"The Depth of Divine Love: A Valentine’s Reflection"

Hallmark, Chocolate, Origins

Introduction

As February 14th approaches, societies around the globe prepare to celebrate Valentine's Day, a day dedicated to expressing love and affection. This celebration, deeply embedded in our cultural fabric, often manifests through the exchange of gifts, romantic dinners, and heartfelt messages, reflecting a widespread, commercialized interpretation of love.

And for some of us a sense of urgency because we forgot to get something for our wives. You know that last minute stop at CVS or Walmart.

Yet, beneath the surface of these traditions lies a universal, deeply felt need for genuine connection and affection—a longing that transcends material expressions. Valentine's Day, for all its commercial trappings, serves as a poignant reminder of our intrinsic desire to love and be loved, underscoring a fundamental aspect of the human experience that connects us all.

However, to grasp the fullness of love's potential, we must delve beyond societal norms and commercial interpretations, turning to the timeless wisdom of Scripture. 1 John 4:7-21 offers a profound exploration of love, not as a mere emotion or transactional exchange, but as an intrinsic attribute of God Himself. This passage invites us to consider love from a divine perspective, revealing a depth and breadth far surpassing human affection. It challenges us to reflect on the nature of true love—a love that originates from God, is exemplified through the sacrificial act of Jesus Christ, and calls us to love one another with a purity and selflessness that mirrors the heart of God. As we embark on this exploration, we set the stage to understand and embrace the dimensions of divine love, transforming our celebration of Valentine's Day and our everyday interactions with a deeper awareness of what it truly means to love and be loved.

Paul McCartney and the Beatles said it best : All you need is Love, Love is all you need

Body 1 John 4:7-15

I. The Origin and Nature of Love

1 John 4:7–15 “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us. This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given assurance to us from His Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent His Son as the world’s Savior. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God.” “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.”

Explanation: verses 7-9 Love originates from God, who is love by nature. As written in Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.””

Theological reason (7-10) Reciprocal reason (11) and practical reason (12)

Theological: Love is from God, God is Love. If we want to build a relationship with God we must first love God. Love originates from God and so do the understandings of what love means. 1 John 4:8 “The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” We see the negative view of love. So can we really know the meaning of the word with out God's divine word? 1 John 4:9–10 “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” This is the Agape love from the father through the son. Parents know this kind of love. We would do anything for our kids. God sending Jesus is a clear example for this.

Reciprocal: 1 John 4:11 “Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.” Growing up we see the way that our parents treat one another and the way they show affection, the way our teachers/ coaches show love, and lastly the way our friends show love. Reciprocal love is done in response to the way we are loved.

You scratch my back and I will Scratch yours.

Does this mean that God wants anything in return for his love? The short answer is NO! He shows us love through Christ and wants us not to pay it back but to pay it forward. Show this love to others and it will be a shining example of what God grants us most, GRACE.

Practical reason 1 John 4:12 “No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.”

Do you see the wind blowing or do you see the effects of it. We see the effects. When you love and when you are loved your life is better and more complete.

Had Jesus not manifested God to the people, God the father’s characteristics would not have been manifested to God to the people. We see this in John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son — the One who is at the Father’s side — He has revealed Him.”

So in verse 12 we see that the coming of Christ is the completion of our creation. teleioo in Greek means complete or to finish. This “Perfection” in verse 12 reveals God to the world.

Due to Jesus being the only one and last one to see God, God has chosen to abide in him, his will should move through us because of Jesus’ sacrifice he ask us to be more like Jesus (Matthew 22:37–39 “He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” When we do this we become the visible messengers of the invisible loving God.

Argumentation: Since God loved us first, our capacity to love is a reflection of His nature within us.Application: Encourage the congregation to seek a deeper relationship with God as the foundation for loving others.

Transition: Moving from the origin to the manifestation of love, we see God's love not just in words but in a profound action that changes everything.

II. The Manifestation of God's Love 9-10

Explanation: God manifested His love through the ultimate sacrifice—sending His only Son for our redemption.

God sent Jesus to die for our sins. Did he have to do this? No , we haven’t earned it. This was not a reward. If you remember in the Old Testament book of Malachi 4:1–6 ““For indeed, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and everyone who commits wickedness will become stubble. The coming day will consume them,” says the Lord of Hosts, “not leaving them root or branches. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall. You will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the Lord of Hosts. “Remember the instruction of Moses My servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Look, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome Day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”” 400 years between conversations with God, any new profits, and the Jewish people heard nothing.

So Jesus showed us Agape love by giving up his life so that we would not have to give up our spiritual salvation. There is no greater love than this: See John 15:13 “No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.”

Argumentation: This sacrificial act sets the standard for what true love looks like—selfless and giving.Application: Challenge members to model this sacrificial love in their own lives, looking for ways to selflessly serve and love those around them.

Transition: Recognizing God's love and its manifestation calls us to respond in kind, turning theory into practice in our daily lives.

III. Our Response to Divine Love 11-15

Explanation: Jesus love for us is a agape type love. Our response to God’s love is to love one another, mirroring the love we have received from Him.

So what do we do here or Now? We love as God loved. Pay it forward.

If we have not seen him we must have what? FAITH. With having faith we must grow our relationship with God through Christ so that he can be with us and we with him.

We begin by recognizing that Jesus’ sacrifice is proof of God’s love and remember that the crucifixion was not an end of God but a beginning of Our Salvation. This is the reason that most of us learned John 3:16 ““For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” first. So through the death comes life and a promise that we will know the Father through the Son and have a guidance directed by the Holy Spirit.

Argumentation: This is not optional but a command that reflects our identity as followers of Christ.Application: Provide practical suggestions for living out this command, such as acts of kindness, forgiveness, and community support.

Conclusion

As we reflect on the significance of Valentine's Day, it's clear that this day offers more than just an opportunity to celebrate love in its many human expressions. It invites us to engage with a deeper, more profound understanding of love as depicted in the scriptures, particularly in 1 John 4:7-15 This passage challenges us to elevate our view of love from the temporal to the eternal, from the conditional to the unconditional. By re-framing Valentine's Day as a time to practice the sacrificial, selfless love that God calls us to, we open ourselves to a transformative way of living and loving. It becomes an occasion not just for expressing affection but for embodying the very essence of divine love in our interactions and relationships. In doing so, we honor the true spirit of Valentine's Day, celebrating love not merely as an emotion or a gesture but as a reflection of God's love for us.

In conclusion, let us carry forward the powerful message of 1 John 4:7-15, allowing it to permeate our lives and guide our actions. May we strive to embody God's love in all that we do, making every day an opportunity to express this divine love to those around us. As we do so, let us pray for God's guidance and strength, that we might love not only in word but in deed and truth, reflecting His love in the most authentic way possible. May we have the courage to love as He loves us, with a love that is patient, kind, and unending. In this endeavor, may our lives become a testament to the depth and breadth of God's love, transforming every day into a celebration of the divine love that binds us all.