Love in Action Week 1: God is Love
Love in Action • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 4 viewsGod is love, and His love defines how we live and how we love.
Notes
Transcript
Announcements:
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2. We will not be having our prayer meeting this evening due to the extreme temperatures. I would encourage us to all take some extra time this evening to pray for The Gap and our church family.
3. We will be streaming the last message of our Foundations of Faith series on Wednesday.
4. There will be no nursing home this afternoon due to the extreme temperatures.
Worship:
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Introduction:
Love is one of the most used—and most misunderstood—words in our culture.
We say we love pizza.
We love a team.
We love a song.
We even say we love people.
But when the same word is used for cravings, preferences, emotions, and commitments, it’s no wonder we end up confused. If everyone defines love differently, then love eventually means… almost nothing at all.
That confusion isn’t new.
The church John was writing to in 1 John was surrounded by competing voices—false teaching, fractured relationships, and people claiming spiritual maturity without showing it in how they lived. And John doesn’t respond with sharper arguments or new strategies. He doesn’t tell them to win debates or shout louder.
He takes them back to the source.
Over and over, John reminds them—and us—that love doesn’t begin with how we feel or what we prefer. Love begins with who God is.
“God is love.”
And if that’s true, then love isn’t just something we talk about—it’s something that shows up. It moves. It obeys. It sacrifices. It changes the way we live and the way we treat people.
That’s why we’re calling this series Love in Action.
Over the next few weeks, we’re not just asking, “Do we believe the right things?”
We’re asking, “Does the love of God actually shape our lives?”
We’ll see that:
God’s love isn’t an idea—it was demonstrated through Jesus.
Obedience isn’t legalism—it’s love lived out.
Real love doesn’t stop at words—it moves toward people.
And assurance in Christ doesn’t make us passive—it makes us bold.
John’s message is simple but challenging:
If God’s love is truly in us, it will be visible through us.
So as we begin this series, the question isn’t, “Do we know about love?”
The question is, “Is God’s love in action in our lives?”
Take the following illustration of a power line:
Threaded Story (Illustration): “The Power Line”
Imagine a neighborhood after a major storm.
Trees are down.
Power lines are snapped.
Houses are still standing—but there’s no light, no heat, no power.
The problem isn’t the house. The problem is the connection.
Throughout this message, keep that picture in mind.
Let’s turn to our passage this morning which is 1 John 4:7-12.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.
10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.
12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us.
Transition: So, just like the house had a problem with electricity due to its connection, how can we make sure we are connected to the right source so we are sharing the love God asks us to share? First of all, we see that:
I. Love Begins With God’s Nature
“God is love…”
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
John doesn’t say God has love. He says God is love. Love is not something God occasionally does—it flows from who He is.
Cross References:
6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.
Love doesn’t originate in us. It comes from God because that is Who God is!
We don’t define it.
We receive it.
[Story Cue: Power Line]
Just like a house doesn’t generate its own electricity, we don’t generate love on our own.
Disconnected from God, we may look fine on the outside—but there’s no power flowing on the inside.
Transition: If love begins with God’s nature, the next question is this: How do we know what that love looks like in real life?
II. Love Is Demonstrated Through Christ
9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.
10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
God didn’t just tell us He loves us—He showed us.
Cross References:
God demonstrates His love through the cross.
8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Love that gives.
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Biblical love is sacrificial, initiating, and costly.
[Story Cue: Power Line]
When power is restored after a storm, it’s not because the house tried harder—it’s because someone repaired the line.
Jesus is God stepping into our darkness to restore the connection.
There is nothing we can do to restore the relationship we lost in the garden of Eden. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, how much money you have, how many times you go to church, how many times you have read through the Bible, etc. (Just fill in the blank)
God was the only One who could restore the connection to us just like the power company is the only one that can restore power when the power goes out. You wouldn’t ask your local car mechanic to restore your power!
Transition: God’s love is not only something we receive—it’s something that reshapes us.
III. Love Is Completed Through Us
11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.
12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us.
We don’t love others to earn God’s love—we love because we’ve already received it.
Cross References:
Love is a mark of discipleship
34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Let your light shine
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
[Story Cue: Power Line]
A restored power line doesn’t stop at the pole—it flows into the house and then outward, lighting every room.
God’s love flows into us so it can flow through us.
God doesn’t love us so we can be loved. He loves us so we can go out and show that same love to the world!
Conclusion
The question isn’t “Do we talk about love?”
The question is “Are we connected to the source of love?”
God
Is
Love
How do we connect to God?
Call to Action:
Receive God’s love fully.
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
Reflect God’s love freely. Not to only people you like or get along with or agree with. Actually I would say it would be better proven by showing love to those you don’t get along with, don’t agree with, and don’t like!
Instead of talking about others to other people, we need to show love to others!
Some questions to go over and think about:
1. How Does God Define Love Differently Than the World Around Us?
Real-Life Examples:
World’s Definition:
Love is often defined by emotion, attraction, or benefit.
“I love you as long as this feels good.”
“I love you as long as you agree with me.”
“I love you as long as you don’t cost me anything.”
“I love you as long as you meet my needs.”
God’s Definition (1 John 4:9–10 “9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” ):
Love initiates, sacrifices, and acts, even when it’s undeserved.
Example:
A spouse remains faithful and patient during a long season of illness or emotional distance. There’s no emotional payoff. No recognition. Just commitment.
That’s not love because it feels good.
That’s love because it chooses good.
👉 God’s love is not a response to worthiness—it’s an act of grace.
He loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8 “8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ).
Tie to Power Line:
The world tries to generate love from inside the house.
God supplies love from the source (Himself)—even when the lights would otherwise go out.
2. Where Do You Most Clearly See God’s Love Displayed in This Passage?
Real-Life Examples:
1 John 4:9–10 says God’s love is revealed in this: He sent His Son.
Example 1: Stepping In Before You’re Asked
A parent pays a child’s debt before the child even knows how bad the situation is. The child didn’t ask. Didn’t earn it. Didn’t deserve it.
That’s what God did in Christ.
He didn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up—He stepped in first.
Example 2: Restoring Power After a Storm
After a storm, a neighborhood is dark. The houses are intact, but useless without electricity. Utility workers work long hours—often unnoticed—to restore power.
The homes don’t fix themselves.
Someone else does the work.
👉 God’s love is most clearly seen not in words, but in sending Jesus to restore what we could not fix.
Tie to Power Line:
Jesus is God climbing the pole, repairing the break, restoring the connection.
3. How Has Experiencing God’s Love Changed the Way You View Others?
Real-Life Examples:
1. From “They Don’t Deserve It” to “Neither Did I”
When you truly grasp that God loved you at your worst, it changes how you see difficult people.
The coworker who’s hard to deal with
The family member who hurt you
The person who believes differently than you
You stop asking, “Do they deserve love?”
And start remembering, “I didn’t either.”
2. From Avoidance to Engagement
Before experiencing God’s love, it’s easy to ignore people who are inconvenient, awkward, or draining.
After experiencing God’s love:
You notice the overlooked
You slow down for the struggling
You show patience where you once avoided
Not because it’s easy—but because God didn’t avoid you.
3. From Gossip to Grace
When God’s love fills you, talking about people becomes harder than talking to them.
Instead of spreading frustration, you extend grace.
Instead of assuming motives, you show compassion.
👉 God’s love doesn’t just change how we see Him—it changes how we see people made in His image.
Tie to Power Line:
When the power is restored, the light doesn’t stay hidden in one room.
It spills into every space.
A Strong Summary Line You Can Reuse
The world says love is something you feel.
God says love is something He is and did.
And when we stay connected to that love,
it doesn’t stop with us—it flows through us.
Application:
What might it look like to love someone without expecting anything in return?
Are there barriers (hurt, fear, busyness) that keep you from loving freely?
Challenge for the Week:
Show intentional love to someone who may feel overlooked or unseen.
Prayer Focus:
Ask God to deepen your understanding of His love and to help you reflect that love to others.
