1 John 4:7-13, Loving one another proves....

Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me: Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”

Introduction.....

i heard someone say one time, that is not what you know but what you can prove....

sometimes you need the cold hard facts, to prove something...

if you go to court, there may evidence there that proves you did it or you did not do it.....but it was proved either way...

i remember one my daughter had some nuggets and she went to her room for something, and i snuck a nugget out..now she knew how many she had and she came back and asked me, dad did you eat one of my nuggets, of course i said no. she started thinking if she ate one and forget...she came over there where i was sitting and saw some crumbs...evidence...guilty...

and in today’s world, people want to know who they are dealing with...

is this person trustworthy...can i believe this person...

they want some proof...

may want to do a background check on you...

but for the last 3 sundays, we have looked at the commandment to love one another, the example of sacrifical love, and being motivated by our love for christ to do His will...

and today we will hear some great news, by doing all of this, people will see that change in you and you prove that Jesus has come into you life and changed it....

i use to want to say some words to you but now i want to pray over you...TALK, PREACH...(CALL THE ROLL).....

God has never stopped loving me in spite of myself, He has shown me love, unconditional love, and because of His love, He has offered me salvation and I now I know what true love is and it has changed my life and now i can show love to others because of my Saviour...

and thru my love in action, it will prove that I am born of God and know God.. it will prove that i see God’s love, and it will prove that God’s spirit is within me.....(repeat)....write these down, i will revisit...

let’s look at the text....

Text/Story....

The Apostle John, the author of 5 books in the new testament...the Gospel, 1,2, 3 John, the epistles, and Revelation, book of prophecy...

But the 1st Epistle of John was written to the church at large, to all the true believers of his day...

why was he writing it, to exhorts believers to combat false teachings, affirm Christ’s true nature, and encourage love and obedience. It aims to provide assurance of salvation and promote fellowship with God and others.

and with the Roman Empire in control, Christians were being persecuted and there was some trouble inside of the local congregations.

but even with all the turmoil, John was trying to encourage the church to continue be faithful and love those that persecuted them and as we will see here in a few moments, that by loving one another, something would be proved...

if we had to summarize this book, we see that John emphasizes the themes of love, light, and truth, urging believers to live in fellowship with God and with one another. It warns against false teachings, affirms Christ’s incarnation, and highlights the importance of obedience to God’s commandments. 

but for the lesson today, The letter encourages believers to love one another, reflecting God’s love, and assures them of eternal life.

when i read that we should be reflecting God’s love, it made think of a preacher i heard say one time, that we are like the moon...

let me tell you, Genesis 1:16 “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”

While the moon does not produce light on its own, it reflects the sun’s light, 

let me help you this, Jesus is the light and we should be reflecting that light,

God is love and we should be reflecting that...TALK, PREACH......

and by us reflecting the love of God,

it will prove that I am born of God and know God.. it will prove that i see God’s love, and it will prove that God’s spirit is within me.....(repeat)

Let’s go deeper into the text...

Points....

let’s look at verses 7 and 8....1 John 4:7–8 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

loving one another proves that we are born of God and know God...

scripture tells us over in Genesis 1:26–27 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” ..

 An understanding of who man is begins with knowing we are made in the image of God. Man is different from every other order of created being because He has a created consistency with God.

The terms for image and likeness are slightly different. Image has more to do with appearance, and likeness has more to do with an abstract similarity, but they both essentially mean the same thing here in this context...TALK, PREACH......(when people say your child looks or act like you)

so for us to love one another shows that we have some characteristics of our heavenly Father...

For God is love, his very nature is love...

and if we can love God, and know God, we can become a loving person and take on that same nature...TALK, PREACH.....

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eight: Getting to the Bottom of Love (1 John 4:1–16)

Since God is love, and we have claimed a personal relationship with God, we must of necessity reveal His love in how we live.

I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude B. Let Us Love One Another as God Has Loved Us (4:7–12)

If we want to be like God, we, too, must love. Love becomes another test of believers. Only those born of God know how to love. They know how because they know God, the only source of love...

next let’s look at verses 9 -11, 1 John 4:9–11 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

Loving one another proves the we see God’s love.....

look at that word, manifested… a verb that means to show or display by ones acts or appearance...

God has shown us His love over and over....

when you woke this morning did you see it? TALK, PREACH......

Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John Love Is Seen in the Atoning Death of Jesus (1 John 4:9–10)

The Christian God is not just a talking God. He is an acting God, a doing God, and a serving God.

and how do we see it....

scripture says it all over in Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” TALK, PREACH......

I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude B. Let Us Love One Another as God Has Loved Us (4:7–12)

God the Father showed how he loves. He sent his one and only Son, knowing he would be horribly treated and ultimately crucified. This is how God loved. He sacrificed his Son so we might live through him.

Can you see it??

When you see something and know something, you can show something...

let me say that again...repeat

what do you know...God is Love

what do you see.… God love demonstrated for us...

what can a show....others that the God that loves me also love you...TALK, PREACH.......

let’s see something else,

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eight: Getting to the Bottom of Love (1 John 4:1–16)

Why was Jesus Christ manifested? “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins” (

can you see your sins upon His shoulders? Thank you Lord...TALK, PREACH.....

Lastly, let’s look verses 12 and 13....1 John 4:12–13 “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.”

Loving one another proves that God’s spirit is within us......

so no one has seen God but they always want proof...

If we love one another, then the love of God is “mature” and “complete” in us.....proof

The mature Christian will be marked by love. Again, the true measure of maturity is not the image of power, or popularity, or passionate feelings — but the abiding presence of God’s love in our lives, given out to others.....proof

We can know by experience that we live in God, if His love has been perfected in us. And we know that His love has been perfected in us if we love one another.

the presence of His Spirit is how He abides in us.

 it is the testimony of the Holy Spirit within us that makes it possible for us to know that we abide in Him.

Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” ...TALK, PREACH......

I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude B. Let Us Love One Another as God Has Loved Us (4:7–12)

How is God’s love expressed and made complete through us? The Spirit does it. Our ability to love one another is dependent upon the Spirit whom he has given us. The Spirit lives in us, implants God’s love in us, exercises his love through us, and thus ensures us that we live in God.

i know that i didn’t do it on my own.....i couldnt do it on my on but if it had not been for the Lord entering into my life through His son....

that’s why i dont do what i used to ...that’s i dont talk like i used to...

can you feel it?

Jeremiah said it is like fire shut in my bones...

song writer said, i can feel the spirit of the Lord in the atmosphere...

i can feel him deep down withing...TALK, PREACH......

Conclusion...

when you allow Christ in your life, there will be signs...one sign is that you will be able to love one another....

and that will prove that I am born of God and know God.. it will prove that i see God’s love, and it will prove that God’s spirit is within me

i know who i am and whose i am....

there has been a change in my life and it was not because of me but because of the Spirit of God that has entered into my life...

and He showed me how much he loved when He sent His only begotten son to carry my sins to the cross...

Can you see it....TALK, PREACH, CLOSE...