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
Verse 16. John lays a foundation in this verse. The foundation is God’s love, and our response to that fact, determines which side of the fence we are on. If a person is abiding in the love of God then the love of God owns him. If a person is not abiding in God’s love, then the love of God is meaningless to him and does not abide in him. He has placed himself on the other side of the fence. Of course the question that ought to arise in our minds is this – “How do I know I am abiding in God’s love?” Can there be assurance here for us to be certain? Are we abiding in God’s love?
Jesus has given us a great Helper, the Holy Spirit who brings God’s love to us (“pours it out” is the expression – {{Romans 5 v 3 “Not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, Rom 5:4 and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope, Rom 5:5 and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”}} There we have the imparting of love. It is the Holy Spirit who graciously drenches us with the love of God.
How do we know we are abiding in God’s love? As mentioned just before, this is also a matter of assurance. Some answers are found in these verses – {{1John 3 v 17 “Whoever has the world’s goods and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 1John 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”}} Did you get those answers – your heart goes out to a needful brother, and our love must be practical in deed and truth.
I ask again, “How do I know my life is abiding in God’s love? There is the absolute necessity that the life is free from known sin, that cankerous disease that creeps in and makes God’s love “less abiding” because our knowledge and spirits are clouded, and we are not abiding in His love. Our priorities must be right as well. If you spend your time with the world’s things and not meditating in God’s word and drawing close to the Saviour, then you are not fully abiding in God’s love. It is not that you are not saved, but that you are a weak Christian and walk imperfectly with a defective love. It is like having a sick love. Do you want that for God? Does that honour Him? Inculcate your abiding love by seeking the Lord in His word and draw near to Him, for He will draw near to you.
There is a mind set known as self-deception. Have you ever heard it said, “He believes his own lie?” Take for example, a person who believes he saw a flying saucer and it was told to him that what he saw was a certain light that had a rational explanation. Well as time passes he so talked himself into believing he saw a flying saucer, that it is now part of his mind and belief.
How sad it would be for someone, not abiding in God’s love to convince himself that he does abide in the love of God, and is closed to any suggestion that he needs to get back in the correct walk. That is why we are told, {{2Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves, or do you not recognise this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test?”}}
Let all those who say they are Christians be honest about this. God does not want to reject you. He wants a clean vessel He can fill with His love. He wants a man and woman who will abide in God’s love.
Another measure of abiding in God’s love is that of having your heart warmed by God’s presence, and you wanting to draw near to God, as a loving husband or wife draws near to the other partner. It is a desire that becomes a connection. There is much profit in the Song of Songs in the love expressed there where application can be made to abiding in Christ's love. This is the bride speaking in the freshness of love – {{Song 2 v 3 “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. Song 2:4 He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love. Song 2:5 Sustain me with raisin cakes. Refresh me with apples, because I am lovesick.”}} (NASB) Lovesick for the Lord! Isn’t that something!
From my experience, when a person is not abiding in God’s love, he/she has no desire to be close to God’s people but will dwell on the fringes. That is because the heart is cold and not receptive. That is when God wants us to examine ourselves, to test ourselves. There is a difference between a moth and a cockroach (without stating the obvious). When a light is switched on, the moth will fly to the light but the cockroach scurries away as quick as possible. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Light, so a Christian abiding in Him will fly to the light, but the one not abiding wants to scurry away.
The John verse began with {{“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.”}} Why would John say that? Well he had a very special privilege of walking on earth with the Saviour and saw His mercies and miracles and His substitutionary death and the Lord’s tender love for the disciples. We also can know God in our walk and through the lives of others. We can see God’s love in other people. You will see God’s love in converted people for if anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation.
CONCLUSION FOR PART 1
There is no greater height one can reach; no deeper well for the sweet water; no power mightier than the universe, than the bond God created and fused with His own children. We love Him because He first loved us. PART 2 will continue after this. Meanwhile I close with a poem –
JESUS SO LOVED ME
It was for me; my terrible sins,
That caused the Lord to die;
To execute God’s justice,
That against sin must cry.
Sin smacked against God’s holiness.
The foulness was intense.
We can’t decipher God’s plan;
He works through love immense.
For my human mind, it’s too much.
Why Christ, the sacrifice?
Surely the guilty must die.
Would that then not suffice?
The only answer I can give,
Is that love conquered sin,
In God’s great eternal plan,
The victory to win.
The innocent for the guilty -
But it is even more,
For Christ, my God, died for me,
To open up the door.
It was the Door who made the way
For God to welcome me.
Unworthy, I know I am,
But worthy though, is He.
He took my place upon the cross,
A perfect Substitute.
I stand and look at that scene;
No excuse – I am mute.
Who can fathom the God of love?
That love that is so deep.
This I know with all my heart –
In gratitude, I weep.
This world has no time for Jesus.
It lives in disregard.
Blackened hearts do not know God -
Please, break those hearts so hard.
Forever, I will love my Lord
For His unreserved love.
Soon in His presence I’ll be,
In joy, near Him above.
(This poem is copyright. Ron Ferguson. May be used in Christian ministry for the glory of God.)
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
