5.11 50 11.6.2022 1 John 4.7-12 Love is the answer (2)

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1 John 4:7–12 ESV

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.

Entice: These verses are a bit of tangle.

John repeats himself.

He circles back.

He states a concept

positively

and then

restates it

negatively.

Is it really that difficult to figure out what love is and what it teaches us about God?

I'm glad you asked!

What is the situation in our culture, even here in our quaint little town on the banks of the Wabash? If we went out to one of our fine local restaurants after church and polled the patrons how many different definitions of love do you think we'd get? What about God? How about putting those two concepts together? What do most people think about the “love of God”? Does our opinion really matter?

Do most people, even those who claim to be believers really understand the essence of who God is, what He has done in Jesus, and why He values His Church so much?

John's wording may get a little clumsy but what he says can be understood and applied.

Engage: As is often the case the question is really about our will. Do do we really want to understand what it means to love like God and why we must? Do you want to understand the Word and apply it to your daily living? I ask myself that question a lot! Even after I understand what God requires, do I have the desire to do what He says? Even when it is as simple as...

love one another.

Expand: In Gospel and Epistle John has confronted us with words which are easy to understand; simple even. Yet the expectation and command are difficult to do. Discipleship is the constant, ongoing integration of what we know with what we must do. Loving one another would seem to be simple and uncomplicated. It should be, except for other people! It is the others and brothers we are called to love who often make it complicated and difficult.

Is it really their fault or is that just an excuse? Do we claim it is difficult to disguise our indifference, reluctance, or failure of will?

The the Church is still commanded and each of us compelled to follow Jesus in loving enemy and friend alike.

Excite: Every day is another opportunity to respond to God by loving others.

Explore:

Love discloses God's nature to us enabling and including us in His saving embrace of the world.

Explain: Loving as God loves verifies our relationship with God.

Body of Sermon: First, When we love it shows that we

1. Know our God.

1.1 Love demonstrates that we are born again.

1 John 4:7 ESV

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

1.2 Love separates the known from the disowned.

1 John 4:8 ESV

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Furthermore, when we love it shows that we

2. Understand our Salvation.

2.1 Love sent the Son providing new life in Him.

1 John 4:9 ESV

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.

Love acts. Love does. Love intercedes. If we want to be effective in our walk of discipleship this interceding action must be fully understood and embraced. A lot of disciples, too many, try and thrive on the energy they might get during Christmas and Easter. That is not enough. Love must be made manifest among us, continuously—this very love John writes about here, must be the love that animates us. It tells us “God so loved the World.” It Requires our ongoing participation.

If God’s love is manifested in our midst why would we ever want to be absent.

Next John tells us that a love that creates understanding accepts that

2.2 Love sacrificed the Son before and beyond our understanding.

1 John 4:10 ESV

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.

The facts we recall at Easter and Christmas. The words we read in scripture, must come to reside in our hearts, minds, and will. When we fully understand what love has done, then we are ready to engage in the difficult but rewarding work of discipleship.

Finally, Love enables us to

3. Embrace our Obligation.

3.1 God's Love as our example.

1 John 4:11 ESV

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

3.2 God's Love at work.

1 John 4:12 (ESV)

12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Abiding in us.

Completing us.

Shut Down:

Maybe you sang this song when you were a youngster, perhaps at camp...

Beloved… & ect.

Our knowledge, understanding, and experience of God is incomplete unless and until we do what He commands, loving one another with the self-sacrificial love seen in the only-begotten Son.

Do you really want to know God? Love.

Do you really want to understand salvation? Love.

Do you really want to experience a transformed life of discipleship? Love

It is true that there are many doctrinal and ethical issues which challenge us. The culture will always try and seduce us and the alluring call of Empire will fill our ear with lies. Everything our fallen world treasures is either a form of hate or a twisted copy of the love of God. John says over and over and over again. Love is God. God is love! Seen in the sacrificial death of Christ, now realized in us. I end with where I began...Love one another.