1 John 4:15(v19)-21 - Who You Love - YP Fellowship
Text: “We love, because He first loved us.”
??1 John? ?4?:?19? ?NASB1995??
SST: This passge tells that God is love
SSS: my sermon says that a true follower of Jesus must express the love they’ve found in him
Objective: Doctrinal / Pastoral
Specific Objective: I want my hearers, the Youth in particular to bring the love of God to the world.
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Title: “Who You Love”
1 John? ?4?:?15?-?21? ?NASB1995??
15. “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
17. 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.
19. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
21. 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.
23. We love, because He first loved us.
25. 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.
26. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.”
??1 John? ?4?:?15?-?21? ?NASB1995??
Introduction:
This is a song by John Mayer and Katy Perry.
God is love.
7. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
??1 John? ?4?:?7?-?8? ?NASB1995??
How can a loving God punish the sinner?
It’s true that God is loving and it is also true that He is just and holy.
He requires nothing but holiness from his people. He rewards the faithful and he also provides discipline and punishment for all inequities.??
?Love is an action word. Meaning you can’t really say you love someone without showing, be it in action, or thoughts.
No one shouts “I Love You” then run and hide to the one he/ she loves - Ghosting ba?
?Love must be expressed and not kept.
?“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor (hate) what is evil; cling to what is good.”
??Romans? ?12?:?9? ?NASB1995??
- This is Paul’s reminder to the Romans on how to be dedicated in serving God.
If I may ask, what is the remedy or how to fight fear?
Illustration:
When you were a child, woke up from a bad dream, afraid of the dark what does your parents say?
Do they encourage and cheer you up? Go anak dilim lang yan, panaginip lang yan kaya mo yan, h’wag ka matakot! Go anak!!!
- But what they really do is hug you, lay down beside you. In short, they show love and knowing that they love you and are there for you, wha t happens to your fear? It vanishes
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- [x] “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.”
??1 John? ?4?:?18? ?NASB1995??
- We have confidence on the day of judgment because we know that God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us.
Now, if we say We Love because He first loved us, then…..
“Who You Love?”
1.Love God
Jesus said that the foremost commandment of all is:
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- [x] “and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’”
??Mark? ?12?:?30? ?NASB1995??
- All your heart, (if you are an octopus - love God with all 3 hearts that you have)
- All your soul,
- All your mind,
- All your strength
* it means to love the Lord and seek Him with a passion for Who He is and not for any other motives.
*It is to find our sole satisfaction in Him alone and to strive with every fibre of our being to love Him more and more.
We must say, “All of me Oh Lord, loves All of You”
Who could not love our God?
?“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
??Romans? ?5?:?8? ?NASB1995??
- Love scar - the true love scars are found on the cross
You will not know the true meaning of Love if you don’t have Christ in your life.
You can’t share what you don’t have
2.Love People / neighbor
Second greatest commandment is:
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- [x] “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.””
??Mark? ?12?:?31? ?NASB1995??
?
- [x] And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.”
1John 4:21 NASB1995??
Illustration:
Most of us have neighbours, correct? Who among us have a good relationship with them?
- Back in the days, you can barrow vinegar, soy sauce, cooking oil from your neighbour.
- When they cook something, they will give a bowl of it and when you return the bowl, you put in some food you have cooked.
- When leaving the house, you can leave the house key to them because you trust them.
But nowadays, most people are in competition with their neighbours. They are always eyeing on them, envy of them.
Question:
Do you love yourself? Do you feed yourself?
Do you care fornyourself? Do you dress up and make yourself look good, physically and spiritually?
- Then you should also do this to your neighbours.
The neighbour referred in this passage doesn’t only apply to those people around or close to you.
- everyone, believer or unbeliever.
- ones do good and done wrong to you
?“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
??Matthew? ?5?:?44? ?NASB1995??
I love you with the love of the Lord
*means that like Christ, we care for them, pray for them, and wanted them our neighbour to have a relationship with the father.
Can you say it to the person beside you, they are your actual neighbour for now.
3.Love the church/Church
?
- [x] “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,”
??Ephesians? ?5?:?25? ?NASB1995??
- Marriage like Christ and the Church
The Church mentioned is the group of believers. We are the Church - the body of Christ with whom Jesus is the head.
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- [x] “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.”
??Acts? ?4?:?32? ?NASB1995?
Love your brothers and sisters in Christ.
church - Physical building
Nowadays it’s easier for some to hate their church than to love it.
- lot’s of issues / problems
- shortcomings
That leads to members leaving, not only for the youth but members in general.
It is true that in this imperfect world, there will be a perfect church. No matter how beautiful the building is, how large the congregation is - there will always a flaw in it.
?*If you see some problem in the church, make sure that you will be part of the solution and not the one causing problem.*
- If you see the church dirty, clean it
- If the worship team is struggling, help them, encourage them
- If you find something in church and in your heart you know you can help to make it better, it is the conviction of the Holy Spirit in your life to be in that ministry.
Love your church and everyone and everything inside of it:
- your Pastor
- your leaders
- your brethrens
- your building, instruments, etc
Love them, pray for them and show how much you care for them for they are annointed to be used for the sole purpose of worshipping and serving God.
4.Love the world
The world watches you and waits for you to make a mistake, then they can say - “Is that how Christians live?”
?
4. “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
6. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
7. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
??1 John? ?4?:?4?-?6? ?NASB1995??
? If people make fun of you or dislike you because of your faith in Jesus, remember they are not against you personally but against God
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He will deal with them. Concentrate in loving and obeying Him.
We should love the people of the world but must not comformed with the world system.
Remeber John 3:16
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- [x] ““For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
??John? ?3?:?16? ?NASB1995??
God loved the world, it is us, the people residing in the world.
- Gave Jesus, the only begotten Son
- By beleiving in him, in faith will not perish but will have eternal life.
The world is at it’s darkest. Eternal damnation awaits them.
Now is the time, for us believers mostly the Young Generation to show and share the love of God to the world.
There are this “Marites” all around.
“Let us become the “Good Samarites”
Spreading not rumors but spreading the words of God that could bring spritial healing, forgiveness of sin, Salvation and eternal life to the people who accepted it thru the only way, truth and life - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Conclusion:
- [x] “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth
??1 John? ?3?:?18? ?NASB1995
- [x] If we say, We Love God - let’s listen to his words so we can know more of his holiness and can have deeper relatioship with him
- [x] If we say, We Love the People - show it, care for them, pray for them as you do for yourself
- [x] If we say, We Love Our Church - support it, be one with it in mission, in prayer, in heart and most of all in faith.
- [x] If we say, We Love the World - let’s be the salt and light and start sharing the word and of God.
If someone in here heard this good news for the first time and wanted to have a relationship with and experience the truest form of Love only found in Jesus, please raise your hand and follow me as I pray for.
Make this prayer your personal prayer of accepting Christ in your life as your Lord and Savior. Amen
