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The RESULT of LOVE
- 1st – Caring… vs. 16-17
- 1st – Example of LOVE… vs. 16
- By this we know love – because He laid down His life for us!
- The FIRST result of having the LOVE [ἀγάπη] of the FATHER: follow the example of Jesus…
- We KNOW [γινώσκω] – how Jesus showed His LOVE for us…
- He SHOWED us His LOVE [ἀγάπη] – by dying on the cross for our SINS!
- We were the enemies of God – we were the SONS of satan…
- But as a RESULT of how much Jesus LOVES us – He was willing to die to make us His friends!
- John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this – than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
- And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren!
- In the same way – since we have the LOVE of the Father – we OUGHT to LOVE one another…
- OUGHT [ὀφείλω] – to constantly [present] be in DEBT…
- The DEBT we owe is our LIVES – the LOVE of the Father compels us to LIVE for others!
- The world teaches us to live by the MANTRA – look out for number one…
- Every moment we are encouraged to ask what do WE want!
- But this is the OPPOSITE of LOVE – LOVE demands that we LIVE for others…
- We OWE it to Jesus – who PAID for all of our SIN – to follow His EXAMPLE…
- To live our lives in such a way as to CONTINUALLY be a blessing to those around us…
- How can I bless my wife – husband – child – friend today…
- This is the RESULT of having the LOVE of the Father in us!
- By this we know love – because He laid down His life for us!
- 2nd – Providing LOVE… vs. 17
- But whoever has this worlds goods – and sees his brother in need!
- ONE way that we can LIVE for each other – is by HELPING in times of NEED…
- IF [subjunctive] we have the ABILITY [worlds goods] to HELP…
- And see a brother in NEED [subjunctive] – we should HELP!
- How much should we GIVE…
- But whoever has this worlds goods – and sees his brother in need!
- 1st – Example of LOVE… vs. 16
- There was a poor widow who only put in TWO mites – about 50 centavos – Mark 12:42-44
- Jesus called the disciples and told them – she gave more than all the rich put together!
- The rich gave out of their abundance – she out of her poverty – she gave all she had!
- It is not about the quantity – giving a LOT means NOTHING if it costs us NOTHING…
- It is about SACRIFICE – giving from the HEART – showing the LOVE of God…
- If someone is in NEED – and we give a little – even if it is NOT enough…
- It is a HUGE blessing to them – because they know we care about them!
- Do NOT go hungry…
- II Corinthians 8:13 – “I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened…”
- Paul wrote to address this very issue to the church in Corinth…
- They were gathering an offering for the NEEDS of the church in Jerusalem…
- But he told them NOT to give more than they could afford…
- He did not want them to STARVE so others could EAT!
- In other words – be wise with how we GIVE – do not GIVE beyond our means!
- Balance the wealth…
- II Corinthians 8:14 – “Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later – they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way – things will be equal. As the Scriptures say – Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over – and those who gathered only a little had enough.”
- When the children of Israel were in the wilderness for FORTY years…
- They had to collect manna every day to eat – none extra – none lacking!
- In other words level the field – those with MUCH give to those with LITTLE…
- Not lending money – that is not a blessing – that is a LOAN – Romans 13:8
- Better to simply give it if we have it – use the money we have for others…
- Then when we have no money – those we helped will be there to bless us back!
- And shuts up his heart from him – how does the love of God abide in him!
- IF we see a NEED – and we do NOT HELP – IF [subjunctive] we CLOSE our heart…
- Then it SHOWS we do NOT have the LOVE [ἀγάπη] of God ABIDING [μένω] in us!
- Because Jesus had ALL the riches of HEAVEN – and did not hold onto them…
- Instead He gave them freely to us – who were POOR and in NEED…
- Therefore if Jesus is ABIDING in us – we will likewise GIVE to others in their NEED!
- Acts 20:35 – “[We] must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus – that He said – It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
- 2nd – Confident… vs. 18-21
- 1st – LOVE is action… vs. 18
- My little children – let us not love in word or in tongue!
- The SECOND result of having LOVE [ἀγάπη]: we become CONFIDENT…
- Because we see the LOVE of the Father coming from our lives!
- Little Children [τεκνίον] – 7x in this letter – speaking to DISCIPLES of Jesus – John 13:33
- Do NOT just pretend to have LOVE [ἀγαπάω] – by just using WORDS!
- James 2:15-16 – “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food – and one of you says to them – Depart in peace – be warmed and filled. But you do not give them the things which are needed for the body – what does it profit!”
- If we see someone who is HUNGRY – and has no FOOD…
- And we respond by saying we will PRAY for them – how does that HELP!
- WORDS are NOT enough – they lack the POWER in WORDS to HELP the person in NEED…
- We can say all day that we LOVE our NEIGHBOR – but where is the PROOF!
- LOVE… in deed!
- LOVE should be seen our DEEDS [ἔργον] – our WORKS…
- People tend to use the word LOVE very casually – it is easy to SAY…
- But LOVE is not a WORD – it is an ACTION – it needs to be SEEN!
- I knew a man who lived a VERY sinful lifestyle – alcohol and drugs…
- His wife prayed for him to be saved for many years…
- One night driving home DRUNK – he almost hit a police car – would have gone to prison…
- God used that moment to wake him up – and he called out to Jesus to save him…
- He was so excited to go and tell his wife – God told him not to TELL her – SHOW her!
- If we were SILENT – and NEVER said one word – would people know we LOVED them…
- Would our family – our friends – our neighbors – see Jesus in our lives…
- Love is not what we SAY – it is what we DO!
- LOVE… in truth!
- We must LOVE in TRUTH [ἀλήθεια] – 110x in NT
- LOVE is seen in our ACTION – but it also has to have the right MOTIVE!
- When I was a child – I liked to do GOOD things for others…
- Not because I LOVED them – but because I LOVED to hear them compliment me!
- We can do the RIGHT things – with the WRONG heart…
- To LOVE someone in TRUTH – is to LOVE them without any ulterior motive…
- We want NOTHING from them – only to give to them – the LOVE of the Father!
- My little children – let us not love in word or in tongue!
- 2nd – LOVE is TRUTH… vs. 19
- And by this we know that we are of the truth – and shall assure our hearts before Him!
- We KNOW [γινώσκω] we are of THE truth [ἀλήθεια] – Jesus is the TRUTH – John 14:6
- Because we LOVE others – not just in WORDS – but in our ACTIONS with unselfish MOTIVES…
- Which will [future] give our heart ASSURANCE – when we will stand before Jesus…
- ASSURANCE [πείθω] – the VERB form of the ROOT word for FAITH [πίστις]
- Men FEAR death – partially because it is an unknown…
- But mostly because they do KNOW – after death comes the JUDGMENT – Hebrews 9:27
- We will all STAND one day before the JUDGEMENT seat of Christ – Revelation 20:12
- How can we be CONFIDENT that we will not be PUNISHED for all our SIN…
- Our heart has FAITH [verb] – that by GRACE – Jesus paid for all our SIN on the CROSS…
- And the PROOF that we have received His GRACE – is His LOVE flowing through us!
- 3rd – Not Condemned… vs. 20
- For if our heart condemns us!
- IF [subjunctive] our heart CONDEMNS us…
- CONDEMNS [καταγινώσκω] – though [κατά] KNOWING [γινώσκω]
- We might look GOOD on the outside – try our best to be GOOD person…
- But we KNOW what is in our HEART – we KNOW we are SINNERS…
- If people could see what is on the INSIDE – we KNOW we deserve to be JUDGED!
- God is greater than our heart – and knows all things!
- God is ALWAYS [present] – GREATER than our HEART…
- He KNOWS [γινώσκω] it ALL [πᾶς] – nothing is hidden from him – Hebrews 4:13
- He KNOWS every mistake – every SIN – every thought we will ever have…
- He KNOW us better than we know ourselves…
- But He also KNOWS that He paid for EVERY one of those SINS…
- And He KNOWS what our FUTURE holds – and it is not JUDGEMENT!
- Jeremiah 29:10 – “I know the thoughts that I think toward you – says the LORD – thoughts of peace and not of evil – to give you a future and a hope.”
- Conviction is good – the work of the Spirit telling us not to sin – repent…
- But condemnation is bad – focusing on our failures – dwelling on our mistakes…
- When we are FOCUSED on our mistakes – we are NOT looking to Jesus…
- We condemn ourselves – but God has forgiven us – and He is greater than our failure…
- We just NEED to get our eyes off ourselves – and put them back onto Jesus!
- For if our heart condemns us!
- 4th – Confident… vs. 21
- Beloved – if our heart does not condemn us – we have confidence toward God!
- BELOVED [ἀγαπητός] – those who have RECEIVED the LOVE [ἀγάπη] of God…
- IF [subjunctive] our heart does not CONDEMN us…
- It is because we have CONFIDENCE [παρρησία] – to be able to say ANYTHING without FEAR!
- Hallel can ask me ANYTHING – because she is my daughter…
- But I know when she has done something WRONG – because she gets QUIET…
- Her SIN makes her SHY to talk to me – for fear I might find out what she did!
- When we are BELOVED – we have received the LOVE of God…
- Then we know we are the CHILDREN of God – and can SAY anything to Him…
- If we find we are SHY to come near the LORD – it means we have done something wrong…
- But all we have to do is CONFESS to Him – TALK to Him…
- And we will find He has already forgiven us – I John 1:9
- 1st – LOVE is action… vs. 18
It is the same SEAL God uses to bind satan for 1000 years – Revelation 20:3
3rd – Provision… vs. 22-24
1st – Answered prayer… vs. 22
Whatever we ask we receive from Him!
The THIRD result of having LOVE [ἀγάπη]: God provides for us…
IF [subjunctive] we ASK – we will receive [indicative] from Him!
James 4:2 – “You do not have because you do not ask.”
I think we get the idea a lot of times that God is NOT listening to us…
But it is not God who is silent – we just tend to neglect to ASK…
I imagine we will be amazed at how much God wanted to do in our lives…
But it NEVER happened simply because we just NEVER bothered to ASK!
Luke 11:9 – “Ask and it will be given to you – seek and you will find – knock and it will be opened to you.”
Because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight!
The reason why He gives us WHATEVER we ask for – we KEEP [present] His COMMANDS…
COMMANDMENTS [plural] – referring to the LAW of God…
As we have the LOVE of the Father – we LIVE in a way that is PLEASING to Him!
John 15:7 – “If you abide in Me – and My words abide in you – you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.”
If Hallel asked me for money to buy school supplies – I would not hesitate…
But if she asked you for money to buy candy and sweats – I would not give it…
Not because I do not love her – but because I know not EVERYTHING is good for her!
In the same way if we ASK God for SELFISH things – SILENCE will be His ONLY reply…
But as we LIVE for Jesus – we can ASK for anything – and God WILL give it…
Because we are going to be asking for the things that God WANTS!
Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the LORD – He will give you the desires of your heart.”
God does not give us what we WANT – only what we NEED…
But God does NOT just want to provide for our NEEDS – He has a far greater plan…
He wants to give us His KINGDOM – bless us beyond imagination – Luke 12:33
The only reason He would NOT give us something is He knows it is NOT good for us!
2nd – The Command… vs. 23
And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ…
The COMMAND [singular] – there is only ONE command we must keep…
That we BELIEVE [πιστεύω] – to have FAITH [verb] in the NAME of Jesus Christ…
Jesus is His NAME – [יְהוֹשֻׁעַ] – Yahweh Shua – God is Salvation…
Christ is His TITLE – [Χριστός] or [מָשִׁיחַ] – meaning the anointed one…
He was ANOINTED – called – to come and DIE to save us from our SINS!
It is the COMMAND of God that EVERY person BELIEVE in Jesus…
Because there is NO other way to be SAVED – NO other way to get to HEAVEN!
Acts 4:12 – “Nor is there salvation in any other – for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
And love one another – as He gave us commandment!
When we BELIEVE [πιστεύω] in Jesus Christ – we will receive the LOVE of the Father…
The RESULT will be – His LOVE will flow from us to others…
Fulfilling the COMMAND that Jesus gave to the Disciples – John 13:34
The church is best known today for its LOVE – instead for what it does NOT do…
Do NOT drink – do NOT smoke – do NOT go to parties – do NOT get tattoos…
And when the world looks at the church – ALL they see is RULES…
Most of which the people in the church do NOT even keep…
The world walks away from Jesus – saying who would want that!
God does not tell us we are to be known by our RULES – by what we do NOT do…
We are to be known by what we DO – we are to be known by our LOVE!
John 13:35 – “All will know that you are My disciples – if you have love for one another.”
3rd – The Holy Spirit… vs. 24
Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him – and He in him!
The one who KEEPS [present] His COMMANDS [plural] – is ABIDING [μένω]
Because we have the LOVE of the Father – we OBEY the LAW…
Not because we TRY really hard – but because of WHO is in us…
Jesus and the Father are ABIDING in us – giving us the power to live a GODLY life!
John 14:23 – “If anyone loves Me he will keep My word – and My Father will love him – and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
And by this we know that He abides in us – by the Spirit whom He has given us!
We KNOW [γινώσκω] that Jesus ABIDES [μένω] in us…
Because of the HOLY Spirit that He GAVE [aorist] to us!
If you get engaged – you give your bride to be a wedding ring as a PROMISE…
It is the guarantee that you will for sure be back to finish what you started!
Jesus bought and paid for us with the cross – I Corinthians 6:20
And He has gave us His Holy Spirit – as a down payment…
It is His guarantee He will be back for us to finish the work He started…
Until then He ABIDES in us – and SEALS us with His Spirit…
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