The Prototype of Christ-Love & It's Operation in Your Daily Life
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
In the first half of this letter, John assured true believers that they can have assurance, joy and deeper fellowship with Jesus and each other - as they pass three tests. Purity. Love, Truth. The first half of the letter has focused most on the PURITY part, the letter begins with 1 John 1:5
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
And the first ends with that incredible truth of spiritual adoption, and how it begins born again, anointed with the Spirit, though we still struggle with sin, God's seed abiding in us, means our practice - like a dentist, lawyer, not just our identity, but the practice which Jesus came into the world to perform - to take away sin, that is our practice and the principle of our lives. Not continuing in sin, but in righteousness, a gospel-obedience . Knowing real Jesus seeing him, means no longer children of this world, deceived and dealing with sin without Jesus. Great benefit that can save you from just a hope-so faith, truly a child of God - exhibiting the character of God, walking in His light. But now in part two John makes a transition and says, one who practices righteousness with Jesus, really loves his brother.
1 John 3:10 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.
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.
And now the focus of the letter is on the love test. In the same way you are to access -what’s my attitude to sin and what’s my attitude to Christ - tell me if I am passing the purity test, and walking int he light, no matter how much I may struggle, the principle of m y life is forgiveness, repentance, growth in holiness. In that same way of discerning, telling am I a child of God or a child of the devil; John says:
1 John 3:11
For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
Now John’s theme is going to be God is love. And the fruit, not the root of your salvation, is that you live in and by that love, producing that love in the lives of the brothers and sisters God’s placed around you. When you practice righteousness - there’s an assurance, growth in joy fellowship, partnership. But at the very same time John is saying the heart of that way of living is practicing love to particular brothers and sisters around you. and as you experience that born of truth of the gospel and born of the Spirit - when you practice that kind of love - you can have great great assurance!
The theme verse of our text is Look how vividly John puts it -
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
That Gk word is the word for migrate! My mother migrated in 1959 to Canada - her language changed as she worked in nursing home. Her fashion, soon married followed a boy over there - her job changed and calling in and station in life changed as began a family! A new life of promise over the ocean. Do you know right now monarch butterflies -not only migrating but changing - fly all the way to particular colony in Mexico forest. Hope of whole world is in them making it there, beginning after 6m months instead of 6 weeks, the new breed!
John is saying gin the same way the mark of the Christian is that in Christ passed from death of self-love without God, in Christ, passed into real life with God in Christ. And experiencing that migration, living in the colony of God’s love and Spirit to us, in us, we now don’t love with self-love, but self-giving love of God. And though we don’t do it perfectly when you have that love in your soul, no matter what self-condemnation, what misgiving of your conscience arise - you not only know your a Christian, but you love more and more like a true Christian.
Key Truth: When we demonstrate Christ-like, life-giving love, (born of the truth and the Spirit) to our spiritual siblings, we get true assurance.
Now the first thing John does is define love. Because everyone from the meanest most corrupt gangster to the most noble human being loves. But as C.S. Lewis put it our natural loves get so corrupted - family love, national, love of a pet, love of creation, love of work. And all those natural love, corrupted as they become are not how we are to administer these tests. NO! John defines love for us by two examples. And they are more than just two examples, that you are to say oh good illustration preacher that helps me understand. These two examples are two types of love, they the arch typical loves and John says they are about beginnings.
A) Know the Proto-type of loving based on: Self-Love
Adam and Eve's first Son - though God gave him opportunity to repent to turn to love that God called of us to, only had a love of self that resulted in its corruption with hurting, hating, murdering the one closest to him. It is kind of a strange thing in life that the people closest to us, that at some point we have said I love you, often are the ones that hurt us the deepest and that we hurt the deepest. What’s going on their. A deacon in a former church when I arrived, my first church, he had murdered his wife? How does something like get to that point? You may be saying, O that’s so terrible couldn’t happen to me, but look at the heart of why Cain did it, why at the end of the day that deacon did it? 1 John 3:12
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.
You remember the story, they bring offerings to worship the Lord, must have learned that worship important and the way of worship - blood sacrifice God provided skins. But regardless of the why - God tell Cain your worship, sacrifice not acceptable, doesn’t please - and God graciously invites him into properer worship - but look what happens in Cain ‘s heart. You and I know that motion in our soul. There is someone who is doing something right pleasing the Lord, has the favour of God, and one of two things must happen in our heart - we either want to be around the person, humbly admire what God’s doing and say I want to become like that too. I want a piece of that.
Or tragically you know it and I know, secret little seed in our heart, that says what’s so good about you? I don’t want to see your wellbeing, God’s favour and flourishing of your life, I want to see the flourishing of my life, and my way, and I am jealous of you, I want my happiness, acceptance, and I am not called to love you, I love myself as the chief driving factor of my life - not God not others. And you know what your light your love actually is a big reminder that I am not living God’s way, and so get out of my life and get out of it because I am going to destroy your wellbeing.
Well, if you have ever delighted in someone’s mistake or downfall, if you have ever maliciously shared a a juicy morsel of information not to help but to hurt someone’s reputation, if you have exaggerated or twisted that information for our own good and that others persons harm, cast them in bad light. It is the same jealousy, and ultimately not just annoyance or anger with that person. But Cain at the beginning was called by God to be what - MY brothers keeper ! And he is the arch-typical example of sinful self-love that takes and destroy, rather than gives and sacrifices and builds up - not because of the physical murder, but because of the spiritual self-love. That rules out true love for God and others and ultimately for self .
And like Smeagol, Golum with that precious ring, it destroys his humanity. Augustine says: hated. As the Baptist minister Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote, “Hating people is like burning down your own home to get rid of a rat.” Augustine stated, “Whoever hates is a murderer. You may not have prepared any poison or committed a crime. You have only hated, and in doing so, you have killed yourself first of all. And John who so often in this letter says, let me first tell the negative. Don’t do it this way. Says , if that is how you and I are living with others down here - we haven’t made the migration to the colony of grace. We are abiding in spiritual death, and even if you have friendship, even if you have family, even if you are in a neighbourhood, or even the church of Jesus Christ, - you are living in and abiding in spiritual death - that drags others down!
And John says, the problem isn’t just with your attitude or outward actions to this person or that person, its that you haven’t experienced the new life , new love ,new relationship with God that changes all your relationships and love. Need that abiding in you!
1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
But then John declares the positive. What is the other prototype that people base their life and love on in this world. Only two groups with two prototypes. One are the children of the world, actually children of the devil not because possessed or believe in, but deceived and wrecked within by the devil. This is John's point with the first prototype, you may not realize it, but Satan has twisted that love, and if making you and I by hate great or small, like himself. Murder from the beginning. John 8:44. Paul says our anger can give a foothold for the devil in our lives! But Jesus came to set us free from the Devil, to destroy his work of destroying your life! Murder is just hate in action, but hate goes into action in our lives in a hundred others ways too. the 1662 Book of Common Prayer: From envy, hatred, and malice, and from all uncharitableness, Good Lord, deliver us.
And John is saying what Jesus said once Judas left the Upper Room in John 13 - there are going to people in this world, who can’t stand that my true love points out their selfish love - like Judas they will seek to destroy that kind of living and loving. And John now says, don’t be surprised like our Saviour says, if people of this world, stand against you living by this love! This kind of self-love is Satan inspired hate for God and ultimately hate for others! But there is another kind of love and its is God-inspired love! Do you want it?
B) Know the Proto-type Your loving based on: Christ-love
Here comes the Second Adam, the new Head of the Redeemed Humanity, Jesus Christ. John says you have seen Him and know Him. And
1 John 3:16a By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
John 3:16 never forget is about the love of the Father with Son and the Spirit, all together - give up His Son, the Son volunteering Himself, the Spirit enabling Son to make the perfect sacrifice, by the eternal Spirit. All three so loving the world - that whoever believes shall have eternal life. And 1 John 3:16 is referring to that same atoning sacrifice, vicarious atonement, The Cross is not less than atonement. It is not just an example of what sacrificial agape love does, but it is also that to us! What is love? In many ways we didn't really know its essence and its epitome - until Jesus Christ loved us like that in action! Love is self-giving.
A self-centered pleasure seeking young man takes a liking to a particular new female interest says I love you. Really means I love myself, and I want you. Self-taking is what so much of our loves is about. But the Lord Jesus Christ, while we were yet enemies, spiritual enemies - he takes the initiative and in action he says: Not my well-being - that’s not what my life is about, but your wellbeing! John is saying that’s the type of love that shows you have eternal life from God abiding in you, and its the source of your new living. You have made it to the new colony of grace. And you don't just talk about love, you don’t just experience from God for yourself. You have been baptized into this love of Christ, it is becoming your new mode of operation. And look what John does next, just like he shows what was going on in Cain that goes on in the human heart every day. So too though the extreme example of Christ’ love is given by the Cross - and though we ought to to think about would I lay my life done for you if it came to that. Well that opportunity doesn’t present itself to often. But John says, you want to be a hero for Christ, - I am not talking about martyrdom. Look how you can practically, day to day, know if this love is operating in your heart!
C. The Practical Operation of Christ-love in Daily Life
1 John 3:17-18 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.
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.
Now don’t pass by this to quickly and either say, well I pass way to many homeless people and don’t feed them, I don’t give 4x back to people around me like Zacheaus - I must not have that sacrificial love. Or the other extreme of course I love people like that here. Story over. No John is defining love by the prototype of what goes on in Christ’s heart, that has to go on in ours. And what is it? John uses three hugely important words to describe it.
At the bottom, self-love destroys others for your well being, but Christ-love. That kind of true love offers life. Lack of this love is a sign of spiritual death, presence of this love is a sign that you have true spiritual life. So you better understand how it operates. And it is so practical. It’s not about religious talk and ceremonial practice. Its about offering life to others.
Jesus was and is a life-giver. Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep John 10:11. He says I am the bread that came down from heaven. Think of this every time you take the Lord Supper, he says, that symbol of life giving bread - I give my flesh for the life of the world! Some of the most important words of the NT “For us” - propitiation of sins for us and not only us for the whole world. Who are you really for!?? How does that motion to others get worked out in daily practice?
John uses there common Gk words you probably know to show how: ZOE, PSYCHE, BIOS - Zoe in the NT is used not just for life, but for divine eternal life - the life of God. That zoe-life from above, resided in Jesus, and he made it available to all who believed in him. 1 John 3:15 says we’ve got that life dwelling in us - not perfectly, not completely like in heaven, or the new heavens and earth - but eternal life is now - life with Jesus. And one who continue in hate, who has none of this love, - does not have this zoe life of Christ abiding in him.
1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life [zoe] abiding in him
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
But then that second word is psyche, soul, personality is means the natural life that all humans are born with, Jesus had that natural life, you and I have. it. And that the word used for Jesus laying down his natural life so we could have his eternal life. He laid down his psyche.
1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life [psyche] for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
And here is what that kind of love does in our soul. We lay down our natural lives, our wellbeing, we make a living-sacrifice of ourselves, like unto Christs, how? And that is the most common of these three words BIOS
1 John 3:17 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?
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?
The world’s goods is bios and it means (the life, the livelihood) you have. So we sacrificially love of others laying down our souls for them by taking some of the bios stuff in our lives, our money, food, our time, attention, our friendship, our listening ear - and what do we do?
Beyond just words to people, with deeds and in truth - we give ourselves, and our bios stuff? When - this isn’t talking about giving a hand out to every poor person you see out of the corner of your eye, or every charity that calls. John is talking about you see your spiritual siblings need that God has placed in your life. Put you beside people in this congregation, put us in a church with brothers and sisters in other churches around the world - we are’t just to have nice fellowship; but that's the perfect continuous tense there. You as a habit an going way, presently and continuously see people’s needs and you demonstrate Christi's love by meeting them. This is the deep meaning of Christian self-giving love modeled and rooted in Christ love. Phil 2:4
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Now this is surprising John shifts the focus from Christ’ epitome of love on the Cross, to you bringing a meal to someone isolated and unable to do groceries. He shifts from Christ’s atoning work, to you serving in a ministry here, to you generously clearing some time to visit to have coffee to practically help a brother or sister here. This has to do with giving financially too - not talking your regular tithe for gospel ministry, but whole life of stewardship, blessing to give. Here are some ideas: Are we willing to give up on spending money on cut flowers, video games, pets, skin care, chewing gum, diet-related products, sports, and soft drinks so that we might “give something to the poor” (John 13:29)?14 Are we able to resist the “desires of the eyes” (1 John 2:16) and eager to “remember the poor” (Gal. 2:10)? Are we loving the world and the things of the world (1 John 2:15) rather than the people of God’s kingdom? Let us put on compassion, and let us give out generously to “the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor” (Zech. 7:10). Let us free up money—for example, stop regularly eating out, buy some clothing at thrift shops, resist lavish entertainment—to give freely to those in need.O’Donnell
John is saying, we know by deliberate and repeated contemplation of Christ’s finished act of self-sacrificing love - that real love isn’t going to come from within my own character , but from Christ’s example and from His Spirit within me. We are n’t just following some example, but this type of love abides in us. It is caused by a believer seeing Christ and trusting into Him and then abiding in Him. Do you see that God’s love abides us!
And while I will never have to lay down my life to atone for sins of others, Look at the tense there we ought to lay down = present, I do have to living in small moments. Big things happen in the smallest moments. Fad in the church now to say gospel centered. Might describe church as Christ centered, God exalting. But this text calls us to ask - would some call this church - generous! Got this new nature new zoe life of Christ, in us, makes us want to give, to help to offer our selves like Christ did for wellbeing of others.
Rosaria Butterfield written incredible book on Hospitality - last one the Gospel comes with a House Key - waiting to get blasted, but Ken Smith -Her previous experience of Christians included those “who mocked me on Gay Pride Day,” but that was not what Ken did: “He did not mock. He engaged.”18 Ken and Floy “entered my world. They met my friends. We did book exchanges. We talked openly about sexuality and politics.”19
Did you hear what John says, our hearts can’t do, we can’t close our eye to that need, or see it and then what? Slam the door shut from our lives to their need! We are in the love of Christ, and then that love moves out toward others. Christ’s love in us, produces a loving life that consistently an increasingly - has compassion, take pity, - and lack of that pity , the absense of it is a sign that the love of Christ, isn’t were your abiding!
John Calvin put it this way: ‘We cannot hurt, slander, mock, despise, or in any way offend one of our brethren without at the same time hurting, slandering, mocking, despising Christ in him. We cannot be at variance with our brethren without at the same time being at variance with Christ. We cannot love Christ without loving him in our brethren.’ Our love isn’t the cause of our salvation, its the result of really knowing Christ and sharing, partnering in his abiding life!
John’s point is that a lack of such pity on someone in need reveals a lack of God’s love in the heart. Bob Lotich shares the following story: Years ago [a preacher] noticed the family standing in front of him at a New Orleans convenience store did not have enough money to pay for their few items. He tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “You don’t need to turn around, but please accept this money.” The man took the money without ever seeing the preacher. Nine years later, the pastor was invited to speak at a church in New Orleans. After the service, a man walked up to the preacher and shared this story about how he had come to faith in Christ: “Several years ago, my wife and our child were destitute. We had lost everything, had no jobs, no money and were living in our car. We also lost all hope, and agreed to a suicide pact, including our child. However, we decided to first give our son some food, so we drove to a convenience store to buy him some food and milk. While we were standing in line at the store, we realized that we did not have enough money to pay for these items, but a man behind us asked us to please take the money from his hand and not look at him. This man told us that ‘Jesus loves you.’ We left the store, drove to our designated suicide site, and wept for hours. We couldn’t go through with it, so we drove away. As we drove, we noticed a church with a sign out front which said, ‘Jesus loves you.’ We went to that church the very next Sunday, and both my wife and I were saved that day.” He then told the pastor, “When you began speaking this morning, I knew immediately that you were the man who gave us that money.” How did he know? The pastor was from South Africa and had a very distinct accent. He continued, “Your act of kindness was much more than a simple good deed. Three people are alive today because of it.”22
But why does John, and why do I hold this mirror up to our lives and say - take inventory of who and how you are loving? Not to browbeat us and get us to doubt whether but as you detect this Christ like love, as you rise to it not perfectly but again and again, the goal is that walking the light and now walking int he love of Jesus you get great assurance!
D. Making Christ-love your Mode of Operation, Gives Assurance!
John totally got that our hearts do condemn us. Our catechism says it too, our step sin this life to righteousness they ‘ve got to be there. but they are small. But John says as we see this love in part and start and fits, as we practice it:
1 John 3:19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
Our source of assurance, isn’t first of all in how perfectly we love, though the fruit of light and love in our lives gives us assurance that eternal life is at work in me. But that fruit is only one of the two subjective fruits - we can look within ourselves and say - yes its’ working. But if the subjective looking inward tis what sets our hearts at rest, who can say I have loved enough , or I have loved deeply. Do you see it in
1 John 3:20-21 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;
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;
The objective ground of our assurance is not found looking within, and doing so even about love make us morose and actually keep us from really seeing needs of other and meeting them. But the objective ground of assurance what really gives you confidence, is simply embracing and believing the promises of God. Look at 1 John 3:23
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.
To love God the great and first commandment is to believe in Jesus to take hold of his promises - and that is the objective ground of assurance, And as you love your neighbour as yourself, especially the household of faith - can really know - have salvation, and growing and joy and fellowship partnership will grow! - Then can say like v.24 God is abiding in me. Then we can also testify to the second subjective grounds, something we feel within look at it: 1 John 3:24b
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.
Congregation, we are coming to the table soon and those who haven’t been worshipping in person invited this Wed Sept 30th examine yourself not as scary - but see if believing the promises of Christ - if exhibiting in part and in growing measure this kind of love. And as you do - even at the table - Spirit of adoption saying Yes I am a child of God. I share the character of God. I am loved by God and now I love like He loved me! Amen