love one another
\Topical Sermons (NT Texts)\God's Love to the Saints -- 1 John 3:16
And you Christian people, who do love him, if you have perceived his love somewhat, try to perceive it still more, that you may love him more; and if you really love him more, try to show that you do. Notice the rest of the verse from which my text is taken; I did not leave out the latter part because I was afraid of it, but because I had not time to deal with it as it deserves: "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" 1 John 3:16. We ought to prove our love to our God by our love to our fellow-men, and especially by our love to our fellow-Christians, and to prove our love by our actions. I do not know what the love of some professors is worth; I suppose they do, if they put down how much it costs them in a year. I fear that it does not cost some professors nearly as much for their religion as it does for their ribbons, or for some foolish indulgence.
They pay their shoeblacks better than they pay their ministers, and they take care to spend upon themselves, in perfect waste, a hundred times as much as they spend upon spreading the gospel, saving the heathen, helping the poor, or rescuing the fallen. We do not believe in such Christianity as that, and certainly do not wish to practise it. If we profess to be Christians, let us be Christians in deed, and let us especially show our love to Christ by loving our fellow-Christians. If you see any of them in need, aid them to the uttermost of your power. If they want cheering and comforting, give them good cheer and comfort; but, if they need substantial aid, financial aid, let them have that, too. In the old days of persecution, there were always some noble souls who tried to hide away the Christians from those who sought their lives, although they did so at the risk of their own lives; and many a Christian has given himself up to die in order to save the lives of his fellow-Christians.
Some of the old people came tottering before the judge, because they thought that they would not be so much missed from the church as the younger ones would be; and, possibly, some of them also thought that they had more faith than the younger ones had; and if they had more faith, they were more ready to die, and so to let the younger ones live on until they grew stronger in faith, and hope, and love. But, on the other hand, sometimes the young men would gently push back the fathers, and say to them, "No; you are old: you had better linger here awhile, and teach the young; but we young people are strong, so we will go and die for Christ;" and there was many a contention, in the Church of God, in persecuting times, as to who should first die for Christ. ...They were all willing to lay down their lives for their brethren. Where has this self-sacrificing love gone to now? I would like to see some of it; I would even wear microscopes over my eyes if I thought that I could so discover it; but I am afraid I cannot. Why, if we loved each other now as Christians loved each other then, we should be the theme of the talk of the town, and even worldlings would say, "See how these Christians love one another." Yet this is only what we ought to do; so, brothers and sisters in Christ, let it be what we will do. God help you to do it, for Christ's sake! Amen.
(from Spurgeon's Sermons, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
And you Christian people, who do love him, if you have perceived his love somewhat, try to perceive it still more, that you may love him more; and if you really love him more, try to show that you do. Notice the rest of the verse from which my text is taken; I did not leave out the latter part because I was afraid of it, but because I had not time to deal with it as it deserves: "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" 1 John 3:16. We ought to prove our love to our God by our love to our fellow-men, and especially by our love to our fellow-Christians, and to prove our love by our actions. I do not know what the love of some professors is worth; I suppose they do, if they put down how much it costs them in a year. I fear that it does not cost some professors nearly as much for their religion as it does for their ribbons, or for some foolish indulgence.
They pay their shoeblacks better than they pay their ministers, and they take care to spend upon themselves, in perfect waste, a hundred times as much as they spend upon spreading the gospel, saving the heathen, helping the poor, or rescuing the fallen. We do not believe in such Christianity as that, and certainly do not wish to practise it. If we profess to be Christians, let us be Christians in deed, and let us especially show our love to Christ by loving our fellow-Christians. If you see any of them in need, aid them to the uttermost of your power. If they want cheering and comforting, give them good cheer and comfort; but, if they need substantial aid, financial aid, let them have that, too. In the old days of persecution, there were always some noble souls who tried to hide away the Christians from those who sought their lives, although they did so at the risk of their own lives; and many a Christian has given himself up to die in order to save the lives of his fellow-Christians.
Some of the old people came tottering before the judge, because they thought that they would not be so much missed from the church as the younger ones would be; and, possibly, some of them also thought that they had more faith than the younger ones had; and if they had more faith, they were more ready to die, and so to let the younger ones live on until they grew stronger in faith, and hope, and love. But, on the other hand, sometimes the young men would gently push back the fathers, and say to them, "No; you are old: you had better linger here awhile, and teach the young; but we young people are strong, so we will go and die for Christ;" and there was many a contention, in the Church of God, in persecuting times, as to who should first die for Christ. ...They were all willing to lay down their lives for their brethren. Where has this self-sacrificing love gone to now? I would like to see some of it; I would even wear microscopes over my eyes if I thought that I could so discover it; but I am afraid I cannot. Why, if we loved each other now as Christians loved each other then, we should be the theme of the talk of the town, and even worldlings would say, "See how these Christians love one another." Yet this is only what we ought to do; so, brothers and sisters in Christ, let it be what we will do. God help you to do it, for Christ's sake! Amen.
(from Spurgeon's Sermons, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)