You Can't Love God and Hate Your Brother (1 John 4:20)

for and then I'll pin me. And here we go. All right. So, today we're going to be in First John and uh we're going to be in 1 John chapter 4 and we're going to be in verse uh 20. We'll stay in verse 20. We're going to be in 1 John verse 20. And this is a I was thinking about this because I went in and did some reading uh this morning based off of something that happened to me yesterday. Um and I'm and I'm sure that this happens to to most of us or or can happen to us or the the ability for it to happen to us is there. And so John addresses it. Um, chapter 4, most of chapter 4, and it's a short chapter, but most of chapter 4, except for the very first part of it, is about um God's love and what and what that's about.

And so, we're going to just take one small piece. And John really, he just punches it. And uh and so he says here in verse 20, "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister whom they have seen cannot love God whom they have not seen." So that's that's a pretty um black and white statement. It's pretty um it's pretty right there right there in our faces. and and so let's let's talk about a couple of things. So, first of all, when it talks about a brother or sister, uh John is talking to the church.

So, he's he's referencing loving a fellow follower, a fellow believer. He's he's not he's not referencing people outside of that. Doesn't mean that we shouldn't love them as well, too. Christ calls us to do that. um if we weren't loving on them, it'd be very difficult to to uh deliver the word to them and and uh and and let them know what Christ can do for them. But in this context, he's he's writing this letter to the church body. And so he says that uh whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. I mean, he's he's b he's not he's not he's not mincing any words here.

He's not saying, you know, maybe you should re No, he's just saying you can't have you can't claim to have one and then do the other. They cancel each other out. It doesn't work. Um if you if you take a look at the picture of the of the cross, it's a relationship between and they're tied together. They're equal. It's a relationship between you and the father and those that are around you. And that's the that's the symbol of the cross. And that's a that's a real thing as John so clearly writes in here. And he goes on and he says, "For whoever does not love their brother and sister whom they have seen cannot love God whom they have not seen." And that kind of goes both ways, right?

In some respects, it's easy to love a God that that you don't see. It's it's maybe it's easier to love that person because they didn't vote against you. They didn't they didn't leave dirty dishes in the sink. Uh God didn't just cut you off in traffic. And so that it's it's it's those things that we experience that another human being can do to us or at us that we don't necessarily see from God. And so some respects maybe that's easier to do. And then maybe look at it from God's perspective. And God is saying how if you can't take the person that's in front of you who you can see and feel and touch who is re as real to you as you know this calculator I'm holding up.

If you can't manage to find it in your heart to love that person then how on earth can you love a god that you can't see? And so John addresses this and he literally says, "You can't have one and the other. You can't have all of your energy can't be focused at just loving God. It also has to be focused at loving your brother and your sister. They go together." And the reason why I I I dove into the scriptures because I had someone who who was at church who uh hurt. They they they said some things to me that were that were hurtful. And I and I and I don't want to go.

And so I just started in my own mind going, do I not have love for them in my heart? It it did have they have they affected me that badly that I I could say that I don't love that person. And so I really had to reflect on that and and I'm still working through that. Um but I but I know what the text says. The text says that I can't claim to love God if I can't if I can't overlook uh what happened and love that person as well too. And so I I would think that each of us if we sat down and thought about it, who's that who's that person that you know follows Christ, but that you know and is in your life that's just difficult to love that's just you have a hard time with.

And and I and I think this is what John is saying is that that that's where we start and that's that's where we have to take a look at the text in the scriptures and what the apostles are trying to tell us what Christ wants us to know and start really looking at that because if you can love that person if you can if you can you can find what you need inside of you to make sure that you're loving that person that you're recognizing that they are loved by God as well and you should love them. If we can get to that place, then our election is secure and we know that we love God.

So, I don't know who that is in your life. I don't I don't know if some of you don't experience that right now. Some of you are are that person who just, you know, takes in straight kittens and puppies and loves everyone. I I don't know. Um, but I but I know that for me there's there is that person that's a challenge for me and I and I and I need to read the the word and I need to come to grips with the fact that as much as maybe they said some things to hurt me that I have to overlook that offense that that you know uh Christ said how many times do I forgive my brother seven times 70 and and I don't even know that in my own right that it's not that I haven't forgiven the person.

I'm just trying to reconcile in my own brain where am I at in this situation? Where where am I really at? Have I really addressed it? Am I really truly thinking about it? Did I just sweep it away because I didn't want to deal with it? Where am I at? And I and I think that that that's introspective process that John talks about here, right? So, if you can't love your brother and sister, you are a liar. I didn't say that. John did. And and it's really true because again I just go to the picture of the cross. It's a it's a two-way street. You can't have one and not have the other.

They're equal. It's you should equally love God as in the commandment says love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength and love your neighbor as you love yourself. So there we'll end on that. So thoughts, comments, suggestions? Uh I don't know if you guys can remember when Cornelio explained uh the differences between brothers and neighbors and all that. I cannot recall uh word by word. But it's just good that you pointed it out that it's for the body of the believers. Yeah. We we you know Christ ate with sinners and tax collectors.

You know, he's not saying don't don't love on those people, but this letter is not written to them. This letter is written to the written to the body of Christ. Yes. Thank you, A. Anybody else? I believe that uh in our own nature, in our own flesh, it's hard to love a brother or sister, especially when there's, you know, damage done in a situation. But the closer our relationship gets to God. If we learn to love him, then that will help us love them. If we're trying to learn to love them first, it's going to be so hard because we're doing it with our own will.

But when we learning to love God, that all suddenly becomes like a natural thing to be able to love that person that hurt us. Well, and and I'm glad I'm glad that you said that, Jenny, because verse 19 is really short and it says, "We love because he first loved us." Anyone else? Yeah. So salvation is a lifelong process. It's called sanctification and it never it never ends. You're going to continue to to take we're not perfect and Christ died for all that sin. And so you're you're going to grow in your walk and it's going to be I mean And I believe, you know, when when you withhold forgiveness, it's like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

And so I I understand what John is saying here. If you don't have love in your heart for your brother or sister, then then then you're a liar. And I think the reason why he writes this so strongly is because not because he expects us to have perfection in loving our brother and our sister. It's not going to happen. It's going to take time. It's going to take time to grow in your walk to do that. But what John wants to point out here is it's important for you to work on that. It's important for you to recognize and understand that if God loves that person and can give grace and mercy to that person, then you should.

If you want grace and mercy and God gives it to you, then you should give it to others. And we have to work on that, right? Um I I am fairly mature in my walk. I've got a lot way I'm not at the bottom. I'm not at the top. I'm somewhere in the middle. And it's a struggle for me as well too, right? So, you're not alone. It's a difficult process. It's tough. It's hard to walk through. And that's one of the reasons why calls like this are good. Why being a part of a group, whether it's a men's group or women's group, it's why being in community with other people help you grow in that walk and help you walk past those things that are difficult and challenging for you.

That's what God wants for us, right? You know, um a three corded strand is not easily broken. That's what, you know, that's what he's talking about. we come together, it's easier for us to walk through those things. All right, it's 9:29. We've gone super long. So, I'm going to go ahead and pray us out and then uh today's Wednesday. We'll see everybody back here tomorrow on Thursday. So, let's pray out. Father, thank you so much for today. Thank you for uh thank you that you did love us um and so that we can love. Thank you that that we know from you.

you you every morning when you wake up those graces and mercies are renewed that that uh that that uh that your love never fails and it never leaves us. It's always with us as far as the east is from the west, Father. And so we thank you for that, Lord. pray that that we would continue in our walk as was said to to walk through the the challenges to walk through the struggles that we would get to where we need to knowing that the only way that that's possible, Father, is we we submit to you and we rely totally on you for your strength because we know that inside of our own it's impossible.

Father, walk with us today. Guide us, direct us. Uh uh you know yesterday when we we we we spoke Father and Aggie brought it up Lord we talked about you know asking for a lesson and and maybe that's what this is and we need these lessons in our lives Lord that only you can teach us so that we can learn to grow to love someone. If it wasn't for another brother or sister being tough to love we wouldn't be able to learn to love the tough. And so Father we just thank you for that. Father we just ask that you watch over us. guide us as I said asked.

We love you. We praise you and as always in your son Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. All right. See you guys tomorrow. Have a great day. Have a blessed day. Thank you. Have a good day. Have a blessed day. Good day. Have a blessed day tonight. Uh yeah, I'll be there tonight. Yes. Yep. All right. See you later. Bye guys.

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly edited for readability.