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Introduction
Love – philosophers theorize about it Here is what some of the world’s great thinkers have to say about love: • “Love – it surrounds every being and extends slowly to embrace all that shall be.” • “Love has the power of making you believe what you would normally treat with the deepest suspicion.” Songwriters and authors compose endless words trying to explain it • “How do I love thee, let me count the ways” • “What the world needs now is love, sweet love” • “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” And even scientists spout ways to explain it in terms of brain chemistry. Scientists now believe there is something called the “love molecule”. Dr. Peter Godfrey and Dr. Lynette Hatherley have discovered the arrangement of atoms that make up the “love molecule” It’s called FEEN-el-Eth-el-a-meen and some scientists feel it’s actions in the brain are what bring about “feelings of love”. The racing pulse, sweaty palms, queasy stomach and heavy breathing of someone in love, they say, can all be explained as an overdose of the “love molecule”. In fact, many are now racing to create “love potions” based on Dr. Godfrey and Dr. Hatherley’s research. Chemists have known about the “love molecule” for quite some time – it is found a very common food – chocolate. Chocolate has long believed to be an aphrodisiac – a love stimulant. Americans now spend over 1 billion dollars a year buying chocolate at one holiday alone – St. Valentines Day – a day dedicated to love. The world spends billions of dollars and much time seeking to understand and explain and exploit the idea of love. But I’m here to tell you that the world has it all wrong. You can’t understand love by writing pretty words, you can’t experience love by altering your brain chemistry and you can’t know love by eating chocolate! Most people are busy living a lie, and loving it. Love isn’t a feeling, love isn’t a state of mind, love isn’t an ideal – love doesn’t come cheaply – but will cost you everything. Love, true love, does not exist apart from God – but in order to give and receive love from God there must be an accountability for who we are, not just what we want to feel. There is a man who does understand love – his name is John. He wrote the gospel of John, the book of Revelation, and the three letters we are going to study. We associate John with love – John 3:16, for instance. But fefore John met Jesus Christ, you would not associate him and love. Now most of us know John as the man who wrote about love – but before being changed by his relationship with Jesus – you wouldn’t equate John and love. Luke 9 records the story. But after John came to know the true source of love – he was changed forever – and now shares his wisdom that we too can know, understand, and experience true love. John’s close association with Jesus taught him that love means laying down your life as nothing for the salvation of your enemy. The book of 1 John in a nutshell: It’s about taking off the mask and the rose colored glasses – to see the true price of love, the true cost of fellowship, and the true toll of sin. Themes: • True Character of love • Real Accountability for sin • Sincere fellowship with God and our brothers and sisters Vs 1 - 2 Life in Jesus is not a philosophical exercise – it is a “real life” experience (vs 1-2) Vs 3 The purpose of sharing that life is to create a relationship with others (3) Vs 4 These relationships bring you joy (4) Vs 5 With God there really are no gray areas (5) Vs 6 We must walk in response to the light (6) like Israel following the pillar of cloud/fire Vs 7 Our following the light results in 1) fellowship 2) cleansing (7) The light reveals our sin, and our need for constant cleansing Sin is singular – but the “all” reveals there are many forms of sin Application 1. Faith is personal (rely on what God did for others, and did for you) 2. Fellowship is joyful (the “love hole” can be filled – but only with God) 3. Falsehood in our lives with God means living a lie, not a life (don’t do it) Verses 8-10 give us three levels of confession and accountability 8 – Confession to the principle of sin Many people have a hard time even getting here – that everyone is sinful by their very nature. It’s like the guy who strung bungee cords together and jumped off a railroad trestle. He hit the ground and died because he made the cord longer than the distance from the trestle to the ground. He believed that the cords would snap him back and thus deceived himself that the nature of the cords was shorter than the distance to the ground. We are all falling like that guy and no matter how much we believe the bungie cords are going to stop our fall we will hit the ground and die, spiritually, because by nature we are sinful – only Christ’s forgiving blood, and our appropriating that sacrifice and his Lordship – can rescue us from certain death. 9 – Confession of particular sins To confess that we are sinful by nature might not be too difficult for you – but when it comes to confessing particular things you have done wrong – a lot of people choke. “I’m basically a good person and God should honor the good things I’ve done and ignore the bad – sort of weigh them against each other – then let me into heaven.” It costs to confess sin to God. It means “to say the same thing” to see sin from God’s perspective. Confessing sin makes us realize that even one bad thing will outweigh all the good we’ve ever done in our lives – unless we confess to God that it is bad. It’s not just an outward agreement – it is in inward grieving and turning. In fact, the word “repent” means to “think differently”. How do you approach confession – God forgive me because your Son died and now I’ve gotten a sin bath so I can go back out and do it again and get forgiveness when I get dirty – or that the sin is wrong, that you think differently about it and don’t want to ever do that again. 10- Confession of Personal sins Now its one thing to change your mind about sin in general – but how about the very particular parts of your life. Do you hold up your character to God’s very often – really compare His righteous to you? I think, as painful as it is, do this on a regular basis. Then it’s not just confessing obvious things we’ve wrong – what we call “sins” but its realizing that we are not doing as much as what we’ve done. Sobering? Yes. Difficult, yes – life changing? Certainly. Here’s how the Wycliffe Bible Commentary concludes about this section: “Thus fellowship depends on responding to the standard of light and realizing our sinful state. The victorious Christian life is a life of no unconfessed sins; and genuine confession includes forsaking, and thus produces growth.” (from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press) Conclusion 3 false statements made in this chapter. Each starts with a false claim, why it’s false, the consequences of making that false claim, then followed by a sincere action. 1) The false claim of fellowship (6) • Because truth isn’t something you know, it’s something you do – but something you live by • Otherwise you are living a lie and might think you have a relationship with God but you really don’t because you’ve shut out the guiding light. • So – seek to follow the light of Christ’s character – then relationships are established not only with God but other believers too 2) The false claim of purity (8) • Because sin is in our nature – not just in our actions. • Otherwise you are deceived into a lie and will continue to live in sin not understanding how wrong it is. • So we must admit to our sin nature and it’s deceptive influence on us and receive not only forgiveness, but cleansing taking away not only the guilt but the cause of sin. 3) The false claim of innocence (10) • Because cleansing is an ongoing work – and we all blow it constantly. • Otherwise you call God a liar and eject His word of truth in your life • So give God place to work in your life, He has much to change in you Conclusion • God’s love is not an “I’m okay, you’re okay” kind of love – it’s righteous • God’s love requires that we be an open book – it’s piercing • God’s love will forgive our every sin, but will require every part of us be dedicated to Him – it’s demanding • Are you ready for God’s love? • So – Walk in the light, have Fellowship with God, be Purified from sin |
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