Jun. 14, 2020

A True Love

 Primary Text:  1 John 2:15-17                                  June 13 & 14, 2020

 Last Week’s Teaching:  A True Church

 1)  His Church

 Matthew 16:16-18:  Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.   And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

 DQ 1) Define “The True Church.”  How is it different from what

           is often called “church” in our world?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2)  Characteristics of a True Church

Ephesians 5:25-27:   Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 

DQ 2) What characteristics delineate a true church?  

DQ 3) What characteristics describe a false church?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3)  True Love of God

 1 John 5:2-4:  This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.   This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. 

1 John 1:6:  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 

John 21:17:  The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?"  He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."  Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. 

DQ 4) What does loving God look like in the life of a Spirit-filled

           Christian?

DQ 5) Do you love God?   How do you know?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 This Week’s Teaching

 1)  The Commands of God

 1 John 2:3-6:  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him.  This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

DQ 1) What are the commands of God?  What are their purposes?

DQ 2) How does obedience to God’s commands differ from

           obedience to religious duties?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2)  Not the World

1 John 2:15:  Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Matthew 22:37-40:   Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

DQ 3) Define “the world” as described in 1 John 2:15.

DQ 4) Are 1 John 2:15 and Matthew 22:39 contradictory?  If not,

           why?

DQ 5) When does love for a person become love for the world?  

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3)  Love of the World

 1 John 2:16-17:  For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Galatians 5:16-23:  So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature….  The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  

DQ 6) Define lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life.

DQ 7) Do you love the world more than you love God?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________