The Impossible Love-Hate Relationship
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Christmas shopping as a broke sibling
Christmas shopping as a broke sibling
TRANSITION: God has shown us love that we did not deserve, so that we can love Him and love others.
TRANSITION: God has shown us love that we did not deserve, so that we can love Him and love others.
it is impossible to experience God’s love, to claim to love Him, and AT THE SAME TIME, hate your brother.
It’s like oil and water
Ketchup and ranch
M&M’s and Skittles
They do not mix or co-exist
John is writing to brothers in Christ, He wants them to have assurance and He wants to encourage them in their spiritual walk:
Remember: these are the things you should believe and do
Keep going: if you’re believing and doing these things, awesome, keep going
Be encouraged!
7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
EXPLAIN
BELOVED: divinely chosen and divinely loved
these are people that God has chosen, and because they are chosen they are loved by Him.
Remember that God loves you, that you love God, and that you’ve been called to a new life in this love...
The Old Commandment From the Beginning — The Word You Have Heard
The first time they heard the gospel message
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
“The word that you have heard”
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Called/Saved to holiness, righteousness, light, truth, right relationship with God THROUGH and BECAUSE OF Jesus Christ, His sacrifice on the cross.
KEY VERSE: Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
KEY VERSE: Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
John says, “I’m not writing to you anything new, you’ve heard this before...”
BUT THEN HE SAYS:
The New Commandment that I am writing to You — True in Him and in You
So is it old or is it new, make up your mind John!
It’s OLD in the sense that:
God has always been love, He has always commanded his people to love
The Ten Commandments are an example of that
Old in the sense of hearing the gospel for the first time
NEW in the sense that:
Christ renewed/re-emphasized the commandment
Christ lived out the command showing us how we should keep it
New in the sense we should always dwell on and strive to love, and we see His love being displayed in and through us
John says it “is true in him (Christ) and it is true in you”
The command, the word that we’ve heard, that we believe, is true, and we see that because the darkness is passing away and true light is already shining
This is not temporary, it is not being extinguished
The true light (that is Christ) is shining, and the darkness/old age is passing away
1. Remind yourself daily of the love that God has shown you (vv. 7-8).
1. Remind yourself daily of the love that God has shown you (vv. 7-8).
7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
EMPHASIZE
The Old Commandment
The Old Commandment
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
The New Commandment
The New Commandment
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
ILLUSTRATE
Cf. Philippians 2 (Christ’s love in humility and serving)
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Love in speaking the truth:
21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Love in keeping commandments:
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
SACRIFICIAL LOVE of Christ
prayed for disciples
washed their feet
provided food
gave them the truth
led them in the way they should go
gave his life for them
rebuked them
shared hope with them
APPLY
Prayers of praise
Songs of praise
Read passages reminding you of life before and after turning to Christ
Obedience because you love God and He loved you enough to give you new life so that you could obey Him.
If we are in the light, if we have experienced the love of God and if we love God, then the outflow/outpouring of that WILL be love for others.
Christ loves the Father, and loves those that the Father has given Him.
If you’re going to be like Christ, if you’re going to
experience the love of God
love Him
you will also love others.
It’s not possible to love God and hate other people.
It’s not possible to truly love other people if you are not loved by God and loving Him
So what is John saying: He’s saying… “Beloved (chosen and loved by God), remember the call to love God and love others. It’s true, and it’s clear that it’s true because it’s happening and the darkness is passing away. If you are truly living in this love, you’re going to love others.”
YOU CAN HAVE ASSURANCE as you look at how you treat others...
2. Love others purposefully with the love that God has shown you (vv. 9-11).
2. Love others purposefully with the love that God has shown you (vv. 9-11).
9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Who is my brother/neighbor?
33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Just think about who Christ loved:
He loved people who actively hated him, sinned against him, and were his ENEMIES.
We can and should love those whom God has placed in our lives.
What is love?
To regard with affection
To show selfless self-sacrifice even unto death
Jesus described it as “The one who showed him mercy”
ROMANS 5:8
English Standard Version Chapter 5
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
When we talk of love, what are we saying:
You desire what’s best for a person, and you’re willing to sacrifice to achieve their best interest.
You desire what’s best for a person, and you’re willing to sacrifice to achieve their best interest.
Examples of dog-poop and back-rubs with AJ
Examples of parents saying no to certain things for kids
video games
bed times
Example of OUR SALVATION
HOW DO WE LOVE OTHERS LIKE GOD HAS LOVED US? WHEN JOHN SAYS THAT “WHOEVER LOVES HIS BROTHER ABIDES IN THE LIGHT,” WHAT KIND OF LOVE IS THAT?
You care about those around you so much, you desire their best interest so much, that you’re willing to sacrifice, even to the point of death, for their best interest. What is their best interest?
Knowing God and following Christ.
Glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.
In all of your actions, you’re trying to help accomplish that goal
THAT IS WHAT CHRIST DID FOR YOU!
A study in 1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Showing off “fancy spiritual gifts” but don’t have love (looking to do what’s best for your brother or sister, to the point of sacrifice), you’re just a noisy nuisance
If you have the amazing ability to understand all mysteries and knowledge, you have incredible faith, you’re like the Christian of Christians, the best of the best, but don’t have love, you are NOTHING. It benefits you NOTHING.
You could be incredibly generous. You could be incredibly sacrificial, but if you don’t have love (looking to do what’s best for your brother or sister in CHRIST) then you gain nothing.
LOVE IS...
Patient
Kind
Selfless
Meek
Humble
Gentle/Thoughtful
Prioritizes others
Long-suffering
Forgiving
Celebrates holiness, obedience, righteousness
bears all things
believes all things
hopes all things
endures all things
Never ends (God will never end)
LOOK AT HOW YOUR LEADERS SHOW LOVE FOR YOU
giving up weekends
hanging out with kids all the time
financial costs
emotional costs
time costs
They love you and want you to know/follow God.
“No cause for stumbling”
If you’re loving people like this, there won’t be cause for stumbling.
If you’re living with the priorities we’re talking about and actively trying to sacrifice to accomplish that, you’re not going to be stumbling in sin
anger
lying
lust
selfishness
impatience
HATE
What is hate?
Anger
Looking for their demise
Direct Opposition
To dislike strongly with the implication of aversion and hostility
Failure to love as Christ commands and enables
THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE
HATE IS...
erratic
cruel
selfish (envious)
boastful
proud
rude
insists on its own way
irritable
resentful
rejoices at wrong-doing
Does not bear all things
Does not believe all things
Does not hope all things
Does not endure all things
Will end (God will put it to an end)
IF you truly have experienced God’s glorious love
IF you truly love God
IF you truly love others
Why would you withhold the truth, why would you withhold serving others, why would you do things to cause them to stumble, why would you prioritize yourself?
Christ (being God and experiencing the love of the Father) knows how it should be and how right it is. He went to the furthest extent—dying for you—so that you could experience it.
If you are truly in the light, if you are truly a follower of Christ, then you are convinced of how amazing God is, and you love Him.
As a result, you will love others and want them to know God, no matter the cost.
Closing
Closing