The Source of Your Love

The Source of Your Love 1 John 2:12-17

1 John 2:12-17 “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

Introduction

(Film) American Gospel: Christ Crucified (2019) Bart Campolo a secular humanist (athiest) talks about how he believes Christianity is sumed up as being a good person and to love people. He says man does not need Jesus to die for us to do that. He talks about how he does not need God to do that.

The narratior then comes on to say he is right we are to love people. Jesus summed the law up with Love Jesus and Love your neighbor.....No one has been able to keep the Law outside of Jesus.

2. Recap of what is going on in the Text. (Gnostism- Spirit Good, matter bad; Jesus was not God)

3. Church Split (vs 2:19) John is writing to encourage the believers

Children of God. vs. 12 &13c

1 John 2:12-13 “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.”

1.Children easly could mean the church as a whole.

John uses the phrase Children or little children through out this text refering to the church as a whole.

1 John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;”

1 John 2:18 “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.”

Jesus used this term for the disciples. (who were at the time some of the most mature “Christians” at the time

John 13:33 ““Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’”

2. Sins are forgiven vs. 12

1 John 2:12 “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake.”

Sins are forgiven are writtren in the Perfect verb tense

Pefect Tense- Past action with future and current affect

His name sake

Greek: διά dia through; because of; by

Your sins have been forgiven and are forgiven not by your work but because of the work of Jesus

3. You know God vs. 13c

To know God means to know Jesus

John 14:7-11 ““If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

1 John 2:3 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.”

Jeremiah 31:31-34 ““Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.””

Two stages of Christian life vs 13-14

Fathers vs 13a & 14a

1 John 2:13-14 “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

1. Know the Father(repeated)

2. Know the Father

As we read the commands to the father in this stage we will quickly see

He knows the Father

All Christian knows the Father, what could be the differance?

My sister in-law once bought my father in-law a fishing guide trip on Lake Ouachita. Why a fishing guide? Why not just go up there on your own? You can by a map of the lake, that shows where the deep river channel is. You can read where fishing attractions have been put in the lake.

Your odds are alot better of catching more fish, getting to better/ prettier spots, and make the best of your time if you have someone that....... KNOWS THE LAKE. experienced the lake.

Fathers you know God,he has been there for you through the think and thin

Young men vs 13b & 14b

1 John 2:13-14 “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

1. Overcome the evil one (repeated)

2. You are Strong

3. God word abides in you

What/Who do you Love? vs 15-17

Love for World

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

You can Love the World OR Love God (not both) vs 15

The world is: vs 16

Lust of the flesh

1. Eve saw the apple was good for food. Gen. 3

2. Satan told Jesus to turn the stones to bread. Luke 4

Lust of the eyes

1. Eve saw the fruit pleasing to the eyes

2. Satan Showed Jesus all the kingdoms

Pride of life

1. Satan told Eve she could be LIKE God

2. Satan told Jesus “If you are GOD”

Love for the world is from the world, not God vs 16

The world is passing away. Vs 17

Quit buiding your sand castles

Matthew 7:24-27 ““Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.””

Love for the Father

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

Love for the Father does the will of the Father. vs 15

John 14:15 ““If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

John 13:35 ““By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.””

Love for the Father is eternal. Vs 17

Build you castle on the solid rock

Conclusion

1. As a child of God your sins are forgiven because of the work of Christ. You may know God

2. Two stages of Christianity, fathers and young men. (does not matter what stage you are in you should have both traits)

3. Who do you love? The world/yourself or Jesus

4. Bart Campolo of American Gospel: Christ Crucified (2019) said you do not need Jesus to love people and be a good person.

The scripture teaches, you do. You are not able to keep the law. We are freed from sin because of the work of Jesus. You can know Jesus

So What??

Live as children of God, by rejecting the worldly flesh and being doers of the Word.