, the level of our love tank rises. The key to a strong marriage, Chapman says, is to consciously choose, day after day, to fill our significant other's love tank.
While this might seem obvious at first, it can become an impossible task if we are not aware of our significant other's, "Love Language." As Gary Chapman explains, every person has one dominant love language. And, unless our significant other communicates with us using that particular love language, nothing that they can do will make us feel truly loved.
The 5 Love Languages are:
1. Words of Affirmation (Spoken words used to encourage and compliment)
2. Quality Time (Spending quiet, undistracted moments with your loved one. This means turning off the T.V. the computer, or “kids” and just sit down with your spouse and have a conversation with them, showing interest in their days events and in their life)
3. Receiving Gifts (Giving things to your loved ones. These gifts do not have to be expensive items)
4. Acts of Service (Doing things for your loved one such as washing the car, painting the living room, picking up clothes, cleaning the house, doing laundry, the dishes, etc)
5. Physical Touch (Includes any physical touch, such as hugging, kissing, holding hands, etc.)
Many people have multiple love languages, while others may have only one Love Language. However, if your spouse’s love language is “words of affirmation” or “acts of service” and you spend your time trying to show your love by giving them gifts or spending time with them, you are not going to be effectively showing them love. And in your heart and mind you may love them, but in their heart and mind, they may feel as if you never really show them any love. It doesn’t matter how many gifts you buy a person whose love language is time and affection, unless you are giving them time and giving them affection they will not feel loved.
And just as each of us has a love language, so too does God have a love language that touches His heart and reveals to Him that we love Him. Jesus tells us in John 14:21, “He who has My commandments and keeps them it is he who loves Me...” One of Jesus’ primary love languages is obedience. When we are obedient to Him, He says this is how we can show Him that we love Him. Words are very cheap these days. To profess that we love someone doesn’t cost us anything. And in essence what Jesus is telling us here is “don’t profess with your lips that you love Me, unless you are willing to obey Me.” Jesus it telling us, “My love language, the thing that fills My love tank up is obedience.” If you obey My word, I will know that you love Me.
Just as in a marriage relationship we are to choose day after day, to fill up our significant others love tank, so too are we as Christians called to choose day after day to fill up Jesus’ love tank by walking in obedience to Him. And as we move into this mornings’ text, and the second part of P.S. I Love You, we are going to see that there are 3 overriding aspects that I will be highlighting from this passage that are key areas of our faith, and that show how we can practically show Him that we love Him.
II. Revelation/Application: Practically Showing our Love to God
We can practically show our love to God by:
a. Walking by FAITH (3:2)
The first aspect of “walking by faith” that is found in this verse, is that we will live in the “now”. “Now we are” children of God. In the Greek the word for now “we are” is a verb that is in the present tense. Meaning, we have to remember that we are presently children of God, whom God wants living wholly for Jesus in the here and now, and not be half-hearted about our relationship with Him until we arrive in eternity. Walking by faith knowing that we have been created for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10). What things in your relationship with God are you putting off right now? What things have you moved out of the present “NOW” moment and have put off until a later date?
The second aspect of “walking in Faith” is that we will look forward to the future, when Jesus is Revealed to us from heaven. This word for “Revealed ” in the Greek is phaneroõ and it means, “to cause to be seen”, “to make known”, or “to make visible.” As Christians we are called to live with this amazing and monumental event at the forefront of our minds, and it should inspire us to not only have great hope and live pure lives, as we will see in the following verses, but to also live in the “NOW” moment which we have already discussed. This is exactly what Paul reminds the Colossians about in Colossians 3:1-4
We can practically show our love to God by
b. Live with HOPE (3:3a)
The reason “Living with Hope” is a way that we can “Practically Show” God that we love Him, is because when we live with Hope we show God that we have something more to live for than this world. Our hope of being with God in heaven is a powerful emotion that enables us to overcome any and all difficulties that we may have to face in this world. When we live our lives with a true hope in Jesus, the Bible tells us that one of the overriding characteristics of true hope in Christ will be the way we try and life godly and pure lives. Those with this hope will live for purity (3:3b), which is the next point.
We can practically show our love to God by:
- Strive for Purity (3:3b-10; esp. v.7, 10)
The reason “Living for Purity” is a way that we can “Practically Show” God that we love Him, is because when we live for Purity we show God that we want to be obedient to Him as our Father. This is a fundamental theme throughout John’s letter, the importance of “practicing righteousness.” It is used to affirm that we are actually in fellowship with God (1:6), and that we know Him (2:4), and have been born of God (2:29).
Striving for Purity means we will try to live pure lives (3:3). To live with purity is to live differently. This is not only living with moral righteousness (2:29), but also with relational righteousness (3:10b). To keep pure means to keep morally pure, free from the bondage and corruption of sin. Though it is Christ alone who makes us right with God, and righteous before God, we are called to take action in doing our best to remain pure in this relationship as well. That of course is not what makes us pure, but because we are made pure by Christ, we strive for purity.
Remaining pure on our part means we will “depart from iniquity” (1 Timothy 2:19), in fact “flee” from sin and “pursue” righteousness (1 Timothy 6:11), by drawing near to God (James 4:8). Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). The goal of the Christian faith is to be like Christ (Rom. 8:29), and to be like Christ means to live for purity (1 John 3:3).
This is why Jesus came, to teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live righteously and godly in this present age (Titus 2:11-13). Though our ultimate hope and reality is in heaven when Christ returns (3:2-3a), we do our best to grow in His image while in this life as well (Rom. 8:29).
III. Conclusion
How can we take what we have looked at in this text and become men and women who Practically Show God that we love Him by the way we live our lives? Once again, Jesus tells us in John 14:21 that His love language is obedience. Jesus says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.”
I have been using this idea of love languages today, and the concept of filling God’s love tank by practically showing our love to Him. We do this by walking in faith, living with hope, and striving for purity. However, what is really taking place when we do this is that our love tank is really what gets filled up because we are experiencing more of God in our lives. Jesus goes onto say in John 14:21, “And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” We get to experience God in our lives when we give our love to Him!
