God is Love

1 John 4:10–21 NASB95

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

Not that we loved God first but that He loved us.

As we have made our way through John’s first epistle, it has become clearer that assurance is the result of a constant interplay between external evidences and internal testimony. If we keep the commandments of Christ, we know that we abide in Him, yet we know that we abide in Christ because of the work of the Spirit (1 John 3:24). The Holy Spirit does indeed assure us that we belong to Jesus, but He never operates apart from the outward evidences of faith.

Again John states that love is a fundamental mark of the one who has authentic faith. If the one who loves has been born of God and knows God (4:7), then the one who does not love has neither been born of God, nor does he know God. “God is love” (v. 8), that is, love is essential to God’s nature. If we truly have become partakers of this nature (2 Peter 1:4) and increasingly reflect God’s holy and loving character, then we have no choice but to love other people, especially fellow believers. Our transformed hearts will inevitably respond to God’s call that we love others as He loves us. We will endeavor to love if we have been born of God, and we will repent when we find ourselves not loving as He has commanded.

2 . By this we know we abide in Him that His love is being perfected in us

The biblical definition of God’s love is more radical than we often imagine. The proto-Gnostics troubling John’s original audience would have thought it made God too personal. Today many affirm the truth “God is love” but live as if the Bible did not demand us to love even the most unlovable (Luke 6:32–36). Others recoil at the fact God reserves a special, salvific love for His people alone (Rom. 9:13). Yet if we are truly to reflect God’s character, with self-sacrifice we must love Christ’s people and strive to show love even to those “unworthy” of it both inside and outside the church. Just as Christ has shown us

Not that we love God because of what He does for us not only for what he did for us ion the cross but that we love him because he loved us.

He could have passed us by

He had no duty to any of us

WE deserve His wrath

you and I both deserve nothing from God we cannot earn his love

His respect

His grace

His mercy

Yet in spite of you..... in spite of me

He loved me

He loved me from eternity past

Even before he created the first atom

He knew the darkness I would become

He knew how I would reject Him He knew all the sin that I would willfully do

and yet

He loved me and he knew even then what it would take to save me

And God who I cannot fully understand why ....................

Who I will never fully understand his love .............................

Did not spare his beloved son

But sacrificed him on the cross for Me

He loved me that much

He loved you that much

he loves you that much

3. God is love, those who live in love abide in God , by this we can be confidant on the day of judgement as he is we are also

We can have assurance that We abide in God and He in us if His love is being perfected in us. This is evidence of his work in us that we love God and others AROUND US

We can stand knowing the work of the spirit in us is being perfected by reflecting on our lives

are we kinder are we more patient are we more genital do we show more grace more mercy does Jesus get sweeter the longer we walk with Him

These are the questions the scripture tells us to ask of ourselves

to examine ourselves

If yes then to can be confidant the God abides in you and you in Him

if the answer is no, i am about the same or im not sure

then this is johns purpose in this letter to encourage to to go back to the source that your joy may be full

That you do not have to fear like those who have no expectation but the wrath of God

That through this letter shows the mercy of God the love of God

He is saying to you

He is crying out to you this very moment

If your joy is not full He is saying to look at your self where have you gone wrong this is the way let me guide you back to the narrow path

4. There is no fear in love, love casts out all fear

There is a healthy fear and a unhealthy fear

WE know scripture says that fear of the lord is the beginning of all wisdom

This is a reverent fear a respectful fear

Most of the problems in the world today are because we have lost such fear

The other fear is the fear of the expected judgement

This still is so true today most people who deny god do so because they know deep in their heart they are guilty and do not want tot be judged by man or god so by denying god or openly rebelling against god they try to suppress the conviction that takes hold of their heart that

WE need a health fear and respect of God

Isaiah 40:21-26

Isaiah 40:21–26 NASB95

Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.

Isaiah says: Look at Who God is! It’s been clear from the beginning! He plays with planets and stars, supernovas and black holes, the way our little ones play with blocks. He knows every star and puts it exactly where He wants it. He places Mt Everest on a scale and says, “Looks like I need to add another three ounces to make this mountain the right weight.”

Consider the human beings who seem the most powerful, the most influential, as discussed in verses 23-24 – those who command armies, who influence our thinking, who lead movements, who govern countries. No matter how exalted their positions, no matter how imposing they may appear, God blows – Puff! – and they are gone, like the flame of a birthday candle. They are nothing – we are nothing – in comparison to God. He has no rivals. There is no one who approaches His importance, no one who rivals His power.

So Isaiah is telling us: Look! Open your eyes!  See Who He is! He is almighty. He is your God if you are among His people. So humble yourself before Him!

or conscider

Mark 4:35–41 NASB95

On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Do you see? Mark here presents the same idea as Isaiah 40. When the disciples looked at the wind and the waves and feared for their lives, they had a wrong fear – a fear of circumstances. Jesus is with them! He is in control! What evil could happen?

But the fear they experience after seeing Jesus’ power and authority is a right and proper fear. They are in awe of His power – but they know that power is with them, not against them. They can delight to have that type of fear.

So you see: Fearing God is closely related to humbling ourselves before Him. This results from beholding our God (Isaiah 40:9) – that is, clearly understanding Who He is. Such fear, such humility, is the starting point for delight. We have to see His power and majesty, and our own inability and unworthiness, in order to delight in Him. If we are impressed with our own accomplishments and abilities, there is no place for fear or delight in Him. We must rejoice:

That He is great and we are small.That He is all wise and we understand very little

That He is holy and righteous and we are sinful and fallen

That He controls the universe and we can’t even control our appetites

To rejoice in God is to rejoice in our weakness and His strength, our finitude and His infinity. And that requires a proper fear of Who He Is.

So behold our God!

He is able to destroy this country – or any country – with a puff of His breath.He is able to destroy this planet – with a flick of His wrist.He is able to take a hardened, rebellious sinner, like the Pharisee Saul, and turn him into greatest missionary and theologian of all time, the Apostle Paul.He is able to take the most powerful of all earthly rulers, the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar, and cause Him to eat grass like an animal for seven years.He is able to punish you horribly for eternity, and He is able to make you into His beloved child.He is able to take you – weak and powerless and sinful as you are – and advance His global purposes through you.He is able to take millions of individuals from all times and places, and by their starts and stops, by their faithful acts and terrible failures, to bring about His perfect plan to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the sea.

So know His might. Know His justice. Know His holiness.

Know your insignificance. Know your lack of power. Know your lack of holiness.

If you are not in Jesus, you should have a fearful expectation of judgment (Hebrews 10:27).

Hebrews 10:27 NASB95

but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.

This is the fear John is talking about that if love truly abides in you God abides in you and you in Him that you do not have to fearfully expect his wrath of such a awesome God but can rejoice in His love and mercy towards you being confidant that He is at work in your life.

However if when you examined your heart you did not see the fruit of love in yourself John is pleading with you

The Hebrew author is pleading with you come to Jesus s for real let him transform your life let go of what ever sin is keeping you from fully committing to him the sin of pride wealth stealing addiction gambling gossip hatred let it go

5. We cannot claim to love God and hate one another we must love one another

we must take time out of our day to show love

remember love is a choice there are many who need love need your love the love of God

Widows orphans

young mothers young fathers , youth , the sick, these are the ones that need you the most

We cannot hold hate and claim to know jesus

You cannot keep record of wrongs can claim to be in jesus we must forgive or we will not be forgiven

Ephesians 2 (NASB95)

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,

by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

The scriptures are pleading for your heart of repentance this very morning

God is crying out to you by His holy word

He is saying let it all god

Trust me

lay it down by burden is light

Fear me in love respect and honor me with a life worthy of this grace

Do this and you shall live forever with me

Do this not and you shall surly die

Do this not and that awesome

That mighty

That all powerful God will execute His judgement on you and you will forever be accursed

But the good news is that this God loves you so much he gave this message just for you here today to say to you

Stop playing games with Him

Stop playing Russian roulette with God you know not the day or hour when God will call for our lives

Live today in Him and have His amazing Grace live for Him today and be blessed by His mercy live for him today and share in His love

Remember God wishes nose shall perish but that all would come to repentance

So let us all let each one of you today not worry about the people around you not worry about what they will think not even your own family if you are not right with god in some area of your life place by the mercy of christ lay it down today let you experience the weight taken off your back will you do this today?