Loved First

Key Verse

1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

HOOK (2–3 minutes): The Gift You Never Opened

“Imagine it’s your birthday. Someone gives you a gift—wrapped, your name on it. And they’re really excited for you to open it.

But instead… you just set it down.

You walk away. You ignore it.

The next day—it’s still there. A week later—still unopened.

And the person who gave it keeps asking, ‘Did you open it yet?’ And you’re like, ‘Nah… maybe later.’”

(Pause)

“At some point, it’s not just about the gift anymore… it’s about the person who gave it.”

TRANSITION

“That’s a picture of something deeper than we realize— how we often respond to God’s love.”

BIG IDEA

God loves you, and real love for Him is your response to receiving that love.

1. God Loved You First (6–7 minutes)

Scripture: Romans 5:8

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Main Point

God’s love is not based on your performance—it is based on His character.

Teach it:

God didn’t wait for you to get better

God didn’t love a “future perfect version” of you

God loved you in your worst condition

Jr. High tension:

Many students believe:

“God loves me when I’m doing well”

“God is probably disappointed most of the time”

But this verse says:

God’s love started before you changed

Highlight truth:

God’s love is not earned—it is received.

2. We Often Ignore What God Has Already Given (6–7 minutes)

Scripture: John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Main Point

Most people don’t reject God’s love directly—they ignore it indirectly.

Connect back to hook:

The gift is there

Nothing is wrong with it

It just stays unopened

Real-life application:

Ignoring God can look like:

Constant distraction

Only thinking about Him when needed

Treating Him like background noise instead of a relationship

Key insight:

You don’t drift toward God—you drift away from Him. Natural Heart Condition is rebellion, Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Psalm 14:2–3 “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

Heart-level push:

God is not absent. He is not silent. He is not distant.

The issue is often not His presence—it’s our absence.

It is not so much of our time and so much of our attention that God demands; it is not even all of our time and all our attention: it is ourselves.

C. S. Lewis

Highlight truth:

Ignoring God’s love doesn’t remove it—it prevents us from experiencing it.

3. Real Love for God Is a Response, Not a Performance (6–7 minutes)

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:5

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Scripture: John 14:15

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Main Point

Loving God is not trying harder—it is responding to His love with your life.

Teach it:

Love for God is not:

Just church attendance

Just saying the right things

Just behavior management

Love for God is:

Giving Him attention

Trusting Him with decisions

Choosing Him when it costs something

Important correction:

This is not:

“If I behave, God will love me”

This is:

“Because God already loves me, I respond with my life”

Highlight truth:

Real love for God shows up in real choices.

CLOSING (2–3 minutes): Return to the Gift

“That gift is still sitting there.

God’s love isn’t missing. It isn’t broken. It isn’t late.

It is just… unopened.”

(Pause)

“The question isn’t whether God loves you. That’s already been proven.

The question is: Will you receive it… and respond?”

FINAL CHALLENGE

This week:

Spend intentional time with God daily

Remove distractions long enough to notice Him

Make one decision that reflects a response to His love

One simple truth to remember: Don’t leave the gift unopened.