SHARING THE GIFT (OF LOVE) 1 JOHN 4:7

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 4)

KNOWING GOD THROUGH LOVE

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

BIG IDEA: WE MUST LOVE AS GOD HAS SHOWN US LOVE.

THERE IS A SONG, NOT SURE WHO SANG IT, BUT IT GOES SOMETHING LIKE: LOVE ISN’T LOVE UNTIL IT’S GIVEN AWAY...

STRONG LYRICS...

AND THERE’S SO MUCH TRUTH IN THERE...

LOVE IS ACTIONABLE.

LOVE IS PERFORMANCE.

I CAN NEVER KNOW WHO LOVES ME UNLESS THAT GIFT IS SHARED...

YES, LOVE IS VERBAL, AND IT IS ALSO A VERB. MEANING: THERE MUST BE MEAT ON THE BONE OF YOUR LANGUAGE...

I TOLD YOU MANY TIMES ABOUT THE MAN WHO TRULY LOVED THIS WOMAN.

EVERY DAY HE’D WRITE HER A LETTER, PLEDGING HIS LOVE TO HER…AND DAILY HE WOULD SECRETLY WATCH AS THE LETTER WAS DELIVERED TO HER.

IT WAS A DAILY DANCE THEY PLAYED...

UNTIL ONE DAY, SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE MAILMAN...

LOVE IS ACTIONABLE.

LOVE INVOLVES WORDS, BUT CANNOT STOP THERE!

I TELL MY KIDS HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM, AND I DEMONSTRATE SAID LOVE BY PROTECTING AND PROVIDING FOR THEIR WELL-BEING...

WE’RE TEN DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS (MONIE HAS A COUNTDOWN ON THE REFRIGERATOR)...

TEN DAYS...

AND AS WE DISCUSSED THE GIFT OF LOVE IN OUR JOY TO THE WORLD SERIES, I FOUND MYSELF MOONWALKING BACK TO VERSE SEVEN FROM OUR TEXT FROM SUNDAY:

BUT REMEMBER FROM SUNDAY: I’M HERE TO REMIND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU THAT GOD LOVES YOU, AND THAT HOPE IS YOURS!

BACK TO VERSE 7: DEAR FRIENDS, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER...

HERE’S OUR FIRST MOVEMENT:

LOVE A FRIEND!

REMEMBER, LOVE IS ACTIONABLE.

USE THIS SEASON TO HEAL YOUR WOUNDS BY LOVING A FRIEND.

REMEMBER, JESUS SHOWED US WHAT LOVE LOOKED LIKE BY BEING SENT AND BY BEING SACRIFICED. ((ACTIONABLE STUFF, RIGHT THERE))!!

I BELIEVE THAT OUR JOY IS FULFILLED - OR MADE COMPLETE WHEN WE CHOOSE TO LIVE IN A MANNER THAT GOD HAS CALLED US TO LIVE...

JOHN SAYS, “LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER...”

THIS IS HOW WE OUGHT LIVE...

SO, HERE’S THE DOUBLE DOWN:

ASK GOD TO REVEAL.

OPEN YOUR EYES TO SEE...

THIS DOES NOT MEAN TO GO INTO DEBT TO BUY A FRIEND A BUNCH OF STUFF THAT THEY DON’T NEED.

IT MEANS, HOWEVER, OPENING YOUR EYES TO SEE NEEDS BEYOND THE SURFACE.

I SUBMIT TO YOU THAT LOVE TOUCHES BENEATH THE SURFACE.

LOVE A FRIEND: MEET A NEED. SUPPORT WITH PRESENCE.

THE TEXT IS MOVING: BECAUSE LOVE IS FROM GOD, AND EVERYONE WHO LOVES HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD AND KNOWS GOD.

NOT ONLY LOVE A FRIEND.

SECONDLY,

GROW IN LOVE.

NOTICE THE PROGRESSION:

LOVE IS FROM GOD.

THOSE WHO LOVE HAVE BEEN BORN OF GOD.

THOSE WHO LOVE KNOW GOD.

LOVE IS A PRODUCT OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD, WHICH RESIDES IN EVERY BELIEVER.

AS WE GROW TO KNOW GOD, LOVE BECOMES A MORE CONSISTENT PART OF OUR LIFE EXPERIENCE.

LOVE IDENTIFIES US AS GOD’S CHILDREN...

IT’S A MARKER...

WE ARE RECIPIENTS OF LOVE, SO THAT WE MIGHT BE DISPENSERS OF LOVE!

BELOVED, IF YOU AIN’T LOVING - YOU AIN’T LIVING!!!

LOVE IS CONFIRMATION THAT YOUR HEART HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED.

GROWING IN LOVE MEANS:

GROW TIL YOU LOVE LIKE GOD.

LIVE LIKE YOU KNOW GOD.