God Is Love Series

Introduction:

Larry Johnson was an oil field hand. Big, loud, cursing, drinking, woman chasing and completely anti-God. He worked on one of the dirtiest jobs in the old field – he ran a workover crew. Those guys NEVER came home clean. They were covered in grime, sludge and oil from head to toe every day. How do I know? One of my best friends worked on Larry’s crew. His name was Armando Zuniga.

One day shortly after Armando got saved, he called me and invited me to his house. There sat his boss, Larry Johnson, weeping like a baby. Since Larry couldn’t speak, I asked Armando, what was wrong. “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong! Larry just got saved! I wanted to make sure I did it right when I witnessed to him!”

The next Sunday, Larry Johnson (all 6’5’’ and 350lbs of him) showed up for church. As soon as the invitation was given, Larry made a dash for the altar. He assured me he was saved and wanted to be baptized ASAP.

Larry was baptized, won his brother to the Lord and he was baptized. Larry learned to play the guitar in about six weeks and regularly sang specials at our church. He stopped smoking, drinking, cussing and chasing women. Larry was the epitome of what we are going to talk about tonight.

Source: Dr. David W. Hallum

I. God's Love Described 7-8

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

A. Let Us Love Because We Are Loved.

1. Last week, we noted that John had used one of his favorite words to describe his readers – little children.

2. It seemed to me that beloved was another of John’s favorites.

a. But beloved only occurs in two chapters 3-4 and then only five times.

b. Love is a completely different proposition.

i. Love occurs 26 times in 1John alone.

ii. If you add beloved, we are looking at 31 occurrences in this small book.

3. The command – Let us love one another.

a. John has already expressed his love toward his readers.

b. Now he exhorts them to express their love to one another.

c. I feel confident that John’s readers loved the aged Apostle.

i. He had given them his Gospel, his letters and his hope for the future in the form of the Book of Revelation.

ii. He is not asking them to love him.

iii. He is urging them to love one another.

4. What John is saying here:

a. Because God loved me, I love you.

b. Because I love you, love one another.

c. Because you love one another, expand your love into the world.

B. Let Us Love Because Love Is Of God.

1. All love was in the mind of God before creation.

a. Brotherly Love

i. philia – verb form

ii. philadelphia – noun form

b. Family Love

c. Conjugal

d. Maternal

e. Paternal

f. Love of Christ for Men

2. Let us love because love is OF God.

C. Let Us Love Because We Are Born Of God.

1. Only John uses this term.

2. It only appears in 1John and only in 3-4-5.

3. It always appears in conjunction with something else:

a. Our spiritual birth

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

—1John 5:1

b. Our spiritual character we do not abide in sin

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

—1John 3:9

c. Our spiritual law – love one another

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

—1John 4:7

d. Our spiritual destiny overcome the world

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.

—1John 5:4

D. Let Us Love Because We Know God.

1. God knows my name.

Then the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?

—Job 1:8

2. Do we share the Love of God because we are known by Him?

E. Let Us Love Because God Is Love.

1. We’ve been palavering a lot about love so far.

2. Let us be careful with the next thing – God is love.+

3.

a. God is love, but not your lucky charm.

b. God is love, but not your Genie in a Lamp.