8th January 2024

8th January 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read - (1 John 3:11-15, focus v11)


Message (Alan Burke) 


Families can be fun to say the least. Many of us have experienced some kind of family fracture where the relationship in our families have broken down, where there is estrangement. We might even know those who live in the same house and live completely different lives because of what has happened. In the midst of this there is often pain and hurt and if you’re on the inside looking out you often think what have I done wrong and if your on the outside looking in you feel totally helpless to do anything about it. What about the family of the church, the local congregation where you worship, is it a place with fractured relationships, a place where there is pain and hurt because if it is then there is something very wrong. Yes I know we are fallen sinful people but for the believer even when we have been wronged by another believer there is a necessity to love. Now of course love does not ignore sin, it does not cover it up for the good name of the individual but in order to understand what John is saying let’s look at these verses before us. 


Here John tells us to love one another, that this is a message that we have heard from the beginning. This message, this command shouldn’t be anything new for the church that John writes this epistle and it definitely shouldn’t be anything new for us because as the church, as believes we love because we have been shown love by our saviour Jesus Christ, we know how to love because of him. Loving one another is something that all believers should do, we are to love. Whatever fellowship you are part of, you should in how you treat others, speak of others, act towards them show love, love should underpin all our interactions in the church. 


It is not enough to say that we love our brother or sister those sitting in the pews around us, we must show this love, show it in our relationships with one another, this love should be seen, it should be clear in us. Of we love one another it will be seen, it will be visible, we meet together as we are able, we take care of each other, how we avoid sinning against our brothers and sisters how we encourage each other how we take care so that they do not stumble. 


I’m not saying it’s easy but it is a necessity for the child of God to love, if you can’t, if it’s too hard then look to the Lord, look to what he has done for you, that our saviour Jesus Christ willingly condescended for us, lived and died in our stead, not because we were some how good, deserving of it, no because the opposite is true. As believers we are called to love our brothers and sisters, even if they are rude, obnoxious, even if they have been an idiot in the past and hurt us, our love isn’t conditional on them being polite and speaking with the kings English using their P’s and Q’s correctly, no we love our brother and sisters as God loves us. 


It is a necessity and we are to reflect the character of God. This isn't easy for us, but God forgives us who are sinners, who continue to sin, who struggle with sin and he continues to love us in spite of it all and we are to love as he loves us. If there is a relationship that we know needs sorted, an attitude within us that stinks, then we are not to ignore it. If this is something you’re struggling with, to love, seek God’s help in it, have you prayed about it, sought to talk to your brother or sister, have you talked to the elders seeking their help? If not why not? For we are the people of God and the same message that we have heard from the beginning, is that we are to love one another. There is a necessity to love as the believer, but at the same time that love will at times bring forth hatred


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q 36 What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?
The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God’ s love, peace of conscience, (Rom. 5:1–2,5) joy in the Holy Ghost, (Rom. 14:17) increase of grace, (Prov. 4:18) and perseverance therein to the end. (1 John 5:13, 1 Pet. 1:5)
​