The Provision of Love

Introduction

This is a wonderful passage for us to be going over this morning. Turn with me to 1 John 4. I am going to read verses 7-12 and we will be homed in on verses 10-12. Read the verses. Have you ever been provided with something that you were in need of? Were you able to obtain what you needed? Or were you in a state of dependency?

The text that we are going to embark on this morning has everything to do with provision. In fact, the title of this sermon is “The Provision of Love.” My hope is that we see the graciousness of God as he has provided all that we have needed regarding the topic of love. I want us to see this progressively. We will start with Our Need (v.10a), then move to God’s giving (vv.10b-11), and conclude with this provision of love as it Dwells in Us (v.12).

1. Our Need (v.10a)

Look with me at verse 10. We begin our time this morning by seeing Our Need for this provision of love. John introduces us to the topic at hand by telling us “In this is love.” You might be thinking that he would get right to the point and give us the practical and joyful answer, but he does not. He does this on purpose. Remember in verse 8, “Anyone who does not love does not know God.” Therefore, he speaks to this again.

He does so by pointing out what love is not first. He says, “Not that we have loved God.” This says several things. Primarily, that no human being can love God in his own power or thoughts. He says this to believers who have experienced the separation from God before they were redeemed. This tells us that no person on his own accord can ‘choose’ to love God. Because no human can love God, then we need someone else to provide us with this love. I think of those poor people in the Midwest who have never had a real Philly cheesesteak. Not one in a box that is frozen like Steakumms, but a real one made in Philly. They need to be provided with either the means to make one (still not the same) or have a real one made/provided and sent to them or they come to Philadelphia and buy one. It sounds like a silly example, but in the same way we do not possess love towards God. We need to have that love given to us by God himself.

Unlike the cheesesteak example where we could choose to go get one, man would never choose to go after God’s love. This is the greatness of man’s sin. It speaks to another issue and that is, free will. Now, I may ruffle some feathers here, but I am convinced that verse 10 is one of the clearest arguments for why ‘free will’ does not exist. This is not because I am a Calvinist or Reformed in my theology, but because through the Spirit’s leading, John tells us in verse 10 that love is not foundin human beings. How can I choose to do something that is unfounded in my members?

If this does not convince you, then listen to Romans 7:18, where Paul tells us, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” and in Romans 8:7-8, Paul says, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” And if this is still not good enough, let me read for you Genesis 6:5. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

If we were able to love God, then we would have been born acceptable in his sight, however, this goes entirely against what the Bible says about man. Man is evil. Isaiah 40:18-20 describes who man is. Man goes out of his way to not worship God or show any love toward him. Instead of offering a sacrifice to God out of love for him and obedience, man makes an idol. Man takes the time to craft an idol that will not rot and have precious metals draped over it, yet he cannot take the same time to prepare a sacrifice to the Lord. It had nothing to do with too much time or too expensive, but it had everything to do with man wanting to worship anything except for God! And today is no different.

Isaiah 40:25 is rhetorical in that man would even think that any created ‘thing’ would come close to God. No idol is called ‘holy’ with a capital H! Man does not want God who is Holy, capital H!

Proverbs 4:10-27 also shows us that man is wicked and has no love for God. Does someone who has free will to choose to love God have this description? Verse 19 of Proverbs 4 says, “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.” The one who could choose to love God would see clearly, have the path enlightened before him, and have the ability to stay away from darkness. Remember 1 John 1:5 says, “that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” I bring this to your attention, because God cannot create some people who are righteous and others who are wicked. God can have nothing to do with wickedness or darkness. That is why Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden that was pure bliss and light of life.

Do you see how this comes together? God cannot create darkness; therefore, the wickedness of man is not God’s fault. How can man claim to love God and yet still have indwelling sin (or wickedness/evil) residing within him?

Let me say this, that man not having a love for God is not a power move, but it is a weak move expressed in the submission of sin that enslaves. The human race is a people who have a great need.

2. God’s Giving (vv.10b-11)

But thanks be to God that he has provided for us the solution to our problem. The desperate need we have is only fulfilled in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. We now turn our attention to God’s giving of this love. Look again with me in verse 10.

Notice that God doesn’t just love us, but he acts upon his love for us. He does so by sending Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means atonement. Leviticus 16 and 23:26-32 details the Day of Atonement as it would have been carried out by the nation of Israel. The passage in Leviticus 23 says that the Israelites would afflict themselves also known as fasting. It was not to be seen as self-righteous, but a means in which they would have their focus be on God who would forgave them of their sins. They would offer a food offering (that which on a normal day, they would have eaten). People in John’s day would have been very familiar with this. Now, our text says that Jesus Christ was sent by the Father out of his great love for us, to fulfill the Day of Atonement being the once necessary sacrifice to atone or forgive the sins of men. He took our ‘affliction’ upon himself! We have seen the propitiation of Christ before in 1 John 2:2, but the purpose of it being written in chapter 2 is to measure up our lives to ensure that we have come to know Christ.

It is important to note that Jesus does not stop being the propitiation of our sins at the moment of salvation. How do you and I know this? Because we continue to sin! Therefore, the propitiation found in Jesus continues on until the end of the age. In other words, Jesus takes away our sin completely. And when we confess our sins, we know that they will be forgiven, for he is faithful to do it (1 John 1:9).

Did you know that God has no ‘right’ to love you, because of your sin? Don’t see this as ‘woe is me’, but rather see it as WOW, the love of God is so great that he does express his love to me and he chosen to do so in Jesus Christ, the one who took our place on the cross to die the death we deserved to die.

Turn your attention now, to verse 11. Verse 11 is not a questioning ‘if’ God loves us, but it relays to us ‘because’ or ‘since’ God loves us. The condition that follows is a call to action. Taking verse 11 literally, it would read, “because God loves us, we must love one another.”

We also know that this cannot mean that it is questionable whether God loves us or not, because in verses 9 and 10, John tells us how the love of God is manifest to people. He is clear about the love of God being on display (Ephesians 5:2). As we see ourselves as unloving people without God as verse 10 said, we see the love of God in a far greater way. It would be contradictory in an unescapable way and furthest from the truth if we were to say that God does not love people.

The end of verse 11 is a command. If you remember from 1 John 3:16 it says, “we ought to lay our lives down for the brothers.” The word ‘ought’ is obligatory as in we are obligated to love one another. The love that God provides does not cause in us a robotic love toward one another because we are obliged to do it, but out of great appreciation to God for the love he has shown us, we desire to share love with one another in a way similar to how God has for us.

But we must move from the command and see what it actually looks like. We do this with the truth of the gospel. It is true that Jesus died on a cross, was buried, and rose to save sinners, but if it stops there with no belief in his name or trusting in him, then what good is the reality that Jesus went through all of those things? With that being said, what does God’s provision of love look like in the life of the believer?

For believers, loving one another comes as an outpouring of the love that God has for you and me. There is no excuse for you and me to not love one another because we have experienced the great love of God. In other words, God’s love is so great and because you and I have experienced this love, you and I must be at a place where we cannot help but love one another. This is the power of the love of God. You could summarize this by saying, “As God has loved, so I love” (Colossians 3:12-14).

This love is shown to us in 2 Corinthians 8:1-8, Paul tells us that the churches of Macedonia gave generously as they were able and above that to the ministry. This is not a sermon on tithing. But Paul encourages the Corinthians to give generously as a way that they can show there love. Verse 8 says, “I say this (giving generously) not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love is genuine.” In other words, the Corinthians and you and me show our love toward one another by the way we give to one another.

In another way, it looks like rejoicing with one another after hearing someone turn to Jesus after time spent in prayer for that person to come to saving faith, regardless of how long the praying had occurred. We share in the love of God with one another as we live life with one another and out of this produces a steadfast love between believers. It always starts with God!

The Scripture reading gave us a picture of this love as well. In Luke 15:1-10, Jesus tells two parables that are similar in nature and in result. Two things I want to point out, 1. In both instances, people are invited to celebrate alongside, and 2. In this text verses 7 and 10 say that the angels in heaven rejoice at the salvation of a sinner. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I have seen a sinner come to saving faith, it brings great joy to my heart! Further, it leads me to tell as many people as I can, because of the joy and excitement that I have. This is what the first 10 verses of Luke 15 are all about. The sinner was lost, but now he is found. Brothers, we show love to one another as we rejoice with one another!

The parable of the Prodigal Son is that follows verse 10 reflects the same thing. Maybe we don’t have an extravagant party to celebrate, but in our own way as the body of Christ we celebrate. One way that we celebrate is through the ordinance of baptism. We are celebrating with the individual the outward profession of faith. We don’t do this out of tradition or obligation, but out of genuine love for what God has done in the one being baptized.

Notice that this text does not seclude this to one location. Remember a few months back when there was prayer and praise offered for the large baptism at Salem Church? What was our demeanor toward that? It was one of rejoicing! The Bible has an incredible ability to take what John initially wrote as being to his beloved people and broadening that to Christians and churches as an entirety.

Look with me once more at verse 11. Not only does this verse not have a specific location but it does not have an age requirement. Nowhere are you going to find an age that we should begin to love a brother.

Permit me to explain. One of the stories in Scripture that I have used to promote the reality that kids can be children of God and that they don’t have to wait until they are 16 or 18 to be believers is that of King Josiah in 2 Kings 22. You remember him, children, how old was he when he reigned as king? He was 8. And what is said of him in verse 3? “He (Josiah) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” Is our God limited to only using adults to glorify his name? Absolutely not!

I want to share with you a quote from Augustine of Hippo. He is personally one of my heroes in the faith. But I want us to see the impact of a child upon his life and ultimately his salvation. This quote comes from Augustine’s Confessions.

“So was I speaking and weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart, when, lo! I heard from a neighbouring house a voice, as of boy or girl, I know not, chanting, and oft repeating, “Take up and read; Take up and read.” Instantly, my countenance altered, I began to think most intently whether children were wont in any kind of play to sing such words: nor could I remember ever to have heard the like. So checking the torrent of my tears, I arose; interpreting it to be no other than a command from God to open the book, and read the first chapter I should find” (Ligonier.org).

And what did Augustine read out of Romans? Romans 13:13-14 which reads, “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

This all coming from the Lord using a child to further bring Augustine to a conviction of his sin. So, to the children in this room, you are not too young to impact other people’s lives for Jesus Christ. You, too, can love God as he gives you the power through the Holy Spirit! Just as I would say to any adult, I say to you, trust in Jesus, he will save you and he will do great a great work in you!

This is the provision of God’s love to us!

3. Dwells in Us (v.12)

Our third point is to see the provision of God as it Dwells in Us. Upon looking at verse 12, you will notice that John makes a proclamation. And this proclamation is that no one has ever seen God. Based on the context that we are looking at, it would be ill suited if this had nothing to do with love. Imagine the context unfolding this way if that were true. John speaks of love as God has given it, and oh, by the way, no one has ever seen God, now back to the love part. It seems out of place. So, using contextual interpretation, we must come to the conclusion that not seeing God has something to do with love. And indeed, it does.

We are told two things about love. 1. The love that we have for the brothers and the way you and I show love to the brothers, visibly show that God exists in a special and personal way although he has never been seen. This goes beyond proving God in Creation. Our love for one another cuts to the heart. In other words, you and I are sent as ambassadors of God to show the love of God to the world, and we do that by loving one another. 2. Although you and I have never seen God, we are reassured that God abides in us as we love one another. We know that God is with us and lives in us by the dwelling of the Spirit who causes us to love one another.

Remember last week that I said that verses 7-12 all tie in together? Verse 12 helps us see that clearer. See, verse 8 says that anyone who does not love, does not know God. They would deny that God exists, and it shows by their lack of love. Verse 12 says that God abides in those who love him. See, the contrast? And yet, we also see how verse 7 and 12 come together. God is the author of love, Jesus is the source, and the Spirit, is the bestower. This is why the love of God can be lived out by his people as verse 12 tells us “if (or ‘since’) we love one another.”

We have another ‘if’ in verse 12 spoken of as we saw in verse 11. Let me clarify this ‘if.’ In no way does this suggest that ‘as long as we love’ God abides in us. You and I don’t activate the love of God. We don’t tap in to his love. This is better read again as ‘since’ or ‘because’ we love one another.

In those moments that we do not love one another, it is not as though God has abandoned us or we have not tapped in enough to his love. It means that we are actively engaging in sin. Look back to chapter 3 and verse 14, what does it say? “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.” We don’t lose our salvation, but we live as a dead person. And after experiencing the love of God, why in the world would you want to go back to living as a dead person?! It goes beyond feeling worldly guilt about not helping a brother and seeing it for what it truly is, living in death. What is more grave, having guilt or living in death? I think you know that answer. This is the severity that John is getting at.

Now, this love that we have for one another is visible to the entire world. John 13:35, Jesus says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Pretty clear, isn’t it?

Going a little deeper. Turn with me to Matthew 25. I am going to read verses 34-40. Jesus is talking about the separation of the sheep and the goats. Listen to how Jesus defines the sheep. Read the verses. How are the sheep the defined? The sheep are defined as generous givers to those in need, they are defined as those who outpour there love toward others, the sheep are those who visit the afflicted and tend to the wounds of others. It is a spiritual and bodily love. And in verse 40, Jesus says that as all of this was done to the brothers, it was done to Jesus Christ himself. Brotherly, Christian love is powerful!

Turn back with me to 1 John 4 and look with me in verse 12 once again. One result of loving one another, is that God continues with us. As I said earlier, this is reassurance that God is with us, and he dwells with us. Do you know why? Look again at verse 9 where we find the answer. Do you see it? It is because we do not love God in and of ourselves and therefore, we are in desperate need of God’s help to show love to the brothers! I cannot emphasize this fact enough, love comes from, and is carried out by the power of God! It is his power inside of us through the Holy Spirit who brings forth this God-centered love. Thus, God abides in us as we love one another, and may this lead us to praise and thanksgiving that God shows himself to us throughout our Christian experience.

The second result of loving one another is that this love is perfected in us. What does it mean to have the love of God perfected in us? Let me ask you this where does perfection reside? You know where. Listen! The love we have for one another does not stay on planet Earth. There will be a day a most glorious day when we will see the love of God be fulfilled to completion. That is what it means to have his love perfected in us. Bill Mounce writes that this perfected love is “fully developed.” Oh, what a glorious day this will be!

Conclusion

Does your love for the brothers reflect what verses 10-12 say? Do those in the world see the Lord by the way you love the brothers? Do they catch it at family gatherings or in the workplace? The love of the brothers is not confined to this church building. To conclude, I want to offer 3 means of application.

1. God has provided for us the greatest love that could ever be given. God’s love is greater than the love that you experience on your wedding day, or the love that you have when a child or grandchild is born. Do you see the love of God in this way? Is God’s love precious to you? Does this cause you to share this love with others? Brothers may we reflect on these things this day, because this is where we need to see the love of God.

2. Is it said of you that God dwells in you? This is a love question. This is not a yes or no, but seeing it through John’s eyes, this is a question about your love. Does your love tell others that God’s love dwells in you? It will be evident whether it does or not. The world waits for us to slip up so it can make a mockery of us! May it not be said of you and me that we are unloving, for we are without excuse.

3. We love in anticipation of what is to come. In other words, we have a purpose for loving one another and loving in general. Our love is not centered on another human being as the world would have us do. But our love is a continual work in progress as we wait for it to be fulfilled and completed at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ! So, never stop loving, never stop caring for the needs of one another, because you and I are promised that this love will reach its conclusion in Jesus Christ.

Benediction

The only true God bestow his love upon you that you would go and love one another, that the world would see Christ in us. Amen.