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  LOVING OTHERS AS GOD LOVES
  by Alan Martin
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of loving one another as
a demonstration of truly knowing and experiencing God's love. It
challenges believers to love even those who are difficult or unlovable,
reflecting God's unconditional love for all. The message highlights the
need to put on compassion, kindness, and gentleness as clothing from
Christ, aiming to create unity and oneness among believers, ultimately
fulfilling Jesus' commandment to love one another as He has loved us.

Duration: 43:28 Topics: "Unconditional Love", "Unity in Christ"
Scripture References: 1 John 4:7, 1 John 4:9, 1 John 4:16, Matthew 5:43, Colossians 3:12, John 13:34, Romans 5:6, 2 Timothy 3:1

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of loving one another as a
demonstration of truly knowing and experiencing God's love. It
challenges believers to love even those who are difficult or unlovable,
reflecting God's unconditional love for all. The message highlights the
need to put on compassion, kindness, and gentleness as clothing from
Christ, aiming to create unity and oneness among believers, ultimately
fulfilling Jesus' commandment to love one another as He has loved us.

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CONTENT
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I'm gonna read from 1st John chapter 4 1st John chapter 4 and I'm gonna
start with verse 7 1st John chapter 4 verse 7 Beloved let us love one
another for love comes from God and everyone who loves has been born of
God and knows God the one who is not loving does not know God because
God is love so we are the brethren and that means we are to love one
another and that means if you are loving your brothers you know God
because God is love love comes from him and if there is someone here
your brothers here that you're not loving you don't know God you can't
know God and not love your brothers that's not possible those that are
loving others know God personally the word there's Gdowsko it means
first-hand experience personal experience see that's different than
knowing that Jesus died on the cross that's secondhand someone told us
that their gospel writers told us that that doesn't necessarily mean you
know God the evidence that you genuinely know God is you are loving your
brothers and your sisters if you're not loving your brothers and your
sisters you don't know God you haven't had a first-hand experience with
God you've just heard about it you hear preaching you hear teaching but
it's still not a firsthand personal thing to you verse 9 by this the
love of God was manifested among us that God has sent his only begotten
son into the world so that the world might live through him you see John
need to clarify something how did God manifest his love what does the
love of God look like that when you see sin and corruption when you see
someone it's really missing it when you see someone ungodly and
unrighteous and unlovable God sends his son to save them is that the way
you are when you see someone unlovable when you see someone missing it
when you see someone who's not very easy to be around that's how God
manifests his love he saw it and he sent his son to save people like
that so that those people could live through him because we know just
like you and I before Jesus Christ came all of us were dead in our
trespasses and sin so when we see someone who's obviously dead in sin
because their mouth is foul their attitude is bad the way they the way
they are is just bad are you hoping they live through you is God's love
in a manifest through you like it did through his son are you gonna be
there so that that person can live through you that's how God manifested
his love verse 10 in this is love not that we love God but that he loved
us see when we when we talk about love it's easy for us here to say and
I'm talking to you guys because that's we're not not talking to them out
there we're talking to each other it's easy for us to say I love God I
thought we're talking about the question is not that that we do we love
God the question is that God loves us that's that's how he manifested
and he sent his son so the question for us is do you love your brothers
like God loves us I'm not asking you if you love God because if you
don't love your brothers you don't love God the question we need to be
asking ourselves is am I loving my brothers is this not that we love God
but is it God loves us that it that's what he says and he sent his own
son to be a propitiation for a sin beloved if this is the way that God
loved us not that we loved him but that he loved us and he sent his son
to make an atonement for our sins what about that person we see in sin
what about that person who's doing wrong who's obviously in sin who we
don't like who we have an aversion to are we going to love them the way
God does God loved the world and he sent his son so that the world to
live through him or are we just gonna say well no I love God are you
gonna say you love God if you're not loving those that God sent his son
to say verse 12 no one has ever seen God at any time but if we are
loving one another God abides in us and his love is perfected among us
now can I add a little bit to that if we are loving one another God
abides in us and his love is perfected among us do you think it's saying
if we love that small group of people we get along with thing that's
what he's saying no no tax collectors do that don't they sinners do that
Gentiles do that I'm asking I'm asking you if you love everybody else
here if you care that every other person here is saved from their sin
regardless of how they are that's how God loved us it doesn't mean
anything for you to get along with your small little group of people and
you just avoid the rest you may not even know God if that's the way you
are you may not even know God personally because God did not send his
son into the world when the world was only for those who loved him God
sent his son to the rebellious world the defiant world the wicked world
to save them from their condition verse 13 by this we know that we abide
in him and he in us because he's given us is it of his Holy Spirit we
have beheld and bear witness that the father has sent the son to be the
Savior of the world now please hear me we have not beheld that God sent
his son to be the Savior of our little click and the rest of them could
go to hell because that's the way too many of us live oh yeah God loves
my group but the rest of them they're on their own that's not the love
of God Jesus said it's not the sick it's not the healthy who need a
doctor it is the sick who need the doctor so my question is I'm asking
you to search your heart and say is there someone here you don't care
for is there someone here that you're not hoping they live because of
the love of God pouring forth out through you is there someone here
you're avoiding you just assume stay away from was that God if that was
God's heart Jesus would have never been sent he's the Savior of the
world that's all that's pretty universal in it at a big category that's
why I can freely say the only ones here who genuinely know God fully
love every single other person here the way God loves the world that's
how you know you look that's how you genuinely know that you know God
and John like a good Jew he's gonna say it all over again you think I'm
redundant John's gonna just go over it again okay same same book first
John now same chapter verse 15 verse John 4 15 whoever confesses that
Jesus is a son of God God abides in him and he ain't God now you would
think okay well that's me maybe I don't love everybody but at least I
confess that Jesus is the Son of God wait a minute let's break that down
a little bit what is Jesus the Son of God sent to do to save the world
is that your confession that the reason God sent Jesus and made him his
son is it for God's own of the world that he gave his only begotten Son
that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have everlasting
life is that your confession that God sent Jesus Christ his Son as the
Savior of the world not not as your Savior there's a lot of us that want
to camp there God sent Jesus to save me no no God sent Jesus to save the
world and is that how you know him is that the Jesus you're confessing
if you genuinely know God you know that Jesus is there to save sinners
that's the demonstration of God's love verse 16 and we have come to know
and have believed the love which God has among us God is love and the
one who abides in love abides in God and God in him so those here John
is saying those who are loving like God loves are living in God that's
who lives in God the ones who are loving as God is they're abiding in
God and God is abiding in them by this verse 17 love has been perfected
among us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment because
as he is and and how is he he is pouring out his life for others he is
in the world to save others he has been sent to redeem people from their
sin that's who he is is that how we are in this world are we there to
save others are we there to show them the love of God in hopes that
they'll be redeemed and saved from their condition of sin and be
forgiven and experience the love of God through us if that's how we're
living we have confidence on the day of judgment because in this world
we're living our lives exactly like he lived his life not just avoiding
the bad people and staying away from the ones we don't care for and only
caring about our little tight little circle and want to avoid anyone
that makes us uncomfortable saving our life from the pain of it saving
our life from the trouble of it wanting to avoid the uncomfortableness
from certain people that's not the love of God that's the love of self
and even a selfish person can want God to love them even a selfish
person can want to go to heaven a selfish person can want their sins
forgiven while they don't care about others while they treat others like
dirt or avoid them or just show them no real kindness and mercy they
still want mercy for themselves they still want kindness for themselves
but that kind of person doesn't know God he's not abiding in the love of
God verse 18 there is no fear in love but perfect love cast out fear
because fear involves punishment and the one who fears is not perfected
in love you know what I don't know that it's talking about fear of God
it may be but you know I don't think too many of us are afraid of God
but you know what some of us are afraid of we're afraid of those other
people we're avoiding we're afraid to talk to them we're afraid to sit
at the same table with them we're afraid they may actually try to get to
know us a person abiding in the love of God doesn't think like that it's
just not what they think there's no fear not when not when loves in
control and he goes on to say this we love we love because God first
loved us okay God loved us and let's get this straight when did God love
us when well we're yet sinners that's right we'll read that here in a
minute and why did God love us and why did God love us it's not a trick
question God loves us because he is love that's what he does so God is
not loving us because we love him that's what he's saying you get that
God is not loving you and I because we loved him guess what then why are
we loving only those who love us that's not God God loved us before we
loved him how come that's not our attitude towards others even those
that don't like us even those that are rude and crude and insensitive
and wrong oh we're not to love them till they love us and until they get
their act together we're to avoid them that is not the way God loved us
the only reason we love God is because he first loved us so who's to be
the initiator on the loving side who's to be the initiators we are we
are not to look around for those that can love us and then love them no
we are to love in the way God loves we are to love others and in our
loving others we can hope that they will come to love us but we are to
love because God is love and if verse 20 if someone says I love God
while hating his brother he is a liar that's pretty bold isn't it for
John to make that statement so we're here these are the beliefs we know
we're family in the Lord if there is someone we do not love we don't
value you cannot love God don't tell me you love God cannot love God and
hate another brother or sister in Christ and the word hate in the Greek
means to devalue them and you know how you can tell you devalue someone
you just you just avoid them we are the we are the most polite avoiders
we're good at that we just make sure we we know what table they normally
sit at and we're not gonna make that mistake we're gonna sit over here
or they come in and we see how they're dressed and it's obviously they
don't know God and we have our attitudes and I and I was I would tell
you if we examine our hearts evidently even in the early church John was
having to deal with the same thing believers not loving other believers
in the way that God had loved them that's what I believe he's dealing
with this and the thing is he's he's he's having to tell them he's
writing to the church now you realize the church would receive this
letter and the only people that would have been gathered there would
have been the Christians of that city right so he's reading it to all
Christians can you imagine hearing it for the first time you're out
there in the congregation any of you who who claim that you love God but
you don't love everyone else here you're a liar that's in that kind of
what he just said that's what that's what he said I think that's what we
should believe I think I don't know how it's come to be that churches
accept the fact that there can be cliques and groups that don't really
embrace and respect and love and honor one another the way that the Lord
loved the world when he sent his son to be the Savior of the world
because someone quoted this verse and I agree with him in Romans chapter
5 verse 6 it says Paul wrote for while we were still weak at the right
time Christ died for the ungodly that's a sebum I in the Greek get the
acid be in the Greek a sebum is the verb I should be is the noun ungodly
is an attitude it's an attitude that doesn't respect God there are some
among us I'm not saying they're here this morning but there are some
among us that have no real respect for God they will shoot off whatever
they think blank you and blank this or do that no respect that I don't
fear of God at all that's who Christ died for that's who Christ died for
the ungodly those with that kind of attitude that that's the kind of
weakness they're they're slaves of a sickness called sin in them Paul
goes on to say for one will hardly die for a righteous man though
perhaps for a good man someone may dare even to die but God demonstrates
his own love towards us that while we were still sinners still sinners
Christ died for us now have you ever wondered how Jesus could say this
and what he meant when he was hanging on the cross and the only people
were around who was a maybe a few of his followers were there we know at
one time Mary was there a couple of the married Mary's his mother
another Mary and John the disciple were there because Jesus spoke to
them but most of the crowd that was around the cross were the people who
condemned Jesus they were the Jewish leaders and most of the time they
were there they were mocking him weren't they and even pilot knew and
Jesus knew that the reason they they handed him over to be crucified was
that they hated him they were jealous of him and here Jesus is staying
hanging on the cross and he prays something you know father forgive them
for they know not what they do did he know that they hated him he knew
they hated him he knew they were jealous he knew they were mocking him
he knew they didn't love the father because they wouldn't receive what
the father had said to John the Baptist they didn't receive him what
could he mean when they know not what they do do you think that the
people with the attitude towards God don't fear God that are just very
difficult because they have something really bad things in their life do
you think those people are aware that they are slaves to sin that the
law of sin in their member that their spiritual forces corrupting them
making them prisoners causing them to do the things they're doing do you
think they know that no they don't know that Jesus knew that Jesus knew
that the reason the people were mocking him because they were under
slavery to sin something that people don't realize you and I should
realize that that when we encounter someone who is just sinning doing
what sinners do that that person does not fully know what they're doing
and we can seek for them to be forgiven to experience the forgiveness of
God like we were shown the mercy and grace and the forgiveness of God is
that what do you think Jesus meant in in Matthew chapter 5 when I'm
gonna go back there it's a familiar passage to you Matthew chapter 5
verse 43 you have heard that it was said you shall love your neighbors
and hate your enemies some of us some of us live like that's our Bible
verse we love our neighbors but the rest no no I don't care for them
that's kind of how we too many of us live but I say to you love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may become sons
of your father in heaven you mean loving our enemies and praying for
those who make it difficult for us makes us sons of our father in heaven
for Jesus said for that for he the father causes his son to rise on the
evil and the good and that's happening right now do you know that the
Sun is shining on this church and the Sun is shining on on the Calaveras
Lake people out there fishing the Sun is shining on this building and
the Sun is shining on every drug house in this entire neighborhood and
God is giving them the light in the Sun just like you giving it to us
and when God sends rain the wicked get the rain people growing pot in
the backyard they get the rain too we get it for our nice flower bed in
the front the people going pot get they get the rain too that's how God
our father is and evidently becoming perfect like he's perfect it's
loving others the way he does obviously he's saying he's not only kind
to those that are kind to him Luke says that he is kind to the wicked
and the ungrateful God is kind to the wicked and the ungrateful then he
goes on to say if you love those who love you what reward do you have
maybe I could ask this question so if you stay in your little group that
you're comfortable with and you avoid the others who you're not what
reward do you have what's that didn't know what didn't know how tax
collectors you think if there was a group of tax collectors here they'd
probably be sitting all the same table wouldn't they and probably no one
else will be no one else will be sitting there with them but they're
there to support each other they do that Jesus said that and if you
greet only your brothers and the word greet there literally means to
draw to yourself okay when we walk in these doors either door walk or
roll in either way however we get here let me ask you something who you
looking to greet are you looking to greet just those of you you're
connected your brothers I want to greet them some I don't plan to greet
I have no I'm not looking for them you know what Jesus has said if
you're only looking to greet those who are waiting to greet you what's
that the Gentiles do that that's not like your father in heaven your
father in heaven see sinners ungodly people in the world and what does
he do he sends his son to gather them to himself that means as a church
if we're living in God and God is living in us we're not just going to
be looking to draw the people we already know to ourself that means
we're looking we may be looking for the stranger that person that's
according to Jesus then he finishes it with this statement therefore you
be perfect you be perfect as your heavenly father's perfect you be
perfect that's that's a challenge isn't well if Jesus said that can I
say that to you is it okay Tom you better be perfect towards every
person here Marie you better be perfect in heart towards every person
here everybody Raymond Jesse Joe Ralph every person here you better be
perfect towards have a perfect heart a perfect love a perfect desire for
them and you better draw them to yourself like they were your best
friend and don't live in the comfort of your little group that's what
love that's what the love of God is and that's what the love of God does
you know the Paul used a term Paul was actually kind of famous for
putting words together that sometimes you can't find in other Greek
literature it's only in the in the Bible Paul evidently spoke and wrote
Greek because his letters were written in Koine Greek there's a there's
a there's two words that Paul put together one is the basis of the word
friend and the other is the basis of the word stranger the word friend
is phileo brotherly love it has the idea of family you see kind of where
we get the English word family so if you want I might put it this way he
put the word family and stranger together any any used it in the
sentence in his letter to the Philippians he said pursue hospitality and
it's the word hospitality they translate this word hospitality from this
compound word family and stranger and you know what it means it's it
means this pursue making a stranger feel like family that's what we're
to pursue that's how we should be known that you are so warm and loving
and kind and merciful and gracious to others that they feel like they're
your family that's what we're to pursue as believers that's what we're
to be known for this is because this demonstrates that we're abiding in
God and God is abiding in us we can't demonstrate that if we surround
ourselves only with people who make us comfortable that it just that's
not it that that's natural the world already does that it's not us now
does that mean that loving and drawing someone to to your drawing
someone to yourself does that mean everything goes no we can speak the
truth in love and there'll be certain things that are not allowed for
family because they're not good for family they're hurtful and harmful
to one another and in love we can say no more of that not at all that's
not loving that's not health that's not healthy you can't speak to
people like that you can't act like that you can't do that that's love
but you see that the difference is speaking the truth in love love hopes
all things love bears all things you can bear with a person and say you
I want you I want to receive you but that right there you've got to deal
with that you've got to deal with that because that is damaging you and
that is damaging others that's love see it's love does not mean anything
goes and what everyone what anyone does it goes no because Romans Paul
made it very clear in Romans chapter I think is chapter 13 love must be
sincere hate what is evil claim to what is good and the basic idea of
the Greek word evil means it's bad for you and the good it is the
goodness of God to be against anything that is bad for you so you can
you can have concerns and even be against the actions that are harmful
but don't be against the person don't be against the person draw the
person to yourself and seek to have the person redeemed out of their sin
and restored in the God that is desire for us to live in love in that
way and this is I'll close with this little section of well this let me
take you to this passage before I close if you if you have your Bibles
to please turn to the book of Timothy 2nd Timothy actually 2nd Timothy
chapter 3 and we're just going to take two verses from this passage and
it's interesting this passage immediately follows Paul's counsel to
Timothy about how to deal with opposition Paul knew that Timothy would
face opposition even from fellow Christians and so he counsels him not
to fight not to don't get into it with people the Lord servant needs to
be gentle and kind and hoping that God grants repentance to those that
oppose him and then he follows that with with this but it's going to get
really bad dealing with people is going to get really bad in the last
days and chapter 3 of 2nd Timothy verse 1 but know this in the last days
difficult time will come for men will be lovers of them self and I'm
just going to stop there that's the characteristic they're going to love
themselves so when they come to a place when someone loves themselves
you know what they're what they're thinking about what am I going to get
out of it what are they going to do for me how does it make me feel and
I receive they're not walking in the door looking to meet your needs
they're not coming here to make sure that someone else feels blessed by
their being here now they come here because I want I need something I
want something that's characteristic of the last days men just love
themselves not other people and it go I'm going to jump on down to verse
verse 4 and he says this they're gonna they're going to love pleasure
more than they love God now I want to put two thoughts together and I
want you and hopefully we can see this remember the only real evidence
that we genuinely love God because John said that no one can say I love
God if they're hating their brother can they only those who are loving
their brother genuinely know and love God so these people are lovers of
self they love pleasure more than people they love pleasure more than
people and they're here to get their own good time they're here looking
for something they like the breakfast tacos or they like the the events
that we do or they like the stimulation whatever it is but it's not
people it's not people they love they love pleasure more than people
having a form of godliness denying the power thereof and you know what
this is rare this is rare but Paul actually tells Timothy avoid that
type of person you see someone it's just all about pleasure and it's not
about people pray for that person but don't spend your time with them
avoid them from such turn away that's pretty rare because that person
full of self loving pleasure more than others is misrepresenting who God
is people people around us are more important than our own personal
pleasure since Christ laid down his life for us that's how we're to lay
down our lives for one another that's that's the way we're to be and the
last I will close with this now in the book of Titus chapter 3 Titus
chapter 3 no I'm not gonna I don't need to go there that's where I need
to go thank you Lord for reminding me Colossians chapter 3 go to
Colossians chapter 3 some some of us I don't know if you're if you're if
you're wrestling with this someone might be thinking I don't know pastor
it's just not natural to me it's just not natural to me to draw someone
that I just think is weird to myself to be friendly or loving to someone
that I just would rather stay away from that's just not me I'll get that
so did Paul Paul got that too he gives us some advice so here's some
advice from Colossians chapter 3 verse 12 so as the elect of God those
that God has chosen under the words holy and beloved put on a heart of
compassion all right that's good to look up at me that means you don't
have to have a heart of compassion on your own maybe you woke up in the
morning how many of you sleep in your clothes that you wore the day
before some do my kids used to I mean I know some people do but most of
us take our clothes off when we go to bed and what do we do when we get
up in the morning there are clothes are not on we're naked we have to
put clothes on so what if you don't have the kind of heart I'm talking
about what did Paul say to do put it on put it on put on compassion put
on kindness you put it on you dress yourself you think about when you
most of you thought about the clothes you were gonna wear when you walk
in this door from now on we need to think about I am gonna put on
compassion so when I walk through that door I am clothed with the
compassion of Christ now when I walk through that door I'm gonna put on
kindness and I'm gonna look to see who I can be kind to I'm gonna put it
on I'm gonna clothe myself with these things and God provides the
clothes so wake up in the morning and don't just live in your natural
self how many of you leave the house without putting clothes on no you
know how to put clothes on then do not live in your natural old self
either put on the Lord Jesus Christ clothe yourself with compassion
clothe yourself with kindness clothe yourself with gentleness and even
if it's not natural to you clothe yourself with Christ put on the Lord
Jesus Christ because it's natural to him put on the Lord clothe yourself
with him and live this life and and this is what will happen love is the
bond of perfection that's how a group of people very different unique
that's how a group can become a family genuinely one and Jesus is what
Jesus prayed for Jesus prayed that we the disciples that those even came
to believe in him through the disciples said that they would be made
perfect in one because when the world sees this beautiful unity this
oneness in the midst of a diverse people they believe that's when they
recognize this is a result of God sending Jesus the real result of God
sending Jesus is the ability for a people to be one the unity of the
spirit love the bond of perfection and that's why Jesus said a new
commandment I give unto you one commandment love one another as I have
loved you by this not by Baptist not by Catholic not by Presbyterian not
by any other any other thing by your loving others like he loved you
that's how people know you're his disciple that's how they know

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/qWQMrVU_1Mc.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/alan-martin/loving-others-as-god-loves/
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