Between Love And Hate Series

By a show of hands, who is going for the Chiefs tonight? Who is going for the Eagles? Who could care less?

You know, it’s interesting how people can be so passionate for their favorite team in sports. But then I think about how passionate I can be for other things too. Like music. Like art. I care about those things like someone who loves sports. And I love certain singers or artists like someone who loves a certain football team who plays in the Super Bowl.

But let me ask you, if I were to say that I love my wife like I love music or art, would that be a fair comparison? Or if someone were to say, “Man, I love my girl like I love the Chiefs.” Or fill in the blank with whatever you tend to be very passionate about. How would you’re wife or honey feel about that? Would she like your love for her being equal to your love for football? And I also have to admit that many times it must feel like that to her. But is it fair? And if not, then why? Why should my love for her exceed my love for other things? Hopefully you know the answer to that question.

Last week we touched on the topic of the different levels of love or types of love. There’s love that is more of a like or preference, like I love hamburgers or ice-cream or pizza. There’s love that is because you enjoy something… you enjoy this experience that you had, so you say you love it. There’s love that means you are fond of something or someone.

There is love that is really just a feeling. Then there are deeper forms of love that involve relationship, commitment, devotion, and even sacrifice. It’s about what you are able to give, not just what you receive. Love… true love! Meaning the greatest love. What did Jesus say was the greatest love? That he lay down his life for his friends. True love gives, not takes.

And true love gives even when it is not deserved.

Often a man has told a woman, “I love you,” when really he had a selfish love towards her. Sure, there were strong feelings in the heart — but they were feelings that wanted something from the other person. “It’s true you can say to a girl, ‘I love you,’ but what you really mean is something like this: ‘I want something. Not you, but something from you.’… This is the opposite of love, for love wants to give. Love seeks to make the other one happy, and not himself.” (Walter Trobisch in I Loved a Girl, cited by Boice)

Sometimes to truly understand something, it’s easier to look at and compare it to its exact opposite. What would you say is the exact opposite of love? How about hate?

Well, there is one book in the Bible that talks a lot about love and hate. So we’re going to look at that today. Would you turn with me now to 1 John chapter four?

Context- The author of this letter is of course John the Apostle, disciple of Jesus and last of the surviving Apostles. And it is believed that he wrote these words as an old man.

John wrote this to combat some of the heresies and false teachings that had confused many of the believers and turned some away. He wrote these words to help believers to know who belonged to the pure faith and to God and who were in fact sons of the devil… counterfeit Christians.

Do we have any of that today? Counterfeit Christianity? Are there some that wear the name, like wearing Chiefs jerseys or hats, but do not truly belong to the group? And how do you know? How can you be SURE that you belong to Christ? Well, John tells us. In fact, he spends a lot of time helping his readers to distinguish between the two.

We read in 1 John 4:20-21 NASB20 - If someone says, "I love God," and [yet] he hates his brother [or sister,] he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother [and sister] whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother [and sister.]

Now this one proof of being a true disciple of Christ is repeated throughout John’s letter. It’s also something that Jesus said to him and the other apostles.

Jesus said this shortly before laying down His own life for us on the cross…

John 13:35 NASB20 -

"By this all [people] will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another."