You Can't Give What You Don't Have Series

You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have…

I John 4: 7-19

CHCC: September 14, 2008

INTRODUCTION:

“All you need is love…”

Do you know that old Beatles song? It’s easy … sing it with me …All you need is love… oo ooo oo oo ooo

All you need is love… oo ooo oo oo ooo

All you need is love… love

Love is all you need.

Wouldn’t it be nice if it was as easy to LIVE that song as it is to sing it?

It may be true that all you need is love --- but really loving others ---- especially loving for a lifetime --- is a lot harder than singing about it!

We’re doing a series of sermons this fall about marriage. Today we’re going to talk about the SOURCE of all love --- because You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have… Turn with me to I John chapter 4. vs.7, Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8, Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1. Love comes from God

God is love. Not God is POWER or PERFECTION or CREATIVITY or JUSTICE or BEAUTY … even though God has all of those attributes and more. God is LOVE. God in His essence is a Relationship … a relationship of Three who live in perfect unity and love. When you connect with God, you have plugged into LOVE in its purest form.

By the time John wrote this, he was an old man. John was the youngest of Jesus’ twelve apostles. He was probably in his early 20’s when he walked with Jesus. Jesus gave John and his brother James the nickname “Sons of Thunder.” By the time John wrote this short book called First John, he was probably 65 or 70 years old, and he had a new nickname: “The Disciple of Love.” John was obsessed with Love because he war totally obsessed with God. All through the letter, John calls his readers, “my dear children,” and “my dear friends.” John had learned what really matters in life.

Erma Bombeck once said, “If I had my life to live over again…”

• “I would have talked less and listened more.

• “I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained.

• “I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

• “I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

• “I would have cried and laughed less while watching television, and more while watching life.

• “When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”

• “There would have been more “I love you’s.” More “I’m sorry’s.”

• “But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it… live it… and love it.

You don’t have to wait until you’re old to live that kind of life. If you KNOW God, your live will just naturally overflow with love … because God is love.

Verse 7 says, Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The word used here for “know” is the same word used to describe the intimate union between husband and wife in Genesis 4:1 where it says “And Adam knew his wife, and they conceived …” Knowing God is much more than knowing ABOUT God … it means knowing Him in a deep and personal way. Jesus came to demonstrate that God is love … and to make the way for us to connect with God.

Our relationship with God is a lot like the relationship of marriage. Both are lifelong commitments, and both are CHOSEN relationships. Most life-long relationships here on earth are not chosen. After all, you can’t choose your parents or siblings … or even special order your children. But marriage is the exception. Marriage is the one lifelong commitment we enter into by our own free choice.

That’s why the Bible compares the relationship of Jesus and his Church to a Groom and his Bride. Jesus will make good on his promise to love His Church. When HIS love lives in us, we can make good on our marriage commitment.

We’re in a 6-week series on Marriage right now, and you’re going to be hearing sermons on marriage from Ronnie and from Jesus Castillo and from me. The series is tied to a movie called FIREPROOF that’s coming out … I hope you’ll plan to get together with friends and see the movie. I hope you’ll attend one of our Pueblo groups. You’re going to hear a lot of good, practical ideas about how to strengthen your marriage.