When Love Abides In Us Series

When Love Abides In Us

1 John 4:12-21

We live in a world that is subject to certain changes in opinion. For a generation we have been worried about cholesterol and have tried to cut it out of our diets.

Now, just to confuse us, we are told there is a good & a bad cholesterol. For years many people turned to margarine to avoid butter but now scientists are saying that butter is actually better. 2% milk instead of whole milk became popular to avoid fat but some scientists now say that it really matter.

One man decided that he was convinced that in the near future they will discover that vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup is a cure for both heart disease and cancer. So anticipating that discover he is going to continue eating them now.

John’s letter is meant to settle some issues and end any confusion. Especially about the importance of love in the life of the Christian. Love is God’s fingerprint on our lives. It validates His presence and is only possible because He has placed the capacity to love within us.

If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.

(13) This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given to us from His Spirit. (14) And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. (15) Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God - God remains in him and he in God. (16) And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him

1. What does perfect love look like? Where does it come from? Who is it meant for?

The presence of this perfected love is meant to prove that we know

God and to draw a lost world into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

May visit someone who due to some tragedy finds themselves in an intensive care unit at a hospital.

Things are so critical that they might be on life support: monitor brain waves, heart rhythms, things which are all the evidences of life by one definition but are not what real living is all about.

You may access your own life as going though the motions of life but to answer the question, ’is this really living’ you might feel uncomfortable.

The Bible says that if you are separated from a daily consciousness of God that you are dead. IT is not real life, abundant life, eternal life.

2. The key word for John seems to be the word ’remain’ or ’abide’.

Does the love of God continually work itself through your life and mine

to touch others around us?

Book of Genesis the key word was ’walked’ God walked with men and men walked with God.

In Exodus men did not simply walk with God but God lived or dwelt with them. God dwelt in the camp. They were a people of God.

In the NT God dwells in men through the Holy Spirit. He is everpresent in our lives a constant companion and actually the power of His life lives through us.

John 14:23 If any man love Me, he will keep My Words; and My Father will love them, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him’.

Four Questions To Determine Whether You Have This God Kind Of Life:

DO YOU HAVE THE SPIRIT?(13) This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given to us from His Spirit.

1. Loving others is only possible through the Holy Spirit but also confirms the presence of the Spirit in our lives. Given to us from His Spirit

a. Because God has given us of His Spirit the possibilities are endless for us to love others. You might say ’I can’t love ___’.

Maybe you can’t but God can love them through you.

b. Our choice to love others welcomes the Holy Spirit to freely work through our lives. DO YOU HAVE THE SPIRIT?

DO YOU HAVE THE SON(14) And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. (15) Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God - God remains in him and he in God.

1. When we have perfect love then the world will start listening to what we have to say.

A man saw a sign in a florist shop window, ’Say it with Flowers’. He went in and told the clerk, ’Wrap up one rose for me, please’. ’Just one?’ ’Yes, I am a man of few words’. We are too often as believers people of few words or actions which show our love for others.