Why Love?
1 John 3”10-18
Ill. What is love?
It is silence--when your words would hurt.
It is patience--when your neighbor's curt.
It is deafness--when a scandal flows.
It is thoughtfulness--for other's woes.
It is promptness--when stern duty calls.
It is courage--when misfortune falls.
A Transition (10).
In the middle of verse 10, John changes subject.
Last week we covered the first part of the verse: It takes Christ living through us to do works of righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own, for in our flesh dwells no clean thing.
Then John shifts gears, goes deeper and shows a continued reliance on Jesus living through us that is demanded. Agape love in the fellowship of a Church will take Christ living through us if we are to love our fellow Christians as Christ loved us. This transition introduces the topic of brotherly love and will continue.
The Term (11).
“From the beginning”. There are three views of this phrase and each will remain true.
A. First, this book was probably written to the Churches around Ephesus. Since this was one of John’s missionary areas, he knew first hand that the Christian message was presented with love and with an emphasis on love. He would have been completely aware of how this statement would be true in this sense.
B. Another view is that since the new covenant, presented by Jesus Christ, began, from the beginning, the theme has been love. This, too, is true.
C. Yet, there is also an overshadowing theme that seems to be supported by the text. “…from the beginning…” of God’s creation and interaction of man, love has been a theme, and was violated by men outside of God’s will. Consider Cain and Abel.
A Transgression.
Cain, the father of human religion (Erick Sauars, The Dawn Of Redemption), demonstrates that violation of God’s way brings our life under the control of the evil one and is the cause for all types of sin, including murder. A choice creates waves in both directions. Let me explain.
First, a sinful choice or decision, the improper use of our God-given power to choose, causes actions that are in line with that choice. Once you determine to do sin in your mind, your body will follow with sinful actions. That is a future affect. Cain teaches us that once that choice is made, the wave of sinful actions is not easily stopped. It goes beyond our ability to control it. It takes a life of its own, and we wish not to own it.
It goes the other way also, not only creating actions, but also spiritually moving us into control of a spiritual world. A choice for God moves us under God’s further control. A simple choice away from God moves us more under the control of the evil one. I will clarify this further, as John does, in a few moments.
First, let me clear something up that can be confusing. A believer and follower of Jesus Christ cannot be possessed by demons or devils. Someone who is saved is possessed with the Holy Spirit of God and is never in danger of being snatched out of the Father’s hand (Romans 8:9, 38-39).
But the evil one can oppress you, attach you and even influence you if and when you choose his way.
Now we have already discussed that you cannot continue to be under Satan’s influence because your Father in Heaven will make it so dissatisfying and painful, you will have to eventually choose to leave Satan and grow spiritually towards God. However, the damage you do to yourself and others during your time of sowing wild oats can be very destructive, murderous and create losses that are not recoverable. Last week’s lesson.
The point of this verse should be this: if Cain would have had the proper love, first for God, but then, when corrected, for Abel, it would never have reached murder. The lack of love was a key ingredient in the murder of his brother. And there is plenty of that going around.
The Terrible (13).
See the pattern in the world through Cain? A lack of love, an evil choicf, unrighteous act, severe correction from God, and finally resentment towards God and those who are friendly with God. This is the pattern of those who reject the truth and seek their own way.
Cain’s offering was not accepted because it was not a blood sacrifice. He was saying that his sins were not so bad that death had to be paid. This is the attitude of the world, and when it doesn’t work, there is strong resentment towards God. When there is strong resentment towards God, there is resentment towards the forgiven. So is should not be surprising that the world hates us.
The Truth (14).
The root of the problem of sin is a lack of love: for God and subsequently for God’s people. When you don’t go the route of sin, you hold on to love and it keeps you pure. Thus, not we hang on to life.
Salvation began with love and love sustains us, so we continue to love our brothers. We can love despite all odds against it, and that is part of our assurance. Whenever we move away from brotherly love, we invite some kind of death in our lives.
The Twist (15).
This is a verse that says not loving your brother is absolutely unnatural for a Christian. Let me remind you of some of Jesus’ teachings.
Matthew 5:27-28 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
OK, you see the pattern here. It is less of the actions of the body than it is the intent of the heart. The wickedness of the heart is what creates rebellion against God. When we allow wickedness in our heart to create rebellion, it comes out in actions.
Now, let’s apply that pattern to anger or hate (lack of love) and murder.
The basis? Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.”
When you choose to let a trait, flaw or weakness in a brother move you away from love, you have allowed murder to reside in your heart.
Listen, one of the great deceptions of this world is the destructiveness of a single sin. We cannot see it, but the Bible teaches and demonstrates it from the beginning. The Bible is filled with illustrations, but let me use one that you have been recently reminded of.
When Israel had defeated Jericho and had been forbidden to take any treasures, Achan disobeyed (ref. Joshua 7). When a defeat (the death of 36 innocent men) revealed the sin, Moses was instructed to destroy all of Achan’s family.
We look at this and proclaim, “The family of Achan didn’t do wrong. How is that just?” Seldom do we mourn the lives and family losses of the 36 men who died in battle. 36 families lost fathers, brothers and sons. All because of Achan’s sin. Yet, it has been that way from the beginning.
It is no use to protest to God that this is unfair. It is not like it has been a secret and we just find out. It has been this way from the beginning, since Abel died innocently from Cain’s rebellion and sin. It should not surprise us.
Sometimes you suffer because of your “Achan” decision to sin. Sometimes you suffer because someone else’s “Achan” sin leaves us a victim.
Since Adam sinned and opened the door of death into God’s perfect creation, it has been out of our control. The spiritual law of death, set in eternity because of its great wickedness, has begun its destructive path.
In reality, my greatest fear is that my sin will cause those I love to suffer, possibly die, or spend eternity in Hell. If we can learn the lesson of the consequences of sin, it would give us more strength to fight temptation.
Listen, it is not natural for a believer to choose sin, but we do. To do it, we have to resist the grace of God (Romans 5:20). When we resist the grace of God, we open up a pathway to death, not just in our lives, but everyone in our wake.
The Task (16).
Back to the discovery of love: When we come to that growing knowledge of someone’s flaws and weakness, what is the pattern we are to follow? That of Jesus. Jesus laid down His life for us. Our response to the ugliness that growing love uncovers should be dying to self. It is to bear the weakness, flaw, attitude and habit in love.
In that beautiful “Love Chapter” of 1 Corinthians 13, verse seven says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
As the Psalmist said in his descriptions of the one who God favors, “one who swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psalm 15:4).
With this high and noble model of love for the most unloveable in God’s family, John follows Christ’s lead and says, deal with it and die to it before you stop loving. “…we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”
The Trip (17-18).
Love (similar to sin) also begins in the heart and flows out the hands and feet. True brotherly love, authentic agape love, starts in the heart and always ends in demonstrations of love. It cannot be stopped (it never fails, is never discouraged, 1 Corinthians 13). It continues to flow.
To truly love, you cannot see one’s needs and ignore them. There is NO excuse, justification and letting this slide. If we allow ANYTHING to stop us, as John asks, how in the world can we say God's love abide in us? Love is not fully expressed until it comes out of our hands, feet and lips.
I want us to consider the journey down the “agape road” in the Church. Picture with me that you are going down a pathway and a fork comes up. You can turn right or you can turn left.
That is the way growing relationships are. In the Church, we should be getting to know each other, with the guarantee of unconditional love, more than in any other organization or club in the world. As we journey deeper into someone’s life, getting to know them better, we discover something new. Something we did not know and it might not suit us just right. That is a fork in the road. Which way will you turn? Always turn right.
Have you ever said, “The more I got to know this person, the less I liked him and the more his attitude bothers me.” Always turn right. A relationship is like a trip across the country. As you get to know someone more and more, you will discover things about the other person that are difficult to like. John said, “It’s going to happen if you love one another. If you are transparent, honest, real and loving, with the guarantee that you will be loved unconditionally by others, people will learn stuff about you.”
That is the challenge that sets the bar too high for us to reach. At each one of those intersections, God says, “Choose love”. Turn right. That is why John said, “You must depend upon the righteousness and love of Christ to flow through you.”
I can’t do this. But He can. You can’t do this, but He can. That is “agape” love, and the more you move towards agape, the more you need the power of God’s indwelling spirit. This is John’s message.
