Ripple Effect: Love One Another 2 John 4-6

Intro: Good Morning FE, my name is Josue Aguilar, most people know me as Josh, I am one of the elders at the espanol campus, it is great to have you here this morning as we continue our series Ripple Effect. In this series we are discover how a heart transformed by the Gospel, changes how we treat one another. Two weeks ago we looked at the command to live in peace with one another, and last week we looked at the command, do not envy one another. This week we are looking at the command love one another.

One of Jesus’ final conversations with his disciples, hours before he was arrested, he says this John 13:35

John 13:35 (ESV)

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

En esto conocerán todos que sois mis discípulos, si os tenéis amor los unos a los otros.

Before we talk about the “this” Jesus is referring to, lets talk about disciples. Jesus by this people will know that you are my disciples. How many, don’t raise your hands, consider your self a disciple of Jesus? Think about that for a minute.... am i disciple if Jesus?

As your thinking about that, let me ask you another question, what is a disciple? I think it is critical we answer this question, before we talk about the “by this” because Jesus is implying something about the people in the upper room with him, when he calls them a disciple. We know that 12 of them were chosen by Christ from the beginning of his ministry, they have been with him, every one say “con Jesus”/with Jesus, they have learned from, watched him, sent out by him, they know how he talked, with sinners, with religious leaders, with those who closely followed him, how he talked with the crowds that followed him just to get something from him. These men, these disciples of Jesus, they learned from the feet of the master for about three years. You see disciple, the way Jesus uses it means, student, learner, and this wasn’t like a student as we use it today, someone who goes to school and then leaves. The type of student or disciple Jesus is talking about is a life on life type of learning, you follow me, i will teach you, I will show you, then I will send you so you can show others.

Are you a disciple of Jesus? Is there someone in your life passing on the truths of Jesus through the scriptures, who you are learning from and accountable to? Are these truths causing a transformation in your life? Are you learning them so that you can teach others? This is the type of discipleship Jesus is talking about here, are you a disciple of Jesus?

If you are, then Jesus says “by this” people will know you are my disciples. What is this? By your love for one another. Jesus has shown them how to love one another for 3 years, he has just finished washing their feet, he is about to die on a cross for them, Jesus is about to lay down his life for his friends. That is love and we know his disciple John, he caught a passion for the love of Jesus, so much so, that the 4 books he wrote in the New Testament, love is a dominant theme in all of them. For the rest of our time we are going to allow the Apostle John to disciple us through 1,2,3 John on what it means to love one another. I encourage to go home this week and read the letters of 1,2,3 John, they are short and really quick to read.

2 John 4-6 says this,

2 John 4–6 (ESV)

I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth,

Mucho me alegré al encontrar algunos de tus hijos andando en la verdad,

John is writing to a church, so when he says children, think disciples. When you here the words dear lady, think church.

just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

al como hemos recibido mandamiento del Padre. 5 Y ahora te ruego, señora, no como escribiéndote un nuevo mandamiento, sino el que hemos tenido desde el principio, que nos amemos unos a otros. 6 Y este es el amor[b]: que andemos conforme a sus mandamientos. Este es el mandamiento tal como lo habéis oído desde el principio, para que andéis en él.

John says, I am rejoicing that you are making disciples, just as we are commanded to, but now I am going to ask you to love one another, now this is nothing new, this is the same commandment from the beginning, the beginning of what, Jesus’ ministry? Beginning of time? what does John mean? We will see in a bit.

But I think it is interesting John defines love, now if we went around the room and asked everyone what is love? we would get a whole bunch of answers. If we walked and asked people what is love at the Promenade at Chenal, I am sure we would get a whole bunch of interesting answers. Let’s ask the apostle John, what is love?

This is love, that we walk according to his commandments. wow! John says love is obeying the Scriptures, and when you walk in love you walk in obedience to God’s word. Keep that thought as we are learning from the apostle John.

Let’s jump to the book of 1 John, in 1 John, John takes us on a journey and on this journey he uses contrasts, like light and darkness, children of God and children of the devil, death and life, truth from error, love and hate. John will introduce these contrast and as we move from chapter 1 through chapter 5 the circle of what it means to be in the light, or what it means to be in the truth or what it means to love grows wider and deeper.

We also know that John was written so that we may know we are children of God, so John writes in such way that you can examine your life to see if your heart has been transformed by the Gospel. John helps us answer the questions;

Do I believe the truths about Jesus?

If I believe these truths, am I obedient to these truths? Does my life reflect what I believe?

Am I obedient to the command to love one another?

We are only going to focus on the command to love one another, we want to discover what John meant by love one another. His first mention of love is in 1 John 2:4-6

1 John 2:4–6 (ESV)

Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.

4 El que dice: Yo he llegado a conocerle, y no guarda sus mandamientos, es un mentiroso y la verdad no está en él; 5 pero el que guarda su palabra, en él verdaderamente el amor de Dios se ha perfeccionado.

Listen to that last sentence, whoever keeps God’s word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. Perfected doesn’t mean, perfect in the way we think about it today, 100% obedience. The word perfect is complete or mature, and it is passive meaning that work of perfection or maturity in your life is being done by God. God’s love is working in your life in such a way that your are being obedient to God’s word. In other words, The Ripple Effect of a heart transformed by the Gospel is obedience out of love. Through the Gospel, the Spirit of God transform your heart and in the process changes you from hate towards God and his word to a love toward God and his word, to the point that you desire God, you desire his word, you desire to love God and keep his word. Your life begins to reflect the life of Christ and the love of Christ.

By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

En esto sabemos que estamos en Él. 6 El que dice que permanece en Él, debe[c] andar como Él anduvo.

John continues to point out that One of the marks of a believer is do you have love for one another. Listen to what John says,

1 John 2:9–11 (ESV)

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 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.

9 El que dice que está en la luz, y aborrece a su hermano, está aún[f] en tinieblas. 10 El que ama a su hermano, permanece en la luz y no hay causa de tropiezo en él. 11 Pero el que aborrece a su hermano, está en tinieblas y anda en tinieblas, y no sabe adónde va, porque las tinieblas han cegado sus ojos.

John says if you say you are in the light, if you say I am follower of Jesus, I am his disciple and you hate your brother, you are still in darkness, you walk in darkness, you have no direction because you are in the dark.

1 John 4:20 (ESV)

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

20 Si alguno dice: Yo amo a Dios, y aborrece a su hermano, es un mentiroso; porque el que no ama a su hermano, a quien ha visto, no puede[o] amar a Dios a quien no ha visto.

If you say you love God but hate your brother, you are a liar, why? How can you love God, who you haven’t seen, if you can’t even love your brother who you can see.

1 John 3:10–15 (ESV)

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

En esto se reconocen[n] los hijos de Dios y los hijos del diablo: todo aquel que no practica la justicia, no es de Dios; tampoco aquel que no amaa su hermano.

John says this is how you know the children of God from the children of the devil, if you have a lifestyle of disobedience and if you do not love your brother, you are not a child of God, but a child of the devil.

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain,

Porque este es el mensaje que habéis oído desde el principio: que nos amemos unos a otros; 12 no como Caín

When is the beginning John is talking about? All the way back to Genesis, When God came to ask Cain about why he killed Abel, what did Cain say? “Am I my brothers keeper?” God’s answer to Cain was, based on the punishment he recieved is, yes you are, why? Because of love, love one another.

who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

que era del maligno, y mató a su hermano. ¿Y por qué causa lo mató? Porque sus obras eran malas, y las de su hermano justas.

13 Hermanos, no os maravilléis si el mundo os odia. 14 Nosotros sabemos que hemos pasado de muerte a vida porque amamos a los hermanos. El que no ama permanece en muerte. 15 Todo el que aborrece a su hermano es homicida, y vosotros sabéis que ningún homicida tiene vida eterna permanente en él.

Listen to John, we know we have passed from death to life, because we love the brothers. John is very clear, if you have a problem loving one another, if you hate your brother, then you are in darkness, you are a liar, you are a child of the devil and not a child of God, and you are still dead. But if you love one another then you are in the light, you are a child of God, you are walking in the truth, and you are alive in Christ. Your love for others is proof God has transformed your life.

But what does John mean by love one another? How do I know I am loving the way God wants me to love? How do I show love and now hate to others?

Well John continues to explain what loving one another looks like as we go through the book of 1 John. Listen to what John says

1 John 3:16 (ESV)

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

En esto conocemos el amor: en que Él puso su vida por nosotros; también nosotros debemos poner nuestras vidas por los hermanos.

You see, when John was writing, The Spirit of God knew there would be people like me who would ask the question, what does loving my brother look like? The Spirit of God, through John says, this is love, Jesus laid down his life for us. John, who was their during the death of Jesus on the cross, says look at what Jesus has done for us, we ought to do the same for our brothers. John doesn’t start with something easy, he goes write to the heart of the question of what does love look like, and says you want to know what love looks like, look to the cross. Before John gives any does and don’ts about love, he wants you to understand that loving one another isn’t about do’s and don’ts, it is about a an attitude of the heart that is willing to go as far as necessary to love one another.

Loving one another means we are willing to lay down our lives for each other.

John Continues...

1 John 3:17–19 (ESV)

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;

17 Pero el que tiene bienes de este mundo, y ve a su hermano en necesidad y cierra su corazón contra él, ¿cómo puede morar el amor de Dios en él? 18 Hijos, no amemos de palabra ni de lengua, sino de hecho y en verdad. 19 En esto sabremos que somos de la verdad, y aseguraremos[t] nuestros corazones delante de Él

Loving one another means we share what we have with one another.

To John, seeing your brother in need and you have the ability and means to help and you don’t, to John that is hating your brother and God’s love doesn’t abide in you. John says if you can help your brother in need, then love by your actions and in truth. When you love this way you know you are in the truth and your heart is reassured that God is working in your life.

1 John 4:7–11 (ESV)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have 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 also ought to love one another.

7 Amados, amémonos unos a otros, porque el amor es de Dios, y todo el que ama es nacido de Dios y conoce a Dios. 8 El que no ama no conoce a Dios, porque Dios es amor. 9 En esto se manifestó el amor de Dios en nosotros: en que Dios ha enviado a su Hijo unigénito al mundo para que vivamos por medio de Él. 10 En esto consiste el amor: no en que nosotros hayamos amado a Dios, sino en que Él nos amó a nosotros y envió a su Hijo como propiciación por nuestros pecados. 11 Amados, si Dios así nos amó, también nosotros debemos amarnos unos a otros.

The standard by which we are to measure our love for one another, is not how I love people, or how Alfredo loves people, of how Rosy loves people. The standard bt which we measure our love for one another is God. John says God is love, God sent his only Son into the world, to be the sacrifice for our sins, Jesus took the punishment of our sin so that we might live through him. If God so loved us, we also ought o love one another.

Love one another as God has loved you through Christ.

1 John 5:1–3 (ESV)

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Todo aquel que cree que Jesús es el Cristo, es nacido de Dios; y todo aquel que ama al Padre, ama al que ha nacido de Él. 2 En esto sabemos que amamos a los hijos de Dios: cuando amamos a Dios y guardamos sus mandamientos. 3 Porque este es el amor de Dios: que guardemos sus mandamientos, y sus mandamientos no son gravosos.

This is how we know we love one another, when we love God and obey his commandments. This should revolutionize your life right here, because John is saying, this is how you can love one another by loving God and by being obedient to God’s word.

Love one another by being obedient to God’s Word

You want to love one another, love God and be obedient to God’s word, because doing so will result in loving one another. If I love God and I am obedient to his word, it is going to very hard to hate my brother, why? Because I am focused on loving God and loving his word that it impacting and transforming how I love others.

John says Love one another by

laying down your life for others

sharing what you have with your brothers and sisters in need

Loving like God has loved us

and loving God and living faithful to God’s word.

In John’s 3rd letter, John gives us a case study of two people, a man named Gaius and another man Diotrephes. To my knowledge they are only mentioned here in 3 John, so all we know about them is written here in 3 John. Listen to what John says about these two men and ask your self do I want be like Gaius or Diotrephes?

Do you want to be known as a Gaius or a Diotrephes?

3 John 5–8 (ESV)

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

5 Amado, estás obrando fielmente en lo que haces por los hermanos, y sobre todo cuando se trata de extraños; 6 pues ellos dan testimonio de tu amor ante la iglesia. Harás bien en ayudarles a proseguir su viaje[c] de una manera digna de Dios. 7 Pues ellos salieron por amor al Nombre, no aceptando nada de los gentiles. 8 Por tanto, debemos acoger a tales hombres[d], para que seamos colaboradores en pro de la verdad.

We now that Gaius is faithful, and others are testifying of the love Gaius has for the missionaries travelling to share the Gospel with others, strangers to Gaius, but loves them as if they were members of the church. Supporting and sharing with them as they have need.

3 John 9–10 (ESV)

I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

9 Escribí algo a la iglesia, pero Diótrefes, a quien le gusta ser el primero entre ellos, no acepta lo que decimos. 10 Por esta razón, si voy, llamaré la atención a las obras que hace, acusándonos injustamente con palabras maliciosas; y no satisfecho con esto, él mismo no recibe a los hermanos, se lo prohíbe a los que quieren hacerlo y los expulsa de la iglesia.

Diotrephes, is just the opposite, he doesn’t lay down his life for the brothers, but is selfish and disobedient. Causing division, speaking evil against the apostles, refuses to welcome the brothers and stops those who want to welcome the brothers not only does he stop them but he kicks them out of the church.

FE, do you want to be known as someone who loves the brothers like Gaius or a hates the brothers like Diotrephes?