Epistles of John Pt. 10 (1 John 4: 7-12)
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9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Where do things come from? Have you ever watched this show called: How it’s made? Well, if you haven’t the show teaches you how things are made. Like, one episode teaches you how soda bottles are made. They teach you how snowboards are made, and one episode teaches you how mozzarella sticks are made.
Have you ever thought about how certain things are made? Like chicken nuggets and hot dogs? If you knew what they were made of, you might be think you may not want to eat that anymore. But maybe not!
I know what they put in hot dogs and chicken nuggets and I still eat them.
Have you ever been to one of those candy shops that makes candy from scratch and you get to see how they made it? It’s pretty cool huh? Have you ever been to biscuitville and stood at that window where this old lady is making biscuits from scratch? It makes me feel like the food there is the read deal.
Knowing where things come from give you a better appreciation for them.
Have you ever thought about where love comes from? I’m sure you probably never put much thought into it, but I want you to spend a minute or two thinking about: Where does love come from?
I think it’s a valid question because: knowing where love comes from will help you appreciate it more. In the same way I really appreciate a biscuit from biscuitville because I can see that it’s authentic.
Well, as we continue to read from 1 John as we have for some time now, John is going to show us where love comes from.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
We should love one another why? because love comes from God. Where does love come from? It comes directly from God. Where is love made? In heaven, God makes love and He hands out to everyone who has ever been capable of loving.
In the book of Genesis, in the beginning of the Bible, we learn that God has placed His image on us. So we walk around with God’s image. But because the Bible uses the word image, sometimes we think that means that we ONLY LOOK like God.
part of that is true. You and I do look like God. He wanted the world to see us and in turn the world would see God through us. But having God’s image means more than that, it also means that our actions have the capacity to reflect God’s actions.
BUT, because we aren’t robots and we don’t just do what God says, we aren’t programmed to obey God, sometimes our actions don’t reflect God actions. What does that mean?
Well, have you ever slapped somebody across the face before? Have you ever disobeyed your parents or teacher or an adult in authority? Have you ever cheated before? Have you ever lied? let me put all of these questions into one:
Have you EVER done ANYTHING bad?
Well, in that moment in which you messed up, your actions were NOT reflecting God’s actions. I mean, I’m not going to pretend I’m perfect. I’ve done all of those things before. I remember that at least on 20 occasions I’ve cheated in UNO, or I’ve stolen money from someone or I lied to someone and justified my actions although I was ultimately wrong.
I have done all sorts of bad things, BUT, I have still God’s image on me. And so do you.
Have you ever cried with someone before? Have you ever hugged someone that was feeling upset or lonely. How many times have you encouraged someone who has done something right? Have you ever let someone beat you in a game? Have you ever shared something with someone? Or bought something for someone for their birthday or Christmas or just because you wanted to? Let me condense this question for you:
Have EVER treated ANYONE with love?
So it seems like, there are moment in which you and I can behave in a not so loving way, and there are moment in which we can behave in a very loving way.
So, as we read this verse again it says:
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
It sounds like it’s saying that only Christians are capable of love, which is not true. Sometimes non-christians love better than we do. More than anything, the bible is teaching us clearly that everyone made in the image of God is capable of loving, but those who follow God know what TRUE love looks like.
I want us to focus our attention to these two verses for a just a second. But at the same time I want to ask you a question:
Who in here claims to be a Christian?
If you claim to be someone you must give evidence. We talk about it all the time here, You can’t say you’re a lawyer and not prove it. You can’t say your rich and not prove it. You can’t tell me you’re the best at playing Mario Kart and not back it up.
In the same way, if you claim to be a Christian, you MUST provide evidence.
What is our evidence that we are Christians:
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
If we love each other. Loving each other does some good for us, but it also provides evidence we have been born from God. I mean for those of us who have been reading 1 John for the last 10 weeks, we have heard John tell us over and over again to love each other. Even our memory verse for the month tells us that:
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Why is it so important for us to love each other? Because true love is evidence to the rest of the world that God exist. Isn’t that a crazy thought? Let’s be honest for a second, There is no doubt in my mind that God exist. I am not an atheist. But there are plenty of people out there that truly believe God does not exist.
God has given all the evidence we need to know He is there. Look around outside, nothing that you see just showed up by accident. Look at morality, without God we would have no clue what is right and what is wrong and lastly look at Jesus, God came down to earth to show us HE exist. Like, hey look at me!
And people still don’t believe He exist. How in the world is that possible? Well, we can understand that others don’t believe, but now you and I have an opportunity to show others that God does exist through our behavior.
When we love others: it gives evidence that we know God. When we begin to love each other the way God intended it to be, people are going to ask why? Well it’s simple. It’s because I know God.
But what is TRUE love? What does that look like?
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Love comes from God, love was created by God, love has been shown to us by God, how? When God sent Jesus to die on the cross for your sins and mine. When Jesus sacrificed His own life so that you and I could live for Him here on earth and then one day live a life free from sin and pain in heaven.
Verse 10 is so so good,
READ VERSE 10
Love is not what YOU think it is, love is not what I THINK it is, Love is God loving us first by sacrificing what He loved the most for you and me.
Love, is sacrificial. Real love requires us to sacrifice the things we like, for the sake of others. As we said almost a month ago, love is not a feeling. Love is not butterflies in my belly when I see a pretty girl or a good looking guy, love put Himself on the cross even when He did not want to so that you and I could live.
What do you have to sacrifice for love? You may not have to sacrifice your life in order to show others you love them, but true love is given to others even in moments in which you don’t feel like it.
True love comes from God, but it requires a sacrifice. God I love you, so I’m going to sacrifice some of my screen time so I can read your Word. God, I love you so I’m going to sacrifice my Sunday sporting events so I can be in your House. God I love you so I am going to sacrifice some of my time of rest so I can worship you.
God I love you, so I am going to give up the things that I like so that I can love my brothers and sisters and the people around me. That’s what love is. love is not lust like people think it is today,
Love is a decision of sacrifice followed by action and truth.
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
And because God loved us, we should also love each others. It’s so loud and clear to me friends, that God is a teacher and He has taught us what love looks like so that we can then turn around and love others. I’ve said this before:
God will not ask you to do something He hasn’t done.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God loved the world first and now He wants you to love the world too. Don’t get it twisted, sometimes we confuse love with lust and other times we confuse love with acceptance. Loving someone and accepting someone are two different things. So don’t go out into world thinking that you have to accept people and accept their sin to show you love them.
People tend to believe God loves us just as we are He doesn’t want us to change and that’s not true. God loves you where you are, but He wants to take your heart and make it new why? Because He loves you and He knows what’s better.
Loving people sometimes means I have to have uncomfortable conversations with people. Loving others sometimes means I have to tells you what you don’t want to hear. But loving me also means that when I make a mistake you should tell me because I need to improve.
If you love me, you’ll show me where I am wrong. Because doing what is right shows others that I know God personally.
Guys, loving people will prove to the world that God exist. But it will also show others that I have a personal relationship with Jesus.
You may be thinking to yourself: I don’t need to prove nothing to nobody, let me challenge you with this. If you love God you will prove to others that you know God. But only if you love God.
God says
15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? if you do, then let’s start loving others. If you don’t would you like to? I am a firm believer that I can;t give what I don’t have. If you ask me for a million bucks I could’t give it to you even if I wanted to why? because I don’t have it.
God’s love works in the same way. You can’t truly love others until you have experienced God’s love first hand. If you want to love others with everything you’ve Got, why don’t you give Jesus a chance. Why don’t you open your heart to having a close and personal relationship with Jesus? Talk to me or an adult today.