The centrality of God’s love proved in Christ.

Introduction

Good morning beloved, it’s great to be with you all here again today and worship with you. You may notice that I am being a little more distant today than usual, this is because this week I have had and am still recovering from both the flu and bronchitis and I know several of us have medical things coming up…. If you will all please go ahead and turn in your bible’s to 1st John 4:7-12. In a few moments we will read this scripture passage together from the screen but I would like you to go ahead and have your bible’s open to this passage in case during the sermon you need to see anything from previous weeks for reference.

While you are doing that, I want to share something with you all. So, if you get to spend any time with me, you will probably know that I am an avid reader, and I think that most pastors all. That being said though, some things I read are just for the sake of reading, specifically for the ability for me to know and understand how a good story is told. So, a few times a year I will try to read just that, just stories. This year, I have taken to reading some of the tales of King Arthur and His court. These stories are fascinating (though so archaic in language that they are to read in the original form) and as such have been made modern time and time and again. Why is this, why are they kept and passed down to new generation of Englishmen and (adventure loving boys and girls) century after century? Well, it is because they are so deep and so beloved that they are almost central to the culture or England. In fact, I doubt any British person could imagine the world through a lens that doesn’t include King Arthur in their culture’s subconscious thoughts, he touches a great many things in many different ways in the same way that Davey Crocket, and Daniel Boone, and George Washington does for us in America today. This is much like the people who have lived their whole lives under Queen Elizabeth’s monarchy, it is hard to imagine life without her for those people. These thoughts, these images of these people and what they represent are deep, so central that they can almost go unseen but be ever present and active. So what, in our faith lives is deep in this way, and yes I hope it never becomes and unconscious thought but is ever on our minds. That is, the deepness of God’s love, which He paid the ultimate price for, for us. This is like this week’s sermon title, The centrality of God’s love proved in Christ.

Scripture

Now, if you will all please rise for the reading of God’s word today, which is 1st John 4:7-12. We have only done this a few times before, but if you will please turn your attention to the screen above me, on the screen will be the text…. Please read along out loud with me as I read it. When I am done, I will finish with “this is the word of the Lord” and you will respond with “thanks be to God.” Before we begin though, let’s pray. Father God, you are great and mighty and greatly to praised both from our tongues and in our heats. Your might and your love knows no limits. Father, make our hearts more attuned to the truth of Your love and the sacrifice You made to show it us. We ask today that as you share Your word with us, that You help us put all things aside. All things aside that keep us from hearing, knowing, and rejoicing in the truth You will show us. Your word is precious to us, help us treasure it. May Your Spirit move in special way here today, that we would be empowered to go and share the message of Your good news to the world because You are the God who loves us so. So much, though we do not deserve it. May your greatness be in some way small way reflected in each of us this week. Let our paths be made by You and for You in all things that we do. Let us seek You in all things. It’s in these things that I ask and In Jesus Christ’s Holy and Precious name that I pray, Amen. 1st John 4, Starting in Verse 7. 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. This is the word of the Lord (Thanks be to God). Thank you, please be seated.

Context

We continue today in our sermon series through the epistles (or letters) of John. As I mentioned last week, we see John take on, for the 3rd time, the supreme test of love; and if John or the author of whichever Biblical text you are reading is revisiting an idea, it is because it is very important and they want you to understand this and really key into it and apply it. So, John wants his audience to do what? He wants them to continue to test the spirits, test the teachings (as we spoke of and read last week) against something. What is this something, it’s the test of God’s love that is not distorted but is pure and full of his holy message and intent, I make this distinction because we are all to likely to do good things or show some kind of love that isn’t really love for God or love for the brethren, but is really a kind of self love. To be blunt, kind of like the love a politician starts to conspicuously show his/her constituents when election time is near. It’s ingenuine and really a love of self and world. John here begs us to both observe the messages and influence of all things, of all people, off a genuine love; and in turn we are to show this love to all people. So, assuredly enough, as remember the audience was one that was filled with confusion on matter of faith at the time, if you do this or the teaching you are testing does this then you know you/it is of from God and is right. In other words, “Hey man, you see that guy over there who is using the platform he has (appearing to good things to get an audience) but seems to never always be pointing to himself about how great he/she is, well they are wrong. Don’t follow that person.” Rather, look for a teacher or someone of influence that keeps pointing at something else, someone who says, “look at what a great God we have.” With this person lies the Spirit of God.

In last week’s message we touched on several important things, important truths about God that John felt was necessary for believers to know. The first one we looked at is that God is Truth, that many untrue and false things seek to get into our lives. In fact, they seep in everywhere, even places that we thought were safe. As such, we are to continually test spirit of what is behind anything. We need to check for lies and errors, as anything that has a lie or errors is not of God. To do this we have to be deep in the vine, deep in the Word and the message of Jesus Christ to keep us wise of what the truth is and what Satan seeks to deceive with. The second thing, this shouldn’t surprise any of you. Jesus is God, he is part of the God Head, the second person of the trinity. Every true spirit, every true teacher or teaching is required to know, confess, and teach that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh. Otherwise, this person is of the spirit of antichrist, meaning this person is not for Christ because they have a different father, the father of lies. Then we moved into something that comforted the readers and receivers of John’s letter and should comfort us today. This is that God is greater, in you through the greatness of our God and the gifting of God the Holy Spirit in you, you have within you what you need to overcome any evil. For He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. We rounded up with an emphasis on the importance of gospel message in every believers life, that we hear God. Since we are from Him and are His children, we hear the message of apostles (through our bible’s), this is a message that always points towards God and Jesus Christ the Righteous and His death on the cross to pay for sins and relates directly to that sermon’s main point. That is, The Spirit of God(God the Holy Spirit) points to Christ. So, with those things in mind, let’s dive deep into this week’s text.

Message

Our first point is, God’s love is a central characteristic.

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.

The first thing I want to draw your attention to is these verses is how many times the word or a word from the root of love is used. Let me read that again and count. 7 Beloved (One), let us love (two) one another, for love (three) is from God, and whoever loves (four) has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love (five) does not know God, because God is love (6). Six times in these 2 verses is the English word love used in these verses. I’m sure most of you in here know that in the original language, they had multiple forms/definitions/types of love. The base word used here is the same for everyone of them for us, and probably the word you are all most familiar with, the word ἀγάπη agape which means especially a love of affection or benevolence that overflows, like the overflow of a feast. The person who is agape loved is dear to you, is very very loved.

In fact, in verse 7 John asserts that this love is from God Himself, not from our own selves or even our own ability. We are dependent on Him to have and show this. This is why the natural man, those caught up in the world and play into their own sin, never seem to get this right no matter how hard they try, because they do not have the correct spiritual father (God the Father) to do this, their father is the Father lies and hate and sin. Only the father God from whom love is defined bestows the gift of this kind of love to His children. So, since His children know Him, they have this kind of love. Anyone who does not have this love does not know God, because God is love. Wow, that’s hard. I know it is and it may even dethrone some of the “best of the world.” These are God’s words saying this, not me. Love comes from God. He sets and is the definition.

A second point is, God’s love reaches so deep.

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.

If you were anything like me this week, at first this first bit these verses didn’t make any sense. Well…. That is, because I had turn the page. Then, there it is, God’s love was made manifest among us by His only Son that was sent into the world, so that we might live in Him. Welp, there it is isn’t it? You will also remember how in the last three chapters of this letter, the relationship focus is much more on God and man than it was in relation to man and the rest of mankind. So, here the focus on Love is a downward focus, not an up focus. God’s love came down to us, through the Son coming, Jesus Christ, to this world. Meaning, through Jesus Christ we get to live without fear, we get to live in Him, in God in security for all of eternity.

John then goes on to back this idea of the focus up, verse 10 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. What matters is that God loved us. So, why does this matter? Why do we even care?.... It’s because we have a great debt that have accrued (because of our sin) to God, that separates us from Him. In fact, this debt is so great that we could never pay it on our own. We need someone to provide the propitiation for this sin, this rebellion to God that lies in every one of us…..To quote brother Josh a few months ago, propitiation is, “In short propitiation is the “atoning sacrifice” that Jesus accomplished on the cross. This is where Jesus took the wrath of God on himself as our substitute. He was able to do this as the spotless lamb because he had lived the perfect life, the life without sin.” This is something we can never do on our own, though many have tried and all have failed. You will remember those famous verses, John 3:16-21, “16 “For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” Only God has this kind of love, only He is capable of saving, his judgment is just, his gift is merciful. The good works are all from God, not our own. Thank you Lord. Let’s move on.

Another point is, God’s love perfected in us.

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.

If God loved and loves us so much, that He WOULD DIE FOR US, because God is our Father and Christ is Our King, whom we are to emulate, we should love one another in the same way. John says here, no room misinterpretation. Beloved, we are to Love each other as Christ, as God loved the church.

I think one person who put it much better than I could, is the Apostle Paul in 1st Cor 13. To take a section of this text that is relevant to our main text today. Let me read for you starting in verse 27. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (by the way He is using this to mean the church here, members of the church, members of our church, members of the other churches you see, this is the body of Christ) 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Then we move onto the next chapter, and to me it almost seems surprising to me that our modern translations have chosen to put a chapter between these two. I can see why though, as this next part, chapter 13 is said to be a, “hymn to love” and was composed by Paul on a previous occasion (under the Spirit’s inspiration, of course) and inserted in the letter at this point (under the Spirit’s direction) because of its telling appropriateness.[1] So, it’s a sort of continued thought from before, the more excellent way. Chapter 13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Love is the best thing to aspire for. I think we can all agree, “Since God is the source and origin (ek) of love and all true love derives from him, it stands to reason that everyone who loves, that is, loves either God or neighbour with that selfless devotion which alone is true love according to John’s teaching, has been born of God and knows God.”[2]

Then, John says something kind of confusing, He says no one has ever seen God. I don’t want to focus on this, to quote Van Neste, “The connection of this verse to the preceding material is not immediately clear. That no one can see God because he is spirit is a basic truth of the Bible (Ex. 33:20; 1 Tim. 1:17.[3]” Sure, mankind has seen theophanies, or parts of the image of God, but never Him in His fullness outside of Christ. We will get to though, one beautiful day, those among the redeemed. What John is communicating here is that God is something much different than us, His truths are sometimes hard for us grasp, but they are all still just that, truths. Truths that are so big and so true, that they are immeasurable for us.

When we love one another, sacrificially and deeply, God’s love is perfected in us. So what is perfect then? It is absolute, it cannot get any better or any more true. It is a base word for 100% what you are looking for. So, 100% what God is looking for from us in love is that we show the most of this agape love to one another that we possibly could. Show love to the point that it hurts, be willing to be vulnerable. Invest in one another, no matter how poor the return you think you will get. Don’t hold anything back, as we all to often do with either our time or our money or affection God loves us and calls us in such a way to love one another. God showed you this love, with Jesus’ death on the cross, despite our own frequent and cruel rebellion to Him.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, do you here this, do you know this, does it move you into action? If so, does it need to move you more? Does anything to you matter more, seem more important to you than, The centrality of God’s love proved in Christ. Is something else central to you? Maybe it’s safety, maybe it’s health, maybe it’s wealth, maybe it’s acceptance. Now, these things in and of themselves are not bad, but if they are more central, more important to you than God and His love for you (and the love you show to the brethren) than God is warmly calling you turn. To repent and trust in the precious name of Jesus. Do this today, you have nothing to gain by waiting.

To others in the room, perhaps you aren’t to sure just yet. Or maybe you some things to talk to the Lord about, or You don’t know that He can be trusted with what you have to show Him. To you, I offer you this. He already knows, he already know your thoughts and what you have done and no, no they are not to bad to forgiven. He is a mighty God, He is powerful in His grace, and mercy and Love. You can have the forgiveness you know you need, all through accepting the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross to pay for your sins. Accept Him today, there really is no other way. He can and will and wants to heal you and make you whole again.

Let’s conclude. Church, I love you all. If during the final song together if you need prayer, or just need to talk, or want to commit your life Jesus, I will be here. Let’s pray. Father God, I thank you for this wonderful worship time and message you have allowed us share together today. Father, takes these words and make them hit us hard in our hearts and souls. Make them move us in ways in which we can’t help but show the love of God to brethren and share the true message, Jesus Saves with the world. We love You Father, it’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and Precious name that I pray. Amen.

[1]Lowery, David K. “1 Corinthians.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2, Victor Books, 1985, p. 535. [2]Stott, John R. W. The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary. InterVarsity Press, 1988, p. 161. [3] Van Neste, Ray. “1 John.” Hebrews–Revelation, edited by Iain M. Duguid et al., vol. XII, Crossway, 2018, p. 457.