God Wants Everyone to Know His Great Love
1 John 4:14-21
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Series: The First Epistle of John
(Prepared January 31, 2024)
MESSAGE:
*The other day an old Gaither song came to mind. Part of the lyrics say, "Everybody ought to know, Everybody ought to know, Everybody ought to know, Who Jesus is. On the cross He died for sinners, And His blood makes white as snow, Loving, living, coming Savior, He's the One you ought to know." (1)
*Those words are surely true. But a few hours earlier, I had been reading some of the judgment chapters in the Book of Ezekiel. Chapter 25 tells about God's judgment against the Ammonites. In vs. 5 the LORD said, "Then you shall know that I am the LORD." In vs. 11 the LORD said, "I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the LORD.'' And in vs. 17, God spoke of judging the Philistines and said, "I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.'' Over and over again, "They shall know that I am the LORD," I found it over 20 times in the Book of Ezekiel, and the fact is that everybody IS going to know. But the terrible truth is that it's going to be too late for most people, and they will spend eternity in hell.
*God does not want those people to go to hell. That's why in John 3:16 Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." God doesn't want anyone to perish. We know this because of Scriptures like Matthew 28:18-20 where Jesus gave us the Great Commission and said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.''
*God wants everybody to know His love, before it's too late, and today's Scripture can help.
1. YOU SEE, GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO KNOW HOW HIS LOVE WAS GIVEN.
*And the Apostle John tells us in vs. 14, where he said, "We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." The grace-filled love of God is the only reason why John could say this. And the original word for "Savior" is based on the original word for "save." It includes the ideas of someone who delivers, protects, heals, preserves, makes whole, keeps safe, rescues from danger, and rescues from destruction.
*Think about the amazing joy and gratitude of being rescued. Have you ever been up close when someone was about to drown, or thought they were anyway. I have a been couple of times.
*The first time was in Daytona Beach. We lived there for two years when I was a kid, and most of that time we lived a block away from the ocean. I was in the 5th grade and my brother Jon was in the 3rd grade. We went by ourselves down to the beach or over to the river all the time.
*You have to understand that this was in the early 1960s, and parents didn't watch over their children like they do today. Today we will barely let our children out of our sight, but back in 1961, it was "We're going to the beach, Mom." -- "Okay. Be back for supper."
*One day Jon and I went to the beach. He really didn't know how to swim yet, but we liked to go out as deep as we could without going over our heads. We were up to our chins, when all of a sudden Jon stepped in a hole. It was a big hole where the sand had been washed away, way over his head. By the grace of God, I was only about 10 or 15 feet away, and I got over to him as fast as I could. But I can still remember the desperate panic on his face.
*Imagine how he felt. Some of us know, because we have been there. Jon was in real danger, and he needed to be saved. But my brother was in much greater danger most of his life. He was in eternal danger until he believed in Jesus and called on the Lord to save him. That happened on March 3rd, 2008, just 8 months before Jon died at the age of 55.
*Jon was rescued forever by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! This is the power of the cross, and the power of God's love, for in John 15:13 Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down His life for His friends."
*Jesus Christ died on the cross to take all of the punishment for our sin. And Jesus rose again from the dead! Now our Risen Lord is able to give His eternal life to everyone who will believe in Him.
2. GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO KNOW HOW HIS LOVE WAS GIVEN, AND HOW HIS LOVE CAN BE RECEIVED.
*The Apostle John points us to this truth in vs. 15-16 where he said:
15. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (or dwells) in him, and he in God.
16. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
*"Confess," "known," "believed": These words in vs. 15-16 are all expressions of faith in the love of God that is best seen in our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus is the only way to receive God's love. The Bible makes this truth clear in many Scriptures.
*For example, in John 3:16-18, Jesus said:
16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
*John 3:36 says, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.''
*Ephesians 2:8-9 tells Christians: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." And Hebrews 11:6 tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
*Please understand that God loves everybody. We know this because again in John 3:16, "God so loved the world. . ." And 1 Timothy 2:3-6 tells us that "God our Savior" "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." 2 Peter 3:9 also says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
*God loves everybody, but faith or belief in Jesus Christ is the only way for people to receive God's love. That's why in John 8:23-24 Jesus spoke to the unbelieving Jews and said, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.'' Believing in Jesus Christ is the only way for people to receive God's love. This truth led Joseph Wallis to wisely say, "A lost person may go to hell unsaved. -- But he cannot go to hell unloved." (2)
*Jesus Christ died on the cross to take all of the punishment for our sin. And Jesus rose again from the dead! Now our Risen Lord is able to give His eternal life to everyone who will believe in Him, to everyone who will receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But what does it mean to believe in Jesus? Well, since Romans 6:23 tells us that eternal life is a gift from God, then believing is like receiving a gift from someone who loves you.
*Imagine that it's your birthday, and I stop by for a visit. I love you very much, and I also happen to be very rich. In my hand is a little wrapped-up box, and inside the box is a key. Maybe it's the key to a $70,000 NITRO Z-9 Bass Boat, or a Ford F350 Super Duty Super Cab, or an $80,000 BMW, or a million-dollar home!
*I tell you how much I love you. I tell you about the gift, and I leave the box on the table for you. The key is in the box, and it's yours for the taking. But you never take the wrapping paper off. You never open the box. You never do what you can do with the gift. I really gave it to you, but did you really receive it? -- No.
*God's gift of eternal life is something like that. Jesus Christ paid the highest price for your gift when He died on the cross for you. And now the Risen Savior freely offers the gift to you. But you have to receive it. In order to receive God's gift of eternal life, you don't open a box, you open your heart. And you don't take something out. You let someone in. By faith, you let Jesus Christ into your heart. By faith, you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
*He wants to come in. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." And speaking about Jesus, John 1:12 says, "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."
3. GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO KNOW HOW HIS LOVE CAN BE RECEIVED. HE ALSO WANTS EVERYONE TO KNOW HOW HIS LOVE CAN BE PERFECTED IN US.
*John stressed this truth in vs. 17-19 where he wrote that:
17. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19. We love Him because He first loved us.
*The original word for "perfect" in vs. 17-18 is the same word used back up in vs. 12. There God's Word says, "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us."
*Remember that God's love being "perfected in us" does not mean that we are perfect yet like God is perfect. And it doesn't mean that we have perfect love yet. 1 John 3:2 does tell us that one day we will be perfect like our Lord. There the Bible says this to believers: "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."
*Christians: One day we will be perfect in every way like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Praise the Lord! But the original words for "perfect" in these verses have the idea of "finishing," "accomplishing," or "carrying something to completion."
*William MacDonald explained that "perfect" in these verses is talking about God's love achieving its ultimate goals. In vs. 12, the ultimate goals were that people would see Jesus' love in us, and that we might be channels of His love. Now here in vs. 17-19, we see two more goals for godly love in our lives. (3)
[1] ONE GOAL IS TO REMOVE THE FEAR OF GOD'S JUDGMENT FROM OUR HEARTS.
*Again, in vs. 17 John said, "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." This verse led Charles Spurgeon to say: "If we can be to the world, in our poor feeble measure, what God is to it, -- fountains of His love and goodness, -- then we need not be afraid of the verdict even of the great day of judgment." (4)
*One goal of our godly love then is to remove the fear of God's judgment from our hearts. But this does not mean we will never be afraid to die.
*Lula Day served as one of the secretaries at McClendon Baptist Church for many years, and she has been a very good friend. Her mother, Jo Bayles, passed away in 1986. Miss Jo's health had been going down a long time, and though she had been a devoted Christian for many years, she was somewhat afraid to die.
*But a few days before she died, Miss Jo had a dream. She was part of a great multitude up in Heaven before the Judgment Seat of God. Jesus was on the throne. As she stood in the crowd, Miss Jo trembled, wondering what would happen. Then Jesus pointed His finger at her, and kindly said, "You are mine." After that dream, she was never again afraid to die.
*What a relief! What a joy to hear Jesus say, "You are mine." This is eternal life. And Christians: We are also His! We belong to Jesus, and He belongs to us. He died on the cross for all our sins! And Jesus rose again from the dead, so the words John wrote to the seven churches in Revelation 1:4-6 also apply to us:
4. . .Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
5. and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
6. and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
*Sometimes we might be afraid to die. But the more we love one another with God's kind of love, the more boldness we will have when we see Jesus face to face. So, one goal for our godly love is to remove the fear of God's judgment from our hearts.
[2] AND THE SECOND GOAL IS FOR US TO RETURN GOD'S LOVE FOR US.
*Verse 19 says, "We love him, because he first loved us." Some of us are old enough to remember an old song from the 1950s: "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," and it truly is. Love leads a man and woman to give their best to each other. Love leads parents to walk the floor all night with their sick baby. Love leads children to stand by their parents when they become like children again. Love for our God-given liberty led Nathan Hale to say, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." (5)
*Love is a many-splendored thing. But the greatest love of all is God's love. All the love that the world has ever seen compared to God's love is like a candle compared to the light of a million suns! The greatest love of all comes from God who is love. His love is supreme, because He is supreme. And His supreme love should move us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. As 1 John 4:19 says, "We love Him because He first loved us."
4. GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO KNOW HOW HIS LOVE CAN BE PERFECTED IN US, BUT ALSO HOW TO PROVE THAT HIS LOVE IS IN US.
*The proof is in vs. 20-21, where John wrote:
20. If someone says, "I love God,'' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21. And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
*There is no doubt about it here: The proof of our genuine love for God shows up in the way we love other people. And the proof is crystal clear: If I love God, than I will not hate my brothers and sisters in Christ. I won't hate anybody.
*Instead, if I love God, I will be growing in love and kindness and compassion for the people around me. My family should be able to see the difference. My friends, co-workers, and neighbors should also be able to see the difference, as I love them with the same kind of love that God has for me.
*This makes sense because loving our neighbors is one of God's greatest commandments. In Matthew 22:36-40, one of the lawyers came to Jesus to test Him with this question:
36. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?''
37. Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38. This is the first and great commandment.
39. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
40. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.''
*The love that God wants to grow in us is like a giant beam that holds up all of God's Law. Matthew Henry said, Take away love and "all the law falls to the ground and comes to nothing." (6)
*We also see the significance of this godly love in Romans 13:8-10, where Paul wrote:
8. Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery,'' "You shall not murder,'' "You shall not steal,'' "You shall not bear false witness,'' "You shall not covet,'' and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.''
10. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
*Anything God ever asks us to do or not to do, can all be traced back to the godly love He wants us to have. All of the commandments hang on the godly love God wants to give to me and you. So Romans 5:5 tells us that "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." In a way then, the love God wants to give us when we trust Jesus is contagious love. God gives us both love for the Savior, and love for the saints.
*He also wants to give us His love for lost sinners, and the more we love other people with God's kind of love, the more we prove our genuine love for God. It makes all the difference in the world.
*It certainly did for me, and it did for millions more, including Lee Strobel. This author and pastor was once an atheist. But he became a follower of Jesus Christ when his daughter Allison was 5 years old. Lee said that all she had known in her 5 years was a profane and angry dad. He remembers coming home one night and kicking a hole in the living room wall just out of anger with life.
*And he said, "I am ashamed to think of the times Allison hid in her room to get away from me. But five months after I gave my life to Jesus Christ, that little girl went to my wife and said, 'Mommy, I want God to do for me what he's done for Daddy.' -- At age five! What was she saying? She'd never studied the archeological evidence (on the truth of the Bible). All she knew was her dad used to be hard to live with. But more and more her dad was living in a new way. And if that is what God does to fathers, then sign her up."
*Just 5-years-old, but even at that young age, she could see godly love growing in her daddy! And little Allison gave her life to Jesus too. Lee Strobel says: "God changed my family. He changed my world. He changed my eternity." (7)
CONCLUSION:
*This is the truth about God's love, and God wants everyone to know it. You surely will if you know Him. Do you know God yet? All you have to do is put your trust in our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ. Romans 10:13 says, "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' Why don't you do it now, as we go back to God in prayer, and let God's love make an eternal difference in your life too.
(1) "Everybody Ought to Know" Artists: Bill & Gloria Gaither - Album: "Church In the Wildwood" - https://www.songlyrics.com/bill-gloria-gaither/everybody-ought-to-know-lyrics/
(2) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "John 3:16 - The Greatest Story Ever Told" by Joseph Wallis - John 3:16
(3) Adapted from BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - "Marks of Those in the Christian Fellowship Cont. - 1 John 4:7-5:20
(4) Source for Charles Spurgeon quote: https://www.preceptaustin.org/1_john_417_commentary
(5) Source: "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" (song) - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Is_a_Many-Splendored_Thing_(song)
(6) Original source unknown
(7) Lee Strobel from sermon "The Case for Christ" - Source: SermonCentral sermon "First Things First" by Bruce Emmert - John 10:1-10
