WALKING IN LOVE Part Three: The Nature of Love God s Love for Us Scriptures: 1 John 3:1-3; 4:7-16,18,19 SUNDAY MAY 10, 2009 GOD S LOVE FOR US 1. TOTAL and COMPLETE. 1 John 4:7,8,16b 2. PERFECT Untarnished by SIN. 1 John 1:; 3:,6 3. SACRIFICIAL fully EXPRESSED in REDEMPTION. 1 John 3:16a; 4:9,10; Romans :6-8 4. PROACTIVE FIRST to ACT. 1 John 4:10,19. AUTHENTIC but REALISTIC based on the TRUTH. 1 John 1:-9; 2:1,2 6. CONSISTENT never at odds with His PERSON, CHARACTER or PURPOSE. (Therefore never excuses or condones sin.) 1 John 1:; 3:,6 7. UNFAILING and UNCHANGING. 1 John 4:8b,16b 8. Expressed in ACTIONS. 1 John 3:16a; 4:9,10 9. PATIENT and PERSISTENT. Luke 1:11-32 10. Always aimed at DEEPER FELLOWSHIP. 1 John 1:1-10; 2:1,2; 4:10-12 11. Now operational in BELIEVERS. 1 John 2:a; 4:12,16,17; Romans : 12. Ultimately TRANSFORMING. 1 John 3:1-3
RESPONSIVE READING 1 John 3:1-3; 4:7-16,18,19 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. We know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us.
SCRIPTURES 1. TOTAL and COMPLETE: 1JN 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7,8 God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16b 2. PERFECT, UNTARNISHED BY SIN: 1JN 1: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1: But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 1 John 3:,6 3. SACRIFICIAL FULLY EXPRESSED IN REDEMPTION: 1JN 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. 1 John 3:16a 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9,10 RO :6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans :6-8 4. PROACTIVE FIRST TO ACT: 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10 1JN 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19. AUTHENTIC BUT REALISTIC BASED ON THE TRUTH: 1JN 1: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1JN 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:-9
1JN 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1,2 6. CONSISTENT NEVER AT ODDS WITH HIS PERSON, CHARACTER OR PURPOSE: 1JN 1: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1: But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 1 John 3:,6 7. UNFAILING AND UNCHANGING: 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16b 8. EXPRESSED IN ACTIONS: 1JN 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. 1 John 3:16a 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9,10 9. PATIENT AND PERSISTENT: Luke 1:11-32 (Prodigal son) 10. ALWAYS AIMED AT DEEPER FELLOWSHIP: 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:3,4,6,7 11. NOW OPERATIONAL IN BELIEVERS: But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. 1 John 2:a 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:12 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 1 John 4:16,17 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans : 12. ULTIMATELY TRANSFORMING: 1JN 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3