THREE LOVES (1 JOHN 2)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_en Grammar Bible (English)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Bah Tatabahasa Alkitab (Indonesian)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Esp Biblia de Gramática (Spanish)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Tag Gramatika Bibliya (Filipino)
https://bible.ryl.hk Chinese Bible (Chinese)
Quotes on love:
Love is like a rumor. Everyone talks about it, but no one truly knows. Anonymous
The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog. Mark Twain
I love mankind... it's people I can't stand!! Charlie Brown
Love is telling someone to go to hell and worrying about them getting there safely.
Love people. Use things. The opposite never works.
Love people better, not love better people. Victor Yap
Angry people want you to see how powerful they are. Loving people want you to see how powerful you are.
Love people, but put your trust completely in God.
Who is the most loving apostle of Jesus? John, hands down. John was loving enough to take care of Jesus’ mother be with Jesus at the cross when He was crucified (John 19:25). In chapter 1 John used the word” fellowship” more than anyone else in the Bible because of John’s warm and intimate fellowship with Jesus. John was known as the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20). He has that exclusive relationship with Jesus that made others envy him. Now in chapter 2 he’s using another word based on his special status; we call John “the apostle of love” - the word “love.” Here in chapter 2 he called them “my dear (agapetos) children” (1 John 2:1, 3:18) and dear children “(1 John 2:12, 2:28, 3:7, 4:4, 5:21) in the epistle – his special stamp, similar to his gospel (13:22). More importantly, he used love thrice in chapter 2 (vv 5, 10 (verb), 15).
What is love? How do you know if somebody loves you? Why is love considered the greatest in the Bible, greater than faith and hope or joy?
Obey God’s Word
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did
A businessman well known for his ruthlessness once announced to writer Mark Twain, "Before I die I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I will climb Mount Sinai and read the 10 Commandments aloud at the top (of the mountain)."
"I have a better idea," replied Twain. "You could stay in Boston and keep them." (Moody Bible Institute's Today in the Word, September, 1991, p. 3
The first love in the chapter is love for God – to keep His commandments. Love is in your attitude and action. What is the purpose of the chapter in verse 1 (KJV, My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin)? The purpose is to sin not, according to the “hina” purpose clause, where the emphasis is. John did not say believers cannot sin, but his purpose is that they will not sin out of love for God. The presence of the Father prevents us from being drawn into sin, defeated by sin or be deadened by sin. Most versions – NASB, RSV and ESV – translate this so “may not sin” and KJV is “sin not” in the present tense, but only NIV uses the future tense – will not sin.
God has given us three most precious gifts to help us in our relationship with the Father to fight sin and not fear sin, including His advocacy, His atonement and authorship. Advocacy is to the Father for believers, atonement by Christ is for the world – the past, and authorship is our adherence to His word, of which the last part is his emphasis in the present, to keep his commandments – the present. He is faithful but are you faithful to His word?
There is more mention of “commandments” in 1 John (14 times) than any book in the Bible - next is John’s gospel (10 times over 21 chapters) - and there is more mention of “know” (vv 3 twice, 4, 5, 13 twice, 14, 18, 29) in this chapter than any chapter in the Bible. Keep his commandments (v 3) means obedience – confession, conformity to Christ and conversion of the heart. The clause “keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3, 3:22, 3:24, 5:2) occurs more in 1 John than all other books put together (John 14:15, 1 Cor 7:19). Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15). It is contrasted to knowing (2:11, 20, 21) versus keeping, hearing versus heeding, and professing versus practicing.
Loving God and keeping His commandment are inseparable in the Old Testament, l (Ex 20:6, Deut 5:10, 7:9, Neh 1:5, Dan 9:4). Keep his commandments is contrasted with “know” Him (v 3, 13), “know” we that we are in him (v 5) and have “known” the Father (v 13), but KEEP his commands (v 3) is James’ concern. The verb “perfect” (v 5) does not mean perfect but ended. It means nothing missing or misplaced, short or sad, added,
Contrasts
Knowing Keeping
Hearing
Luke 6:49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.” Heeding
Professing
Matt 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Practicing
There is more talk about God’s “commandment” (entole) in 1 John (14 times) than any other book in the Bible, more than John’s gospel (9 times) itself. Love for God is incomplete without keeping his commandments. Keeping God’s commandments is the practical, not the philosophical or poetical aspect of love. God’s concern is more than just reading God’s word, but reflecting, resembling and reproducing His word in your life. Keep does not mean it keep it and not use, but it to observe (Matt 23:3), watch (Matt 27:36) and preserve (1 Thess 5:23). Keep is extended, enduring and everlasting, not expiring, elapsed or empty. Love is how you keep or honor God’s in your heart, body, mind and soul.
Opt to Love
7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. 9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. 12 I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 14 I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
One time I found an offer in the supermarket I could not resist. Every purchase of two tubes of toothpaste would get you a Star Wars bowl, so I got a white and a black bowl for four tubes of toothpaste! What character do you think is outside the bowl for the white bowl? The stormtrooper. The balck one? Darth Vader.
Unfortunately, I gave the bowls away because it’s too good to be used! One to a coworker who likes to warn others against “going to the dark side.” He chose the white bowl.
Once a group of young people from the Mandarin fellowship came to my house for dinner. A sister noticed my bowl and asked if she can have the bowl because she was a big Star Wars fan, which I gladly gave it away because, like I say, I cannot make myself to use it.
For this sermon I could not find a picture of the two bowls, so I asked the sister, “Can you take a picture of the Star Wars bowl I gave you? I just want the words on the bowl that says ‘Come to dark side!”
The sister answered, “I'm sorry pastor.... I accidentally broke the coffee mug😓 and these two pictures (she attached) are the closest I can find online. I can't remember there were words on the mug except Star Wars, I'm sure it didn't say "join us or die"
I comforted her, “It’s ok, it says “Come to the dark side!” To which she replied “Maybe that's why I had accident!”
This passage talks a lot about darkness and light. What does the Bible mean about darkness and light? Darkness first. Darkness refers to sin, evil and wickedness. It is not about color but character and choices. What does sin do to us? It enslaves us to Satan, estranges us from God and encroaches into daily living – in our personal and public, work and with friends and family. Darkness is death, damnation, disorder, deprivation and despair. The person will be consumed, controlled and corrupted by sin. The one who hates his brother drowns in sin (v 9, sin = darkness), dead in his tracks (v 10, stumble) and disable in sight (v 11, blinded).
What is light? It’s about honoring and not hiding God, helping and not hurting others, and humbling and not hyping yourself. Without light, there is no living, being or seeing, Without light everything is moist, murky and miserable. The world will be drab, dreary and depressing without light.
Darkness (v 9) Stumbled (v 10) Blinded (v 1)
Damp
Depressed
Dying Disgrace
Disrepute
Disqualification Disabled
Dysfunction
Deactivated
Why? Three negative words: darkness, scandal and blindness.
These sins have no PLACE in over lives: Hypocrisy
Pride
Lying (with lips) or Deceit (deception is everything else)
Anger
Covetousness or Greed
Envy (wanting to possessi what overs have) or Jealousy
Oppose the Devil
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life. 26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
A man in the East, where they do not requires as much clothing as in colder times, gave up all worldly concerns and retired to a wood, where he built a hut and lived in it.
His only clothing was a piece of cloth which he wore around his waist. But, as ill-luck would have it, rats were plentiful in the world, so he has to keep a cat. The cat required milk to keep it, so a cow had to be kept. The cow require tending, a cow-boy was employed. The boy required a house to live to live in, so a house was built for him. To look after a house a maid had to be engaged. To provide company for the maid a few more houses had to be built and people invited to move in. In this manner, a little township sprang up.
The man said, “The further we seek to go from the world and its cares the more they multiply!” (Bennett, William J. “The Man and His Piece of Cloth” 195-96 (NY/Simon and Schuster/1995)
The first imperative in the whole book is in verse 15, love not the word. Love not the world does not mean not to associate with the world, but not to attach ourselves to the things of the word. Not to be attracted, addicted or attuned to it. It includes the things of the world, everything in the world—the lust of the flesh - or cravings, the lust of the eyes - or covetousness, and the pride of life - or conceit (v 16), and the word passes away (v 17). Your clothes, car and cash will pass away.
The world (v 17) means the the power, the pleasures, possessions, popularity it has to offer. Love is 26 times in the Synoptics altogether, but 37 times in John’s gospel alone and 28 times in 1 John. There are four loves in the book and one love not. The people to love are love God (1 John 4:10), love one’s brother (1 John 2:10), love one another (1 John 4:7) and love the children of God (1 John 5:2), but not to love is specifically the world.
World (v 2) is an important concept in John’s writings,, appearing 186 times in the Bible, of which 102 times (54%) are in John’s writings. The world is the people, the place and its peril, pursuit or partnership, especially), with the Wicked One (v 14) and the Antichrist (v 18) active in the last hour (v 18).
First, the wicked’s origin (v 19), their operation (deny, v 22 twice, 23) then their opposition (10 times - abide in the light (v 10), abide in the word (v 14), does the will of God abides forever (v 17), remain in fellowship (v 19), remain in the Son and Father (v 24), remain in the Spirit (v 27, 20) and outcome – abide (v 28, imperative) and not be ashamed (v 28, subjunctive). Abide is most repeated verb in the chapter. The verb “remain” occurs ten times in the chapter, twice in the imperative (v 24, 28). The two subjunctives of purpose in the chapter is to be confident and not be ashamed(v 28).
Conclusion: Do you love the world? IS the love of the Father in you? Do you love the people of God? What are the things in this world you hold on? Do you abide in the light (v 10), abide in the word (v 14), remain in fellowship (v 19), remain in the Son and Father (v 24), remain in the Spirit (v 27, 20)?
