God's Love Demonstrated

Introduction

Good Morning Church! I was reading once where the question was asked, “what is love?” How do we know love? How can we find love? How can we demonstrate love? All very good questions. There was a group of researchers that asked what is love, what does it mean? The question was given to a group of children. Listen to some of their answers:

Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.

Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.

Love is when trying to think the best about someone.

Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.

It’s fun sometimes to see how children view the world around them, and seeing their perspective on love. It’s even better to get God’s perspective on love. It’s wonderful to see His passion of love for us and all of creation. There are several times in Scripture that God gives us His thoughts on love. We can see God’s thoughts on love in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 and right here in 1st John (as a couple examples).

It’s been said that John’s letter mentions love over 40-times. It’s clear that God wishes to communicate how He feels. Like the examples the children gave, God’s love can be understood by how He demonstrates that love. This morning, we’re going to talk about God’s Love Demonstrated. Open your Bibles with me to 1st John Chapter 4. If you don’t have a Bible, I’d like to invite you to open one of our pew Bibles. Our passage can be found on page 1902 at the top of the second column. Let’s begin reading in verse 7.

1 John 4:7 ESV

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:8 ESV

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:9 ESV

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.

1 John 4:10 ESV

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.

1 John 4:11 ESV

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:12 ESV

12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Pastoral Prayer

This paragraph is similar to a pericope with two vantage points, the source of God love and the inspiration of that love God has given. It’s really interesting how John addresses his readers. He begins with the word “beloved.”

[Display Verse 7]

Some translations will use the words “dear friends,” the word “beloved” shows a tender side to his heart, a pastoral heart reflecting in love. Have you how noticed those relationships that have grown to a level of love, we generally can speak more openly and more direct. John speaks this morning from the podium not only with a commandment but also an appeal. That appeal is love. What’s interesting here is how John has pressed the clutch and changed gears. He changed gears from talking about testing the spirits to the topic of love. John says, “let us love one another.” This in itself is a simple phrase, but calls our attention. The call is a submission in love. The call John sends out is a type of brotherly, sisterly love. It means to love our fellow Christians, or better said love between believers in Jesus Christ. As children of God, we’re expected to love one another. The type of love John is referring to is Apage. The underlying essence of Agape is a self-sacrificing love. In John’s gospel, one of the great examples of Agape love is giving up one’s life for a friend (John 15:13). John’s appeal to love is a kind of love that is continuous. He says, “let us love one another.” “John doesn’t say love when we feel like it, or when we think it is deserved. He doesn’t say love those who agree with our position always. He doesn’t ask us to love only those within our social circles. We are to love one another.” Our Lord gave the greatest second commandment when he said in part of Mark 12:31, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Sometimes that can be a hard one. When someone is in need, how do you answer the call if the call involves something you have a strong attachment to? Do you allow thing to go out although you won’t be there to see its use?

A few months back, I allowed my man card to go into the shredder just a little, when I read part of the book, “A Woman After God’s Own Heart.” One section of the book talked about “a heart that loves.” The flow of the section was like a how-to, it was a guide built on steps. The ultimate question it aimed to answer was “how can a wife nurture a heart of love, a heart prepared to support her husband.” The application was built on the self-sacrificing love, Agape. Although there were these various stair steps, in the end it became clear that the stair steps began on the foundation of God. The section ended with a call to prayer asking God to enable. That’s because “love is from God,” as John mentions in the middle of verse 7. The source of love is from God. Love is of God, and it’s one of the greatest character traits of God. God is the source! Being born of God, we manifest God’s nature, reflecting His love to others, showing a family resemblance. Being born of God and one who knows God are two different things. To know God talks to a level a maturity. It’s about the relationship we share with God. As we fellowship with God, our relationship grows. One way we fellowship with God is by being in His Word. This is where our growth begins leading to maturity. A fuller relationship. It’s like that with any relationship. We can say, yeah we know of Sam and Sally, in the sense of who they are generally speaking. When we spend time with Sam and Sally more frequently, we get to “know” them. We learn about them on a deeper level. On the other hand, it’s possible for a person to believe in Jesus Christ, to be born of God, and not love their Christian brother or sister.

[Display Verse 8]

Verse 8 talks that there can exist an absence of love. John reveals that plainly. What John is talking about here is a Christian brother or sister who has not grown in a relationship with God to where the person can say they know God. That intimacy with God has not yet developed. We cannot be in the right relationship with our Lord and not show the essence of who He is in love, “because God is love.” Within the scope of God’s nature, we can see that love, mercy and goodness flow freely from God. And, real love finds its roots in God. The love is critical that John turn to some concrete terms, pointing to the supreme example of love.

[Display Verse 9]

It’s one thing to talk about love, and something else to show love. God is not just a talking God. He’s a God of action. Verse 9 and 10 reveal’s that to us. The love that flows from God is not just an emotion that’s felt. It’s love in action. John says, “in this the love of God was made manifest among us.” This means love was “made manifest,” “showed” or “revealed” to us. What might have been previously hidden is now revealed. We are His creation, and although we try very hard, we are still finite, which means the fullness of God’s can never really be fully understood. But! His love can be see. And one of those ways His love has been demonstrated is through the sending of “his only son into the world.” Although there are many, a second way God’s love is demonstrated is best seen at The Cross of Calvary! This is huge because:

1 John 4:10 ESV

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.

The word propitiation means to satisfy, make a mends for a wrong that has been committed. In terms of Jesus Christ, it means God is satisfied with Jesus’ work on the cross. That means, His death and the release of His blood paid our sin debt. God didn’t look down on His creation say, “you all are hosed because of your rebellion and will suffer judgement,” although that is deserved. God didn’t just tell us that He loved us through His Word, He showed that great love as He sent His Son to die for our sin. He knew there needed to be a perfect sinless sacrifice, Jesus fulfilled that. God knew His only son would be the only one worthy. Yet in all of our rebellion, He loved us enough to send His Son to this world in order to bear our sin and suffer the judgement that we rightly deserve. There is no greater love than this!

I’ve met hurting people who were wondering, “does anyone love me?” They could have been abandoned, betrayed, lied to, mistreated and perhaps deeply wounded. Perhaps you feel this way, where you can do everything to barely ask the question. Could I be loved? Does anyone love me? The great news that we just heard is YES! You are loved by God! The series we’re in is dealing with the passion of God. And, God has a passion for you! How do we know that? We know that through His love demonstrated by sending His Son. If you’re following along in your Bible, or on the of the pew bibles, in both verse 9 and 10, John is saying it twice, that God sent His Son. Jesus Christ was sent for you and for me! And, because Jesus’ work on the cross, that opened the door for salvation! God cold have let the weight of His judgement fall on us, but He found another way. That way is Jesus Christ!

This is a call for praise! Thank you God for sending your Son! Thank you Jesus for shedding your blood for us! God’s love is displayed for the entire world through His Son. As believers in Jesus Christ, living through Him, for Him and with Him, this love is displayed through the believer. John says in:

1 John 4:11–12 ESV

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.

Notice that John is still speaking tenderly and encouraging to love, “if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” This is the inspiration of love. This is our model for showing love to others. We see:

Forgiving Love demonstrated through Joseph, when he provided for his brothers and family (Genesis 45)

We see Redeeming Love the Lord has in the early verses of Hosea Chapter 3

We see Compassionate Love between brothers, David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 18, then again expressed through loyalty in Ruth and Naomi

We see Healing Love from the cross, where the Bible says in:

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

The point is, when we look to the love of God, His love is every shade imaginable! God is the source of love. Which means love flows from Him, and He is the author of love!

Application

This was before my time, its been said that some 400 million people watched a band named the Beatles (1967) sang a song “All You Need Is Love.” The song was written in a simple way that could be easily understood by all nations. It can by understood why it could have been the beat of their heart and that of the world. What we really need is the God who is love! To put it more accurately, what we really need is Jesus, who was sent by God who is love! We need to be connected to Jesus who is our source of love. And when that happens, real love that is supernatural, satisfying and sacrificing will flow like a river from Him into us, then out to others. When God’s love flows, we cannot contain it. His love will overflow onto others, which we will know the wonderful truth, God is love.

Is there someone you could reach out to today in love. It could be a brother or sister in the faith. It could be a family member that’s been on your heart — reach out to them (it could be ease easy as sending a text with three words — I love you.

Perhaps you’ve been wondering if God could love you? The passion of God says YES! God’s loves comes through His Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was sent for you. Because God loves you that much. Jesus Christ is our hope! Jesus Christ is you hope! Jesus has an outstretched had to you. What’s stopping you from coming forward and reaching to the loving hand of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

Ask the Lord to help me love like him.

Closing Prayer