Speaker 1: 0:17

Hi, my name is Zoe, I'm a freshman at BHS and I'm going to be reading scripture. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going because the darkness has blinded them.

Speaker 1: 0:43

I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him, who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him, who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God is in you and you have overcome the evil one, but one who loves the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world for the Father is not in them For everything in the world. The lust of the world for the Father is not in them For everything in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life comes from the Father, but from the world. The world is from. Desire passes away, but whoever does the evil of whoever does the will of God will live forever. This is the word of Lord.

Speaker 2: 1:39

Thanks, zoe. Thanks be to God. All right, we're going to hop in. We are in 1 John. There's three letters. It's in the back of the New Testament. If you're new with us, we're going through this verse by verse. You're not going to, you can hop right in where we're at. So we're in 1 John, chapter two. Like I said, go all the way to the back of your Bible or on your screen as you're looking it up, and you can follow along.

Speaker 2: 2:01

We're going to have a handful of verses today, and today I'm going to tell you right now we come to a doozy right Before we open the Bible. Let's just get real. Here's the deal. When you squeeze an orange, what do you get? Orange juice, right. When you squeeze a tube of toothpaste, what do you get? Toothpaste, hopefully. And when life squeezes you through stress or disagreement or hurt, what comes out of you? Is it love, grace, patience or frustration, criticism, bitterness, stop. Some of you guys are saying, yes, that's me right. Well, here's the deal.

Speaker 2: 2:37

John's letter is written to a church that has been squeezed by division, by hurt, by pride, and what is coming out isn't always love. We're going to watch what's happening when we dive in today. We're going to see what was written to them, what was said to them and how it actually applies to us today. The church, at this time, as we're hopping in, has split. There's a group of Christians that feel like they have the right to be Christians and yet withhold love from other followers of Jesus, look down on other disciples because they're not standing for what they stood for. And John is only getting into chapter two right now. He's writing to this church that's spread out across this area in Ephesus, and he's starting to get to the heart of the matter.

Speaker 2: 3:26

So I want to invite you, go ahead and open up your Bible to 1 John, chapter two. I'm actually going to pick it up in verse nine just to recap real quickly for a moment, but we're going to start in verse 7 for a quick recap. It says this Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command, but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message that you have heard. So the question then is what do they hear? Well, they heard that God so loved the world that they gave his son and that his son is love. And then you find in the 14th chapter of the gospel of John, where John was sitting there in this upper room, whereas this is where Jesus actually says I have a new command that I'm now gonna give you. You must love one another as I have loved you, and then by this, by doing this, everyone will know that you are truly a Christian, a disciple, one of me, if you love one another the way that I loved you, john said look, I'm not writing you anything new. You've heard this from the beginning. Like this is the deal. Jesus called this a new command because he is giving us. He's saying, like we have his love in us now and so, because of that, we're going to love people differently. And then he takes us into these new verses for today, verse nine here we go.

Speaker 2: 4:43

Anyone who claims the sky thing, okay, it's going to come up, maybe, maybe it's not working. Let me try this one. No, all right, anyone, I got it in the back. Anyone who claims to be the light but hates his brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light. There is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness and they do not know where they are going because the darkness has blinded them. So, john, what he's doing right here is already he's got two sides of the corn.

Speaker 2: 5:25

Once again, he's claiming anyone, he says anyone who claims right. And he's gonna say this six times in these five little pages. We saw this last week that anyone who claims to walk in the light, walking with Christ, but your lifestyle is in sin, then you're walking in darkness. Like, frankly, he's just saying like you're a liar, the truth isn't in you. You're deceiving yourself and you're making God then out to be a liar. Or how about this word Hypocrite? We've heard that one before. And so now he says again oh, so you say, yeah, I'm a Christian and I'm walking with the God of love, but I'm hating a brother or sister.

Speaker 2: 6:04

Now, real quick, just so you understand the word hate here. This isn't just talking about like rage or revenge or any of that. What it is is it's withholding love, treating God's kids the way that you'd never treat him. He's talking about Christians and the family of God in this moment, right here, and once again he's saying you're making yourself out to be a liar. If you do this, in fact, you've actually deceived yourself. You've blinded yourself with this. So, therefore, you're stumbling around in your walk with Christ and you can't even see what you're doing or what's going on.

Speaker 2: 6:37

Here, frankly, is where all of us just got to stop and think Anyone who hates their brother and sister now I know a lot of you would be like yeah, no, that's not me. Like I don't hate, I don't walk around with anger or walk around with all this rage, waiting to get my hand around somebody's neck. And I'm not this person who's walking around just trying to unleash all this animosity towards someone you know, throwing my lightning bolts and thunder at them Like that's not me. But that's not what John's saying. He's not saying you walk around this like hate burning inside of you. He simply says are you withholding love towards others in the family? Are you not acting in a loving way towards others in the family? How about this one? Are you gossiping under the disguise of sharing a prayer request? Oof, like, oh, you really should pray for so-and-so. They just can't seem to get it together Right, quickly labeling someone as less spiritual because they don't dress or worship or vote the same way you do, using scripture more like a weapon to shame than a tool to heal, or online arguments where believers sound more like trolls than ambassadors of Christ, sound more like trolls than ambassadors of Christ, ignoring those struggling financially, emotionally or spiritually because they brought this on themselves.

Speaker 2: 8:06

The tension here, friends, is that people often judge Christ by the behavior of Christians. Let me say that again the tension that people is this that people often judge Christ by the behavior of Christians, jesus followers. That's why Paul talks about in Philippians. He says live in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ. I beg you, like, how can you say that you're loving God, the Father, when you're acting towards his kids this way? It's like this. Let me give you an example.

Speaker 2: 8:41

Don't try to hang out with me and want to build a relationship with me, and then one of my kids walks in and you know how about this? You ever been in that situation where you're not quite sure who goes with who? I'm going to tell you right now I can get you. Both of my sons are black, right, so I run into this occasionally. Don't be trying to hang out with me and all of a sudden you don't know this, but my son rolls by and you look over and you're like, oh, that kid, oh, I see the way they dress. He's always got his hood on and you know, like he must be a thug and he's got earrings, it's probably tattoos. It's probably gonna do drugs. I'm glad my kid's not hanging out with that kid, like that'd be a bad influence, right. And what am I doing? I'm sitting there going, you know that's my kid, right.

Speaker 2: 9:26

And then, like you're gonna turn to me and go like, oh man, we should hang out more. Like I really like you, like I wanna get to know you, like you and I are going to be okay. We're not going to be okay. I would much rather you dislike me than dislike one of my kids. And yet, john, he's saying you know there's a group in the church today and you're not going to be loving towards them. That's a problem. Like you're going to withhold love from them If you're going to start to look down on them because of their belief, their stand, their rhetoric or whatever it is, and John goes. Now this is the danger, because you're stumbling around in the darkness, like you're blinded by this and you don't even get it and you're withholding, as we're about to find out, god's love in your life. You're not fully walking in it because you're withholding it from my kids Like man.

Speaker 2: 10:27

I'm telling you guys right now this is a gut check. Why? Because when you're honest with yourself, you know that Christianity is a claim to be proven by your obedience and our love for others. Christianity, look, it's just simply a claim. Anyone can claim to be Christian. How many people in our country today claim to be Christian? Right? How many people self-identify this way? Just checking a box of like yeah, that's the religion I hear too. Right, I'm a Christian. It's just simply a claim. I'll tell you about 62 to 68%, according to Pew Research, says like, yeah, yeah, that's what I go to. Right.

Speaker 2: 11:01

And twice now John has done what he's going to do six times in this little book, saying if you claim to be walking in the light but you're not, you're living in sin. You're in your living in sin. You're lying. And now he says if you claim to be walking with this source of love but then you're not loving others, I'm telling you you're lying. Love just isn't in you. You're stumbling in the darkness. Christianity isn't just a claim. It needs to be proven, friends, by our obedience and our love for others. And this is where. Listen to me, we just got to stop.

Speaker 2: 11:36

John is writing to a group of people that have gone through a split, like they're going through a soft tub. He's writing a group of people who've already traded a bunch of harsh words with one another. They shared it back and forth. He's writing to a bunch of people where, like shots have already been fired at one another. People have taken different polls and different votes, different positions on things, and some have been asked to leave.

Speaker 2: 12:04

And now there's a lot of hurt in the church. And now, now there's a group that seems to be living and calling themselves followers of Christ, but they aren't loving towards Christ's family, god's children. And John steps in and he goes. You've got to really stop yourself and check yourself with this. What makes you a Christian? A claim Like a belief in God, knowing that Jesus died on a cross and rose again. Come on, friends. The demons believed all that. What makes you a Christian? He goes. Well, let me tell you he says what sets your faith apart from demon faith? It's obedience. He says loving others is going to be a part of your life. Because that's exactly what Jesus stated. And John was there at the table that last night in the upper room when he heard this. By this, everyone will know that you truly are a disciple by the way that you love this action one another. Jesus is saying like there's going to be a lot of people that are claiming to follow me, but is their life following me and are they loving each other? Now, john's just writing down what Jesus said, so this really shouldn't surprise us.

Speaker 2: 13:16

The apostle Paul in Galatians 5.14,. He says this, for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command. What is it? Love your neighbor as yourself. Then this is so good. Just take this home with you. If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Can I get an amen? Jeez, louise. Like we got the guy who wrote more books in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul. We got Jesus.

Speaker 2: 13:41

And then we got the last of the disciples right here with John, all lining up and going here's how you know you're a follower. Like, how are you at loving others? And we might be sitting in our chair right now going like well, I actually know I'm a Christian because I said a prayer 20 years ago. I just need to say real quick I don't have verses for that. I just don't the sinner's prayer.

Speaker 2: 14:06

Now, I think saying a prayer can be an amazing start to a relationship. It's an acknowledgement, an amazing repentance and salvation moment. But it's proven not through a prayer, not just believing, but doing, acting that this life with Christ will actually produce obedience like his and then love like his. That's what the life of Christ does. We just wrapped up a conversation, actually this last summer, about the Holy Spirit and we got to discover what does the Holy Spirit do in our lives, like why do we have the Holy Spirit?

Speaker 2: 14:43

Well, it's to produce obedience like His and love like His, to actually bear fruit, good fruit, like you're going to become a much more loving person, not because you've worked really hard or you're watching your language or how you feel towards other, but because the spirit is actually producing that in your life. This is why 22 times in this book, 11 times just at the last supper, we have the word remain, remain. He's saying you got to remain in me, you got to stay connected, remain, remain, remain. You're not supposed to just come to understand who Jesus is and then, like, muster up all of this strength of a better life, a better morality and a better behavior. Jesus came, died on a cross because of your behavior, because of your and I's morality, and he puts his spirit then in us, and so, if we remain in him, he produces a life of obedience and love, and all John is doing is taking us back to this really simple fact. Is the Holy Spirit producing more obedience in your life? Are you becoming a much more loving person? Then I know you're walking with the spirit. But if you claim to be in Christ and Christ is in you, and yet you have no problem walking in sin, and you've got a large group of people that you're not going to show love towards and you're not going to help them, and then you're just going to withhold love from them, then he goes. I don't think the Holy Spirit is in your life. It's just a claim, and this can't just be a claim. It actually has to be the work of Christ, and John's just saying it.

Speaker 2: 16:27

Now, here's the problem, though. For me and my guess is it's yours too it's hard to love people. You know, it's been said that Christianity would be easy if it wasn't for other Christians. Look at some of you are so stinking hard to love. We live in a day and age where it is harder and harder to love people. Why? Because we know way more about people than ever before. Like, you know what they think in their head, right, with no filter, than you ever knew before, right, you know more people than you had ever known before in your life. If you just go back a hundred years, a few hundred years, I mean, you don't have to go back that far where this is what happened. Who you knew it was who you bumped into Like, and what you knew about them was whatever they decided to divulge to you. That was it.

Speaker 2: 17:33

But now we live in this day and age where we don't have to know a person to know a person. Like, we can follow them, we can watch them on TikTok or Instagram or we can do their Facebook. If you're still into that. You can do social media. Like, you know where they are, you know what they're doing, you know where they're vacationing, you know who's in their life, you know what they're thinking, you know what they're having, right, we can find so much about people like the entire world. You know what's happening in other countries now, like, we don't even need the newspaper anymore. That's old news. Like, I know the rifts that are going on, the wars that are going on in other countries, we can make a very clear opinion in our mind about what's going on in Gaza versus Israel. We can, depending on what we want to watch, what we listen to.

Speaker 2: 18:20

It is very easy, friends, if I want, to then suddenly have animosity towards sides or others on the other side of the planet. And we live in a day and an age right now where we know more about people and people groups and more about people than ever before. And so what does that mean? It means it's really hard, then, to love people, because you see people for, like who they are and what's going on with them. And John knew this. He knew that it was hard to love people, and so I think we should understand this a little bit more.

Speaker 2: 18:48

By why is that? Let's just pick only three reasons. I'm sure you could make a long list of why it's hard to love people, but let me just give you three big ones. So it's hard to love people first when I'm convinced I'm right, like knowing or thinking I'm right makes it really easy to see others as wrong, as foolish, less mature. It's hard to show them grace, doesn't it get tough nowadays, like the more you know about followers of Jesus Christians, the more about their beliefs, the more about where they stand, the more about what they post, the more about that they watch or they tweet what they're up to. Like we feed ourselves this stuff and all of a sudden it becomes really difficult. We've got so many new families coming to Northgate right now, which is awesome.

Speaker 2: 19:34

Why? It's because they've heard that, in spite of this or that, that thing that's going on in their life or their past, they're leaving places that have said like no, you won't be accepted and lovable if you think this way or stand this way or talk like this or believe like this, vote like this, walk like this. In our church, our faith community has chosen to say like we follow a God of love all the way to our own sacrifice. And, by the way, that doesn't mean that we're going to be like the feel good church, like we're not going to water down the truth, we're not going to dismiss God's work, we're not going to dismiss God's will. We teach the Bible here literally, verse by verse, and it takes us a very long time, and we're going to see what's right and very clearly what's wrong and what needs to change, and we're going to love people every step of the way.

Speaker 2: 20:24

That may disagree, I'm going to tell you I love being a part of a church that gets it to the point that now we're seeing so many people starting to say, like I was told I couldn't believe like this, or vote like this, or stay like this and find love here. And I'm like, well, you probably can Like, everyone's welcome here, everyone's going to be loved, but for God's sake, please don't stay that way. Like Jesus died on a cross for all of us, and there is actually something in all of us that we do need to look at and search for and find his truth, deny our truth, get repentance and follow him. But I'm telling you you're gonna be met with that incredible truth, with incredible love. Fam, thank you for being that type of church, because the other way that we find it difficult to love people is when we're hurt, when we've been hurt.

Speaker 2: 21:20

When we're hurt like this is a tough one, right Like this is where it becomes way more personal for us. What do you do when you've been hurt? Well, you've been hurt for a good reason, whether someone has hurt you or someone has hurt someone that you love, and the longer we spend in hurt, what happens is it just simply turns into anger. And then it doesn't take long in the midst of anger to then start to turn to bitterness. And then where does bitterness go? Bitterness then leads to resentment. And then what happens? When you live in bitterness and in resentment towards people that you're angry at because they hurt you, you get this crazy word vengeance. You want vengeance why? Because someone deserves to get their butt kicked right. Someone deserves to be punished. Like that's just the way life works.

Speaker 2: 22:10

Someone hurts you and when this happens to you from another follower, a Christian like how in the world do you love them? You're like I don't know how to get through that. I don't know how to get over that, especially because a lot of the times I'm probably right and they were wrong. Or there's this one when I believe that I'm doing God's work or God's will, because a lot of the times I know what God's will is, god's work is, and they are outside of it. You know, I now can justify being harsh or unloving in the name of truth, or I'm defending God.

Speaker 2: 22:52

And all of this suddenly comes to a place where we're just sitting in life and you're just sitting here, going. You know what, lawrence, I think you're right. I think you're right. I'm going to withhold love from a lot of people who believe and think on issues the way that I don't. Because why they drive me crazy, right? I don't. You know, you sit there and I don't even understand, I don't even understand how Christians can, like, get in a place where they even think that way.

Speaker 2: 23:19

Because I stand for truth, I stand for righteousness, I stand for what's right and I know what's right. And my words might not seem loving to many, but you know what it's? Because I'm standing for truth and there's somebody in the church and I don't like them, and there's somebody in the family of God that I've been hurt by and I'm angry and I got bitterness and I've got resentment and I want someone to just pull the rug out from underneath them and I want to watch them fall. Friends, truth without love doesn't look very much like Jesus. So now, what do you do with that? See, no sooner in this moment than does John start talking about why we must love one another.

Speaker 2: 23:59

He breaks out into these stanzas. He says I'm writing you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I'm writing to you, fathers, because you know him, who is from the beginning, and I'm writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. Then he continues I write to you, dear children, because you know the father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him, who is from the beginning, and I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God lives in you and you have overcome the evil one. So what are these stanzas about? Well, I don't think he's writing to small children and adolescents and adults here. As I see it in context and as I've read and studied this, I think that he's actually just separating here spiritual maturity like this journey.

Speaker 2: 24:50

John addresses these three stages of maturity. He says look, I'm writing to you, some of you who are brand new to this thing, brand new Christians. I'm writing to you, some of you who are brand new to this thing, brand new Christians. I'm writing to you some of you who are adolescents in this. And then some of you have been walking for God for some years now. And I'm writing to you, those of you who have some maturity, who've been walking with God and spent time. That's like you know him. And so if this is, just for us today, simply a path of growth, spiritual maturity, that the longer that you walk with God, then let's just write down you can take notes on this, just write down like, what is he doing here? What is the path of spiritual growth? Well, it's this.

Speaker 2: 25:24

First, is children forgiven and adopted. It says I'm writing you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven and you know the Father. Well, what's the first step in coming to Jesus and walking with God? Well, it's realizing that I'm a sinner. I need forgiveness, that he's paid for my sins. And now what? Well, now that you're a slave and you work for God the rest of your life, no, no, no, no. What happens is he's saying no, no, no, you're adopted Like you're a son, you're a daughter, you're loved, so loved that you've been actually brought into the family. So when we're talking about loving others, let's go all the way to the first step of you're loved Like you were forgiven and you were given what you couldn't earn, what you couldn't even hope for, what you could never live up to or even deserve, like you were adopted.

Speaker 2: 26:21

The next stage of the path of spiritual growth is young men, women, that the word is in you. It says I'm writing to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God lives in you and you have overcome the evil one. See, friends, christianity shouldn't just be about saying a prayer and then just go live like hell, because one day you're going to get heaven. He's like get into the word. We can say like come on seriously. Like what's the big deal about getting into, like life groups or signing up for rooted about? About getting into the Word and studying this, about having your own Bible, like your physical Bible that you could like circle and highlight and underline and all of these things. Well, I'm glad you asked because he says because then you can overcome the evil one, you can overcome your sins. To which you might say like well, I don't need to get in the Word to do that. Let me just say you don't know what sin is until you're in the Word.

Speaker 2: 27:18

Without the Word of God, what happens? We define right and wrong. When living in the Word is in me, the more and more my eyes start to open Because, as John said, you're walking away from darkness and you're going in to see the light more clearly. And then in you. It's going to grow in you and you're going to live in this and it's going to live in you and you're going to see the sins that then you want to confess because the more and more you walk in love and grace and mercy and then he goes. This is this process that takes place in you, this growth and then your spiritual maturity. What's going to happen is now you're going to become fathers and mothers. You know him deeply. He says I write to you fathers, I write to you older, mature in the faith. Simply put, you know God.

Speaker 2: 28:11

After years of walking with God, like love just starts to flow out of you naturally because you know God. After years of walking with God, like love just starts to flow out of you naturally because you know his heart, like you're a grace-filled person and spiritual maturity isn't about like time served in this space, it's about letting his spirit actually fill you, so his love comes out of you when you're squeezed. Now John has asked you and I to love some people that are unlovable, the people that have made it really hard to love. Now I can only guess, like this is probably pushing a button for some of you, right? And then he says this can I just take you back? Can I just take you back? You've been forgiven, you've been adopted, you've been loved when you were unlovable, come on. You made it really hard. And John just writes and said let me just tell you, whenever you're in the spiritual life, the goal is to walk more and more with God.

Speaker 2: 29:13

And then what happens as he moves on to this warning verses 15 through 17. It says don't love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them, for everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life comes not from the Father, but from the world. And the world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. Now, this is confusing, right? Because why? I'm living in the world? And frankly, I'm going to tell you right now, I love lots of things in the world, the world, and frankly I'm going to tell you right now, I love lots of things in the world. I really love pizza and camping and my family and sports. And now Michigan, go blue, dropped one off there, right? And so what's John saying, right? Like, what do we do with this. It's confusing.

Speaker 2: 30:05

Well, john warns us not to love the world's systems. And what does he do? He defines it for us. You just read it the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. And he talks about the world and its desires actually pass away, that they're temporary. They pull our hearts from these external priorities, which is what? Well, our external priorities is God's spirit, god's word and people. Surprise, these three things are the only things that will last an eternity. Some of you are freaking out, right, because you're like they're there forever, right? God's spirit, god's word and people. Now, here's the question how are you investing in things that will last versus things that won't?

Speaker 2: 30:47

When we love the world systems, we will always find ways to not love people, but when we remain and stay connected to Christ, his love then begins to flow through us, even when, and to those who are difficult to love. So what? What do we do with all this? Well, I'd ask you for these moments. Deal with all this. Well, I'd ask you for these moments, these like crunch times, when everything's on the line and when I'm being squeezed. What comes out of me? When you're squeezed this week, what's going to come out of you.

Speaker 2: 31:26

When life squeezes us through stress, criticism us. Through stress, criticism, inconvenience, disappointment, whatever we may be filling ourselves up, I'm telling you, friends, it will spill out. And if our hearts are full of God's love, then love, grace and kindness will then flow out. But if we've been filling ourselves with frustration, bitterness and pride, that's what's gonna begin to leak out into the lives of those around us. And so this week, I'm telling you, friends, you will be squeezed and what comes out of you might surprise you. Will it be love, patience and kindness, or is it gonna be like a full-blown? I need to apologize for that moment. Whatever is in you will spill out. So let's fill ourselves with his word, his spirit and love so that when we are squeezed, the world gets a taste of Jesus. Would you stand as we respond in worship?