The Whole Reason Wholly - We Love Him Because He First Loved Us – 1john 4:16 Part 1 Of 2 Series

THE WHOLE REASON WHOLLY - WE LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US – 1John 4:16 PART 1 OF 2

INTRODUCTION – A DIFFICULTY

May I say that I have a difficulty with a bible verse, understanding exactly what its application is. This is the passage – {{Luke 23 v 33 “and when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. Luke 23:34 Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing,” and they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.”}}

Jesus calls for forgiveness on the basis that what is done to Him, was done in ignorance. Those who designed the execution of the Lord were not ignorant. Judas was one of the guilty bunch and he was called “the son of perdition”. Pilate, Herod, the Pharisees and scribes, all bear on their heads the guilt of the crucifixion of the Lord of glory, and that will not be forgiven, unless there was conviction leading to repentance and salvation. In fact, Peter casts the blame on the Jewish nation – {{Acts 2 v 23 “this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” And just to emphasise the point - Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ - this Jesus whom you crucified.”}}

My understanding of the events at the cross is that the only ones who could qualify for this forgiveness of the Lord’s death, were the soldiers who did not plot the Lord’s death, but had to carry out the judicial orders that were charged to them. At the cross there was love and hate. What I do want to leave with you is that the heart of the Lord was love. There was no hate from Jesus. Hate came from those who cried out, “Crucify Him,” and, “We will not have this Man to reign over us.”

Of course there was no way God would forgive even the soldiers, of their sins they had committed all their lives unless they repented and did become Christians. I think what the Lord meant was that God was asked to forgive them for their act of crucifixion that day, as it was not their evil intent to execute the Lord. They were under authority much like this centurion mentions in this incident – {{Luke 7:8 “for I, too, am a man under authority with soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”}} Did the Father forgive those soldiers that day for the act of crucifixion? Well, we can not decide from silence, but I do think that dark day at Calvary will not be put on their account. Did Jesus love those soldiers, even the ones who struck in the nails? He certainly did! However those evil men who played their part – the political Roman rulers and especially these – the high priest and the Pharisees and Sadducees – they will bear great, great guilt.

We are continuing the messages from the First Letter of John and come to a “fearful passage” of personal responsibility. It is a passage like this that we often want to shy away from and avoid, but we won’t. Speaker and hearer alike. One of our key verses for today contains love and hate. We shall now turn to the passage for this morning, which is another in the series from 1 John.

{{1John 4 v 16 We have come to know, and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him. 1John 4:17 By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment because as He is, so also are we in this world. 1John 4:18 There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 1John 4:19 We love, because He first loved us. 1John 4:20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar, for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1John 4:21 This commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.}}

THE LOVE OF GOD – THE ONE WHO ABIDES IN GOD’S LOVE