God Loves You

Scripture:

1 John 4:7-21

1 John 4:7–21 CEB

Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God. The person who doesn’t love does not know God, because God is love. This is how the love of God is revealed to us: God has sent his only Son into the world so that we can live through him. This is love: it is not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as the sacrifice that deals with our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us this way, we also ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, God remains in us and his love is made perfect in us. This is how we know we remain in him and he remains in us, because he has given us a measure of his Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the savior of the world. If any of us confess that Jesus is God’s Son, God remains in us and we remain in God. We have known and have believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who remain in love remain in God and God remains in them. This is how love has been perfected in us, so that we can have confidence on the Judgment Day, because we are exactly the same as God is in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear expects punishment. The person who is afraid has not been made perfect in love. We love because God first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, and hates a brother or sister, he is a liar, because the person who doesn’t love a brother or sister who can be seen can’t love God, who can’t be seen. This commandment we have from him: Those who claim to love God ought to love their brother and sister also.

Easy to Moralize the Text:

Example of moralizing a text:

Romans 12:2 CEB

Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature.

So for today’s text it would be so easy to preach a sermon that goes something like this:

Why aren’t you loving the people in this room? Why arent loving the people not in this room? You should love more! Let’s Pray! You should love. We are born of God and if you dont love your neighbor you are a liar, so love your neighbor more OK. Everybody put your hands in: LOVE on 3. 1..2..3.. LOVE.

To Moralize a text essentially makes the statement: That we live the Christian life in our own strength so we say grit our teeth and work harder OK?

Guilt us into loving sometimes very difficult people to love.

This is not what the text is wanting to do this morning

The heart of the Text

1 John 4:

1 John 4:9–10 CEB

This is how the love of God is revealed to us: God has sent his only Son into the world so that we can live through him. This is love: it is not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as the sacrifice that deals with our sins.

The writing of the letter:

False teachers: gnositcism---

John: The word became flesh and dwelt among us

Nic at night:

John 3:16–17 CEB

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Today’s gospel text: I am the vine you are the branches.. I’ve come to enter into the enfleshment of life so that you can be connected to me.

John’s message over and over: This the basic message of the Gospel: God has come in our midst because He Loves US!! Because He Loves You!!

SO I have a question for you today:

Do y

No

Do you know that God loves you?

Look at Me!! Do You really know that God loves you?

No I mean it!!! Do You really, really, really know that God Loves you?

Like a child trying to do all these things to impress a parent!

This text is not a moralism trying to get us to work harder at loving.... What John is asking us is do you know How much God Loves you.

John is wanting us to understand that it is not that we try harder in our own strength to love others but it is in our KNOWING that God loves us that we are then free to love others without condition.

1 John 4:16–17 CEB

We have known and have believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who remain in love remain in God and God remains in them. This is how love has been perfected in us, so that we can have confidence on the Judgment Day, because we are exactly the same as God is in this world.

1 John 4:16-

Show Big Bang Theory Video

Gloria Gaither wrote an old song:

“I am Loved, I am Loved

I can risk loving you,

For the one who knows me best, loves me most”

Vulnerability of being loved.

Loving others means I risk being vulnerable and risk that vulnerability gets missed understood knowing all the while no matter what I am Loved by God.

Dysfunctional Family of God!

1 John 4:18-

1 John 4:18–19 CEB

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear expects punishment. The person who is afraid has not been made perfect in love. We love because God first loved us.

Do You know that God Loves You??

That love casts out fear..fear that brings the brokenness as a family..

Let’s confess that we have all sorts of fears that we bring....

If time— What are some of your fears??

We bring alot of fears:

Fear of Change

Fear of our unworthiness

Fear that people will find out the secrets we’ve been carrying

Fear that other people are getting far more attention then us and we are doing more work then we should be doing

Fear that we wont be recognized

Fear the we will be recognized

John is concerned that we have been shaped by God that causes a fear in us.

Do You Know God Loves You??

It is when we know that we are Loved by God that we are able to truly love the Other and be lovable to those each other and those around us!!

Conclusion;

Do you know that God loves you?

Look at Me!! Do You really know that God loves you?

No I mean it!!! Do You really, really, really know that God Loves you?