Series: 1 John
Week: 18
Passage: 1 John 4:11-12
Title: The Response of Godly Love
Focus: Brotherly Love
LAST WEEK: The Three Truth’s About God’s Love (1) God’s Love is Existent (1 John 4:7); God’s Love is Extended (1 John 4:8); God’s Love is Expressed (1 John 4:9-10)
INTRODUCTION: John focuses a lot on love its origins and results. In the remaining verses of the fourth chapter of 1 John, there is a great amount of information for the believer on loving the fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord (the church).
SCRIPTURE: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” 1 John 4:11-12
TITLE: THE RESPONSE OF GODLY LOVE (1 John 4:11-12)
POINT #1: Recap – What is Godly Love (1 John 4:7-11a)
• Explanation: If we were to recap the last couple of messages, the answer to the posed question is that the love we are to have for one another is the same as the love God has for us.
o “We know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” 1 John 3:16
o “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” John 13:34
• 3 (more) Characteristics of God's love.
1. God’ love is self-sacrificing.
• God gave us Jesus
• Romans 5:8 “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
• Jesus gave up heaven (for a little while – for us)
• Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
2. God's love is genuine (Shown by His actions)
• “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:16-18
1. God’s love is unconditional.
• He loves the unlovable
• “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die.” Romans 5:6-7
o REMEMBER: That does not mean that He loves everyone's actions or that He will unconditionally save all.
• He loves His created souls
• “He desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4
• Illustration: Abraham Lincoln once said, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my great concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”
• Application: What do we do with that knowledge? The key phrase here that John uses is “we also ought”. What ought we do John?
o We ought to look within ourselves as ask what are we willing to sacrifice to know God more?
o We ought to ask if we are willing to give up our time and money.
o We ought to ask if we are more concerned with the Word or the Word.
o We ought to demonstrate the love God showed to us in our actions toward the unlovable.
• Why ought we do this, because God did that for us by sending us Jesus.
• “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15 (this is Christianity in motion!)
POINT#2: Results of Applying Godly Love (1 John 4:12)
• Explanation:
o SIDE NOTE: John’s emphasis in this verse is the perfecting of His love in us. We must note that the ESV (along with most other translations) alters the word order and translates the literal phrase “love of him” as “his love”. This can be a confusing phrase that may cause the reader to think that John is talking about God’s love for us, but in reality he is referring the love that God has instilled in our hearts. It is not a natural, human love, but it is a love that can come only from God and can only be displayed by those who trust in him. The “love of him”. John emphasizes the perfection of this love when we abide in him.
• With that said, God’s love that we posses in our hearts must be moved from an immature love into an established love. As our love for man grows (extend God’s love to others), so does our internal love for God and we obtain a new confidence.
• “By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.” 1 John 4:17
o What does Godly confidence in Christ look like for the believer?
• God Abides (lives) in us:
• “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
• God’s Word Abides (lives) in us
• “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:1-7
o NOTE: God’s love stays in us when we love one another!
• Illustration:
• Application: When we love each other (in confidence) we are demonstrating…
o We have passed from death to life
• “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.” 1 John 3:14
o We prove to the world that we are Christ's followers.
• “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
POINT #3: Results of Rejection Godly Love (1 John 4:12)
• Explanation: What if we would choose to not love our brothers and sisters? What if we were to reject John’s teaching? What if we remain focused on ourselves? John tells us a few things would take place.
1. We may be revealing we are not born of God
i. “Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7
2. We may be inadvertently claiming don't know God
i. “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8
3. We may be demonstrating God’s love is not perfect
4. We are telling the world we are not Christ's followers.
5. We are “murderers”.
i. “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15 (1 John 3:15).
6. We are choosing to Abide in death
• “Whoever does not love abides in death.” 1 john 3:14
CONCLUSION:
1. Let us love one another!
2. Let us exhibiting that love in ALL areas of our lives!
3. Let us show our love for the Lord by obeying Him!
