Sacrificial Love

Intro

Good morning,

The word LOVE is used 27 times, and if you include the word beloved a total of 28 times in 15 verses. The writer John in this section of his epistle prioritizes the importance of the message of love to the believer.

John is writing to the church, and for the church’s sake.

Title Sacrificial Love

Big Idea: God’s unconditional love compels us to love others sacrificially and freely, reflecting His character in a world deeply in need of love.

1 John 4:7–21 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 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 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. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1. Christians can be recognized by their love.

A. Love originates in God.

1, 2, 3 John (1) Love Others Because God Loves You (4:7–10)

Love flows from or out of (ek) God and has God as its spring or source

1, 2, 3 John (1) Love Others Because God Loves You (4:7–10)

He is referring to a particular kind of love that is found only in those who have been regenerated by Christ.

i. Loving others gives evidence we belong to God.

1 John 4:7 ESV

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

1, 2, 3 John (1) Love Others Because God Loves You (4:7–10)

In other words, it is not the person’s ability to love that causes the new birth, but his ability to love flows from his regeneration in Christ.

ii. Loving others gives evidence we know God.

1 John 4:8 ESV

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

1, 2, 3 John (1) Love Others Because God Loves You (4:7–10)

to know the love of God is to manifest his love.

B. Love is demonstrated in Jesus’ Death

i. God provided his Son so we can live.

1 John 4:9 ESV

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.

ii. God provided his Son to purchase us.

1 John 4:10 ESV

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.

1, 2, 3 John (1) Love Others Because God Loves You (4:7–10)

the purpose in sending the Son is not the incarnation but the atonement

1, 2, 3 John (1) Love Others Because God Loves You (4:7–10)

Our act was to sin. God’s was to love and send.

1, 2, 3 John (1) Love Others Because God Loves You (4:7–10)

All our love is but a reflection of his and a response to it.”

Transition: Not only can Christians be recognized by their love,

2. Christians can reflect God's love to others.

A. When we love others, God’s love is perfected in us.

1, 2, 3 John (2) Love Others Because God Lives in You (4:11–21)

Once one begins to understand the incredible price paid for sin and the magnitude of personal sin, he will understand the love of God and demonstrate it himself (John 13:31–35).

John 13:31–35 ESV

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

i. God’s love inspires us to love others.

1 John 4:11 ESV

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1, 2, 3 John (2) Love Others Because God Lives in You (4:11–21)

John is insisting that loving God and loving others cannot be divorced, which is exactly what Jesus taught in Matt 22:37–40

Matthew 22:37–40 ESV

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

In other words children of God “

1, 2, 3 John (2) Love Others Because God Lives in You (4:11–21)

must show mercy because he shows mercy

Luke 6:36 ESV

36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

we “must be holy since he is holy

1 Peter 1:15 ESV

15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

and we must love since God loves!

ii. Our love invites others into God’s love.

1 John 4:12 ESV

12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

1, 2, 3 John (2) Love Others Because God Lives in You (4:11–21)

the verb here (τεθέαται [tetheatai]) implies a careful observation or close scrutiny (the word “theater” is derived from it).” No man has seen God in his unveiled essence, glory, and majesty. Indeed, we are incapable as finite sinful creatures of looking on God. It would certainly be our death. He can be seen, however, in the lives of those who demonstrate his love to others.

Two Theophanies not actual eye witnesses of the fulness of God.

Exodus 33:22–23 ESV

22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

and Isaiah’s vision—

Isaiah 6:1 ESV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

the second part of the verse tells us that when we love God abides in us.

1, 2, 3 John (2) Love Others Because God Lives in You (4:11–21)

Not everyone who professes to be a child of God manifests this kind of mutual love. But it is God’s rightful expectation since it is the demonstration that God who revealed himself in Christ is also revealed in the lives of those in whom he “abides” (translated “lives”)

God’s love is perfect and executed perfectly regardless of our actions. However, what John is communicating is that when we love one another that God’s goal of creating hearts of love in us is achieved. God’s desire is not only for us to love him fully and completely. He also wants us to love others completely and fully!

Yet, we cannot live in such a wonderful love filled way without first being totally and utterly surrendered to the Lord and saved by the beautiful demonstration of true love at the cross of Calvary.

One of the best illustrations of the sacrificial and overwhelming love of God in Scripture that is not Jesus’ death on the cross is the found in the life of Abraham and Isaac.

When we read about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac, we see the depths of sacrificial love. God asked Abraham to give up what he held most dear, yet he obeyed in faith. This story teaches us that true love often means letting go and trusting God with the outcome. Just as Abraham’s act of obedience reinforced his faith, our sacrifices can deepen our relationship with God and demonstrate our love for others.

We cannot get caught up in being concerned with the outcome of the situation. We cannot allow our mind to drift and believe that a friendship, job, or opportunity for success is more important than loving God and trusting him! We love others, we forgive them even if they do not deserve it, and most importantly we share the good news of Jesus with them!

B. Love proves we have the Holy Spirit.

1, 2, 3 John (2) Love Others Because God Lives in You (4:11–21)

John now provides a criterion that confirms that one has come to know personally God’s love: the gift of his Spirit. We know (ginōskomen) with a personal knowledge that we abide in him.

In other words, we know we are in the Lord because we know the Holy Spirit is dwelling in our lives. Now, you might be wondering how do I know that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in my heart. The best way is that we have an awareness of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

For example, we have a better relationship with God than before our salvation. This comes in the form of a desire to spend time with God. A desire to spend time in worship. A desire to learn more about God. And conviction when sinning, no matter how small the sin.

Ultimately, in the heart of the believer there is a a sense of harmony with God. Paul tells us in Romans 8:16

Romans 8:16 ESV

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

There is this harmony of agreement where there isn’t doubt in our minds that we belong to Jesus but a beautiful harmonious song of agreement because we commune with God and have experienced the love of God in our lives through the gift of God the Holy Spirit coming to dwell within us.

Thus,

i. We remain in the Spirit.

1 John 4:13 ESV

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

and we do not leave the faith in which we have been given.

Also,

ii. We confess Jesus as Savior.

1 John 4:14–15 ESV

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

It is important to understand that when we have witnessed the love of God, our lives are transformed. We are utterly changed! Jesus’ demonstration as he hung beaten, stripped, and ripped to shreds he was praying to God to forgive the people. He is our intercessor and forgiver of sins. He died so all people could be united under the banner of Jesus. John says that Jesus sent his son to be the “savior of the world.” Yet, how often do our churches reflect this reality? It is often said that Sunday morning worship is the most segregated hour in America. We have utterly missed the power of God’s love in the American church. We have allowed ourselves to justify our segregated lives. We have held contempt towards God’s design for us to be a people freed to love regardless of people’s class, color, or background.

iii. We know the Father’s love.

1 John 4:16 ESV

16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

When we remain a loving people, we lovingly point people to God who abides in us because we abide in his love!

Transition: Not only can Christians be recognized by their love and reflect God’s love to others,

3. Christians can release their fear because of love.

A. God’s love gives us confidence.

As a a follower of Jesus, our confidence is in God and his love.

i. We can be confident for the future.

1 John 4:17 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.

There is a day of judgment coming and we can have confidence that on that day we can proudly proclaim we belong to Jesus we are children of God. We do not have to fear.

In the animated movie Aladdin, there is a moment in the movie where Agrabah’s soldiers are after Aladdin and Princes Jasmin. Aladdin does not know who she is nor does the soldiers as they are arresting Aladdin and they push Jasmin she reveals who she is and the whole tone changes. They become apologetic to her. Her status as princes to the Sultan made her a person who could have confidence. As children of God who are washed in the blood of Jesus, we can have confidence in who we are in Christ because of who Christ is!

As a result,

ii. We can be confident without fear.

1 John 4:18 ESV

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.

Since we have confidence placed in Jesus and his work, love is able to overcome our fear and doubts. In fact, if we have fear in our lives of living for Jesus or living our life out for God’s glory. Then we know we have growing to do in our understanding of God’s love for us.

We do not face punishment for our sin any longer because it is washed under the blood of Jesus therefore we can stand proud in Christ!

Transition: Not only does God’s love give us confidence. ALSO,

B. We are commanded to love in order to reflect God’s love.

We have responsibility to love like Jesus loves us. In fact,

i. To love God but hate our brother is to live a lie.

1 John 4:19–20 ESV

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

The truth of the matter is that when we have a genuine love for God and we experience his love, we cannot help but show others that love, even the ones that hurt us or we don’t agree with.

A man decided to attend a family reunion after years of avoiding it due to political differences with certain relatives. As he arrived, he was met with laughter and good food. He soon found himself sharing stories with the very family members he had once avoided. He realized that love is more significant than disagreements—sometimes, it only takes a plate of grandma's spaghetti to remember what truly matters!

Our differences, whether social, ethnic, and even political should never cause us to not love them. We must love them! And here is the deal that doesn’t just apply to other christians, it is also true of the lost! God died for us while we were still enemies of God! We are to love like that! Love people regardless of how different we might talk, look, or believe. So that we might win the right to share the truth of Jesus and his word with them!

ii. To love God and love your brother is to obey God.

1 John 4:21 ESV

21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Here is the deal, we must be a people who love and love the Lord with all of who we are it is what drives us God has commanded us to love God and love our neighbors. If we are a going to be a people who truly are a house of worship. We must be a house that loves God and loves people.

This morning we have seen how Christians can be recognized by our love, how christians can reflect God’s love to others, and how we can release our fears because of God’s love. The Christian life is rooted in God’s love.

Conclusion

There was a church in Texas known for being the country club church. It was located in a wealthy neighborhood, it was the go to church for doctors, lawyers, and the wealthy. They loved being together, gathered regularly for worship and sang their favorite songs. As the story goes, they brought in a pastor, in his few moments he recognized that his church was a sweet people but had some deep rooted sins that were blindspots for the people. They were missing a blessing of being the church God had designed them to be. Over the next decade, the pastor slowly and lovingly made changes that were necessary if the church was going to reflect the community around them. The music shifted, the congregation grew, and the impact on the community dramatically shifted. It was no longer the country club. Now the church, in addition to doctors, lawyers, business owners, consisted of shift workers, mail deliverers, mechanics. The church was no longer just a place where the upper and upper middle class felt at home but everyone did. It was no longer a place where only those who looked like they had their lives in perfect order were comfortable but it was a place where those recovering from addictions, those who were struggling with every day difficulties could come to the feet of Jesus without having a judging eye. The church went from being a place of a country club where everyone looked similar to a hospital where the desperate and sick came for healing medicine only God can provide.

Why do I share that story? Simply, I never want us to fall into the temptation to forsake true love for God which calls us to testify to the whole world that Jesus in the savior we all need for a love that is the lie of being comfortable or in love with the status quo, for doing things like we always have, or any other lie that comes from hell itself.

We have been called to abide in God! To abide and live as Christ! He came and ate with sinners, he loved those the Jews hated. He showed love for the Samaritans. He did not come for the religious elite, he came to save the sick, to reach across the gaps social-political divides. He came to save the world. The world in which he created diverse and beautiful for his glory and praise!

If we are going to be the church God has called us, we must root ourselves into the love of God and be a hospital for the broken, weary, and needy. We must love deeply those who don’t live like us, look like us, act like us, or sound like us. We must long to see our church filled with truly broken people who are experiencing the healing work of Jesus in their lives! We must exchange the mask of okay for authentic brokenness over our own shortcomings and give God all of our hearts, mind and soul for the glory of God alone!

As a church, to see God move us and change us to be a tool to truly change the world for his glory must be okay with not being okay. We must make this room an alter we die on so that we might truly live.

My prayer is that we would experience true revival, that God we begin a work that only he can receive glory for and change us so that we might change the world through the testimony of what God has done in us.

There is true love in Jesus. There is true power in confessing and nailing every sin on Jesus. God wants to use us for something incredible, he wants to redeem this world through the power of his love!

I know that there are so many of us, if not all of us that need to come to the alter this morning. To lay out all of our struggles, all of our hidden, or even open sins. Because we have been more concerned with what this world has to offer over living for glory of God with our entire lives. We have been more concerned with what we want and how comfortable we are with our lives.

I want to invite you to do something utterly uncomfortable. I want to ask you to pray something dangerous, and radical. I want to challenge you to be bold and courageous.

Will you be the first to say I am okay with others knowing I am not okay, that I am surrendering all to Jesus and making my life a living sacrifice for the Glory of God. That I am committing my life to testifying and sharing Jesus with everyone around me. That I will love my neighbors and shower them with Jesus no matter who they are, what their past, or present. That I will be someone willing to step up and serve others as Jesus served me, to create a culture of love for God and love for people.

Ae you ready to say yes to being uncomfortable, yes to declaring I don’t have it together, saying yes to be a church known for her love for God and others. Saying yes, to be being broken over our own shortcomings, saying yes to being broken for the lost people around us, saying yes to being okay with declaring to God all our hurt and questions. Saying yes to being a church known for their freedom in Christ, their freedom to love others, to their freedom of being sold out for Jesus.

Let me be clear, you could stay in your spot this morning, you can sit there and say I am okay. I am fine with being the same, I am okay to remain the same.

The alter is for those who truly mean it, for those that want genuine revival in their heart, that are okay with declaring I don’t have it together, but I am going to the one who does. It is for those willing to be bold for Jesus!

Sure you could stay right where you are and pray this morning and God would still hear you, this alter does nothing to increase how intently God hears our prayers. He hears our cries no matter where we are in this world. Yet, what boldness is there in staying in your spot? If we cannot be bold for Jesus in this room how can we be bold outside these walls where opposition lays waiting?

Will you come? Will you declare, I am done with with pretending that everything is great. That my life is all together. Will you come declaring pray for me to be used by God as I surrender all to Jesus.

Maybe, you have never surrendered your life to Jesus. Yet, this morning you have felt that punch in your stomach, your heart is racing because you feel that tug of God calling you to lay your life at the feet of Jesus so that you can experience the love he has for you! Simply cry out to God and ask him to forgive you and to wash you clean. Ask for his warm love to wash you clean. Trust in him alone for his saving work. Would you come and talk to one of our pastors this morning declaring your life will be lived in Jesus’ love?

Will you respond to the beautiful freeing love of Jesus? Come, just as you are and lay it all out before Jesus.