Aug15-21: Loving Brothers and Sisters

Teaching Points

What is the message from the beginning?

1. The message from the beginning is "love one another"

• 1 John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

OBSERVATION:

• Love one another is connected to God's commandment and believing in the name of Jesus (1 John 3:23)
• Love one another is connected to born of God and knowing God (1 John 4:7)
• Love one another is connected to God dwelling in us and His love is perfected in us 1 (John 4:12)
• Therefore if we cannot love one another then we are not keeping His commandment, not believing in the name of Jesus, not born of God, do not know God, God does not dwell in us, and His love is not perfected in us. This makes the command, love one another, so important to us.

QUESTION:

• How should we love one another? What is love?

2. Love is self-sacrificing love

• 1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

OBSERVATION:

• When the Bible says "love one another," it means to be willing to sacrifice your self for others. What motivates us to sacrifice self for others? This motivation comes from understanding God's self-sacrificing love for us. Therefore if we have a hard time sacrificing ourself for others then we need to behold the dying Savior on the cross first. This is the only way.

QUESTION:

• What would be a practical way to sacrifice ourself for others?

3. Self-sacrificing love is helping others with their need.

• 1 John 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

OBSERVATION:

• "Lay down our lives for the brethren" means to be willing to die for others. This would be a great sacrifice. However let's not talk about dying for others when we cannot help the need of others. Notice what Jesus says to the sheep in Matt. 25: 35-40 "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
• Therefore love one another is a type of love that fulfills the need of others. However this type of love needs to be revealed among the brethren first. Notice the text again, "seeth his brother have need"and in Matthew 25, "one of the least of these my brethren"
• This type of love is a sign of truly born of God.
• This type of love is in contrast to the character of antichrist.

QUESTION:

• How could we have assurance in our heart before God?

4. Our assurance is based upon self-sacrificing love living in us.

• 1 John 3:18, 19 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

OBSERVATION:

• We can have assurance in our heart before God because "we are of the truth." And we know that "we are of the truth" because we love "in deed and in truth." And "in deed and in truth" is connected to not closing up our "bowels of compassion" to those are in need. And we can show compassion to others because God dwells in us and we in God.
• Therefore our assurance is not based upon just an intellectual consent to the truth but rather living the life of true love. And this love will cast out fear (1 John 4:18). And this love is not made by man but God recreate this love in us as we put our trust in Him.
• This assurance is as same as "confidence" in 1 John 2:28 "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." "Abide in Him" is as same as "dwelleth in Him" in 1 John 3:24.
• John likes to repeat the same truth in many different ways so that we will not miss his point.

5. Love not as Cain

• 1 John 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

OBSERVATION:

• The message has been the same from the beginning-love one another. However the first murder was committed by Cain because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. So basically Cain persecuted Able because the obedience of Able rebuked the disobedience of Cain. It is not easy to love your brother when you are not living the life of obedience to God.
• I can see some similarities between Cain and the antichrist here. Cain had an altar for God. He had a time set aside to worship God. He brought gifts and offerings to God. He bowed down to worship God. He was expecting the blessings from God. But Cain's religious service was done according to his way and not the way of God. Perhaps Cain was hoping that God will overlook his disobedience for his sincere motives. However sincere and good motives maybe but they do not justify an act of sin.

CONCLUSION:

• Who belongs to the fellowship of the light? Those that have self-sacrificing love for one another.
• Who belongs to the fellowship of darkness? Those that have the spirit of Cain. Cain did not sacrifice himself rather he sacrificed his brother.