Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
In what way does the Devil devour?
There are numbers of ways that Satan desires to devour God’s people.
He introduces doubt in the Word of God - Genesis 3
He provokes the world to persecute the believer - John 16
He introduces error into the life of the church - 2 Peter 2
However, in light of our study in the love of God, I want us to consider another way that Satan attempts to devour believers.
Another way that Satan attempts to destroy believers is to introduce into the fellowship of believers those who do not love.
1, 2 Timothy, Titus ((2) An Indictment of the False Teachers (6:2b–5))
Paul mentioned three unhealthy traits of the heretics, and he then designated the products of their impaired instruction.
First, the false teachers were pompous or “conceited,” a term that describes a temptation facing the neophyte in 3:6.
Second, despite their arrogance they lacked genuine spiritual knowledge.
Williams combines both of these terms in calling the false teacher a “conceited ignoramus.”
Paul had earlier talked about the spiritual ignorance of these heretics in 1:7.
His conviction was that those who depart from gospel truth actually lack all spiritual understanding.
Third, they were ailing with the disease of controversy and word battles: “Controversies and arguments … have impaired their mental health to such a degree that they have become diseased.”The
products of such crippled teaching include an envy that shows annoyance at the success of others and a spirit of dissension that brings envy into the open.
Also included are “malicious talk,” wicked denunciations of others, “evil suspicions,” faultfinding, and misgivings about the integrity of others.
The vividness of Paul’s description suggests that he was facing a concrete situation which aroused his indignant protest.
Paul saw that a sense of real community had been destroyed.
6:5 Paul mentioned a final product of the unhealthy teaching of heresy and then discussed the character of a person who could produce such diseased behavior.
The “constant friction” refers to incessant quarreling that came from the contentious nature of the sectaries.
As to their personal make-up, they were mentally corrupted and completely lacking in the truth.
Paul’s statement in v. 4 that the heretics understood nothing was a similar emphasis.
Guthrie notes: “When reason is morally blinded, all correctives to unworthy behavior are banished, and the mind becomes destitute … of the truth.”
Satan devours a local assembly by means of hypocrites who do not love one another.
The local church typically tolerates unloving behavior because she has not been taught how to handle that.
But, unloving hearts and behaviors are of the flesh, the world, and the Devil and very likely indicate an unregenerate person.
It is because love is the essence and nature of God Himself that the enemy of God, the Devil, seeks to destroy those who know Him.
But, why does Scripture make such an emphasis on love?
We are saved in love.
Those who know God are characterized by love.
We were saved in love:
Those who know Him are characterized by love.
He that loveth not (ὁ μη ἀγαπων [ho mē agapōn]).
Present active articular participle of ἀγαπαω [agapaō] “keeps on not loving.”
Knoweth not God (οὐκ ἐγνω τον θεον [ouk egnō ton theon]).
Timeless aorist active indicative of γινωσκω [ginōskō], has no acquaintance with God, never did get acquainted with him.
4:8 John now turns from the positive expression of truth to its negative expression.
He adds emphasis to the point in v. 7 by now stating the converse.
Those who do not love do not know God.
The absence of love in the life of an individual proves that he does not know God (ouk egnō ton theon).
The one who does not love is a stranger to God.
He never even began to have a relationship with God; that is, there was never a time when this person could have legitimately claimed that he knew God.
Because his very nature is love, mercy and goodness flow from God like a beautiful river, as sunlight radiates from the sun.
Love, real love (cf. 1 Cor 13), has its ultimate source and origin in God.
It is not an abstract concept but concrete action, as John will now explain.
But, what does this love look like?
The only true picture and description of love is to found in Jesus Christ.
We can read sections of Scripture like, 1 Corinthians 13.
However, those passages are abstract to us, especially if we are not familiar with living in love in the first place.
The best picture of the essence of love is Jesus’s washing of the feet of the disciples.
The effect of and the true nature of love is that it seeks the holiness and cleanliness of those it loves.
Is that not so?
Consider all that we have seen in the passages about WHY God saved us.
Consider this passage:
This is why it hurts so deeply when this kind of love is rejected and even scorned by those in darkness.
How is it the foundation of the church?
Love is the fruit of the Spirit of God:
Love is the condition of the heart of a regenerate believer:
Love is the goal of all the commands in Scripture/true ministry:
The NT gives us instructions for loving one another.
Conclusion
Having said all of that, now you can understand what the writer of Hebrews states:
To leave the assembly of those whom God loves is to disobey the Law of love which Jesus states is the New and Greatest Commandment.
Next week: I want to give concrete instructions about how to love one another in the body of Christ.
READ:
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