Let’s Love

1 John 4:7-12

⁷ Beloved 

Just a reminder that John is writing to the gentile believersand he calls them “Beloved.” 

Beloved -Agapētos- esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love

This is the same word that God usesto describe His Son Jesus. (I take delight in)

Mark 1:11

¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

For believers it means that we have found favor with God, not because of our own doing, but because we have been reconciled to Godthrough Christ.  As His beloved, we will experience eternal lifewith God.

We are His beloved.  I like the fact that John includes the gentilesas being the beloved.  It is a term of endearmentallocated for the saints of God.

⁷ Beloved let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 

A few things are said in these two verses.

• Love is from God
• We should love one another
• If you love, then you are born of God
• If you do not love, then you do not know God.

There is no better way that we can gaugewhether we are authentic Christiansthan to compare the love that we havefor one another to the love thatChrist Jesus our Lordhas for us.

Before we can determine whether we are walking in love, we must first define what love isand what it is not.

There are so many different world views of love. 

• To some there is no suchthing as the supernaturalso the way they view love is only from a natural wayof thinking. Basically, love is limited to a feelingor just a chemicaland electrical processesin the body. Such people do not believe in moral absolutesand therefore have not submitted themselvesto the laws of God concerning love and sexuality.  Love is just a feeling to them.  When the feelings go away so does the love.
• There are others who will use “love” to get what they want. If you can benefit me then I will “love” you.  This is a conditional love, I can love you if you….

If you’re rich enough, or beautiful enough, or successful enough then I can love you.

• Then there are those who will only “love” you when things are going well.But as soon as trouble arises that so-called friend is nowhere to be found.

These are just some examples of worldly love.  Worldly love is selfishand cares more about what it getsfrom a relationship rather than what it givesto that relationship. Many marriages arefailingbecause of this type of love.  This kind of love is not love at all. 

This is not the kind of love that the apostle John is calling usto.

A Christian view of loveis based from the teachings of the Bible.  It is established on the fact that all men and women were created in the imageand likeness of God. Because everyone was created by God, they were also created with a purpose.

This will affect every relationshipthat we have. 

We love our Spousebecause he/she is made in the imageof God.  If I am mean or hurtful to that person I am offending not only that person but the Godwho created them.

We are to love our kidsbecause they too are made in the image and likeness of God.  So, whenever a parent belittles their child they are really belittling the Godwho made them.

We are to love our Bosses and fellow employeesknowing that they too are made in the image and likeness of God.  If your slothful on your job, you’re not just doing it to them but also to God.

We are to love our enemies, believe it or not, they were made in the image and likeness ofGod.

A real authentic Christian love realizes that God has sent His Son to die for all of mankindand not only for the elite of society.  If we are to call ourselves Christians, then we must love as Christ loved.

Christ Jesus loved us with a sacrificial kind of love.  It was a love that cost Him something.  It cost Him His life.  Real love will cost a real price.

A real authentic Christian love can only come from God.  Any love that is apart from God is not love at all. It is infatuation.  There is a big difference.

To all you young ladiesout there who are wanting to experience love.  You’re wanting to feel loveand wanting to be loved and you think that love is found in this guywho told you something nice about yourself. 

Be wiseyoung ladies.  If he says, “If you love methen you will do this and this for me.”  Then you need to run awayfrom that relationship as quick as you can. Because if he truly loves you, he will put a ring on it, and he will wait for you. 

To truly loveyou, He needs to first be in love with God.  If he isn’t in love with God, it is impossible for him to love you, as God is love! He might say he loves you, but what he really means is that he is infatuated by you.

A real authentic Christian loveis a love that is selfless in giving to Godand to others.  This kind of love comes only from God.

for love is from God

If I was to give my wife a gift,I would make a little note somewhere on the gift to say that the gift was from me.  This lets her know that I was the source.

So, when the scriptures say that love is from Godit is saying that God is source of love.  Love cannot be found outside of God.In fact, it is impossible to find love outside of God for love is from God and because God is Love. 

So, when you encounter God you encounter love.  If you have not encountered God, then you have not encountered real love.  

So, let’s put together what we have read so far.

Beloved let us love one another for love is from God.

Being we are his beloved, let us love one another with the same love that is from God, the same love that God has toward us. Not the selfish lovethat this world teaches us. Rather a love that is sacrificial in giving and prefers othersabove oneself.

We don’t first love God, He first loved us. 

⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

If you are not walking inthis kind of love toward your fellow man, then the bible says that you don’t know God. You are not His beloved.

Surely if you know Godthen you would also know His love.  Because God is love.  Even in His wrath, He is love. He is a God who gives graceupon grace.  He is patientwith our rebellion.  Because of His love for us, He is not quick to execute judgementupon us for our sins.

His desire is that none would perish and that all would come to the knowledge of His saving grace.

Ezekiel 33:11

As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

This is the love of our Heavenly Father; His desireis that we turn and not burn.  It is His love thatpursues us. 

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. 

When God sent His Son Jesusinto the world, to die a death He did not deserve, it was the greatest demonstration of lovethat was ever displayed. 

Jesus was manifested in the flesh.  He was God, yet He humbly took onflesh and blood.  Even though He was God, He did not go around boasting about it. 

While walking this earth Jesus made statements like

Matthew 20:28

²⁸ even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

His sole purposein coming to this earth was to lay his life downfor the sins of all people. 

His love was demonstratedin His Humility. 

His love was demonstratedas He servedthe needs of others.

These are two traits that every Christian needs to have so that their love would be authentic.

Humility and Servingthe needs of others.

If your humblethen you are not prideful.  You know that apart from Him your nothing. 

Therefore, if our identityin Christ is a result of His doingthen we have no room to boastin our own achievements or our own ability to save ourselves. 

Knowing this will help you to walk in humility.  It will keep you from being pridefulso that in turn you can truly love othersthe way your supposed to.  To know your imperfectionswill help you to have grace and love toward other peoplewho also have imperfections.

Then the other thing is serving.  If you are serving others, then you are walking inand fulfilling the love of Christ. 

• How would our relationships be different if we chose to walk in humility and serve one another?
• How would marriages benefit if the husband and wife chose to serve one another rather than complain about one another?
• How would you benefit from walking in humility with your boss knowing that he/she is in that position over your life because God said so?
• How could others who do not know Christ benefit by your humility and your willingness to serve?

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. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Love starts with God.  God is love. He pursuesus with His love while we were still in our sins.  As we come to know Him, we learn more about His lovenot only for us but for others as well.  Because it is His desire that none should perish, our hearts are filled with love for others. As we begin to love one another through humility and servingeach other, God’s love is perfectedin us.

¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

One final thought

• Can we really say that we love Jesus if we don’t love others around us?

Because no one has seen God, and because God’s love abides in us,then it is vitalfor us to demonstrate that lovewhich we have experienced with those who have not yet experienced it.  As we may be the only demonstration of His love intheir lives.

This requires us to put on humility and have a willingness to servethose around us. To do as Jesus did and lay down our lives for the benefitof someone else.