Let's turn in our Bibles to 1 John 2. 1 John 2. We'll be in verses 7-11 this morning. Maybe you've found yourself speaking in a paradox to someone else before, where it sounds like you're speaking out of both sides of your mouth, but really you're just saying two different things that are both true at the same time. That's what the Apostle John's about to do. when He's going to say, I'm telling you to do something, and it's really nothing new to you, but there is something new about it at the same time. So we're tightening this sermon, An Old But New Commandment. An Old But New Commandment. And to get us back in the flow of thought as the Apostle John is addressing least one church maybe more than one church in the area the Roman province of Asia modern-day Turkey around the area of Ephesus he's addressing them you recall largely because there are there are religionists there are people who were formerly part of the church who departed the congregation to start their own things because they thought a different, deeper light and truth that only the select few could really understand, probably. So John is writing to these churches, to these believers, because they've had this startling thing happen where people who used to be alongside them in church have departed and said they have something better now. They know God better than the rest of you people. and they actually have a different gospel and a different Christ now. In light of that, John is writing to these people, addressing them to stabilize their confidence in the faith, what the Christian faith really is, and remind them that they really are the ones who know Christ in truth. They have the real thing. They have the real gospel and they are in Christ. They have a real relationship with him. Don't doubt the fact that you have eternal life in Jesus Christ. Here's, and as we'll see even in our text today, as one example, he lays out a few different things over and over. The same thing is over and over saying, here's how you know that you are a genuine Christian, that you genuinely know Jesus for yourself. It's not that hard. It's pretty simple. But as we're in that sort of a context, John started out pretty early on talking about the difference between God's light and our darkness. About those who would say they are in the light, but they obviously walk, live in the darkness, so they're liars, and they make God a liar. Contrast that with those who confess their sins, and they come to Jesus for the cleansing of their sins by his blood. There's this contrast going on over and over. We get to verses three through six of 1 John 2, and this is part of the last sermon text, the sermon text last time. John says, by this we know that we have come to know him, come to know Jesus, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. It's a very absolute statement, not that, well, they are a Christian, but there's something really wrong. No, the truth isn't in him. But whoever keeps his word, whoever keeps Jesus' word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. It shows that God's love has been at work in this person and has been accomplishing what it's set out to do. It's perfected, fulfilled in that way. The love of God is producing the fruit it is meant to produce, and that it always does produce in believers. Whoever keeps Jesus' word in him, truly the love of God is fulfilled or perfected. By this we may know that we are in him, that we are in Jesus. Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk way to talk about your lifestyle, ought to walk in the same way in which he walked, in which Jesus walked. So he's talking about keeping Jesus' commands and following Jesus' example, living, walking as Jesus did. Now that brings us to verses 7 through 11, our sermon text today. And he's going to boil it down to something that's going to show up over and over in this epistle, this letter. He's going to go back and forth among these themes because you can't have one without the others. They all go together. He's going to boil down keeping Christ's commands to a foremost example of that, a foremost demonstration of that. What's one of the best ways to keep His commands? Keep His command. to love the brethren. So verse seven. Beloved, notice the tenderness of that, how he's addressing them as his dearly loved people, brothers and sisters in Christ. Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I'm writing to you which is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause for stumbling. I think the best way to look at that is he's not going to Stumble and fall in the way some have Because he's not in the dark he's abiding in the light verse 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going. That's the stumbling Because the darkness has blinded his eyes So that's that's the text for today versus 7 through 11 and the big idea is To obey Jesus and live in His light, and we've already seen how you can't have one without the other, they're two sides of the same coin. To obey Jesus and live in His light is to love fellow Christians. To obey Christ and live in His light is to love fellow Christians. Again, things that cannot be separated in our Christianity. As we try to understand the text, we first of all see in verses 7 through 8 this command for Christians to love each other, but that command is both old and new, John says. It's both old and new. Of course, he doesn't come out and say which command he's talking about until the next verses, but we've already read the whole context, so we know. Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. various good ways of looking at exactly what he's saying there maybe from the beginning of the time you were believers or he could be saying the church as a whole has had this from the beginning of the church could be saying that um and we'll mention some other things that might uh some other nuances that might be there the old commandment is the word that you have heard this is not Christianity 2.0. This is Christianity 101. This is the version of Christianity you've always had. This is the commandment you've always had. I'm not telling you anything new in that sense. This isn't novel. So, as Colin Cruz puts it, he is not imposing some novel obligation on his readers, but only recalling them to what they have known from the very beginning of their Christian walk. Paul, of course, said something similar to the Church of Thessalonica, 1 Thessalonians 4, 9 through 10. Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. You're Christians, you know this. For that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Again, we'll say this again later, but Just like John's doing here, there Paul is talking about loving the brothers, meaning fellow Christians. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, Paul says. He's urging them to do this more and more, but he knows it's nothing new. God himself, if they are Christians at all, God has taught them to love one another. It's just part of being a Christian. You can also say that this was not a new command in terms of the scriptures. John's about to boil down Jesus' commands to one command, as I said, for Christians to love each other, but for God's people to love each other was not a new obligation. This isn't a surprise, obviously, which makes it all the worse that apparently these people who had left the church to do their own religious thing maybe early Gnostic, something like that, makes it all the worse that they obviously did not have love for Christ's people, as demonstrated by their actions. But in terms of the scriptures, this was nothing new. Oh, that's a new concept. I have to love these people? No, that's not new. God has always told us that in scripture. As Jesus said, the second greatest commandment which is related to the greatest commandment of supreme and all-consuming love for God. The second greatest commandment, likened to it, is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. And that was originally a command in the law of Moses, especially speaking to Israel as those who were God's people together as brothers and neighbors of each other. Love your neighbor as yourself. That was a big part of the original context there. And God's moral law, the expression of His light, John's been talking about, God's moral law is unchanging. That which is basically according to God's character doesn't suddenly change from age to age. So obviously this is nothing new in terms of what God has told His people to do. By the way, This just, the way John talks here just reminds us, be suspicious if someone introduces a novel command, a new imperative, as the core of their Christianity, their religious system. Oh, Jesus' first century apostles had some good things to say, but we've progressed to even more light now, progressive Christianity. If they knew what we know now, they would agree that we actually, okay, I'm picking out some very specific things here, but this could go any direction, really. But many now, if you listen to what they're actually saying, they say, if the apostles knew what we know now, they would agree that we must actually put down the patriarchy. We have to deconstruct and abolish the evil systems of society. That's the church's job. And we need to celebrate everyone's chosen sexuality and gender identity. And you have to accept people's victim status. You have to protest their oppressors and accept that love is whatever we say it is or else. And by the way, traditional Christianity is hateful by our standards. So don't you dare identify with that oppressive system. See, we're actually more like Jesus than his original disciples were. Because we're so loving that we say love is love. We're not like those bigoted disciples of Jesus. That's a totally new religion. Used to be called liberalism, now it's called progressivism. That's just one example, one prominent example in our day. But there can be many other examples. We can talk about the cults or other versions of Christianity that people try to come up with and say, actually, you got it all wrong in your Christianity. We now know better. This is the central truth now. This is the central imperative, command. Hebrews 13, starting in verse seven, says, remember your leaders, speaking to the church, remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Why? The next verse says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings. Now, John says this is nothing new in one sense, but at the same time, we're saying it is a new commandment that I'm writing to you, huh? Well, think about it. It is a new commandment that I'm writing to you, John says, which is true in him and there's room for disagreement exactly what he's getting at here. It's difficult in the original language, but seems to be saying the fact that it's new, that newness is true in Jesus, and it's also True in you. It's truly new in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. And that really is, again, that's bringing out well what the original language says. It's not saying the darkness is all gone. It's saying the darkness is passing away right now and the true light is already shining. Well, it's true in Jesus that this is a new commandment because it has fresh significance now that Jesus has come, has become one of us. He came for us and for our salvation. And he, in his love for the brethren, he died. He laid down his life. John 13, going to the gospel of John written by the same apostle and John seems to often have things in mind from his gospel as he's writing this letter. John 13, 34 and 35, Jesus said the night before his death, a new commandment I give to you, my disciples, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. There's the newness. As I have loved you, and in that context, he's saying as I'm about to love you all the way to death tomorrow, that's the new thing. I'm about to accomplish redemption for you. And so that's your new standard of love for each other. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Now, since we've seen a lot of ways that people misunderstand or abuse what Christian love is, we might rush to say all the things this doesn't mean. But think about what it does mean. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Let that just sink in. Let it weigh on you. And this is a new commandment in the sense that it's now modeled on Christ's dying love for his church. Then again, the same conversation later, John 15, starting in verse nine, Jesus says, as the father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. Notice, again, the same theme as 1 John. Those who don't do what Christ commands them, they aren't his people, they aren't his friends. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends. For all that I have heard from my father I have made known to you. you did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the father in my name he may give it to you these things I command you so that you will love one another so again Donald Burdick says it this way. The newness, the newness was true in Christ in that his death was a new and unique demonstration of the selfless, self-giving love of God. In him, for the first time, the world saw what agape love really is. Christians are to love others as Christ loved, not merely as they love themselves or as they would like to be loved. It's an even higher standard than love your neighbor as yourself, as you would love yourself. Love the brothers as Christ loved all of you. That's a higher standard. It's also true in you Christians that this is new, John goes on to say, because he says the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. So this is part of your new life in Christ, in which you are a new creation in Christ. You are a new creation of light invading the darkness of this present evil age. And he's careful to say, the true light is already shining. The true light, not the fake light of these people who've left the church, these heretics who've actually hated and left the true gospel and its true believers. This is the true light. However much they may talk about being in the light and having extra light and all that, you're the ones on whom the true light is already shining. and you feel the newness of the new creation in Christ breaking in on this present evil age. It's at work in your lives. This imagery of the light dawning on and invading the darkness of this present age, that started way back in the Old Testament prophets. They had predicted that this world's darkness would be invaded with the light of God's glory. And the God's redeemed people would live in that light. The day of God would end the night of evil in a fallen world. Isaiah 59 had said a redeemer will come to Zion to those in Jacob who turned from transgression. And then just a few verses later, verse one of Isaiah 60 says to God's people, Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Like the sun, dawning, rising, God's glory has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples, but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. Down in verse 19, the sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light, but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself. For the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Or we could go to the prophet Malachi, who says God is going to bring the day when there's a clear distinction between the righteous and the wicked, those who serve him and those who don't. He says, behold, Malachi 4.1, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble, fuel for the fire. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun, S-U-N, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall, and you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. The prophets had said, the day of God is coming that will burn away all that is of the darkness and there'll be permanent light for God's people. Then we get to the New Testament and it clarifies something. And it's that thing people call the already and not yet in the New Testament. The already and not yet. Already the true light is shining, invading the darkness. Not yet do we have the full light and no darkness left, right? So though the full light of day awaits the return of the Lord Jesus, nevertheless, he's already come in the flesh. He's already died for sinners, accomplished redemption. He's already risen from the dead and entered his glory in the new creation. So Christ has already brought the light of day. The sun of righteousness is already dawning. Those who have believed in Jesus, who is the light of the world, are already living in that light, and now they are at war with the darkness. Two texts about that from the Apostle Paul. 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 4 through 8. But you are not in darkness, brothers, unlike the people around you, as he'd just been saying. You're not in darkness, brothers, for that day, the day of God, to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then, let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation." Or maybe even more pointedly for how we live day to day right now, Romans 13. Paul is also addressing love for neighbor and how that fulfills the whole law. Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Next breath, he says, besides this, you know the time that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone, the day is at hand. Hear that wording again of the dawning. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. We're in a war for the light. Put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy, which is the opposite of the love he's just talked about, not in quarreling and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ as your armor of light, he's saying. Christ is the armor of light. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. So the command for Christians to love each other is both old and new, and that brings us then to this theme of light, living in the light. This is if John is saying, so now that we're talking about the true light dawning again, There are going to be people, like I've said, there are going to be people who know God that are liars. They say they know God, but they're liars. There are going to be people who say that they walk in the light, but they're in the darkness. And here he says, the claim to live in Christ's light is empty without the love he commanded. If you claim to live in the light, but you don't love Christ's people, Christian brothers, as he commanded, You're just blowing smoke You either don't know what you're talking about or you're intentionally lying Verse 9 whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness Now I mentioned brother here is talking about Christian believers and Not just in oh, I love all Christians I vague way, but the people in the pews, shall we say, around you. But how do we know it's talking about that? Well, I like what Donald Burdick says here. He says, his brother, whoever hates his brother, and the brother may be understood in one of several ways. He gives three options. Number one, as referring to a blood brother. That's not the context here. Number two, as referring to any fellow human being. Or number three, as referring to a spiritual brother. He says it's true that the Bible teaches love for brothers in all three categories. You should love your family, you should love all people in some very real senses. He says, however, in 1 John there is evidence the author limits the term to the third meaning, spiritual brothers. This letter is the family epistle that stresses regeneration, the new birth, and views believers as the children of God. What he says in chapter five verse one is significant in this regard. John writes, whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And whoever loves the father, literally in the Greek, the one who begot, whoever loves the one who begot these children, loves the child born of him. So Burdick says here, the circle of love is the circle of regeneration. But such restriction does not minimize the necessity to love all men, which is certainly God's desire for believers, clearly taught elsewhere in Scripture. However, John's reason for limiting love in this epistle to the family of God is determined by his purpose, which is to use the presence or absence of such love as a test of family membership. So, again, my own words. The whole focus in 1 John is if you Really are born of God. You'll love the others who've been born of God That's the whole context. We're talking about loving the brothers not loving the brothers. Okay? verse 10 then Gives the positive side of this whoever loves his brother abides in the light and In him there is no cause for stumbling He's not going to Stumble and fall spiritually and this is probably referring especially to what people had done as they It's not just talking about tripping up a little bit as you sin day to day But it's it's that really a severe sense of stumbling falling away from the faith even Which many had recently done here Whoever loves his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause for stumbling and Okay, what do we mean by loving our brother? What is that going to actually look like? It's all in the definition sometimes, right? Joel Beakey offers this, and I think it's some good observations. He says, when the New Testament speaks of brotherly love, it's not speaking about merely a sympathetic heart or a kindly disposition or even a willingness to give up something to help someone else. not simply that you do stuff for other people, right? Or not simply that you have a gushy, warm feeling sometimes for other people. That's not enough. It's speaking about, Beaky says, self-sacrifice, servanthood, a washing of the saints' feet, and a readiness to die for the everlasting good of others. Remember, that was the whole context of Jesus in the Gospel of John saying, I'm giving you this new commandment to love others as I have loved you. Again, the model is Jesus. He says, this is a new emphasis that has come with Jesus Christ, our Savior. The father looks at his children and says, love one another, whatever you do. By that, he does not mean indulge one another, be sentimental toward one another, or turn a blind eye to each other's sin. He means that we must so love others that we are willing to die for a brother or sister's good. And again, we always have to qualify things. You know how the joke is that husbands can say, oh honey, I'd take a bullet for you, I'd die for you, but they won't do anything else for her, right? The idea is you're willing to lay down your life in the little ways and the big ways, right? Whatever's needed right now. John will go into that later in this epistle and say, it can't just be all talk and then when someone has an actual need, you ignore it, you know. That's not love for the brothers, he'll say. Verse 11, but whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. One more thing from Joel Beeky. He says, faithing to love is a serious matter. And I don't think what he mentions here is the only way people fail to love the brothers, but it's one big way. He says, people get angry at other people. In time, resentment and bitterness takes over their hearts. It does not matter what they profess to believe. What shows is what is uppermost in their minds. When they go to work, bitterness lies heavy on their souls. When they go to bed at night, anger surfaces again. The darkness is always there, blinding them to everything else. That's one very true way this works out in many people's lives. They're really just filled with anger that's born of a self-love. How dare everyone else violate me. That's not loving the brothers. That's just the natural self-love twisted. But, you know, there's other ways to not love the brothers. to hate in a biblical sense. Hate isn't always this burning explosive thing. The idea can also simply be, I really don't care about you. I just don't. You're not on my priority list. He's not very high. In Galatians 5, remember, Paul contrasts what he calls the works, the deeds of the flesh, the old person who used to be outside Christ. The works of the flesh, he contrasts those with the fruit of the Spirit. If we have the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ living in us now through faith in Christ, he will bear fruit, show evidence that he is giving us spiritual life. The works of the flesh on the one side include a lot of things that are just, and Paul's saying this to the churches of the Galatians who are having, apparently having some issues here. The works of the flesh include a lot of things that show not loving the brothers. Things like, that he lists, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, and then he goes on to other things, other aspects of immorality. But then on the other side, what is the first fruit of the Spirit that's listed? The fruit of the Spirit is love. And then in line with that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. He says, against such things there is no law. That is, The fruit of the Spirit has no quarrel with God's law. It's right in line with God's character. So, I don't think I need to say much more than to get you to understand the text, right? The big idea is to obey Jesus and live in his light is to love fellow Christians. How do we apply it? How do we be sure we're actually not just being hearers of the word without doing it? First of all, just grasp this. See the truth about the relationship between Christ's light and Christian love. You can't be in Christ's light without Christian love. Understand that. Understand that about yourself and about others. We need to, as was brought up in the scripture reading this morning from Romans, we need to not be naive spiritually, even about others in the church. We ought to be wise as to what is good and what is evil, but we also can't be naive. Paul had said in that text, Romans 16, people who are going to really harm the church will flatter those who are unsuspecting and naive. So we got to understand about ourselves and about others that if people don't love their fellow Christians, they're not in Christ's light. If you know Jesus at all, the one who is the light of the world, you know and obey his command to love his disciples. Even the world knows that, in a sense. Even the world can tell you, oh, Jesus told us to love each other, right? They'll totally mess up what that should look like, but everyone knows, if they know the name of Jesus, basically, they know something about the command to love. You can't say that you're in Christ's light, you know His truth, you love His truth, and His taught the man that summarized just about everything else. I'm not going to do that. Be wise and be honest about yourself and others. Again, John 13, 34-35, just to repeat it. A new commandment I give to you, Jesus says, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Implying, right, if you don't love one another, people can't really be sure that you are my disciples, right? And that is right in line with something Jesus prayed that same night, right after He said that. John 17, He prayed over and over that those the Father had given Him as His people whom He would redeem, He prayed that they would be one with each other, just as He is one with the Father. John 17, 22, The glory that you have given Me, Father, I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one. I in them, and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them even as you loved me." It's just another way of saying, they'll have love for one another, and then the world will know they're my disciples. Here it's saying, the world will see that they are one because of how you've loved them, Father. They'll know then that you've sent me as the Christ. So just face up to that truth. And then secondly, as you apply the text, admit the truth about your darkness, if you do not love Christians around you. And again, we can look at others, I trust in Christian love, we can look at others in the church and be concerned for them and say, I'm not sure if that love is really there. but you're, in some ways, you know the thoughts of your heart that we don't know. Of course, you can be self-deceived, but it's on you to look at yourself in light of Scripture and admit the truth about yourself if you don't love the Christians around you. Now remember, John is talking in absolutes here, but he's not denying the fact, as he's already said, He's not denying the fact that we still sin, okay? And he says, if people say I have no sin, then they're the liar. So it's not that we'll never have an unloving thought or deed towards each other, far from it. But what's your basic outlook toward other Christians and your basic behavior towards them that shows it? So this darkness of not loving the brothers Robert Candless writes in his commentary, we need to ask ourselves this question, is the darkness a lingering friend to me or a departing stranger? Is this something I'm actually fighting that's not really welcome in my life, but it's too often there still? Or is this something that's just me? It's just who I am and I'm happy with it. I'm happy to just love myself and not the brothers. If you do not love Christians around you, that places you in really bad company, according to Jesus, as he speaks of the world, which is gonna come up a few verses later here in this chapter, 1 John 2, the world with its desires. John 15, verse 18, Jesus told his disciples, if the world hates you, has no love for you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. you were of the world the world would love you as its own but because you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world therefore the world hates you remember the word that I said to you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will also persecute you if they kept my word they will keep also keep yours again that Don't you so often hear people talk as if they can love Jesus without loving his church? Jesus said, if they kept my word, they'll keep yours, speaking to his disciples, his people, his apostles, especially. Second Timothy 3, Paul warns of people who have the appearance of godliness, the outer shell of Christianity, in context of how he uses that word godliness, the outer shell, the facade of Christianity, but they deny its power, the power of godliness. And thus he, before he says that, he says this about such people who are fake Christians. He says, In these last days, there will come times of difficulty because people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and that's when he says they have the appearance of godliness, but deny its power. So the thing that should, I think, always stand out to us about that text is people want to use that text and say, well, in the last days, everybody's going to be like this. Well, Paul isn't talking about everybody. He's talking about fake Christians, people in the church, institutionally. They're the ones who have all this corruption coming out of their hearts. It's all about love of self and love of pleasure, not of God or of his people. They're the ones who have the appearance of godliness, but deny its power. And remember one more thing before I move on. Remember how Jesus pictured the day of judgment, Matthew 25, when he says, the Son of Man, his title for himself, is his Messianic title for himself. The Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he'll divide them, he'll separate them as the sheep from the goats, as a shepherd would separate sheep from goats. The sheep will go on his right, the goats on his left. The right is the place of favor for the sheep, those who are really his. And Jesus will commend the sheep, his people, for how they treated him when he was hungry, when he was thirsty, when he was a stranger, when he lacked proper clothing, when he was sick, when he was in prison, they met his needs when he was that way. He'll tell his people that on the day of judgment, and they'll say, when did we ever see you like that? And meet your needs. He says, truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me. The opposite is true equally and oppositely for the goats. Those were not price people. He says, I was in all these conditions and you saw me in that condition and you did nothing. Notice he doesn't say there, you persecuted me. He just says, you did nothing. You did nothing for me. And they say, Lord, when did we, they're addressing him as Lord. Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison that did not minister to you, did not serve you, give you what you needed? Then he will answer them saying, Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, my brothers, as he said, you did not do it to me. And Jesus says, and these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. On the day of judgment, Jesus will display for all to see who really belong to him and who don't by, for one thing, by their fruit. How they treated his people. Shows their hearts. shows their loves. Honestly, I don't like talking about this very much. But to be faithful to what God has breathed out in the text, I have to say, admit the truth about yourself and about your darkness if you don't love Christians around you. But moving on to the third thing, assuming you do love the brothers, And listen, John assumes that of the people to whom he's writing by and large. He's saying, he's largely contrasting them with people who've already left because they don't love the brothers. But he keeps affirming them throughout this letter and saying, look, one of the ways you know that you do know Christ is that you love each other. Now you can do it more consistently and be careful not to be a hypocrite about it at times. He'll say that too, but he's affirming them. And so number three, assuming you do love the brothers in a basic way, further that, take it further, further the practice of consistent love for fellow Christians. The apostles are always encouraging us to, to work with the process that God is working in us to, intentionally nourish what's been planted in us by God's grace. For instance, Romans 12, 9 through 13, Paul says to the church at Rome, let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Again, he never says to the churches, now let me teach you that you're supposed to love each other, but he's just telling them how to do it better. outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful and zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord, rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer, contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Or Hebrews 10, of course, let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. You know, often we have, we, have Christian love in our hearts, but we do get distracted from it at times and what that should be producing in us. So we're supposed to stir each other up like stoking a fire, putting more dry sticks on the fire so it'll blaze up better. Stir each other up to love and to good works. Prompt each other in a brotherly way as family members in Christ. And he says in the next breath, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near. And later in Hebrews chapter 13 verse one, let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison as though in prison with them and those who are mistreated since you also are in the body. Don't ignore the suffering of other Christians near or far away. If you actually care about them, just remember, you're also in the body, it says. Understand what they're going through in the body. Do what you can for them. Again, I think I'm just saying very basic things that you all know to do, just a reminder. further the practice of consistent love for fellow Christians. And last, just remember the standard, remember what the standard of our love is. It's not, the standard is not to be sure I'm more loving than the people around me seem to be. The standard is not simply that I treat others better than they might treat people. Remember the standard of Christ's love for his spiritual brethren. The standard is Jesus Christ. What he has actually done in love for his people. And what he still does for them. Christ loved us to the uttermost when we were the most unlovely and unlovable, he might say. And that's how we must love each other as Christians. So one specific example of that from scripture is Galatians 6, verses 1 and 2. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual, all he's saying there is you have the spirit of God, as I've been saying. You who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens. This person has fallen under their load of sin. So bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law, you could say the commands of Christ. Jesus did not come with the lash like he could have to just whip us more when we were fallen under our load of sin. He lifted it off of us when we didn't deserve it. So that's how we have to love each other as Christians. In loving us in his incarnation and loving us even unto death, Christ parted with so much. Jesus parted with so much that he deserved, and he welcomed all sorts of treatment he didn't deserve, and that's how we ought to love fellow Christians. That's what we ought to be willing to do, fellow Christians. In his love for his brothers, his church, his bride, Jesus welcomed, he welcomed obscurity, becoming of no reputation, and so must we. Of course, that's what Paul says in Philippians chapter two, right? He's telling them, to be in full accord and of one mind, and do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, And further, he goes on to say, he even humbled himself to the death on a cross. Why are we supposed to care about others in the church more than ourselves? Because that's what Jesus did for us. First of all, don't worry about your reputation or who's keeping score of, you know, who's supposedly the person with most honor in the church. Don't worry about that. Jesus didn't worry about reputation and honors when he became a man for you, when he went to the cross for you. Jesus also welcomed poverty, being born into a poor family, laid in a manger. And then in his prophetic ministry, the greatest of all prophets, and as the king of kings, he had nowhere to lay his head. He didn't really have rest and comfort in his life. He didn't have things that most people would consider normal needs. In love for us, Jesus welcomed poverty and the lack of earthly comforts and that's what we must do for each other at times. 2 Corinthians 8, I'll just summarize, of course, that Paul encourages the Church of Corinth with the example of other churches in Macedonia who were poor people. They gave out of their poverty. They begged for the opportunity to contribute to an offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem and in Judea. They themselves had nothing, really, but they gave out of their poverty. And Paul says, follow their example. More than that, follow Jesus' example, because he says, for you know, 2 Corinthians 8, 9, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. If we really love the brothers, we're gonna part with our stuff for them, even stuff we could really use. We're gonna part with, we're gonna say, man, I worked long hours for what I have. It's okay, I can still give it away. I can still give my time away. If I don't have money, if I don't have possessions, I have time and energy. So again and again, we're called throughout the New Testament to love as Jesus loved. That's the standard. Jesus welcomed the frustration and pain of being rejected and abused by sinners. And that's what we have to do sometimes. Jesus didn't just love the concept of redeemed sinners. He didn't just have a good theology of this in his head, but he loved actual sinners with names and problems and sins. Don't say that you love the church if you don't love the people in the church. Don't say that you love and obey Jesus if you don't love his people as he commanded. That's John's whole point here. To obey Jesus and live in his light is to love fellow Christians. Let's pray together. God in heaven, our Father in heaven. We thank you for these reminders. May they be not just convicting, but also encouraging. Thank you for showing us how you really change our hearts when you make us your children and you start giving us new affections for you and for your people. And ultimately, for all people, all sinners, that certainly starts with our brothers and sisters in Christ. But Lord, I pray that you would convince those who might be deceiving themselves, convince them that they are deceiving themselves, if that's the case, and show them that their refusal to love fellow Christians means they're not a Christian. Not that we earn anything with you or become a Christian by good deeds or by the right affections, but wrong affections, lack of right affections, that just shows something about who we are. That you haven't changed us by your grace. And so please, please don't let people deceive themselves. Because we love them and we want to see them in the light, as you are in the light. We want to see them having the love and the joy and the peace that comes in Jesus Christ. But for the rest of us, Lord, who believe in Christ, help us to stir each other up to love and good works. And may we thrive on this theme. Not just on correct doctrine, though we ought to be zealous for it. And not just on technically good deeds, but help us to thrive on promoting actual love from the heart for each other. And help us to remember the standard is not our own inferior standards for our love, but the standard is Christ's love for us. Lord Jesus, we cry out to you. recognizing how far short of your glory we fall every day, every week. But help us, you are a merciful and faithful high priest, and you are able to help us when we don't feel like loving others as you've loved us. So help us by your grace. Cleanse us from our sins by your blood. Make us what we ought to be in you, that the world may see your glory at work in your church and your people. We pray this in your name. Amen.