Yesterday was our 4 day of Prayer and Fasting here at Joy. I would like to thank everyone who participated in some way whether you were here at the Church or at Home. When you fast and pray it makes your physical man weak, but your spiritual man becomes stronger.
Last night as I was hand washing the pots and pans that are too big to fit in the dishwasher the holy spirit 3 times brought this scripture to my mind from nowhere. I believe this is what God wants us to study together this morning.
Turn with me in your bibles to the Book of 1st John chapter 2:15- 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Of course I remember that in the Greek language there are multiple words for love that have different meanings depending on what the speaker/writer is trying to say:
Eros is physical love or sexual desire. Eros is the type of love that involves passion, lust, and/or romance.
Philia is affectionate love. Philia is the type of love that involves friendship.
Storge is familial love. Storge is the natural love that family members have for one another.
Mania is obsessive love. Mania is the kind of “love” that a stalker feels toward their victim.
As a type of love, mania is not good, and the Greeks knew this as well as we do. Mania is excessive love that reaches the point of obsession or madness.
Pragma is practical love. Pragma is love based on duty, obligation, or logic.
Pragma is the unsexy love that you might find in the political, arranged marriages throughout history. This businesslike love is seen in relationships where practicality takes precedence over sex and romance.
Philautia is self-love. No, not that kind. Philautia refers to how a person views themselves and how they feel about their own body and mind.
The modern equivalent of philautia would be something like self-esteem (good) or hubris (bad).
***Of all the words for love available to the writers of the New Testament, the word that is most used and most powerful is Agape.
Agape is arguably the most mentioned and important term for love in the Greek New Testament. It is ultimate, unconditional, and universal—all things we feel under God. He who is selfless and self-sacrificial for the sake of strangers, family members, or nature is sharing agape love.
**This is the word that John is using as he writes this passage of scripture in 1 John 2:15:
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Agape is often defined as unconditional, sacrificial love. Agape is the kind of love that is felt by a person willing to do anything for another, including sacrificing themselves, without expecting anything in return. Philosophically, agape has also been defined as the selfless love that a person feels for strangers and humanity as a whole. Agape is the love that allows heroic people to sacrifice themselves to save strangers they have never met.
When Jesus was speaking to his disciples and all of us in John 3:16
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 15:13
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
***Continuing I want to make sure we all understand that God wants us to have this kind of love even for our enemies: Look at Matthew 5 again.
When Jesus is asked by the religious leaders what is the 1st and greatest commandment he responses:
***The 1st point of the Message Today: God calls us to have Agape Love toward himself and people; Family, Friends and Enemies.
*Immediately after writing this the Holy Spirit brought to my mind the words of Jesus in Matthew 10
Matthew 10:37-39
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
**When we look at the words used by Christ here he is not speaking of Agape love. He is actually using a different greek word for the Love: Philio is affectionate love. Philia is the type of love that involves friendship.
Philia is the kind of love that strong friends feel toward each other. However, it doesn’t stop there. The Greek philosopher Plato thought that philia was an even greater love than eros and that the strongest loving relationships were ones where philia led to eros: a “friends become lovers” situation. Our concept of platonic love—love that isn’t based on physical attraction—comes from this Platonic philosophy.
***It is difficult at first to grasp what Jesus is saying because it can see contradictory. Jesus says you need to AGAPE love everyone. Agape is the kind of love that is felt by a person willing to do anything for another, including sacrificing themselves, without expecting anything in return. I do not know about you but I cannot in my own strength and will power Agape love my friends and my enemies. This is a impossible task that I am not able to perform.
What I can do very easily, in my own power and natural ability is to have Philia love for my family as Jesus describes in Matthew 10:37.
Matthew 10:37
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
What I believe Jesus is saying is not contradictory but rather only possible with God’s power that transcends our human ability and nature:
The 2nd point of the Message today: I cannot AGAPE love the way Jesus calls me to without his help.
*** You see my friends when we recognize that because of our sin nature we cannot even be the basic humans that God created mankind to be in the beginning. Jesus lifts the standard up higher than we could ever accomplish in Matthew 5:43-46
***The 1st point of the Message Today: God calls us to have Agape Love toward himself and people; Family, Friends and Enemies.
The 2nd point of the Message today: I cannot AGAPE love the way Jesus calls me to without his help.
You and I are born with Storge is familial love- we love our family.
As we grow up we begin to learn about philia love and we form friendships (to quote Anne of Green Gables we may even have bosom friend.
We even have figured out that philia love can lead to eros love in the right settings with the right people.
Sometimes we have to fight off Mania is obsessive love.
***But John is writing to us in 1 John 2:15:
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Lets go read in Context what John is writing to the Church.
1 John 2
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
***The 3rd point of the Message today: It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we stay in right standing with God.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
***This word for Brother here is broad and means any fellow man.
****The 4th point of the message today: Your relationship with others is a reflection of your relationship with Jesus Christ.
James 3:10-15
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Back to 1 John 2
12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
**Before we go to our key verse lets review what we have learned so far:
***The 1st point of the Message Today: God calls us to have Agape Love toward himself and people; Family, Friends and Enemies.
The 2nd point of the Message today: I cannot AGAPE love the way Jesus calls me to without his help.
***The 3rd point of the Message today: It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we stay in right standing with God.
****The 4th point of the message today: Your relationship with others is a reflection of your relationship with Jesus Christ.
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
***so here is contradiction we need to reconcile: John is telling us do not love the World, Do not love the Things in the world. Jesus said love the people…John does not contradict this. John recognizes that it is not the individual lost souls of the world that are the issue. It is not the ones walking in darkness that have not yet seen the glorious light of Jesus:
- John actually says do not love the world
world affairs, the aggregate of things earthly
- the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ
In context, when Jesus was fasting for 40 days in the wilderness and the devil came and tempted him in Matthew 4:8
I love the way Jesus response to Pilate before his crucifixion when Pilate ask Jesus, Are you a king?
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
**Do you see this morning. The world does not have anything to offer the child of God. The kingdom of this world is built on the Lust or desires of the Flesh, The desires of the eyes, the pride that you feel of this life obtaining what you desire and gaze upon.
Contrast with the Kingdom of Heaven.
Romans 14:17
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
***The 1st point of the Message Today: God calls us to have Agape Love toward himself and people; Family, Friends and Enemies.
The 2nd point of the Message today: I cannot AGAPE love the way Jesus calls me to without his help.
***The 3rd point of the Message today: It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we stay in right standing with God.
****The 4th point of the message today: Your relationship with others is a reflection of your relationship with Jesus Christ.
*** The 5th and Closing point of the Message today: You cannot spend your life longing for the things of this world and expect to spend eternity in the kingdom of heaven.
Colossians 3
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
John 12:35-46
35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
43 For they loved (agape) the praise of men more than the praise of God.
44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
***The 1st point of the Message Today: God calls us to have Agape Love toward himself and people; Family, Friends and Enemies.
The 2nd point of the Message today: I cannot AGAPE love the way Jesus calls me to without his help.
***The 3rd point of the Message today: It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we stay in right standing with God.
****The 4th point of the message today: Your relationship with others is a reflection of your relationship with Jesus Christ.
*** The 5th and Closing point of the Message today: You cannot spend your life longing for the things of this world and expect to spend eternity in the kingdom of heaven.