Love One Another

1 John 3:11 (ESV)

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

the phrase is a verb, a “continuous hearing”, like the ringing in the ears. It’s the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus, that He came and lived a life of perfect righteous obedience to God and died in the place of sinners that they may be forgiven, this is grace. If you hadn’t heard this, or maybe today you just need reminding, then hear this. If you tune out after 5-minutes and all you remember is this, that’s great. Job done by me! We were made in God’s image to rule over the world, to steward it, and to live in communion with God as a sense of our perfect fulfillment. We were made to enjoy every minute of existence. Yet, as God’s image, we rose in rebellion to His rule and reign and decided we were worthy ourselves to sit in His place. We believed our knowledge more vast, our wisdom more deep. Our rebellion is sin. Our sin is foolishness, and what have we purchased with our self-rule. Endless war and suffering across the world we were to nuture to flourish. Endless turmoil in our hearts that were to rest in perfect unison with our maker. Jesus’ death on the cross, His sacrifice, offers any who believe renewal and restoration and forgiveness that we may be in communion with Him again.

John wrote of this Good News and He says: “that we should love one another.” The result, the fruit of one’s life upon hearing the Good News of Jesus, is love for their borthers and sisters in Christ.

1 John 3:12 (ESV)

We should not be like Cain, 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.

John dives straight into an anecdote to contrast the grace of Jesus. The love, the grace and mercy of His forgiveness offered to you against the backdrop of the hatred, evil murderous heart of man forced against a brother. He points to the story of Cain and Abel, the story of the humanity’s very first murder. Why did Cain murder his brother? John says, because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. He was jealous, envious, resentful. How do we get from jealousy, to murder?

John also says that Cain was of the evil one. This is talking about the devil or Satan. Jesus says in John 8:44, the Devil “was a murderer from the beginning”. We have no account of this murder, scripture alludes to a rebellion by Satan against God, he was an angel, a beautiful angel, he is called the Morning Star so bright was He. We don’t have an account of him murdering anyone but we do have the account of his deception of Adam and Eve. He appears to Eve, causes her and Adam to fall into rebellion, just like he has. You probably know this but have you ever wondered why? Why did Satan do this? Why did Satan cause Adam and Eve to fall into sin and rebellion just like him?

Isaiah 14:12–13 (ESV)

“How you are fallen from heaven,

O Day Star, son of Dawn!

How you are cut down to the ground,

you who laid the nations low!

You said in your heart,

‘I will ascend to heaven;

above the stars of God

I will set my throne on high;

I will sit on the mount of assembly

in the far reaches of the north;

Satan, like Cain, was jealous. He is envious of God and had grown to resent Him. He desired to become greater than Him. His act of coercion against Adam and Eve was a malicious act of revenge against God. That he would take God’s most treasured of all creation, His image, His people and turn them against Him. How was he a murderer? He desired within himself, for God to perish, for him to lose what was dear to him, for his image to perish and to cause conflict within the righteous communion of God and His people. Hatred is desiring ill for another.

This is the blueprint of sin. Sin in this world is often not the result of the lack of righteousness but rather a hatred of it. Remember John’s expose of the nature of God from chapter 1- God is light.

John 3:20 (ESV)

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

John says in v.13

1 John 3:13 (ESV)

Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.

The fallen world hates the message of Jesus. Satan hated God. This is the pattern of sin that we see in our own world and our own lives- negative feelings/thoughts lead to hatred within one’s heart which Jesus says is akin to murder.

You have possibly experienced in a group conversation, someone’s name coming up and one member in that conversation doing this: *sigh* the rolling of the eyes, the off-hand comments or even the overt comments about the person, a loathful aversion of that person. That is what hatred looks like. Now, none of us would say we hate anyone! Hate is a strong word. However, the synonyms of hatred are these: loathing, enmity, animosity, bitterness, dislike, disgust, contempt. I’d bet many of you, as I gave that example may have had moments in your life come to mind, perhaps of other people, perhaps yourself. John echo’s Jesus’ words:

1 John 3:15 (ESV)

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

This verse is not a verse of condemnation but salvation. It’s a canary in the coal mine. John doesn’t mean here that those who hate others are not saved or have forfeited their salvation. No. Someone who has murder in their heart desires that person to perish. Hatred in the heart of a person may not wish physcial harm to the person of their ire, but may indeed desire to see that person perish in their success, in their social standing and reputation. Perhaps if they hold positions of power or influence they wish, in their hatred, for them to be stripped of their rank and humiliated and sidelined in society, away from the hater’s line-of-sight. It’s for this reason that Jesus will teach us hatred is akin to murder. Both hatred and murder, are a desire to see those whom you dislike or have an issue with, to perish and fail. But here is the warning:

Ephesians 4:26–27 (ESV)

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

We live in an ultra-modern society. Human technology has far exceed the wildest dreams of our ancestors. Yet we are still the same fallen, stupid creatures as we were at the dawn of time. We are prone to tearing down others in their success or out of our own jealousy. We love our spouses deeply yet so simply wound them. We are still tribal and form our cliques. We are still the same and so is the devil. He still hates God. He hates Jesus and he hates the Church.

Does Satan want Whitehill to enjoy success and exponential growth? he does not. But he won’t come flying through those doors declaring “I HATE YOU!” I imagine, bearing witness to such a scene, we would band together in utmost unity, Avengers style and kick some fallen angel butt. All differences of background, status, socioeconomic standing, thoughts and opinions will melt away in the face of evil and good facing eachother down.

For the time being, that will not be how Satan will act toward us. He is known to us through the scriptures as a liar and a deceiver. His blueprint strategy is clear to us. It is seen in Cain murdering Abel. He stalks around looking for footholds in the hearts of people, particularly believers. These footholds are the bitterness, resentment, envy and jealousy, he riles them into hatred and from their he uses his hold to reek havoc within God’s people. Disunity, disfunction, moral failure and factionism are his KPI’s. And often times he leaves broken, disillusioned believers pointing the finger at God.

Do not give him a foothold, friends. Give no quarter.

John ties us into his next point in v.14

1 John 3:14 (ESV)

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

We have passed out of death into life, the pains of Cain do not have to be our reality. How so?

1 John 3:16–18 (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. 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.

Jesus’ death on the cross serves to set you free from the bondage of sin and the condemnation of death. His death also serves as the template for the christian life, that is: self-sacrifice. John is tying this truth like a thread through all his arguments. Just as the Gospel can be summarised by loving one another, it can also be summarised; as Jesus laid himself down for us so should we do the same for eachother.

John lays his point at as this: how can you claim to know the love of Jesus if you do not demonstrate it? Love is to abide in you. This is a truth littered all throughout scripture:

Luke 6:45 (ESV)

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

If love abides within you, love ought to come out of you. If evil is what is coming out, what is abiding within you?

James 2:26 (ESV)

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

If one has come into knowing Jesus and his finished works, believing in their heart He is the Christ and has then receieved the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. How could one not respond in love? How could we not respond with truth-enriched kindness to those around us?

There is to be a clear distinction between the believer and the world. That distinction is marked by love. Love in how we spend our time, prioritising church services and gatherings, our life group and serving our church and the community. Love in how we use our resources- minimising money spent on our self, on luxuries and comforts so we can maximise our giving to the local church and missions, having cash assets to spend in emergencies to support our local church community and other generosities. Love in how we speak. Death is a negative, life is a positive- when we speak do we add to the world, to others or do we detract from it? Love should and shall mark all that we do. whoever does not love abides in death v.14 and do not be surprised brothers that the world hates you v.13. The world hates, we ought to love.

1 John 3:19 (ESV)

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

John now moves into his specialty: assurance.

1 John 3:20–22 (ESV)

for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

Contrary to what our world tries to tell us, our heart does not have our best interests in mind. Our heart is unruly and driven by desire. It serves as a weak spot in our defence against the Evil One who seeks for a foothold to overcome us. Our hearts are not to be trusted. If you, perhaps, are struggling with doubt, self-hatred, self-condemnation, if you find yourself overwhelmed with desires in your heart contrary to the Gospel; know this- that is natural. You are not alone in it. Know also that God is superior to our rebellious hearts, he knows everything and yet has offered us grace and forgiveness. If we can render ourselves before him, submit ourselves to him and his commands we can rule over our hearts.

I belive this is what Jesus was referring to when he says he has come to give us “life and life in abundance”. A heart that has found tranquility gives way to a life lived in communion with God which is free and unrestricted. No more striving against ourselves just to drag ourselves to read our devotions or submit ourselves in prayer. We have confidence to not only approach him in prayer but recieve answers. Not simply because we have ticked a list so now he will give us what we want, but a heart in submission to God has alinged its own will with his will. The heart now desires what God desires and finds pleasure in serving him well. The things we now desire to ask are things already in his open, outstretched hand.

And what is the will of God?

1 John 3:23–24 (ESV)

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. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Isn’t this a beautiful picture. Imagine with me, feel free to close your eyes and try to picture it. Consider the rebellious tendancies of your own heart as leaf litter on the ground. The leaves are the anger, envy, jealousy, gossip, slander, competitivness, greed, laziness, apathy- all the short comings of your nature. The unrulyness you have yet to rule over. The wind of God, His Spirit’s presence, blows gently through and lifts the leaves into the air and they flutter away. Your heart is now free to seek first the kingdom of God. No more striving, no more feelings of condemnation or separation or unworthiness. His presence dwells within you. You are free. Now imagine a whole community of believers coming together, all in the same state of freedom. This is the picture of whom God’s people are to be.

The scriptures describe God’s people as a bride, adorned with beauty and wonder on her wedding night. Beautiful, elegant, graceful, exquisite. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the debt of ours that he paid this is how God views his Church. I can relate, I remember how Hayley looked on our wedding night. It is hard to comprehend how God’s love could be so much more than how that makes me feel, but he does- how deep is His love for us!

Yet we are not yet there. It is not the wedding night of Christ and His Bride. The Church suffers deeply. From persecution and hatred from the world, yes, but also from the sin amonst its own people. I know too many stories of church hurt and inner turmoil. We are his bride but we are bruised, battered and bloodied. There is a lack of trust amongst the believers. Bruised hearts. Strained relationships. Contention amongst the gathering. Factions and dissent Oh would that He return and heal his bride.

Let me finish with this:

Nancy Guthrie in her book, Better than Eden, writes about the desire of God’s people to return to Eden and eat from the tree of life. There was hope that it would bring healing and life, restoration and renewal to God’s intended paradise. Nacy writes (it’s long, I’m not sorry):

The prophets also expressed a longing for acces to this tree that would bring life and health to a people made sick by sin. One particular prophet, Jeremiah, described his longing for his people in terms of a tree that grew only in Gilead, a region beyond the Jordan River. The resin from this tree, known for its healing properties, was made into a balm that cleansed, soothed and cured. Because the tree only grew in Gilead, the balm produced from it was costly and precious. Elsewhere Isaiah wrote that God’s people were “battered from head to foot- covered with bruises, welts and infected wounds- without any soothing ointments and bandages” (Isa. 1:6 NLT) Of course, he wasn’t talking about physical injuries but spiritual injuries, self-inflicted wounds caused by sin. Jeremiah didn’t want to accept that there was no available cure.

“For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded; I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead? I there no physician there? Why then haas the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? (Jer. 8:21-22)

When he asked, “is there no balm in Gilead?” Jeremiah was expressing his longing for the life and healing God had promised to provide to his people. But, of course, this life and healing would not come from a tree in Gilead. It would come from a tree on Golgotha.”

Golgotha was the site, just outside the walls of Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified upon a cross. It would be by his affliction, his suffering, his death, that God’s people would recieve their healing.

When Jesus summarised the commandments of God, He said; to love God with every part of you and to love others, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Perhaps we can consider it this way, do unto others as Christ has done to you.

What has Christ done to you? He has forgiven you. He has taken your place and suffered a death deserving to each of us. He has let go of the wrongs, that love may prevail.

What will you do? If we cling to the cross of Jesus, there ought to be something beautfiully distinct about us. A life lived with our eyes fixed on the paradise to come. Hearts filled with the knowledge of His finsihed works. Hope knowing He will carry us to completion, just like He promised.

As Christ has applied the soothing, curing balm of His grace, from the tree upon Golgotha, to you and your sin-wounds. What will you do?

Pray.