Focus On The Supremacy Of Love

1 John 4:11 – 21

A Study In The 2nd Half Of First John:

1st Half: God Is Light:

2nd 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

Focus On God And His Love: He Took Action

Focus On The Home: Teaching The Next Generation Begins At Home

TODAY:

FOCUS ON THE SUPREMACY OF LOVE: TO KNOW AND RELY ON GOD'S LOVE

1 John 4:11 – 21 Explained

His Love Is Made Perfect In Us

We Know That We Live In God And God Lives In Us

WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE HE GAVE US HIS SPIRIT

This Is How We Live By His Help And He Lives In Us

LOVE GIVES US STRONGER FAITH IN CHRIST

We Have Seen That The Father Sent His Son

To Be The Savior Of The World

This Is What We Tell People Now

Anyone Who Says They Believe That

Jesus Is The Son Of God

Is A Person Who Lives In God

God Lives In That Person

WE HAVE COME TO KNOW

AND RELY ON THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US

God Is Love

Everyone Who Lives In Love Lives In God

And God Lives In Them

THE LOVE OF GOD HAS POWER OVER FEAR AND HATE

LOVE IS MADE PERFECT IN US

We Will Not Be Ashamed

As We Stand Before Him

On The Day Of Judgment

For We Know That Our Life In This World

Is His Life Lived In Us

There Is No Fear In Love

PERFECT LOVE PUTS FEAR OUT OF OUR HEARTS

People Have Fear When They Are Afraid Of Being Punished

The Man Who Is Afraid Does Not Have Perfect Love

We Love Him Because He Loved Us First

If A Person Says They Love God But Hates His Brother Is A Liar

God Gave Us This Command:

IF WE LOVE GOD WE MUST ALSO LOVE EACH OTHER

THE GOAL OF GOD'S COMMANDMENT THROUGH SALVATION

TO PRODUCE LOVE IN OUR HEART

FOR HIM AND FOR OTHERS

1ST FOR HIM

2ND FOR OTHERS

TO CREATE A FELLOWSHIP OF PEOPLE

WHO SUPREMELY LOVE GOD AND EACH OTHER

NOTE:

SPIRITUAL MATURITY IS MEASURED BY YOUR LOVE

GOD’S LOVE REACHES ITS INTENDED GOAL WHEN WE LOVE OTHERS

I. WE KNOW AND RELY ON GOD’S LOVE
A. GOD IS LOVE
The Proper Starting Point For A Discussion About Love:

• It Doesn't Begin With Us
  
• It Is Not What We Feel Or Experience
  
• It Is Not What We Want Or What We Should Do
  

The Starting Point For A Discussion About Love Is The Recognition Of The Truth That “God Is Love?”

BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SAY THAT GOD IS LOVE?
Love Is A Part Of God’s Character:

• It Assures Us About What We Can Expect Of God
  
• It Assures Us That It Is Completely Within God’s Character To Love
  
• It Assures Us That We Can Expect That God Will Act In A Loving Way
  

God Will Always Love Because He Is Love
God Has Demonstrated His Love Most Clearly And Powerfully By Sending His Son To Be The Savior Of The World

• The Motive For Sending Jesus Was Love
  
• The Method By Which He Came Was A Loving Action
  
• The Result Of The Coming Of Jesus Demonstrates His Love
  

B. KNOWING WE ARE LOVED
We Have Come To Know The Love God Has For Us By His Past Action: Sending Jesus

C. RELYING ON LOVE
The Knowledge Of God’s Love For Us Leads Us To The Place Where We Rely On That Love

D. LIVING IN LOVE
When We Know That We Are Loved And When We Rely On God’s Love We Will Find Ourselves Living In Love

• It Means That We Live With The Assurance That We Are Loved
  
• It Means That We Love God
  
• It Means That Love Is The Defining Characteristic Of Our Life
  

2. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF LIVING IN LOVE
WHAT ARE THESE IMPLICATIONS OF KNOWING AND RELYING ON HIS LOVE ?


A. LOVE OVERCOMES FEAR
1.  THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE BECAUSE LOVE OVERCOMES FEAR
Love And Fear Can’t Coexist
Because We Have Come To Know And Rely On The Love God Has For Us We Do Not Fear The Day Of Judgment
If We Have Accepted The Sacrifice Of Jesus On The Cross As The Atonement For Our Sins We Are Accepted
But When We Know And Rely On The Love God Has For Us That Fear Is Cast Out
The Love Of God Casts Out Fear

2. WE ARE MADE PERFECT IN LOVE
Think on God's Love For Us and We Become More Fearless
Rely on God's Love For Us and We Become More Confident

THINK AND KNOW AND RELY ON GOD'S LOVE FOR US

 WILL PERFECT HIS LOVE IN US

B. WE ARE FREE TO LOVE OTHERS

We Love Because He First Loved Us
We Love Others As A Response To The Love Received
We Love Others Because We Have Been Loved

Love For Others Must Be Present If We Claim To Love God

Love Is An Action Word And It Does Something

A Simple And Direct Command

If The Life Of God Is In Us

We Are Called To Obey Him By Loving Others

The Children Of God Sure Obey Their Heavenly Father

SUMMARY:

AS THE ABIDING GOD

MATURES THE BELIEVER’S LOVE

ALL FEAR OF FUTURE JUDGMENT

IS DISPLACED BY BOLDNESS

-God’s Great Love For Believers Motivates Love For Others

-The Believer’s Love For Others Proves That God Makes Himself At Home Within The Believer:

Through Confession Of Jesus As God’s Divine Son

Through Experience Of The Holy Spirit Living In The Believer

• Perfects His Love In The Believer
• Provides Confidence That God Abides In The Believer
• Benefits The Believer Displacing Fear With Boldness

THE INVISIBLE GOD WHO INITIATES LOVE

DEMANDS THE BELIEVER’S LOVE FOR THOSE WHO CAN BE SEEN !