Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• This morning: the pentultimate and the last quality – the icing on the cake
• Brotherly Kindness and Love
  • Brotherly kindness and Agape Love
• Considering week by week one characteristic – word by word
  • Faith (in Christ) – the start of our Christian journey
  • Growing in moral excellence
  • Knowledge
  • Self-control
  • Perseverance
  • Godliness
• Coming to the end
  • Need to grow in brotherly kindness and love
  • Ps 1 – a picture of the man/woman of God
    • A tree bearing fruit and growing
  • Brotherly kindness and agape love

The source of this love – 1 John 4:9-10

• If God did not love us, we could not love each other (there is a perfect love in the Trinity)
  • We would have continued in our sin and in our darkness
  • God has given a saving/glorious love and we have known this love
• Love is not just a feeling – as often thought by the world
• God’s love is demonstrated – examples
  • Principally demonstrated at the cross – where the Son of God became sin for us
  • Jesus is our propitiation – one prepared to stand in our place, removing the anger of God from us
• We are to grown in brotherly love and agape love
• Do you understand the love of God for you?
  • You will only understand this if you understand the depths of your sin – examples
  • You will not understand God’s love if you are proud – example
  • What is holding you back?
  • What is stopping you trusting in Jesus?
  • Give your life to Jesus – repent of your sin and He will receive you
  • Fall on the grace, mercy and kindness of God
  • To be called the children of God

Brotherly kindness

• Could be translated brotherly affection/love – philadelphia
  • Phileo – love for
  • Adelphos – brothers
  • Love of the household of faith
• In human families we have affection for our siblings
• We have a unity in Christ (1 John 3:14) – examples
  • A mark of the Christian
  • Oneness with other believers – there may be secondary differences, but there is primary unity
    • If you do not know this unity – e.g. judging, resentment, etc, then you are still in darkness
      • 1 John 2:9
  • We are baptised into Christ, into the body of Christ
    • Different people of different cultures – examples
      • Yet one in Christ
      • Col 3:11
      • Our faith binds us together
  • A family model
    • 1 Tim 5:1-2, 1 Cor 12
• Rom 12:10
• Heb 13:1
• 1 Pet 1:22
• "Love more and more"

Agape Love

• A far reaching love – beyond the family, stranger and enemy
  • God’s love to His Son and to the world
• A giving, self-sacrificing love
  • Heb 13:2 – entertaining strangers
  • 1 John 3:16-18 – very challenging
    • Love shown in action
    • Example
  • James 2 – love without distinction
• Illustration

Closing Remarks