Last Sunday our preacher, Dave, had one of his best sermons as far as how it touched my heart. I find all of his teaching to be good but this sermon just really touched me that day. Maybe it’s because he approached the text much as I used to approach a text.
No, Randy, I’m not talking about looking through the table of contents of the latest Lucado, Swindoll, or Ortberg book! Though with Swindoll and Ortberg, that’s not a bad way to get some excellent sermon ideas, once you work through that little plagiagarism hang-up. Maybe it’s because I just needed to be reassured of these truths at this time in my life.
Dave is preaching through 1 John in a series titled, “Can’t Buy Me Love” … starting most sermons with a video clip of the Beatles singing that refrain. It’s been a good series, but last Sunday’s sermon was very good. His schedule had him preaching through the entire third chapter but the first three verses so captivated him that he sort of camped there. And I’m glad he did.
So … for some highlights from Sunday.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 1 Jn.3:1-3
John says God’s love for us is great. Otherworldly. Beyond anything we’ve seen in this world because all the world offers is a cheap imitation of love. How we look. How well we perform. What we have.
His love is a fixed love … meaning God loves us by his choice to love us, even when we were unlovable. It has nothing to do with what we can possibly bring to the table. It’s a fixed love that never changes regardless of my behavior.
His love is lavished upon us. That word means “to fill to overflowing.” His love fills us beyond our capacity to receive it! No part of my life is untouched by his overflowing love and my past, present, and future is lavished by his favor on me.
Who am I? I am a child of God. None of us have experienced the perfect love of a perfect parent, but God’s parental love for us is perfect. Complete.
John reminds us of who we aren’t. The world doesn’t know us because the world doesn’t know God. Did you ever go through the house of mirrors at a state or county fair? Each mirror gives a different, and often hilarious, distorted reflection. So does the world system … a system that only understand power, position, performance, and possessions.
In contrast to those distorted lies of our adversary, God always sees us as his children. But he goes beyond that … he sees us as what / who we are becoming: Like Jesus. The perfection of Jesus is always upon us though we have a lifetime of maturity ahead of us.
His love affects how we think. Because of God’s perfect, fixed love that is lavished up us, we have a hope that has a purifying affect on our lives. Our hope filters out the distortion and deceit of the world system. Even when I screw up, I come back to this reality: I am a child of God!
I am drenched in his family. Secure in his love. And growing up to be like Jesus!
Greg England
It don’t get no better than that! However, I think it is a slippery slope to move from Lynyrd Skynyrd to the Beatles! If not, why not?
Peace.
Well said.
Excellent thoughts, excellent truths.
Thanks for sharing!
at first I couldn’t figure out why Can’t be me Love??? but then I realized it should have said buy….
I can see why the sermon touched you…even the retelling touched me.
[Oops! That's what happens when I try to write a blog late at night, or at the office when I have so much other work to be doing. Thanks for bringing it to my attention ... it has been corrected.]
Feeling God’s love is an amazing thing. Lately, for some reason, I’ve felt Him more deeply. I think it’s because of the desert we’ve been in. I tend to seek more deeply when I’m hurt. The world can’t see the clear undistorted truth bout God, it’s kind of up to us to show them that I think. Great sermon ideas. Kind of wish I were preaching again so I could steal it. LOL!
Thank you for also camping out on these verses for our benefit! I like that term “camped there” describing the time to simply take it all in, absorbing every nugget. Truly refreshing and inspiring!
My favorite verse! Thanks for writing about it today.