March 4, 2012
Evening Service

This morning John instructed us to “test” the spirits and see if they are of God.  He gave us two criteria in which to base our testing on.

1. 1Jo 4:2-3 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God;  (3)  and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the antichrist you heard is coming, and even now is already in the world.
1. This is a non negotiable fact.  If they deny Jesus’ deity or incarnation they are speaking from the view of the antichrist and we forbidden to worship with them
2. If they confess Jesus as both man and God, then we are free to worship with them.
2. 1Jo 4:6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us. The one who is not of God does not hear us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
1. John said “he who know God hears us.”  “Us” there refers to the apostle’s teachings, in other words God’s Word, the Bible.
2. We are free to worship with any other believer; however we must only place ourselves under the authority of a fellowship that teaches the Bible as the guideline for a relationship with God.

We also have available to us the Holy Spirit’s guidance in each of our lives and also the ability to pray for the gift of “discerning spirits.”

 

 

1Jo 4:7-21 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God.  (8)  The one who does not love has not known God. For God is love.  (9)  In this the love of God was revealed in us, because God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.  (10)  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation concerning our sins.  (11)  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  (12)  No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us.  (13)  By this we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.  (14)  And we have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.  (15)  Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him and he in God.  (16)  And we have known and believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.  (17)  In this is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, that as He is, so also we are in this world.  (18)  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He who fears has not been perfected in love.  (19)  We love Him because He first loved us.  (20)  If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For if he does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?  (21)  And we have this commandment from Him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.

 

Here is a quick summary of what we learn from these verses.

• Love has its origin in God. Verse 7 &16
• Love has a double relationship to God.  Love comes from God and leads to God. Verse 7&8
• It is by love that God is best made known.  As the wind is unseen, only what it affects, so God is only seen by the effect of His love on man.  Verse 16

 

 

 

 

• Jesus is the true demonstration of God’s love.  It is a love that holds nothing back and is given to those who do not deserve it.  Verse 9
• Human love is in response to Divine love.  We only know true love when we receive the vision of His love for us.  We try to imitate His love for us.  Verse 19
• Perfect love cast out all fear.  We not only see God as King, Judge, and Law-giver but now we see Him as Father, Savior and Friend.  Verse 18
• His love for us produces in us a love for Him and for our bothers. The love for our bother is the proof that we truly love Him.   Verse 21

 

 

The statement from verse 8 that states “God is love” answers a lot of questions about some very deep subjects such as:

• Creation-Why would God create a world that cause Him so much trouble?  Love must have someone to love, it is really His nature.  We follow that nature in our desire to have our own children
• Free will-Love is as a necessity the free response of the heart.  He could have made us to love Him, but He chose the only true test of love and left it for us to choose Him.
• Providence-God did not set this world in motion and simply step away and watch.  He is in control and is constantly intervening when as He wills.  Prayer changes things.
• Redemption-God did not let sin run its course and let the “soul that sins die.”  His love dictated that He would find a remedy for our sins and seek to save us from ourselves.  This is His single greatest demonstration for His love us.
• Life beyond-God’s love does not stop with this life, but it rewards those who love Him and prepare themselves to meet Him with the hope of spending eternity with Him.

 

 

Rom 5:8 But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

 

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

 

Rom 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  (36)  As it is written, "For Your sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep of slaughter."  (37)  But in all these things we more than conquer through Him who loved us.  (38)  For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  (39)  nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Joh 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  (17)  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.

 

How can we who were created for a relationship with God, find peace and contentment anywhere else?  The entire human race is searching and we have found the answer; “God is love.”