Agape Love

Agape Love

I John 3:10-18

Purpose of John's letter:

1.) Assurance of salvation - "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." 5:13

2.) Joy - "And we are writing these things that our joy may be made complete." 1:4

• Knowing you have eternal life is what provides true and lasting joy in this life
• John provides three "tests" or signs to show who indeed has eternal life and a reason for joy
• a. Doctrinal Test - A belief in the incarnation of Christ (100%God - 100%Man) 1:1-5
• b. Moral Test - Realization and confession of sins and an obedience to Christ 1:6-2:6
• c. Love Test - A peculiar love for other Christians that causes the believer to not love the world and sacrifice himself/herself for the good of others (2:7-16)
• We believe the truth about Christ, show we believe by putting His word into action which causes us to sacrifice our lives for the good of others
• This morning we are looking at the third test of authentic Christianity – Brotherly Love
• Love today is understood as that which makes me feel good – “Falling in or out of love”
• The Bible defines love as self-sacrifice – Opposite than the world
• John’s word for love is agape – Turn and read I Corinthians 13:4
• Agape love is divine love, what God is in His essence, and the love Christians are to have
• Could you substitute your name for love in I Corinthians 13:4-8?
• Love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit who dwells inside a believer (Galatians 5:22)
• Is this the love you have for other Christians? Patient, kind, not envy or boastful, etc.
• John turns and applies the love test to the two groups in this church
  1. Jealousy and envy have no place among believers – 3:10-15
• John referring to "the beginning" of the New Testament when Christ came into the world
• Christ commanded His disciples to love one another as He loved them
• Cain and Abel represent envy and jealousy believers are not to have toward one another
• Abel’s works were righteous and Cain’s weren’t and so Cain rose up and killed him
• Jealousy or envy among God’s people has led to serious problems in the church
• Where do fights and quarrels come from in the church? “Your own lust” – James 4:1-2
• How do we turn from jealousy and envy to being the children God wants us to be?
  2. Understand God’s Agape Love and Apply It To Life – v. 16-18
• We said earlier that John’s thoughts are going to be clearer the longer we read and this is one of the clearest descriptions of the work of Christ in the Bible
• The thought here is that although we do not purchase salvation by doing good to others, the way we know a person understands the love of God is the good they do for others
• To be forgiven much is to love much, and not to love is to abide in death; to love is to do
• Turn and read the story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37
• The lost religious leaders of that day looked on this man in need and thought, “What will happen to me if I stop and help this man.” The Good Samaritan looked on this man in need and asked, “What will happen to this man if I don’t stop to help him.”
• Look around you at all the needs in the lives of your friends and family
• If you are like the religous leaders of Jesus' day, you only think about what helping others will cost you
• Christ teaches that true love for our neighbor means asking what will happen to this person if I don't reach out to them in love
• The way someone shows they know the love of Christ is by sacrifically loving others
• “Many people preach Christ; my aim will be to live Christ.” – Robert Chapman
  Follow Through
  1. How do we truly know the love of God from verse 16?
  2. How do we know we have understood that love in verse 17?
  3. Is it easier to talk about love we have for other believers or to put it into action (v. 18)?
  4. How are we as a student ministry demonstrating the love of Christ?