Series: A Piece Of The Incredible PuzzleDate: 1/5/14Week 1SERMON NOTES:A New Vision For 2014 - 1 John 3:11-24How did we get here?A. The readers of this letter are trying to love one another.Picture the context.You can imagine that in a pluralistic context, it was difficult to love others.The believers may have been RIDICULED, despised, DEMONIZED, and REJECTED, but God's call to love others was still PARAMOUNT to their faith.How hard would that have been?B. We are trying to love one another.The truth is, we know exactly how hard that is.We live in contexts where it is hard to love others because of many things. Sometimes people are ANGRY with Christians for many different reasons. Some people have hurt us. Some are just plain ORNERY and they're hard to love. But the COMMAND stands.The coach I didn't like.C. As the spirits presence grows in the readers, their capacity to love grows.The text is clear that loving is not easy. The believers are called to love those who hate them (vs. 13), those who are NEEDY (vs. 17) in short those it takes WORK to LOVE.It could also be read that "brothers" means just other BELIEVERS, but who is not a brother who has, like us, been created in the IMAGE of God. But God be praised, we do not do this ALONE!Verse 24 is clear. The one who loves does so because of the Spirit's PRESENCE within.D. As the spirit's presence grows in us, our capacity to love grows.As we trust more fully in the work the REDEMPTION of Christ in our lives, it becomes easier to love.In fact, if we are not loving to others it's a SPIRITUAL issue for us to ADDRESS in our own lives.Praise be to God, as we understand God's love for us in Christ (vs. 16) we are able to GRASP how to show love to others that may even be the HARDEST to LOVE.This is the great work of Christ's love in us, his people.Our new vision statement.