Sunday, January 28, 2007
Do You Love God?
(Do You Love Your Brother?)
I. Who Is My Brother?
Let’s begin with a question that some of you have been asking: How are we to understand the word "brethren" (brothers) in I John? We find this term 14 times in this little letter. Does John use the word to refer to Christian brothers and sisters, to those who share the life of Christ? Or does he intend us to understand "brother" as referring to all of our fellow-men? When we say that love for the brothers is a test of life, revealing whether or not we have the life of God within us, what do we mean by the word "brother"?
Actually, of those 14 uses of the word "brother," two speak of a literal brother. We find this in 3:12, where John speaks of Cain killing his brother, because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s deeds were righteous. Then two more occurrences of the term "brother" are used by John to address his readers. And that raises a question. In 2:7 and 3:13, where John addresses his readers as "brethren," to whom is he speaking? 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…" It seems quite clear that John is writing to Christians, to believers, to those who at least profess to have the life of Christ. He is not writing for a general audience, but he is writing to the family of God. So when he uses "brother" in 2:7 and 3:12, the term must refer to Christians, and not to his fellow-man in general. Therefore, if we are to take the other occurrences of the term "brother" as referring to our fellow-man rather than to Christian brothers and sisters, we must have some compelling reason for doing so. Are you with me?
In addition to these references to love for the brethren, five times in this letter John speaks of loving one another…
3:11… For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
3:23… And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
4:7… Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
4:11-12… Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
So to whom does this phrase "one another" apply? Is it a reference to our fellow-man, or to fellow-Christians?
I found that the terms "brother" and "brethren" are used 327 times in the New Testament. Of course, a number of those references are to physical, blood brothers, but most speak of some kind of kinship beyond the physical.
1. Jesus’ Use of "Brother"
First of all, let’s consider the way our Lord Jesus used the term "brother." You can find most of the references in the Gospel of Matthew. There are only a handful that are not recorded by Matthew. We won’t look at all of them, but as some representative examples…
Mat 5:21-24… Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24. Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Mat 7:3-5… And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Now in these passages, it would seem fitting that "brother" could refer to any human being, regardless of his or her spiritual condition. But now let’s look at some others…
Mat 18:15-17… Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.
Here Jesus seems to be speaking of a different situation. This "brother" has a special relationship with those in the church, in the assembly. "Brother" is set over against "a heathen man and a publican." Nevertheless go down just a few verses to Matt. 18:21, "Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how oft shall my bother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?" We are not told who Peter had in mind by "brother." At this time, I’m not sure he understood the kind of relationship Jesus was speaking of in verses 15-17. And then at the end of the chapter, as the conclusion to His parable, Jesus said, "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses" (18:35). It is difficult to see how Jesus would be restricting this to only fellow-Christians. But the truth is – we are not given much to work with, when it comes to deciding.
Now come to Matt. 12:46-50…
While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49. And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Here Jesus gives us a very pointed statement concerning the identity of our spiritual family. Jesus boldly said that everyone who does the will the Father in heaven is His brother, sister, and mother (a part of His family). This phrase "do the will of my Father which is in heaven" is used by Jesus in Matt. 7:21, where He says that the person who does the will of His Father is the one who will enter into the Kingdom. It is quite clear that here in Matt. 12 Jesus uses the term "brother" to refer to what we would term a Christian.
We find the same thing in Matt. 23, where Jesus tells His followers not to follow the example of the scribes and Pharisees, who wear special clothing, love the uppermost rooms at the feasts, and love special greetings. Jesus said that they did all those things in gain the applause of other men. Now listen to what Jesus says in 23:8, "But be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." While verse 1 tells us that He was speaking to the multitude and to His disciples, it seems quite clear that He is designating His disciples with these words.
So we can see that Jesus certainly gave "brother" a very restricted meaning at times. However, at other times we can’t be so sure that it doesn’t mean "fellow-man."
2. Acts and the Epistles
In the book of Acts the term "brother" speaks of some kind of spiritual kinship. However, it is not always used of Christians; sometimes it designates Jewish brethren. We see the classic example of this in Rom. 9:3, "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:" Paul obviously did not consider his kinsmen according to the flesh to be his brothers in Christ, but he did have a special relationship with them, and he used the term "brethren" to designate that relationship.
For the most part, the term "brother" is used by the writers of the New Testament epistles to speak of a brother in Christ. We can find dozens, if not hundreds, of such references. Take the letter to the Philippians for an example…
Phil 1:12 "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel
Phil 1:14 "And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear
Phil 2:25 "Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants
Phil 3:1 "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe
Phil 3:13 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before
Phil 3:17 "Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample
Phil 4:1 "Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved
Phil 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things
Phil 4:21 "Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you.
Clearly, Paul is speaking of his Christian brothers and sisters, when he uses the terms "brethren" and "brother."
3. John’s Use of "Brother"
So what about John? It is interesting that in the Gospel of John, while "brother" is used a few times to refer to a literal, physical brother, it is used only twice in a spiritual sense…
John 20:17… Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
John 21:23… Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee.
In both of these occurrences, it seems quite clear that Jesus is talking about His own followers, those who are trusting and clinging to Him. This, of course, is after the crucifixion. The ranks had been thinned down, but there was a group of followers who remained true to Jesus, despite all the confusion.
And then come to III John, where we find the term used three times. First, let’s read 2-5…
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. 4. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 5. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
Clearly, the brothers are those who share the life of Christ. And then in verse 10, "Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church." Notice that Diotrophes is guilty of casting the brethren out of the church (see also the context of II John 9-10).
And what other book did John write? Yes, the book of Revelation. Let’s look at its occurrences there…
1:9… I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ
6:11… And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled
12:10… And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night
19:10… And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy
22:9… Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
Nothing could be clearer than the fact that the term "brother" is not used here to speak of one’s fellow-man, but of the brother in Christ. In that last reference, the application is a bit wider, including the Old Testament prophets as well (all a part of God’s kingdom).
And that brings us back to I John. The term "brother"appears in the following places…
2:7… Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. [those whom John is addressing; surely fellow-Chrstians, as seen in 5:13]
2:9-11… He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. [this is what we are trying to determine]
3:10… In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. [still trying to determine]
3:12-17… Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. 13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him.. [not specified, but in verse 13, it is again "brothers" that are addressed]
4:20-21… If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
5:16… If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
In all of these passages, the key is that John uses this term to identify the audience he is addressing, and that audience consists of fellow-believers, of those that have believed on the name of the Son of God (5:13).
So we must conclude that "brother" in I John is speaking of believers, those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ. However, this does not mean that we are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ only. There can be no doubt that Jesus said we are to love our neighbor and that He further defined our neighbor as the one who is in need, as we will see. Nevertheless, in this letter, John speaks specifically of brothers and sisters in Christ.
II. Now… Back to the Command to Love
1. The Greatest Commandment Plus…
Last week we read that great foundational passage from Deuteronomy 6. Let’s read it again this morning, Deut. 6:4-5… "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." There it is. God commands us to love Him with everything we have and everything we are. There is no command more basic and foundational than this one – Love God, the One and true God, and love Him with all your heart, soul, and strength. Our Lord Jesus confirmed that this is indeed the command upon which all other commands rest. Let’s read it in Matt. 22:34-37…
But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36. Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Did you hear that? When asked which was the greatest command of all, Jesus clearly said that the greatest command is this: Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind (mind/strength). So we find that the Old and New Testaments agree totally on what is the greatest command for all mankind. The living Lord has declared it. Surely that is good enough for us.
So now let me ask us the inevitable question: "Do you love God?" That is not a trick question. It is simple and direct. Simply, "Do you love God?" Having asked that question, let me ask a second question that must be considered in answering the first. "How do you know if you love God?" Or, if you say that you do love God, "How do you know?" Of course, you might say, "God knows my heart, and He knows that I love Him." It is very difficult to argue with that kind of thinking. However, did God Himself leave us some direction in determining whether or not we love Him?
Go back to Jesus and the Pharisee lawyer who asked Him the question: "What is the greatest commandment"? When we read these verses from Matthew 22, many of you noticed immediately that I quit reading in the middle of the passage. While Jesus did indeed tell us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all that we have and all that we are, He said more. He declared what was the greatest commandment, but He didn’t stop there. Let’s read His complete answer in Mt. 22:37-40…
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38. This is the first and great commandment. 39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Jesus added to the commandment to love God a second which is like it, "Love your neighbor as yourself." This is one of the most well-known sayings of Jesus. Unfortunately, it is also one of the least understood.
2. Why a Second Commandment?
Here is the question we must ask ourselves: "Why did Jesus add this second commandment, when the lawyer asked only for the greatest?" The lawyer expected Jesus to give one commandment, but Jesus quickly added a second. Notice that He said the second commandment was like the first. In addition, He said that all the law and the prophets (that is, all of scripture) hang on those two commandments. In other words, these two commandments are the basis for the entire Bible, for all the other commands of scripture. Jesus didn’t say all the other commands are based on just the greatest command, that command to love God, but upon these two commands – the commands to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself.
So why did Jesus add the second commandment? When you think about it for a while, it seems rather obvious. Jesus knew the deceptive nature of the heart. How easy it is for any one of us to say, "Yes, I love God." Who is going to say, "No, you do not love God"? After all, it’s a personal matter. No one else can see inside my heart. As a matter of fact, at times I don’t see my own heart very well. I can even fool myself into believing that I love God. Surely there must be some test which will help me determine whether I truly love God, or whether I am just kidding myself. Is not the second commandment the test? If I love God, I will love my neighbor as myself? You may say, "Jesus didn’t say that." Not in so many words, but is that not what He is saying?
It is interesting that the command to love our neighbor is mentioned three times after Jesus gave the command…
Rom 13:9-10 "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law
Gal 5:14 "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself
James 2:8 "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.
But the command to love God is not mentioned at all in the rest of the New Testament (beyond the Gospels and the words of Jesus). Isn’t that amazing. If this is the foundational command, then why doesn’t Peter, James, John, or Paul reinforce it again and again? Furthermore, we just read that both Paul and James affirm that to love one’s neighbor is the fulfillment of the whole law. How can that be? Jesus said this was the second command, but not the greatest command. The greatest command is to love God. Did Paul and James miss something somewhere?
Think about it. Both Paul and James understood that no one can love his neighbor unless he firsts loves God. But what about the person who loves the people around him, but who does not love God? There is no such person. You may try to parade a dozen such people in front of me, but I am telling you on the basis of God’s Word that it is impossible to love your neighbor and not love God.
Why is this? Let’s read Rom. 5:3-5…
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4. And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Did you catch that? To the believers in Rome, Paul says that God has shed abroad His love in their hearts. Unless God puts His love in our hearts, it is impossible for us to love God. Remember that strong passage we read from Rom. 3:10-18, where Paul says that no one seeks God, that no one is good, that there is none righteous? Until God makes us alive by His Spirit, even our best deeds are like filthy rags. No man outside of Christ loves God or his neighbor. God’s love is foreign to the unregenerate man. Remember, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (I John 4:10).
So I strongly suggest to you that in giving the second commandment Jesus was sharing with us a way to test our love for God. That is not to say that the only reason we love our neighbor is to test our love for God. Nevertheless, we desperately need this test, because this world (including the professing church) is full of people who have fooled themselves into believing that they love God. And let us not kid ourselves – some of us could be among them.
3. John’s Command to Love the Brother
So now let’s come to I John. Much of I John is simply an extension of Jesus’ command to love God and our neighbor. The test that Jesus laid down in Matthew 22 is expanded and explained more fully by this little letter. Keep in mind what we have said about Jesus’ teaching. The implications are twofold…
1. No one can love his neighbor unless he loves God. (Remember the order of the commandments)
2. The one who does not love his neighbor does not love God.
First of all, let’s find that first truth in I John. Does John teach us that no one can love his neighbor unless he loves God? Remember, no one can love with God’s love unless God Himself has shed abroad that love in His heart by the Holy Spirit which He has given. Now listen to I John 3:14, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." In other words, our love for others (specifically for the brothers) is proof that God has put His love in us by His Spirit. To pass from death unto life, is to have received life by the quickening of God’s Spirit. The love for the brethren is concrete evidence that we have received this new life from God.
But the primary burden of I John is to emphasize that second truth – that the one who does not love his neighbor does not love God. Let’s take a few moments this morning to look at the first passage in this letter where John really begins to deal with this issue. Let’s read I John 2:7-11…
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 8. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
So what is this commandment, which is both old and new? There is no question in my mind that John is speaking of what Jesus Himself referred to as a new commandment. John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." We talked about it a bit two weeks ago.
So how is it an old commandment? First of all, it is old because it is based in the Old Testament scriptures, specifically Lev. 19:18, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." John says the old commandment is the word which he have heard from the beginning. Perhaps he is referring to the fact that most of them had heard that commandment from the time they were kids. Or, maybe he has in mind the fact that they had heard it from the beginning of their association with Jesus. Either way, we can see that it is an old commandment.
But then John turns around and says that it is a new commandment. It is new in that Jesus gave it new depth and clarity by saying, "Love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." As Jesus demonstrated how He loved them, it became much more difficult for them to kid themselves about what it meant to love one another. Is this not what John had in mind when he gave his reason for referring to it as a new commandment – "because the darkness is now past, and the true light now shineth"? When Jesus so defined His commandment to love one another, the darkness, the confusion, that shrouded the meaning of love was taken away and the true light began to shine. Jesus shone His light on this commandment to love one another.
With that introduction, John then comes to his main point. Verse 9, "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now." In other words, if you say that you have fellowship with God and hate your brother, you don’t know what you’re talking about. You are in darkness. This truth is reinforced in I John a number of times. Let’s read it…
2:11… But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes
3:10… In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
3:14b15… He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
3:17… But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him.
4:8… He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
4:20… If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen.
Let’s think it through again. How easy it is to say, "I love God," but where’s the proof? Where is the evidence that my words are true? The evidence is in my love for the brethren. On the negative side, if I don’t love the brethren, then I don’t love God, no matter how loudly I may protest and insist that I do love God. On the positive side, when I love the brethren, I prove that I do indeed love God. Let’s look at that positive side…
2:10… He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
3:14a… We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.
4:7… Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
4:12… No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
4:16… And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
John leaves no question about it – love for the brethren is evidence that a person loves God. Lack of love for the brethren is proof that a person does not love God, regardless of what he says with his lips.
Conclusion
So our Lord Jesus gave us the command "Love your neighbor as yourself" as a way of testing the genuineness of our claim to love God. With that background, John takes that test and applies it specifically to love for fellow-Christians. John’s teaching does not change the teaching of Jesus in any way. If we were to break down the concept of neighbor, we could divide into the two kinds of people there are on earth – Christians and non-Christians. John emphasizes that this love will first be seen in love for our fellow-Christians. Why is that? Because those are the people to whom we are closest. They are the ones with whom we share the most. Therefore this is where our love for God will be tested first and most completely.
By the way, perhaps some of you are thinking: "Well, that isn’t true in my life. Christians are not the people to whom I am closest." If not, you have every reason to question your relationship with God. With the possible exception of marriage, how can any human relationship approach the closeness of the brother/sisters relationships in Christ? How could we ever share anything greater than the life of Jesus Christ? If you find yourself closer to non-believers than to believers, fall on your knees and ask God to search your heart.
Back to John’s emphasis on loving the brothers… When a child is born, he has to learn how to relate to other people in this world. That process begins within his own family. And so it is with the person who is born into the Kingdom of God. His or her relationships with people in the world begin with his own family, his brothers and sisters in Christ. Surely this is why John focuses on this brother to brother (and sister to sister) relationships.
So bearing in mind that our love or hatred for our brothers and sisters in the family of God is a test of knowing God, I ask you, "Do you love your brother?" May we hear the Lord asking us that question this week. The answer is very important, for if you don’t love your brother, then you don’t love God.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
God Is Love -- 1/21/07 (Eternal Realities)
Sunday, January 21, 2007
GOD IS LOVE
I John 4:7-10,14-16,19
What do you think of this statement: "God is love"? Is it true or false? You say it is true. Is it specifically stated in the scripture that God is love? How many times? The precise statement "God is love" is found twice in the Bible. Do you know where? If you have been reading I John, you will know. We will find it, as we begin reading in I John 4:7. Let’s read 4:7-10,14-16,19…
7. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins…. 14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him…. 19. We love him, because he first loved us.
So God’s Word does indeed tell us that God is love. But that leaves us with a question: What does it mean? Yes, God is love, but what does that mean? While the statement seems very simple and direct, I assure you that the vast majority of people in our society have very little understanding of what it means. Rather, this is one of the most twisted truths in all of the Bible.
Let me just give you a couple of examples from my recent experience. A few months ago a young man about 20 years old came to the Sunday morning service. That morning the title of the message was "Our God, a Consuming Fire." Later we talked about it. He commented that what he heard was very different from what he was used to. He said, "I thought God was always there for me. But what you said this morning was kind of scary." I assured him he did have good reason to fear. That young man would have said "Amen" to "God is love," but he had no concept of what that means.
Not long ago I received a card from a man whom I have visited with over the phone a time or two. It was a thank-you note, but he also included a couple of these little cards. It reads…
If you have a friend, a loved one, or even a complete stranger that is
having difficult times, tell them:
"Even in dark times,
God’s love and light will shine through"
Then turn this card over and give it to them to look at what God has created.
Then when you turn the card over, you see the sun’s rays coming through the clouds, with these accompanying words, "God is truly always with you, just as this light shines thru the darkness…" Then he encloses a poem that he wrote 14 years ago, but one which he passes out freely. It reads…
My life is a special journey,
Between my God and me,
I choose not always the path he sets before me,
Those of joy, pain and sometimes sorrow.
Not until the last songbird sings its last song,
And the doves of peace cease to fly,
Will God pull down the curtain before heaven,
And explain the reasons why.
Until that day arrives,
I will be one with Him,
For in Him…
I have found my light, my peace, his love within,
And without that, I would certainly be no more.
Now lest you interpret this in the light of Jesus Christ and what He has done, I must tell you that this man professes to be a Buddhist. You see, the "god" he is talking about doesn’t care whether you are a Buddhist, a Christian, or an atheist. After all, "God is love." This man and most in our society see God like some kind of heavenly Santa Claus. Regardless of what the Bible may say, God exists to make life nice and comfortable for us.
This morning we need to make sure we understand the meaning of "God is love." We need to be reminded of the depth of that love. Before we can begin to understand what it means to love God and love others, we must come to grips with "God is love." There is only one place to find the meaning of that truth, and that is in the Bible, which is God’s written revelation of Himself.
We don’t have to go far. Verse 8 ends with the words, "God is love." Now let’s read again verse 9, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." Again, most everyone would say "Amen" to that statement. Yes, God sent Jesus into the world so that we might live through Him. Add to that verse 14, "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." Praise God!
But we can’t stop reading there. While it is certainly true that the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world, that we might live through Him, that does not tell us HOW God made Him the Savior or how His coming will bring us life. To say that God sent Jesus to give us life is only a partial gospel. To say only that God sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world is to assume way too much. We don’t have to assume; we have only to read verse 10, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
I. No Natural Man Loves God
Did you hear that? "Herein is love, not that we loved God…" Do you get the idea? If we want to define this love, this agape love (which word is used 46 times in this letter), we must not begin with man. John does not mean to say, "Man loves God, and God loves man, but the starting point is the truth that God loves man." No, that isn’t it. From the context of scripture, he must mean something more like this: "When we want to divine agape love, we can’t start with man, because man has none of this love for God. To begin with man would mean the distortion of God’s love."
This is where we run into the trouble with language. Love is a very popular concept in our society, and that is an understatement. Our society is in love with love. But you know the problem as well as I. We use the same word when we say, "I love peanut butter" as when we say, "I love my wife," or even, "I love God." We must understand that John is talking about a love that goes far beyond anything this world knows. That is why it wouldn’t be a bad idea to reserve a completely unique word for this kind of love.
Last week we read that foundational command of God, found way back in Dt. 6:5, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." That command is repeated a number of times in Deuteronomy and a couple more in Joshua. But the truth is that natural man finds that he does not love God. Though the word "love" is not used in passages such as Rom. 3:10-18, the message makes it clear that man does not love God. Rom. 3:10-18…
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15. Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16. Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17. And the way of peace have they not known: 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Rom. 5:10 indicates that before we were reconciled to God through Christ, we were the enemies of God.
Here is the point – this love can never be defined by starting with man, for man in himself does not love God. A man or woman may have a certain sentimental disposition toward God; he or she may speak kindly of God; but no human being in his own self loves God with this agape love.
II. God Demonstrated This Love By Sending His Son to Be the Propitiation for Our Sins
So in defining this love, we must not start with man, but with God. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He…" Don’t start with man, but start with God. Man doesn’t love God, but God…
Go back again to I Jn. 4:9, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." This verse is very similar to that verse we know so well, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That is a wonderful verse, but it has been taken and twisted to fit man’s own desires. In our deceived religious culture in America, we need to stop quoting John 3:16 and start quoting I John 4:10.
Why do I say that? Because many (if not most) of the people who quote John 3:16 don’t realize how its message is taken by our religious society. God sent His Son into the world so that we can have eternal life. All we have to do is say we believe in Jesus, and we will go to heaven. That’s a half truth, at best. Many of the people who are "believing" in Jesus are believing in a Savior of their own making. The only Jesus that can save and give eternal life is the One whom God sent to be the propitiation for our sins.
And why do people in our religious society have little or no understanding of the concept of propitiation? Surely it is because that is a big word. No, that isn’t it. Then it’s because it is complicated and hard to understand. No, that isn’t it either. Listen to me. It is because we pay attention to what we want to pay attention to, and we prefer light little sayings that tend to make us feel better. I’m speaking to me too. This is the way we have become. We may spend hours trying to master some new computer program, but how much time do we spend meditating on the cross? Where is the man who will say with Paul, "But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world"?
III. What Is Propitiation?
First of all, let’s read the passages where the term "propitiation" is found…
Rom. 3:24-25… "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
1 John 2:2… "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
1 John 4:10… "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
In addition, the same Greek word is used one other time in the New Testament, Heb 9:5, "And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly." In this verse, the basic word that is translated "propitiation" in Rom. 3:25 is translated "mercy seat" here. Keep that in mind, as we will mention it later.
Let me give you some basic definitions of "propitiation." These descriptions are about the same, but perhaps the variety will help us to grasp the truth…
…Propitiation means to satisfy the demands for justice.
…The word "propitiation" used in the New Testament means "to turn away the righteous anger of God we deserved by an offering of sufficient value."
…Another description is "the offering of a sacrifice or gift of suitable cost in order to pacify the wrath of God. The offering or sacrifice here referred to is the death of Jesus Christ."
In order to understand this concept, there are a few truths that must become a reality in our thinking. Basically, they are these…
1.God is absolutely holy and righteous and cannot tolerate sin in His presence. Ps. 15; Ps. 24:3-5.
2. Man is a sinner from birth. Even his most righteous deeds are like filthy rags. Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12;
Is. 64:6.
3. Because God is holy and man is sinner, God’s wrath abides on man. Rom. 1:18; Jn. 3:36;
Rom. 2:6-11; Eph. 5:6; Rev. 6:14-17.
4. Unless something is done about this situation, man will be forever separated from God in hell.
This is the final result of God’s wrath. Mt. 7:21-23; Rev. 20:14-15; Matt. 10:28.
So we see that natural man has a great problem. He is under the wrath of God. If a person should die in that condition, he has no hope, for "it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). So what can a person do? Can he go out and buy "anti-wrath" insurance? No such insurance exists. Can he work very hard until God will accept him? No, for we read in Ps. 130:3, "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" No one shall stand. So what can man do?
The truth is simply this – there is absolutely nothing man can do. The natural state of man is death, as described in Ehp. 2:1, where it is stated that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. What can a dead man do for himself? Absolutely nothing.
Praise God that something was done! It was God Himself who sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Jesus came into this world deal with the hopeless situation of man. He was that valuable price which was paid on behalf of our sins. 1 Pet. 1:18-19, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
Come back to Rom 3:24-25, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." Notice those words "to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." It was the death of Christ on the cross that turned away the wrath of God from sinners like us. It was there that Jesus paid the price for our sins. He satisfied the justice of God by taking our place at the cross.
Make no mistake about it, justice demanded that we be punished for our sins. Yes, justice demanded that we be separated from God for all eternity. Man chose to forsake God, so let Him be cast out the multitude of His transgressions (Ps. 5:10). But it was Jesus who went to the cross.
Think about that cross. What was it that happened there? Yes, the Son of God was crucified. The nails were driven into His hands and feet. Yes, they put a crown on His head and a robe upon Him, and there they mocked Him and ridiculed Him without mercy. The pain of crucifixion almost defies explanation.
But listen to me, that wasn’t what the cross was about. The agony of the cross was described by Jesus Himself, when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me" (Matt. 26:39). What was this cup? It wasn’t the pain inflicted by the nails; it wasn’t the agony of trying to get enough breath to sustain life; it wasn’t the humiliation heaped upon Him by those who mocked. All of those things put together do not explain the cup that Jesus dreaded drinking. So what was the cup? The cup Jesus dreaded was none other than the wrath of God. Jesus became the object of the Father’s wrath.
The truth of that doesn’t come home to us until we meditate on the identity of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was not just a man, but He was God in the flesh. "In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1-2). Jesus had been with the Father for all eternity. They had never been separated even for a brief moment. And even when the living Word came into this world as the lowly Jesus, He still had perfect fellowship with His Father. He confessed that the Father always answered His prayers (Jn. 11:42). With absolute integrity, He could say that He always did those things that pleased His Father (Jn. 8:29). What peace was His, as He quietly said that He and His Father were one (Jn. 10:30). But what agony Jesus experienced when He cried out from the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" This was the cup that He did indeed drink, and it was bitter indeed!
And who was it that put Jesus on that cross? Ultimately, it was God the Father Himself who sent Jesus to the cross. Isn’t that what we read right here in I Jn. 4:10, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Is this not the clear message the Lord gave us through the prophet Isaiah in Isa 53:10, "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand." It pleased the Lord (God the Father) to crush His Son on that cross. This, my friends, is love.
Jesus’ death satisfied the justice of God. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, and it cost Him dearly. Is it any wonder that Paul said, "For I determined not to know anything among you save (except) Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (I Cor. 2:2), and that He also said, "But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…" (Gal. 6:14). We sang it in those simple words..
He paid a debt He did not owe;
I owed a debt I could not pay.
I needed someone to wash my sins away.
And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace.
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.
Now consider that other verse, Heb. 9:5, where the word else where translated "propitiation" in the New Testament is here rendered with the term "mercy seat." "And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly." How beautiful it is that propitiation is linked to the mercy seat. Do you remember what the mercy seat was? It was the covering for the ark of the covenant, that box which was placed in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies and applied the blood of a spotless lamb to the mercy seat. He had to take blood for his own sins and for the sins of the people. And remember, he had to do it again the next year, and then the next year, and so on. The sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat is a beautiful picture of propitiation. The applying of the blood turned away the wrath of God, which rested on them because of their sin.
And what did the mercy seat look like? What were the features of this covering for the ark? Many of you will remember that there were two cherubim above the mercy seat. They were actually a part of the mercy seat. (Show the model). These cherubim guarded the presence of God. Rmember also that God chose to set His presence in the tabernacle (and later in the temple). And within the tabernacle, His presence was especially in the Holy of Holies. And in the Holy of Holies, God’s presence was particularly upon the mercy seat. So there we have the picture of propitation – God’s wrath being turned away when the blood was presented in His presence.
Praise God for the reality, which is in Christ. Let’s read about that reality in Heb. 9:1-14,24-26…
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 2. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4. Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5. And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 6. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: 8. The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9. Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10. Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 11. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God… [24] For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25. Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Yes, Jesus is the propitiation for sins. Every person who enters this world is under the wrath of God. But praise God that Jesus offered Himself as the propitiation, that God’s wrath might be turned away from us. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God. He experienced the wrath of God on the cross, that we might not have to pay for our own sins by eternal death in hell. Praise His holy name!
Conclusion
Yes, God is love, but I suggest to you this morning that it is absolutely impossible to have any understanding of that truth unless we get a grasp on the corresponding truth that God sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." This is God’s love, and it is the only love that will have any eternal significance.
Let’s close by singing "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." Pay attention to the words of this song.
Prayer
GOD IS LOVE
I John 4:7-10,14-16,19
What do you think of this statement: "God is love"? Is it true or false? You say it is true. Is it specifically stated in the scripture that God is love? How many times? The precise statement "God is love" is found twice in the Bible. Do you know where? If you have been reading I John, you will know. We will find it, as we begin reading in I John 4:7. Let’s read 4:7-10,14-16,19…
7. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins…. 14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him…. 19. We love him, because he first loved us.
So God’s Word does indeed tell us that God is love. But that leaves us with a question: What does it mean? Yes, God is love, but what does that mean? While the statement seems very simple and direct, I assure you that the vast majority of people in our society have very little understanding of what it means. Rather, this is one of the most twisted truths in all of the Bible.
Let me just give you a couple of examples from my recent experience. A few months ago a young man about 20 years old came to the Sunday morning service. That morning the title of the message was "Our God, a Consuming Fire." Later we talked about it. He commented that what he heard was very different from what he was used to. He said, "I thought God was always there for me. But what you said this morning was kind of scary." I assured him he did have good reason to fear. That young man would have said "Amen" to "God is love," but he had no concept of what that means.
Not long ago I received a card from a man whom I have visited with over the phone a time or two. It was a thank-you note, but he also included a couple of these little cards. It reads…
If you have a friend, a loved one, or even a complete stranger that is
having difficult times, tell them:
"Even in dark times,
God’s love and light will shine through"
Then turn this card over and give it to them to look at what God has created.
Then when you turn the card over, you see the sun’s rays coming through the clouds, with these accompanying words, "God is truly always with you, just as this light shines thru the darkness…" Then he encloses a poem that he wrote 14 years ago, but one which he passes out freely. It reads…
My life is a special journey,
Between my God and me,
I choose not always the path he sets before me,
Those of joy, pain and sometimes sorrow.
Not until the last songbird sings its last song,
And the doves of peace cease to fly,
Will God pull down the curtain before heaven,
And explain the reasons why.
Until that day arrives,
I will be one with Him,
For in Him…
I have found my light, my peace, his love within,
And without that, I would certainly be no more.
Now lest you interpret this in the light of Jesus Christ and what He has done, I must tell you that this man professes to be a Buddhist. You see, the "god" he is talking about doesn’t care whether you are a Buddhist, a Christian, or an atheist. After all, "God is love." This man and most in our society see God like some kind of heavenly Santa Claus. Regardless of what the Bible may say, God exists to make life nice and comfortable for us.
This morning we need to make sure we understand the meaning of "God is love." We need to be reminded of the depth of that love. Before we can begin to understand what it means to love God and love others, we must come to grips with "God is love." There is only one place to find the meaning of that truth, and that is in the Bible, which is God’s written revelation of Himself.
We don’t have to go far. Verse 8 ends with the words, "God is love." Now let’s read again verse 9, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." Again, most everyone would say "Amen" to that statement. Yes, God sent Jesus into the world so that we might live through Him. Add to that verse 14, "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." Praise God!
But we can’t stop reading there. While it is certainly true that the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world, that we might live through Him, that does not tell us HOW God made Him the Savior or how His coming will bring us life. To say that God sent Jesus to give us life is only a partial gospel. To say only that God sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world is to assume way too much. We don’t have to assume; we have only to read verse 10, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
I. No Natural Man Loves God
Did you hear that? "Herein is love, not that we loved God…" Do you get the idea? If we want to define this love, this agape love (which word is used 46 times in this letter), we must not begin with man. John does not mean to say, "Man loves God, and God loves man, but the starting point is the truth that God loves man." No, that isn’t it. From the context of scripture, he must mean something more like this: "When we want to divine agape love, we can’t start with man, because man has none of this love for God. To begin with man would mean the distortion of God’s love."
This is where we run into the trouble with language. Love is a very popular concept in our society, and that is an understatement. Our society is in love with love. But you know the problem as well as I. We use the same word when we say, "I love peanut butter" as when we say, "I love my wife," or even, "I love God." We must understand that John is talking about a love that goes far beyond anything this world knows. That is why it wouldn’t be a bad idea to reserve a completely unique word for this kind of love.
Last week we read that foundational command of God, found way back in Dt. 6:5, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." That command is repeated a number of times in Deuteronomy and a couple more in Joshua. But the truth is that natural man finds that he does not love God. Though the word "love" is not used in passages such as Rom. 3:10-18, the message makes it clear that man does not love God. Rom. 3:10-18…
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15. Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16. Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17. And the way of peace have they not known: 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Rom. 5:10 indicates that before we were reconciled to God through Christ, we were the enemies of God.
Here is the point – this love can never be defined by starting with man, for man in himself does not love God. A man or woman may have a certain sentimental disposition toward God; he or she may speak kindly of God; but no human being in his own self loves God with this agape love.
II. God Demonstrated This Love By Sending His Son to Be the Propitiation for Our Sins
So in defining this love, we must not start with man, but with God. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He…" Don’t start with man, but start with God. Man doesn’t love God, but God…
Go back again to I Jn. 4:9, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." This verse is very similar to that verse we know so well, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That is a wonderful verse, but it has been taken and twisted to fit man’s own desires. In our deceived religious culture in America, we need to stop quoting John 3:16 and start quoting I John 4:10.
Why do I say that? Because many (if not most) of the people who quote John 3:16 don’t realize how its message is taken by our religious society. God sent His Son into the world so that we can have eternal life. All we have to do is say we believe in Jesus, and we will go to heaven. That’s a half truth, at best. Many of the people who are "believing" in Jesus are believing in a Savior of their own making. The only Jesus that can save and give eternal life is the One whom God sent to be the propitiation for our sins.
And why do people in our religious society have little or no understanding of the concept of propitiation? Surely it is because that is a big word. No, that isn’t it. Then it’s because it is complicated and hard to understand. No, that isn’t it either. Listen to me. It is because we pay attention to what we want to pay attention to, and we prefer light little sayings that tend to make us feel better. I’m speaking to me too. This is the way we have become. We may spend hours trying to master some new computer program, but how much time do we spend meditating on the cross? Where is the man who will say with Paul, "But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world"?
III. What Is Propitiation?
First of all, let’s read the passages where the term "propitiation" is found…
Rom. 3:24-25… "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
1 John 2:2… "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
1 John 4:10… "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
In addition, the same Greek word is used one other time in the New Testament, Heb 9:5, "And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly." In this verse, the basic word that is translated "propitiation" in Rom. 3:25 is translated "mercy seat" here. Keep that in mind, as we will mention it later.
Let me give you some basic definitions of "propitiation." These descriptions are about the same, but perhaps the variety will help us to grasp the truth…
…Propitiation means to satisfy the demands for justice.
…The word "propitiation" used in the New Testament means "to turn away the righteous anger of God we deserved by an offering of sufficient value."
…Another description is "the offering of a sacrifice or gift of suitable cost in order to pacify the wrath of God. The offering or sacrifice here referred to is the death of Jesus Christ."
In order to understand this concept, there are a few truths that must become a reality in our thinking. Basically, they are these…
1.God is absolutely holy and righteous and cannot tolerate sin in His presence. Ps. 15; Ps. 24:3-5.
2. Man is a sinner from birth. Even his most righteous deeds are like filthy rags. Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12;
Is. 64:6.
3. Because God is holy and man is sinner, God’s wrath abides on man. Rom. 1:18; Jn. 3:36;
Rom. 2:6-11; Eph. 5:6; Rev. 6:14-17.
4. Unless something is done about this situation, man will be forever separated from God in hell.
This is the final result of God’s wrath. Mt. 7:21-23; Rev. 20:14-15; Matt. 10:28.
So we see that natural man has a great problem. He is under the wrath of God. If a person should die in that condition, he has no hope, for "it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). So what can a person do? Can he go out and buy "anti-wrath" insurance? No such insurance exists. Can he work very hard until God will accept him? No, for we read in Ps. 130:3, "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" No one shall stand. So what can man do?
The truth is simply this – there is absolutely nothing man can do. The natural state of man is death, as described in Ehp. 2:1, where it is stated that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. What can a dead man do for himself? Absolutely nothing.
Praise God that something was done! It was God Himself who sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Jesus came into this world deal with the hopeless situation of man. He was that valuable price which was paid on behalf of our sins. 1 Pet. 1:18-19, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
Come back to Rom 3:24-25, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." Notice those words "to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." It was the death of Christ on the cross that turned away the wrath of God from sinners like us. It was there that Jesus paid the price for our sins. He satisfied the justice of God by taking our place at the cross.
Make no mistake about it, justice demanded that we be punished for our sins. Yes, justice demanded that we be separated from God for all eternity. Man chose to forsake God, so let Him be cast out the multitude of His transgressions (Ps. 5:10). But it was Jesus who went to the cross.
Think about that cross. What was it that happened there? Yes, the Son of God was crucified. The nails were driven into His hands and feet. Yes, they put a crown on His head and a robe upon Him, and there they mocked Him and ridiculed Him without mercy. The pain of crucifixion almost defies explanation.
But listen to me, that wasn’t what the cross was about. The agony of the cross was described by Jesus Himself, when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me" (Matt. 26:39). What was this cup? It wasn’t the pain inflicted by the nails; it wasn’t the agony of trying to get enough breath to sustain life; it wasn’t the humiliation heaped upon Him by those who mocked. All of those things put together do not explain the cup that Jesus dreaded drinking. So what was the cup? The cup Jesus dreaded was none other than the wrath of God. Jesus became the object of the Father’s wrath.
The truth of that doesn’t come home to us until we meditate on the identity of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was not just a man, but He was God in the flesh. "In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1-2). Jesus had been with the Father for all eternity. They had never been separated even for a brief moment. And even when the living Word came into this world as the lowly Jesus, He still had perfect fellowship with His Father. He confessed that the Father always answered His prayers (Jn. 11:42). With absolute integrity, He could say that He always did those things that pleased His Father (Jn. 8:29). What peace was His, as He quietly said that He and His Father were one (Jn. 10:30). But what agony Jesus experienced when He cried out from the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" This was the cup that He did indeed drink, and it was bitter indeed!
And who was it that put Jesus on that cross? Ultimately, it was God the Father Himself who sent Jesus to the cross. Isn’t that what we read right here in I Jn. 4:10, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Is this not the clear message the Lord gave us through the prophet Isaiah in Isa 53:10, "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand." It pleased the Lord (God the Father) to crush His Son on that cross. This, my friends, is love.
Jesus’ death satisfied the justice of God. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, and it cost Him dearly. Is it any wonder that Paul said, "For I determined not to know anything among you save (except) Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (I Cor. 2:2), and that He also said, "But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…" (Gal. 6:14). We sang it in those simple words..
He paid a debt He did not owe;
I owed a debt I could not pay.
I needed someone to wash my sins away.
And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace.
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.
Now consider that other verse, Heb. 9:5, where the word else where translated "propitiation" in the New Testament is here rendered with the term "mercy seat." "And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly." How beautiful it is that propitiation is linked to the mercy seat. Do you remember what the mercy seat was? It was the covering for the ark of the covenant, that box which was placed in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies and applied the blood of a spotless lamb to the mercy seat. He had to take blood for his own sins and for the sins of the people. And remember, he had to do it again the next year, and then the next year, and so on. The sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat is a beautiful picture of propitiation. The applying of the blood turned away the wrath of God, which rested on them because of their sin.
And what did the mercy seat look like? What were the features of this covering for the ark? Many of you will remember that there were two cherubim above the mercy seat. They were actually a part of the mercy seat. (Show the model). These cherubim guarded the presence of God. Rmember also that God chose to set His presence in the tabernacle (and later in the temple). And within the tabernacle, His presence was especially in the Holy of Holies. And in the Holy of Holies, God’s presence was particularly upon the mercy seat. So there we have the picture of propitation – God’s wrath being turned away when the blood was presented in His presence.
Praise God for the reality, which is in Christ. Let’s read about that reality in Heb. 9:1-14,24-26…
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 2. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4. Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5. And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 6. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: 8. The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9. Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10. Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 11. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God… [24] For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25. Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Yes, Jesus is the propitiation for sins. Every person who enters this world is under the wrath of God. But praise God that Jesus offered Himself as the propitiation, that God’s wrath might be turned away from us. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God. He experienced the wrath of God on the cross, that we might not have to pay for our own sins by eternal death in hell. Praise His holy name!
Conclusion
Yes, God is love, but I suggest to you this morning that it is absolutely impossible to have any understanding of that truth unless we get a grasp on the corresponding truth that God sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." This is God’s love, and it is the only love that will have any eternal significance.
Let’s close by singing "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." Pay attention to the words of this song.
Prayer
Testing the Test of Righteousness -- 1/14/07 (Eternal Realities)
Sunday, January 14, 2007
TESTING THE TEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
There is much confusion in our world today, and that includes the religious world. Who is it that is really saved? Who is it that is truly right with God? Who is it that will indeed spend eternity in God’s presence? Who is it that has found the true life that God intended from the beginning? We all know that such questions will receive many and varied answers.
Please allow me to point out three things about our world today which make I John very applicable for our day. First of all, John wrote in the context of a spiritual system called "gnosticism." That word comes from the Greek word which means "knowledge." The gnostics taught that true salvation comes through special knowledge of God. Only the initiated could attain this knowledge. There was a certain secrecy about it, perhaps similar to groups like the Masons in our day. Practical life meant absolutely nothing to them. In other words, the way a person lived was of no conse-quence. It made absolutely no difference, for the body was not connected to spiritual matters.
Does that not have a familiar ring to it? Of course, people in our day would not be so bold as to speak like that, but the belief system of many professing Christians in our day boils down to the same thing. For many in our day, salvation consists in what you believe as true and whether or not you accept that truth. Just believe that Jesus died for your sins. There is no need for practical tests of life, because salvation is by grace through faith and not of works. In the end, this system concludes that it makes no difference how a person lives his life on this earth.
Along with the gnostic’s system, John’s letter is also set against the background of the Pharisees. While John may not have been dealing directly with Pharisaism, we cannot dismiss it, because it was such a huge concern during Jesus’ ministry. And remember that John was walking beside Jesus, as the Master dealt with the Pharisees.
The Pharisees were on the opposite end of the spectrum from the gnostics. The Pharisees emphasized the tests of life. However, they set up their own tests. We will talk some about these later. They measured a person’s spirituality by how he measured up to the tests of the Pharisees. That too has a familiar ring to it. How many religious people in our nation have their own tests of life? And we are not immune to setting up our own tests as well.
Now let me add one other factor. As far as I know, this was not an issue in John’s day, but it is in our day. There are many in our day who believe they have "salvation," even though they have nothing to do with God or His Son. Consider the humanitarians of our day. For example, right here in our county there is a tremendous emphasis on giving to United Way. People are encouraged to fund this organization which meets human needs.
A humanitarian might point out that his religion is much better than that of his Christian friend. His argument has nothing to do with his view of God. Rather, he sees it in practical terms. He notes that his Christian fried gives money to the church. To do what? To pay the utility bills, the pastor’s salary, and for the expansion of the building complex. This humanitarian points out that he himself not only gives more money to humanitarian causes than his Christian friend gives to the church, but also that a very, very small percentage of what his friend gives to the church actually goes to meet human needs. And in many cases, he can mount a very good argument.
In light of all these things, there is much confusion in our world, including the religious world. This is why we so desperately need the tests of life that we find here in I John.
Come with me to the Sermon on the Mount. And where do we find that? Yes, in Matthew 5-7. In chapter 6, Jesus deals with three tests of life which the Pharisees had set up for themselves and for others. Of course, Jesus is pointing out the fallacy of the Pharisees’ system, but in doing so we see something of how the Pharisees operated. We find the first of these in Matt. 6:1-2…
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
The second Pharisaical test of life is found in Matt. 6:5, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." And the third is found in Matt. 6:16, "Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."
So there we have three of the tests the Pharisees used to measure spirituality – giving of alms, prayer, and fasting. Because they did these things (and some others), they believed that they were right with God.
Before we scold the Pharisees, we must consider that the same kind of tests are set up today. In I John we have talked about the test of righteousness. Remember what we read from I John 3:7-8a, "Let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning." But that still leaves us with the question: "What is righteousness?" If we are not careful, we will be like the Pharisees and will go about setting up our own standard of righteousness. Paul, who himself had been a Pharisee, wrote about this very thing in Phil. 3:7-9…
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Paul no longer looked for "his own righteousness," which was a law kind of righteousness, but the righteousness which is of God by faith.
In some Christian circles today there is an unofficial standard of righteousness that looks something like this…
Morality + Do good to others + Outward religious acts + Favorable Comparison=Righteousness
Those terms must be defined as well. This "morality" generally speaks of being a good person. In other words, I live a clean, moral life. By that, I mean basically that I live a better life than most of those around me. Most of the elements of this morality are negative. I don’t use drugs; I don’t get drunk; I don’t make a habit out of cussing; I don’t commit adultery or murder; I’m not a thief. Yes, I am a good moral person.
I add to that the fact that I do good to others. The common phrase we like to use is this: "He’d give you the shirt off his back." And I don’t treat others badly. So how well do I treat others? Better than most people around me treat others. This aspect of comparison sneaks in at every opportunity.
In addition to my outward morality and doing good to others, I am at least somewhat religious. I go to church. I drop some money in the collection plate. I read my Bible, at least sometimes. And I pray. Though I might not be as consistent as I should be, when I compare myself with others, I do pretty good.
Do you see how easy it is for us to set up our own standard of righteousness, even if we are not fully conscious that we are doing so? This is a very dangerous thing. Listen to what Paul said in Rom. 10:1-3…
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
If you go back to the first part of chapter 9, you will read the list of spiritual advantages that Paul’s fellow-Israelites enjoyed – the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises (Rom. 9:4). Yes, they had great zeal for God, but it wasn’t according to knowledge. They worked to establish their own righteousness and refused to submit themselves to God’s righteousness. The Pharisees were the primary examples.
All of these things we have mentioned – morality and doing good to others and the performance of religious acts are good things, but they are not the tests of life. To find the tests that reveal whether or not we have the life of God, we must come to the Word of God and carefully look at what it says.
Now you may determine that we have digressed a bit this morning, as we have gone back to focus more on the test of righteousness. You thought we left the test of righteousness and had moved on to the test of love. While we may focus on love, in I John we will never leave the test of righteousness. As a matter of fact, it is amazing how these three tests – belief, righteousness, and love – are tied so closely together. Let me read just two passages from I John which emphasize the connection between the three…
1 John 3:23, "And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment
1 John 4:21-5:5, "And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God
And this close connection is not new with John. Let’s go way back to the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy. Now let’s read Dt. 6:4-6…
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Do you see it? He begins with belief. In the midst of a pagan world, where people worshipped many gods, he affirms the belief that the Lord our God is one Lord. And then he moves to love. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." And then what? Verse 6, "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart." Which words? The words "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God…" He goes on to say that after these words are in your heart, teach them to your children throughout the day, and keep them before your eyes, and post them on your doorposts and gates. We see in this foundational passage of scripture these three great tests of life – belief, love, and righteousness. And we note how closely they are linked together. We also see that the first and primary command is love.
Now the Pharisees knew this passage of scripture very well. They quoted it every day of their lives. But somehow they were able to twist it to fit their own schemes. We can do the exact same thing, if we are not careful. In order to help us not do that, I want to give us two principles that will help us to understand the test of righteousness.
First, we must understand righteousness to mean obedience to the commands of God. It is this truth that will prevent us from setting up our own standard of righteousness. In I John we see this emphasis of obedience to the commands over and over again. The word commandment(s) is found fourteen times in this little letter. Let’s read again from I Jn. 2:3-6…
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
We know we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He does not say we can take comfort in the fact that we adhere to a system of morality and a religious program that we ourselves establish. No, the key is in keeping His commandments.
Let me take you to a scripture passage that you may not have thought of in this light. Let’s come to James 2. Most of you know Jms. 2:17, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." James is not in conflict with Paul. While Paul was fighting against those who said you had to earn salvation by doing good works, James is opposing those who say, "Just believe, and it doesn’t matter how you live." In his argument, James presses home the point that genuine faith will result in good works. But if that is as far as we go, we are left with a problem. How do we define those good works?
That brings us to the last part of the chapter. Let’s read James 2:21-25…
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23. And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
As I understand this passage, the context demonstrates that James uses the term "justify" in a different way than Paul used it. In James’ usage of the word, we might think of the term "vindicate." In James’ thinking, a person’s faith is vindicated by his deeds. That is, his deeds prove that his faith is the real thing, and not some counterfeit.
Now comes the question. When James looked in the scripture for illustrations of works which vindicated true faith, why did he choose these two – Abraham offering his son Isaac upon the altar and Rahab hiding the spies? What is to prevent us from substituting what we consider to be our good works? I am convicted that James chose these illustrations because they were acts of obedience. For now, let’s just deal with Abraham and Isaac. Why was Abraham’s act a demonstration of genuine faith? Because it was an act of obedience. It certainly wasn’t something Abraham wanted to do. He would have never chosen to do such a thing. The only reason he went to Mt. Moriah is because God told him to go. He went in obedience to the Lord’s command.
Please hear me. We must always link righteousness with obedience to God’s command. This is the first principle I want to establish concerning the test of righteousness. However, that still leaves us with a problem. Could the Pharisees not say that they were obeying God’s commands in that they prayed and gave alms and fasted? Did God not tell them to pray? You might be surprised at the lack of commands to pray found in the Old Testament. It seems that the Lord certainly wanted His people to pray, but He didn’t just give them a command, "Pray." While there are a couple of specific commands to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6) and to pray for the city in which they were held captive (Jer. 29:7), it is shocking how little the Old Testament commanded them to pray. Nevertheless, they would have told you they were being obedient to the Lord’s command. They would have said the same thing about the giving of alms and about fasting. While the term "alms" is not used in the Old Testament, there are commands about caring for the poor and the like. And concerning fasting, the only commands to fast (which I found) came through the prophet Joel, as he twice said, "Sanctify a fast" (Joel 1:14; 2:15). The fasting Joel called for was in response to the sin of the nation. The Pharisees, on the other hand, boasted of their individual and regular fasting, implying that their fasting made them better than others (see Luke 18:9-14).
The Pharisees were well acquainted with the scriptures, having memorized long passages and having given their life to studying God’s law. Nevertheless, they had much difficulty in rightly dividing God’s Word. They had a habit of majoring on the minors and minoring on the majors, as reflected by what Jesus said in Mat 23:23 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." While they were big on fasting, it seems they forgot all about what the Lord said in Isaiah 58, particularly verse 6, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"
The Pharisees had set up their own standard of righteousness, though they claimed to be obeying God’s commands. But the truth is, they saw those commands as a list of rules to be rigidly followed. Their prayer came out of a sense of duty. It was not so with David, who said, "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up" (Ps. 5:3). David’s prayer came out of a heart of devotion to God. The Pharisees gave alms, but it was out of a sense of duty rather than compassion. They fasted, but their fasting was not out of a sense of mourning and brokenness, as we see all through the Old Testament.
If the Pharisees had trouble sorting out the commands of God’s Word, might we also have that difficulty? Study alone will not alleviate the problem. We must have the Spirit of God guide us into all truth. He must enlighten our minds and hearts, that we may be obedient to the will of our Lord.
The second principle concerning the test of righteousness is this: Righteousness can never be separated from love. As a matter of fact, righteousness begins with love. We saw this in Deut. 6:5, where the Lord gives us the command to love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength. The mere following of commandments will never be true righteousness unless it proceeds from a heart of love.
Why is that? It begins with the centrality of the command to love. Remember when the Pharisee, who was an expert in God’s law, came to Jesus and asked Him, "Master, which is the great commandment of the law"? What was Jesus’ response? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." There it is again—the very first and primary commandment is to love God.
No one can be obedient to God and not love God.
However, you will recall that Jesus didn’t stop with the first and great commandment. Although He wasn’t asked for a second commandment, He gave it, saying, "And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets" (Matt. 22:34-40). According to Jesus, it is impossible to obey the law of God and not love both God and neighbor.
Here is the point – obedience to God’s commands can never come from a mechanical checking off of a list of regulations. Obedience is grounded in love. At the same time, love is indeed obedience to God.
Conclusion
Mark it in your mind and heart – righteous living is obedience to God’s commands, proceeding from a heart of love. Keeping a set of rules will never pass for practical righteousness.
This leaves us with a couple of very important questions. First of all, how do we define love? And secondly, how are we to understand the relationship between love for God and love for man?
I trust you have been meditating on I John 4:19-20…
We love him, because he first love us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?
Another question that has already come up is this: What is the meaning of the term "brother" in I John? Is this referring to our Christian brothers and sisters, or to our fellow-man in general. Lord willing, we will begin dealing with these questions next week.
TESTING THE TEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
There is much confusion in our world today, and that includes the religious world. Who is it that is really saved? Who is it that is truly right with God? Who is it that will indeed spend eternity in God’s presence? Who is it that has found the true life that God intended from the beginning? We all know that such questions will receive many and varied answers.
Please allow me to point out three things about our world today which make I John very applicable for our day. First of all, John wrote in the context of a spiritual system called "gnosticism." That word comes from the Greek word which means "knowledge." The gnostics taught that true salvation comes through special knowledge of God. Only the initiated could attain this knowledge. There was a certain secrecy about it, perhaps similar to groups like the Masons in our day. Practical life meant absolutely nothing to them. In other words, the way a person lived was of no conse-quence. It made absolutely no difference, for the body was not connected to spiritual matters.
Does that not have a familiar ring to it? Of course, people in our day would not be so bold as to speak like that, but the belief system of many professing Christians in our day boils down to the same thing. For many in our day, salvation consists in what you believe as true and whether or not you accept that truth. Just believe that Jesus died for your sins. There is no need for practical tests of life, because salvation is by grace through faith and not of works. In the end, this system concludes that it makes no difference how a person lives his life on this earth.
Along with the gnostic’s system, John’s letter is also set against the background of the Pharisees. While John may not have been dealing directly with Pharisaism, we cannot dismiss it, because it was such a huge concern during Jesus’ ministry. And remember that John was walking beside Jesus, as the Master dealt with the Pharisees.
The Pharisees were on the opposite end of the spectrum from the gnostics. The Pharisees emphasized the tests of life. However, they set up their own tests. We will talk some about these later. They measured a person’s spirituality by how he measured up to the tests of the Pharisees. That too has a familiar ring to it. How many religious people in our nation have their own tests of life? And we are not immune to setting up our own tests as well.
Now let me add one other factor. As far as I know, this was not an issue in John’s day, but it is in our day. There are many in our day who believe they have "salvation," even though they have nothing to do with God or His Son. Consider the humanitarians of our day. For example, right here in our county there is a tremendous emphasis on giving to United Way. People are encouraged to fund this organization which meets human needs.
A humanitarian might point out that his religion is much better than that of his Christian friend. His argument has nothing to do with his view of God. Rather, he sees it in practical terms. He notes that his Christian fried gives money to the church. To do what? To pay the utility bills, the pastor’s salary, and for the expansion of the building complex. This humanitarian points out that he himself not only gives more money to humanitarian causes than his Christian friend gives to the church, but also that a very, very small percentage of what his friend gives to the church actually goes to meet human needs. And in many cases, he can mount a very good argument.
In light of all these things, there is much confusion in our world, including the religious world. This is why we so desperately need the tests of life that we find here in I John.
Come with me to the Sermon on the Mount. And where do we find that? Yes, in Matthew 5-7. In chapter 6, Jesus deals with three tests of life which the Pharisees had set up for themselves and for others. Of course, Jesus is pointing out the fallacy of the Pharisees’ system, but in doing so we see something of how the Pharisees operated. We find the first of these in Matt. 6:1-2…
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
The second Pharisaical test of life is found in Matt. 6:5, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." And the third is found in Matt. 6:16, "Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."
So there we have three of the tests the Pharisees used to measure spirituality – giving of alms, prayer, and fasting. Because they did these things (and some others), they believed that they were right with God.
Before we scold the Pharisees, we must consider that the same kind of tests are set up today. In I John we have talked about the test of righteousness. Remember what we read from I John 3:7-8a, "Let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning." But that still leaves us with the question: "What is righteousness?" If we are not careful, we will be like the Pharisees and will go about setting up our own standard of righteousness. Paul, who himself had been a Pharisee, wrote about this very thing in Phil. 3:7-9…
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Paul no longer looked for "his own righteousness," which was a law kind of righteousness, but the righteousness which is of God by faith.
In some Christian circles today there is an unofficial standard of righteousness that looks something like this…
Morality + Do good to others + Outward religious acts + Favorable Comparison=Righteousness
Those terms must be defined as well. This "morality" generally speaks of being a good person. In other words, I live a clean, moral life. By that, I mean basically that I live a better life than most of those around me. Most of the elements of this morality are negative. I don’t use drugs; I don’t get drunk; I don’t make a habit out of cussing; I don’t commit adultery or murder; I’m not a thief. Yes, I am a good moral person.
I add to that the fact that I do good to others. The common phrase we like to use is this: "He’d give you the shirt off his back." And I don’t treat others badly. So how well do I treat others? Better than most people around me treat others. This aspect of comparison sneaks in at every opportunity.
In addition to my outward morality and doing good to others, I am at least somewhat religious. I go to church. I drop some money in the collection plate. I read my Bible, at least sometimes. And I pray. Though I might not be as consistent as I should be, when I compare myself with others, I do pretty good.
Do you see how easy it is for us to set up our own standard of righteousness, even if we are not fully conscious that we are doing so? This is a very dangerous thing. Listen to what Paul said in Rom. 10:1-3…
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
If you go back to the first part of chapter 9, you will read the list of spiritual advantages that Paul’s fellow-Israelites enjoyed – the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises (Rom. 9:4). Yes, they had great zeal for God, but it wasn’t according to knowledge. They worked to establish their own righteousness and refused to submit themselves to God’s righteousness. The Pharisees were the primary examples.
All of these things we have mentioned – morality and doing good to others and the performance of religious acts are good things, but they are not the tests of life. To find the tests that reveal whether or not we have the life of God, we must come to the Word of God and carefully look at what it says.
Now you may determine that we have digressed a bit this morning, as we have gone back to focus more on the test of righteousness. You thought we left the test of righteousness and had moved on to the test of love. While we may focus on love, in I John we will never leave the test of righteousness. As a matter of fact, it is amazing how these three tests – belief, righteousness, and love – are tied so closely together. Let me read just two passages from I John which emphasize the connection between the three…
1 John 3:23, "And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment
1 John 4:21-5:5, "And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God
And this close connection is not new with John. Let’s go way back to the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy. Now let’s read Dt. 6:4-6…
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Do you see it? He begins with belief. In the midst of a pagan world, where people worshipped many gods, he affirms the belief that the Lord our God is one Lord. And then he moves to love. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." And then what? Verse 6, "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart." Which words? The words "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God…" He goes on to say that after these words are in your heart, teach them to your children throughout the day, and keep them before your eyes, and post them on your doorposts and gates. We see in this foundational passage of scripture these three great tests of life – belief, love, and righteousness. And we note how closely they are linked together. We also see that the first and primary command is love.
Now the Pharisees knew this passage of scripture very well. They quoted it every day of their lives. But somehow they were able to twist it to fit their own schemes. We can do the exact same thing, if we are not careful. In order to help us not do that, I want to give us two principles that will help us to understand the test of righteousness.
First, we must understand righteousness to mean obedience to the commands of God. It is this truth that will prevent us from setting up our own standard of righteousness. In I John we see this emphasis of obedience to the commands over and over again. The word commandment(s) is found fourteen times in this little letter. Let’s read again from I Jn. 2:3-6…
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
We know we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He does not say we can take comfort in the fact that we adhere to a system of morality and a religious program that we ourselves establish. No, the key is in keeping His commandments.
Let me take you to a scripture passage that you may not have thought of in this light. Let’s come to James 2. Most of you know Jms. 2:17, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." James is not in conflict with Paul. While Paul was fighting against those who said you had to earn salvation by doing good works, James is opposing those who say, "Just believe, and it doesn’t matter how you live." In his argument, James presses home the point that genuine faith will result in good works. But if that is as far as we go, we are left with a problem. How do we define those good works?
That brings us to the last part of the chapter. Let’s read James 2:21-25…
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23. And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
As I understand this passage, the context demonstrates that James uses the term "justify" in a different way than Paul used it. In James’ usage of the word, we might think of the term "vindicate." In James’ thinking, a person’s faith is vindicated by his deeds. That is, his deeds prove that his faith is the real thing, and not some counterfeit.
Now comes the question. When James looked in the scripture for illustrations of works which vindicated true faith, why did he choose these two – Abraham offering his son Isaac upon the altar and Rahab hiding the spies? What is to prevent us from substituting what we consider to be our good works? I am convicted that James chose these illustrations because they were acts of obedience. For now, let’s just deal with Abraham and Isaac. Why was Abraham’s act a demonstration of genuine faith? Because it was an act of obedience. It certainly wasn’t something Abraham wanted to do. He would have never chosen to do such a thing. The only reason he went to Mt. Moriah is because God told him to go. He went in obedience to the Lord’s command.
Please hear me. We must always link righteousness with obedience to God’s command. This is the first principle I want to establish concerning the test of righteousness. However, that still leaves us with a problem. Could the Pharisees not say that they were obeying God’s commands in that they prayed and gave alms and fasted? Did God not tell them to pray? You might be surprised at the lack of commands to pray found in the Old Testament. It seems that the Lord certainly wanted His people to pray, but He didn’t just give them a command, "Pray." While there are a couple of specific commands to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6) and to pray for the city in which they were held captive (Jer. 29:7), it is shocking how little the Old Testament commanded them to pray. Nevertheless, they would have told you they were being obedient to the Lord’s command. They would have said the same thing about the giving of alms and about fasting. While the term "alms" is not used in the Old Testament, there are commands about caring for the poor and the like. And concerning fasting, the only commands to fast (which I found) came through the prophet Joel, as he twice said, "Sanctify a fast" (Joel 1:14; 2:15). The fasting Joel called for was in response to the sin of the nation. The Pharisees, on the other hand, boasted of their individual and regular fasting, implying that their fasting made them better than others (see Luke 18:9-14).
The Pharisees were well acquainted with the scriptures, having memorized long passages and having given their life to studying God’s law. Nevertheless, they had much difficulty in rightly dividing God’s Word. They had a habit of majoring on the minors and minoring on the majors, as reflected by what Jesus said in Mat 23:23 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." While they were big on fasting, it seems they forgot all about what the Lord said in Isaiah 58, particularly verse 6, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"
The Pharisees had set up their own standard of righteousness, though they claimed to be obeying God’s commands. But the truth is, they saw those commands as a list of rules to be rigidly followed. Their prayer came out of a sense of duty. It was not so with David, who said, "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up" (Ps. 5:3). David’s prayer came out of a heart of devotion to God. The Pharisees gave alms, but it was out of a sense of duty rather than compassion. They fasted, but their fasting was not out of a sense of mourning and brokenness, as we see all through the Old Testament.
If the Pharisees had trouble sorting out the commands of God’s Word, might we also have that difficulty? Study alone will not alleviate the problem. We must have the Spirit of God guide us into all truth. He must enlighten our minds and hearts, that we may be obedient to the will of our Lord.
The second principle concerning the test of righteousness is this: Righteousness can never be separated from love. As a matter of fact, righteousness begins with love. We saw this in Deut. 6:5, where the Lord gives us the command to love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength. The mere following of commandments will never be true righteousness unless it proceeds from a heart of love.
Why is that? It begins with the centrality of the command to love. Remember when the Pharisee, who was an expert in God’s law, came to Jesus and asked Him, "Master, which is the great commandment of the law"? What was Jesus’ response? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." There it is again—the very first and primary commandment is to love God.
No one can be obedient to God and not love God.
However, you will recall that Jesus didn’t stop with the first and great commandment. Although He wasn’t asked for a second commandment, He gave it, saying, "And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets" (Matt. 22:34-40). According to Jesus, it is impossible to obey the law of God and not love both God and neighbor.
Here is the point – obedience to God’s commands can never come from a mechanical checking off of a list of regulations. Obedience is grounded in love. At the same time, love is indeed obedience to God.
Conclusion
Mark it in your mind and heart – righteous living is obedience to God’s commands, proceeding from a heart of love. Keeping a set of rules will never pass for practical righteousness.
This leaves us with a couple of very important questions. First of all, how do we define love? And secondly, how are we to understand the relationship between love for God and love for man?
I trust you have been meditating on I John 4:19-20…
We love him, because he first love us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?
Another question that has already come up is this: What is the meaning of the term "brother" in I John? Is this referring to our Christian brothers and sisters, or to our fellow-man in general. Lord willing, we will begin dealing with these questions next week.
The Test of Love -- 1/7/06 (Eternal Realities)
Sunday, January 7, 2006
THE TEST OF LOVE
(I Jn. 2:7-11,15-17; 3:10-24; 4:7-21)
In my Bible, I John is contained in about 5 and a half pages. Check it out in your Bible. This is a very short letter. It is no chore to sit down and read it in a few minutes. So let me ask you a question. How many times do you think the word "love" appears in I John? Would you believe that it appears more in I John than in any other book of the New Testament except the Gospel of John? Though it is only 5 and a half pages of the 430 pages in my New Testament, one out of every five occurrences of the word "love" (226, and it includes "charity") is in I John, occurring no less than 46 times. Taken together with John’s gospel, almost half of the occurrences of "love" are in these two books. John might well be called "the apostle of love."
Now you will recall that we have been studying I John, looking at it as containing "The Tests of Life." And in broad terms, those tests are three. What are they? Belief. Righteousness, or obedience. And what is the third? It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out; it is love. While there is much in I John about belief and righteousness, I would have to say that there is even more about love. According to I John, the person who is born of God and has fellowship with God loves other people. As we will see, John affirms that truth in many different ways.
So let’s read from God’s Word and see what this little letter has to say about love… (I Jn. 2:7-11,15-17; 3:10-24; 4:7-21)
2:7-11 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 8. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes
2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever
3:10-24 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 11. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. 13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 23. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us
4:7-21 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19. We love him, because he first loved us. 20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
That is quite a large portion of I John… just over a third, to be exact. Since we will be going over these passages, why did we take time to read them all? I want to emphasize the Word of God itself. As we go through this letter, we are not establishing principles we think are good. We are simply taking principles that God has put in His Word and trying to apply them to our lives. Brothers and sisters, friends, seekers, this is the Word of God. We must deal with I John openly and honestly, because this is what God Himself has written through His Holy Spirit. I challenge you (I beg you) to read this letter for yourself. Read it again and again. If you want to know something about love, read I John, where the term occurs with much greater frequency than anywhere else in the Bible. These passages are worthy of our best meditation.
This morning we are going to make a start at understanding what John says about love by laying a foundation. There are a few things we must bear in mind, if we hope to understand what this little letter is telling us about love.
I. John’s Principles Are Rooted in Jesus’ Teachings
Don’t think for a moment that what John tells us is some new teaching. Far from it. The "apostle whom Jesus loved" is the one who leaned on Jesus’ breast at the last supper. He is also the apostle who leaned heaviest upon Jesus’ teachings concerning love.
It is impossible to spend much time in I John without recalling Jesus words in John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Jesus referred to this as a "new commandment." The command to love was not new, for we read in Lev. 19:18, "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD." What was absolutely new is the extent of this love. Jesus commanded His followers to love one another, even as He Himself loved them. And how did Jesus love them (us)? "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (Jn. 15:13). Jesus did indeed lay down His life for His friends. This is the background of the love theme in I John.
We must understand that the love of which John speaks is not the love we hear about from the world. This love cannot be understood apart from the cross, for it was at the cross that Jesus laid down His life for His friends. And then we read in I John 4:10-11, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." Do you see how the cross stands at the very center of John’s teachings about love?
I would encourage you to go back and read John 13-17 as a background for the love theme in I John. This is where we will find the root of John’s teachings.
II. The Absoluteness of John’s Statements
Let’s suppose that I say, "Tom is a very black and white type of person." What do I mean by that? I mean that with Tom things seem to be very clear cut. Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and there is no in-between. If you ask Tom about an issue, he won’t use the word "maybe." He will tell you exactly what he thinks. Tom doesn’t know any gray areas. I John is founded upon some very black and white statements. That is what I mean by the absoluteness of John.
Just to make sure we understand what I am talking about, let me give you an example. This example isn’t from I John, but it is from the scriptures. Suppose I say: "Jesus is the only way to God. Apart from radical trust in Jesus, no one can be right with God." That is a very absolute, black and white statement.
I must say that such statements are very unpopular in our world. We live in a world that glorifies tolerance. This isn’t the old tolerance that says, "I may not agree with you, but I respect your right to believe what you choose." No, this is the new tolerance, which says, "What you believe is just as valid as what I believe. Who am I to say that I am right and you are wrong." In the world of the new tolerance there are no absolutes. The leaders of this world in which we live hate absolutes.
If we are going to get hold of the truths of I John, we must understand that John speaks in absolutes. Some would say that we must allow for his style, but recognize that things can never be as absolute as John portrays them. I remind you that ultimately John is not the author of this letter. Remember that holy men of God spoke as they were moved (carried along) by the Holy Spirit (II Pet. 1:21). The absolutes of I John are not due to the style of the human writer, but they are an accurate reflection of God’s truth.
So let’s consider a few of those absolutes. We encountered one of them when we were studying 3:4-10. According to that passage, every person is either a child of God or a child of the devil. So if a person is not a child of God, what is he? He is a child of the devil. There is nothing in between. But we say, "He is a seeker, a person who is seeking the Lord." That he may be, but if he is not yet a child of God, he is still a child of the devil. Remember what John says in 3:7-8, "Let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil…" And then in verse 10, "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil…" When you hear people say that John was exaggerating a bit for effect, don’t be swayed. John was simply speaking God’s truth, which he said that every person is either a child of God or a child of the devil.
Consider another one. According to I John, I either walk in light or I walk in darkness. Let’s read it in I John 1:5-7…
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
This absoluteness begins with God Himself. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." We are not to understand that God is primarily light with only a slight mixture of darkness. God is light, and there is no darkness in Him whatsoever. And then that absoluteness extends to those who know Him. Notice in verses 6 and 7 that John speaks of walking in darkness and walking in light. There is nothing in between. We either turn to the Lord, who is light, and thereby walk in the light. Or, we turn away from the Lord, who is light, and walk in darkness. No in between.
And then there is another. We either obey the Lord or we don’t obey. Let’s read it in 2:3-5…
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
Again, you will notice that John speaks of keeping God’s commandments and of not keeping His commandments. There is nothing in between. There is a wonderful Old Testament illustration of this principle. We find it in I Sam. 15. Let’s just read the story again to refresh our memory. I Sam. 15:1-21…
Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 2. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 3. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 4. And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5. And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. 6. And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7. And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. 8. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. 10. Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 11. It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 12. And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. 13. And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 14. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 15. And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 16. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 17. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 18. And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20. And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
When Samuel confronted Saul with his disobedience, Saul protested: "Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord." How could he say that, in light of the fact that there animals alive and one man alive, King Agag? Saul had two explanations. First of all, concerning the killing of the people, he had killed all but one. Suppose there were 1,000 Amalekites. That would mean that Saul had killed 99.9% of them. Surely if we do 99.9% of what God says, that constitutes obedience. No, it does not. In just a moment, we will see how the Lord speaks of 99.9% "obedience."
His other explanation concerned the animals which were spared. Saul explained that it was the people who kept the animals alive. But Saul was the king. He was the one who gave the orders. He could have simply told the people to go ahead and kill the rest of the animals. But Saul had an explanation for this failure as well. He explained that the animals were kept in order that they might be sacrificed to the Lord. Surely that would be acceptable with God.
Now listen to God’s response through the prophet Samuel in verses 22-23…
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
What man would call 99.9% obedience is defined by God as rebellion and stubbornness and is no better than witchcraft and idolatry. Speaking of absoluteness… Wow!
Now there is one more of these absolute statements that I want to bring to your attention. And this is the one that will affect us most directly in our study of love in I John. Let’s read it in I John 2:9-11…
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
Notice those words "love" and "hate." Those are very strong terms. Then notice that there is nothing in between. John says that a person either loves his brother or hates him. You will note again the absoluteness of light and darkness, and this contrast between love and hate parallels it exactly.
I believe this is where we have the most problem. We want to say, "Well, I can’t say that I love my brother or sister in the Lord, but I sure don’t hate any of them." If I don’t love him, I hate him. If you don’t love her, you hate her. If you have a problem with that, take up with the Lord. I’m just the messenger. I may not be able to explain it, but I must affirm that this is what the Lord says. Go through this entire letter, and you will look in vain for some attitude between love and hate. It is either one or the other. We must bear this in mind.
So as we get into John’s teaching about love, prepare your minds for God’s way of dealing with things. He deals in absolutes.
III. The Strong Connection between Love for God and Love for His People
We see this connection again and again in this letter. In fact, we know this truth. We know it on a surface level, but somehow we become immune to the depth of this truth. I’m not going to say much about it this morning, but rest assured that we will be coming back to it again and again.
Let’s read the clearest announcement of this truth in I Jn. 4:20, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
In I Jn. 2:22 we read, "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." Well, according to 4:20, he is also a liar who claims to love God while hating his brother.
Conclusion
May God prepare us to grasp the truth about His love, as we continue to meditate on I John. In your bulletin you will find a summary of the principles we have laid out this morning…
1. John’s principles are rooted in Jesus’ teachings. Be reading John 13-17.
2. John deals in absolutes; everything is black and white. Surrender your own ideas and welcome
what the Spirit says.
3. John emphasizes the connection between love for God and love for His people. Meditate on
I John 4:20.
THE TEST OF LOVE
(I Jn. 2:7-11,15-17; 3:10-24; 4:7-21)
In my Bible, I John is contained in about 5 and a half pages. Check it out in your Bible. This is a very short letter. It is no chore to sit down and read it in a few minutes. So let me ask you a question. How many times do you think the word "love" appears in I John? Would you believe that it appears more in I John than in any other book of the New Testament except the Gospel of John? Though it is only 5 and a half pages of the 430 pages in my New Testament, one out of every five occurrences of the word "love" (226, and it includes "charity") is in I John, occurring no less than 46 times. Taken together with John’s gospel, almost half of the occurrences of "love" are in these two books. John might well be called "the apostle of love."
Now you will recall that we have been studying I John, looking at it as containing "The Tests of Life." And in broad terms, those tests are three. What are they? Belief. Righteousness, or obedience. And what is the third? It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out; it is love. While there is much in I John about belief and righteousness, I would have to say that there is even more about love. According to I John, the person who is born of God and has fellowship with God loves other people. As we will see, John affirms that truth in many different ways.
So let’s read from God’s Word and see what this little letter has to say about love… (I Jn. 2:7-11,15-17; 3:10-24; 4:7-21)
2:7-11 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 8. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes
2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever
3:10-24 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 11. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. 13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 23. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us
4:7-21 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19. We love him, because he first loved us. 20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
That is quite a large portion of I John… just over a third, to be exact. Since we will be going over these passages, why did we take time to read them all? I want to emphasize the Word of God itself. As we go through this letter, we are not establishing principles we think are good. We are simply taking principles that God has put in His Word and trying to apply them to our lives. Brothers and sisters, friends, seekers, this is the Word of God. We must deal with I John openly and honestly, because this is what God Himself has written through His Holy Spirit. I challenge you (I beg you) to read this letter for yourself. Read it again and again. If you want to know something about love, read I John, where the term occurs with much greater frequency than anywhere else in the Bible. These passages are worthy of our best meditation.
This morning we are going to make a start at understanding what John says about love by laying a foundation. There are a few things we must bear in mind, if we hope to understand what this little letter is telling us about love.
I. John’s Principles Are Rooted in Jesus’ Teachings
Don’t think for a moment that what John tells us is some new teaching. Far from it. The "apostle whom Jesus loved" is the one who leaned on Jesus’ breast at the last supper. He is also the apostle who leaned heaviest upon Jesus’ teachings concerning love.
It is impossible to spend much time in I John without recalling Jesus words in John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Jesus referred to this as a "new commandment." The command to love was not new, for we read in Lev. 19:18, "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD." What was absolutely new is the extent of this love. Jesus commanded His followers to love one another, even as He Himself loved them. And how did Jesus love them (us)? "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (Jn. 15:13). Jesus did indeed lay down His life for His friends. This is the background of the love theme in I John.
We must understand that the love of which John speaks is not the love we hear about from the world. This love cannot be understood apart from the cross, for it was at the cross that Jesus laid down His life for His friends. And then we read in I John 4:10-11, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." Do you see how the cross stands at the very center of John’s teachings about love?
I would encourage you to go back and read John 13-17 as a background for the love theme in I John. This is where we will find the root of John’s teachings.
II. The Absoluteness of John’s Statements
Let’s suppose that I say, "Tom is a very black and white type of person." What do I mean by that? I mean that with Tom things seem to be very clear cut. Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and there is no in-between. If you ask Tom about an issue, he won’t use the word "maybe." He will tell you exactly what he thinks. Tom doesn’t know any gray areas. I John is founded upon some very black and white statements. That is what I mean by the absoluteness of John.
Just to make sure we understand what I am talking about, let me give you an example. This example isn’t from I John, but it is from the scriptures. Suppose I say: "Jesus is the only way to God. Apart from radical trust in Jesus, no one can be right with God." That is a very absolute, black and white statement.
I must say that such statements are very unpopular in our world. We live in a world that glorifies tolerance. This isn’t the old tolerance that says, "I may not agree with you, but I respect your right to believe what you choose." No, this is the new tolerance, which says, "What you believe is just as valid as what I believe. Who am I to say that I am right and you are wrong." In the world of the new tolerance there are no absolutes. The leaders of this world in which we live hate absolutes.
If we are going to get hold of the truths of I John, we must understand that John speaks in absolutes. Some would say that we must allow for his style, but recognize that things can never be as absolute as John portrays them. I remind you that ultimately John is not the author of this letter. Remember that holy men of God spoke as they were moved (carried along) by the Holy Spirit (II Pet. 1:21). The absolutes of I John are not due to the style of the human writer, but they are an accurate reflection of God’s truth.
So let’s consider a few of those absolutes. We encountered one of them when we were studying 3:4-10. According to that passage, every person is either a child of God or a child of the devil. So if a person is not a child of God, what is he? He is a child of the devil. There is nothing in between. But we say, "He is a seeker, a person who is seeking the Lord." That he may be, but if he is not yet a child of God, he is still a child of the devil. Remember what John says in 3:7-8, "Let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil…" And then in verse 10, "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil…" When you hear people say that John was exaggerating a bit for effect, don’t be swayed. John was simply speaking God’s truth, which he said that every person is either a child of God or a child of the devil.
Consider another one. According to I John, I either walk in light or I walk in darkness. Let’s read it in I John 1:5-7…
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
This absoluteness begins with God Himself. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." We are not to understand that God is primarily light with only a slight mixture of darkness. God is light, and there is no darkness in Him whatsoever. And then that absoluteness extends to those who know Him. Notice in verses 6 and 7 that John speaks of walking in darkness and walking in light. There is nothing in between. We either turn to the Lord, who is light, and thereby walk in the light. Or, we turn away from the Lord, who is light, and walk in darkness. No in between.
And then there is another. We either obey the Lord or we don’t obey. Let’s read it in 2:3-5…
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
Again, you will notice that John speaks of keeping God’s commandments and of not keeping His commandments. There is nothing in between. There is a wonderful Old Testament illustration of this principle. We find it in I Sam. 15. Let’s just read the story again to refresh our memory. I Sam. 15:1-21…
Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 2. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 3. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 4. And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5. And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. 6. And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7. And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. 8. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. 10. Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 11. It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 12. And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. 13. And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 14. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 15. And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 16. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 17. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 18. And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20. And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
When Samuel confronted Saul with his disobedience, Saul protested: "Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord." How could he say that, in light of the fact that there animals alive and one man alive, King Agag? Saul had two explanations. First of all, concerning the killing of the people, he had killed all but one. Suppose there were 1,000 Amalekites. That would mean that Saul had killed 99.9% of them. Surely if we do 99.9% of what God says, that constitutes obedience. No, it does not. In just a moment, we will see how the Lord speaks of 99.9% "obedience."
His other explanation concerned the animals which were spared. Saul explained that it was the people who kept the animals alive. But Saul was the king. He was the one who gave the orders. He could have simply told the people to go ahead and kill the rest of the animals. But Saul had an explanation for this failure as well. He explained that the animals were kept in order that they might be sacrificed to the Lord. Surely that would be acceptable with God.
Now listen to God’s response through the prophet Samuel in verses 22-23…
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
What man would call 99.9% obedience is defined by God as rebellion and stubbornness and is no better than witchcraft and idolatry. Speaking of absoluteness… Wow!
Now there is one more of these absolute statements that I want to bring to your attention. And this is the one that will affect us most directly in our study of love in I John. Let’s read it in I John 2:9-11…
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
Notice those words "love" and "hate." Those are very strong terms. Then notice that there is nothing in between. John says that a person either loves his brother or hates him. You will note again the absoluteness of light and darkness, and this contrast between love and hate parallels it exactly.
I believe this is where we have the most problem. We want to say, "Well, I can’t say that I love my brother or sister in the Lord, but I sure don’t hate any of them." If I don’t love him, I hate him. If you don’t love her, you hate her. If you have a problem with that, take up with the Lord. I’m just the messenger. I may not be able to explain it, but I must affirm that this is what the Lord says. Go through this entire letter, and you will look in vain for some attitude between love and hate. It is either one or the other. We must bear this in mind.
So as we get into John’s teaching about love, prepare your minds for God’s way of dealing with things. He deals in absolutes.
III. The Strong Connection between Love for God and Love for His People
We see this connection again and again in this letter. In fact, we know this truth. We know it on a surface level, but somehow we become immune to the depth of this truth. I’m not going to say much about it this morning, but rest assured that we will be coming back to it again and again.
Let’s read the clearest announcement of this truth in I Jn. 4:20, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
In I Jn. 2:22 we read, "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." Well, according to 4:20, he is also a liar who claims to love God while hating his brother.
Conclusion
May God prepare us to grasp the truth about His love, as we continue to meditate on I John. In your bulletin you will find a summary of the principles we have laid out this morning…
1. John’s principles are rooted in Jesus’ teachings. Be reading John 13-17.
2. John deals in absolutes; everything is black and white. Surrender your own ideas and welcome
what the Spirit says.
3. John emphasizes the connection between love for God and love for His people. Meditate on
I John 4:20.
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