Love One Another
Message Notes:
Byron started off the message with ordering “seven words related to love” from least loving to most loving. They are: commitment, attraction, sacrifice, kindness, lust, caring and friendship. He concluded with the statement: “Sacrifice is the highest or greatest form of love.”
And this will be one of the major themes of the message today.
1 John 3:16 concurs with this idea — it speaks of love and sacrifice.
Interestingly, so does John 3:16. Both verses are amazingly similar.
Notice these two verses related to sacrifice:
•Mark 10:46
•2 Corinthians 5:21
Love is a major theme in 1 John — occurs 46 times in 105 verses.
•Appears 10 times in chapter 3
•Appears 27 times in chapter 4
Love in chapter three has four major lessons:
•Love is Really Important / a Command (vv. 11 & 23)
•Love is a Proof you are a Child of God (vv. 14 & 15)
•Love is best revealed as Sacrifice (v. 16)
•Love is more than a feeling; it is Action (vv. 17 & 18)
The apostle Paul reiterates this in 1 Corinthians 13 — every description of love in this chapter refers to an action — not to a feeling.
Discussion Questions:
As you looks at Byron”s ordering of the seven words — do you agree or disagree? Why or why not? If you disagree, how would you re-order the list of seven?
Do you agree that “sacrifice” is the highest expression of love? Why or why not?
What do you think about the comparison Byron made between John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16?
What do the following verses teach us about sacrifice?
•Mark 10:46
•2 Corinthians 5:21
1. Love Is Really Important / a Command
Verses: 11 & 23
“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.”
“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another…”
Questions:
•Why do you think John emphasizes that love is a command, not just a suggestion or feeling?
•How does treating love as a command change the way we relate to difficult people?
•What makes love difficult to obey as a command in modern life? How do you overcome that?
•How is love foundational to our faith and community as believers?
2. Love Is a Proof You Are a Child of God
Verses: 14 & 15
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other.”
“Anyone who does not love remains in death.”
Questions:
•According to John, how does love serve as “proof” that we are spiritually alive?
•Why does John take such a strong stance—that hatred equals spiritual death?
•Have you ever experienced a shift from resentment or coldness to genuine love? What caused it?
•How can we examine our own lives to discern whether love is truly present?
3. Love Is Best Revealed as Sacrifice
Verse: 16
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”
Questions:
•Why does John use Jesus’ death as the ultimate definition of love?
•What are some ways we can “lay down our lives” for others in everyday situations?
•Can you share a time when someone sacrificed for you in a way that made you feel deeply loved?
•What sacrifices might God be calling you to make in love right now?
4. Love Is More Than a Feeling; It Is Action
Verses: 17 & 18
“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
Questions:
•What does it look like to love “with actions and in truth” in your life this week?
•Why do you think John connects love to meeting material needs?
•Have you ever been impacted by someone’s practical expression of love? What did it teach you?
•What barriers (time, fear, resources) hold you back from loving in action? How might you overcome them?
Closing Reflection Questions:
•Which of these lessons about love challenged or encouraged you the most?
•What is one specific act of love you can commit to this week—in your home, church, or community?
•How can we support one another in becoming people known by our love?