1John 3:11-18 - "My Brother's Keeper"

1John 3:11-18 ¶ 

"For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.  Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.  

"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.  He who does not love abides in death.  Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 

"We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."

Two progenies, out of two different and opposing progenitors.  Opposites which don’t attract.  Children of the devil, who live in sin and lawlessness - missing the mark, living unsurrendered.  And children of God, (re)born of Him.

Children of the devil.  Abiding in sin.  The Unsurrendered.  They are unsurrendered.  Knees and necks unbowed.  Hearts closed.  Eyes darkened and minds blinded.  Abiding in death, held captive there by the devil, in fact.  Their spirits are dead, dead to the life of God.  This is the world.  They don’t know us.  Our thoughts and ways are alien to them.  They don’t understand us.  And how do most people instinctively relate to something or someone different?  Hate.  Strong dislike or aversion.  Avoidance.  

[let’s talk about hate]

John already told us that those who hate their brothers are in darkness.  But interpersonal hate can be often accompanied by hostility.  That’s what Cain did.  John holds up Cain here as the example of what NOT to do.  The anti-type.  Our antagonist for today.  He hated his brother so much he killed him.  His own bro was an alien.  Let’s take a closer look…

Observations from Genesis 4.2-9…

• Cain wasn’t supposed to be the anti-type.  He was the prototype.  The first brother.  The big brother.  Obviously he was born into brokenness, but he could have been the ultimate and bestest big brother.  But by all accounts he failed miserably.
• Both Cain and his brother Abel grew up and found an occupation, if you will.  Cain interestingly was employed in an area which had been explicitly cursed by God.  And in the course of working both brothers brought their first fruits to the Lord.  Both men technically were doing the right thing.  They brought an offering to the Lord.  We’re what, at least 10-20 years into their relationship at this point?
• The Hebrew says that God wouldn’t even look at Cain’s offering.  And why was that?  Scripture teaches over and over that it is all about the heart.  Cain’s heart got in the way.

It’s about the heart:

1Samuel 16:7 

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Isaiah 29:13    

Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,

Jeremiah 4:3-4    

For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.  Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or else My wrath will go forth like fire and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”

Deuteronomy. 10:16 

“So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.”

Deuteronomy 30:6   

“Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

Deuteronomy 15:7   

“If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your ¹towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother…”

Psalm 69:30-33 

I will praise the name of God with song 

And magnify Him with thanksgiving.

And it will please the LORD better than an ox 

Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.

The humble have seen it and are glad; 

You who seek God, let your heart revive.

For the LORD hears the needy 

And does not despise His who are prisoners.

Jeremiah 12:3  

But You know me, O LORD; You see me; 

And You examine my heart’s attitude toward You. 

Jeremiah 24:7 

‘I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 

‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 32:39-41 

…and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.

Joel 2:12-13  

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, 

“Return to Me with all your heart, 

And with fasting, weeping and mourning;

  And rend your heart and not your garments.” 

Now return to the LORD your God, 

For He is gracious and compassionate, 

Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness 

And relenting of evil.

Mark 12:33 

AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

All the external stuff is meaningless - apart from the internals.  The stuff of the heart.  God looks at the heart.  Cain had a hard heart - and a stiff neck.  His heart was fallow ground - it was hard.  Look at how he responds.  Anger.  Not humility.  Not contrition.  He stiffened his neck.  He didn’t examine himself - he was not the problem.  Nope.  In his mind, the problem was external to him.  Unwillingness to accept responsibility.  Hard heart.  Unsurrendered.  And it manifested itself not in giving but in taking.  Taking life.  He took his brother’s life.  Murder.  His brother was part of the problem, so he chose to get rid of his brother.  He murdered him in cold blood.  And it definitely was Cain’s blood which ran cold - a cold heart.

It's instructive to see his response when the Lord calls him out afterwards.  “Am I my brother’s keeper?”, he asks?  Um, yes, yes you are, actually.  Love your brother, John is saying to his readers.  Love one another, Jesus is saying to His followers.  Love your neighbor, God is saying to His people.  You ARE your brothers’ keepers.  That Hebrew word means exercising great care over, a diligent, careful, watchful eye.  Almost like a shepherd.  And we know what about good shepherds?

Children of God.  Walking in love.  Laying down lives for one another.  Jesus of course is our Prime Example here.  Instead of the anti-type we get in Cain, Jesus is our Archetype.  Laying down His life - That's how Jesus lived - and died.  What did He Himself say?

Matthew 20:28 

“…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

John holds up Jesus as the example for us to follow, in life AND in death. That's how He rolled.

Philippians 2:3-9 

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Others first. Others better.  That's how Jesus lived.  Others first, others better. Jesus didn't hold onto Me First, Me better.  He could have. He could have stayed right where He was, and done nothing to meet our needs.  He could have stayed on that comfy cloud, had the angels bring Him some chips and a drink, or feed Him some grapes, kept on watching His favorite new episodes of Angels in the Outfield or Extreme Home Makeover - whatever image works for you - and just floated on past us, past our need.  Passed by on the other side - that’s what the priest and the Levite did.  They saw the need and did nothing about it. They just kept about their own business.  But Jesus - like the Samaritan in the parable about how to love our neighbors - made like a Good Samaritan and stopped what He was doing.  He took off his heavenly garb, took off His cloak, and came on down to meet our needs.  The needs of the world.  The needs of others.

Meeting needs.  Love demonstrated in deed and truth - not just words.  What does Romans 5:8 say?

Romans 5:8 

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We are not to be known by what we say, but by what we do. We will not be known by our words, but rather by how we truly love one another.

John 15:13 

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

And so John is saying, brothers - family - we ought to be laying down our lives for one another.  The Greek is stronger than that - we are obligated.  We have a debt to discharge - not to one another, but to the One Who laid down His life for us and Who now calls us brethren - His brothers and sisters.  We are members of His family, His seed abides in us, and we need to roll like Him.

But let’s talk about where the rubber meets the road?  What does it mean to lay down my life?  That is the question?  What will it look like?  Parents have an idea.  It's not about me, is it?  It's not about getting what I want.  It's not about getting my needs met.

This is part of the challenge of transitioning from a child to an adult.  When I am a child it is all about me.  And growing up means learning that it's not all about me (hopefully).  It is learning to make it about others also.  Jen and I are not there yet with our kids - we are still raising them to launch out, launching not just into the world but also into making it about others also.  Others first, others better.  And from what I’ve been told, that season of parents relating to their adult kids can be some of the sweetest and most gratifying times in the life of a parent.  And not simply because of the empty nest.  I know, there are two sides to that - some welcome the empty nest, some dread it, and long for the good old days?  What say you, empty nesters?  But isn’t there something incredibly gratifying about seeing your child begin to care about others?

Let me suggest to all of us today that spiritually speaking, there is never such a thing as an empty nest, one where I am longer are obligated to focus on someone other than myself (and possibly my spouse).  Am I my brother’s keeper?  Yes.  Yes, I am.  Until our King returns, we are one another’s keepers.

Yeah, this whole loving one another thing is real inconvenient.  And it can get real messy.  But again, it begins with our heart - and since we are seeking His heart, and since His Seed abides in our heart, this SHOULD be a slam dunk.

John makes it real practical - meeting needs.  Meeting needs.  Not closing our hearts to those, not passing by on the other side.  We’re talking about some of my time. And energy. Some of my talent perhaps, or some of my treasure perhaps.  Probably getting at least a little bit dirty.  Helping to clean up a mess, most likely.  Definitely stopping long enough to be able to assess the situation, to get my nose out of my own business - which arguably is fraught with innumerable cares of its own - get my nose out of my smartphone or Xbox or whatever other thing is grabbing my attention - and looking into those things which concern my brother.  It’s about first getting connected.  It’s hard - and admittedly rather convenient - to live a laid-down-life - if I’m not connected to those for whom I could potentially be laying down my life.

Some of you folks are about to launch out into the great unknown, the Lord is sending you out from Longview (or wherever you've called home for this season).  This will apply just as much to you in whatever place the Lord takes you.

-Get surrendered.  Yes, Lord, I am willing to lay my life down for Your people.  Strengthen in me Your heart and power to do that.

-Get connected.  Begin to journey with folks.

-Keep your eyes and heart open…

-And keep your eyes out for the orphan, the widow, and the stranger.  Those who don’t have a family… The Lord has special mention for them through the pages of Scripture.

-Three Affirmations of a Brother:

• I am with you
• meaning I embrace you as family and I will not forsake you
• I am for you
• this means I will believe the best about you and celebrate your successes and always shoot straight with you and go to you directly.  And I will not murder you
• I am your servant
• meaning I am ready and willing to lay down my life for you and meet your needs and build you up; living into others-first others-better

Isn’t this precisely what Jesus says to each and every one of us?  Let’s make sure we’re surrendered to Him - and He specializes in taking care of the rest.