Of Life and Love

I mentioned earlier how “love” was an easily identifiable theme in Cheryl’s life, and it is generally during times like today that we really think about how much we loved someone or how much they really loved us.

It’s a good thing, and at times like today it can be a sad thing, but why is it a THING? I alluded earlier to the source of Cheryl’s love, her relationship with Jesus, but I think it is important for us to see from Scripture how that is so, and more importantly, how you can experience that same love. Maybe through remembering Cheryl’s life you are wondering how you can experience the kind of love that can cause you to laugh no matter what kind of difficulties you are facing (let’s be honest, most of us are not struggling with difficulties as severe as Cheryl has faced). Or maybe you’re here today wondering how you can love others in such a way that it leaves an indelible mark on their lives.

1 John 4:7–11 (ESV)

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 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. 10 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. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 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.

John, who is writing this, was one of Jesus’ disciples - perhaps the youngest - a teenager at the time. Now, as an old man, he is writing to churches to help them know what the Christian life is all about - what LIFE is all about. He does this by reminding us about the truth of who God is and how we should live in light of this fact.

John tells us that we should love each other. Duh! Makes a great bumper sticker, right? Can’t we all just love one another?

Before we start, we must remember that we cannot confuse loving one another with “tolerating one another.”

Often, when we hear the phrase, “Can’t we all just love each other?” what is really meant is, “Can’t we all just tolerate each other?” There is a big difference. I don’t tolerate my wife. I love her. (repeat)

Thirteen times in these four verses John uses a form of a specific word for love - agape. I would define this type of love as, “a sacrificial love that makes a difference and expects nothing in return.”

This is the kind of love that stands out.

This is the love that is remembered and talked about.

This is the love we long for.

That is because this love is supernatural. It doesn’t naturally flow from us.

Not a selfish love - I’ll love you because it is good for me

Not only emotional - I FEEL loving so I’ll love you

Not contractual - I’ll love you IF. . . - It may actually cost you.

This love is “from God,”

“Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

Cheryl both experienced and shared love because she was born of God and knew God.

Let’s takes these in reverse. What do we need to know about God to be loved and to love?

God is love.

This love is “from God,” because “God is love.”

It does not say that God is simply LOVING - that he does loving things.

The reality is that God IS love so all he does is loving.

God is the source of this kind of love. It is the love he has FOR us and the love he shows THROUGH us.

It is not as though we look to our circumstances to see if God is loving; it is the reality that we view our circumstances through the fact that God is love

ILLUST - if you see me under the hood of the car, you may watch to see if the car then moves. At that point, you may say - he might be a mechanic. BUT if you know for a fact that I was a mechanic - then you would expect that anything I do under the hood should help the car run - Ex. Me with a hammer to make the car run.

Stop trying to tally the circumstances in your life to judge whether God is loving. Start trusting God with the circumstances of your life because he is LOVE

I don’t understand it, but you ARE love.

If you don’t believe my illustration, believe God’s:

9 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. 10 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.

God reveals his love through Christ’s death.

We live in a world riddled with sin and death (any arguments)?

We live lives marked and tainted by sin.

This sin within us leads to death. If we resist God through our sin in this life, he gives us our desire by allowing us to be separated from him when we die.

But that is NOT God’s desire because he is LOVE.

He shows us his love in this way - sending his Son, Jesus, to live the perfect life we could never live, die under God’s wrath on our behalf.

if you question whether God loves you, don’t look to your circumstances, look to Jesus.

John 15:13 (ESV)

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

This is proof of God’s love for you!

We can see through Jesus that God doesn’t simply tolerate you, or love you IF. . . He loves you because he IS love.

it is “a sacrificial love that makes a difference and expects nothing in return.”

God offers you his love for life.

“Whoever loves has been born of God”

John 3:16 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

When you believe in Jesus, you receive his love, are born again, and can now live differently - and love differently.

When Cheryl and Ron were told they could not have children, they explored adoption.

If through adoption, the child refuses to accept the love that the parent is offering, then they will be unable to truly feel loved or to share in the love of the family. They will even be suspicious as to whether the parent is loving.

When the child realizes that the parent has chosen them (often at great cost) and has done what is needed for them to become part of the family - regardless of what the child can do, then the child can truly experience the love

This is what God offers through trusting in Jesus. When you trust in Christ, you will experience these effects of his love:

1 John 4:17–18 (ESV)

17 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. 18 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.

Confidence when you die and no fear in life.

Some of you may be resisting God’s love, mistrusting what God is doing or has done in your life. Trying to judge whether God is or is not loving. Look to Jesus and know God is love.

Trust in Jesus by simply praying and telling him you need him and trust he can save you.

Receive God’s love and let it bring confidence and peace.

Cheryl knew God and was born of God. Because of this, God’s love was poured into and through her life.