God’s Love on Display
Love is the Theme • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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1 John 4:7-10
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
INTRODUCTION:
I- LOVE’S ROOT (1 JOHN 4:7-8)
I- LOVE’S ROOT (1 JOHN 4:7-8)
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
“7 Ἀγαπητοί, ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται καὶ γινώσκει τὸν θεόν.
8 ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν θεόν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν.
A- Love flows from God (1 John 4:7)
A- Love flows from God (1 John 4:7)
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
1- The believer is called to love others.
1 John 4:7 (NLT)
let us continue to love one another (ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους)
ἀγαπῶμεν is in the present tense, indicating a continuing action, hence the translation, “continue to love.”
2- Love is key to having a positive testimony for Christ.
(John 13:34–35)
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
3- The believer’s love must flow from God.
a. “love comes from God.” (ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν)
(John 15:4–5)
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
B- Love springs from the nature of God. (1 John 4:8)
B- Love springs from the nature of God. (1 John 4:8)
8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1- The litmus test for the believer is love for others.
(1 John 4:20–21)
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
2- Love has its basis in the very nature of God himself!
(Zeph 3:17)
17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
II- LOVE’S REVELATION (1 John 4:9-10)
II- LOVE’S REVELATION (1 John 4:9-10)
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
“9 ἐν τούτῳ ἐφανερώθη ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν, ὅτι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἀπέσταλκεν ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα ζήσωμεν διʼ αὐτοῦ.
10 ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐχ ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠγαπήκαμεν τὸν θεόν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἱλασμὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν.”
A- Love Defined (1 John 4:10)
A- Love Defined (1 John 4:10)
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1- Love did not originate with us. “This is real love—not that we loved God”
a. We chose to live in rebellion against God and became his enemies.
(Col 1:21)
21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.
(Eph 2:1–3).
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
(Rom 3:23).
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
2- Love begins with God. “This is real love- not that we loved God, but that he loved us”
a. God took the initiative in choosing to love us even though we are sinful.
(Eph 1:4–5)
4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
My Love And Baby’s Love
A gentleman who was a professed Christian was taken seriously ill. He became troubled about the little love he felt in his heart for God, and spoke of his experience to a friend. This is how the friend answered him.
“When I go home from here, I expect to take my baby on my knee, look into her sweet eyes, listen to her charming prattle, and tired as I am, her presence will rest me; for I love that child with unutterable tenderness. But she loves me little. If my heart were breaking it would not disturb her sleep. If my body were racked with pain, it would not interrupt her play. If I were dead, she would forget me in a few days. Besides this, she had never brought me a penny, but was a constant expense to me. I am not rich, but there is not money enough in the world to buy my baby. How is it? Does she love me, or do I love her? Do I withhold my love until I know she loves me? Am I waiting for her to do something worthy of my love before extending it?”
This practical illustration of the love of God for His children caused the tears to roll down the sick man’s face. “Oh, I see,” he exclaimed, “it is not my love to God, but God’s love for me, that I should be thinking of. And I do love Him now as I never loved Him before.”
Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 495.
B- Love Demonstrated (1 John 4:9-10)
B- Love Demonstrated (1 John 4:9-10)
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1- God demonstrated his love for us by making the way for us to have eternal life. (1 John 4:9)
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
(John 3:16)
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
2- God demonstrated his love for us by sending Jesus to be the sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:10)
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
(2 Cor 5:21)
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
CONCLUSION:
A- Our response to God’s love:
1- Trust in Him.
(1 John 4:16)
16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
2- Obey Him.
(John 14:15)
15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.
(John 14:23)
23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.
3- Share Him with others.
(2 Cor. 5:20)
20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
