Sermon Notes + 1.18.2026
Sermon Notes
Love One Another
1 Peter 1:22-25
Taylor Mendoza, Associate Pastor
Introduction: The early church father, Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD), once said that what makes a good person great is their capacity to love. He later wrote, “The greater [love] is in a person, the better that person in whom [love] is. For when we ask whether somebody is a good person, we are not asking what he believes or hopes for, but what he loves. For one who rightly loves without doubt rightly believes and hopes, and one who does not love believes in vain, even if the things he believes are true.” As we heard last week, essential to our Christian life and church health is not only our doctrine and behavior, but also our love for one another.
Outline:
The Ground of our Love – We love one another in the church because we have been born again by the Word of God (the gospel) and have purified our hearts through conversion.
1. Love one another earnestly – don’t hold back; lean in.
2. Love from a pure heart – not for show, not for gain.
3. Love with long-suffering – keep loving even when it is hard.
Recommended Reading: Cipollone, Chris. Here to Love: Recapturing the Centrality of Jesus’ Greatest Command (Charlotte, NC: The Good Book Company, 2025).
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY
1. Out of the 3 points on love from last week’s sermon, which one stood out to you the most? Why? (See reverse side for review.)
2. In 1:23–25, Peter says we’ve been born again through the living and abiding Word of God. Why does Peter bring up new birth right in the middle of a command to love?
3. Read 1 Peter 4:8 alongside 1:22. Peter repeats “earnestly” and adds “love covers a multitude of sins.”
a. What does “cover” look like in real church relationships (and what does it not mean)? Where’s the line between covering and ignoring serious sin?
4. Love earnestly (not casually): Where do you see “casual love” show up in church life—polite, friendly, but not sacrificial? What would “earnest” love look like instead, this week?
5. Love from a pure heart: When is it hardest to love without mixed motives? What “impure” motives tend to sneak in (approval, control, bitterness, pride, comparison)?
6. Peter ties love to truth and the Word. How does being “Word-fed” together (Scripture, prayer, worship) change our relational tone—patience, gentleness, forgiveness?
7. Prayerfully Consider: Based on 1 Peter 1:22, complete each of these one- sentence prayers: “Lord, give me earnest love by _______________________________.” “Lord, purify my heart where ____________________________.“Lord, help me keep loving even when ______________________________.”