1 John 3:11-24
Notes
Transcript
Background
Last week we looked at the first half of 1 John 3, and talked about the practicing of righteousness and sin. The overall theme of the book is knowing who God is, believing in His Son Jesus Christ, and having assurance of eternal life.
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;
12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
We saw last week how John contrasted the children of God and the children of the devil.
Those who practice sin are of the devil, and does not love as God does.
By practising righteousness and loving one another, we prove that we are children of God.
As John as said in ch. 2, this is the message of the gospel.
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
But this really is not a new command, just as Jesus says in Matthew:
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 foremost commandment.
39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
This command is also the crux of the gospel, that we love God and do as we’ve been commanded: to love one another.
Loving one another is how we show that we love God.
Loving one another is how we show that we love God.
John then contrasts with an ancient example: Cain.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Cain was mastered and enslaved by his sin, and in doing so he hated his brother in his heart. He is representative of the world.
21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’
22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
What is in the heart is made manifest in reality.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth.
And so the world hates us.
19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
Remember from ch. 1, we are children of the Light.
16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
This reminds us of the standard by which we love: Jesus. He gave Himself up for us as the ultimate possible expression of love.
13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
We were hopelessly in need of a savior when Christ died for us.
Therefore, we should close our hearts towards others in need.
14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
Notice who is in need: a brother or sister.
7 “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother;
8 but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.
This again reveals the heart of God - We should take care of each other.
35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This is how the Church is designed to operate.
32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.
33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.
34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales
35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.
This is not describing communism, nor does this say that we must give to everyone we meet in need. It is for the Church, specifically directed towards other believers.
This also applies towards the cause of Christ.
7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
If we see a brother or sister in Christ who is in need, we are called to give cheerfully.
If we see a brother or sister in Christ who is in need, we are called to give cheerfully.
Remember, it is meant to be giving out of abundance.
11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”
19 We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
Our deeds speak for themselves, but sometimes we feel guilt, shame, or inadequacy in our actions.
God knows our hearts and intentions. If we do well and are sincere, our actions will bear fruit.
7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
If we are seeking God’s will, then what we ask for will be righteous and not selfish.
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?
2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
This brings us back to the world hating God. Sin is opposed to the will of God.
John concludes this section with the essence of the gospel - believe in Jesus, and love one another.
The evidence of this is the indwelling of the Spirit.
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
Loving one another is how we show that we love God.
If we see a brother or sister in Christ who is in need, we are called to give cheerfully.
Next week, we will continue through 1 John.
Communion: We practice open communion, which means if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you may join the church in taking the Lord’s Supper. Communion is a practice of remembering what Christ has done by eating and drinking, and we are told that we must examine ourselves in the taking of communion, so that we do not eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner. Take this time to examine yourself before we take communion together.
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.