Indwelling That Leads to Love

Read 1 John 4:13-16

Pray

Introduction

What happens when you put gas in a car? Light a candle with a match? When we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God, we are gifted faith and led into the truth of Christ.

Sermon title:. Tonight, my hope is that we will see how the holy spirit leads us to a knowledge of and belief in the glorious love of God.

We’ll approach the text tonight in just 2 sections: A Reiteration and A Restatement

A Reiteration

As we come across this section of John’s letter, we see him reiterating almost word for word a truth that he’s stated before. If you remember, we’ve discussed before that we should pay extra attention then. When something in Scripture is reiterated or repeated, the author is wanting us to pay attention to it.

Similar to the end of chapter 3, John toward the end of chapter 4 here drives home this idea of our assurance of God abiding with us and us abiding in Him: namely, the Holy Spirit. The indwelling, residing of the Holy Spirit in us is how we know that we abide in God.

For the Spirit to be given to us, that means that God’s Holy Spirit has been poured out, first at Pentecost, and now today unto all believers in Christ Jesus. This is literally how we come to faith is by the Holy Spirit indwelling inside of us and making us born again.

We can take confidence that God never leaves us nor forsakes us as His children.

A Restatement

John then brings back to our memories the fact that he and the other apostles can testify as solid eyewitnesses to the fact that Jesus was on this earth, sent by the Father to save us.

When someone tells you something amazing that happened to them or a unbelievable story, what do we usually do? Ask questions! At least you should. Why? Because details matter! We want to know what happened and verify what we’re being told is true.

John, like in chapter 1, is again here highlighting the testimony of he and the other apostles. That they saw Jesus and had relationships with Him. Proving the validity of Christianity and the witness of the gospels!

This apostolic testimony is what John builds verse 15 off of. Not just the witness of the apostles is in view here, rather, the acknowledgement, agreement with the Scriptures, and the belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

That is the proof, similar to the testing of the spirits, that someone is abiding in God. Not just confessing that Jesus was a historically true person and teacher, rather, that Jesus actually came in the flesh and came not just as truly human but truly God as well.

And this truly human, truly God Jesus, who is the Son of God, came to earth with a mission. To save His people from their sins, making Him the Savior of the world, meaning all sorts of different people, as John said in verse 14.

Finally, from this confession of Jesus as the son of God, John explains the guiding of the Holy Spirit. That is, we come to know and believe the love that God has for us. How? By the Spirit God has given us, the Holy Spirit, encouraged and taught by the witness of the apostles.

We’ve come to know the love of God because His Holy Spirit leads us into all truth!

John ends this section with stating yet again that God is love. This is different than in verse 8. Verse 8 is about the motivation to love, for God is love. John here uses this truth to encourage a remaining in the love of God.

Whoever remains in God reflects who He is, therefore they will, empowered and led by the Spirit, abide in love!

Conclusion

It is by the Spirit into our hearts and indwelling within us that we are made born again and given new hearts. We therefore are gifted faith and upon that faith are converted, all by the grace of God.

And it is by that same Spirit that we affirm the apostles holy spirit inspired teaching through the Scriptures, confess the incarnation of Jesus Christ and His gospel, and therefore come to know and believe in the magnificent love of God that He has for His children.

Be encouraged by His love tonight. We are forever secure in it. By the death of His Son, God is no longer angry with us but pleased, for we are cleansed with Christ’s blood.