Where is Our Love

1 John 2:12–14 “12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

Prayer

John writes to believers in various stages of maturity in Christ:

teknion- little children (v12)

paidion- young learner

young men- characterized by strength and vigor to overcome

fathers- characterized by experiential knowledge of God and His ways

1 John 2:15–17 “15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

agapao- verb form of agape. “Do not be given over to…”

kosmos- the natural world

not merely temptation to evil things, but also over-indulgence in the good and beautiful

The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things—the beauty, the memory of our own past—are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.

Rebuttal

Religious- when we are drawn and held to tradition and form rather than the vitality of a living relationship with a living God

Rebellious- when we place God on the shelf while we gather things, people, experiences which will ultimately “break the heart of their worshippers”

Romans 1:21 ESV

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

How Then Shall We Live?

gratitude and honor of God- not just for what He has done, but for who he is

invite the Holy Spirit to transform our thinking

help us glory in Christ