Practice Makes Perfect

1 John 4:17-19

Growing up with two older brothers, I consistently had two coaches, mentoring me in sports - mostly basketball. While I learned much from both of them, the key thing I remember is Jonathan telling me the importance of perfecting my shot.

Jonathan would lie in bed at night, flicking his right wrist in a shooting motion — the exact same way every time — sometimes with a basketball and sometimes without. He was perfecting his shot, even while falling asleep. He urged me to to do the same. I never did.

The small Christian school Jonathan and I played for didn't keep much for records, but I have no doubt in my mind that Jonathan had the best shooting percentage in school history. Sure, he missed plenty of times, but that wasn't the point. Michael Jordan missed over 9,000 shots in his career, but I would still argue that he had perfected the game of basketball.

By his senior year of high school, Jonathan had perfected his shot, while my shot was still as flat and ugly as Iowa (no offense).

Perfecting Love

Any time the Bible calls us to some sort of perfection, it's easy to do one of two things: 1. dismiss it for meaning a goal for which we must shoot but will certainly never attain or 2. meaning absolute perfection, which drives us to depression.

1 John 4:17 says this: "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world."

Love has been perfected among us. There's that word. Perfect. Perfect love. Who could possibly have perfect love?

Think of the word "perfect" less from a results standpoint, and more from a action standpoint. The result of Jonathan's shooting was not perfect, but his shot was perfect.

Perfecting the way you love is very possible for two main reasons.

1. Love has very little to do with emotions.

Think back to basketball. Jonathan did not make shots because he was "really feeling it" or "really wanted to win." He made shots because he practiced. If anything, emotions are one of the things that most often get in the way of playing your best basketball.

When we love based solely on emotions, we do no love long and we do not love well. People and circumstances will constantly get in our way, giving us excuses to not love.

2. Love comes from God

Love does not come from emotions. It comes from and is sustained by God alone. As we've talked about several times before, when we abide in Him, we will reap the benefits of his character — love being chief among these. We cannot attain perfected love on our own, but with Almighty God abiding in us, it is far from impossible.

Jonathan showed me how to shoot the perfect shot, my knees bending slightly, then straightening in a smooth motion as my feet left the ground, my elbows at a 90-degree angle, swooping in front of my face, my hands holding the ball just above my head — left hand on the side, right hand in front of me. As I reach the zenith of my ascent, my elbows straighten — left elbow to 45 degrees, right elbow completely, my right wrist flicking the ball toward the empty net which my eyes are locked on. The last part of me to touch the ball is my middle finger, rubbing gently against the rubber, sending the ball  in a perfectly straight backwards spin, arcing in such a way that were it to keep arcing it might form a perfect circle.

That is the perfect basketball shot.

I know this, but my shot is still far from perfect? Why?

Note this, the presence of knowledge, by no means, implies that the knower cares anything for the entity of the knowledge. I cared more about my free time and my bed time than I cared about practicing my shot. I cared more about playing H.O.R.S.E with Jonathan than I cared about learning from him.

We treat our Christian walk the same way. We love certain times with Jesus. We love singing inspirational songs in the same way that I love watching inspirational basketball movies. We love going on missions trips in the same way that I love playing a pickup game with the guys. But we do not excel in practicing. We do not excel in the process of perfecting. We have the knowledge. We are in the program. But we are not willing to practice.

Awaiting the Judgment

Why do we seek to perfect our love? First and foremost, it's commanded. But let's take a closer look at what John says in 4:17.

"Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world."

How can you tell if someone spent the summer practicing their basketball skills?

Play a game. You will be able to tell if they stayed in shape or if they worked on their shot.

There is coming a judgment when our practicing or lack of will be revealed. Imagine standing before the One who spilled His blood to give you a second chance in life. If He came now, and didn't care about how many hours you spent in church activities, didn't care how emotionally you sang songs, didn't care how many Bible verses you memorized and didn't care if you had a degree in Theology — all He cared about was how well you practiced loving (with your words and actions) the people on earth that you were not inclined to love. When your summer on earth is done, and the Almighty wants to know how well you practiced for eternity…what will you say? Will you be ashamed?

When we show love to the unlovable, like Christ showed His love for us, then we know we have experienced His love in us. And when we know we have experienced His love in us, then we know that we need not fear the day of judgment. We need have no fear, because Oh, the depths of His unfathomable love!

But. If we do not show love to our co-workers, to our in-laws and to the picketers and the lesbian couple, and to the Muslim man and the beggar on the street and the IRS man at the door and President Obama and our neighbor and that person who just popped into your head…THEN…then you have reason to fear the day of judgment, because it is very possible that the love of God has never entered your heart.

Examine yourself.

Hope is Greater than Sight

1 John 4:14-16

"For God so loved the world that He sent His Son. "

John recorded those famous words of Jesus in the book of John. Now, in 1 John, he says something very reminiscent of that.

"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world."

Sometimes I wish that I could say that I saw the Son of God who was sent. I  feel like my testimony would be so much stronger. Sure, I  can still testify that Jesus came into the world. I can even give evidence upon evidence of it. But when someone  asks, as they are sure to ask, if I was there - if I saw it with my own eyes - the answer is no.

Now, obviously this is only a problem when people want it to be one. After all, if I preach on the street corners that George Washington was the first president. No one will fuss. It's history. There are many eyewitnesses to the fact. In fact, if I said George Washington was NOT the first president, people would probably think I was either a little cookoo or one of those conspiracy theorists (which I sometimes am).

That is exactly why John is writing these verses. The story of our Savior is not some vision a man had late at night after too many sleeping pills. Jesus was seen by thousands of witnesses while he was alive. He was seen by a multitude when he was crucified (and confirmed dead), and he was seen alive by hundreds. He was seen by a multitude when he was baptized, and the voice of God confirmed who he was.

It is historically accurate. It's recorded by believers and unbelievers alike. Only because it's "religious" and "miraculous" do people call it into question. Or more possibly, it's because if it IS true, they would have to drastically change the way they live.

There certainly would have been a tremendous joy in having witnessed the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. But there is no reason to envy them. When Jesus' disciple, Thomas, doubted the resurrection of Jesus until touching him, Jesus said He was glad Thomas saw and believed, but that it was so much greater for those who believed without seeing.

The human race is born with a desire to believe in what they cannot see. Some believe in Santa or the Tooth Fairy. Others believe in Big Foot, aliens or the Loch Ness. Some believe in angels and demons, even though they don't believe in God. Some believe in peace, even though they've only seen war. Some want to believe in love, even though though their homes are so broken they hardly know what love is.

There is something incredibly awesome about putting your belief and hope on the line for something you cannot see. And as nice as it would be to touch and see and hear our Savior, we are called to the equally epic life of hoping. Not the kind of hope that disappoints, but a sure hope.

And here is the best part. Those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God receive a wonderful gift — God in us. The One who created light and planets and grass and grasshoppers and dolphins and peanuts abides in us. His love abides in us. The hope and surety that we will one day see Him abides in us. 

Not only that, but they will also abide in God. To the one that confesses Christ, he will have a relationship with the Creator - an intimate, glorious relationship of love. And when the day of judgement comes, and God has flattened every mountain and every prideful heart, God wiill declare, "I know this one. He is mine."

God has an incredible love for us. And when we abide in Him and He in us, that love gets swished around like mouthwash, cleaning any bacteria of hate or sin that's hiding out .

It's an amazing life to which the unseeing believer is called, but there is duty as well. Not a burdensome duty, though it may seem so when we do not abide in Him well. We are called to love with a love that reflects His own. And since that is so great a love, we must love with massive love.

But again, when such love abides in you, and such hope awaits you, it's not too burdensome a task.

How to See an Invisible God

1 John 4:12-13 

Herein lies a terribly awesome knowledge. The world cannot see God. He is invisible. Therefore, the the unbeliever's best view of God will be through your life.  

If you are a loving father, the world will see God as a protector and provider. If you are a loving mother, the world will see God as a nurturer and healer. If you do something nice for someone who has only ever been mean to you, they will see God as forgiving, ready to receive anyone.  

Think of the image unbelievers have of God. They can't see Him. They don't read the Bible. They maybe see Him and His people portrayed in Hollywood, but that's rarely anywhere in the ballpark of who He actually is or who believers should be. They might see picketers with signs that say "God hates fags," which is most certainly not held by a true believer, but they don't know that.  

It's you. The only correct image of God ever to be seen is through you.  

"If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us."  

But this verse is followed by another.  

"By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." 

I think if were to sum up the entire problem with Christians it is this: We have accepted that God abides in us, but we have forgotten entirely that we must also abide in Him. 

What does abide mean? It means to dwell. It refers to a "oneness." Jesus said "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."  (John 15:5) 

The picture Jesus gave us of abiding was literally a branch receiving all of its needed nutrition from the vine. Nothing can come between a branch and a vine or the branch will fall away and die. And remember, these two passages are by the same author.  

The love of God is perfected in us WHEN we love. We know that God abides in us WHEN we are abiding in Him. If we are caught in a web of sin, if we are slow to love and quick to hate, then obviously there is no abiding.  

The branch does not receive poison from the vine. Just the same,  we do not receive addiction to sin from abiding in God.  

But let me end on a good note. Look at the wonderful opportunity Christ has given us. Not only are we privileged with the ability to abide in God and receive His perfect love and have that love perfected in us, BUT we are also sent as messengers to show the world such great love. Think of all the tasks God could have given us to do on this earth. 

He gave us love. 

Loving in Advance

1 John 4:7-11

"Beloved, let us love on another…"

Why is it that Christians are supposed to be known by their love? Why do we carry that burden? Why are believer's held to a higher accountability when it comes to love?

"Love is of God."

That is the answer. God is the one who showed us what real love looks like by sending His Son to pay the bill for a debt that wasn't asked to be paid. He paid the bill when we didn't even know there was a debt. He paid the bill when he was the farthest thing from our mind.

Have you ever liked someone you knew didn't like you back? I have. I would imagine building up the strength to tell her how I felt, her saying the feelings were mutual, and me taking her on a lovely date…probably somewhere cheap (since I was poor). But I never ended up spending a dime on her. Why? Because the feelings were NOT mutual. Or at least I never found out that they were.

Jesus puts me to shame. He made the reservations at the fanciest restaurant, rented a limo with Michael Caine as the driver and bought backstage tickets to a Switchfoot concert. He did all of this before I even knew who He was. He did this while I despised Him. He did this knowing I was the last person on earth who deserved it. He did it in advance.

THAT is what love is.

And when the spirit of God is in you, that same love will pour from you.

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

This doesn't mean, "You know, you should probably be nice to that guy, because…well…Jesus is watching."

It means no matter what a believer says or does to you, no matter how much they irk you, you ought to love them with the same love that Jesus showed you - massive, unconditional love.

How could that not be the automatic response of an individual shown such love?

Christians are not known by their love for their friends or spouses or children. Many God-hating parents love their children. Rather, believers ought to be known by their unconditional love for the least deserving, because that kind of love points not the the self, but to Christ. 

The Spirit of Truth and Error

1 John 3:24 - 4:6

 

3:24 "Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has give us."

 

The gist of the verse above has come up several time throughout the book of 1 John. But as chapter 3 ends and chapter 4 begins, this verse serves as a wonderful bridge between the two. Following the commandments of God surely assures the spirit within us that we are saved, but just as importantly, it serves to warn us against ungodly spirits.

 

When the believer abides in Christ by keeping his commandments and Christ abides in the believer, the believer stands unswayed by the lies of the world.

 

Now, because we have assurance of our faith and are abiding in Christ and He in us, we are ready for 1 John 4:1 ."Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

 

This verse is so extremely applicable to us today, as the world is full of ungodly spirits. This is not referring to spirits as in ghosts or demons, but as the spirit of teaching. John is warning against false teaching, some of which will look nothing like Christianity, but some of which will be awfully close but woefully different.

 

Examples:

 

Mormonism. This claims to be Christianity, and in some ways is close. But this cult is based on a revelation that is not found in Scripture. There will be men and women who prophecy and see visions, but all of these prophecies and visions must be solely based on Scripture truth. Mormonism is clearly not.

 

Prosperity Gospel. They claim the same Gospel story, but with a twist. God's hope is that we all be successful and happy. The storyline may look the same, but the plot is completely different.

 

Take the movie Jaws. True Gospel says that movie is about killing a massive shark. Joel Osteen says that movie is about having a really nice boat ride.

 

 

V.2-3

 

By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world."

 

This verse does not mean that as long as you believe Jesus literally came to earth, you are good to go. This verse was likely aimed at one or two specific cults who stated that Jesus was either A. Not a physical being or B. Physical, but the "Christ" part of him was a separate spirit.

 

The key to this topic lies in the words of vs. 4-6.

 

V.4 "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

 

It makes me think of when I was a little kid. When I was with Dad, no one could touch me( like my ever tickling brothers). If I had a question, Dad knew the answer. If Dad was driving the car, I was safe.

 

This is how we are supposed to feel with God — like children. We ought have no fear of the world, and we should not be easily swayed by it. Because we are His children, we know the truth. You know what is right and wrong in your home, because Mom and Dad taught you. They daily teach you. Believers ought to know what is of God and what is not of God, because He has taught them, and teaches them daily as they are in His Word.

 

This is why a daily relationship with Christ is mandatory for the safety of your soul. Even one walk into the woods without Dad would have left me vulnerable to the bears and wolves. I may have been lucky, and the wolves and bears been elsewhere that day. But when you are dealing with the devil, he knows when you have wandered alone, and he will not fail to strike.

 

V.5 "They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them."

 

John has already addressed this idea several times in this book. Those who speak lies may speak persuasively and passionately, because they speak what they believe. They have either been deceived into thinking what they speak is A. True or B. Beneficial to them.

 

They will not be swayed by Scripture to show their error, but they will use Scripture incorrectly to prove their beliefs. This is because they belong to the world. A Vikings fan may argue to the death that the Green Bay Packers are the worst football team, even though the record shows otherwise. This is because he is loyal to his team no matter what the statistics may show. Such is the case for the worldly man. Do not listen to him.

 

V.6 "We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

 

The man of God will not be swayed by the enticement of worldly messages, by doctrines which lift him up high, instead of lifting up Christ.

 

John the Baptizer said, "He must increase, and I must decrease." There is an inevitable lowering of self when one raises Christ. The true believer protects his heart from the message that claims Christ's desire for us to be praised by men. He has no such desire.

 

Note here the absolute necessity of communing with believers on a regular basis. This does NOT mean "going to church." This means having close friends who are true believers of Christ, walking with Him and talking with Him. The man who does not have a relationship with such believers is doomed to follow the next best thing, his unbelieving friends, or possibly worse, culture he finds on television.

 

It does not matter if you clash with the individuals in your church body, or in every church body. You must develop close relationships with them. How could you not? How could you not have everything in common with such men and women, whose main goal in life is following hard after Christ? When you have heaven-bound eyes, when you set your affections on things above, and when you truly seek to stay on the straight and narrow, avoiding the convincing worldly spirits of today, then FIND BELIEVERS. Throw away your prideful spirit that says you cannot be friends with them and TRY.

 

You would not walk across a desert without drinking provided water. Do not try to live for Christ on your own when there is so much provision so close by. 

The Assurance of Love

1 John 3:18-23

 

Here again John brings us to the topic of assurance, though, this time adding a few notes about false condemnation.

 

We just touched on the outworking of love - how we ought to love because of His love for us. This passage describes personal results of this sort of love. At the heart of every sinner lies the question, "What's in it for me?" Well, the following passage is the answer to that question.

 

Verse 19 says that "by this" we know that we are of the truth and assure our hearts before God.

 

So paraphrased, this says that by loving others unconditionally and refusing to bad-mouth fellow believers, we are assured of our salvation.

 

But wait a second. I thought placing our trust in the work of Christ was the means of salvation?

 

It most certainly is. The lie John is breaking down in this passage is that a 30-second prayer is what saves you. When an individual attends a gospel seminar and is moved emotionally enough by the message and music that he prays the sinner's prayer, it is unconditional love toward others that assures him of the sincerity of his prayer, not the words of the prayer.

 

Unconditional love is not something that is natural on this cursed planet. Therefore, when you possess it, you know that is did not come from yourself. There is only One who has the ability to give it to you and therefore you are assured that you are His child.

 

This is, of course, best case scenario.

 

But there are plenty of true believers who go through dark phases of life. I do not mean that we suddenly begin rampantly sinning. I mean we become discouraged. We begin to understand the holiness of God so rightly that when we look in the mirror we are aghast at what we see. And suddenly, we begin to see ourselves as unworthy of the work of the  cross. As John puts it, "our heart condemns us."

 

This is not a sign of unbelief. It is not a sign that you do not understand the love and mercy of God. In fact, God may even put us through a trial that leads us into this line of thinking, especially if we have come to think that we somehow deserve the grace of God. But God does not lead us into trials without reason.

 

You see, when you get to the point that your heart condemns you, God is greater than your heart. What an amazing thought. Think of how powerful your heart is. Broken hearts have made people hike across the U.S., watch Netflix for twenty days, eat ice cream by the bucket-load and even take their own life. God is more powerful.

 

When we judge ourselves, we take into account only our own thoughts and actions. When God judges us, He takes into consideration, first and foremost, the work of His Son. Your conscience, tainted with sin and constantly under attack by Satan's lies, cannot rightly judge your heart.

 

Note, this does not mean that when your heart condemns you for being addicted to pornography or killing someone, that God is in your heart telling you, "No no no, don't fret about it. That's just your heart condemning you, not me. You're good. Just try to tone it down a notch."

 

That's not what John is talking about. He is referring to the man who, though showing the signs of a saved individual - loving others unconditionally and obeying the commandments of God - recognizes that no matter what he does, he cannot measure up to the standard of love of God. He feels insecure and out of place even approaching the throne of God. To this man, whose heart is under attack by condemnation, God reaches out a hand and says, "Do not fret. You did not measure up, but because of the work of my Son, you have crossed the chasm of sin and darkness. Rest in peaceful assurance.

 

 

The Outworking of Love

Now we know that believers ought not treat their brothers and sisters in Christ poorly. We also know that love is imperative to our faith. But what should this love look like? This is where John continues in the 16th verse of chapter 3.

 

What is the best example of love? Where do we find the perfect example of love? John's answer? In Christ - the One who was willing to lay down His life.

 

Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." This is recorded in John 15:13, and the word undoubtedly still echoed in John's mind.

 

The standard to which believers are called to love their brothers and sisters is a high one. It does not mean that to perfectly love them we must find a way to physically die for them. It means that we must find a way to die to our own selfish desires on their behalf. We must give of our money to the man without food, even though it will mean we cannot go out to eat this month. We must give of our time to the family without a strong roof, even though it will mean we use precious vacation days. We must give of our space to the mother and child without a home, even though it will mean losing the peace and quiet of our home.

 

In John's time, and a thousand times over in our time, this is a different sort of dying - a dying to self.

 

If you have the earthly means to help a brother or sister in need (you do), and you look away - pass the plate - walk on the other side of street, how is there any evidence of the love of God in you? If we claim to be imitators of Christ, yet do not imitate His most epic  action, on what basis can we claim to know Him?

 

If you tell your friends your brother is your identical twin, but when they see him, he stands a foot taller, has freckles, a different shaped nose, a stronger cheek, different colored eyes and different colored hair, are they going to believe you? Even you would have to take a step back and think, "Huh, maybe we aren't identical twins."

 

Most Christians do not have a problem talking about the needs of others. They don't even have a problem praying about them. "Lord, I pray that you would help the Smith family find a place to live. Lord, I pray you would bless the Johnson's with the funds to buy a car to replace the one they totaled. Father, please keep Johnny in the youth group and find him a mentor so he doesn't go back to his old ways."

 

Stop praying. The very fact that you are praying for them at all could quite possibly mean that the Lord has already provided the answer…in you.

 

Why can't the Smith family live with you until they find a place? Don't have room? How about converting that study to a bedroom?

 

Why can't you donate one of your cars to the Johnson family? Sure, it's convenient having two, but is it necessary? If you only have one car, what about a $100 check. No, it's not going to buy a car, but it's better than nothing. A $1,000 check would go even farther, but then again, you'd have to take that out our your emergency fund I suppose.

 

Johnny doesn't need a mentor. He needs you. No, you don't know everything, but you've been in the church for years. You can't explain the book of Revelation, but you can sure show him the law and grace of God, can't you?

 

I don't mean to be overly sarcastic or simplify this kind of love too much. It wouldn't be called laying down a life if it was easy. Letting someone live in your house is a sacrifice, so is giving money and possessions away. It's difficult. But that's the whole point, isn't it? We are imitating the One who did the difficult things. We are loving like only someone with God Himself inside of them could love.

 

This is how the world knows you are who you say you are. This is how you know you are who you say you are.