Let's Talk About Love

1 John 4:9-12; 19-21 NRSV - 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

This morning, Let’s Talk About Love.

We use the word love so freely today. Almost to the point where it has lost it’s true meaning, it has become trivialized.

I love your hair.

I love my new car.

I love chocolate cake.

I love going to the park, or the theater, or concerts, or baseball games.

I love to travel.

I love watching this TV show.

I love that actor.

I love my dog.

I love my husband.

I love my wife.

I love my children.

I love the Lord.

Now, I would certainly hope we’re not applying the same value and levels to the few things I’ve named, and there are so many more instances where we use that word love.

But I would challenge you this morning to assign a deeper meaning and value to the word love. To not use it so freely, that it loses it’s significance.

When couples are dating and the relationship progresses and begins to get more serious, there is a point where the words I love you begin to kind of swirl around in their heads. But there’s an apprehension that builds because there are thoughts that accompany those feelings.

What if I say it first and they don’t say it back?

Or, what if I say it first and they only say it back because I said it? Or say, that’s nice or thank you?

Well today I’ve come to tell you , there’s a relationship where you don’t have to worry about who says I love you first.

In this circular letter the Apostle John wrote to the churches, this portion of that letter says this, beginning at verse nine, “God’s love was revealed among us in this way:” Since love is an action and not just about words, I’ve already told you about the ways we use the word love in our society, but God is a God of action and he’s not afraid to go first.

“God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.” Death was put on our agenda when Adam fell in the garden. But when the second Adam, who was Jesus Christ came, we now have an opportunity for life through him.

Through him, through Jesus. That’s important. God went first, He made the first move so we don’t have to be afraid to say I love you back. We don’t have to worry about rejection, or being ostracized, or made fun of, or just no response at all.

Jesus came for one reason, and one reason only, so that we might have life and life more abundantly, everlasting life, eternal life. What ever adjective you want to put in front of it,

Jesus came

Jesus taught

Jesus healed

Jesus endured

Jesus suffered

Jesus loved and

Jesus died, so we could live

God went first and he showed us what true love is.

True love sacrifices

True love gives

True love forgives

True love overlooks faults

True love is kind

True love is patient

True love never gives up

True love never losses faith

True love endures through every circumstance

True love does

He didn’t do it because we loved him, he did because he first loved us, he made a plan for us. He knew we’d fall, he knew we’d fail and still he gave his only son for us.

For us hard-headed, stiff-necked, selfish, self-centered people. He sent his only Son to save a sinful people who didn’t and still don’t for some acknowledge him.

What kind of God is this? He’s one that is love.

And since He loves us that way, since he loves us that much, we ought to love one another. Who are we to judge and determine who is and isn’t worthy of love?

We all make mistakes, we all mess up, we all sin, but since our perfect God overlooks our sin, shouldn’t we overlook the sin of others?

John goes on to say, “No one has ever seen God;” When Moses was on Mount Sinai, he asked God to show him his glory and God told him, I will pass before you, but you cannot see my face. No one can see me and live.

But that’s the God we believe in, that’s the God who loves us and that’s the God we love. So if we can love a God we’ve never seen, why can’t we love our brother or sister we see everyday?

John goes on to say, “…if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” In other words, we’re not doing this thing alone. It’s the God in us that causes us to see the child of God who stands before us, not an enemy.

When you allow God to dwell in you, it will affect how you not only look at others, it will affect how you treat them. Whomever and whatever they may be.

When you allow God to live in you, you can look at others with the perfect love of God rather than the judgmental eye of man.

But we must not only love God for this to happen, we must abide in him and allow him to abide in us. Then and only then can his Spirit come through us and we can display his love for his people. And despite what they do, despite what they look like, or despite what they say, they are his people.

When we can love and trust God, we can believe and testify to others that he did indeed send his Son to be the Savior of the world.

But here’s the thing. While everyone is God’s child, God doesn’t abide in everyone. He only abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.

It’s not enough to just say it, it’s not enough to just believe it, the demons believe and tremble, you must confess that Jesus is the Son of God and abide in God.

So God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God and God abides in them. Remember he loved us first.

When we abide in God, his love is perfected in us and we can be bold on the day of judgment. On that day we can approach God’s throne with no fear, because perfect love, which is what God has for us and we have for him, perfect love casts out fear.

Fear deals in punishment and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

What do we have to fear with God’s perfect love in us? That perfect love causes us live, act, think, and speak a certain way. Perfect love causes us to see things and people the way God sees them.

It causes us to not get so hung up on things, and situations. To not sweat the small stuff. To say, “Will this matter in five years, five months, five days, then why does it matter now?

This is not to say if someone does something that hurts you, you have to get over it right now. Or when a loved dies you can’t grieve, or if a child goes missing you can’t worry, or if you’re diagnosed with a disease, you don’t need to listen to your doctor.

It does mean you will approach your situation differently. You will recognize that

the God of the universe

the God who knows all things

the God who has all things

the God who can do all things

the God who is sovereign

the God who is in control

has everything, including your situation under his watchful eye and nothing happens without his permission. And so you pray, you love, you abide, and you trust that God will do what he said he will do.

Because God didn’t wait for you to say I love you first, he already said it. But here’s the thing. You can’t say I love you God, and hate you brothers or sisters, for those who attempt to do that John has a name for them. Liar and God despises liars.

Saints, you cannot be someone who fails to love the brother or sister you have seen, then say you love the God you have not seen. When you attempt to do that, your declaration of love is just empty words.

John tells us it is a commandment, you have no choice in the matter, it is not a suggestion. His commandment is this, “those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Put another way love your neighbor as yourself.

And just one more. The Apostle Paul said it this way in his letter to the Ephesians, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

God showed us his love when he gave his Son to us. His Son showed us his love when he gave his life for us. What are you willing to give?

When we love like God, we love by giving, giving of our time, our talent and our tithe. We thank all of you who have and are giving to support this ministry, whether you’ve volunteered by packing bags, or shared the information that we’re here giving out food, or given a financial blessing, we thank you.

If you have not yet taken the opportunity to give to your brothers and sisters in need, please make a plan today to show your love by giving.

We distribute food every Wed from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. and the 2nd and 4th Sat of every month from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. If you live in the Douglasville, GA area and are available during those times, put it on your calendar to come and help. We have so much fun and the smiles on the faces of those being helped is priceless.

Maybe you don’t live in this area, or you work, or you’re unable to come during those times, please consider making your tax-deductible recurring gift to support this ministry. No amount is too small. Please include your email so we can ensure you receive a statement for your gift.

Now, maybe you’d like to do more and you have access to resources such as a trailer, a box truck, or even a building you’d like to donate? We are a 501c3 organization and you would receive tax credit for you gift.

Whether you’d like to support the ministry, or if you need prayer there is a contact form on our website at www.lovechristianctr.org. or you may contact us directly through email at [e-mail] with your request.

If you’ve heard anything today that blessed you please ma’am, please sir, like and share this message on whatever platform you’re watching.

God’s love was demonstrated through action. How will you demonstrate your love for your brothers and sisters today?