1 John 5:1–8

¹Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.

³For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

⁴For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith.

There was once a hive of bees; but this was a different sort of colony than most. In most bee colonies the workers go out every day scouting out flowers, coming back and communicating to the rest of the colony in a rather complicated process where the flowers are sp they can go out to gather nectar from the flowers. In other colonies the drones stay close to the queen bee and take care of her needs and the queen herself has the job of reproducing, laying eggs and keeping the colony populated.

But in this colony, the bees didn't go out and work and the drones didn't attend. In fact these bees didn't get alone with each other. Instead of going out to work, the worker bees criticized the drones for not doing their jobs and the drones thought that the queen was just a lazy tyrant. The queen for her part was always nagging the worker bees. No one got along with anyone else. They all were more interested in pointing fingers at each other, blaming others for the problems of the colony and criticizing each other. Don't get it wrong. They were not just sitting around doing nothing, they were busy keeping the hive in tip-top shape, making sure that everything was just right and there was enough room for everyone and that everyone kept his cell clean. But the colony started to dwindle because the real work was not getting done; the work of gathering nectar and of populating the colony. Everyone was too busy complaining about each other to do the work of the colony, populating it and feeding it.

But it is not just bee colonies that have this problem. Sometimes we who are believers in Christ do the same thing. Jesus tells us in the Gospel reading this morning; "If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love." And what is his commandment? "This is my commandment," he says, "that you love one another, just as I have loved you." And how has he loved us? "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." He laid down his life for us!

Now, take an honest look at yourself. Do you lay down your life for others? Or are you given to criticize, complain, accuse, point fingers and blame one another? Are we not like the colony of bees, more interested in nit picking each other than about giving our lives for each other?

God tells us in our text: "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the children born of Him." Do you really love the children of God around you? The love of God is that we keep his commandments. His commandment is "Love one another as I have loved you." By this we know that we are born of God and are the children of God, if we love one another.

So look at your life. What evidence is there that you are born of God? Do you love your neighbor? Do you love the person sitting next to you in the pew? Do you love the person sitting on the other side of the aisle that you don't get along with? For that matter, do you love the man outside on the street? Yes, that one, the one with different color skin; the homeless one who hasn't had a shower in a month; the alcoholic sleeping in his vomit; the teenage mother crying in desperation; the prostitute lurking in the shadows; the girl coming out of the abortion clinic; the gay couple walking down the sidewalk holding hands? Do you love them as Jesus loved you? Are you ready to give your life for those people?

No, if we are honest with ourselves, we don't exactly look like the children of God. We don't keep his commandments because his commandment is to love your neighbor and give your life for him and we haven't done that; we don't do that and sometimes don't even want to do that.

And it was for that very reason that God became a man and lived among us; because we haven't loved our neighbor as ourselves. Because we haven't obeyed his commandments. Because we have failed. We have failed to obey his commandments. And for our failure we deserve the worst, most horrible consequences imaginable. We deserve to suffer. We deserve to die. We are not justified in asking "Why me, O Lord? Why do I have to suffer so? What have I done to deserve this pain and misery in my life?" Because we do deserve it and much worse. We deserve death; we deserve punishment from God.

So God, who loves even his enemies, came into our fallen world to suffer; even to die. He died for us! He died because we do not love one another. He died to suffer the consequences for our disobedience to his own commandments. He loved us so much that he gave his life for us and we weren't even his friends; we were his enemies! Still he gave his life for us so that our sins would be forgiven. In order to pay for and earn forgiveness for our lack of love. For every time we fail to love that man on the street whom we loath, Jesus died. For every time we fail to love and forgive that guy sitting across the aisle whom we criticize and complain about, Jesus died. For every time we failed to alleviate the suffering of the poor, the hungry, the naked, the homeless, Jesus died.

He died so that we won't have to die. He died so that in spite of the fact that we deserve death and punishment from God, we won't die and be punished. He died in order to take our place in punishment. He died to take away our guilt so that we will not be brought into account by God for not obeying his command to love our neighbor. He loved his neighbor as himself, yea, even more than himself, because we don't. He died to give us another chance. He died to give us life in place of the death we deserve.

And he calls us to repent. Repent of your sins. Repent of your lack of love. Change your ways. Stop your constant bickering and criticizing each other. Start loving your neighbor. That is repentance; turning from your old ways of sin and turn to Christ; the one who forgives your sin, who washes away your guilt and gives you a new life. For Christ has paid for your sin; paid for your lack of love; and placed his love on you. Your past is forgotten. Confess your sin to God and to one another and you shall live. Your sins are washed away by his death on the cross.

Yes, and the resurrection of Christ creates a new man in us. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Born of God! That means he is a new man, a new creation, born over again, born this time with a new heart, a heart that loves his neighbor. That is what God means when he says; "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." Faith, given to us in baptism, is a new birth. It is the victory that overcomes the world with its sin and corruption and death. Christ has overcome the world. He has overcome our sin. He has overcome our failure to love. He has overcome our death. He has given us a new life and a new heart; a heart being restored to the image of God. A heart being restored to love. In our baptism and through faith, the old man of sin is passed away, and we are a new man, created in the image of Christ to love one another.

And in Holy Communion that love is nourished and strengthened. Through God's Word and the Sacraments the Holy Spirit is at work in you to renew you and restore you to the image of God which we had in Adam before sin entered into the world. Repent and turn to the cross of Jesus for forgiveness and a new life. For he has overcome the world with its sin and death.

And no man can claim to love his neighbor if he doesn't care whether or not his neighbor goes to hell. That is why Peter, in the first reading today was preaching in the home of Cornelius, a gentile. He was urgently calling Cornelius and his family to repent of their sin and believe that Jesus had forgiven them. He told how Jesus had been hung on the cross and that God had raised him on the third day and that everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins. Just as we receive forgiveness of sins. And if you love your neighbor, you will tell him that Jesus died on the cross and rose again for the forgiveness of sins. For how can you love your neighbor and not care if he goes to heaven or to hell? You cannot! Love compels us. Love drives us to have mercy on our neighbor and to bring him to hear the message of Christ, the Gospel of forgiveness and salvation.

So that is the business of the church. To bring others to hear the story of forgiveness and life in Jesus Christ. That is what love compels us to do. That is what loving your neighbor is all about—saving his life for all eternity. Whether he be the person sitting next to you, or that man on the street with a different color skin. Whether she be your wife or a teenage girl just coming from the abortion clinic. Whether or not she be a lesbian or a prostitute; an alcoholic or a drug addict; a homeless veteran or a wealthy tycoon. Love compels us to give our lives to save theirs for eternity. That is our business as believers in Christ. That is our business as a congregation of God's children. Be about your business—love your neighbor as yourself.

Amen.