Focus On God And His Love

1 John 4:7-10

A Study In The 2^nd Half Of First John:

1^st Half: God Is Light:

2^nd Half: God Is Love:

Love In Action: God's Love Flows Through Us To One Another.

Our Standing Before God: Righteousness Pursued Is An Assurance Of Our Salvation.

Focus On Discernment: The Sound Doctrine Test.

TODAY: FOCUS ON GOD AND HIS LOVE: HE TOOK ACTION

1 John 4:7-10 Explained

We Must Love Each Other

Love Comes From God

When We Love Each Other

It Shows That We Have Been Given New Life

How Is This New Life Demonstrated ?

Everyone Who Loves Is Born Of God And Knows God

But If A Person Isn’t Loving And Kind

It Shows That He Doesn’t Know God

For God Is Love

God Showed His Love For Us

When He Sent His Only Son

Into This Evil World To Give Us Life

In This Is Love

Not That We Loved God

But That He Loved Us

God Sent His Son

To Be The Sacrifice

By Which Our Sins Are Forgiven

1 John 4:7-10 Outlined

A-HA-VAH: Hebrew Word for LOVE ( AGAPE IN GREEK )

Generally A Broad Term That Describes Affection For Another

Abraham Had AHAVAH for Isaac: Parental Love

Jonathan Had AHAVAH for David: Brotherly Love

Deut 7:7-8 God Showed Affection Because Of His AHAVAH

God Doesn't AHAVAH because Israelites Earned It

AHAVAH Originated From God's Nature and Character

HE LOVES BECAUSE HE LOVES

GOD'S LOVE IS AN ETERNAL FACT OF THE UNIVERSE

IT HAS NO END BECAUSE IT HAS NO BEGINNING

THE NATURE OF GOD:

• Love Is From God
• His Very Nature Is Love

God’s Love Before Time

Before The Beginning—God’s Love Was The Driving Force That Set The Scene For His Creation

God’s Love In Creation

God’s Love Is Also On Display In The Perfect World HE CREATED FOR US.

The Creation Account Repeatedly Features The Phrase, “and God Saw That It Was Good” FOR US.

God’s Love In Humanity

God’s Love Is Also Evident In The Fact That He Created People Rather Than Robots.

God Is All Powerful, All Knowing, And Perfectly Capable Of Creating A Race Of Creatures To Do His Bidding.

GOD IS RELATIONAL

GOD CREATED MAN TO RECIPROCATE HIS LOVE.

THE KIND OF LOVE GOD DISPLAYS:

God's Love Is Agape Love: Unconditional Love:

There Was Nothing Of Value In Us That Called For Such Sacrificial Love.

God Of His Own Free Will Set His Love On Us In Spite Of Our Enmity And Sin.

It Is Spontaneous:

[Agapē] Is Love That Is Initiated By God Because He Wills To Love, Not Because We Are So Loveable.

It Is Self-Giving:

[Agapē] Is Not Interested In What It Can Gain, But In What It Can Give. It Desires To Help The One Loved Whatever The Cost.

It Is An Action:

[Agapē] Is Not Mere Sentiment Cherished In The Heart.

Nor Is It Mere Words However Eloquent.

It Does Involve Feeling And May Express Itself In Words.

It Is Primarily An Attitude Toward Another That Moves The Will To Act In Helping To Meet The Need Of The One Loved.

GOD'S LOVE CAN BE MISUNDERSTOOD:

There Are Many Ways To Misunderstand John’s Meaning.

1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Seems A Particular Favorite Of Cults.

All Kinds Of False Sects That Have Misapplied This Verse To Support Wildly Heretical Notions:

Christian Science: Portrays God As A Divine Principle: Love.

God Is A What Not A Who. A Principle Not A Person.

Note: This Teaching Is Neither Christian Nor Science:

Children Of God (The Family International): Uses LOVE To Justify Sexual Promiscuity.

It Is Important That We Understand And Reject Not Only Those Doctrines And The False Ideas On Which They Are Based.

Many Have Been Led Astray In This Thinking.

THE EXAMPLE OF GOD'S LOVE:

God Sent Jesus:

So That We May Have Life.

John 10:10: Jesus Said: The Thief Comes Only To Steal And Kill And Destroy; I Have Come That They May Have Life, And Have It To The Full.

God Initiated Love:

So That We Are Made Right.

Romans 5:8 But God Demonstrates His Own Love For Us In This: While We Were Still Sinners, Christ Died For Us.

QUESTIONS:

1. Where Does Love Come From? (1 John 4:7)

Love Is From God. He Is The Source And Our Example.

2. Explain How Not Loving Others Provide Evidence That A Person Is Not A Child Of God? (v. 8)

To Not Express Sacrificial Love For Others Is In Contradiction To The Very Nature Of Who God Is.

3. What Is The Ultimate Revelation Of The Love Of God? (v. 9)

God Sent His Only Son Into The World To Die For Us.

“Only” Means “unique" – There Was No Other Son, But Jesus!

4. What Do The Following Passages Teach Us About Love?

A. Acts 4:34 – 37 They Sold Land To Provide For The Needs

B. Philippians 1:4 – 7 Pray For Others

C. 1 Thessalonians 2:11 – 12 Holding Each Other Accountable

D. 1 Timothy 5:1 Mentor Younger Christ-Followers

E. John 13:12 – 15 Serve Others In Humility

F. Philippians 2:3 – 4 Think Of Others’ Needs First

G. Romans 2:9 – 11 We Are To Love All Races

Evidence Of Abiding In Love:

Consider The Following Practical Ways Of Knowing Whether We Abide In Love.

Is There A Loss Of The Sense That God Is Against Me? (Romans 5:1; 8:31)

Do I Sense The Love Of God For Me? (1 John 4:16)

Do I Know That My Sins Are Forgiven? (Romans 4:7 – 8)

Do I Have A Sense Of Gratitude To God? (Colossians 2:6 – 7)

Do I Have An Increasing Hatred For Sin? (Romans 7:15 – 16)

Do I Desire To Please God And Live A Holy Life? (John 14:21)

Is There A Desire To Know God Better And Draw Near To Him? (Philippians 3:10)

Is There A Conscious Regret That My Love For God Is Less Than What It Ought To Be? (Philippians 1:9 – 10)

Is There A Sense Of Delight In Hearing About God And The Things Of God? (Psalm 1:1 – 2)

Focus On Discernment

1 John 4:1-6

A Study In The 2^nd Half Of First John:

1^st Half: God Is Light:

2^nd Half: God Is Love:

Love In Action:

God's Love Flows Through Us To One Another.

Our Standing Before God:

Righteousness Pursued Is An Assurance Of Our Salvation

TODAY:

FOCUS ON DISCERNMENT: THE DOCTRINAL TEST

Doctrinal Counterfeits !!

DOCTRINE IS: The Written Body Of Teachings Of A Religious Group That Are Generally Accepted By That Group

Discernment Is Not Knowing The Difference Between Right And Wrong.

It Is Knowing The Difference Between Right And Almost Right.

-Charles Spurgeon -

The Definition:

-The Ability To Know If A Spirit, Spiritual Gift Or A Teaching Is False And Evil OR From God.

- Ability To Distinguish Between The Truth Of The Word And The Deceptive Doctrines Propagated By Demons

1 JOHN 4:1-6 EXPLAINED:

Don’t Believe Everyone Who Speaks As A Self-Proclaimed Prophet,

Don’t Believe Everyone Who Claims To Have The Spirit Of God Actually Does.

Test Them All To Find Out If They Really Do Come From God.

Many False Prophets Have Already Gone Out Into The World,

And You Can Know Which Ones Come From God.

You Can Know And Recognize The Spirit Of God;

Every Spirit That Acknowledges And Confesses This Fact:

Jesus Christ Has Actually Come In The Flesh As A Man And He Is From God.

Some Do Not Confess Jesus Is From God;

This Is The Spirit Of The Antichrist;

This Antichrist Spirit Doesn’t Come From God;

This Antichrist Spirit Is The Enemy Of Christ.

Which You Have Heard Is Coming And Is Now Already In The World.

God’s Spirit Is In You And Is More Powerful Than The One That Is In The World.

They Who Teach Twisted Doctrine Are Of The World And Belong To It;

Therefore They Speak From The Viewpoint Of The World;

And The Gullible Ones Of The World Listens Closely And Pays Attention To Them.

We Who Teach God’s Word Are From God Powered By The Holy Spirit;

Whoever Knows God Personally Listens To Us;

Whoever Knows God Personally Has A Deeper Understanding Of Him.

Whoever Is Not Of God Does Not Listen To Us.

The Spirit Of Truth Motivated By God And The Spirit Of Error Motivated By Satan.

WHEN YOU HAVE SOUND DOCTRINE YOU WILL HAVE DISCERNMENT

1 JOHN 4:1-6 OUTLINED:

Test the Spirits Thru Spiritual Discernment

THE FUNDAMENTAL TEST: THE DOCTRINAL TEST (4:1–6)

• 1. THE DEMONIC SOURCE OF FALSE DOCTRINE
• 2. TO KNOW AND GUARD SOUND DOCTRINE

HOW TO TEST THE SPIRITS:

You Can’t Believe Everything You Hear.

You Can’t Believe Everything That Is Purported To Come From God.

You Can’t Believe Everything That Is Supposedly Biblical.

You Can't Believe All Teachers Of Religion.

You Can't Believe All Christian Preachers, Or Christian Evangelists Or Teachers.

You Can't Believe All Who Claim To Speak For God And Claim To Have A Prophetic Voice.

1. THE DEMONIC SOURCE OF FALSE DOCTRINE

SET LOOSE IN THE WORLD:

The Spirit Of Truth And The Spirit Of Error.

NOTE: Religious Information Is Not Benign.

All Spiritual Truth Either Comes From A DIVINE SOURCE OR A DEMONIC SOURCE.

There Are Always False Religion Zealots, Cultists.

There Are Always Those Who Come Along With Their Deceptive Schemes That Claim To Be Biblical,

That Quote Bible Verses,

That Say They Have A Message From God,

That Have A Better Way To Understand The Bible And Apply The Bible,

That Have A Way To Make The Bible Acceptable,

That Have A Way To Make The Gospel Acceptable.

REMEMBER: Discernment Is Not Knowing The Difference Between Right And Wrong. IT IS KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND ALMOST RIGHT.

THE DEMONIC SOURCE OF FALSE DOCTRINE

2. TO KNOW AND GUARD SOUND DOCTRINE

God’s Truth Must Be Guarded Very, Very Carefully.

It Is Always Under Attack.

It Is Relentlessly Under Attack.

TO GUARD TRUTH:

It’s The Guardianship That Is So Important.

We Cannot Pass On The Truth Unless We Protect It, Unless We Guard It.

There Are Those Who In Outright Attack The Bible.

There Are Those Who Are Much More Subtle Than That.

We Are Called To The Defense Of The Scripture And Defense Of Truth.

To Guard The Truth:

1. It Requires The Knowledge Of Sound Doctrine,

2. It Requires The Recognition Of Error.

Sound Doctrine And Sound Discernment In The Church.

This Is Our Primary Responsibility To Our Teaching.

How Can We Teach Sound Doctrine If We Don’t Know It?

How Can We Teach Our People To Avoid Error If We Don’t Recognize It?

When You Have Sound Doctrine You Will Have Discernment

It Is Either The Doctrine Of God Or The Doctrine Of Demons.

It Is Either That Word Sent By The Holy Spirit, OR Seducing Spirits.

Teachers Are Either The True Teachers Of God OR Hypocritical Liars, Espousing The Doctrine Of Demons Fostered By Seducing Spirits.

THE TRUTH GIVES LIFE; ERROR KILLS

SO TEST THE SPIRITS

FIRST: JOHN GIVES US A COMMAND TO TEST:

There Is A Spirit Behind Every Teaching.

Discern Whether It Is The Truth Or Error That Is Being Taught,

Discern Whether It Comes From The Spirit Of God Or A Demonic Spirit.

THE COMMAND TO TEST:

SECONDLY: THE REASON TO TEST:

Because Many False Prophets Have Gone Out Into The World.

• The Vast Majority Of Religious Teachers Are False Teachers.
• The Vast Majority Of Religious Teach Human Achievement ( Works Based Salvation )
• The Vast Majority Of Religious Groups Teaching Doctrines Of Demons Motivated By Seducing Spirits.

Matthew 7:13-14: The Narrow Way

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life,

AND THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT.

THE COMMAND TO TEST:

THE REASON TO TEST:

THIRD: THE WAY TO TEST:

What is the way to test and discern the truth ?

WHAT IS THE DIVINE TRUTH THAT SHOULD BE TESTED ?

1. AFFIRM THAT JESUS CHRIST IS GOD IN FLESH.

Every Spirit That Confesses That Jesus Christ Has Come In The Flesh Is From God.

You Are Confessing That:

He Is The Eternal Life.

He Came From Dwelling In The Presence Of The Father And The Spirit.

Jesus Is A Person, Not Just A Proposition.

Jesus As A Person Is God In Human Flesh, Not A Created Being.

He Is Come From God.

He Came To Carry Out His Redemptive Work As A Substitute Mankind.

The Human Jesus And The Divine Christ Are One And The Same.

There’s One Thing Demons Will Inevitably Deny In All Their Demonic Systems,

• They Will Deny The Deity Of Jesus Christ.
• They Will Deny God In Human Flesh.
• They Deny The Incarnation.

2. AFFIRM THAT JESUS IS BELIEVED TO BE THE WORD OF LIFE: THE LIVING WORD OF GOD.

Christ Comes From God As His Living Word.

One With The Father

• Sharing The Same Essence With The Father
• Dwelling In An Affable Light With The Father Before He Came To Earth.

Jesus Christ Comes From God As The Very Living Word Of God.

There Is The Written Word Of God: SCRIPTURES.

There Is The Living Word Of God: JESUS.

He Is Therefore The Very Word Of God Incarnate.

He Is The Eternal Life Who Became Flesh.

He Is the Invisible God Who Become Visible.

3. AFFIRM THAT JESUS IS CONFESSED AS LORD.

Jesus Is The Litmus Test Of Reality For People.

You Have The Right View Of Jesus.

You Have The Right Beginning.

The One Who Rejects Me Rejects Him Who Sent Me.

Anybody Who Rejects Christ Rejects God.

You Honor The Son And The Father Or Neither.

All Other Religions Worship The Same God. They Don’t.

You Reject Jesus As God In Human Flesh

You Reject Jesus As The God-Man

Fully God, Fully Man, Who Came As A Substitute For Sin,

Then You Don’t Know God No Matter What You Think. 

Focus On Our Standing With God

1 John 3:19-24

A Continuing Study In The 2^nd Half Of First John:

• 1^st Half: God Is Light:
• 2^nd Half: God Is Love:

ONE: Love In Action: God's Love Flows Through Us To One Another.

TODAY:

TWO: OUR STANDING BEFORE GOD:

RIGHTEOUSNESS PURSUED IS AN ASSURANCE OF OUR SALVATION

1 JOHN 3:19-24 EXPLAINED:

Our Actions Confirm That We Belong To The Way Of Truth.

If We Are Guilty In Our Hearts,

We Can Still Have Peace Before God,

Because God Is Greater Than Our Hearts.

He Knows Everything.

If We Are Confident In Our Pure Hearts,

We Can Be Without Fear When We Come To God.

God Gives Us What We Ask Because We Obey God’s Commands.

And What Does God Command?

- That We Believe In His Son Jesus Christ.

- That We Love Each Other.

All Who Obey God’s Commands Live In God.

And God Lives In Them.

How Do We Know That God Lives In Us?

We Know Because Of The Indwelling Holy Spirit Tells Us So.

1 JOHN 3:19-24 OUTLINED:

THE ASSURANCE FROM THE PRESENCE OF LOVE

Two Sections:

(1) THE CONDEMNING HEART AND THE BASIS FOR ASSURANCE (3:19-20);

When Our Hearts Condemn Us, We Must Rest On The Basis Of Assurance;

THE ASSURANCE OF BEING IN THE TRUTH, 1 JOHN 3:19-20

Love is the evidence that we belong to Him and it is how we can set our hearts at rest. (v.18-19)

When your heart condemns you, look back and ask “Why?” (v. 19-20)

Your conscience is not there to cause you to doubt your salvation, but to help you live in a way that pleases God. (v. 19-20)

Assurance Is Based:

- On The Knowledge Of How God Has Already Worked In Your Life:

• Love Expressing Itself In Practical Good Deeds In His Name.
• Self-Sacrificing Love Is The Mark Of The Christian,
  • When Troubled By Doubts And Self-Condemnation, Don’t Focus On Your Failures.
  • Focus On Times That God’s Love Has Flowed Through You Since You Became A Believer.
  • Those Acts Of Self-Sacrifice Are Your Evidence You Are Of The Truth So Cease Doubting.
• Self-Centered Hatred Is The Mark Of The World.

- On The Knowledge Of God’s Greater Knowledge Of Your Heart:

• Who Will Bring A Charge Against God’s Elect?
• God Is The One Who Justifies; Who Is The One Who Condemns?
• God Is Greater Than Your Heart.
• He Wants You To Be Confident In His Love.
• He Wants To Assure You That You Are His Child.

- While You Were A Sinner, He Saved You Anyway !

- He Wants All Of His Children To Be Assured Of His Great Love.

Our Hearts Condemn Us--That Is Inevitable.

But God Is Greater Than Our Hearts; He Knows All Things.

Not Only Does He Know Our Sins; He Also Knows Our Love, Our Longings, Our Intentions;

And The Greatness Of His Knowledge Gives Him The Sympathy Which Can Understand And Forgive.

It Is This Very Knowledge Of God Which Gives Us Our Hope.

Mankind Sees The Deed, But God Knows The Intention.

Men Can Judge Us Only By Our Actions,

But God Can Judge Us By The Longings Which Never Became Deeds

And The Dreams Which Never Came True.

God Judges Us By The Deep Emotions Of The Heart;

If In Our Heart There Is Love,

Then, However Feeble And Imperfect That Love May Be,

We Can With Confidence Enter Into His Presence.

The Perfect Knowledge Which Belongs To God,

And To God Alone, Is Not Our Terror But Our Hope.

(2) THE CONFIDENT HEART AND THE BLESSINGS OF ASSURANCE (3:21-24);

When Our Hearts Are Confident, We Will Enjoy The Blessings Of Assurance.

THE ASSURANCE OF ANSWERED PRAYER, 1 JOHN 3:21-22

We receive what we ask from God because we obey His command and do what pleases him. (v. 21-22)

Confidence Before God Gives Us The Blessing Of Answered Prayer (3:22-23):

John Makes A Staggering Claim (3:22), “and Whatever We Ask We Receive From Him….”

John 14:13-14: Whatever You Ask In My Name, That Will I Do, So That The Father May Be Glorified In The Son.

There Are Conditions Attached To The Promises.

The Bible Never Teaches That We Can Pray For Selfish Wishes.

To Pray In Jesus’ Name Is To Pray In Accord With His Will.

Because We Keep His Commandments And Do The Things That Are Pleasing In His Sight.

NOTE: God Does Not Answer The Prayers Of The Disobedient.

THE ASSURANCE OF UNION WITH CHRIST, 1 JOHN 3:23-24

This is God’s command: believe in the name of His Son and love one another. (v. 23)

We know he lives in us by the Spirit he gave us. (v. 24)

Confidence Before God Gives Us The Blessing Of The Abiding Relationship Through The Spirit (3:24).

Obedience Is The Condition Of The Abiding Relationship.

Walking In Obedience To The Lord Jesus:

- We Can Enjoy Close Fellowship With Him

- He Can Enjoy Close Fellowship With Us.

His Life Flows Through Us: Producing Fruit: Pleases Him.

THE GOSPEL MOTIVATES US

TO BE IN OUR DAILY EXPERIENCE

WHAT WE ARE IN OUR STANDING BEFORE GOD