1 John 4:19

GOD’S LOVE AND MAN’S RESPONSE

‘We love Him, because He first loved us.’

1 John 4:19

God’s love and man’s response—that is the meaning of our life as Christians. And it is God’s love, the kindness of God our Saviour, that comes first.

I. We are surrounded, enwrapped in God’s love.—It is so close, it envelops us so completely, that for many of us it takes a long while to discern it; and when we do it comes with all the force of a discovery, just because it was ‘closer than breathing, nearer than hands or feet.’ He seems so far above, and we are so little, that we cannot believe it. Have you not sometimes had a friend in some one far removed from you—some one above you in station, your employer or chief; some one above you in age and knowledge, your teacher or your master; or some one of like age and standing, but above you in gifts, perhaps attractions? You have admired them very much and perhaps learnt from them. Then one day something done or said has revealed the truth, and you have found that they care, just care for you; that you are not merely a case, or a hand, or an item in their work, but that you, as a person, you being yourself and no one else, with all your faults and your insignificance, that you matter to them; that they care about that. Has it not made a world of difference? It makes you yourself a better person, for nothing individualises like love. And has not this knowledge made things easy which before were hard, and enabled you to do and bear a great deal more? And then comes another thought. You are anxious to show them something in return, and please them; if the thought were not absurd, you would like to help them. But they are too far above you, and you cannot do that, you know. You can love them, and that is all. But that is not all with God. We can love Him and help Him too. That is the wonderful thing; the strange truth that makes one almost shudder with joy. Not only does God let us love Him, but He will let us help Him, give Him something; give, too, not a little, but the best we have, all made better by the giving; more, too, give not only what we have, but what we are, ‘ourselves, our souls and bodies, a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice,’ and so make God happier. Has it ever occurred to you what it means—you can make God, make Jesus, happier? We are often told that our sins, our pride and wilfulness make Him miserable once more; that we renew for Him Gethsemane and dig those nails deeper. We do. But also we can make Him glad, can help Him, make it easier for Him to do His work, His never-ceasing work of saving the world, and bring a fresh note of joy even among the angels in heaven.

II. We must love God.—We cannot help it, because He loves us. If some gracious and attractive nature shows love to us we must love Him back; as soon as we realise the fact we cannot help ourselves. For a long while, indeed, through pride and wilful ignorance, we may not know that He cares, and so live as if He did not, or one may fail to see how beautiful He is and not care whether He loves or not. So long as a person is unattractive or indifferent to you, you do not mind, as you put it, whether he likes or dislikes you—you do not know and you do not care; he is nothing to you. But once you have caught the attraction, once you have seen his beauty of spirit, or gifts, or power, or whatever it is has held you, he is no more indifferent, and you would be glad to know that he takes an interest in you. That is what God does: He takes an interest in us, and all our life is aflame with the fact. How it happens that when we know this and love Him too we can shame Him, as we do so often by our pride and lust, by our greed and cowardice, or by mere forgetfulness and distrust, I do not know. But we do. Yet even that He puts out of sight, because His love is an everlasting love and knows no bounds.

III. We have to help God to give Him presents.—You know how it is if you do not care about people and you have to give them a wedding present. It bores you; it seems such waste of money. On the other hand, nothing seems good enough for any one you greatly care for. Cannot we be a little more extravagant in our gifts to God? I am not talking about money, though for many people that is a very good test of reality. But every day, every hour almost, we can be giving something to Jesus. Make Him a present—some pleasure, personal and selfish, we give up; some sorrow or humiliation you can turn into joy and strength for His sake; some evil thought we put away we give to Him, just because He loves us and does not like it; some hard piece of work we do just to serve Him; some brave discipline, some bad fight we face, because we are His friends. I know it is all very hard, and perhaps we shall fail. We may have enough pluck to go into the fight, and then past sins or a fresh fall may give the victory to the other side. We are not all intended to give Him success; we are all intended to give Him our efforts. Perhaps the only thing we can say is, ‘Lord, I have failed; I did my best in vain, but I did try. I have been beaten, but it was for Thee.’ Give Jesus success, if it comes to you; high sacrifice and great results, if you win them. But if not that, if you have only scorn and humiliation and grief and self-contempt, you can give Him that. Which was it, failure or success, He Himself gave His Father on Calvary?

—Rev. Dr. J. Neville Figgis.

Illustration

‘This is what makes the difference—what separates us from other men, and unites us, if we only realise it, by a bond that is deeper than all the barriers, real though they be, which are set up by race and social training, by breeding or virtue, and by intellect and education—the last and the hardest barrier of all. We Christians are men who love. In other religions you can find men who worship; in some of them in the East quite a number who make prayer their life. Under many different moral systems there are those who sacrifice all, and shame us by the depth of their renunciation. Often do we meet outside the Christian Church men of virtue, of high standards and noble integrity. In ours alone is there this rare aroma, that we are lovers of a living Lord; friends in the beautiful name of a sect that did much to restore tenderness to an age full of religion and empty of love. Friendship—that is the quality, the meaning of our religion; and all our Church system, and all our elaboration of services, all our sacramental life, the grace of Holy Baptism, the beauty of the Eucharist, the tenderness of penitence, the courage of Confirmation, and the joy and strength of priestly office are but so many symbols of this one fact, so many facets “of the diamond heart unstained and clear, and the whole world’s crowning jewel,” the friendship between man and God.’

(SECOND OUTLINE)

THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION

Of all revelations that is the most Christian that you ever listened to. If there is no love in your heart at all for God, look at what God has done for you in the person of His beloved Son.

I. We love Him because He first loved us.—I often wonder why it was not made a question, or rather why a mark of interrogation was not put after ‘we love Him.’ Do we love Him? It is a question which indeed we must answer. There is no doubt about the second part, He did love us. God grant that you may realise how much He loved you, and then, if you will but realise it in ever so small a degree, there is some hope that you will love Him because He has first loved you.

II. Contrast fear and love.—Fear in its way is a very wholesome feeling. It has its good points, but do you know the difference between fear and love? It is this, that unless fear merges into love, fear never lasts. Even a small child will get accustomed to a terror. You cry bogey very often and at last the child will laugh, and it is not well for us ministers of the Word to be always trying to frighten you with views of hell, at which I know quite well you are only inclined to smile. No fear will ever convert a soul; only love will do that. Fear only torments, fear makes a man, as it were, to tremble, but it will never bring him to God. But love hath peace. Oh, what a beautiful picture in contrast is the Gospel according to St. John! What a beautiful contrast are these Epistles of his! Is he afraid of God? He looks up into the face of God the Father and sees that face wreathed with smiles. What does He hear? ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ ‘Herein is our life made perfect, that we may have boldness in the great day of judgment.’ He faces death, the great unknown, but is not afraid because he knows of the love of God.

III. Would it not be a blessed thing for you in the middle of trouble—and God knows how much trouble there is in the world—to be able under the almighty hand of God to say from the ground of the heart, ‘Thy will be done, O Lord’? How is it to be done? St. John points the way. He shows you that salvation is of Jesus Christ. He tells you that the peace of Jesus Christ is to be had in Jesus Christ’s way, in the worship of His blessed Church, in the blessed sacrament, in prayer, in worship. Have you found that peace now? Have you found that peace which passeth all understanding, and have you the desire to be in a place where no one says, ‘I am afraid of Him,’ but where all joyfully acknowledge and unite in uttering with one voice the words of the blessed Apostle, ‘We love Him, because he first loved us’?

Rev. J. Jenkins.

Illustration

‘Perhaps you have heard or read of the love of the two friends Damon and Pythias for each other. When Damon was condemned by the tyrant Dionysius to die, he asked permission to visit his wife and children, that he might bid them farewell; and his faithful friend Pythias gave himself up as a pledge, promising to die in his friend’s place if he did not come back at the appointed time. But Damon was hindered, and could not return at the time he intended. Then Dionysius the tyrant visited Pythias in prison, and said to him, “How foolish you were ever to think that your friend would come back again to die.” But he replied, “I would rather suffer a thousand deaths than his word and honour should fail. But it will not fail; he will come back.” He then prayed that his friend might be hindered from coming back until he himself had died in his place, that so Damon might be spared to his family and to his people. The scaffold was then prepared, and Pythias took his place upon it to die for his friend. Suddenly the sound of a galloping horse was heard. “Stop! stop!” cried the crowd. It was, indeed, Damon come back. In a moment he sprang from his horse, mounted the scaffold, and was clasped in the arms of his friend. Pythias appeared much disappointed that his friend had not come a few minutes later, and said that now that he could not die for his friend he would die with him. But when the tyrant Dionysius saw the love of these two friends, he wept and said to them both, “Live! live! ye incomparable pair! Live happy! live revered! and as you have invited me by your example, form me by your precept to participate worthily of a friendship so Divine.” ’