1 John 4:7-12 (Love)

MPS

God is love. We see and experience his love in Jesus Christ. God’s love is seen through his church.

God is Love

God’s love is seen through his Son

God’s love is seen through his church

Prayer: God, you are love. And love is what our souls need and our world needs. You love us and have loved us. What more is there for us if we are loved by you? what do we lack? nothing. God, we have heard you love us many times, help us believe you love us and be blessed beyond measure because of it. Let me experience your love for me this week Jesus, so that I ight preach clearly, boldly and joyfully!! Please God. I need your love.

Intro: Love

Hello. Taylor

members

guests

That All May Know

identity- last week

evidence - next 4 weeks

seeable, visible, tangible

John says, “Beloved let us love one another.” Love

Jesus says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jn 13:35.

Jesus has given the world the right to judge us and him based on our observable love.

do you ever feel like the world judges christians more harshly?

I do.

sometimes I get bitter about it. I shouldn’t.

why is it that the world holds christians to a higher standard?

because they should. Jesus, our king, gave them this right.

The truth tells them they should observe us and judge us.

We know God, we know his son Jesus, therefore, all are watching us to see if its true.

Before any of us were christians, we were watching other christians and coming to conclusions. and so to are others watching and judging now.

friends at school or at work

family, even your kids

neighbors, business partners

folks who join us here on a Sunday.

Jesus gave them the right to judge us

(If you aren’t a christian in this room, we are so happy and thankful that you are here.)

We are an open book. You can watch us, ask questions and belong here while you seek the truth of God. We all hope and pray that you find what you are looking for while you spend time with us and under the word of God

God wants our love to serve as a testimony to who he is. you are the evidence. We are the evidence. Our love is Evidence.

Jesus is saying, if we do not love, the world will not listen, even when we give answers.

“Love is the final and greatest apologetic” - Schaeffer

-apologetic is a reason or evidence for faith in Jesus.

-Love is the greatest testimony.

MPS: God is love

P 1: God is love (Dios es Amor)

[7b… “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.]

1. ) What is love? (such a powerful word. Love. There isn’t a word more important in all our language. or any language. )

Its been talked about forever.

“what is love? Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me…”

Its the inspiration for 90% of music and 100% of T. Swift music

weather falling in love or out of love

Oxford dictionary: “an intense feeling of deep affection”

Phrases: “Falling in love”- when you feel a deep romantic and sexual attraction to someone

Falling out of love: “When you stop feeling…”

offense to love! Love is more than a feeling. Feelings are fluid.

because, sometimes you hate the people you love.

So, These are such lousy definitions for the most important word in language

The LGBTQ statement on love is: “Love is love”

Love defines itself? no. We, define love. you define love. The whole world defines love.

you can’t define a term with itself.

that assumes there is no definition for the thing. So the world says, you define love to be what you want because there is no truth

And in many Christian circles I think our definition of love has shrunk to a pitiful definition, “to smile and be a generally nice and pleasant person.” these could be aspects of love. But this is love diminished.

1 John 3

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

In truth. What is love?

2. Love is from God/God is love

God’s nature is love

ill: like heat is from a fire and a fire is heat. no?

Love is from God and God is love.

How can God be love? Even before humans were made

Definition for love- look to God.

Whoever loves has been born of God?

Can only christians love? no.

examples

But Christian love is different.

God does not define love by just words, but in deed and truth. He shows us his love. Make love known to us.

I wish dictionaries had more than lame defiintions, but good examples and even pictures. Because things are defined by their context. And love especially is much more than a feeling.

P 2: Love is known through The Son of God (el amor se conoce por el Hijo de Dios)

[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.

If Love stopped with a feeling, God would have simply fallen out of love with us long ago.

But God’s love is steadfast, immovable and defined by actions

manifest. Seen, visible, revealed clearly, understood and known

seen

known

experienced

Love is experienced in Jesus

Came into the world

died that we might live

he loved us first

3.

English Standard Version Chapter 4

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.

God is love, but we only know his love and understand and experience his love through Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of our sins

App: christians forgive

P 3: Love is known through God’s children (El amor se conoce por los hijos de Dios)

[11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.]

If/ought. What does he mean?

if? not a statement of doubt, a statement of logic.

If your car has gas in it, and the battery is charged and its not old, ought it start? ought you be able to drive it to work?

If a tree flowers, ought it fruit?

not, you should do this

not love to atone for the times you haven’t loved

not love out of obligation

love out of nature.

v7 “whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

doing because of identity.

you are a child of God

“Love out of realization, not imitation”

you have become a child of God through Jesus Christ.

Therefore, your nature is to love.

[App]

no one has ever seen God? (v12a)

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” Jn 1:18.

it means that no mortal in this life has ever had a perfect union and enjoyment of God, and that no one can perfectly comprehend his infinite greatness, except the only-begotten divine Son who is with the Father. For as Christ said, (John 14:11) "I am in the Father, and the Father in me."[2]

God is love, but we only know his love and understand and experience his love through Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of our sins

no one has ever seen God, but we have seen the person and work of Jesus. John certainly had!

God is seen through our love (v12b)

abides- He lives is us.

not that he sticks around and doesn’t leave us, if we love

but if we love other brothers and sister, we can be sure he lives in us

“Love perfected” not “Love perfect”

Perfected requires a process of perfecting

“our love will not be perfect, but it must be substantial enough for the world to be able to observe …. And if the world does not observe this among sure Christians, the world has a right to make the two awful judgments which these verses indicate: That we are not Christians and that Christ was not sent by the Father.” -Francis Schaeffer

[App]

being in a community committed to love teaches one how to love