"GOD'S LOVE"

>>>John is known as the “apostle of love”

*Bent on truth but learned to love

>>>No one talks more about truth outside Jesus than John.

>>>John also talks much about love

>>>Truth/Love in 1 John

*“Truth”-9x

*“Love”-46x

>>>Truth/Love in Books of John

*“Truth”-46x

*“Love”-109x

1 JOHN 4:7-13 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. 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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; 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.”

1 JOHN 4:14-21 “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his 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. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for 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. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he 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: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

>>>Love is the focus of this passage. But I realized focus is on God’s love.

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GOD’S LOVE IS FIRST.

1 JOHN 4:9-10 “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. 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.”

1 JOHN 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

>>>God initiated love.

>>>God showed His love through sending Jesus to be the sin offering for the world.

>>>People do not choose God on their own. God loves/people respond.

>>>Every act of salvation begins w/God’s love.

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GOD’S LOVE IS LOVE’S DEFINITION.

1 JOHN 4:8 “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 JOHN 4:16 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

>>>These verses clearly state that God is the very definition of love.

*Not just something He does but Who He is.

>>>God sets the standard of what love is.

*Anything outside the love of God is not really love at all.

*Anything outside of God’s standard of love is not love at all.

>>>If God is love, those who are not loving are not of God.

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GOD’S LOVE UNIFIES BELIEVERS WITH HIM.

1 JOHN 4:13 “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”

1 JOHN 4:15-16 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

>>>Through the love of God, believers who abide in love abide in Him.

*This use of “abide” carries the meaning of “being united”

*God’s love provides a way of unity between Him and believers.

>>>We continue to receive God’s love after salvation and enjoy His presence.

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GOD’S LOVE CAUSES LOVE FOR OTHERS.

1 JOHN 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

1 JOHN 4:11-12 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

1 JOHN 4:19-21 “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he 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: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

>>>The very idea that God is love should cause the believer to love others.

>>>(vs.11-12) “Ought” is “obligate”.

*The love of God obligates us to love others.

*God is seen through our love for each other.

>>>(vs.19-21) There can be no claim to the unseen family/kingdom/realm of love when there is no love for those who are seen.

*(JFB): “If we do not love the brethren, the visible representatives of God, how can we love God, the invisible One, whose children they are?”

*We should acknowledge other Christians as “spiritual siblings” w/the same heavenly Father.

*Carries greater weight than love-ANY aspect of the Christian life. (Relating to world/people/things)

>>>If we have truly experienced/are experiencing God’s love in our lives, we should naturally be loving people.

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GOD’S LOVE PERFECTS US.

>>>Three times is “perfected love” discussed

*“Perfect” meaning “made complete/brought to maturity”

*SALVATION

1 JOHN 4:16-18 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for 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. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

>>>The love of God is made complete through salvation.

>>>Being perfected in love means not having to worry about judgment/Hell

>>>God’s love secures our salvation.

*MATURITY

1 JOHN 4:12 “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

>>>Loving others allows for intimacy w/God but also shows the one who loves is maturing in his faith.

>>>Those who are not loving others are not experiencing God’s love for them.

*How can we know we are growing in our walks w/Christ? God’s loving is moving us to love.

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>>>Chiasms-finding the central idea

1 JOHN 4:14 “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”

>>>This whole passage is gospel focused.

>>>John is saying “it’s true. I’ve seen it.”

>>>If the gospel is true, so is God’s love for us-sending Jesus/the opportunity to be united w/Him/God’s love will cause us to love others.

OUR LIVES SHOULD BE MARKED BY GOD’S GOSPEL IN US.

>>>If we don’t receive God’s love/experiencing God’s love/loving others, do we really believe the gospel?

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SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

1.) Coming out of the message tonight, what are some things that resonated with you?

2.) Main Point: OUR LIVES SHOULD BE MARKED BY GOD’S GOSPEL IN US.

*What does it mean for our lives to be marked by the gospel?

3.) How does love for others prove that we are believers?

4.) What does it mean for God’s love to unify Him with believers?

*When was the last time you truly experienced unity with God?

5.) How does God’s love give assurance we are saved?