Children of the Devil
1 John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 5 viewsAre you a Child of God or a Child of the Devil. John makes it quite clear.
Notes
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Nothing in the world is friendlier than a wet dog.
Dan Bennett, Bits & Pieces, April 28, 1994, p. 5.
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.
John describes 2 categories:
Children of God
Children of Devil.
How can we know,
which category
we belong?
Children of God:
practice righteousness.
Children of Devil
do opposite...
What is interesting
could have said:
Children of God
practice righteousness.
Children of Devil
practice evil...
Does say that later..
But here says:
Children of God
practice righteousness.
Children of Devil
Don’t Love Their Brothers
Don’t Love Their Brothers
As you can see:
he is comparing the concepts:
practicing evil
=
not loving brother.
To John
those are equivalent.
If you don’t
love your brother...
you practice evil!
The foundation
righteousness
or evil
is very simple....
Do we love people?
Do we love people?
We could be like pharisees...
Who is my brother?
(they said neighbor).
We know the answer,
brother is everyone...
In fact,
next verse
makes that clear:
For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
God is simple:
practicing righteousness
is loving everyone.
Now I know what you are thinking...
Is everyone...
really everyone???
Jesus told Jews
they need to love their neighbor..
Jews wanted to know
who is my neighbor.
Jesus told the
parable of Good Samaritan.
Those who don’t understand
culture of the time
miss the whole thing.
The Jews hated Samaritans.
Looked down on them.
Called them dogs.
Worse than Gentiles.
Half Jews.
Halfway faithful.
There was nobody
they Jews hated more than
the Samaritans.
Family Drama
Family Drama
Goes does not like
hardship or conflict.
But the truth is,
sometimes we need
some of it to
develop our character.
The Family is
the school of Christ.
We are such selfish people.
Family is a school
of humility.
We cannot always
win
be right
be comfortable.
Sometimes we are right
but we choose to surrender
for the greater good
PEACE!
Family is practice
for heaven.
It brings out
best in us
worst in us.
Through family
greatest selflessness
greatest selfishness.
Going to basement
to turn on water.
Church Drama
Church Drama
Church is a big family.
Many purposes for church.
One of them is
to grow in selflessness.
One best way
God puts us around
people we don’t really like!!!
Everyone has
certain personalities.
Each of use have
personalities we don’t enjoy.
We truly need people
that we don’t enjoy.
God is teaching us to
love people that
we don’t really like!!!
I can’t tell you
how often people
come to me to discuss...
interpersonal conflict.
So and so
offended so and so.
This is weekly.
Monthly or Quarterly
I hear people say
I’m not going
talk to them
come to church
work with them
etc. etc.
We don’t realize
God brought them here
to grow us!!!!
We need those people!
To grow our character!!!!
Jesus wants us to
become like him.
Jesus loves every human.
Even those who
don’t love Him back.
That is
painful
frustrating
annoying.
That is the daily
Love of God.
God wants us to
be like Him.
Guess what we need?
Spend time with
people we don’t like!!!
I get tired of hearing:
The Church is Full of Hypocrites!
The Church is Full of Hypocrites!
The truth is
I’m one of them!
So are you!
So lets learn to
love each other
all of us hypocrites.
Sermons like this
people feel attacked.
I’m not talking about you....
But maybe I am.
It would be hard for me
to count the # conversations
people complaining about someone.
People say:
“so and so annoys me:”
Do you know what annoys me?
People complaining about
others that annoy them...
So we are all in the same boat!!!
Let’s be Christians!!!!
Spend time with them.
Yes,
they will annoy you.
But guess what?
If you pay attention,
you’ll see the good in them too!!!
Continuing thoughts on hate:
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.
Why are we talking about
Cain and Able?
I just dislike
annoying people.
I’m not a murderer!!!
But look at verse 15:
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer...
Ok.
What do we see here?
If we are a hater
We are a murderer!!!
Jesus said the same thing:
“You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire.
I hate to admit it
but I may have spoken
about the intelligence
of others disparagingly.
Moron
Idiot
Dumb
Stupid.
That is anger.
That is hate.
That is murder!
We are murdering
their character.
Remember,
trend of life.
practicing righteousness.
practicing being annoyed.
The "Act As If" Principle (C.S. Lewis)
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis argues against waiting to feel love for a difficult neighbor. Instead, he advises acting as if you already loved them. When you do someone you dislike a good turn or spend time with them, you will find yourself disliking them less. Conversely, injuring someone you dislike only increases your dislike.
Application: Loving difficult people is a choice of action, not a feeling.
Back to key passage:
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. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
If you are annoyed
by someone.
Guess what,
you are annoying
to someone.
I know that
I am annoying at times.
I often fight
battles that
are not worth it.
That is annoying.
I’m sorry.
One thing is certain,
We will annoy people.
But by God’s grace,
the best way to annoy
is to be like Christ.
Jesus is clear:
The world hated Him.
The world will hate
those who are like Him.
So,
we must also
get comfortable
being disliked.
I’m reading book
The courage to be disliked.
Not completely true.
But parts are.
Choose to be okay
with being disliked.
One of the greatest
problems with our society
is that we are
people pleasers.
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
We care too much
what people think about us.
We don’t care enough
what God thinks about us.
God need us to have
more courage.
Courage to be
disliked for being
a good Christian!
Rodney Dangerfield, I Don't Get No Respect.
Once I told my old man, 'Nobody likes me.' He said, 'Don't say that--everybody hasn't met you yet.'
But even if,
the the world hates us
we don’t hate back:
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
How can we know
if we are in Christ?
“Passed from death to life?”
No other influence that can surround the human soul has such power as the influence of an unselfish life. The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian. - Ministry of Healing p. 470
The strongest Evidence
that we are Christian
is a loving heart.
Love the people
that are not likeable!
Jesus said:
“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
I hear people say:
“they are kinda weird”...
Okay.
so what?
To someone else
different family
different culture
different way of thinking
you are weird too.
Not a good excuse
to form clicks.
cliques
If they rub you
the wrong way,
Good!!!!
You need them!
If they have let you down
Good. You need them.
Some people make enemies instead of friends because it is less trouble.
E.C. McKenzie.
Let’s choose
to be uncomfortable.
Jesus continues to say:
And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.
What is Jesus saying?
You must be willing
to be hurt and offended
in your relationships!!!
If we pick only
connects that have
little to no risk
we are not like Christ.
What did Christ risk
for us?
Everything.
Life
comfort
kingdom.
If you will be like Christ
pick friends who will
annoy you
hurt you feelings
one way friendship.
I can’t imagine
God’s connection to us
is very stimulating
very interesting
But he loves us!
He who loves 50 has 50 woes. He who loves 10 has 10 woes. He who loves none has no woes.
Buddah.
Jesus continues:
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Appeal
Appeal
Find people
you don’t like
spend extra time with them.
Love them
Serve them
Be Christ to them.
Go get annoyed.
Get offended.
Get heart broken.
Lose money.
Lose time on
people who annoy you.
Miss the party
with your click
to serve!!!!
During his days as president, Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were traveling across the country on horseback. They came to a river which had left its banks because of a recent downpour. The swollen river had washed the bridge away. Each rider was forced to ford the river on horseback, fighting for his life against the rapid currents. The very real possibility of death threatened each rider, which caused a traveler who was not part of their group to step aside and watch. After several had plunged in and made it to the other side, the stranger asked President Jefferson if he would ferry him across the river. The president agreed without hesitation. The man climbed on, and shortly thereafter the two of them made it safely to the other side. As the stranger slid off the back of the saddle onto dry ground, one in the group asked him, "Tell me, why did you select the president to ask this favor of?" The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the president who had helped him. "All I know," he said, "Is that on some of your faces was written the answer 'No,' and on some of them was the answer 'yes.' His was a 'Yes' face."
C. Swindol, The Grace Awakening, Word, 1990, p. 6.
Saints...
Let’s be a yes face.
