John 3:16 is a verse we learn very, very early in life, even before we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. My Mom and Dad, and I’m sure your Mom and Dad too, repeated this verse to us as children.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
When we look at that this verse it says “For God so loved the world.” Most of the time when we say “For God so loved the world” we often limit our thinking to people. The word for “world” is the Greek word “kosmos” and, to simplify it, “kosmos” means everything that’s created.
Why does God love the world? What did the world do to deserve God’s love?
Before we answer that question. Why did God need to send His only begotten Son for us? It’s because of what Adam did in Genesis 3. Notice I said it was because of what Adam did not Eve. If Adam had done what he was supposed to do – keep the garden – then he would have kicked the serpent out. God held Adam responsible.
If God gave His only begotten Son for the world, there must have been something wrong with not just the people but the world. Right? Hold your finger here and let’s look at Romans 8:19-22.
(19) For the earnest expectation of the creature (This word “creature” is “creation”. It’s talking about the entire world.) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
So we see in this verse that the “creation” is different from “the manifestation of the sons of God.” This verse is talking about two different things.
(20) For the creature (creation) was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
(21) Because the creature (creation) itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
(22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
So we see that in John 3:16 the “world” that God talks about also includes the physical world because there is going to be a new heaven and a new earth. But why does God love the world?
I thought about this question over and over again. There is a new television series I watch called “The Good Doctor”. It’s about a resident who is a genius. But he’s also autistic. He has no people skills. He takes everything literally.
The reason I thought about “The Good Doctor” in terms of why God loves the world is because there was a girl in the apartment next to him and her name was Leah. They had developed a relationship. She was helping him understand how that sometimes when people said things this is what they meant. So she tells him that she’s getting ready to move to Hershey, Pennsylvania.
So he says “I love Hershey, Pennsylvania.” And she says “How can you love Hershey, Pennsylvania and you’ve never been there?” And he says “Because Leah is there.”
So why does God love the world? He loves the world because we are here! We are here! That’s why God loves the world.
Who is God?
Turn to John 4:24. “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
The first thing we see about God is that He is a Spirit. Whatever is in the realm of the spirit, God is more related to it than He is to the realm of the natural.
Now go to First John 1:5. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
First John 4:8 and 16 are the last two verses. “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
The title of the message is “Born to Love”. So now we need to answer the question: Who are we? We’re going to be in First John 4. I’m not going to look at everything in this chapter. My focus is helping us to understand who we are from this chapter.
Let me say it this way. I want us to understand who we are according to scripture, not according to what we see in the Body of Christ.
(1) Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
(2) Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
(3) And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
The word “not” is “ou” in the Greek and it means that there is absolutely nothing about that person that is of God. Nothing.
(4) Ye are of God, little children...
That word “of” is the Greek word “ek”. It means that God is now our Father. He is now our point of origin. Everything about us can now be traced back to God. If God is spirit, if God is light, if God is love and we are out of Him, we are “ek”, then what are we spiritually? Light. Spirit. Love. This is who we are.
Why is this important? Back in Genesis 1 you will read several times where “God said”. And when God said things came into being, or things manifested, or things came to pass.
If we are “ek” – if we are of God – then we are God’s children and we have everything in us that God has in Him, then when we speak things should come to pass. But we don’t always see this happen do we? We’ll find out why we don’t always see this happen as we move on.
In Psalm 37:4 the Bible says – let’s start in verse one –
(1) Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
(2) For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
(3) Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
(4) Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
There are two ways that you can look at the phrase “he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” – (1) God will give you the desires that you have in your heart or (2) God will put His desires in your heart and they become your desires. Based on what we know, what is more likely to happen? The latter. God puts His desires in our hearts because He wants our desires to be the same as His.
Well Bro. Barry, how do you know that? Jesus says “I do the will of my father.” Jesus says that whatever my father’s will is that is also my will. So whatever God’s desires Jesus desires.
This is one of the biggest problems in the Body of Christ today. Our desires are not God’s desires. Our desires are our desires. For example, when we pray – when we “exercise” our faith – is usually for something that we want. I’m going to be generous – half the times our desires have nothing to do with the needs of the kingdom.
And we take verses like “My God shall supply all my need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” to mean that whatever my needs are God is going to supply them.
Ladies and gentlemen, God will take care of your need as they relate to your desires for the needs of the kingdom. That’s where it all begins – your desires for the kingdom.
So, God says He’ll give us the desires of our hearts. We have to decide if those desires are going to be the ones that we execute in our lives. And the more we make decisions to agree with God, the more God’s desires are going to manifest and we’re going to be blessed in the process.
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
We have no idea who we are. We’re living so far beneath who we are.
(5) They are of the world (They are “ek” of the world. They are not born again. You are!): therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
(6) We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
(7) Beloved, let us love one another (make a decision to love one another, make a decision to live out of who you are): for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
The love John is talking about is the love that’s available once a person is born again, once a person accepts Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior. You can’t love the way John is describing any other way.
(8) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
There was a time when I read this verse and didn’t understand what he meant. The reason “he loveth not” is because he is not of God. He doesn’t have the life and nature of God.
(9) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
(10) Herein is love, not that we 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 ought also to love one another.
You know how people talk about having to pay their tithes? God says in this verse we “ought” to love one another. This word “ought” means “a debt that we owe”. God says the debt we owe is to love one another.
Now let’s make sure we’re clear. When God talks about loving one another He’s not talking about an emotional touchy feely type of love. When God talks about love He’s talking about the kind of love that will keep us on the same page that He is on. That’s how we love someone. We love them by keeping them responsible and accountable to scripture.
When Stephen was growing up, if I didn’t love him, he would have done everything he wanted to do. Because I love Stephen, I didn’t let him do certain things. I held him accountable. I spanked his butt.
When you love someone, and I’m going to use Stephen as an example: “Stephen, right now you are living a life that is going to take you to hell. Son, I love you I don’t want you going to hell. You need to straighten up. You need to stop doing what you’re doing.” That’s showing Stephen I love him, not by letting him do what he wants to do.
I have family members who have children we are sleeping with the opposite sex. If they really loved them, they would get in their faces and tell them that if you continue to do this you are not going to heaven. They would tell their children that when you have intimacy outside of them marriage bed, and you don’t repent, you are not going heaven. That’s showing love ladies and gentlemen.
And I say that to say this: oftentimes we’ll read Romans 1 or First Corinthians 6 that talk about things that are against everything God stands for and we will interpret those passages as God being angry, as God being vindictive, as God not being understanding – all those sort of things. When you look at those verses as God being so loving that He’s grabbing you by your collar and trying to keep you out of hell fire it’s a totally different way of looking at those passages.
Whenever you read things in scripture read it from the vantage point of God demonstrating His love. He’s trying His best to save a world that no longer resembles the one that He created.
Jump down to verse 16.
(16) And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
How can we dwell in love? We have to be born of God. We have to be “ek” of God.
(17) Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
What is the “as he is”? God is love. Do you see this? The boldness we have must flow out of the love that is within us. Most of the Body of Christ does not care about what happens to anyone else other than themselves. That’s a sad statement.
And because of this, God’s hands are tied. When you love the way God loves you’re going to do everything you can to keep people from going to the lake of fire. They may ignore you. They may dismiss you. That’s not your issue. You are not responsible the results. You are responsible for the speaking, for the loving.
(18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
That word “no” again is “ou” and means that there is absolutely positively no fear in love. Then Bro. Barry explain to me why we sometimes have fear. James calls this a double minded man because we’re living after the mind of the soul and not after the mind of the spirit. That’s always the battle ground. So when we have fear the spirit is sitting back wondering why. When you let your emotions and mind dictate, you will have fear.
Genesis 1:26-28. Who are we?
(26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
(27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
(28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
We get so excited when the Bible says God has given us dominion. What we fail to understand ladies and gentlemen is that when God made this statement he was talking about individuals just like Him. God is love. He was talking about individuals who had the same capacity to love like He loves.
This is not about having dominion because I’m the head honcho and you have to do everything I tell you to do. No. It’s having dominion that flows out of a place of love. I want you to think about this.
So many of us struggle with things in life because we’re not operating, we’re not living, out of a place of love. Bro. Barry, what do you mean? Let me give you an example.
We have very little faith functioning in us. Why? It’s a love issue. Do you have scripture for that Barry? Yes. It’s Galatians 5:6. Faith is activated, faith worketh, by love. And let me tell you something ladies and gentlemen: what does Hebrew 11:6 say? Faith pleases God! More faith. More love. More pleasing God. It’s kind of simple isn’t it?
But until we have more love flowing out of us that we need to have flowing out of us, faith is going to be a premium. It’s going to be rare. We need to let the love out that is in us! We are stopping the love with how we think. I’m going to give you some examples.
If God is love, what we’re about to read in First Corinthians 13 is an expanded definition of who God is. And it’s also an expanded definition of who we are.
I Corinthians 13:1-8
(1) For though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
(2) And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
(3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
(4) Charity (Love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (love) envieth not; charity (love) vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Love says it’s not all about me. Love is about what I can do for you as it relates to kingdom purposes. If God is love, and what is the signature thing God did because He’s love – He gave. That’s the signature thing that He did. That should be “the” thing that we do!
(5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
I want to give you a definition of what it means “to behave unseemingly”. It means “to behave in an ugly and unbecoming manner. Indicates behavior that has little regard or respect for others”.
Love does not behave itself unseemingly. Let me ask you a question ladies and gentlemen. Is there a lot of unseeming behavior in the Body of Christ when it comes to political discussions? Yes. Was there a lot of unseeming behavior in the Body of Christ when the previous president was in office? Yes.
And the Bible says that is not who we are. But we have gotten to the point that we’re putting our spirits under subjection to our souls. This is what we have done in the church. For the most part, when it comes to how we speak about the things in the realm of politics, Christians are no different than the person who does not know God because we still operate the same way.
It blows my mind how people, who profess to be Christians, are disrespecting our president. I felt the same way when Christians disrespected former president Obama.
Ladies and gentlemen, Christians shouldn’t operate that way. We shouldn’t! But we do and when we do we are in sin. God didn’t treat us unseeming. He gave His son for us. God was saying that even though we’re worlds apart, I love you enough to give you a chance to become part of My world.
Do you see the phrase “thinketh no evil”? It means that you have in your mind a mental ledger of the wrongs people have done to you that you have not forgotten. You have not forgiven them. You are holding on to unforgiveness.
Do you want to know why marriages fail? The spouse has done something that the other one has not forgotten and cannot let it go. They’re holding on to it and their holding on to it in unforgiveness.
Ladies and gentlemen, God says He’s taken our sins and as far as the east is from the west, He remembers them no more! We’re talking about God here. We’re talking about us here. God says I’ll remember them no more and yet we pull out our little book. “Doris did this on December 13, 1980.” “Doris did this on January 5, 1982.”
And when we remember these things, every time Barry sees Doris the mental ledger comes up. There is something that is interfering with Barry having a complete and loving relationship with his wife because he has all these things Doris has done and he has probably not even mentioned them to her. A mental ledger.
Christians don’t have mental ledgers ladies and gentlemen when they are living after their Father. And God help us. We hold mental ledgers against our children. “You’re in trouble again? Don’t you remember the last time you did this? (In your mind you’re thinking “I do”!)” That’s a mental ledger ladies and gentlemen against our children.
When we do this we are teaching our children how to live in unforgiveness because they’re going to hold things against people just like you’re holding things against them.
(6) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
This verse is saying we don’t take pleasure when something bad happens to someone else.
(7) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
That phrase “beareth all things” is best understood by reading I Peter 4:8. “And above all things have fervent charity (love) among yourselves: for charity (love) shall cover the multitude of sins.”
When it says “beareth all things” it’s like taking a blanket and covering the wrong and instead of focusing on the wrong you love the person in spite of what has happened. Is that not what God does for us? If He no longer remembers our sins, you have to know that we’ve made mistakes since becoming born again. God says “I have covered them and I remember them no more.”
We hardly ever see this in the Body of Christ.
One of the things that God spanked me over a number of years ago had to do with something I saw on FaceBook that a very prominent preacher had done. So a thread was started and I joined in the bashing. And God was very clear to me: “I never did that to you.”
I was done. Here I was participating in a thread that was attacking – showing the person was he was wrong – that’s not my job. This person is a minister of the Gospel and he doesn’t know me from Adam or Ralph or Jimmy. He doesn’t know me and yet I had the audacity to want to make comments about what he had done. I had no other knowledge than what I had seen on FaceBook. That ladies and gentlemen is being puffed up. That’s pride.
God is not like that. When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we were born to love like God loves. And if we’re not loving as God loves, we need to take a step back and find out why. It’s not because we can’t. It’s not because we don’t have the ability because that’s who we are. And the only reason we don’t is because of pride. We don’t want His will and His desires to be our will and our desires.
So let me encourage you tonight. You were born to love like God loves us. Remind yourself of that. God’s whole reason for loving was so that He could bring more people into the family. That should be our whole reason for loving too!
So I encourage you ladies and gentlemen. Set yourself apart from most of the Body of Christ. Set yourself apart so that when they see you they will have a different picture of what a child of God is supposed to do, act and respond.
Praise God! You were born to love. And the best way you can love is to speak the truth after you’ve asked God how to speak it. Amen!
