LOVE THE BRETHREN 1 Thess. 4:9-12

Love Of the Brethren  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Excel Still More

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One of the commands that is sprinkled throughout the scriptures is to love the brethren.
Romans 12:10 NASB95
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
Hebrews 13:1 NASB95
Let love of the brethren continue.
1 Peter 1:22 NASB95
Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
Love of the brethren was a primary concern for Paul to the extent that he prayed for it for the Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 3:11–13 NASB95
Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
Paul wants the Thessalonians to increase and bound in love for one another, and for all people. His example of love was himself.
1 Thessalonians 2:7–8 NASB95
But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.
He didn’t want them to love each-other just a little bit he want them to abound - overflow with love for one another and even though they loved each other they needed to increase in that love. He was so concerned about this that not only did he pray about it but he emphasized it again in our text this morning.
1 Thessalonians 4:9–12 NASB95
Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.

Love Is A Teaching Of God! (v.9)

He said there is no need for this to even mentioned in this letter. It’s obvious that we should already be concerned about this. We should already be practicing love of the brethren.
There should really be no need to mention it today in the Lord’s church but unfortunately we often become complacent, lazy, satisfied with the how and how much we love one another. The moment we become lazy or complacent is the moment that our love for one another diminishes and before we kn ow hate, bitterness, wrath, and anger can enter in and destroy the body of Christ.
Every time we study about love it is important to realize that we are being taught love by God. It is key, essential , vital to the Lord’s teaching. Love is important.
How Does God teach us to love?

A) God teaches us love thru the inspired writings of the prophets and apostles.

1 John 3:9–15 NASB95
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
1 John 3:24 NASB95
The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
1 John 4:7 NASB95
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
1 Peter 4:8 NASB95
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
Hebrews 13:1 NASB95
Let love of the brethren continue.

B) God teaches us love by example.

1 Jn. 4:8,16
1 John 4:8 NASB95
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:16 NASB95
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
God is love, He is the very embodiment of love. That is his nature, that is who is, in fact that is how we know what love is
1 John 4:19 NASB95
We love, because He first loved us.
1 John 4:9–10 NASB95
By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
John 3:16 NASB95
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8 NASB95
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

C) Even Jesus taught us to Love one another

John 13:34 NASB95
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

2) LOVE IS SOMETHING THAT MUST BE PRACTICED

loving one another is a part of God’s plan for His church. The church is to know what love is, and it is to extend love to others. It is to be extended to all brethren not just some.
LOve needs to be practice, that means it should be given, demonstrated, and extended to each one of us. Every single one should experience love and give love. Imagine a church where everyone has as one of their primary focus is to extend love to every person. Can you imagine what that would be like. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of a church that love people that much.
love is nothing unless you give it away
1 John 3:17–18 NASB95
But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
How did they show their love?
hospitality extended/sacrificial giving of money or goods or time. You want to what the problem is a lot of times in the church. There are too many who want to sit back and wait to be loved. There is no reason for us to sit back and wait to be loved by others and them get all upset and bent out shape because we don’t feel loved by everyone else. It’s your duty, it’s my duty to love others, to be active in love to demonstrate love to give love. Maybe then you might reciev more love.
part of practicing love is what Paul talks about in 11 & 12
lead a quiet life - your not going to be one who causes problem, you are going to refrain from disturbing activities.
attend to your own business - don’t be mingle in other people lives, being a pest and being nosy and a gossip.
James 1:19 NASB95
This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
Colossians 4:6 NASB95
Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
give people the benefit of the doubt.
Work with your own hands - don’t sit back and wait to waited on.
2 Thessalonians 3:11 NASB95
For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.
1 Thessalonians 2:9 NASB95
For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
Paul did everything he could to not be a burden to anyone
behave properly toward outsiders
not be in any need. work so that you can help others.

3) LOVE SHOULD EXCEL

love should grow continually. Mediocrity and status quo will not do when come to loving God or one another. Love is a life long pursuit. You never get to the point where you achieved the perfect level of love. You should always grow in a love.
our love should never grow dormant, this means we must make a conscious decision and make a conscious effort to be loving and that also means we must find ways to express love and give love.
How can we express and give love
we need to tell each-other we love you more. It is OK to tell each-other that we love each-other. express it in words express it cards, express it in social media and gatherings. We need to know that we love each-other and others need to know as well.
John 13:35 NASB95
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
we need to practice love. Help each other. Be there for one another. sacrifice your money, goods, time for one another. spend time with one another.
Are you excelling in love this morning? Or have you grown cold stagnant, mediocre, lazy in your love? Are you pursuing new and exciting ways to love others. Are you living out the love of Christ by loving others?
the exciting thing is that we have no excuse to not know what love is and to show that love to one another God word teaches what love is, he demonstrated love and the greatest demonstration of that love is jesus dying on the cross for the sins of mankind. he practiced love. can you imagine if God said I love you but never sent his son, never did anything about our need for a Savior. he just left us in our sins. He didn’t he sent is son to die for you and me. Have you experienced God’s love, have you accepted God’s love. Have you believed that he is the son of God, have you confessed him as your lord and savior, have you repented of your sins and been baptized into Christ so that you washed in the blood of jesus. buried with him so that you can be raised with Him in newness of life. put on christ, you are clothed with christ and in that experience of God’s love you try to imitate that love by living a life dedicated to loving others for as long as you live.
If we can help you excel in love please come while we stand and sing.
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