Sunday Evening Sermon - Jared McCormick - June 7th
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class emphasized that love is the defining characteristic of a Christian, rooted in God’s sacrifice through Jesus Christ. Drawing heavily from 1 John 3:16-18 and 4:7-21, the teacher stressed that love must be expressed through actions, not just words, and that failing to care for others is equivalent to denying God’s love. He contrasted this with a world driven by personal opinions and political divisions, arguing that Christians must remain anchored to God’s Word as their standard. The lesson also referenced 1 Corinthians 13 to highlight that love is essential for Christian community and spiritual growth. Key arguments included the necessity of selfless acts like sharing resources with those in need and the importance of embodying God’s love to be a transformative witness in a broken world. The teacher warned that empty words or inaction toward others disqualify believers from claiming a relationship with God, making love a central test of genuine faith.
Key Scriptures
This is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid his life down for us, and we ought to lay our lives down for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, but does not show him pity, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because love comes from God. This is how God showed his love among us. He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, let us love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, then God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.