Spare Change

love: life's ultimate word problem

Posted by Bryan

Have you ever felt clueless when it comes to love? Have you ever given everything you could to a person you really cared for and received zero response in return? Have you ever tried to show your love as a Christian only to be hurt in return? Have you ever tried to speak in love to friends, family, or other loved ones only to be treated with hurt or anger in return? More often than not, the exact response we receive from others when we extend love in any one of its forms is the exact opposite of the response that we expected to receive.

We get surprised and stunned by love or a lack of love because we can no longer know what to expect from others when it comes to love. In yesterday's blog, love was addressed as a function of time, Today, we're going to examine love as a function of math.

For example, In the world of math: a² +b² always =c². A cube's volume = base x height x width. The area of ellipsoid = half the height x pi / by the sum of…. Okay, you get my point.

Unlike in math, though, the equations don't always come out the same in love. Roses + Candy + expensive dinner doesn't always = a second date. When you get rejected in love, you come back with the equation and say, "Wait, roses + candy = 2nd date." You scratch your head and try to figure out why the equation doesn't add up.

Your date looks at you and says, "oh, you forgot this part of the equation: "Roses +candy + talking for 45 minutes about your cockroach collection + stuffing an entire bread roll in your mouth at once + making me pick up the tab = never call me again." Love is tough because we don't always know what we're adding up and how the equation will look, and what the sum or product will be.

Unfortunately, these inconsistencies in love can take a much more serious tone. All we have to do is look around to see the divorce, the separation, the hatred, the bigotry, the racism, the adultery, the abortion, the euthanasia to seen that we as a people don't look at love's math the same way as we used to. Perhaps this is "New math." Today:

• Man + woman +physical intimacy (which is not equal to love) x human fetus does not equal "precious baby." It too often equals "problem," "setback," "nonviable conception alternative."
  
  
• Husband + wife x children x love, honor, obey does not equal "til death do us part."



• People + church x love (programs) does not equal "family of faith."



• Church + loving congregation x needs does not equal "ministry."

It's difficult today to know what love proves in the relationships in our lives because we lost our sense of what love accomplishes. Last week we worked with a new definition for love. We learned that love is an expression of time. We learned, from the famous 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians, the things that love does and does not do. We need to remember that Scripture as our foundation. We also need to understand that all real love (in all its forms, but especially agape love) begins by, continues through, and culminates in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Then, we're going to see what real love proves. When we leave today, we can put up an equation where we will know the answer and we know it will be true for me, true for you, true for every single person who takes the time to do the math that proves the love of God.

Read 1 John 5:1-5.

¹ Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. ²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. ³For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. ⁴For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our^[1] faith. ⁵Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

:

When John wrote this passage, and this general letter, it was a message that was greatly needed. He wrote this at a time where Jesus had been gone just long enough that people, Christian Jews, were straying far from the simple gospel message. No more than 50 years had passed since Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, but people were already losing focus on what it meant to be a Christian and what it meant to love one another. If this surprises you that could happen in such a short time, just look at our own age. How much has life changed in 50 years - our country is only a mere shadow of itself morally since 1949. We have made a lot of progress in many ways, but in how many more important ways have we made a terrible, morally bankrupt regress.

So John saw similar troubles in the people and the Christian church which were developing. John, having laid a foundation of a Christian understanding of love in the previous four chapters, concluded this letter by explaining what our Christian love proves.

The first thing we see, that, when defined and guided by Christ,
I. Our love proves we are begotten of God.

Read verse one.

A very simple reading without diving any deeper into the text reveals that if you believe that Jesus is the Christ, you are born of God. Begotten simply means "to be born of." When you look at the long generational lists in the Bible, they always use the term "begot." Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, Jacob begot Judah and his brothers…and so on.

In this passage of Scripture, though, the reference to "begotten" speaks clearly to an individual's spiritual re-birth. Before a person acknowledges that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ who is Lord, that person is understood to have been born of Adam, rather than God. If you are begotten of Adam, it means you are marked by humanity's fallen nature. You are known by the sins you commit.

However, when you submit to the Risen Lord Jesus, you are reborn. You have been given a new lineage and a new inheritance. Your cursed mark is exchanged for a flawless blessing. Your family tree is no longer rooted in the garden of Eden, but instead in the Tree of Life who was deceived in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Now, the first part of verse 1 proclaims an essential truth: that your faith in Christ is what establishes your eternal relationship and heir status to God, nothing more, and certainly nothing less.

Verse 1 concludes with the explanation that because you possess that status as an heir of He who begets, you do so because you love the one and only God created all offspring. Here, though, the offspring referred to are both God's spiritual co-heirs as well as those who have yet to believe that Jesus is the Christ.

Finally, The verse states that if you love God (who begot), then you also love all those who are born of Him. This is saying that if you love God, you need to love others. The way this is translated in today's language may make this statement confusing. It sounds maybe a suggestion, or possibly a command. However, neither is true. The words used in the original Greek text express that your love for others is your proof of your love for God. John's statement is a simple expression of fact. He's saying if you really love God, the proof for your love for Him is in the demonstration of your love for others. If your love for others is absent, lacking, or conditional, you are not living proof of your love for God.

Before we move on, a couple of important things need to be pointed out by focusing on a single word in this verse. That word is whoever, the first word of the verse. What we see in that simple 3-syllable word is:
A. The Exclusivity of Belonging to God.
This word whoever means that belonging to God is absolutely dependent upon this singular condition. Belonging to God is absolutely tied in to believing that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed One.

This statement was necessary because Christianity of that day was beginning to be tainted by gnosticism. Gnosticism was a strain of faith that led away from Christ, rather than toward him. It taught that a person must acquire special knowledge in order to prove a saving relationship with Jesus, or righteousness to gain entry into heaven. From gnosticism, different concepts of asceticism developed. These ascetic bents of religiosity either required a person to be indulgent in physical and sexual excesses or for a person to be absolutely removed from any influences that resulted in physical pleasure.

People were very confused, and the Christ's saving work was being muddled by the flawed theologies of man. People, even legitimate Christians, began to think that all people could belong to God if they all just followed the prescribed path of their particular Holy Man, priestess or shaman.

This is a problem that exists today. Gnosticism lives and thrives today. You can learn all about it on the Internet, and even join a Gnostic society. Too many people think all roads lead to heaven, that if we can just get a special knowledge, we'll someday meet our maker, it whatever form He, She, or It decides to assume.

Ephesians 2:8-10 says it simply, clearly, and definitively:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

This "whoever" used to start off this chapter points that the criterion for belonging to God is exclusive. If you don't believe that Jesus is the Christ, you are following the wrong path and you cannot climb into the sheep pen in any other way than the door, which is through Jesus Himself. (Jackman).

Even though this "whoever" is incredibly exclusive, at the same time, we can see:
B. The Inclusivity of Belonging to God.

The same word that limits and explicitly informs what it takes to know you are a child of God is the same word used to present the truth that this opportunity is available to everyone.

The Bible speaks repeatedly about who can have this parent/child relationship with God, through the eternal salvation offered through Jesus Christ:

• John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.



• Luke 12:8 - Whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man will confess before the angels of God.



• Acts 2:21 - And it shall come to pass that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.



• Acts 10:43 - Whoever believes in Him will receive the remission of sins.



• Romans 10:12 - For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon him.



• 1 Timothy 2:3-4 - For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth
.

Jesus the Christ came to pay the price for the whole world. He doesn't want even one of us to have to pay that death penalty for our sin. He did not want it for me, and He certainly doesn't want it for you. You, dear friend, were on God's mind when He sent Jesus to you.

Not only does our love prove we are begotten of God, but:
II. Our Love Proves we Behave God.
Read verses 2 and 3:

These verses continue that same pattern of statement of fact. We can know if we love others by whether or not we love God. We prove that we love God by whether or not we keep His commands. Let's deal with these aspects of proving our love one at a time.
A. Our love for the Commands of God.
We're beginning here because it works us from the end to the beginning as far as these two verses are concerned. When we understand what it means to love the commands of God, we should see an inter-relatedness between that love and the love for people.

The Apostle Peter got it right when he said in Acts 5:29 "We ought to obey God rather than men." That obedience to the law is described in 2 John 1:6 as "walking in love." This means to be in continual pursuit.

Think about what it means to love the laws of God. Psalm 119 is the longest of all the Psalms. The subject of the psalm is God's law. Yet, here are some of the descriptions used regarding God's law:

Wondrous                     Blessed               Reviving               Delightful
Good                             Merciful               Favoring               Shepherding
Right                             Tender                 Faithful                 Eternal
Unforgettable               Consummate        Perfect                 Enlightening
Understandable            Protective            Lovable                Wonderful
Directing                       Redemptive         Hopeful                 Saving

The list goes on. Face it: This psalm is a love song to God's law.

Can you imagine writing or holding dear to a love song about the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. It doesn't happen because those documents were written by sinful, flawed man and that's why our courts are filled with people fighting over the laws interpretations, rather than rejoicing in the simplicity of the perfect laws and commands God has given us.

The last line of this 1 John reference tells us that His commandments are not burdensome. This takes us back to the concept from last week where we are reminded of Christ's words, " My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

When we operate out of total submission and obedience to Jesus, we will find that we are no longer being duped by Satan's lies. When we're in disobedience, it's like we're looking at multiplication tables that are off by one column. All of a sudden, we believe that 3x3=4.

Instead of numbers, though, the equation we buy into is: evangelism X encounter = rejection and humiliation

When we're obedient, though, the true equation becomes obvious. We see that obedience to love others as we love ourselves is not just a good idea. It's a blessing just waiting to happen.

Evangelism X encounter = opportunity.

It's an opportunity for a soul to be saved a Christian friend to be made, a relationship to be built, a healing to begin, a love from God to be proven. Obedience becomes the joy, rather than the burden. That fulness of life that Christ promises comes from experiencing all the great things that God has planned for you that far exceed anything you can plan for yourself. You only get to experience it, though, if you walk in obedience.

If you are walking in obedience to His Commands, it is going to impact
B. Your Love for the Children of God.

You'll discover that loving God is really all about being in the people business. Take five seconds and look who are immediately around you right now. Now look beyond them to the others in your life, both familiar and unfamiliar. How well do you really know any of these folks?Do you really know them at all?

If you do, it is because you are following the easy commands of God and you know the blessing that God gives us in the fellowship of other believers.

If you don't its because we have bought into another one of the adversary's lies. We feel like we're too busy. We have our own family lives. We're afraid of what we might find out about the other people. Listen, the Bible tells us that we are to serve as the body of Christ. You know your own body - you know what functions well and what functions not so well. We're supposed to be united, of one mind. There is no other way to do that other than trusting that God knows what He's talking about and taking the time to have koinonia fellowship with one another.

You can't do that in corporate worship. You don't talk to each other enough (at least you shouldn't). It has to start in a small group Bible study. Get into the Word together, sharing yourselves. Then, with the group you get to know in that gathering, extend those relationships into the other parts of your week. As you see each other during at the local carnivals or school functions, don't pretend not to know one another. AT the very least, say hi to each other. Better yet, attend the events together, then go to Starbucks or Denny's together. Learn to have fun together, to trust each other, to care for each other. Learn how to love each other with an agape love.

When you do that, when you love the commands of God and you love the children of God, you can also show your:
C. Love for the Church of God.

If you never understood this before, please realize this now: We belong to the church of God, and I don't mean the denomination. We are the church of the Lord God, regardless of our denomination, if we are found to be worshipping Jesus as Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

As such, we must show God's love for other members of the church of God in all its forms. In those areas where we have similarities, we must be unified and purposeful. In those areas where we have differences, we must extend and accept Christ-honoring grace. In those areas that would cause others to be excluded because they no longer worship Jesus, the Risen Christ, we must not compromise. But we still must be grace-filled.

If we serve faithfully in the church of God, we will live and die together with our brothers and sisters of the faith. We will make one another complete. We will partake in Christ's grace, bear Christ's light, and we will stand fast in His enduring Love.

In so doing, we demonstrate through our love that we behave God.

We behave God, we are begotten of God - Both of these aspects of the proof of love are exciting and fulfilling, but neither of which is nearly as fulfilling or exciting as the fact that:
III. Our Love Proves we will Behold God

Read the final two verses.

The key to this passage is to understand what it means to overcome the world. Verse 4 proclaims and promises that whatever is born of God will overcome the world. You get this far and things get exciting - Overcome the world? I don't know what that entails but it sure sounds good! The passage concludes by asking a rhetorical question, that if you take the time to answer it, you'll see God really gives us great cause to be excited and live with tremendous joy!

The first thing that you need to know about this passage is that:
A. Victory is our Birthright
Remember that the beginning of this passage tells us that if we believe that Jesus is the Christ, we are born of God. Reading here, if we're born of God, we're overcomers of the world! Because of our new birth in God, our new identity in Christ, we are given the inheritance of heaven, of eternal life. The world promises nothing but death, misery, sin, struggle, and sorrow. We've overcome that! Not because of who we are or what we accomplished, but instead because of who Jesus is and what He accomplished for us.

The Scripture verse says our very faith that we placed in Jesus Christ is the evidence of our ability to overcome the world. Without Jesus, where would you place your faith? In science, in your good works, in your life's prosperity, power, or position?

When you look at your faith in Jesus Christ, you see that your victory of the world is not only your birthright:
B. Victory is our Blessing

And what a blessing it is. With Jesus the Christ as your Savior, you don't have to perish. You have eternal life. You don't have to be miserable, you have a peace that passes all understanding. You don't have to be lonely, you have a Lord who will never leave you nor forsake you and will be closer than a brother. You don't have to live under the self-imposed sentence of guilt for past crimes and errors, your true Judge has stepped in on your behalf and paid the price, forgiving you completely and remembering your sins no more.

The book of Revelation, written by the same John who penned the focus passage today, speaks extensively on the blessing of our victory. Jesus Chris's message to those who overcome is clear. He said to those:

• I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God (2:7)



• I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it (2:17)



• I will give power over the nations (2:26)



• Shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His Angels (3:5)



• I will make Him the pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. (3:12)



• I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne (3:21)



• He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son (21:7)
.

This is the promise. The victory has been recorded. If you belong to God because you have placed your entire faith in the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the victory is yours. It is your birthright and it is your blessing.

The equation is simple. It's an equation of love.

(you + nothing)^Christ = forgiveness = heaven = eternal life.

If you take Christ out of the equation, the math just doesn't add up.

You can't get there on your own.

You need to make a decision. When test time comes, it is pass/fail.

If you don't have Christ, you aren't going to pass.

The Bible tells us such an urgent warning at the end of Revelation: Jesus Himself says, "Surely I am coming quickly."

Don't put it off. Let today be the day you ace the test of life. God's the world's greatest teacher. He's already given you the only answer you need for this exam.

The answer is Jesus.

September 22, 2003 8:13 AM