I John 3:16  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17  But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Just a few days ago the IDF was getting very close to where 6 hostages were being held captive by Hamas. The reports say that as they were getting close they could hear the gunfire as Hamas murdered those 6 hostages. Then just yesterday, the president of the United States stated that Israel was not doing enough to make a deal with those terrorists. How can you even think of making a deal with terrorists. You cannot trust terrorists, except to know that they will continue to kill until there is no one left to kill. Hamas/Hezbollah/Iran do not want peace with Israel. They want to destroy Israel. So far, Mr. Netanyahu has held strong. He has refused to cave in to the pressure of ungodly people who obviously do not know the true God and do not read the Bible. Mr. Netanyahu is not a saved man, yet God has put him in that place of leadership for this time.
Those who are saved know that Israel is in for a much rougher ride than they have had up to this point. The Bible commands those who are saved to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. If you only listen to CBC, or CNN, or ABC, or some other liberal media, you are getting lied to. They are tools of the devil. They are being used to draw people together in the way of death. We need to know the true God and we need to read His Word faithfully and we need to be a part of a true church that actually believes in the God of the Word and in the Word of God. We need the right anchor. We need the right facts. They are available in God’s Word.
In our text, in verse 16 we are reminded again of the love of God. The Greek word translated as “perceive” means “to know”. Quite straightforward but also quite profound. What is lacking in many people’s lives today is that ability to know the truth. Most religious leaders lack perception. They do not even know what the Word of God is. They use many different perversions and they think they are going to help people to know the truth through deception. Too many church attendees are very careless as well. They just accept the false leadership and they refuse to listen to the true God through His Holy Spirit. We do not need an audible voice from God. We have His written Word. We cannot perceive the love of God if we are reading from a corrupt text.
Those who are truly saved, can perceive the love of God because He laid down His life for us. Think about that. We are told to meditate in God’s Word day and night. Just take some time to think about the fact that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, was willing to set aside His glory and become a man, obedient unto death.

Philippians 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

That is praiseworthy. We are nothing without God. The lost sometimes think quite highly of themselves. The fact is that we are nothing without God. Yet, God was willing to send His Son into the wicked world, where no one was seeking after God. Before God ever created the world, He, through the Godhead, already had the plan of salvation laid out. Jesus came unto His own and His own received Him not. The good news is found in:

John 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

As many as received Him. That is those who are truly born again. We can receive Him. We can be forgiven and saved. Notice in our text as well that because we have this perception, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Christians are saved to serve God. We serve God by helping others to come to know the truth. That is often a thankless task. It is more than a “job”. It is the call of every born again Christian.
The world needs to see the unity among God’s people. That unity cares for one another. We want to see a brother growing in the Lord. We are not content to see a brother pursuing false doctrine. We are not content to see a brother struggling. We want to see them rejoicing in the Lord.
In verse 17 we see that this love of the brethren has a practical aspect to it. It is not just a matter of praying for one another. That is important. There are other needs that we have as well. It is interesting how God is able to lay a need on the heart of one of His children. We may not know exactly what a brother is facing, but God can impress upon us the fact that that brother has a need. We have the ability to help meet that need. If we refuse to help that brother, God asks, how does the love of God dwell in you? Jesus stated:

Matthew 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

I think we, those who are saved, are all aware that the economies of the world are on very shaky ground. God may have blessed you with an abundance of material things. It is not a sin to have material blessings. What we need to ask ourselves is, for what purpose did God give me these blessings. We need to be good stewards. Some people just cannot handle material blessings. They get a little money and they go and blow it foolishly. A brother needs to be teachable in order to be able to help him.
The book of Acts shows us that the first century saints understood the importance of helping one another. They were different. They could turn their world upside down because those who had the means were willing to help those who were called to preach, so that the preachers could go and preach and teach the Word of God. The apostles were not always welcomed by the world. Stephen was not an apostle, but he was called to preach and he was murdered for preaching the truth. Peter and John were imprisoned for preaching the truth. They were threatened and told not to speak in Jesus’ name. The apostle Paul was beaten and imprisoned more than once. However, they did not allow the wicked people to silence them. Whether in prison or free to travel, their purpose was to make the name of Jesus known to all. Churches were established and people were saved.
The preacher does not need a fancy house. He does not need to be in the upper strata of the economic ladder. He is not a preacher to impress people. Not all saints will be materially wealthy. God knows what we need. He knows how to teach us the need for faithfulness. It is up to the saints to be in tune with God so that we can see His Work go forth in the highways and byways.
Let us consider our place in God’s family, if you are saved. Let Him lead you and let His love work in your heart that others might also be able to be reminded of the blessings of God. The lost need to see the witness of God on a daily basis. Many will not get saved. Many will just go blindly on their way to hell. It is up to those who are saved to be willing to walk humbly with God so that He can use us as He sees fit. We need to demonstrate the love of God according to His Word, not according to the philosophies of man. We need to perceive the love of God.
Pastor Bartel