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Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
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Intro:
Intro:
AG:
TS: John writes to God’s family addresses the love which must be a part of it. John MacArthur points out that to God, there are only 2 families: children of God and children of Satan. All Christians are forgiven and now have God as their father and each other as siblings.
t.
John challenges members of God’s family to love as God loves. Love each other and Him, and to not love the things in the world.
Three distinct stages in life to represent three stages in spiritual development.
RS: The world has a strong pull. It cries out to our flesh and human nature to draw us away from God. It distracts us from the best things. It offers to fulfill our appetites yet dishonestly fails to reveal the destruction which accompanies it.
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:
Stages of Growth
Stages of Growth
John address fathers, young men and children.
Three distinct stages in life to represent three stages in spiritual development,
Children
Your sins are forgiven
You know the Father
They are in the Family and ready to grow
They have responded to God’s call in faith and repentance and have been cleansed of their sins and been adopted as God’s children.
Chief need is to grow.
Young Men
Overcome the Evil One
Strong
Word of God abides in you
Not at the top of maturity, but definitely growing
they know sound doctrince
They are are strong against sin and error because the Word of God abides in them
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
When God’s word abides in us, we are are armed against sin.
This allows us to overcome the Devil
Paul described the spiritual battle and our challenge in .
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
As we grow, our feet are planted solidly.
Fathers
Know Him
This is the peak of maturity
Truly knowing God
Having experienced Him in daily life
Paul desired this and wrote of it in Philippians 3:10
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
If we are born again, we are all somewhere on this spectrum of stages of growth.
The challenge is to grow!
I believe the heart of growth is found in what John says to young men.
The word of God!
Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.
Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts.
Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.
My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.
God’s word
Teaches us
Transforms us
Supplies our needs
Love in all ages
Love in all ages
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.
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.
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
John has reminded us to love each other, then went to discuss our growth in the Lord, and now he contrasts that with the world.
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.
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.
Now, John discusses the opposite. He tells us what we should NOT love.
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.
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.
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Do not love the world
We love God and each other
BUT we are not to love the world
The word world refers to the satanically enslaved world system.
It incorporates the world’s philosophy and wisdom
In fact, God hates love of the world
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
Jn 15:
The world is not our friend and holds no affection for the believer.
Just as our lives should be clearly displaying loving for each other, we should also clearly show we do not love the world.
Sadly many so called pastors today are preaching world loving sermons.
Instead of showing God and His far better way, they turn God into a genie who has to do our bidding and giving us whatever we want.
All that is the world will lead us away from God and should NOT have our affection!
Desires of the flesh
Desires of the flesh
lust (Desire of the flesh)
Strong desire for ungodly fulfillment of the flesh’s appetites.
It is our rebellious and self dominated sin nature
Desires of the eyes
The images which bombard us and entice us to sin
Pride of life
haughtiness in our position and possessions
Boastful and arrogant
The fallacy of the world
Temporary and is passing away
You may have it all in the world’s eyes and really have nothing.
In contrast is the permanence of things of God.
He never changes
His people will live with Him eternally.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
As we grow in the Lord, our love for Him and others will deepen. Regardless of our maturity level, we must not love the world and its philosophy and morals which entice us away from the things of God.