I John 4:11

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Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

THE STUDY:

          The author’s purpose in explaining the nature of God’s love expressed in the sending of his one and only Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins (4:9–10) is very practical, and is related to the central purpose of the letter, that is, to reassure his readers that they are in the truth, and to furnish them with criteria by which to evaluate the false claims of the secessionists. The author is not giving a lesson about the love of God for its own sake, but to show that God’s love for us must cause us to love one another. Accordingly, he writes: Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Since God so loved ‘us’, there is an obligation resting upon ‘us’ to love one another.^[1]

This love that sent the Son, John insists, “ought” to compel us “to love one another”. The word ought (opheilomen) suggests a moral debt owed (see Matt 18:28; Rom 13:8). The emphatic pronoun hēmeis, we, intensifies the statement, since it is already implicit in the verb ending. Right spiritual relationship in the vertical plane—God to humankind—will rightly manifest itself in a relationship of love on the horizontal—person-to-person.^[2]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that since God loved US, we owe it to God to love one another. This need not be looked at as an option but as something owed.

CONCLUSION:

          I believe every married couple has had a “DISCUSSION” now and then (Translating the word discussion: an argument or fight). In the heat of the moment you may not like one another. I remember once my wife looking at me and saying, “I don’t like you right now!” May actions may not have deserved her affection at that moment but I knew she loved me anyway. WHY? Because God loved us!

          There are going to be people in our lives that don’t live up to our morals or standards. They don’t live a life that is pleasing to God. Whatever the case may be, we are to love them.  Hate the sin but love the sinner. Today, let us look at the individuals in our life that are hard to love and love them anyway. Why? Because God loved us!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John. The Pillar New Testament commentary (161). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

^[2] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (145). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

I John 4:10

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In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

THE STUDY:

          In this verse John spells out further what he means by saying ‘love comes from God’ and ‘God is love’. He does so by explaining what God did for us,^[1] sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The word propitiation is also translated as: atoning sacrifice for (NIV), or expiation for (RSV)! The Greek word found in this passage is (hilasmos) which is defined as: means by which sins are forgiven.  

The coming of Christ addresses the need for sins to be removed or cleansed in expiation (Punishment). Sin in human life must be removed by a thorough purification.

By insisting on suffering due to sin and by suffering in behalf of sinful humanity, God demonstrates that (1) sin is serious and must be radically dealt with, and (2) God is gracious and makes the reconciliation possible (2 Cor 5:18–19). God reconciles by sending the Son.^[2]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that this love God has for us is not just “puppy” love but an agape love. A love demonstrated by a loving God that would pay (atone for) the ultimate price (sacrifice) for a world that was lost.

CONCLUSION:

          I am drawn to the passage of scripture found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Jesus Christ paid the full amount for our sins. All we have to do is become humble, pray, seek a relationship with Christ, and turn from sin.

          Today, let us humble ourselves! Set our pride aside and let Christ come in. Let us spend more time in purposeful prayer. Not just a quick little prayer but an intentional timely one. Let us seek a deeper relationship with Christ. Finally, let us ask Christ to forgive us and turn from our sinful ways.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John. The Pillar New Testament commentary (160). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

^[2] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (145). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

I John 4:9

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In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

THE STUDY:

          This is the first of the two verses in which the author spells out what he means by saying that ‘love comes from God’ and that ‘God is love’. He does so here by recounting how God revealed his love to humankind.^[1]

The word manifested means “to come out in the open, to be made public.” It is the opposite of “to hide, to make secret.” Under the Old Covenant, God was hidden behind the shadows of ritual and ceremony (Heb. 10:1); but in Jesus Christ “the life was manifested” (1 John 1:2). “He that has seen Me,” said Jesus, “has seen the Father” (John 14:9).^[2]

                   

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the answer to one of the greatest question of all times: How do I know God loves me? JESUS CHRIST! John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”^[3]

CONCLUSION:

           I use to think God was some big mean God who sat up in heaven and watched all the sinful things I did. He was waiting for the right moment in time to punish me for it. But the truth of the matter is, He is this loving God who sent His Son to take the punishment for my sins so that I may receive his love for eternity. And all I had to do to receive this Love was ASK!

          God is not hiding His love from us Church. He has and is still, today, revealing His love to us through Jesus Christ. All we have to do is receive Christ.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

 

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^[1] Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John. The Pillar New Testament commentary (157–158). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

^[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (1 Jn 4:9). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Jn 3:16). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

I John 4:8

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Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

THE STUDY:

          Over the next few days we will see John emphasizing one of the main characteristics of God: LOVE! In verse 8 John is very blunt, “Anyone who does not love does not know God.” This present knowledge of God and the true nature of love is not a secret disclosed only to a select few. It flows out of a relationship available to all. Loving is to be a lifestyle. Thus, John states that to live in a habitual condition of not loving is to live as strangers to God. Those who live in this way do not know God because God is love. By manifesting love, we demonstrate that we know God. Our character becomes increasingly what we were created and redemptively re-created to be. When we are born of God, we begin truly to know God.^[1]

         

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that to know God is to love and to not love is to not know God. When we pursue God we will come into this loving relationship that will be exemplified by God and impersonated by us.

CONCLUSION:

          I remember when I was young in my walk with God. I had a daughter that was about 2 years old and God spoke to me saying, “She will marry a guy just like you!” My first thought was, “I will kill him!” Up to that point in my life I was not a great example for my daughter. But from that moment on my life changed because I knew she would be watching me. She would be imitating what she seen from me.     When we come into a relationship with God we will imitate God. Therefore we will love!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (142). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

I John 4:7

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Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

THE STUDY:

          We have seen in scripture over the last few days that we are to speak as believers of Christ and not as the world (Vs 5). We are to listen to God’s word which is presented to us by His servants (Vs 6). Today we read that we are to “love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. “

          John is clear that the one who expresses God’s love toward others manifests the very character of God. Acting in love presents evidence that one is “born of God and knows God.” John brings together in born and knows the language of physical generation and intimate relation to enforce his point. This acknowledges God for who and what he is—a God of love. When John writes “Everyone who loves,” he is not saying that acts of love provide conclusive evidence that one is a Christian. The word agapōn (a present active participle), suggests continuous action and is best understood as everyone who keeps loving others. John stresses that an obvious lifestyle of love demonstrates that the life of God is truly present in us. On such a basis one “knows (ginoskei: he is presently knowing) God”.^[1]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning understanding that Love originates in God and flows out from God. God’s love comes to all, both by creation and from grace. Anyone can choose to receive and express this divine love.^[2]

CONCLUSION:

          One of the responsibilities as a parent is to help our children be successful. Success in life encompasses so many different things. One of those things is relationships. Learning how to have a healthy relationship is very important and can bleed over into so many other aspects of life. I tell my kids that loving someone is a choice, not based on what you receive in return but what is given from it; GOD! God is love and as a believer we have that love dwelling inside to be released, not horded inside. If we do nothing else this day, may be release love into our relationships and into the world. By this act they will know we are from God!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (142). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

^[2] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (142). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

I John 4:6

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We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

THE STUDY:

          John contended that true believers would tune out messages from “the world” (v 5). They would refuse to give heed to the “false prophets” (v 1) who had left the Christian churches (“gone out into the world,” v 1). John calls his readers to reject the Gnostics. They should instead listen to him and those allied with him. He insists that when people do “not listen to us” and chooses to listen to a contrary gospel, they show themselves to be “not from God”.

         A positive statement of this principle appears in John 8:47: “He who belongs to God hears what God says.” For John, teaching alien to his views clearly placed person in the arena of falsehood or deceit. Listening to him was to listen to “truth.” A person will inevitably be mindful of one spirit or another.^[1]

Why do God’s people listen to preachers? Because preachers proclaim God’s Word, and that Word has divine authority. God’s people hear his voice when the preacher speaks.^[2]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that being of God (A believer of the faith) we will tune out the world and hear God! Not just hear Him but heed to his word. The opposite is true as well: Not of God we will have an open ear to the world.

CONCLUSION:

          Our friends and the social contexts we embrace incline us toward certain habits. Our associates affect how we entertain ourselves and how we spend our time and money. Admittedly, we cannot always choose our environment. But we are always to choose for the holy, rather than contrary to it. Susanna Wesley advised her son John,

Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself. (Wallace 1997, 109)^[3]

          My friends, pursue God in everything we do so that we may “BE OF GOD” and not of this world. My challenge to us today, whatever is pulling us away from God REMOVE IT!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (140). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

^[2] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 14: New Testament commentary : Exposition of James and the Epistles of John. New Testament Commentary (329). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

^[3] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (141). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

I John 4:5

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They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.

THE STUDY:

          There a few things we need to remind ourselves when it comes to this verse. 1) John is referring back to “the spirit of the antichrist … in the world” (v 3). 2) The world represents the devil and all opposed to God.

This verse reiterates a passage from Johns Gospel: “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:19).^[1]

One’s allegiance, John contends in 1 John 4:5, affects both how one hears and how one speaks. Those allied with the world and the leader “who is in the world” (v 4) have learned to speak the same language. The Greek text literally says of/from the world they speak (ek tou kosmou lalousin), though viewpoint (found in the NIV) does catch the sense. The use of “from” is not intended in the sense of separation and distance, but rather refers to origin and nature.^[2]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that Christians will not look or sound like what the world does. This is not necessarily meaning materialistic things. It is perfectly fine to have nice houses, cars, money, etc. What needs to be different from the world is our character, morals, ethics, language, and purpose of life.  

CONCLUSION:

          Even Christians Gardens are to be different from the world:

First, plant five rows of peas: Preparedness, Promptness, Perseverance, Politeness, and Prayer. Next to them plant three rows of squash: Squash Gossip, Squash Criticism, and Squash Indifference. Then five rows of lettuce: Let us be Faithful, Let us be Unselfish, Let us be Loyal, Let us be Truthful, Let us Love One Another. And no garden is complete without turnips: Turn up for Church, Turn up with a Smile, Turn up with Determination.

          Let today be a day that you find yourself different from the world. Let today be a day you find yourself the same as Christ: that SPIRIT that lives inside you pouring out so others may see.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

 

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^[1] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (140). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

^[2] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (140). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.