Focus On God And His Love

1 John 4:7-10

A Study In The 2^nd Half Of First John:

1^st Half: God Is Light:

2^nd Half: God Is Love:

Love In Action: God's Love Flows Through Us To One Another.

Our Standing Before God: Righteousness Pursued Is An Assurance Of Our Salvation.

Focus On Discernment: The Sound Doctrine Test.

TODAY: FOCUS ON GOD AND HIS LOVE: HE TOOK ACTION

1 John 4:7-10 Explained

We Must Love Each Other

Love Comes From God

When We Love Each Other

It Shows That We Have Been Given New Life

How Is This New Life Demonstrated ?

Everyone Who Loves Is Born Of God And Knows God

But If A Person Isn’t Loving And Kind

It Shows That He Doesn’t Know God

For God Is Love

God Showed His Love For Us

When He Sent His Only Son

Into This Evil World To Give Us Life

In This Is Love

Not That We Loved God

But That He Loved Us

God Sent His Son

To Be The Sacrifice

By Which Our Sins Are Forgiven

1 John 4:7-10 Outlined

A-HA-VAH: Hebrew Word for LOVE ( AGAPE IN GREEK )

Generally A Broad Term That Describes Affection For Another

Abraham Had AHAVAH for Isaac: Parental Love

Jonathan Had AHAVAH for David: Brotherly Love

Deut 7:7-8 God Showed Affection Because Of His AHAVAH

God Doesn't AHAVAH because Israelites Earned It

AHAVAH Originated From God's Nature and Character

HE LOVES BECAUSE HE LOVES

GOD'S LOVE IS AN ETERNAL FACT OF THE UNIVERSE

IT HAS NO END BECAUSE IT HAS NO BEGINNING

THE NATURE OF GOD:

• Love Is From God
• His Very Nature Is Love

God’s Love Before Time

Before The Beginning—God’s Love Was The Driving Force That Set The Scene For His Creation

God’s Love In Creation

God’s Love Is Also On Display In The Perfect World HE CREATED FOR US.

The Creation Account Repeatedly Features The Phrase, “and God Saw That It Was Good” FOR US.

God’s Love In Humanity

God’s Love Is Also Evident In The Fact That He Created People Rather Than Robots.

God Is All Powerful, All Knowing, And Perfectly Capable Of Creating A Race Of Creatures To Do His Bidding.

GOD IS RELATIONAL

GOD CREATED MAN TO RECIPROCATE HIS LOVE.

THE KIND OF LOVE GOD DISPLAYS:

God's Love Is Agape Love: Unconditional Love:

There Was Nothing Of Value In Us That Called For Such Sacrificial Love.

God Of His Own Free Will Set His Love On Us In Spite Of Our Enmity And Sin.

It Is Spontaneous:

[Agapē] Is Love That Is Initiated By God Because He Wills To Love, Not Because We Are So Loveable.

It Is Self-Giving:

[Agapē] Is Not Interested In What It Can Gain, But In What It Can Give. It Desires To Help The One Loved Whatever The Cost.

It Is An Action:

[Agapē] Is Not Mere Sentiment Cherished In The Heart.

Nor Is It Mere Words However Eloquent.

It Does Involve Feeling And May Express Itself In Words.

It Is Primarily An Attitude Toward Another That Moves The Will To Act In Helping To Meet The Need Of The One Loved.

GOD'S LOVE CAN BE MISUNDERSTOOD:

There Are Many Ways To Misunderstand John’s Meaning.

1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Seems A Particular Favorite Of Cults.

All Kinds Of False Sects That Have Misapplied This Verse To Support Wildly Heretical Notions:

Christian Science: Portrays God As A Divine Principle: Love.

God Is A What Not A Who. A Principle Not A Person.

Note: This Teaching Is Neither Christian Nor Science:

Children Of God (The Family International): Uses LOVE To Justify Sexual Promiscuity.

It Is Important That We Understand And Reject Not Only Those Doctrines And The False Ideas On Which They Are Based.

Many Have Been Led Astray In This Thinking.

THE EXAMPLE OF GOD'S LOVE:

God Sent Jesus:

So That We May Have Life.

John 10:10: Jesus Said: The Thief Comes Only To Steal And Kill And Destroy; I Have Come That They May Have Life, And Have It To The Full.

God Initiated Love:

So That We Are Made Right.

Romans 5:8 But God Demonstrates His Own Love For Us In This: While We Were Still Sinners, Christ Died For Us.

QUESTIONS:

1. Where Does Love Come From? (1 John 4:7)

Love Is From God. He Is The Source And Our Example.

2. Explain How Not Loving Others Provide Evidence That A Person Is Not A Child Of God? (v. 8)

To Not Express Sacrificial Love For Others Is In Contradiction To The Very Nature Of Who God Is.

3. What Is The Ultimate Revelation Of The Love Of God? (v. 9)

God Sent His Only Son Into The World To Die For Us.

“Only” Means “unique" – There Was No Other Son, But Jesus!

4. What Do The Following Passages Teach Us About Love?

A. Acts 4:34 – 37 They Sold Land To Provide For The Needs

B. Philippians 1:4 – 7 Pray For Others

C. 1 Thessalonians 2:11 – 12 Holding Each Other Accountable

D. 1 Timothy 5:1 Mentor Younger Christ-Followers

E. John 13:12 – 15 Serve Others In Humility

F. Philippians 2:3 – 4 Think Of Others’ Needs First

G. Romans 2:9 – 11 We Are To Love All Races

Evidence Of Abiding In Love:

Consider The Following Practical Ways Of Knowing Whether We Abide In Love.

Is There A Loss Of The Sense That God Is Against Me? (Romans 5:1; 8:31)

Do I Sense The Love Of God For Me? (1 John 4:16)

Do I Know That My Sins Are Forgiven? (Romans 4:7 – 8)

Do I Have A Sense Of Gratitude To God? (Colossians 2:6 – 7)

Do I Have An Increasing Hatred For Sin? (Romans 7:15 – 16)

Do I Desire To Please God And Live A Holy Life? (John 14:21)

Is There A Desire To Know God Better And Draw Near To Him? (Philippians 3:10)

Is There A Conscious Regret That My Love For God Is Less Than What It Ought To Be? (Philippians 1:9 – 10)

Is There A Sense Of Delight In Hearing About God And The Things Of God? (Psalm 1:1 – 2)