Love Exemplified (1 John 4:7-12)

blog, sermons

So one time when I was about 10 or 12 I poured myself a bowl of cereal. Once I filled my bowl I poured the milk without checking the date or smelling it. I then took the first bite of my cereal and there was the most sour and disgusting taste I’ve ever had. Turns out the milk had expired. I threw the bowl out and poured all the milk down the drain when I realized the date on the milk had not yet passed. The milk should have still been good.

For this reason I check dates on everything before I eat it in addition to smelling the food. You never know how accurate the date is or if how the food had been stored could’ve cut the shelf life down. The milk was milk, but it wasn’t fulfilling its purpose. It wasn’t doing its job. Had I left it long enough it probably would have turned int cottage cheese or something.

How do we know that we aren’t just expired milk. The outside says “Christian” but the inside doesn’t line up. Our lives say something different from what we claim. What are we measured against? Who is our example to follow in this life so that we don’t reek of expired Christian?

We have learned in 1 John that love for one another is a distinguishable mark of a true Christian. But what is love? Who can look to in order to see what love looks like practically? The pinnacle of love is Christ who God sent into the world to save His people. God’s love is exemplified in sending Jesus into the world. God’s love is exemplified in His people by sending them to one another.

MPS: God’s love is exemplified in sending Jesus into the world. God’s love is exemplified in His people by sending them to one another.

The love of the fellowship is rooted in God. (7-8)

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

Love has its origins in God (7), meaning that love proceeds from God. It has its beginning in Him. God’s very nature is love and true love in this world as defined only by the One who created all things. So for love to truly take root within the fellowship and each believer, God’s love must first be given to them. Once implanted into our hearts, God’s love takes over our lives like an invasive plant taking over a forest. It can be rapid or slow growth depending on the conditions such as sunlight, soil fertility, and rain.

a) Once that love takes root, what might it look like? How do you know that God’s love is growing in your life? His love manifests itself in you through humility, deference, patience, long-suffering, and endurance. Paul writes, “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”(1 Cor. 13:4-7)

b) These qualities of love are the fruit of God’s work in your life. They aren’t things you attain by earnestly working for them. They are the practical application of God’s love and work in you. As God’s love matures in you then the practical nature of that love will also mature. You will become more patient, kind, humble, selfless, and cool tempered. When a friend gently reminds you of the hope you have in Christ and the love we are to have for one another you will sense the prick of God’s Word spoken over you. You will be reminded of His glory and work. You will be thankful for the kindness of God and His people.

But what about those who don’t show any maturing in God’s love? So a Lack of love is the fruit of one who doesn’t know God. (8) Love is the fruit of faith and salvation. It is the result of being saved by Christ and following Him. It is evidence that you belong to God. An absence of love demonstrates a disregard for God and that you belong to Satan, not Christ.

Now a man might be of Christ and not yet demonstrate love for a couple of reasons. First, you might be immature. You could be new to the faith and there are works of love that are manifest in your life, but because you are so covered in filth it’s hard to see the treasure that is in you. Secondly, you might not be informed of God’s love. If I give you a treasure without end, but don’t tell you about it, then you won’t do anything with it. The same could be said for God’s love. We need instruction and encouragement. It is what Hebrews means by, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” (Heb. 10:24)

The love of God is exemplified by the sending of Christ to redeem His people. (9-10)

9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

If God is the source of love then He also must be our example. If He is to be our example then how does He show Himself to us? God reveals Himself through Christ. (9) John says, “No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side —he has revealed him.” (John 1:18) How do we know God? Through Christ. How do we know Christ? Through His Word by the inspiration and in dwelling of the Holy Spirit. So God reveals Himself in Christ and sends Him not only as our Savior, but also our example. To live in Christ is to know Christ, He says in John 17:3, “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

a) So to know Christ it To live in Christ, which is to love like Christ.Knowledge of Christ drives us to love like Him. How did Christ love the world? How did God demonstrate or reveal His love? 

God reveals His love through Christ. (10) He lived selflessly and died gloriously, redeeming His people through His defeat of sin and death. 

a) In doing so The ability to love comes through the finished work of Christ. He has conquered all of sin. He has replaced our iniquities with His perfection so that even when we fail to love He never fails to love us. We have redemption in Him. Why would He give Himself up for those who have yet to love Him? Because He is the epitome of love. Love is self-sacrificing. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs. He exemplifies love for us.

b) And our failures, including our failure to love demands judgment. It demands punishment. Mankind isn’t measured against itself. Making is measured against God’s perfection. No one is perfect. When we measure ourselves against God’s standard each of us fails to meet it. However, God’s punishment was exercised on Christ, thereby freeing us from sin’s bondage and giving us the ability to truly love others. This is the greatest demonstration of love. So when you look around you and see that the love you extend to others doesn’t seem to be reciprocated, don’t be surprised. Why? Because, “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) So be patient with those in your lives. Be long-suffering and understanding. Do not count their wrongs against them. Give of yourself without expecting anything in return. 

The love of God is perfected in His people as we love one another. (11-12)

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Do you realize how direct and heavy this statement is? God loved us  in this way, that He gave us Christ who endured a most excruciating death. If God did that then loving one another should be pretty easy. God’s love for us, drives us to love one another. (11) There are no excuses. We sound silly when we try and justify our hate or lack of love. We might rationalize that others deserve our wrath or ill-will. We might try and justify our actions. But understand that we sound like a child who hits another child and says “So and so made me do it.” No they didn’t. No one made you do it. You just don’t know how to control your emotions, which lead to unjustified action. When you don’t love one another it’s because you don’t understand God’s love.

No one has seen the Father except the Son. (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12a) So we must see the Father through the Son. Likewise, we see the love of the Father in the work of the Son.

So if we see the love of God through the Son and His love is perfected in the church then God is seen by the world through the love of His people. (12b) We are called to love one another within the Church and that love is a testimony to the world of God’s love for His people. In a time where churches focus on hipster pastors, smoke machines, flashy lights, and putting on an entertaining show the love of God’s people has lost its prominence, but not its importance. What has historically been attractive about the Church is the love that has been found in it. That love focuses on and emanates from the redeeming work of Christ, forgiveness of sins, and self sacrifice by those who call themselves Christians. Instead we find ourselves longing to please our flesh because we’ve made an idol our God and dressed it up as spiritual. Real and true spirituality is grounded in Christ and nothing else. Real and true faith looks to the cross of Christ, not the satisfaction of our worldly whims. We have replaced carrying our cross and crucifying the flesh with selfism and convenience. We have replaced God with ourselves as the object our desires and worship.

Next Steps

• Reflect on God’s love for you, because you only have the ability to love one another as much as you have bathed in the eternal and inexhaustible love of God.
• Develop a love for others through prayer. Your love for God and the love you experience from Him is directly related to prayer. Your love for one another can be traced directly to your prayer for one another.
• Show the love of God to others in your life regardless if that love will be reciprocated. Love expects nothing in return, it is patient, and selfless.