Sermon Tone Analysis

Love is the Greatest Weapon

 

Text            : I John 4 : 7 - 12

 

Introduction    : Ontario NDP government will change family law.

Changing the definition of "spouse" to include same-sex

                  relationships and adjusting 78 other  laws to accommodate

                  homosexuality is now heading toward a free-vote in the Ontario                  legislature soon.

What is happening to our society?

Do you find it hard to live as a christian ?

Are you struggling that Your

faith is shaken and confused?

Especially, young people I feel for you.

It's  much easier to live  30 years ago than to live at present generation.

Don't you find that, young people?

How can we be a strong, healthy christian?

How can we stand against this evil world?

How can we glorify God in this wicked society?

How can we expose false teachings among so called christians?

 

Proposition:

God's Love is the greatest weapon we can have.

Interrogative:

How can we use God's Love to fight against evil?

Transitional:

This morning I would like to observe 3 elements of love through Apostle John.

Please turn you Bible to the First Epistle of John.

There are 4 obvious reasons that Apostle John wrote this epistle.

1.

And these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

1:4

   III John 4 says,"I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children

   walking in the truth."

This is the pastor's joy.

2. My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin.

2:1

3. To inform christians concerning those who are trying to deceive people.

2:26 4. To inform christians that those who believed the Lord Jesus may know they 

   have  the  eternal life.

5:13

 

What necessitated Apostle John to write  on these themes?

Answer is in 2:19 : "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for                      if they  had been of us, they would have remained with us;                      but they went out, in order that it might be shown that 

                     they all are not of us.

also  these people tried to recruit (deceive) other believers.

2:26

 

Gnosticism  : A system of belief combining ideas derived from Greek

            philosophy, Oriental mysticism and ultimately, Christianity, and

              stressing salvation through intuitive knowledge in spiritual

              matter.

They denied:   Divinity of Jesus as the Son of God.    2:22,23

 

This is the most important teaching of the Bible.

Out of this denial massive

false doctrines branch out into all directions.

As you read this epistle you will pick up the warnings of the Apostle John

against false teachings.

It is interesting to notice that John starts his argument with contrast

between light and darkness.

1:5,6   2:9 Light is the matter.

When you witness, affirm what they believe and then show him how 

        it contradicts God's teaching.

They did not believe in personal God that as long as you confess your belief 

in god,  your life;  behavior, life style, conducts do not matter.

î¡  2:4

 

Of course they denied their own sinfulness.

î¡  1:8

 

They denied the responsibility to live as Jesus  had lived.

î¡ 3:7

 

They denied that Jesus has come in the flesh.

î¡ 4:2

 

Because they believed in the matter, they were in difficulty with incarnation.

How could God, who is the creator and sustainer of the whole creation, cloth 

Himself with a body?

Moreover, how could He, who is the light,

live in the body of the believers?

So rather than search into the Scripture, they believed what seemed  reasonable to them.

Exactly what happening in our days.

So now let us look at God's solution for us to stand firm and fight against the false teaching of the world.

‚k‚‚–‚…  ‚‰‚“  ‚”‚ˆ‚…  ‚j‚…‚™I              ‚v‚ˆ‚™H

Please turn to your Bible to chapter 4:7 to 12.

  I.

Origin of Love.

4:7,8

     My Friend got married yesterday.

Where does love come from?

Is it a man's invention?

The reasons we are commanded to love is because;

     A.

Love is from God (Source)      vs.7

B.

God is Love (Origin)           vs.8

All true love is derived from God.

Because God is source and origin of true Love," everyone who loves is

born of God and knows  God."

Because we have this same nature given to us.

Ill.

A Japanese student who came to study English dyed his hair in gold color.

But Japanese is Japanese.

We do not resemble to white people.

If we

      do, there is something wrong.

So are the christians, we love because we are born of God, from whom is love

and who is love.

î¡ 2:29   5:1

 

False teachers pursued knowledge and they thought they knew God, but they did

not realize the difference between knowing God and know about God.

Love is the external~/internal evidence of knowing God.

Because God is the

source and origin of Love.

II.

Outflow of Love                    4:9,10

     Now in order to stand firm in this ungodly world we must know another

     aspect of LOVE.

In verses 9,10 John informs us that God is not only SOURCE and ORIGIN of

     LOVE, but also the Essense of God's love overflowed to us.