"These Things I've Written..." (1 John 5:1-4)

Introduction

“Loving God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength is to love Him above all else with full determination of purpose and with complete self-surrender, —with all powers of heart, soul, and mind.

Love is not a mere sentimental feeling, but it embraces all the powers and faculties of man, — the understanding, feeling, and willing, and gives proof of itself in all the energies of body and soul. “ - O Thelemann 1896

Love is not a mere sentiment feeling… Love is an action.

1 John 5:1–4 NASB95

1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1. Christians love their siblings.

Believe is the consequence, not the cause of becoming a new birth in Jesus.

A new birth involves us in a loving relationship with the Father and His other children.

Do we understand the magnitude of what John means when he wrote “everyone” is verse 1?

All believers in Jesus have been adopted as God’s children.

There is an expected love a father has for a child. Believers love one another because they are now spiritual siblings, adopted into the same family

Christians are God’s visible representatives on Earth.

Fostering offered a strong picture of this idea for me. My kids had instant siblings.

There are people within this room that are easy to be related to and others that are not so easy.

Here’s the blessing of this if we will buy into it: We are family no matter what.

We can learn to love one another by making the decision to do so.

2. Christians obey God.

“Observe” or “Keep” is better translated as to “do the commandments.”

“We Know” - Not the outward expression of brotherly love, but the inward idea of it. A true conscious love toward God and hearty keeping of His commandments.

When we have this inwardly and outwardly confirmed love to God, we can know that we truly love other children of God.

John states that if we truly love God, we not only love His children, but also find ourselves carrying out His commands.

Love for God is not an emotional experience so much as moral commitment.

Love for our brothers and sisters expresses itself with ‘actions and in truth’, and especially sacrificed serve.

True love for God is carrying out His commands.

John wrote that God’s commandments are not oppressive for believers. Those who love God obey His commandments to honor God, with the Holy Spirit prompting them to do so.

John 14:15 NASB95

15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 14:21 NASB95

21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

A son who lives in disobedience to His father.

The way of the sinner is much harder than the way of the Christian.

3. Christians conquer through faith.

There are major barriers set up in society through sin and unbelief and the only way that is it overcome is through a strong faith.

Our union with Christ allows for a conquering of the world around us. “Great is HE that is in you than He that is in the world.” (4:4)

Our faith is embraced in the confession that Jesus is the Christ.

The world is opposed to keeping the commandments of God, wants to draw people from God, and works through our corrupt flesh.

The commands of God today, whether found in the OT or the NT, appear intolerably burdensome to the world. But the children of God know they are not, because everyone born of God overcomes the world.

Have you changed your answer to some of the rules your parents made for you as a child?

We have the ability to fight in this world. We are saved by grace and we have been given a weapon.... Faith.

Whatever form of assault the world takes on church, the battle is already won. The unshakeable conviction that the Jesus of history is “The Christ.

The false teachers denied it, but the pre-existent Son of God, who became human in order to bring us salvation and live, enables us to triumph over the world.

Confidence in the divine-human person of Jesus is the one weapon against which neither the error, nor the evil, nor the force of the world can prevail.

Does your belief in Christ impact every conversation that you’re in?

If you have faith in Jesus, it shouldn’t shake you when things don’t happen right in Washington D.C.

If you have faith in Jesus, you should understand that people will look at your differently.

If you have faith in Jesus, you can overcome your habitual sin.

If you have faith in Jesus, you can become His disciple.

If you have faith in Jesus, you can wake up tomorrow and fight another day.

We will walk in faith today?

Will you walk in love?

Everybody Always. Pg 19-20