Fellowship Rooted in God’s Love

1 John 4:7–12 ESV

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. 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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Intro:

FCF: We always need reminders to love. It’s essential to every aspect of our lives.

Main Point: Genuine love for God and one another is the root of our fellowship.

I. Let Us Love One Another with the Love of God (v. 7)

• The command to love comes from a place of love.

 - John calls them “beloved,” which is a term of affection toward the church.

 - From a greater perspective, love is from God, and God calls us to love from His loving nature.

• The command to love comes from a place of authority.

 - It’s not merely a call from John; human authority might get pushback.

 - God’s command: The two greatest commandments are to love God and love others.

  - 1 John 5:3: God’s commands are not burdensome! But that doesn’t mean it comes easy — we need help!

• The command to love comes with a caveat.

 - New birth (John 3): You must be born again — faith in the gospel.

 - Knowledge of God: To know God means to be known and loved by God.

 - Gospel Call The call to love is a supernatural call!

II. Look to the Love of God for Us in Christ Jesus (vv. 8–10)

Illustration: In our culture, we often speak of love as a mere feeling or emotion. We have love songs and talk about “falling in love.” These focus on feelings rather than action. But God doesn’t speak of love that way — for Him, love is always about action, rooted in reality.

If our love doesn’t have action, it’s evidence that we don’t know God.

God is love, and knowing God changes us.

To love is in God’s nature, and He places that nature within us.

Those who show love have evidence that they walk with God.

God gives us two clear reminders of His love.  

God showed His love by sending Jesus into the world to give us life.

Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection are evidence of God’s love “among us.”

“Manifested” means clearly revealed!

Jesus is God’s One and only Son — begotten of God. He is truly God, and He became truly man.

This is a costly sacrifice!

God loved us when we didn’t love Him by substituting Jesus for us.

Two glorious doctrines:

God’s sovereign grace: He loved us first — before we could do anything right or wrong, before we could choose Him.

God’s propitiation: The Greek word refers to God giving Jesus to pay for our sins and satisfy His wrath. THIS IS LOVE! Who would do that for us? Who could do this for us?

Application: If you want to be more loving, give more of your thoughts and meditations to the love of God!

III. Remember the reasons we love others with the love of God (vv. 11–12)

Illustration: Over the years, I’ve been given a lot of good books from friends and family members. Whenever a friend of mine has an extra copy of a book, they’ll often call me and ask if I want it.

I try to do the same. If I have an extra book or I read one that’s really good, I’ll pass it on. It’s sort of like pay-it-forward. But honestly, I like to give books to others because good books have been given to me.

John makes a similar point in v. 11 when he says, “if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

The primary reason we love others is because God loved us.

This is a reminder that our love for others is not rooted in their worthiness. God didn’t die for us because of anything we deserved. He died for us because of His gracious, unmerited favor.

This is also another reminder to think about the love God has for us. The “if” in v. 11 is not an “if” of uncertainty. Rather, it could also be stated, “since”. When we have been loved much, we can love much. AND WE HAVE BEEN LOVED MUCH!

Another reason we love others is to show the world that God works in and among us.

John 1:18 ESV

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

In other words, apart from Jesus, we can’t see God. He is Spirit. He’s invisible to our eyes and too glorious to look at.

John is teaching that when we love one another, God abides in us and people can see the reality and power of God truly at work.

If people see us loving each other at Little Zion, they’ll say “God is at work in there!” This is what we want them to say!

John then says, “his love is perfected in us”. The word “perfected” means completed.

One preacher described God’s love like a circuit. God loves us through Christ, and as we love others by the Spirit, we complete the circuit.

When we love each other, God’s love in us reaches it’s fullest or “perfected” expression. We don’t just soak up God’s love like a sponge. We receive it like a cup that overflows and spills over onto others.

What does all of this mean for us in practice? We can’t just hear a sermon on love, say amen, and close our Bibles. There’s got to be something for us to DO in light of the passage.

Conclusion: We must take God’s command to love others personally and seriously.

Love for one another is a tangible command!

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 ESV

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Now, let’s look at practical and tangible ways to love one another according to Scripture, using 1 Corinthians 13 as our example:

When you are working with others, practice patience. Pray that God would give you a patient heart.

As you interact with others, aim to be kind — in your words, actions, and attitude, even when people aren’t kind to you.

When you see someone thrive or get a position you wanted, don’t envy them. Rejoice for and with them instead.

When you receive a position or blessing, don’t boast against others. Let others speak well of you instead.

As you serve and walk with the Lord, make it a point not to be arrogant — puffed up, haughty, or looking down on people.

When you interact with people, don’t be rude. Rudeness means untrained or defiant — shameful or indecent behavior. Examples: interrupting, using profane language, invading personal space, or using harsh words (Prov. 15:1)

Don’t insist on your own way. Don’t demand that everything conform to your standards or ideas. Listen to others.

Don’t be irritable or “easily provoked.” Be slow to take offense or become emotional.

When people sin against or frustrate you, don’t be resentful. Resentment is keeping a record of wrongs to throw back later.

Don’t rejoice when someone is wronged or does wrong. Saying “that’s what they get” is not loving. We also can’t sit back and condone sinful living as if it’s right.

Also, don’t celebrate sin. A vital aspect of love is telling someone the truth about their situation and their sin while pointing them to Christ.. Love wants people to grow and move towards Christ.

On the flipside, rejoice when people do what is right and just. Celebrate growth and victory over sin. Celebrate when someone acknowledges their sin and does the hard work of turning back to Christ.

Don’t give up on God when things get tough — love bears all things.

In all situations, love believe all things. This means always have faith — believe in God as you give love.

Always have hope in God that when you love others, He will preserve and carry you — even if those you love are the ones who hurt you.

Love always endures. Keep pushing through challenging situations with people—even in the church. We will be together for eternity. Christ endured death because He loved us; we are called to have such enduring love!

Fellowship is a discipline we must continually cultivate at Little Zion. And without love, fellowship and communion with one another will be impossible.

But as we continually learn the importance of biblical love, we will grow as a church.

We don’t love without truth. That’s not what God commanded. We also don’t preach truth without love. It must be both!

English Standard Version Chapter 13

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.