Sermon Tone Analysis

Secular -

Today is all about love.

So, I thought I would tackle the “9 Commandments Of Marriage” before we move on.

Please note these are jokes.

Commandment 1. Marriages are made in heaven.

But so are thunder and lightning.

Commandment 2. If you want your wife to listen and pay strict attention to every word you say, talk in your sleep.

Commandment 3. Marriage is grand and is worth more than 100 grand!

Commandment 4. Married life is very frustrating.

In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens.

In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens.

In the third year, they both speak and the neighbors listen.

Commandment 5. When a man opens the door of the car for his wife, you can be sure of one thing: Either the car is new or the wife is.

Commandment 6. Marriage is when a man and woman become as one; The trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

Commandment 7. Before marriage, a man will lie awake all night thinking about something you say.

After marriage, he will fall asleep before you finish.

Commandment 8. Every man wants a wife who is beautiful, understanding, economical, and a good cook.

But the law allows only one wife.

Commandment 9. A man is incomplete until he is married.

After that, he is finished.

Historical/Cultural Context -

The book of 1 John is one of the five books in the New Testament that was written by John the Apostle, brother of James.

They were known as the sons of thunder.

This letter was written between A.D. 85 to A.D. 100.

First John was written to a church or group of churches in crisis—churches who were being attacked by false teaching.

Some individuals who had once been associated with the church had accepted heresy and had left the church.

After they left they continued to spread their false teaching to the church.

They went so far as to organize and send out itinerant preachers to various churches with the goal of converting those in the churches to their beliefs.

This created confusion and plunged the churches into crisis.

In response to this situation, John wrote 1 John, following that up with 2 and 3 John.

His goal was to stop this false teaching and to bring comfort to the Christians in these churches.

Biblical Text -

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - For The Christian, Love Is Not An Option, Is A Hallmark Of Life, And Without Life You Can’t Have Christian Love.

Life Point- Christian Love Is A Hallmark Of A Christian Life

Exegetical -

Homiletical -

I like how the NLT renders these verses:

Notice in this version they bring out the fact that the Greek word for “love” is a continuous act, not something that is stagnate, but a verb.

An act of will, as it were.

He says “let us continue to love one another”

We have shown God’s love as Christians in the past, but that is not something we just stop doing.

We must continue.

The attitude of the Christian is not one of “I have done thus and such for so many years, it’s someone else's turn.”

Did God call you away from what He told you to do?

If not, then He expects you to keep doing what He has called you to do.

Now, John had just talked about discerning of spirits.

Knowing the spirit of truth and of error

Discerning who is of God and who is not.

He is still in that vein of thought.

How do we see if someone is of God or not?

Are they showing love?

Do they love one another?

Are they walking in God’s love?

That is not to say you won’t get mad.

Trust me, you will.

I can recount many times when I got mad and expressed myself while I was in anger.

Not meaning I cussed them out or anything, but I have a hard time when I am extremely irritated, not showing my irritation in tone and body language.

For example, I have found out this Friday that I absolutely cannot go down to the post office anymore and speak of an ongoing situation.

(Mailboxes)

I don’t want to be irritated about it, but I know that for me to not get upset I have to let Amanda deal with it.

The love that John is talking about here, is a lifestyle of love and giving.

When people look at a body of believers do they see a loving welcoming church?

I don’t know of any church that would say that they are not a loving church.

I can tell you, though, that from an outsiders perspective, at some churches, they may see a church that isn’t loving.

My sister, when she was looking for a church years ago, visited 3 or 4 Baptist Churches where no one spoke to her or her family.

They went in, sat down, and left without any human contact whatsoever.

It didn’t matter if it was a small church, a large church or something in-between.

I don’t know of anyone who would say that our church isn’t loving.

Everyone here, I know that if there was a need they would give you the shirt off their backs to take care of someone.

This doesn’t mean letting people use you as a door mat or to take advantage of you.

You know Paul had something to say about a lot of “churchy activities” where sometimes Christians come in and do things and it salves their conscious to think they are doing God’s work, but in reality if they have no love it means nothing.

Let it never be said of First Baptist that we look like church, but we do not show Love to one another.

Let it never be said that this church is nothing but contention and strife.

Let me put that in today’s language.

“Let it never be said that we ain’t nothin but drama.”

A this point in their church life the Corinthians looked like a church, sounded like a church but they weren’t nothin but drama.

Paul had some harsh words for people who play, what I call, the “church game.”

He said:

There may be a lot of people in the world and the church who are about what looks good.

Who are about people’s talents and abilities.

Whether that is music, public speaking, finance or whatever.

Let me tell you this.

A person’s talents or abilities, in the world will make room for them when their character is not ready to go there.

This was in reference to David being anointed king over Israel.

Life Point - Only Through Life Can Christians Love

Exegetical -

Homiletical -

Notice the scripture says that we might live through Him.

This means that we are supposed to live life through the power of Jesus Christ, through a new lens.

A new way of looking at the world.

When we are dead in our sins we look at the world through dead eyes.

We look at the world through a selfish, self-centered point of view.

A view that is skewed and perverted from God’s worldview.

As a christian we grow in the grace of our Lord and we begin to see the world through a Biblical worldview.

This worldview isn’t just something you can pickup the Bible and just read it and then you begin to see through the lens of the Bible.

No, You must be born again.

You know what happens when a sinner, who is not regenerate by the Word of God, tries to look through the lens of scripture?

They end up messing it all up!

Because they can’t look through the lens of scripture because they are still looking through dead sinner eyes.