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Assurance of Salvation

Part 100

Love for the "brothers":

Why this love will be present

A SHORT REVIEW!

• As the apostle Peter reminds

us, a quick review has a purpose!

And I will make every effort to see that you will always remember these things

after I am gone. 2 Peter 1:15 (ISV)

SAYS PETER:

[2 WEEKS AGO]

God's people have a love for the unsaved (the "others").

• A DESIRE FOR THEIR GOOD

– Especially their eternal good.

• WITH GOD-HONORING PRIORITIES

– Our desire for their good will translate into action, but only in ways that are appropriate.

– We must reject anything that goes against their eternal good. Otherwise, it's "fake goodness."

• ADOPTION

– "Brothers" are those who have been adopted into God's family. Jesus Christ is now their brother.

• CHARACTER TRAITS

– They strive to have the character traits of the family of God. Such characteristics can be summed up by the words "righteousness" and "holiness."

• GROWTH

– They strive to have these character traits in their lives, in increasing measure.

[LAST WEEK]

Who is a "brother" (according to God)?

Someone who has these characteristics:*

* (These characteristics distinguish genuine from fake.)

TODAY:

IN OTHER WORDS…

• Everyone who has the character traits of God's family

will have a special love

for others who have

those character traits.

• They will have…

Love for the "brothers"

Love for the "brothers"

WHY will they have this?

• It has to do with being part of

the family of God.

• It has to do with being part of

the body of Christ.

2

Because we are part of the FAMILY

#1 REASON:

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

"… the Spirit gives birth to spirit." John 3:3b, 6b (NIV)

BORN BY THE SPIRIT

• All family members have been born into the family by the Spirit of God. There is

no other way to enter.

… children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but

born of God.John 1:13 (NIV)

• "Believing" includes the appropriate responses (the results of believing).

This includes responses such as repentance, growth in obedience, etc.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, ...

1 John 5:1a (ESV)

RESPONDING WITH TRUST

• They have responded to God's call with trust/faith.

– They accept who Jesus is and aim to respond accordingly.

>>>– This passage refers to God's moral nature. It does

not mean that we humans will become part of God's being!

SHARING THE SAME NATURE

• Family members all share in the same"divine nature" – the moral characteristics that distinguish God's family from the devil's family.

Through [God's great] promises you will share in the divine nature because you have

escaped the corruption that sinful desires cause in the world.

2 Peter 1:4b (GW)

The context has to do with moral issues

– godliness, righteous living, etc.

SAYING "NO" TO A LIFE OF SIN

• Family members cannot go on living a life of sin.

– They are controlled by a new set of "genetics" ("seed").

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him;

he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

1 John 3:9 (NIV)

– The word "seed" has to do with conception, producing offspring, etc.

– We now have God's "spiritual genetics" in us, and that influences our conduct.

YET NEEDING TO GROW

• We are not yet 100% perfect… but the effects of salvation are growing in us!

• We can thank God for this growth!

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your

faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

2 Thes. 1:3 (NIV)

• However, our lack of perfection means…

IN US ANDIN OTHERS

3

Growth takes time, so we

need to be patient with each other!

Max Ronnersjö (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Cayambe (CC BY-SA 3.0)

NEEDING PATIENCE

• This is one of the ways we can show love to our "brother"!(And a way our "brother" can show love to us.)

Clock – Agilight (CC-BY-3.0)

Everyone who loves the Father [= God] also loves his children [= the "brothers"].

1 John 5:1b (GW)

SUCH PEOPLE WILL HAVE

LOVE FOR EACH OTHER

BUT ONLY THE RIGHT KIND OF LOVE!

• There is a type of "family love" that we will NOT have!

Not THIS kind of "family love"!

I'd LOVE to bust your head open!

[EXAMPLE]

Nor any of the other

distortions of "love" that the unsaved offer.

God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual sin.

Then each of you will control your body and live in holiness and honor—not in lustful

passion as the pagans do, in their ignorance of God and his ways.

1 Thes. 4:3-5 (NLT)

Because we are part of the BODY

#2 REASON:

Christ is the head of the church, which is his body.

Col. 1:18a (NLT)

… even though we are many individuals, Christ makes us one body and individuals

who are connected to each other. Romans 12:5 (GW)

UNITED WITH CHRIST

• Each of us is part of the "body of Christ," with Jesus as the "head."

1+1=1

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ALL PARTS OF THE SAME BODY

• We all share the same body

– Each with different gifts, abilities, etc., as both Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 teach us.

For example, the body is one unit and yet has

many parts. As all the parts form one body, so

it is with Christ. 1 Cor. 12:12 (GW)

Silhouette: (Linda Salzman Sagan / Tompw / User:Holek, CC-BY-SA-3.0)

SHARING JESUS' RIGHTEOUSNESSAND HOLINESS (and more)

• We all share the same righteousness that comes from Jesus.

– It's the same righteous "blood" that flows through the whole body!

You are partners with Christ Jesus because of God.

Jesus has become our wisdom sent from God, our righteousness, our holiness, and our

ransom from sin. 1 Cor. 1:30 (GW)

(Picture: User:Sansculotte, CC BY-SA 2.5)

One family!

One body!

ONE

PURPOSE!

… contending as one man for the faith of the

gospel…Philip. 1:27b (NIV)

Flag outline - Heathmacalpine (CC BY-SA 4.0); all the rest – public domain

Love for the "brothers"

WHO will have this?

ONLY FAMILY MEMBERS&

ALL FAMILY MEMBERS

LOVE for the "brothers"!

• Without regard to social class, intellectual level,

gender, nationality…

Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or

free, but Christ is all, and is in all.Col. 3:11 (NIV)

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christlaid down his life for us. And we ought to lay

down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16 (NIV)

• With Jesus himself as our supreme example.

NO!! It's NOT possible!

• That would be evidence that we were NOT part

of the family!

Anyone who does not love remains in death.

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

1 John 3:14b-15 (NIV)

Can "brothers HATE "brothers"?

5

We know that we have passed from death to life, because

we love our brothers.1 John 3:14a (NIV)

• THIS IS WHY: "Love for the brothers," when

it's genuine,* is evidence of salvation.

"WE KNOW" refers to KNOWLEDGE.

IT'S A STATEMENT OF FACT!!

* (We'll look at "fake love" in the future.)

• They can love themselves…

Can the WORLD have this love?

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.

1 John 15:19a (NIV)

• They WON'T love the family of God.

– Righteous conduct implies condemnation of their sinful ways.

– So they hate righteousness, as well as anyone who is righteous.

As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is

why the world hates you.1 John 15:19b (NIV)

You're not one of us!

The world

loves its ownfamily, not

God's family.

[WORLD]

I follow Jesus!

Guiri R. Reyes from California, USA (CC BY 2.0)

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

John 15:18 (NIV)

• Don't be surprised when the world hates you! They're only treating you the way they treated

Jesus!

• You are not the

only one they have tried to

throw off a cliff!

When they heard [what Jesus said], the people in the synagogue were furious.

Jumping up, they mobbed him and took him to the edge of the hill on which the city was built.

They intended to push him over the cliff, but he slipped away through the crowd and left them.

Luke 4:28-30 (NLT)

I'm following YOU, Jesus!

We didn't get him,

but we will get you!

Guiri R. Reyes from California, USA (CC BY 2.0)

YOUR MISSION:

Pursue righteousness, and

get to know and LOVE your family!

• Follow the example of your older brother, who loved you even before you became a brother!

… and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a

fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephes. 5:2 (NIV)

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YOUR MISSION:

If you claim to love God,

then PROVE it!

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.

For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom

he has not seen. 1 John 4:20 (NIV)

DON'T TRY TO LIVE THIS CONTRADICTION

IT DOESN'T WORK.

Credits (1)SCRIPTURE

• Scriptures marked "NLT" – Scripture quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. (www.newlivingtranslation.com)

• Scriptures marked "NIV" - Scripture quoted from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. (www.zondervanbibles.com)

• Scriptures marked "GW" - Scripture is taken from GOD'S WORD®. Copyright 1995 God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

• Scriptures marked "ESV" - Scripture quotation from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. (www.gnpcb.org)

• Scriptures marked "ISV" - Scripture taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version®. Copyright © 1996-forever by The ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission. (https://www.isv.org/bible/)

PICTURES (original sources; modifications may have been made)

• Man with binoculars – Man with binoculars – Public domain, Open Clipart Library (Uploader: johnny_automatic)http://openclipart.org/detail/26611/man-using-binoculars-by-johnny_automatic

• Easel (flip chart) – By bitterjug [Public Domain], via openclipart.org, https://openclipart.org/detail/169417/flipchart

• Baby – By Anthony Liekens, (Image:Baby anthony liekens 01-centered.svg) [public domain], via Wikimedia Commonshttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baby_anthony_liekens_01-human.svg

Credits (2)PICTURES (original sources; modifications may have been made)

• Praying hands – By Anonymous [Public Domain], via openclipart.org, https://openclipart.org/detail/12800/praying-hands

• Icon of 3 people with hearts – Hearts: By JayNick [Public Domain], via openclipart.org, https://openclipart.org/detail/213861/beating-heart; people: By leandrosciola [Public Domain], via openclipart.org, https://openclipart.org/detail/127183/pessoas-people.

• Policeman – By Gerald_G [Public Domain], via openclipart.org, https://openclipart.org/detail/8935/police-man

• Arrow with the word "growth" – Public domain at openclipart.org; uploaded by vijayrajesh; https://openclipart.org/detail/172747/growth-chart (various color modifications)

• Growth (Profit) chart – Public domain at openclipart.org; uploaded by simpletutorials.nethttps://openclipart.org/detail/186811/profit-chart-curve

• Alarm clock – By Agilight (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commonshttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22%D0%A2%D1%8B%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BF_%D1%87%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B6%D1%8B%D1%8B%D0%BB%D1%8B%D2%A3%D0%B0%D1%80%22._%D0%A7%D1%83%D1%80%D1%83%D0%BA_15.jpg

• Oak seedling – By Max Ronnersjö (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons; http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oak_sprout.jpg

• Oak tree – By Cayambe (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commonshttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Remarkable_oak_Saeul_01.jpg

• Icon of 4 people holding hands – By josephluis [Public Domain], via openclipart.org, https://openclipart.org/detail/167580/community-circle

Credits (3)PICTURES (original sources; modifications may have been made)

• People fighting – Abraham Diepraam [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abraham_Diepraam_-_peasants_brawling.jpg

• Censored rubber stamp – By Piotr VaGla Waglowski, http://www.vagla.pl (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commonshttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Censored_rubber_stamp.svg

• Silhouette of a man – By Linda Salzman Sagan (original artwork); Tompw (GIF version); User:Holek (SVG) (Cut from File:Pioneer10-plaque.jpg) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human_outline.svg

• Heart and circulatory system – By User:Sansculotte (self-drawn) [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grafik_blutkreislauf.jpg (cropped)

• Soldiers raising a flag (but not the flag)– [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:7WarLoan.jpg= (modified)

• Flag with cross – Flag outline: By Heathmacalpine (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SOM_31_OBV.JPG; cross: By Murraytheb (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_Christian_cross.svg

• Background, pink with faint pattern (mirror image) – based on: By Brirush (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commonshttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Finite_subdivision_of_a_radial_link.png (modified)

• Person being pushed off a cliff – By Guiri R. Reyes from California, USA (Came hame háááá!) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Came_hame_h%C3%A1%C3%A1%C3%A1%C3%A1!.jpg

Credits (4)PICTURES (original sources; modifications may have been made)

• Truck with bumper sticker – By SusanLesch (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commonshttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faith_Based-20111104.jpg (bumper sticker modified)

• Backgrounds not mentioned elsewhere (not a solid shade or provided as part of Microsoft PowerPoint®) – Dennis Hinks © 2013-2015.

• Presentation – Dennis Hinks © 2015.

• DISCLAIMER: The use of a picture does not imply that the author of that picture agrees with the views of this presentation. Some might agree; some might not.