21st February 2024

21st February 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 John 5:1-5 focus v2-3)


Message (Alan Burke)


Jesus is much more than a great leader or teacher, he is in his being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father. There are many who deny this truth, but for those who know it, who have come to believe it then it will lead us to live in a certain way. John as he continues tells us something that at a cursory reading we can totally miss the significance of for in verse 2 John teaches us that how we know that we love the children of God, IS by loving God and carrying out his commands. This seems to be the wrong way round but what we are being told is that only as we love God and carry out his commands will we love the children of God. This means if you do not love God then you do not love his children, you don’t love his people because you are not one of his people. The same when it comes to obedience, you may know God, you believe that Jesus is the Christ who is born of God but you’re not obeying his commandments, then you are not loving your brothers and sisters.


How does my lack obedience show that we are not loving? Well maybe you’ve had the conversation, maybe you’re away of the conversation that’s been had, and it goes along the lines of “if you love me you’ll accept me for who I am”. But when it comes to loving someone, accepting them for who they are when they are living in a way that is outside God’s intention, when we are being asked to accept a moral or ethical choice which is contrary to the word of God then loving them is saying I won’t accept you for your decision precisely because I love you. Ok there are the big ones, sexuality, gender, loving means saying I won’t accept you for your decision precisely because I love you, those are big ones, but what about someone who is getting remarried when they have been the guilty party, they have been the one who committed adultery? 


Loving means saying I won’t accept this decision precisely because I love you. And it overflows, what about the gossip, the glutton, someone filled with lust, those who are never satisfied always covetous. There are many things we can add to this but if we love God then we do not separate his commands from what it is to love because when we do we are saying that we love that person more than God. The danger is we can do that all too often, but when we understand what we are being taught is that if we do not love God, if we are not carrying out his commands then we are not loving. If we fail to love God, fail to obey his commands we will fail to love. The devil is the father of lies and he delights when the people of God are willing to put up so little resistance to the lies that he spreads. We are to love in a way that we honour God above all, by doing that then we will know what it is to love, only when we rightly love God can we rightly love our neighbour.


What is more, this love for God will lead us to obey his commandments which are not burdensome as we are told in v3. It is not possible to love God without keeping his commandments. In effect that is what we are being told, John has told us this several times, there is nothing new there. Of course this means that if you are living in a way that is contrary to the word of God, you’re choosing to live in a way that is outside of God’s will for your life then you do not love him. The word of God, the scriptures of the old and new testament are there for our best, they are not burdensome, you might think that they are but they are not, Jesus tells us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Mt 11:30). The yoke of Jesus is demanding, it requires us to obey, to love, but it is easy because it comes from him, it provides rest for our souls. If you are finding his commands burdensome why, is it because you do not want to let go of that sin in your life? Let us instead be those who show our love for the children of God as we love him and obey his commands. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q74 What is required in the eighth commandment?
The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others. (Gen. 30:30, 1 Tim. 5:8, Lev. 25:35, Deut. 22:1–5, Exod. 23:4–5, Gen. 47:14,20)
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