How in one word could you sum up all that is God? Can you this morning think of one word or a phrase that completely and adequately tells us who God is?
Is it possible you say? Can you so simply state the totality of who God is? Is it possible to communicate the infinite unending; graciousness, goodness, and grandness of God in one word?
His apostles could. There was one that was spoken of as being especially close to Jesus that wrote a letter about the infinite goodness of God.
It is the apostle John. In his first letter there are 105 verses according to Charles Stanley. In those 105 verses love is mentioned no less than 40 times.
The phrase that we must take notice of in this letter is 1 John 4.8 God is love.
This phrase and the word love are found in this letter that is declaring eternal life to its recipients. 1 John 1.2 “this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us –
Don’t forget 3 types of love in NT (agapo, phileo, eros)
I. The Source of Love (1 John 7-16)
A) Abiding Source
1) Knowing about God
a) John was addressing the heresy of gnosticism
1) Idea – that the way to God was a special form of knowledge, not salvation from sin.
2) The body is evil and the spirit is good. (Dualism)
b) The Greeks seek after knowledge and the Jews a sign.
1) Instead of intimate knowledge of Father and son.
2) James 2.19, The demons also believe and shudder.
c) Knowing about God does not lead to love.
1) Gnostics were released from ignorance not sin.
2) John is providing orthodox answers (correct pure doctrine (teaching)).
3) KJV 1 Cor 8.1 Knowledge Puffs up (makes arrogant) prideful but love edifies (builds up).
4) Release from sin produces love.
2) Knowing God
a) 1 John 2.3 John uses the perfect tense “By this we know”
b) Literally “By this we have known”
c) Not simple stagnant knowledge
d) It implies a past experience with continuing effects.
Illustration: Your sweetheart.
When you have the experience of falling in love with someone you want to know them. It will be based off your first meeting. You will want to know more about them. What candy do they like, what types of hobies, do they like sports? Do they like you?
e) Your relationship with your sweetheart grows and develops (to what one day may be a marriage)
f) Our relationship with God should grow and develop (Luke 2.52)
. “And Jesus increased (grew) in wisdom of years and in divine and human favor”
B) Immeasurable Source (Height, Width, Depth Eph 3.17)
1) Read Eph 3.17-19
a) not an unknowable Love
b) but an immeasurable Love (so great there is no yard stick big enough to measure the great vastness of God’s love)
2) Knowing God should produce a God kind of love in your life.
3) God is the water spigot from which love flows but is also at the same time the very water of love for a dry and thirsty heart.
This immeasurable Source will cause the love you have known to spill over into others life. (Water of life)
C) Unseen Source (1 John 12)
1) We are the image
a) The unseen source is supposed to be seen through us!!
1) because it was revealed by His Son.
b) We are the light of the world. The illumination of God’s love in a lost world!!
2) We must model love with others who have received love.
a) By this they will know you are my disciples John 13.35
b) Do we want others to come home to Calvary to Come home to God? Then we must love one another.
D) Cain is an illustration of not abiding in God.
1) Cain’s heart attitude was bad to begin
a) He did not give of his first (no where mentioned)
b) He instead did not abide in God but in the evil one.
1 John 3.11 “not as Cain who was of the evil one slew his brother. “
c) Cain neglected to give his all to God.
God gave everything to Cain yet there was no evidence from Cain of thankfulness to God.
E) Mary Magdalene is an example of the abiding love of God
1) John 12.3 “Mary took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
2) Perfume
a) extremely costly (her best)
b) usually diluted (she poured it all on him)
c) God’s love abided in her.
3) The reaction to abiding love
a) Judas – Why was this not sold to feed the poor
b) He was a thief, he wanted the proceeds from the perfume.
c) God’s love did not abide in Judas.
If we are to be the evidence of love what does it look like?
Like Jesus’ and Mary’s sacrifice.
II. The Fruit of Love (Evidence – Practice) (1 John 4.17-19)
A) The foremost fruit of the spirit is love.
1) Love in action 1 John 3.18, 4.9
a) Test that you have been regenerated by God.
b) If you have not love you become a noisy cymbal (not joyful noise) 1 Cor 13.1 (just doing it for yourself)
2) Because God is active, God loves and takes an active part in
loving us, we should actively love Him and others.
1) 1 John 4.19 “We love because He first loved us.”
a) love is a choice (Cain chose not to, Mary chose to)
2) Love is not always soft and gentle
a) Charles Stanley in His book The Glorious Journey
“For love to be true, its sometimes has to be velvet and sometimes it has to be iron.”
b) We must tell the truth in love
1) Even though it can be “seen” as being judgmental.
2) Sometimes love confronts.
3) Sometimes love comforts.
4) But love never condones ungodly behavior.
3) The problems with Calvary and the Church of today is unfruitfulness.
4) Listen to the words of Dr Johnny Hunt
“Unfortunately, today there appears to be a difference. People are often added to the church who have little, if any, love for Christ and occasionally others who prefer to love the Savior but refuse to be identified with any assembly of believers.”
God said by this they will know you are my disciples that you have love for one another.!!!!
B) What has happened to our fruit?
1) Power of God comes from the spirit of God
2) If we do not have the love of God we do not have His spirit
3) Could It be we are powerless as a church because we don’t have the holy spirit abiding in us?
C) Practicing the Love of God will build confidence
1) Confidence in Soul winning
2) Confidence in Daily living
3) Confidence in Sacrificial Giving
III. The Confidence of Love (1 John 4.13, 17)
A) Does not negate the Truth of God
B) Does not negate the Justice or Judgment of God
1) God loves all His creation
2) But if you do not come to Him through His son
a) His love will not over ride His Judgment.
b) His love already over came His Judgment at Calvary.
c) It does let Christians know that we have passed from judgment to life.
1) Yet discipline remains.
2) God disciplines those He loves.
Confidence of God’s love in Christ should lead to the conviction to share Christ’s love with you neighbor
IV. The Conviction of Love (Command) (1 John 4.21-5.4) (first great command love God)
A) That God wants you to love your neighbor
1) The second great commandment
2) Love you neighbor as yourself.
3) Even you enemy is your neighbor.
Matt 5.43-44 “You have heard what is said, You shall love you neighbor and hate your enemies. But I say love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
We cannot love our enemies if we don’t love each other.
B) That God wants you to share with your neighbor
1) Not just the family of faith
2) All people should hear of the love of the father.
Peter’s reinstatement
Jesus in John’s Gospel asks peter if He loves Him.
He asks the first time Peter do you Agapo me? Love me with sacrificial love
Peter Yes I phileo you.
Let us be honest with ourselves do we love God with a sacrificial love or just friendship love?
Our mission is to make God known. The best way to show that we know God is to love one another.
Today this morning I am inviting you to share your love with a loveless world.
I am not commanding you (as Jesus did), I am not telling you, I am inviting you.
Funny thing about invitations is they can either be accepted or rejected.
Just as the invitation from God through the Holy spirit can be rejected.
Jesus is calling you to share the love of God. He has given an open invitation.
Before you can share the love of God, you have to accept the love of God.
All believers I invite you to com forward and ask God to enable you to share His love.
