Let’s turn in our Bibles to 1 John 2:7-11. John’s message in this passage is very simply about love. And I’ve entitled today’s message “The Love that God Loves.” Church, there is a kind of love that Christians display one to another that makes God smile. Did you know that? There is a kind of love that Christians display one to another that God applauds and God rewards. There is a kind of love that is not just typical of a Christian or required of a Christian, it’s actually evidence of regeneration. Assurance of salvation is actually fostered by this love… this kind of selfless, sacrificial, Christ-like love demonstrated in the Christian community. And God loves this kind of love. 

By the way, the word “love” in Greek, ἀγάπη, is used 33 times in 1 John and 39 times in the Johannine Epistles. And the verb ἀγαπάω is used 28 times in 1 John and 31 times in the Johannine Epistles. This is a major, if not the major, theme of John’s writing. And most of the time, it’s used in the context of loving one another, that is in showing love between brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the love God loves.

 Church, whenever you work hard to prepare a meal for another family in the church that has just had a baby, or has just come out of the hospital, and you deliver that meal—God loves that. God loves that show of love. Also, whenever you open up your home to other Christians for small group or for a meal or for a time of fellowship, and whenever you show genuine hospitality to others as an act of love and a demonstration of care for fellow believers, let me tell you, church, God loves that love. God loves that kind of love displayed in the church.  

And whenever you hold another Christian’s hand and grieve with them over sin or over loss or pray with them through a time of great trial, and you empathize with them or counsel them or comfort them, let me tell you church, that is a display of love that God loves. That is what real Christians do one to another. 

And that is the essence of the passage John wrote to us so many years ago from 1 John 2:7-11. 

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Today’s message is really pretty simple. It boils down to this, “Love One Another.” That’s the title of our series through these Johannine epistles. And this display of “one another love” is “The Love that God Loves.” And I want to detail for you today three things that God Loves to see you, as a follower of Jesus Christ, doing. And here’s the first thing:

1) God loves to see you shining his light (2:7-8)

In verse 8, John writes:

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, 

And by the way, that first word that John uses is a loaded word. John could have used a number of different words to start this new section in his letter. But he uses the word “Beloved,” I believe, intentionally. 

This is the Greek word ἀγαπητός, which is a noun, built on the Greek word that many of you are familiar with, ἀγάπη. Before John even states his desire for the church to love one another, he wants them to know that they are first and foremost beloved. They are loved by God, and they are loved by John, their faithful apostle. And that frames everything that follows here. Jesus said, “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:35; 15:12). So we love because we were first loved. That’s so key for understanding this text.

Interestingly John is often called the “Apostle of Love” because of his emphasis on love in his writings. He loves those who are in Christ. He loves those to whom he writes. And he loves Christ Jesus, his savior. We saw that clearly at the Last Supper (see John 13:23). But he wasn’t always known as a loving person. When he first started following Christ he was called “Boanerges,” a son of thunder (Mark 3:17). On one occasion he even wanted to call down fire from heaven to incinerate a whole village of people because they rejected Jesus. That wasn’t very loving!

Yet over time and after spending extensive time with Jesus his heart began to soften, and he became known as the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 20:2). And as an old man, writing this epistle, John makes it a matter of critical importance for the church to know that they are loved. And also, it’s a matter of critical importance to him, that the church knows how to love one another! 

So John writes in verse 7,

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.

Then in verse 8 he writes,

8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

Now this is admittedly a rather awkward statement. John says I am writing you no new commandment, but it is a new commandment. It’s new, but it’s not new. Did you catch that in verses 7 and 8? In verse 7 John says it’s an old commandment. In verse 8 he says it’s new. Something old; something new; something borrowed; something blue. What are we talking about here, John?  

Well in actuality it’s new and it’s not new. It’s a commandment that is as old as time, but it has new implications in light of recent events. And it’s a command that is always finding new ways to express itself. There are actually two Greek words for the English word “new.” There is the word νέος, which means “new” in respect to time. We might use the word “novel” to translate that word. But there is also the word used here, καινός, which means new in respect to quality. We could use the word “fresh” to translate this word. 

Think of this as an old recipe with a new twist. Think of this as an ancient piece of music that just got a new lease on life with a modern adaptation. Think of this as a Ford Mustang. It’s an old concept. But it’s got a new look, and it’s better than ever.  

And what is this old/new thing? Well it’s a commandment. And the commandment John has in mind is explicitly stated in verse 10; it has to do with loving one another. Love one another! It’s an old commandment. But it’s a new commandment.

This goes back to Jesus’s life and ministry where Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). It actually goes farther back than that. In the OT there are explicit commandments to love your neighbor (Lev 19:18). In the “Shema” of the OT in Deuteronomy 6:5, we are called to love God “with all our heart, soul, mind and strength” but in Leviticus 19:18, we are told to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt 22:34-40), that is 1) Love God and 2) Love others.

So this is not a new commandment, because Jesus commanded it many years ago, and that command even predated Jesus. But Jesus gave that ancient commandment fresh life and vitality. Jesus gave that ancient commandment a new benchmark. He showed us a love that surpasses any love ever shown before by giving himself on the cross to save his friends. And that new commandment is given fresh iteration every time it’s manifested by love in a community of faith. It has new expressions in every church community. And it has new implications for every believer as they grow as followers of Christ. 

John says, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him [that’s Jesus] and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

In other words, as a Christian grows up in Christ, the darkness dispels, true light begins to shine more and more, and love for another will increase in a Christian’s heart. Does that make sense? Everyone tracking here? Light grows and darkness dissipates when Christians love each other like Christ loved us. 

Now here are a few questions to ask yourself at this point. Do you love one another the way that Jesus expected us to love one another? Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ more now than you used to? Do you love them, not perfectly, but increasingly, as a follower of Christ? 

Here are some other questions to ask yourself. Do you shine more light than darkness? Are you increasingly growing as a light-bearer for Jesus? Is the darkness of your sin and your selfishness and your worldliness passing away more each day? It should. It should! 

In fact, John gives us two great tests in the first two chapters of this letter to discern our affiliation with Christ. The first has to do with holiness. Do I walk in the light as he is in the light? That should be the case if you are a born again follower of Jesus. The second has to do with love. Do I love the brothers? Do I love the church, and my fellow followers of Jesus? Both of those are evidence of a life that has been transformed by the gospel.

Several years ago I ran across one of my old basketball teammates from high school on Facebook. And I wish I could tell you how much this guy aggravated me in high school. He was a real piece of work. And he did some things that were really despicable. 

Well I befriended him on Facebook begrudgingly. And I read one of his posts, and it sounded like a Christian’s post. It was a really encouraging post. And so I reached out to him, and come to find out, he told me that he was a Christian and had submitted his life to the Lord. In fact, he said that he had actually recommitted himself to the Lord after turning away from the faith of his youth after many years of backsliding. 

And this was a guy who was utter darkness. His life was dark. His lifestyle was dark. His sinfulness was dark. And now I see this guy on Facebook, and he is the sweetest most likable Facebook friend I have. And he just exudes light with everything he says. And he’s married now and a father of two kids. And I just marvel when I see his posts, and I think to myself, “Can this really be the same guy I knew in High School?” “How is this possible?” 

I’ll tell you how it’s possible. It’s possible by the power of Christ Jesus that has brought him from darkness into light. And the darkness is passing away in his life and the true light is shining. And before I used to have to love him as my enemy, as Jesus commanded me to do (Matt 5:43-45). But now I get to love him as my brother in Christ.

So let me ask you, church! Where’s that light shining in your life, Christian? Is it shining brighter than before or are you still chasing the darkness like the rest of the world? Are you more humble than you used to be? Are you more holy than you used to be? Are you more loving than you used to be? Are you more like Christ than you used to be? Do you love Christ-ians more than you used to?

God loves to see you shining his light! 

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Now secondly and relatedly, write this down #2:

2) God loves to see you loving your brother (2:9-10)

Now just a point of clarification, I’m using the term brother here gender-neutrally, so this should encompass all brothers and sisters in Christ. If it makes you feel better, you can put “brother/sister” in that second blank. God loves to see you loving your brothers and sisters in Christ. 

And just so you know the opposite of this statement is true too. God hates to see you hating your brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact, John says that’s a tell-tale sign for an unbeliever parading around and pretending to be a believer. 

Look at verse 9.

9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 

Now earlier in 1 John 2:5, John talked about the love of God. John said, “But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.” But now he moves from the love of God to love for brothers. And not just love for brothers but also hate for brothers. John Calvin said once that the love of God and the love of brothers “are so connected that they cannot be separated.” In fact, they are so connected that one is a tell-tale sign of the other. Those people who hate their brothers in Christ, they can’t love God or be saved by the blood of Jesus, because they are still in darkness.

Now John’s not talking about a Christian who temporarily manifests hate for a brother in his heart. This is not a moment of weakness. The word “hates” here is a present active participle in Greek, which indicates ongoing action. Neither is John talking about a Christian who is backslidden and wallowing in a sinful state. John’s describing an unbeliever, a faker—someone who is feigning following Christ. He may say he’s in the light, he may think he’s in the light, he may have convinced himself that he’s in the light, but he’s not. He’s still in darkness (i.e. he’s unsaved). And his unsaved state is evidenced by his disdain for other believers. 

In fact, there may have been false teachers circulating in this church, whose gnostic proclivities caused them to disdain their brothers. And John’s telling the church here, “If they don’t love you, then they don’t love Christ.” This is evidence of a counterfeit. 

John says the same things later in this letter. In 1 John 3:15, he says, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” Also in 1 John 4:20, he says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” He follows that in 4:21 with “Anyone who loves God must also love his brother.” This is a great test for counterfeit Christianity. 

A few years ago, I travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a missions trip. And while I was there, we went down to their version of Chinatown. And the Chinatown in KL is probably a lot like other Chinatowns in other parts of the world, there are some great knock-offs that you can buy for cheap. If you want a ROLEX, you can get a ROLAXX for cheap. If you want a Louis Vuitton hand back, you can get a Louis Baton handbag for cheap. If you want a pair of Oakley sunglasses… you can get a pair of Coakley sunglasses for cheap. 

And actually counterfeits are better than that. Sometimes the look and the style and the emblem are almost exactly the same as the real thing. And it isn’t until a month or so later that the craftsmanship of the product reveals itself as counterfeit. Sometimes in the case of a Rolex, it’s not until you crack it open and look inside the watch that you realize just how faulty the counterfeit is. You can fool them on the outside, but you can’t fool them on the inside.

Similarly there are a lot of counterfeit Christians out there. There are a lot of weeds growing up in the church carrying themselves as if they are wheat (see Matt 13:24-30, 36-43). They walk like Christians. They talk like Christians. They go to church like Christians. They maybe even have even listen to Christian music on their car radio. But some of them are counterfeits. And John wants you to know how to spot them when you see them. 

In fact he’s already given you one way to spot a counterfeit. John wrote, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1:6). In other words a life characterized by darkness instead of light is counterfeit Christianity. Also he writes in 2:4, “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (2:4), therefore, “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (2:6). In other words, a life of rampant sinfulness is not consistent with following Christ. 

Now John adds another component to that by saying that a life of rampant lovelessness is not consistent with following Christ. Rampant sinfulness and rampant lovelessness! These are not characteristics of a genuine Christian. To know Christ is to have a growing love for your brothers and sisters in Christ. You can’t love Christ and hate those whom Christ loves. That’s not possible.

Now that’s the negative way to look at this. And John gives you the negative first in verse 9: 

9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 

In other words, John gives you a way to test for counterfeits. But he also gives you a way to test for authenticity, which is just as important. And this is important too for assurance of salvation. How do you know that you’re saved? How do you know that you belong to Christ? How do you know that you know that you know that you are a Christian saved by the blood of Jesus? Well consider verse 10. 

10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 

You can’t love Christ and hate those whom Christ loves. But at the same time, if you love Christ, you will inevitably love the ones Christ loves. This is one of the most basic tenets in the NT. Check out these parallel verses:

1 John 4:7 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

1 John 4:11-12 – “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

Romans 13:8 – “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”

Romans 12:10 – “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

Ephesians 5:1-2 – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” 

1 John 3:16 – “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” 

Now let me comment for a second on the final statement of verse 10, because this is important. 

10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 

John says that the person who loves his brother and therefore abides in the light, gives no cause for stumbling. This is a really vivid metaphor here, because one of the things that is commonplace in darkness is stumbling.

Whenever Sanja and I start getting ready for bed, we typically work together to turn the lights off downstairs before we head upstairs for bed. And there’s this really precarious moment between the time that we turn the lights off in the kitchen and the time that we reach the top of the stairs for bed. Inevitably either she or I will stumble over something on the way to the stairs. Could be a power-cord? Could be a lamp? Could be one of our cats? And you know, we don’t have that problem when the lights are on. When the lights are on, we can see where we’re going. But darkness causes stumbling.

Now here’s the point. Here’s what John is communicating with this metaphor. If you love your brother, and are thereby walking in the light, there’s no stumbling. You don’t stumble because of unforgiveness in your heart. You don’t stumble because of hate or malice or envy. You don’t stumble because of infighting in the church. There is no cause for stumbling when you love your brother. You don’t stumble yourself and you don’t stumble other people, when you love them as Christ loves you. You don’t stumble because… 

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.  

And by the way, one of the things that lovelessness in the church does is it becomes a stumbling block for people outside the church. It’s a stumbling block for people in the church, but it’s also a stumbling block for those outside the church. When people look in on the church and see infighting and division and hate and malice and unforgiveness, that stumbles them. They don’t see Christ in that. They don’t really see anything different from the world. And that’s not how it should be! 

And when young believers see that stuff in the church it messes them up too. It makes them doubt God’s goodness and God’s love and God’s steadfastness. And I don’t want to be a stumbling block to someone else in that way.

Warren Wiersbe tells the story about a blind man who was carrying around a flashlight in the middle of the night. And someone came up to him and said, “Why are you carrying a flashlight? You can’t see! What does it matter for you anyway?” And the blind man said, “I don’t carry this around so that I can see you. I carry this around so that you can see me.” In other words, “I don’t want to be a stumbling block to you!” 

John wants people in the church to love each other so that they don’t stumble themselves, but also so they don’t stumble other people. I think John was really concerned about the church and the reputation of the church. And he was worried about some of the damage the gnostic heretics were causing in the church. And so he’s telling the church, you’ve got to love each other. This is not optional for the Christian life. In fact you are damaging the reputation of the church if you don’t do these things. So love each other.

“And you might say, alright, Pastor Tony. How do I do that? What does that look like?” Alright, here are some thoughts on how you can show love to your fellow brother. Let me ask you some probing questions here. When was the last time you opened up your home to another believer and shared a meal with them? And you didn’t do it for selfish motives? You just wanted to love them as a fellow believer?

When was the last time you asked a fellow believer, “How are you doing?” and really meant it? Not as a formality at church, but in an effort to really know them and share with them and hear their joys or struggles or needs or insecurities? 

If you are married, when was the last time you turned to your spouse and said, “I love you,” not because of something she or he did for you, but simply as a demonstration of your love and commitment to them? By the way, men, your wife is your sister in Christ. Wives, your husband is your brother in Christ. He’s more than that, but he’s not less than that. And if you treat other Christians in the church better than you treat your spouse, that is an epic fail. 

When was the last time you gave of your time, energy, or resources to bless another person as an act of love? Maybe even anonymously? 

Speaking of love, here’s a great statement on love. Tell me if you’ve heard this before. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor 13:1-3).

1 Corinthians 13, that great chapter on love in the Bible also says, “Love is patient.” Are you patient, Christian? Have you been patient with those God has put in your life? “Love is kind.” Have you been kind? “Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”  

I feel a little bit like I’m preaching to the choir. It’s the people who “amen” this who get this. But it’s a good reminder for all of us. 

10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 

God loves to see you loving your brother.

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Finally, one more thing. 1) God loves to see you shining his light, 2) God loves to see you loving your brother, and thirdly:

3) God loves to see you distancing yourself from darkness (2:11)

You want to please God? You want to put a smile on God’s face? You want to experience his joy and his pleasure and his commendation of your life? Do this! Distance yourself from darkness. Do this! Turn away from sin. Do this! Love your brother! Love your sister! Love them as Christ has loved you. Love them selflessly as Christ has selflessly loved you. 

John writes in verse 11:

11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

John is practically quoting Jesus’s words recorded in John 12:35. Jesus said there, “Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.” Those words made a lasting impression on John because he quoted Jesus saying them in his gospel and then he reiterates them in his epistle. 

And the point of this statement is clear. Hate for Christian brothers is evidence of darkness. And darkness is evidence of blindness. And hate, darkness, and blindness are not the characteristics of a born again follower of Jesus. These are the characteristics of an unbeliever. 

Let me ask you a hard question right now, church. Is there any believer in your life right now that you hate? Is there anyone that if they took a seat next to you or came up to talk to you, your skin would crawl, and your blood would boil because of the vitriol and malice that you are holding in your heart for that person? Listen, you’ve got to let that go! You’ve got to forgive them! You’ve got to love them, even if your love for them is not reciprocated. Even if they never apologized to you for that thing that they did that hurt you. Even if they wounded you deeply. You can’t hate them. You can’t be bitter towards them. You’ve got to let it go, and you’ve got to love them.  

whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, 

I heard Alistair Begg say once that, “Nothing has disappointed me in my experience of Christian living more then this fact…that Christians don’t understand that true love weathers storms… that love comes through the conflicts… Love faces the fights. Love deals with the disagreements.” Love forgives those dirty, rotten, wretched sinners who sin against us… Why? Because we are dirty, rotten, wretched sinners too. And Christ loves us despite our sinfulness.

You might say, “How do I do this, Pastor Tony?” “How do I get past my hate?” “How do I forgive and love people that hurt me?” Well you’ve got to embrace the power of the cross. You’ve got to access a power that is stronger than hate and stronger than the pain inside of you. You’ve got to look to the cross, where God the Father, “Gave his only Son [to be tortured and crucified and humiliated and killed] so that we might not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Jesus said: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).  

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I’ll close with this. There was a great British missionary from the twentieth century named C.T. Studd. And his story is really fascinating. C.T. Studd as a young man was a fantastic cricket champion. And also as a young man, he earned a law degree—a rare success in that day! Yet he forsook his cricket fame and his family fortune and even his law degree, and he went to the mission field. And he spent almost all of his adult life in India, China, and Africa telling people about Jesus. And people thought he was crazy for giving all that up to live the life of a missionary. 

Well Studd died in Africa at the age of 70 after nearly 50 years of faithful missionary service. And to some who think that Studd’s sacrifice of his great fame and law career in England was too much, Studd said this about his sacrifice. He said, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

 Now not all of us are called to missionary service in Africa. Not all of us will die on the mission field. But all of us have been called to do these three things: 1) To shine God’s light into this world, 2) To love our brothers, and 3) to distance ourselves from the darkness of this world. This is what God has called us to, and God loves it when you do these things. This is the love that God loves. 

Now quickly, there’s also a love that God hates. What in the world could that be? Come back next week, and I’ll tell you.