Fifth Sunday Of Easter
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series IV
The treasurer of an Ethiopian queen was on his way home after
worshiping in Jerusalem. His chariot was on a main road from
Jerusalem to Egypt. The Spirit directed Philip, one of the seven
deacons (Acts 6:1-5), to meet the chariot at Gaza. The eunuch was
probably a proselyte or God-fearer of Judaism. Philip found him
reading Isaiah 53 but not understanding it. After Philip's
explanation, the Ethiopian asked to be baptized. He accepted
Christ and according to tradition, he introduced Christianity
into Ethiopia. It should be noted that verse 37 ("If you believe
with all your heart, you may." And he replied, "I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.") is omitted in the older
manuscripts and some modern versions place the verse in the
margin.
Lesson 2: 1 John 4:7-12 (C)
In six verses very much is said about the nature of God, the
nature of love and the responsibility to love both God and
people. The key to the passage is "God is love." (v. 8) Since
love is of many kinds, John explains the nature of God's love.
(vv. 9, 10) To love God is to know him. (v. 8) To love God is to
have him in you. (v. 12) To love God is to love people. (v. 11)
How does one fall in love with God? Our love is a response to
God's prior love. (vv. 10, 11) This passage leads us to conclude
that love is the greatest thing in the world.
Gospel: John 15:1-8 (C, L, RC)
This pericope is a part of Jesus' final discourse (chapters
13-17) with his disciples in the upper room on Maundy Thursday.
Jesus uses allegory: He is the vine, God is the vinedresser, the
branches are the believers, and the fruit constitutes good works.
The vine is the source of life. To be connected with the source
is to have life and to produce fruit. To be separated from the
vine is to die and be destroyed. People in the vine have their
prayers answered. Bearing fruit glorifies God and proves
discipleship.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 22:25-31 (C) -- "May your hearts live forever." (v. 26b)
Psalm 22:24-30 (L); Psalm 66:1-11 (E)
Prayer Of The Day
"O God, form the minds of your faithful people into a single
will. Make us love what you command and desire what you promise,
that, amid all the changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed
where true joy is found."
Hymn Of The Day
"Amid The World's Bleak Wilderness"
Theme Of The Day: "Life In Christ"
Gospel -- A life in Christ is fruitful.
Lesson 1 -- A person is brought to life in Christ.
Lesson 2 -- A life in Christ loves God and people.
Life in Christ is today's emphasis. Life in Christ, as a
branch in a vine, results in the fruit of love (Gospel). Lesson 2
harmonizes by teaching that love of God means love of people. How
does the branch enter the vine (Christ)? Lesson 1 tells how
Philip brought an Ethiopian to life in Christ. The Prayer asks
God to help us to love what he commands. The Psalm voices a
desire for eternal life. The Hymn is based on the Gospel lesson.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Gospel: John 15:1-8
1. Vine (v. 1). Jesus identifies himself as the vine, but a
vine by itself cannot exist. Here we see the interrelationship
and interdependence between the vine, branches and vinedresser.
The vine needs branches to produce fruit. Moreover, the vine
needs the vinedresser (God, the Father) to fertilize the ground
and to both prune and remove dead branches. All three work
together to produce fruit, the ultimate objective.
2. Nothing (v. 5). It is an indispensable, absolute necessity
for one to be in the vine (Christ) to accomplish anything. Jesus
says that apart from him we can do nothing -- not a thing! A
branch broken off the vine is separated from life and sustenance.
A broken-off branch is a person unrelated to Christ. He withers
and dies. Consequently, that person is good for nothing because
he can do nothing. Here we can see the inseparable connection of
being and doing, between religion and ethics, between piety and
performance. If we are lacking in production, it is not less but
more of prayer, meditation and worship that we need.
3. Fruit (v. 8). The word "fruit" is repeated many times in
this pericope. It is the key word because a vine and branch do
not exist for the sake of existing. They have a purpose: to yield
fruit. The vine needs the branches and the branches must be one
with the vine. Only when they are together does the fruit result.
What is this fruit? It is what the vine offers through the
branches -- the fruit of his being, his Spirit. It is the fruit
of love, truth and goodness. When this fruit of a Christian
appears, God is glorified, the world sees true Christianity and
the producers have their prayers answered.
Lesson 1: Acts 8:26-40
1. Worship (v. 27). Here is the story of a high government
official who traveled a long way in a chariot to worship. Why
could he not do this worshiping in Ethiopia? Is worship worth the
trouble? What is worship? It is essentially a religious
experience in which God and an individual commune with each
other. To worship is a human need, for throughout history people
of all religions made worship the central act of their religions.
It is not a question of worship in itself, but it is a matter of
whom we worship. Apparently the Ethiopian was not satisfied with
his native religion in Ethiopia. He turned to the God of the
Jews, but he was still not content. When he learned about and
accepted Christ, he found the true object of worship.
2. Understand (v. 30). It just so happened that the eunuch was
reading the Hebrew Bible when Philip appeared. He was reading a
servant poem in Isaiah 53. Reading the Bible is an important and
necessary function of a Christian if he is to become a mature
Christian. But reading is not enough. There must be
understanding. How do we interpret what we read? Do we understand
the passage read? Most of us need someone to help us interpret
the Bible. The eunuch had Philip. Today our guide is the Holy
Spirit.
3. Baptized (v. 36). When the eunuch learned about Christ as
the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, he requested baptism. At the
same time they were in a desert. Miraculously a pool of water
appeared. Why bother about baptism? Why wasn't knowing about
Jesus, understanding that he was the Messiah, and accepting
Christ as Savior enough to be a Christian? The eunuch wanted to
be baptized and Philip gladly agreed. It is because baptism is
the means of being born again of the Spirit, the washing away of
sin, and is the means of being incorporated into the body of
Christ, the church.
155
Lesson 2: 1 John 4:7-12
1. Manifest (v. 9). Can love be seen? Love is a spiritual
quality that has no concrete reality which eye can see and hand
can touch. But, like other spiritual realities such as faith and
hope, love is very real. It can be seen as it is "manifested."
God's love can be seen in the giving of his only Son to die for
us. Love today can be seen when it is manifested in the lives of
Christians through their understanding, kindness and unselfish
service. Since God is love, God can be seen in the love life of
his faithful ones.
2. God is love (v. 2). It is more than God loves. God is love.
If God is love, is love also God? In today's society love is
adored and prized as a god. Love as god is idolatry. We are not
to worship love. God is love, but he is also more than love. God
is also justice, holiness and truth.
3. Expiation (v. 10). Christ died for our sins. By his
sacrifice we are forgiven. John goes further by referring to
Jesus as the expiation for our sins. Sin is not lightly covered
over. God's love through the cross expels and erases the stain
and scar of sin. It is totally removed. This permits the sinner
to appear before God without spot or blemish.
PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
Prayer Of The Day -- The Happy Christian
Need: Today's Prayer is one of the most beautiful and
meaningful collects the church has ever written. It is worthy of
a sermon, for often a collect is so brief and yet so compact in
its truth and verbiage that people do not grasp the truth in it.
This Prayer of the Day gives us the formula for true and abiding
happiness. And who does not need or want happiness in terms of
genuine love.
Outline: The prayer that will make you happy --
a. Love what God commands.
b. Desire what God promises.
c. Fix your heart where true joy is found.
THREE LESSONS
Piety And Production
Need: In the Christian faith there are two indispensable foci:
piety and production. We run into problems when we have only one
of the two. If we have only piety, then our Christianity becomes
pietism and ceremonialism. If we have only production, we have
only activism without proper motivation or meaning. The two must
be put together: being and doing, piety and production, prayer
and work, worship and service, enter and exit. The three lessons
bring the two together.
Outline: How piety and production join forces --
a. Abiding in Christ produces good deeds -- Gospel.
b. Having the Spirit of Christ results in witnessing --
Lesson 1.
c. Loving God means loving people -- Lesson 2.
Gospel: John 15:1-8
1. The Christian of the abiding presence. 15:1-8
Need: The average church member hardly understands what it
means for Christ to abide in him and he in Christ. The crux of
our problem is in the lack of a personal relationship with
Christ. Little is done to establish and nourish this
relationship. Prayer is often perfunctory rather than a personal
encounter with Christ. A majority do not attend church regularly.
Only the exceptional family has family devotions. Most Christians
do not know the meaning of solitude and meditation. No subject is
more needed in preaching than the question of abiding in Christ.
Outline: The Christian of the abiding presence is --
a. One who is in Christ -- v. 4.
b. One who is disciplined -- v. 2.
c. One who is fruitful -- v. 5.
d. One who glorifies God -- v. 8.
2. Not good if detached. 15:1-8
Need: All of us have seen tickets that say, "not good if
detached." Jesus said the same about a person and himself. Anyone
detached from the vine is in trouble. Union with Christ is a
"must" for life and fruitfulness. There are symptoms of being
detached: no church connection, no prayer life, no worship, no
good works.
Outline: Consider the facts --
a. To be detached from Christ is not good.
1. The branch withers and dies -- v. 6.
2. The branch bears no fruit -- v. 4.
b. To be attached to Christ is good.
1. You bear fruit -- v. 5.
2. Your prayers are answered -- v. 7.
3. You glorify God -- v. 8.
3. Three kinds of Christians. 15:1-8
Need: In every church there are generally three kinds of
Christians. They are not necessarily the good, bad and
indifferent. Jesus refers to the three types of branches in this
pericope. The sermon intends to encourage and challenge the
inferior kinds to move up to the fruit-bearing type of Christian.
For proof of the three kinds, consider the congregation's record
in attendance, finances and participation in church work.
Outline: Look at the kinds of Christians we may be.
a. The non-bearing branch -- no fruit -- v. 2.
Dead wood on the church vine.
b. The small-bearing branch -- needs pruning -- v. 2.
The occasional attender, the lukewarm.
c. The abundant-bearing branch -- v. 5.
The members who are in Christ: the faithful workers.
Lesson 1: Acts 8:26-40
1. How Christians are made. 8:26-40
Need: It is probable that the preacher will be speaking to a
congregation which is primarily composed of Christians. At first
sight it may seem superfluous to speak on "How Christians are
made." On the other hand, there may be some in the congregation
who have not embraced the Christian faith and they would like to
know how to become a Christian. Some in the congregation may have
become Christians by infant baptism and confirmed as youth
without fully understanding how they became Christians. Since
Christians are to be witnesses to the unchurched, the regular
church members could be helped by this sermon in showing them the
steps a person takes in becoming an adult Christian.
Outline: How one can become a Christian --
a. Inquire about the faith -- vv. 30, 34.
b. Receive guidance into the meaning of the faith -- vv. 31,
35.
c. Confess Christ as Son of God -- v. 37 (KJV).
d. Receive baptism -- vv. 36, 38.
2. Win a convert to Christ! 8:26-40
Need: Personal witnessing for Christ is becoming a lost art.
This is proved by the decline in church membership during the
70s. The new evangelism is no longer focused on evangelists and
revivals. It is now a lay movement in which members visit
prospective Christians. Many church members feel inadequate to
witness and do not know how to win a person
to faith in Christ. In this text we have a layman who witnesses
and wins a person for Christ. The principles and methods used by
Philip are still applicable to our day.
Outline: To win a person for Christ --
a. Obey the Spirit to go to the unchurched -- vv. 26, 29.
b. Make the proper approach -- v. 30.
c. Share the good news -- v. 35.
d. Follow through with the decision -- vv. 36, 38.
Lesson 2: 1 John 4:7-12
1. Your questions about God answered. 4:7-12
Need: Many of us are full of questions about God and love.
Where do we go for answers? Are the answers we get from the world
reliable and correct? In an amazing way, many of our questions
about God and love are answered in today's lection.
Outline: What is your question?
a. Who is God? Answer -- v. 8.
b. Can we know God? Answer -- vv. 7, 8.
c. Can we be sure God loves us? Answer -- vv. 9, 10.
d. Is love visible? Answer -- vv. 9, 12.
2. The idolatry of love. 4:8
Need: The world is madly in love with love. Popular songs deal
with love. It is hailed as the most wonderful thing in the world.
We claim we cannot live without it. What the world needs is love,
love, love. It is what makes the world go around. We fall in love
and we make love. The text says, "God is love," but the world
says, "Love is God."
Outline: Is God love or is love God?
a. The world's view: love is God.
1. Situation ethics -- do as you wish as long as you love.
2. Unwise love -- love without discernment.
3. Harmful love -- people are hurt in the name of love.
b. The biblical view: God is love.
1. Love is expressed in Jesus -- v. 9.
2. Love sacrifices -- v. 10.
3. Love serves -- v. 11.
worshiping in Jerusalem. His chariot was on a main road from
Jerusalem to Egypt. The Spirit directed Philip, one of the seven
deacons (Acts 6:1-5), to meet the chariot at Gaza. The eunuch was
probably a proselyte or God-fearer of Judaism. Philip found him
reading Isaiah 53 but not understanding it. After Philip's
explanation, the Ethiopian asked to be baptized. He accepted
Christ and according to tradition, he introduced Christianity
into Ethiopia. It should be noted that verse 37 ("If you believe
with all your heart, you may." And he replied, "I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.") is omitted in the older
manuscripts and some modern versions place the verse in the
margin.
Lesson 2: 1 John 4:7-12 (C)
In six verses very much is said about the nature of God, the
nature of love and the responsibility to love both God and
people. The key to the passage is "God is love." (v. 8) Since
love is of many kinds, John explains the nature of God's love.
(vv. 9, 10) To love God is to know him. (v. 8) To love God is to
have him in you. (v. 12) To love God is to love people. (v. 11)
How does one fall in love with God? Our love is a response to
God's prior love. (vv. 10, 11) This passage leads us to conclude
that love is the greatest thing in the world.
Gospel: John 15:1-8 (C, L, RC)
This pericope is a part of Jesus' final discourse (chapters
13-17) with his disciples in the upper room on Maundy Thursday.
Jesus uses allegory: He is the vine, God is the vinedresser, the
branches are the believers, and the fruit constitutes good works.
The vine is the source of life. To be connected with the source
is to have life and to produce fruit. To be separated from the
vine is to die and be destroyed. People in the vine have their
prayers answered. Bearing fruit glorifies God and proves
discipleship.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 22:25-31 (C) -- "May your hearts live forever." (v. 26b)
Psalm 22:24-30 (L); Psalm 66:1-11 (E)
Prayer Of The Day
"O God, form the minds of your faithful people into a single
will. Make us love what you command and desire what you promise,
that, amid all the changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed
where true joy is found."
Hymn Of The Day
"Amid The World's Bleak Wilderness"
Theme Of The Day: "Life In Christ"
Gospel -- A life in Christ is fruitful.
Lesson 1 -- A person is brought to life in Christ.
Lesson 2 -- A life in Christ loves God and people.
Life in Christ is today's emphasis. Life in Christ, as a
branch in a vine, results in the fruit of love (Gospel). Lesson 2
harmonizes by teaching that love of God means love of people. How
does the branch enter the vine (Christ)? Lesson 1 tells how
Philip brought an Ethiopian to life in Christ. The Prayer asks
God to help us to love what he commands. The Psalm voices a
desire for eternal life. The Hymn is based on the Gospel lesson.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Gospel: John 15:1-8
1. Vine (v. 1). Jesus identifies himself as the vine, but a
vine by itself cannot exist. Here we see the interrelationship
and interdependence between the vine, branches and vinedresser.
The vine needs branches to produce fruit. Moreover, the vine
needs the vinedresser (God, the Father) to fertilize the ground
and to both prune and remove dead branches. All three work
together to produce fruit, the ultimate objective.
2. Nothing (v. 5). It is an indispensable, absolute necessity
for one to be in the vine (Christ) to accomplish anything. Jesus
says that apart from him we can do nothing -- not a thing! A
branch broken off the vine is separated from life and sustenance.
A broken-off branch is a person unrelated to Christ. He withers
and dies. Consequently, that person is good for nothing because
he can do nothing. Here we can see the inseparable connection of
being and doing, between religion and ethics, between piety and
performance. If we are lacking in production, it is not less but
more of prayer, meditation and worship that we need.
3. Fruit (v. 8). The word "fruit" is repeated many times in
this pericope. It is the key word because a vine and branch do
not exist for the sake of existing. They have a purpose: to yield
fruit. The vine needs the branches and the branches must be one
with the vine. Only when they are together does the fruit result.
What is this fruit? It is what the vine offers through the
branches -- the fruit of his being, his Spirit. It is the fruit
of love, truth and goodness. When this fruit of a Christian
appears, God is glorified, the world sees true Christianity and
the producers have their prayers answered.
Lesson 1: Acts 8:26-40
1. Worship (v. 27). Here is the story of a high government
official who traveled a long way in a chariot to worship. Why
could he not do this worshiping in Ethiopia? Is worship worth the
trouble? What is worship? It is essentially a religious
experience in which God and an individual commune with each
other. To worship is a human need, for throughout history people
of all religions made worship the central act of their religions.
It is not a question of worship in itself, but it is a matter of
whom we worship. Apparently the Ethiopian was not satisfied with
his native religion in Ethiopia. He turned to the God of the
Jews, but he was still not content. When he learned about and
accepted Christ, he found the true object of worship.
2. Understand (v. 30). It just so happened that the eunuch was
reading the Hebrew Bible when Philip appeared. He was reading a
servant poem in Isaiah 53. Reading the Bible is an important and
necessary function of a Christian if he is to become a mature
Christian. But reading is not enough. There must be
understanding. How do we interpret what we read? Do we understand
the passage read? Most of us need someone to help us interpret
the Bible. The eunuch had Philip. Today our guide is the Holy
Spirit.
3. Baptized (v. 36). When the eunuch learned about Christ as
the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, he requested baptism. At the
same time they were in a desert. Miraculously a pool of water
appeared. Why bother about baptism? Why wasn't knowing about
Jesus, understanding that he was the Messiah, and accepting
Christ as Savior enough to be a Christian? The eunuch wanted to
be baptized and Philip gladly agreed. It is because baptism is
the means of being born again of the Spirit, the washing away of
sin, and is the means of being incorporated into the body of
Christ, the church.
155
Lesson 2: 1 John 4:7-12
1. Manifest (v. 9). Can love be seen? Love is a spiritual
quality that has no concrete reality which eye can see and hand
can touch. But, like other spiritual realities such as faith and
hope, love is very real. It can be seen as it is "manifested."
God's love can be seen in the giving of his only Son to die for
us. Love today can be seen when it is manifested in the lives of
Christians through their understanding, kindness and unselfish
service. Since God is love, God can be seen in the love life of
his faithful ones.
2. God is love (v. 2). It is more than God loves. God is love.
If God is love, is love also God? In today's society love is
adored and prized as a god. Love as god is idolatry. We are not
to worship love. God is love, but he is also more than love. God
is also justice, holiness and truth.
3. Expiation (v. 10). Christ died for our sins. By his
sacrifice we are forgiven. John goes further by referring to
Jesus as the expiation for our sins. Sin is not lightly covered
over. God's love through the cross expels and erases the stain
and scar of sin. It is totally removed. This permits the sinner
to appear before God without spot or blemish.
PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
Prayer Of The Day -- The Happy Christian
Need: Today's Prayer is one of the most beautiful and
meaningful collects the church has ever written. It is worthy of
a sermon, for often a collect is so brief and yet so compact in
its truth and verbiage that people do not grasp the truth in it.
This Prayer of the Day gives us the formula for true and abiding
happiness. And who does not need or want happiness in terms of
genuine love.
Outline: The prayer that will make you happy --
a. Love what God commands.
b. Desire what God promises.
c. Fix your heart where true joy is found.
THREE LESSONS
Piety And Production
Need: In the Christian faith there are two indispensable foci:
piety and production. We run into problems when we have only one
of the two. If we have only piety, then our Christianity becomes
pietism and ceremonialism. If we have only production, we have
only activism without proper motivation or meaning. The two must
be put together: being and doing, piety and production, prayer
and work, worship and service, enter and exit. The three lessons
bring the two together.
Outline: How piety and production join forces --
a. Abiding in Christ produces good deeds -- Gospel.
b. Having the Spirit of Christ results in witnessing --
Lesson 1.
c. Loving God means loving people -- Lesson 2.
Gospel: John 15:1-8
1. The Christian of the abiding presence. 15:1-8
Need: The average church member hardly understands what it
means for Christ to abide in him and he in Christ. The crux of
our problem is in the lack of a personal relationship with
Christ. Little is done to establish and nourish this
relationship. Prayer is often perfunctory rather than a personal
encounter with Christ. A majority do not attend church regularly.
Only the exceptional family has family devotions. Most Christians
do not know the meaning of solitude and meditation. No subject is
more needed in preaching than the question of abiding in Christ.
Outline: The Christian of the abiding presence is --
a. One who is in Christ -- v. 4.
b. One who is disciplined -- v. 2.
c. One who is fruitful -- v. 5.
d. One who glorifies God -- v. 8.
2. Not good if detached. 15:1-8
Need: All of us have seen tickets that say, "not good if
detached." Jesus said the same about a person and himself. Anyone
detached from the vine is in trouble. Union with Christ is a
"must" for life and fruitfulness. There are symptoms of being
detached: no church connection, no prayer life, no worship, no
good works.
Outline: Consider the facts --
a. To be detached from Christ is not good.
1. The branch withers and dies -- v. 6.
2. The branch bears no fruit -- v. 4.
b. To be attached to Christ is good.
1. You bear fruit -- v. 5.
2. Your prayers are answered -- v. 7.
3. You glorify God -- v. 8.
3. Three kinds of Christians. 15:1-8
Need: In every church there are generally three kinds of
Christians. They are not necessarily the good, bad and
indifferent. Jesus refers to the three types of branches in this
pericope. The sermon intends to encourage and challenge the
inferior kinds to move up to the fruit-bearing type of Christian.
For proof of the three kinds, consider the congregation's record
in attendance, finances and participation in church work.
Outline: Look at the kinds of Christians we may be.
a. The non-bearing branch -- no fruit -- v. 2.
Dead wood on the church vine.
b. The small-bearing branch -- needs pruning -- v. 2.
The occasional attender, the lukewarm.
c. The abundant-bearing branch -- v. 5.
The members who are in Christ: the faithful workers.
Lesson 1: Acts 8:26-40
1. How Christians are made. 8:26-40
Need: It is probable that the preacher will be speaking to a
congregation which is primarily composed of Christians. At first
sight it may seem superfluous to speak on "How Christians are
made." On the other hand, there may be some in the congregation
who have not embraced the Christian faith and they would like to
know how to become a Christian. Some in the congregation may have
become Christians by infant baptism and confirmed as youth
without fully understanding how they became Christians. Since
Christians are to be witnesses to the unchurched, the regular
church members could be helped by this sermon in showing them the
steps a person takes in becoming an adult Christian.
Outline: How one can become a Christian --
a. Inquire about the faith -- vv. 30, 34.
b. Receive guidance into the meaning of the faith -- vv. 31,
35.
c. Confess Christ as Son of God -- v. 37 (KJV).
d. Receive baptism -- vv. 36, 38.
2. Win a convert to Christ! 8:26-40
Need: Personal witnessing for Christ is becoming a lost art.
This is proved by the decline in church membership during the
70s. The new evangelism is no longer focused on evangelists and
revivals. It is now a lay movement in which members visit
prospective Christians. Many church members feel inadequate to
witness and do not know how to win a person
to faith in Christ. In this text we have a layman who witnesses
and wins a person for Christ. The principles and methods used by
Philip are still applicable to our day.
Outline: To win a person for Christ --
a. Obey the Spirit to go to the unchurched -- vv. 26, 29.
b. Make the proper approach -- v. 30.
c. Share the good news -- v. 35.
d. Follow through with the decision -- vv. 36, 38.
Lesson 2: 1 John 4:7-12
1. Your questions about God answered. 4:7-12
Need: Many of us are full of questions about God and love.
Where do we go for answers? Are the answers we get from the world
reliable and correct? In an amazing way, many of our questions
about God and love are answered in today's lection.
Outline: What is your question?
a. Who is God? Answer -- v. 8.
b. Can we know God? Answer -- vv. 7, 8.
c. Can we be sure God loves us? Answer -- vv. 9, 10.
d. Is love visible? Answer -- vv. 9, 12.
2. The idolatry of love. 4:8
Need: The world is madly in love with love. Popular songs deal
with love. It is hailed as the most wonderful thing in the world.
We claim we cannot live without it. What the world needs is love,
love, love. It is what makes the world go around. We fall in love
and we make love. The text says, "God is love," but the world
says, "Love is God."
Outline: Is God love or is love God?
a. The world's view: love is God.
1. Situation ethics -- do as you wish as long as you love.
2. Unwise love -- love without discernment.
3. Harmful love -- people are hurt in the name of love.
b. The biblical view: God is love.
1. Love is expressed in Jesus -- v. 9.
2. Love sacrifices -- v. 10.
3. Love serves -- v. 11.
