1 John 2:9-11, 15-17
SS Lesson for 04/11/2010
Devotional Scripture: John 1:1-16
The lesson's outline came from a previous SS Lesson dated 03/04/2007. The lesson examines Love and how it's light illuminates the world. The study's aim is to learn that true Christians love others around them. The study's application is to show that if we say we walk in the light, we must love our brother.
Famous Landmarks
What is the quickest way to identify a great city? Almost everyone knows that Paris is the home of the Eiffel Tower. Rome has its Coliseum; London has Big Ben and the Tower Bridge; Moscow has the Kremlin. Around the world, many cities have landmarks by which they are recognized. Even small towns and villages often have unique features that give them a special identity. Other cities are famous for what happens there. Los Angeles makes movies; Cannes has its annual film festival; New Orleans has Mardi Gras. Even if it is only Apple-Butter Makin’ Days or the Mid-Winter Ice Fishing Festival, communities identify themselves in distinctive ways. So what is it that identifies the Christian community (the church) as such? What is the landmark that makes us recognizable to the world? It is our loyalty to Christ, of course, but that is not all. Jesus himself said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Therefore, an identifying landmark in the church is love.
Lesson Background
When the apostle John (the author of today’s Scripture text) and his brother James left their nets to follow Jesus, they were not yet at the point of embracing the kind of love that Jesus was teaching. For instance, on one occasion they voiced hostility toward certain Samaritans, even offering to call down fire from Heaven to destroy them (Luke 9:54). On another occasion, those two tried to get ahead of their fellow apostles by asking for the choicest seats in the coming kingdom (Mark 10:35–41). John was not learning his lesson of love very well when he showed such hostility and selfishness! Yet we have come to know John as “the apostle of love.” Once he finally accepted what Jesus was trying to teach him, he wrote expressive letters to teach these lessons to others. His first letter, known to us as 1 John, sharply contrasts the life of love with the life of hatred or indifference. It is the contrast of light versus darkness, the contrast of living as children of God versus living as children of the world.
The teaching ministry of Jesus did not cease when He returned to heaven. At the beginning of Acts, Luke reminded Theophilus that his "former treatise" (the Gospel of Luke) recorded "all that Jesus began both to do and teach" (Acts 1:1). He then went on to show how the apostles had been prepared to continue His ministry (vss. 2-8). Jesus Himself had foretold how the Holy Spirit would continue to teach and enlighten the apostles in His absence (John 14:25-26; 15:26-27; 16:12-15). So His teachings lived on in theirs. The apostles repeated, restated, explained, and declared the practical implications of what Jesus originally taught. We too are beneficiaries of apostolic teaching. We draw from their Gospels as well as their letters that the Holy Spirit saw fit to preserve. The Apostle John, who in his Gospel recorded Jesus' mighty works and words, wrote letters to show how they should live on in the church. John stressed Jesus' teaching and personal example regarding love. According to John, this paramount Christian virtue must be practiced freely among us, yet with discernment. We often face the question "How can we walk in the light?" Walking as Christians is not an easy task, for it means going counter to the culture we live in. Yet if we are truly committed to our Lord and have experienced the new life that we discussed last week, we are commanded to walk in the light of Christ. The fact that dissension among Christians is one of the biggest hurdles in witnessing for Jesus is well-known. Jesus Himself once remarked that a house divided against itself could not stand (Matt. 12:25). In John 17, His high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed that there would be unity among His disciples. What binds the church together is love. John wrote that without love, we are ineffective in our witnessing to others.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.
10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being , 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 47 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.
12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible
16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
We have two excellent scriptural examples of how we are attracted to and captivated by the world and how they can be used to tempt us. The first was in the Garden of Eden, and the second was in Christ’s wilderness temptations. When the serpent (Satan) approached Eve, he appealed to her fleshly desires, because “the tree was good for food” (Gen. 3:6). He appealed to the lust of the eyes in that it was pleasant to look upon. Satan also appealed to her pride in that he promised that eating the fruit would make her as wise as God. Centuries later, Satan used this same approach on the Son of God in the wilderness. In attempting to appeal to Jesus’ fleshly desires, the devil told Jesus to turn the stones to bread. Appealing to the eyes, Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and offered them to Him if worship was given to the devil. Finally, Satan appealed to pride when he tempted Jesus to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple (Luke 4:1-13). Examine the temptations that you face, and you will discover that they involve the desire of the flesh, the appeal to the eyes, and the stirring up of pride.
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world .
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust , evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet ," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you."
13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
2:1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
Famous for No Reason?
Andy Warhol (1928–1987) is credited with a comment about people having their “fifteen minutes of fame.” There seems to be no shortage of people who want to have their brief moment of recognition, even if for no good reason. They wave their hands in the background for TV cameras. They run onto baseball fields in the middle of games. They have an urge to be noticed, but have accomplished nothing to earn it.
Famous for Love
From the earliest days of the church, God’s people have been notable for their love. They sold property, shared belongings, and did whatever was necessary to be sure that everyone had what was needed (see Acts 2:44–46; 4:34–37). When widows needed food, they organized to feed them (see Acts 6:1–3). When the saints in Jerusalem faced severe famine years later, the Gentile believers were eager to help them in their need (see Acts 11:28–30). They did this even though they lived in poverty themselves (a later occasion in 2 Corinthians 8:1–4). Through the centuries, the church repeatedly has taken the lead to care for the sick, provide for orphans and widows, and offer opportunities for education. Who else will care for the lepers? Who else will leave home and safety to carry good news to distant tribes? Who else will do such things but those who have felt the love of God?
Have you ever encountered someone who complained that the reason he could not accept Christianity is that he knows professing Christians who are always fighting, angry, and bitter toward one another? Such a person is a prime example of one who is "stumbling," as our text mentions. The Greek word for "stumbling" here literally means a violation of one's expectations. It is the source of our word "scandal." There are many preconceived notions that unbelievers tend to entertain about what a good Christian should be like. Some of them have biblical merit, and some are spurious. Still others are debatable, depending on which church or denomination we are dealing with at the time. But if there is anything about Christian conduct that is a totally nonnegotiable, completely essential characteristic, it is loving behavior toward other Christians. By the same token, if there is any reason for an unbeliever to find fault with Christianity—a reason that is genuinely biblical and thoroughly warned about in Scripture as a valid cause for offense by unbelievers—it is the lack of such loving behavior toward our brethren. Allow me to jog your memory on this issue. Let us begin with John 13:34-35: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." This pretty much says it all, but consider this as well: Our love for one another should be marked by kindness and affection, honoring and preferring other Christians above ourselves (cf. Rom. 12:10); by humility and patience (cf. Eph. 4:2); by Christlike forgiveness (cf. vs. 32); and by courtesy, compassion, and pity (1 Pet. 3:8). We could consider many more aspects, but if you are anything like me, these are already daunting enough! Indeed, historically there have been many incidents and even whole eras in which a segment of professing Christians have engaged in some form of behavior so abhorrent as to be beyond mention, even by rank pagans. Many such events may be explained as bizarre anomalies or actions perpetrated by false Christians, but no other shortcoming of our profession of faith confronts both us and the world so incessantly and so shamefully at every level of society as the failure to show love to other Christians! It robs our salt of its savor and tempts the world to crush us underfoot. To be sure, Christian history is likewise filled with a multitude of opposite examples—of those who exemplified Christian love to a degree that inspires awe and wonder in all who look on. However, it is our failings that the unbelieving heart will take as its excuse and self-condemning justification for ignoring so great a salvation. "And now I beseech thee, .. . that we love one another" (2 John 1:5).
1. Sometimes the believer's actions speak louder than his words (1 John 2:9)
2. Failing to practice what we preach will cause us and may cause others to stumble (vs. 10)
3. Willfully disobeying God's commands always leads to one's own harm and hurt (vs. 11)
4. True love for God always requires that Christians make some hard choices (vs. 15)
5. The ways of the world are usually incompatible with the ways of God (vs. 16)
6. Beware: today's choices may impact you for the rest of life and eternity (vs. 17)
Many of us have heard professing Christians make such statements as "I will never forgive him for what he did" or "I do not care what the Bible says; I am going to get ahead in this world" or "So what if the church splits, as long as I get my way." These thoughts contrast greatly with what John wrote about living in love.
John wrote that a proper demonstration of our love for God is crucial in believers' lives. This theme begins in 1:6. We show our love for God through a correct attitude toward sin (1 John 1:6 - 2:2), through an obedient response to God's commandments (2:3-6), through a proper relationship with the brethren (vss. 7-11), through genuine spirituality directed toward God the Father (vss. 1214), and through accurate priorities in the world (vss. 15-17). In verses 9-11 John challenged his readers to obey Christ's commandment of love and to express it openly toward the Christian brethren. One problem the early church faced was that members often could not get along with each other in love. They claimed to love the Lord and to walk with Him. At the same time, they were expressing open antagonism toward their Christian brethren. Modern parallels are all too abundant, and the work of God is hindered as much today as in John's day. The Lord still commands us to love the brethren. This does not mean that we will never find mannerisms and habits that we dislike as we interact with believers. It does not mean Christians will never do anything we find objectionable. It does mean, however, that if we really know Christ, we will have a genuine love for the brethren.
John set forth a significant contrast in love. While we should definitely love the brethren, we should not love the world. The term for "world" (kosmos) can be used in different ways. John affirmed earlier that God made the world (John 1:10) and that His world is an object of wonder and beauty. John also wrote that God Himself loved the world and sent His Son to give His life tor it (John 3:16). In this case the term "world" refers to the people living on it, to those for whom Christ died. "World" can have an evil connotation, however. It can refer to this world system, the organized scheme that is opposed to God (John 7:7), that is under the dominion of Satan (12:31), and that is ultimately to be judged by the Lord Himself (vs. 31 ). That is the term's sense in I John 2:15-17. Loving this world system means that we are not loving God as we should. The problem, however, is that the allure of the world is strong indeed. John recognized that it appeals to believers in three particular areas and warned us about each of them. The first is the "lust of the flesh" (1 John 2:16). This refers to those evil cravings that come from our sinful proclivities. These are seen in Paul's list of the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21). We must also avoid the "lust of the eyes" (1 John 2:16), all that we see that entices us to turn away from God. Too often believers are captivated by the outward show of things. The "pride of life" must also be avoided. This refers to boasting about what we possess. All these things should be subdued through our love for God. The reason is clear: they are temporal, and thus transitory. When we truly love God, we will do His will and experience His promise of abiding with Him forever.