We Love Because Of Love

Introduction

Greetings…

Our Powerful Pithy Passage comes from 1 John 4:19 today were we read…

1 John 4:19 ESV

19 We love because he first loved us.

Now it is beyond dispute that God loves us, as we see God’s active love for us over and over throughout the holy scriptures.

John 3:16 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:8 ESV

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Because God “is love” this means his very character is wrapped in love.

And if we love because God first loved us it is vital we understand then this characteristic of love found within God.

God’s Love Is Eternal

It Is Everlasting.

God’s love is not found or lost based on humanities lack of reciprocated love.

Jeremiah 31:3 ESV

3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Psalm 103:17 ESV

17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,

Psalm 136:1 ESV

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

In this psalm we find “for his steadfast love endures forever” 26 times.

Summary

This is why God tells us…

Hebrews 13:5 ESV

5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

This is why Paul confidently declares of God…

1 Timothy 2:4 ESV

4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Another characteristic of God’s love that we find is…

God’s Love Is Profuse

It Is Lavished Upon Us.

God’s love, the very character of God, is found in the very fact that his love is set on his chosen and demonstrated more and more in it’s abounding nature.

Psalm 103:8 ESV

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Joel 2:13 ESV

13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

Nehemiah 9:17 ESV

17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.

1 John 3:1 ESV

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Summary

God’s love has no limitation when it comes to us, his most beloved creation.

That is not to suggest that his love overshadows justice rather his love demands holiness and justice.

Conclusion

If we seek to have an everlasting love for our God and our neighbor that abounds whether our neighbor is our mate or our enemy we will then start to have a fraction of the understanding of God’s love for us.

We must work diligently to make certain “God’s love” is demonstrated as a characteristic of who we are as Christians in this old sinful world.

Invitation

Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Philippians 2:6–7 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.