Let Us Love One Another

(1 John 4:7-12)

 

The Situation:

            We all long for love—to be loved and to love.

            We were created in love and for love—to love God and others.

            Because of sin, we cannot do what God commands and requires.

 

The Foundation:  The Reality of God’s Love

God is love (v. 8) and sent His Son to show us love (vv. 9-10).

      God defines love.  Our idea of love must conform to God’s.

      When love becomes a god, it becomes a demon. – C. S. Lewis

Feel the reluctance of the Father to send His only Son.

God not only sent His Son but sent Him to be our propitiation.

Love originates with God (Father/Son/Spirit), not with us (v. 10).

“If God so loved us” (v. 11) is not hypothetical.  It is true.

            Dead in sin and enemies of God, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-10).

 

The Implication:  The Reason for Our Love

Since God has loved us in Christ, we must love one another (v. 11).

            We can only give what we have first received.  Have you received?

We are being renewed in the image of God to reflect God’s glory.

We talk about love over and over again because the Bible does.

The message is simple but the matter is not easy.

Think, speak and act as you would have others do to you.

Love is to desire and do what is best for others.

We need help to love one another.  It is not natural but supernatural.

We have been impacted by sin and live among others like us.

We love others in their sin because Christ loved us in ours.

We love both in the larger and in the local body of Christ.

      We can only love this way by continually looking to the cross of Christ.

This is life-long love for those whose sin is known to us.

Reconciling love glorifies God who reconciled us in Christ.

Always ask, “What will bring God the greatest glory?”

 

The Demonstration:

Loving like Christ shows we are born of God and know God (v. 7).

Not loving like Christ shows we do not know God (v. 8).

No one has ever seen God (v. 12).

      God is spirit (John 4:24) and dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16).

Loving this way displays God’s character for the world to see.

See how these Christians love one another!

            Love looks like something.  Ultimately, it looks like Jesus.