"11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."
The worlds view of love has been to theorized, philosophized, and so theologized, that many of us no longer have a clue how to actually love someone. In theory, when we say that we love God, the love of God in our lives it will just somehow spill out onto others. As I look around the modern church today, I am convinced that even we, as Christians, have missed the mark.
It's no longer just an issue of not inviting those on the outside in, now, we’re actually driving those that are already in, out. And the ones who are coming in, no longer understand there is an issue of obedience. They have no clue that there is a cost to discipleship. You just say a little prayer, say you believe in Jesus and you're good to continue living as you were, in sin.
Furthermore, they have no idea that loving others, requires continual effort, because at the heart of loving others is putting the other person ahead of yourself. People with a heart for God have a heart for people! Because Christians who are genuinely born of God manifest that transformation by means of righteousness and love.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we thank You, as we always do, for Your Word. Thank You for this rich reminder that when there is new creation, old things pass away and all things are made new. That when there is real transformation, there will be righteousness, there is love for others. That love of the brethren is a proof of sonship. We thank You for this work on our behalf. That because we are Your children, we are known by our love for one another. This is what separates us from the world, help us O' Lord to be faithful to it.
May it all be for Your glory
In Christ's name we pray
Amen
Today's Message: What's Love Got To Do With It?
Because we often revert back to our old nature, which is selfishness, we need to constantly examine ourselves to be sure we are displaying the love of Christ for one another. If we ever become weary of hearing about our need to love one
another, we must remember that John and the other Apostles wrote under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, who best knows our hearts.
In typical John fashion, he again contrasts the world with the church. As you have likely noticed, contrasts are very typical of John. And so, in regard to this matter of love, he contrasts the children of the devil with the children of God.
Open with me your Bibles to I John chapter 3. In our text today, John refers to the Old Testament, he picks Cain, the classic example of a murderer.By the way, there is only one Old Testament reference in this entire epistle. Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. They both grew up under the same influences. They were both called to the same God to offer sacrifice. Their parents, after all, had walked and talked with Him in the cool of the day.
They knew the God who had acted in judgment against their parents because of their sin. We’ve all met people who claim to be Christians, who are no more loving than a rattlesnake. I'm sure that you, like myself, have also known some wonderful, and loving unbelievers. You want to understand some of the greatest haters of those who were truly God’s are those who are religious. It was not atheists who murdered Jesus. Though they were religious, they were the children of the devil.
Cain was a very religious man. It's clear, however, that he failed the test of love. And, even though he was worshiping the true God, he was worshiping Him in a wrong way and he was worshiping him from a wicked heart. That's the way it's always been, the unrighteous that hate the righteous.
I invite you to follow along with me as I again read to you the entire passage to set the text in our minds, while we prepare our hearts for what the Spirit of God has is saying to each of us. Listen for the voice of our Lord. I John 3:11-18.
"For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who
was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he
slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."
The message "that we should love one another," had been heard from the beginning of their Christian experience. This is not a new message. The command to love originates with Jesus Himself. It is a foundational teaching of Christianity. Yet, even today, many are going adrift from their love relationship with Jesus Christ that
provided them with the empowering to live in and live out the love of
God. God's greatest expression of His love for us is seen at Calvary. Because God so loved us, we are then commanded to love one another.
To be clear, the biblical definition of love is a self-sacrificing, a caring commitment that shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved. Hatred is then, the opposite of love. When we understand hatred, we understand that it characterizes the unbelieving world. To a The world that is motivated by self-interest, sacrificial love is foreign. Love is one of God’s gracious gifts that He has not completely withdrawn from unregenerate people.
Turn with me to Genesis chapter 4, just to refresh your minds of this account. Genesis 4 begins with "Now the man ]had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him."
A characteristic of the children of the devil is murder. Turn back to I John 3, verse 12. "Not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous." God had revealed to Cain and Abel the proper kind of sacrifice that He required. Abel obeyed by faith. Cain, in defiance, disobeyed. When his brother’s offering was accepted and Cain’s was rejected, his
envy began to seethe. Even though God confronted Cain and exhorted him
to repent, Cain ignored the warning. Cain killing his brother Abel is the classic example of where the loss of brotherly love can lead.
In John 8:44-45, Jesus said the the Jewish people who hated righteousness and were plotting to kill Him, "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me."
The word evil, is the Greek word "ponērós," it means aggressively evil, in active opposition to good. It
means evil to the extent that you want to pull everything down with you. Satan's origin is evil and orientation is rebellion, lies, hate and murder. Murder is in the heart before it is in the hand. It is derived from a wrong attitude. Scripture repeatedly warns against having the wrong attitude toward others. Hatred has no place in the Christian's heart, unless it is the hatred of sin.
means evil to the extent that you want to pull everything down with you. Satan's origin is evil and orientation is rebellion, lies, hate and murder. Murder is in the heart before it is in the hand. It is derived from a wrong attitude. Scripture repeatedly warns against having the wrong attitude toward others. Hatred has no place in the Christian's heart, unless it is the hatred of sin.
Verse 13, "Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you." The only difference between murder and hate is the act. Many people are fooled into thinking their off the hook, because they haven't murdered anybody. In God's eyes, hatred is the moral equivalent of murderer.
In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus said "You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell."
We need to be quick to judge our own hearts, as not to put ourselves in the same league with the devil! Most unrighteous people will not come to Jesus and repent, they instead try to bring down those who are living in righteousness. They hate what is good rather than fleeing from evil. The unsaved world only sees their unrighteousness when a true Christian shines light into the darkness. Because they live in darkness, they attempt to cover up their uncomfortableness with open rebellion. Satan controls people through their attitudes of anger.
Verse 14, John says "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death."
The Greek perfect tense indicates a permanent abiding result because of a past action. When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior we have passed into a new dwelling place, and we live and abide there. A person whose life is marked by a pattern of selfishness, envy,
jealousy, strife, and hatred gives evidence that he remains in spiritual
death. As believers, we must battle the hatred that stems from our own selfishness.
Verse 15, "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
John is not implying that no murderer may be saved. In fact, Paul was a murderer before
he was saved, and both David and Moses murdered men after they were
saved. They repented and were forgiven. John is pointing to the overall direction of a person’s life. It’s only to be expected that the wicked would continue to regard the righteous in the sames way Cain treated Abel. They all have the same father. By its hatred, the world reveals its true character. All people with murderous hearts have never been transformed.
Not all the children of the devil are equally evil in their actions. At best, they’re indifferent. Verses 16-17, "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" Here again, John in contrasting verse 16 with verse 17.
This is indifference. Indifference is evidence of the unregenerate. They make no sacrifice for anyone else. Jesus showed His love by laying down His life for us. It's easy to say "I'd like down my life for my fellow Christians." So, John doesn't leave it to speculation, he strikes right at the core, "But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and
closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" In other words, if you aren’t doing anything to set aside your selfishness to serve others, it's just empty words. Self-sacrifice is never easy or convenient, but for a true follower of Christ, it's necessary to meet someone’s needs. We must never ignore others’ needs! Godly love unites people through practical deeds of self-sacrifice.
That's why John says in verse 18, "Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."
Profession is not enough, sacrificial love requires genuine action. Not only is your love a testimony to everybody around you that you belong to God, it’s an assuring testimony to yourself. Your sacrificial love for others is the proof that your old sin nature has been abandoned. The test of Christian love is not simply failure to do evil to others. Love also involves doing good for them. Genuine Christian love is a preparedness to give up one’s own life so that others may live.
God did not just love us with His words, He loved us unto death on the cross. The love of Jesus is not just tender heart warming sympathy. Jesus loved us with a bold and brave, sacrificial love. Real love produces selfless, sacrificial service, for the good of others.
In Closing..
The greatest love is best seen in serving others with no thought or hope of receiving anything in return. Christian love means loving in deed and truth. To love in truth means to genuinely love a person with the heart and not just the tongue.
Caring, loving and nurturing others has value that transcends the high-profile talents that put people in the spotlight. A pat on the back and a I'll pray for you will not feed a hungry stomach. I'm not implying prayer isn't important, because it is, but if you have the ability to help a Christian brother in need, then by all means, you should do so. God's Word says love can be seen and touched, because it's tangible.
The bottom line is this: You may give without loving, but you can't love without giving!
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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