LOVING THE BRETHREN-II—1Peter 1:22—2:12
Attention:
So far in our study of 1Peter we have examined the fact that
Christians are...CONSIDERED ALIEN(:1-2)...
We’ve examined...WHAT’s So GREAT About GOD—(:3-12)
And discovered God’s means of...UNLEASHING Your SPIRITUAL VITALITY/Vigor—(:13-21)
Today we will continue applying the above truths toward LOVING THE BRETHREN(1:22—2:12).
Read &/or sing—‘The Family of God’(Gloria & William Gaither, 1970)
Peter exhorted the aliens to love their brothers & sisters in Christ as they were also loved by God.
Christians are to love as they are loved by God.
How are Christians to live out God’s love?
12+ encounters thru which Christians are to live-out God’s love.
We have previously found that
God’s love is lived out thru an encounter with...
1. CLEANSING(:22a)“Purified”
2. OBEDIENCE(:22b)“Obeying”
Purity—Begins with obedience
Obedience—begins with the truth(word & voice)
Sincerity—begins with purity
Fervency—Begins with sincerity
3—God’s love is lived out thru an encounter with...
SINCERITY(:22c)
Explanation:(:22c) Open/Honest/Genuine/Unhypocritical
:22—“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,”
Purity—begins with obedience
Obedience—begins with the truth(word & voice)
Sincerity—begins with Purity of Soul
Fervency—begins with sincerity
No hidden/ulterior motives...Free from pretense or deceit.
*Once the soul is cleansed of dependence upon sin & flesh, then one is free to love “sincerely”—i.e., unhypocritically or unhindered by wrong motives & false emotion, even self-deceptive feelings.
Having purified souls, our now “sincere”“love” is thus enabled to be directed toward & spent upon the “brethren.”
SYNONYMS(Same)—Genuine, Open, Honest, Unguarded, Unashamed, etc.
ANTONYMS(Opposites)—Fraudulent, Pretense, Feigned, Forged, Dishonest, Hypocritical, Deceptive, etc.
*Some in our midst here today are church ‘politicians’ or ‘political Christians’(not the publicly elected kind), i.e.—These are cowardly whisperers keeping their reputations outwardly pure in exchange for telling the truth—worrying more about what others think of them or might say of them, & so becoming bitter toward some brother or sister in Christ...
*Some here are ‘thoughtless/arrogant’—These blurt out their opinion at every instance—without considering that God is just as at work in their Christian brother or sister as He is in them...
*Both these would rather see their brother/sister fail, so they can gloat over their own ‘perceived lack’ of failure(AKA—‘success’).
*Sincere love of the brethren—It’s absence means you're In love with a concept—(religion/society/a place/citizenship/conservative stance)—rather than being in love with the Lord Jesus, the Son of the Living God.
“Sincere/Unfeigned”—anupokritov—=‘Un-hypocritical’—1)Unfeigned, undisguised, sincere. Strong—from A(as a negative particle) & a presumed derivative of upokrinomai; Undissembled[Not concealing one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs], i.e. Sincere. Used 6X.
“Love of the brethren”—filadelfia—1)Love of brothers & sisters, brotherly love; 2) in the NT--The love which Christians cherish for each other as brethren. Strong—Fraternal affection. Used 6X.
—To have a real affection for.
Argumentation:
Gen. 13:2-12—“Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, & in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel & Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks & herds & tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock & the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites & the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you & me, & between my herdsmen & your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted his eyes & saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, & Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, & Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain & pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.”
1Thes. 4:9-12—“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; & indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more & more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, & to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, & that you may lack nothing.”
Acts 4:29-35—[Peter & John proclaimed]“Now, Lord, look on their threats[the Jewish chief priests & elders], & grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, & that signs & wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; & they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, & they spoke the word of God with boldness. Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart & one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, & brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, & laid them at the apostles’ feet; & they distributed to each as anyone had need.”
Acts 6:1-7—[The first deacons]“Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples & said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God & serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit & wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer & to the ministry of the word.” And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith & the Holy Spirit, & Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, & Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; & when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. Then the word of God spread, & the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, & a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.”
Acts 2:36-37—“And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, & breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness & sincerity of heart, praising God, & having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
*Jn. 13:34-35—“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
1Jn. 2:9-11—“He who says he is in the light, & hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, & there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness & walks in darkness, & does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
1Jn. 3:10-14, 18-19—“In this the children of God & the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one & murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil & his brother’s righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”.....“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed & in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, & shall assure our hearts before Him.”
1Jn. 4:11-12—“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, & His love has been perfected in us.”
!People see God if His children—Christians, brothers & sisters in Christ—love one another!
1Jn. 5:1-2—“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, & everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God & keep His commandments.”
Php. 1:8-11—“For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more & more in knowledge & all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere & without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory & praise of God.”
1Thes. 3:12-13—“And may the Lord make you increase & abound in love to one another & to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God & Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”
2Thes. 1:3-5—“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, & the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience & faith in all your persecutions & tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer;”
1Tim. 4:12—“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
Illustration:
In NC(one of the nation's largest producers of tobacco & cigarettes), Phillip Morris(cigarette manufacturer) ran ads on TV & in magazines about ‘how to get help to quit smoking’/As the ads ran, they kept manufacturing cigarettes with increasingly potent nicotines(addictive properties)/They were forced to run the ads thru law-suits/Forced Honesty but not SINCERITY
Likewise...Drug ads on TV—Now must include side-effects/Forced Honesty but not SINCERITY
Honest Sincerity....
At dinner table, little Johnny asks his Daddy—‘Are caterpillars good to eat?’
Dad—‘Son, lets not talk about such things while we’re eating, okay?’
Johnny—‘Okay Daddy.’
Period of silence as Johnny watches his Daddy.
Mom—‘Why did you say that, Johnny? Why did you ask about caterpillars?
Johnny—‘It's because I saw one on Daddy's lettuce, but now it's gone.’
Love for family outside immediate family/SINCERITY
Seek relationship with Christian brothers & sisters?—Your motive to ‘get what you can get’?...OR...To experience the same heart sincerity you receive from them/SINCERITY
Christians must realize & take to heart how unique, needed, & vital each of us is to one another & thereby, to the world.
Application:
?What has Your encounter with SINCERITY yielded ?
?You exhibit God’s love?
4—God’s love is lived out thru an encounter with...
EFFORT / INTENTION & DEPTH(:22d)
Explanation:(:22d) Fervent/Extreme degree/Stretched to the utmost/Intensity
:22—“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,”
Purity—begins with Obedience
Obedience—begins with the Truth(word & voice)
Sincerity—begins with Purity
Fervency—begins with Sincerity
Our love for the brethren is to be done with “fervency.”
There is a difference between loving ‘from the heart’ versus loving ‘from the head.’ The head knows it is right & expedient but the heart must motivate/move a true love of God to action. When the soul is purified then the heart naturally/supernaturally follows suit.
Jesus said, in Mat. 6:1-4—“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues & in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; & your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”
Do it with all your heart with nothing holding you back, no hesitation at all!
“With a pure heart”[TR/Byz] OR “From the heart”[Maj. T]—Innermost desire—Intensely personal
Each Christian is to “fervently” love their brothers(& sisters) with a “pure heart” or “from the heart.”
SYNONYMS(Same)—Passion, Zeal, Acute, Extreme, Wholehearted, Hardcore, Devout, Depth, Clean, etc.
ANTONYMS(Opposites)—Apathy, Aloof, Detached, Indifferent, Unconcerned, Laissez-faire, Shallow, Superficial, etc.
If God’s people are indeed free of pretense, then they will love one another from the very depth of their purified hearts. Their hearts having been “purified” thru the Spirit of God. “Love”—agapaw—1) of persons—1a) To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; 2) of things—2a) To be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing. Strong—To love(in a social or moral sense).
“One another”—allhlwn—Pronoun Plural Reciprocal—1)One another, reciprocally, mutually. Strong—Gen. plural from allov[ a primary word; “Else,” i.e. Different(in many applications)] reduplicated; One another.
“Fervently/Deeply”—ektenwv—Adverb—1)Earnestly, fervently, intensely. Strong—Intently. Used 1X.
From— ek & teinw(to stretch). =‘From/Out of stretching’
“Pure”(See also “purified”—agnizw)[TR/Byz]—kayarov—Adj.—1) Clean, pure. Kayarov denotes freedom from defilements, of the flesh & the world. Kayarov is that which is pure as being clean, free from soil or stain. The meaning of both[kayarov & eilikrinhv] in the N.T. is distinctly ethical. Strong—of uncertain affinity; Clean(literally or figuratively).
Argumentation:
Eph. 2:4-9—“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), & raised us up with Him, & seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; & that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”
Heb. 13:1—“Let brotherly love continue.”
Brotherly love is not something that wanes with time, but maintains its fever pitch.
Js. 2:14-17—“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked & destitute of daily food, & one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed & filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
1Cor. 12:23-27—“And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; & our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, & members individually.”
A true brother/sister in Christ will not be able to rest knowing their own kinfolk are hurting.
1Jn. 3:16—“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
1Tim. 1:5-7—“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, & from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.”
1Thes. 4:7-8—“For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”
1Jn. 3:14—“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”
Mk. 12:29-31—“Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, & with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”””
—Therefore we must Love those who follow Him!
Heb. 10:23-25—“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Mat. 12:35—“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, & an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”
The ‘brother’ who had his father’s wife. Disfellowshipped, turned over to Satan(1Cor. 5:1-13). Yet later accepted without prejudice(2Cor. 2:1-11).
Illustration:
As brothers always fight & get on each other’s nerves(because of their individuality), but when the bond is threatened, Fight for each other viciously, fervently, intensely(because of their bond-togetherness)/INTENTION & DEPTH
The church should have the same INTENTION & DEPTH of love for their brothers & sisters!
Benevolence issues/The church...the family comes first!/This is why we discuss, wrangle, wrestle & fret over how we are to give that which properly meant to aid the family!/INTENTION & DEPTH
When you’ve been hurt, do you still love?/We love our children & never give up on them...We love our family & never give up on them...How about the family of God?/INTENTION & DEPTH
Witness to rape/Called on to testify/Detached answer lawyer’s questions/No INTENTION & DEPTH—no personal investment
Witness to rape of wife or daughter/Called to testify/Heated Emotional reply to lawyer’s questions/Want justice/INTENTION & DEPTH
READ or Play Twila Paris’—‘Could You Believe’——!Did not use!—
‘Could You Believe’
He was a friend to sinners
He was a gentle man
Beautiful, humble master plan
His voice could pierce the darkness
Quiet an angry sea
I hear Him saying follow me
I look in your eyes and I tell you these things
But somehow I know that it’s hard to believe
Could you believe if I really was like Him
If I lived all the words that I said
If for a change I would kneel down before you
And serve you instead
Could you believe
He was the Lamb of mercy
Undying hope of men
Waiting for love to come again
He is the light of heaven
Radiant Prince of peace
I Hear him saying, “Follow Me”
I look in your eyes and I tell you these things
But somehow I know that it’s hard to believe
Could you believe if I carried my own cross
If I saw that the children were fed
If for a moment I held my opinion
And quietly led
Could you believe
I am meant to be a pure reflection of the truth
So above it all I pray that I will not obscure the view
Could you believe if I stood here transparent
And through me you could see his eyes
Could you believe if you saw right inside me
and there was no disguise
Could you believe if I was really like him
If I lived all the words that I said
If it was clear that I held in my heart
what I know in my head
Could you believe, could you believe
Looking at me, could you believe
Could you believe?
Application:
?What has Your encounter with INTENTION & DEPTH yielded ?
?You exhibit God’s love?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Song—‘The Family of God’ or ‘Could You Believe'
Action:
God’s love is lived out thru an encounter with...
3. SINCERITY(:22c)“Sincere”
4. EFFORT / INTENTION & DEPTH(:22d)“Fervently with a pure heart”
1. CLEANSING(:22a)“Purified”
2. OBEDIENCE(:22b)“Obeying”
Pts. 3-4 presented 10/18/2015pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(A Ave. SE)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 1-5 Presented 06/13/04pm to
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 39897
