Godly Love: Revealed by God, Delivered by His People
Notes
Transcript
GODLY LOVE: REVEALED BY GOD, DELIVERED BY HIS PEOPLE;
1 John 4:7-16; HBC, 22 Dec 19
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Series: 1 John / Topics: Advent; Love; God: Love; Brotherly Love; Propitiation; Atonement
Before Service: Pray with leaders!
Opening Verse: Psalm 13# & Advent Reading
Songs for Worship: Songs: Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, Every Praise, By Faith, Behold Our God, Your Name
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Introduction
Attention:
1. Love is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?
a. What are some things that you love? (cheese, strategic games, my job, my children, my wife, God, etc…)
2. The diversity of our answers to this question can really reveal the diversity of meanings our culture has for the
word “love!”
a. Poets write about it, singers sing about it, greeting cards convey sentiments of it—but do we truly know
what it is?
b. Is it a feeling, a commitment, a sexual relationship, sharing, an orientation, or something you can’t define it
but you’ll know it when you see it?
3. With no solid definition or standard of love our culture leans toward self-serving love.
a. And it uses it’s concept of ‘love’ to defend strange, irresponsible, and even sinful things!
b. Think about it…
i. Illicit romantic relationships and many other sinful sexual relationships are defended ‘in the name of
love’
ii. Abusive and manipulative relationships are actually defended ‘in the name of love’
iii. Sadly even murder, like euthanasia & abortion, are defended ‘in the name of love’
c. As a people, we have lost the ability to rightly define, understand, or even practice the love that we were
created for!
Big Picture:
1. And so this Christmas week we turn to 1 John to see…
a. SLIDE-Title: Godly Love: Revealed by God, Delivered by His People
2. In this passage John elaborates on the relationship between God’s love for us & our love for one another
a. “For so loved the world, that he gave his only Son...” (see John 3:16)
i. A love that we celebrate this week with Christmas
ii. A love which find’s its culmination not found in the cradle, but on the cross
iii. A love of such magnitude that it should dramatically change our lives!
b. By God’s grace we will learn more fully what true love is & how to live it out by seeing that…
c. SLIDE-Thesis: God has demonstrated true love to His people which He calls on us to demonstrate to one
another.
3. This is also a good time to briefly make mention of your sermon notes within the bulletin
a. I you like to engage with God’s Word in worship through note-taking, I provided a basic structure for you
with blanks to fill in
i. When you see an underlined word, that’s one of the blanks that I left for you to fill-in.
ii. If you miss something, don’t worry, I’ll add it to our Facebook page after worship.
b. If this helps you to engage with God through His Word & apply it better to your life—please do use this!
i. If this is a distraction to you, please do ignore it!
Passage:
Now, please stand with me in honor of God’s Word as we read 1 John 4:7-16
1. And as we read, I invite you to consider…
a. The great Christmas love of God (ultimate found upon the cross), and
b. How He calls on you to demonstrate this love in your life & relationships…
2. Verses-5 Slides: (Sound crew, please advance the slides for me during the Scripture reading)
1 John 4:7–16 ESV
7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows
God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 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. 10 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. 11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one
another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us,
because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the
Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love
abides in God, and God abides in him.
a. May the Lord bless the reading of His word
a. Please pray with me
Transition:
1. Considering what we have just read, let’s now go on to answer the question-Main Point 1:
What is Love?
Explain:
1. John highlights several important truths needed to answer this question.
2. First, 1 John 4:7 shared us that “Love is from God,” which highlight that…
MP1: Love originated from God:
1. Love is not a human creation
2. As a matter of fact,
a. MP1: Love is found within the Trinity, totally separate from us!
b. This is one of the reasons that understanding God as a Trinity is so important
c. Love existed between the persons of God before any other created being
3. Consider what the Scriptures teach about this:
a. On earth Jesus declares His love for the Father (John 14:31)
b. He also taught that “the Father loves the Son...” which the Father openly declared at Jesus’ baptism &
transfiguration (John 3:35, 5:20, 15:9, 17:23-26; c.f. Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 3:17, 12:18, 17:5; Mark 1:11, 9:7;
Luke 3:22, 9:35)
c. Furthermore, Galatians 5:22 highlights that “the fruit of the Spirit is love...” among many many other
things—it naturally emanates from His being!
4. Love originates in God!
a. And with this, we also understand that…
MP1: Love is defined by God:
1. As we spoke of a moment ago, our world is quite confused regarding the definition of love
a. And yet that doesn’t keep us from trying to define it in our own image time & time again
b. Sometimes the world even tries to say that “Love is God”
i. In doing this we actually put our concept of love above our concept of God—
ii. This is quite common in our cultural & it opens us up to a whole slew of self-serving heresy!
iii. We begin to apply what we feel love is onto who God is
2. In contrast to that, 1 John 4:8 & 16 both declare that “God is Love,”
a. This highlights that the definition of love is found within who God is.
b. He alone has the authority to define true love & to stipulate how it is rightly demonstrated
i. Hollywood doesn’t have that authority, the books I read don’t have that authority, and neither do my
experiences have that authority!
ii. The world prefers a definition of love that is ultimate self-serving-1. Often it falls into a “you scratch my back & I’ll scratch your’s” idea
3. But, did you catch how God defined love in this passage?
a. What does 1 John 4:9 teach? “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.”
i. By the Father sending the Son into the world that we might live through Him, the love of God was
manifested among us.
1. This word means that love was made fully known, it was revealed clearly & in some detail (G-E
Lex. of the NT)
2. He defined love in this action
3. Which well reminds us that while emotions are part of love—
a. They are not the heart of love
b. An action further defined in 1 John 4:10, “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.”
i. God sent Jesus into the world so that we might live through Him by Jesus becoming the propitiation for
our sins.
ii. Who remembers what that word means? (It came up in 1 Jn 2:2)
1. It is the means by which sins are forgiven
2. Our sins have merited the wrath & judgment of God; but this wrath was satisfied (appeased)
through Jesus taking our place on the cross.
3. He became our sin-offering necessary to pay our sin-debt, He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
4. Consider the selflessness that we see in God’s definition of love!
a. More than merely an emotional attachment,
i. Love is seen through sacrificial actions for the good of the one being loved.
b. As you may remember the exhortation from 1 John 3:18, “Little children, let us not love in word or
speech, but in action and in truth.”
c. As Pastor Royce has highlighted,
i. MP1: “Love is a choice to put another’s needs above your own.”
5. And as a final point here, as the originator of love & definer of love…
MP1: Love is best exemplified by God
1. This goes right alongside with the description of love that God provided
a. And was emphasized in John 15:13 when Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life
for his friends.”
2. The greatest example of love is
a. MP1: Jesus’ work on the cross
b. He had no need to save us
i. And we certainly did not merit this great salvation
c. But God, in His great love for us,
i. Put our greatest need before His own needs!
ii. As Romans 5:8 shares, “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us.”
d. He willingly & sacrificially humbled Himself to the horrors of the cross to save us
i. Through His propitiation Jesus secured the way for us to have a right relationship with God & thus
enjoy eternal life with Him
e. Have you entered into this?
i. Have you received this great gift of Christmas, unwrapped upon the cross?
ii. Each of us are invited to receive it, even now!
Transition:
1. And as we consider that, let’s move forward...
2. God has revealed His great love to us; It…
a. Originated from Him
b. Is defined by Him
c. And is best exemplified through Jesus’ work on the cross
3. God has demonstrated true love to His people which He calls on us to demonstrate to one another.
a. So, let’s now consider…
Main Point 2:
How should we demonstrate love?
Explain:
1. MP2: This answer requires that we first start with the necessary foundation
a. MP2: Which is: A strong relationship with God!
b. John emphasizes this need throughout our text this morning, consider such verses as…
i. 7b-8, “whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not
know God, because God is love”
1. There is an intricate connection between being in the family of God (that is, to be “born of God”) &
being able to rightly love.
ii. Considering Jesus, v9 says we are to “live through him”
1. Having had His atoning sacrifice applied to us, we walk in Christ.
c. vv12-16 then highlight a consistent theme:
i. MP2: To rightly love, we must abide in God & He in us!
1. While mentioned sixteen times previously in 1 John, this is the first of the six times “abiding” is
mentioned in this section of verses—
2. MP2: This highlights our need to consistently live in His presence & under His direction!
ii. As 1 John 4:12 shares., “if we love one another, God abides in us”
1. Our true love is evidence of God’s indwelling presence.
iii. v13 then shares, “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his
Spirit.”
1. We can live consistently in His presence because He has given us His Spirit!
iv. And finally vv15-16 shares, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and
he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and
whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
1. And here John highlights how we start to abide in God & He in us-2. We confess that Jesus is the Son of God—
a. Speaking w/the mouth that which we believe in the heart, that the Babe in a manger was not
merely human
b. As the carol sings out, “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail th’ incarnate Deity! Pleased as
man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel.”
3. We know & believe the love that God has for us—
a. A love that John just explained in vv9-10: The Father sending Jesus to be the propitiation of our
sins that we might live through Him!
b. MP2: By humbly knowing and believing in God’s love, Jesus’ atoning work, we enter into
this relationship with God
v. This brings us back to the question I posed near the end of the last point—
1. Have you entered into the right relationship with God, secured through Jesus’ atoning work on the
cross?
2. It is the greatest gift of Christmas!
d. Let’s move forward to now see the next key in demonstrating love…
i. This one isn’t too unexpected…
2. MP2: We ought to love one another as He loves us
a. In a not-so-settle way John demonstrates this as he urges us to do it
i. “Beloved (agapetos), let us love (agapao) one another.” (v7), and again
ii. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (v11)
b. Through saying we are to love “one another” John’s again emphasizes the importance that this love must
first & foremost be manifested in the church
i. No matter what background we are from, what socio-economic level, what color our skin, what
language or accent, what political background we have—none of these things counter this great
commandment
ii. Beloved, let us love one another!
c. In v12 John highlighted that “No one has ever seen God,”
i. But through our love for one another, God is revealed to us and the watching world!
d. Hillview Baptist Church, does the world see God through your love for one another?
i. Remember, this love is manifested as the “choice to put another’s needs above your own.”
e. And as you do this you are willingly letting God exercise and demonstrate His love through you!
i. Your Christ-like love is a tangible expression of love for our invisible God
f. This is not a forced intimacy
i. Nor is it mere shallow sentimentality
g. It is the natural fruit of the Holy Spirit within (Galatians 5:22-23)
i. A love that considers others as more important than yourself which results in looking out for their needs
(Philippians 2:1-13)
ii. MP2: A heartfelt desire to sacrificially meet those needs
1. As Jesus taught in the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:25–37)
iii. MP2: A redemptive love, seeking to restore broken relationships,
1. This is an evangelistic love,
a. Consistently helping people restore their relationship with God
2. And it is a socially-healing love,
a. Always leaning to forgive just as God forgave you (Colossians 3:12-14; Ephesians 4:32-5:2)
Illustration:
Author Dave Simmons shares of a time he took his two children, “Helen (eight years old) and Brandon (five years
old) to the Cloverleaf Mall in Hattiesburg to do a little shopping." in his words…
1. “As we drove up, we spotted a Peterbilt eighteen-wheeler parked with a big sign on it that said, "Petting Zoo."
a. The kids jumped up in a rush and asked, "Daddy, Daddy. Can we go? Please. Please. Can we go?"
b. "Sure," I said, flipping them both a quarter before walking into Sears.
c. They bolted away, and I felt free to take my time looking for a scroll saw…
2. A few minutes later, I turned around and saw Helen walking along behind me.
a. I was shocked to see she preferred the hardware department to the petting zoo.
b. Recognizing my error, I bent down and asked her what was wrong.
c. She looked up at me with those giant limpid brown eyes and said sadly,
i. "Well, Daddy, it cost fifty cents. So, I gave Brandon my quarter."
d. Then she said the most beautiful thing I ever heard.
i. She repeated the family motto… "Love is Action!"
3. She had given Brandon her quarter, and no one loves cuddly furry creatures more than Helen. ..
a. She had watched both of us do and say "Love is Action!" for years around the house…
b. She had heard and seen "Love is Action," and now she had incorporated it into her little lifestyle. It had
become part of her.
4. What do you think I did?
a. Well, not what you might think.
b. As soon as I finished my errands, I took Helen to the petting zoo.
c. We stood by the fence and watched Brandon go crazy petting and feeding the animals.
d. Helen stood with her hands and chin resting on the fence and just watched Brandon.
e. I had fifty cents burning a hole in my pocket; I never offered it to Helen, and she never asked for it.
5. Because she knew the whole family motto.
a. It's not "Love is Action." It's "Love is SACRIFICIAL Action!"
b. Love always pays a price.
c. Love always costs something.
d. Love is expensive.
e. When you love, benefits accrue to another's account.
f. Love is for you, not for me.
g. Love gives; it doesn't grab.
6. Helen gave her quarter to Brandon and wanted to follow through with her lesson.
a. She knew she had to taste the sacrifice.
b. She wanted to experience that total family motto.
c. Love is sacrificial action.
Transition:
1. Do you love in such a way?
2. Such love will transform
a. Your life & those whom you love
b. And it will radically transform our church!
Conclusion-1:
Conclusion
Reiterate:
1. God has demonstrated true love to His people which He calls on us to demonstrate to one another.
a. We have found love through God, the origin, definer, & greatest example of love
b. We have seen the necessary foundation of this love—abiding in God & He in us
i. through confessing Jesus as the Son of God, knowing & believing in Him & His atoning work
c. We have seen the call to love one another as He loves us—
i. Sacrificially meeting their needs
ii. Helping restore broken relationships between mankind & God as well as between us & one another
Apply:
So, how should we respond?
1. Con-: Better know, obey, & believe Jesus!
a. Again we return from our earlier repeated question:
i. Have you entered into the right relationship with God, which was secured through Jesus’ atoning work
on the cross?
ii. Have you received what God has done for you?
b. In today’s passage John describes this relationship
i. As being born of God (v7)
ii. And as knowing & believing the love that God has for us (v16)—a love which John defined as God...
1. Sending His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him (v9)
2. And to be the propitiation for our sins (v10)
c. Earlier
i. In 1 John 2:3 he explained “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his
commandments.”
ii. And in 1 John 3:23–24 he shared, “Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son
Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps his commands remains
in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.”
d. What evidence shows that we have come to know God & abide in God?
i. Keeping His commandment to believe in Jesus & love one another
ii. The Holy Spirit He has given us (1 John 3:24, 4:13)
e. So better embracing the love of God
i. Starts with first entering this faith-based relationship
ii. It then moves to better knowing, believing in, & obeying Jesus
f. Consider how you can do that today, this week, & even in this new year
i. Knowing: Scripture, Prayer, stories/discipleship from church, etc.
ii. Believing: Pairing that with trust—releasing fear, practicing…
iii. Obeying: Following His teachings & lifestyle, attitudes & actions, etc.
1. Testifying that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world (v14) &
2. Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God (v15)
g. As you do this all the more you will come to find that you abide in love, you abide in God, & God abides in
you (v16)
h. Finally, as you do this, let it work out through you to...
2. Con-: Earnestly love one another more!
a. Con-: 1 John emphasizes that this is especially to be done within the church!
b. This is the love that we have been talking about:
i. Putting another’s need above your own
ii. Sacrificially meeting another’s need
iii. Seeking to restore broken relationships
c. Have you done this within the family of faith?
i. Democrats or republicans?
ii. Relatives with whom you usually disagree?
iii. Friends or strangers?
d. HBC, if you want to be the church God has called you to be—
i. If you want to be salt & light to this world—
ii. If you want to see our community healed from it’s division & brokenness—
iii. You must do this!
e. Con-: And with this, I encourage you to intentionally build up our community!
i. What will increase the love within our fellowship?
ii. Lingering after worship & getting to hear how life has been for one another?
iii. Eating together throughout the week?
iv. Habitually gathering for prayer & encouragement?
v. Capitalize on planned fellowship opportunities.
vi. Go out of your way to get to know one another!
1. Break up your current daily & weekly routines
2. Re-prioritize how you spend your time!
3. Deliberately show God’s love to His people!
f. Remember, loving one another is not simply ‘doing no wrong’ to your neighbor-i. It is the “choice to put another’s needs above your own.”
ii. But how will you ever do such a thing when you don’t really know where they are at?
iii. We must change how we live our daily lives to rightly love one another.
g. HBC, let us become a community that demonstrates our invisible God to the watching world !
i. As the rest of the nation represents turmoil and wrath within their relationships,
ii. Let us be a people of love and peace.
iii. Beloved, let us love one another.
Appeal:
a. This week as we enjoy remembering the cradle,
i. Let our minds & hearts be also brought to the cross
ii. Upon which God exemplified this great & sacrificial love
iii. Upon which He secured the means by which we can love one another as He abides in us
b. Let’s not try to keep Jesus as the baby in the cradle,
i. But let us embrace Him as the King on the Throne of our own lives
ii. Beloved, let us love one another.
Conclude:
Pray with me...
1. Heavenly Father,
a. Thank you for that first Advent of Jesus upon which He came as an “Infant lowly”
b. Thank you that Jesus did not stay there, but that He made propitiation for our sins & through this we have
new life
2. Enable us this week to more fully walk in a manner worthy of Your great love—
a. Sharing Your love with all those around,
b. Sacrificially meeting their needs,
c. Healing broken relationships,
d. Loving as Jesus loved.
3. In Jesus name we pray—Amen.