Love Proves Our Allegiance

Hey, hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning we are going to continue to talk about how do we know whether we are of Jesus or if we are of the devil. How do we know? How do we know? Is there some practical ways in which we're able to tell in our lives?
Let's have some coffee. We'll pray. Go get into God's Word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. What a joy and a blessing it is to get to hear from you in your word. Father, we pray that we would listen and understand, and that your spirit would apply truth to our hearts and to our lives. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. All right, here we go. 1 John 3, beginning at verse 10, and we'll read through verse 14. In this, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest.
Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brothers righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Now we need to ask ourselves, A, what's this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do? So what's this passage about? Well, it's conjoined with what came before it in this matter, right? In verse 10. that in this, what's this?
This is those who are walking and practicing righteousness versus those who are practicing lawlessness. If we're walking at the pattern of our lives, the overwhelming tenor of our life looks like unrighteousness, then we really have to ask ourselves, are we children of God? If we are openly practicing sin, are we really children of this devil rather than children of God? Well, in this, children of God and the children of devil are manifest. And so what does it look like to practice righteousness?
The Apostle John gives us a very, very clear answer here. Nor is he who does not love his brother. loving one another, specifically those in the household of faith. When John here says brother, he's speaking of those in the faith. How can you love the Son if you do not love those you could see? Him whom we have not seen, yet we love. Do we love the person next to us in church? You know, this is actually one of these amazing things to me is when I'll meet people who will say things like they don't need church, but then they don't love other people in the church. Yeah, guess what?
Because people in the church are hard to love. It's really hard to be patient and kind and gentle with people. It's really hard to forgive others because they sin against you. And yet that's how the Apostle John here is saying, that's how you'll know. Because it's faith put in practice. How do you love?
The brother's not as keen, right? Keen murdered his brother. He saw that his works were righteous and God didn't accept his works and so he killed him. Jealous of him. I remember talking to a pastor who was really struggling with jealousy over another pastor's ministry. And he actually became embittered towards this other pastor because he didn't work as hard, he wasn't as smart, it was a whole bunch of things that he thought, why would God use him? And he was sad about his own ministry not growing and the struggles he had in his local church. And that's what's going on here. He was not loving his brother. who's acting more like Cain.
And Jesus said, you know, if we say in our heart to our brother, Rukkah, you fool, you've already committed murder in your heart. You've already been so angry with that person that if the time and situation arose and you thought you could get away with it, you would put a knife in their body. Stab them in the back. God said, how does the love of God abide in one like that? We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
How do you treat other people in the church? Do you gossip about them? Do you slander them? Or do you build other people up with your words? Do you seek to bless others with your words? Do you seek to care for them? When you see them in need, as much as you are able, do you care for them?
Now, I know people will manipulate that, and trust me, there's all sorts of evil people in the world. There are people who may not even do it intentionally or knowingly, but I struggle with this as I deal with many international people. I don't have enough money to share with everybody in the world. I just don't. He who does not provide for his own family is worse than an infidel. And so this is sometimes a difficult issue. And so we'll find in places like Acts that they gave as they were able to care for those in need.
The money is yours. Do with it as you want. But the question is, is your budget self-serving? Is your schedule all about you? Are you too inconvenienced by others to love them? What does your life look like? Does it look like you're seeking to consume or to pour out into love?
Are you serving others? Are you loving your brothers? Do you care for those in the church? Sometimes you put away your preferences and show deference to others. Sometimes are you willing to go without so you can bless those who are in need? Do you work with your hands, not stealing, but laboring with your hands that you might give to those who are in need? Do you have a word fitly spoken to bless another with?
How much time do you spend praying for others, caring for them? Do you love your brothers? There's a whole bunch of seek calling that we're already at, right? But the point is, this is just right on the surface. What's this about? Do you know that you are of Christ? Do you love the brethren? This doesn't mean that you never have to rebuke them or correct them, right? Jesus did that regularly. He spoke the truth in love. He said hard things. We learn from him. We're not just nice guys.
But do you truly love? Do you pray for the best? Do you pray that they might increase and you might decrease? Or do you use people? Do you manipulate them? Are they tools for your own ends? What is it in your life? What's the pattern of your life? How do you live? Who are you of? Are you of Christ? Or are you of the devil?
Walk in the spirit, brother. Walk in the spirit, sister. Go in the way of Christ. Bless and do not curse. The world may hate you. Okay. Do the counter worldly thing. Love. Love. Let's pray. Father, we thank you. And we pray God that you would please help us. Lord, help us to follow after you. Help us to walk in your ways. Lord, it is hard sometimes to love others, but you have called us to this. This is what it looks like to abide in your son. And so we pray that your spirit would reform our hearts, reform our lives, reform our minds that we might love. Love you and love others. Those are the two greatest commandments.
So Lord, let us please not walk in lawlessness. Let us not love our own sins or the sins of others. But Father, please let us be committed to others' well-being for eternity. Father, we pray that we would abide in your love and bear much good fruit. In Jesus' name, amen. May God bless you and may you love richly today. I'll see you next time.