How to Live Obediently: Loving your Brother
1 John 4:20-5:3a; John 14:19-23
Introduction
How do you determine what is true from what is false? Our system is broken. People are openly calling what is true to be false and what is false to be true. We can’t believe what our leaders say, and we most certainly can’t believe those reporting the news. Never has there been so much division within our citizenry. And the call is out for hatred of those who believe the truth of the Bible. We are on a trajectory that is not sustainable. Those outside of Christianity reject the truths of the Bible! But even within the Christian community there are those who lie.
Loving Your Brother – 4:20-5:3a
Any claim to love God while hating a brother is a lie.
Obedience to God is loving those in God’s family
Can a person be a Christian without demonstrating love?
He who loves God SHOULD love his brother also.
Who is a Christian?
Anyone who loves God, loves those whom He loves.
Our love of God is demonstrated by our keeping His commandments (plural)!
Empowerment for our Love – 5:3b-13
Results of Faith and Love – 5:14-17
Timeless Truth
We remain in fellowship with God by 1) confessing our sins and 2) by obeying God’s commandments. The Bible contains many commands for believers to follow, but the greatest is to love God and to love one another. We may want to restrict our love to those we feel are “true” brothers, but a Christian is anyone who has believed that Jesus is the Christ. Understanding that definition of a believer, we are called on to love all our siblings in the Family of God. This takes practice so that our love is displayed through our actions. Our love for God should be reflected in us obeying His commandments. Then we can know that we love God, and we love the children of God.
Living Lesson
We are commanded to love all of God’s children. Sometimes we encounter those in God’s family who are unlovable. But we are to love them anyway. We demonstrate our love for others by meeting their physical, emotional, or spiritual needs. This may require us to stretch ourselves over and over, until our actions become our way of life. God wants our obedience. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. (1 John 5:3a)