Word of Salvation – Vol.19 No.08 – November 1972

 

Our Love For The Precious Church

 

Sermon by Rev. N. Hart, Th.Grad. on 1John 3:14

Scripture Readings: 1Cor.13; 1John 3:14

Psalter Hymnal: 89; 72:1,3,5 (after grace); 374; 276; 473

 

A question many ask is, "What is the church worth?"  But, in asking this, we should add – not in the eyes of ATHEISTS, nor in the eyes of SOCIETY, nor even in the eyes of the CHURCH for that is not very important – but what is the Church worth IN THE EYES OF GOD?  The Church is God's final precious possession.  When God WINDS UP THE HISTORY of this earth as we know it, He is going to keep one part of it, the Christian Church.  Yes, I admit, this is a STAGGERING THOUGHT, but it is the thought of God.

"Those who feared the Lord, and that thought upon His Name,
 They shall belong to the Lord in the day He gathers His treasures."

NOT EVERYONE SHARES GOD'S OPINION about the Church.  It is one of the charges of COMMUNISM that CHRISTIANITY is the OPIATE of the PEOPLE.  Christians are considered potential opponents of the STATE – a SUBVERSIVE element.

So much for the attitude of official Communism.  But what about us – what do we think of the Church?  Our text tells us:- "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.  He who loves not his brother abides in death."

In a later part in this same letter John also says

"If a man says, "I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar:
 for he who loves not his brother whom he has seen,
 how can he love God whom he has not seen".

What is SAID BY THESE PASSAGES is SIMPLY: THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, and THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED FROM DEATH TO LIFE, LOVE THE CHURCH.  This morning, then, as we direct our thoughts to our personal attitude to the Church, we see, firstly,

1.  THAT LOVE FOR THE CHURCH IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF BELIEVERS.

ONLY BELIEVERS LOVE THE CHURCH.  Only believers CAN SEE the CHURCH as God SEES the CHURCH.  Let me illustrate this.  Sometimes I come across people who have nothing to do with the Church any more.  They have been brought up in the Church and have come into contact with the Church-members.  But their reason for dissociating themselves from the Church is their dislike for some or more church- members, "The Church is full of hypocrites".  One such a person, the son of a minister, said to me,..
"If you knew what Reformed Church people did to my father, you would not have anything to do with the church, either."

To him the Church was un-lovable, therefore, he did not love the Church.  But exactly the same thing might be said by God, Himself: "If you knew what they did to my Son, you would not have anything to do with the Church, either."

But in the book of Acts we find that the very people who were instrumental in bringing Christ to his cross, were the people who were loved by God.  In Acts 3 we read that Peter declared:-

"God has made this same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts, and said, men and brethren, what shall we do?
Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised. . . for to you is the promise..!’”

This is what it means to say that "God commends his love towards us while we were yet sinners".  God's love went out to the Church whilst the Church still lived in the midst of sin.  God tells us in his word that "Love bears all things. . . love endures all things..." (1Cor.13:7).  But this is NOT JUST a PRESCRIPTION.  It is the DESCRIPTION of God's love.  And Christians have GOD'S LOVE SHED ABROAD IN THEIR HEARTS. (Rom.5:5).  Christians love the Church because God's love for the Church has been poured out in their hearts.  But Christians also love because Christ commands us to love.

Jesus said: "A new commandment I give you: Love one another!
                        Love one another as I have loved you."

Well, how did Christ love his disciples?  He loved his disciples even though one denied him with a CURSE ON HIS LIPS, and declared that he never knew Jesus.

Has anyone in the Church ignored you and looked past you, when you so desperately needed attention?  Does this still bother you now?  Do you find that person hard to love?

Jesus loved his disciples even though they left him when he needed their encouragement.  He asked them to pray for Him whilst he faced His most difficult task.  But they were too tired!  He desired their encouragement when he faced his greatest sacrifice.  But they fled.  They left him.

Have you had to face great tasks for the sake of righteousness by yourself, because others could not spare a few minutes of prayer for a project which you knew was good and right?  Have you had to face your biggest sacrifices on your own because the Church just was too scared to become involved?  Has this made you bitter?  Has this made you say to yourself, "Blow them"?  Has it hindered you so much that you have stopped in your tracks?

But then you have not loved as Jesus loved.

Jesus loved his disciples unto death.  Jesus said:-  "If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another's feet, I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done."

Now this DOES NOT MEAN that we have to have an annual foot-washing ceremony.  But it MEANS that we MUST HAVE THE MIND of Christ, who "though he was in the form of God. . . took upon himself the form of a servant. . . who was obedient unto death."  Jesus served His disciples to the extent of being WILLING TO DIE for them on a cross.

Why did he serve them?

Was it because they were so noble?  It is said that the soldiers of Napoleon could think of no greater privilege than to die for their emperor.  Is this how the SUFFERING SERVANT died?  No, He was the KING who died FOR HIS PEOPLE.  He loved us not because we were noble in ourselves, but because GOD HAD LOVED US WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE.  He loved because He wanted to give us new life.

Christians love the Church because they love like Christ loves.

Now look at 1John 5:1:-
            "Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."

This means that everyone who is a believer, every true member of the Church, is BORN OF GOD.  And now look at the second part of the verse:-

"And whosoever loves Him who gave life
 (that is whosoever loves God)
 also loves him who is given life.”
 (that is, he also loves the believer, the member of the Church).

Loving God and loving the Church are so closely connected that the one cannot go without the other.  Think again of these words:

"If a man says, 'I love God' and he hates his brother, he is a liar.”

This is what God says in his word.  But the truth is also demonstrated in the history of the Church.  Paul writes to the Ephesians,
            "Wherefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus
             and of your love for all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you."

And again in Col.1:4...
            "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
             praying always for you, since we heard of your faith and of the love
             which you have for all the saints."

Christians love the Church because their love for the Church invariably flows out of their faith in God, who gave life to the Church.

I have shown you three things about the love of the Christian for the Church.
  (1)   It is a LOVE LIKE that of the LOVE OF GOD.
            a love FOR THOSE who are NOT WORTHY of love.
            Christians can love this way,
            BECAUSE THE LOVE OF GOD IS SHED ABROAD IN THEIR HEARTS.

  (2)   Secondly, it is a love like that of the Lord Jesus Christ.
            In love for the Church he HUMBLED HIMSELF.
            Christians love the Church, BECAUSE THEY ARE OBEDIENT
            TO THE NEW COMMANDMENT OF CHRIST.

  (3)   Thirdly, Christians love the Church, because they believe in God.
            IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LOVE GOD, TO BELIEVE IN HIM,
            and NOT TO LOVE THOSE WHO WERE GIVEN LIFE BY HIM.

All this proves that LOVE FOR THE CHURCH
            IS THE CHARACTERISTIC OF BELIEVERS.

2.  THAT LOVE FOR THE CHURCH IS A COMFORT FOR BELIEVERS.

Now I would like to show you, briefly, the second aspect of the truth conveyed in our text, the truth that 'love for the Church is a Comfort for believers'.

In the Church in Corinth there was a lot of discussion about the primary Christian virtue.  There was a question about, 'What gives us top marks in the eyes of God?’

Now the strange thing about it all was that they were not striving about achievement factors, but about gifts received from God.  It is difficult to dissociate ourselves from their attitude.  Our whole society, yes, Western culture itself is geared to competition at the level of individual ability.  It seems to me that finding out which boy is able to cover 100 yards fastest in the whole school is just as useless as it is to find out which boy is the tallest.  It is not a question of what we have or what we can do, but what we do with it.  And that goes for every competition.  What is the use of having a sheep- dog which wins every competition, but never does any work on the farm?

All the arguments going on in the Church of Corinth were useless arguments.  The one reckoned he was a follower of Paul, another of Apollos, and another of Peter, and yet another of Christ.  Now the strange thing was that each of these, Paul, Apollos, Paul, Christ – did something useful in the Church.  But the armchair theoreticians did nothing, nothing but argue.

Then they argued about what gift was best to possess.  There was a full selection, speaking in tongues, performing miracles, prophesying, teaching, healing and so on.  The one thought this was better, the other, that.  "Alright, says Paul.  Desire earnestly what you think is the better gift: but I would show you the best way".  The way of doing something with gifts. . . THE WAY OF LOVE.”

LOVE IS AN ETERNAL VIRTUE.  OTHER VIRTUES WILL CEASE – BUT LOVE WILL NEVER CEASE.

It is this that gives comfort to the Christian.

"By this we know that we have passed from darkness into light,
 because we love the brethren."

The possession of an eternal virtue, gives our life an eternal dimension.  The statement of this text is something like that which Jesus made in his 'High Priestly Prayer':

"This is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God,
 and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3)

Do you know God?  Do you know Jesus?  Do you know them personally?  But then you have eternal life!  Do you possess God's way of loving?  Are you truly a disciple of Christ and do you love as He loves?  Is your faith in God brought to realization in the love for those whom you know are given new life by Him?  BUT THEN YOU HAVE PASSED FROM DARKNESS INTO LIFE.

Just as faith is the gift of God through the Holy Spirit, so also is love the gift of God through the Holy Spirit.

Gal.5:22 – “The fruit of the Spirit is love."

Rom.5:5 – "The love of God is shed abroad in your heart,
                        by the Spirit who has been given to you."

Do you love God's Church?  Then you have passed from darkness into the very presence of God.

Hallelujah!

AMEN.