Episode Transcript
Week 10: Love: The Root and Fruit of Knowledge
1 John 4:7 - 5:3
Let’s open our Bibles together.
There are 2 common Greek words in the Bible for “know”. We see both of these in 1 John.
“Eido” - “to have knowledge of” - 15 times
“Ginosko” - “to know by experience” - 25 times - To come to know, realize, recognize, or understand completely. Knowing experientially, personally, intimately.
I know about Princess Diana. I may or may not have had a crush on her when I was a young boy. I knew stories about her childhood, marriage, philanthropy, struggles, children, divorce, and death. I watched documentaries about her. I had a knowledge of her. But I didn’t know her and she didn’t know me! “Eido”
I know Carrie Cravatt. I have had a crush on her for over 27 years. I met her in high school. I was at her wedding. I was in her wedding. We have 4 children together. I know her and she knows me. “Ginosko”
ginosko - To come to know, realize, recognize, or understand completely. Knowing experientially, personally, intimately.
I know about the moon. Neil Armstrong has experienced the moon. He has walked on the moon.
Many people know about God.
We can know Him. We can experience Him.
4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Prayer:
I just read our text in the order that it was written. I want to do something that is a little bit unusual. I want to dissect our text and put it back together in the order that it happens to us or in the order that we experience it.
1. God is Love
8 God is love.
16 God is love,
2. Love comes from God
7 love is from God,
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his
only Son into the world,
so that we might live through him.
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent
his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins.
14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the
Savior of the world.
3. Love is believed, confessed, and received
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him,
and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that
God has for us.
5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God,
and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
4. Love transforms us
19 We love because he first loved us.
7 Beloved, let us love one another
7 whoever loves has been born of God and knows God
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also to love one another.
12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and
his love is in us.
16 whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for
the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do
with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
21 this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also
love his brother.
5. Love warns us
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he
who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom
he has not seen.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his
commandments are not burdensome.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that
Jesus is the Son of God?
6. Love assures us
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and
obey his commandments.
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is
the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has
given us of his Spirit.
>God is Love>Love comes from God>Love is believed, confessed, and received
>Love transforms us>Love warns us>Love assures us
“Ginosko” - “to know by experience” - 25 times in 1 John (5X in today’s text)
We can genuinely know God’s love and we can know that we love Him!
Love is the Root of our knowledge of God. (His love created us, sent Jesus to rescue us, drew us to Him, and saved us)
Love is also the Fruit of our knowledge of God. (His love causes us to love)
We love because He FIRST loved us!
Application:
Robert Irvine Is a British Celebrity chef
He was born in England and began his cooking career upon enlisting in the UK's Royal Navy at the age of fifteen. Having completed culinary training, Robert served aboard Her Majesty's Royal Yacht Britannia. After his 10-year tour of duty, Irvine performed consultant work in Bali, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City before becoming Executive Chef aboard numerous cruise ships and establishments such as Trump's Taj Mahal,
He became a very successful talk show host who has appeared on and hosted a variety of Food Network programs including Dinner: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, Restaurant: Impossible, A Hero's Welcome, Operation Restaurant, All-Star Academy, Guy's Grocery Games, Chopped: Impossible, and Restaurant Express.
At the height of his success in 2008, it was discovered that he had lied in his bio on The Food Network website when he claimed that he designed Price Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake.
He was fired and his show was canceled.
He claimed to ginosko - to have an intimate personal knowledge of someone, but it wasn’t true.
Many people today claim to know God. Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never “ginosko” knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
As sad as Chef Robert Irvine‘s story is… it’s nothing compared to being exposed before the judgment of God!
The beautiful thing about his story is that it didn’t end in 2008. He went on to make things right with The Food Network. They rehired him and he went on to host many more shows for multiple seasons as well as opening multiple restaurants. Critic's Choice Association Real TV Awards Winner (Male Star of the Year), 2022
You could say he got a second chance. He experienced a type of redemption.
The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… there is none righteous, no not one… the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead… you will be saved!
How will they hear… unless we tell them?
