Love No Matter What

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Doc Dewberry

Faith Vision Christian Ministries

Sermon • Submitted 23 days ago • Presented 21 days ago • 1:42:10

1 John 4:7–21

Love

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Thank you Lady Pepper for the announcements and the reading of God’s Word.

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My name is Pastor Doc, and I will be sharing the Word of God with you today.

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Title of the message this Morning

Love No Matter What

Main idea:

We can love others no matter what because we have an unending source of love within us, the Holy Spirit.

God’s core nature is self-giving love, according to John the apostle, who lived with Jesus and was an eyewitness to the cross and resurrection.

God is love.

Love is always the right response.

And we will be a church who loves others no matter what.

Prayer:

“Lord Jesus Christ, you modeled a life of love and poured yourself out all the way to death on the cross.

And then you sent your Spirit to fill us with your love.

Teach us to rely on your love and to share your love with others today.

Amen.”

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-21

(All scripture is taken from the NIV unless otherwise noted)

Introduction

Hello Church!

We’re going to look at a key passage of scripture today from the book of 1 John.

This is a letter written by John the apostle, who was a disciple of Jesus.

John spent lots of time with Jesus.

He watched Jesus, he listened to Jesus, he asked Jesus questions.

John was an eyewitness to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But it doesn’t end there.

Do you know one more way John interacted with Jesus, even after the cross and resurrection?

John received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, the presence of God in his mind and heart.

This is important because the ministry of Jesus did not end with the cross and resurrection.

God then sent his Spirit to live and dwell within us.

You have this Spirit.

Do you know what this means?

It means that because of the indwelling Spirit of God, God is always with you.

You are never alone.

Anywhere you go, God goes.

You don’t have to go to a special place or building in order to enter into God’s presence because God has already put His presence within you.

John is very clear about this.

This is one of the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

In the Old Covenant, God dwelled in buildings, but in the New Covenant, God dwells in our hearts.

We have nothing to fear and nothing to lose as Christ followers.

We have nothing to fear because God is always with us, loving us.

We need not fear death, nor sickness, nor loss.

We need not fear economic downturns or financial collapse.

We need not fear war, hunger, or poverty.

Some or all of these things will occur.

But, because of His presence within us, we will endure and overcome everything this life throws at us.

In that sense we have nothing to fear.

And, we have nothing to prove.

God loves us deeply and unconditionally.

He accepts us right where we are, no matter what.

The power of His love breaks us free from the need to constantly prove ourselves and seek approval and recognition from others.

We shift from insecurity to security.

In that sense we have nothing to prove.

Let’s go to the passage.

As we read it, I want you to see if you pick up on a main theme or a key word.

John rambles a little bit, but not too much.

He’s speaking to you as a friend, so there’s some repetition.

Just sit back and listen, let the words wash over you.

Let the Spirit of God speak to your heart through these words.

Read 1 John 4:7-21

Main Teaching

Did anyone pick up on a main theme or a keyword?

There’s one word that John uses in this passage more than any other word.

Anyone want to take a guess?

John says “love” 27 times in these 15 verses.

27 times!

(Pastor: “love” appears 46 times overall in the NIV version of 1 John).

Love is a main theme with John because love was a main theme with Jesus.

Here are three things we can learn about the importance of love.

1. God is love. Period.

The first thing, and maybe the most important thing, is that scripture says, “God is love” (1 John 4: 8,16).

And notice, both times when John says, “God is love” the verse immediately ends with a period.

It’s as if John is telling us: God is love, period.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (4:8)

“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 them.” (4:16)

There’s no comma after “God is love.” And, there’s no “but.” John doesn’t say, “God is love, but….”

• God is love, but He’s holy

• God is love, but He’s just

• God is love, but He’s righteous

Those things are TRUE! But, John doesn’t say that. He says, “God is love.” Period.

This is important because John knew that God’s love is not one small part of his overall makeup.

He’s not partly loving, partly holy, partly just, and partly righteous (and on and on).

His love is not held in tension with his justice.

God is not conflicted about anything.

He is perfect and whole.

God’s core nature is love.

Self-giving, life-giving, courageous love.

Everything else is an expression of His love.

Think of it this way: God’s love is like a diamond, and every other characteristic of God is simply a facet of that love.

• God’s holiness is an expression of His love.

• God’s justice is an expression of His love.

• God’s righteousness is an expression of His love.

Everything God does is motivated and initiated out of love. Period.

He loves you. Period.

He loves the world. Period.

He loves the drug addict and the prostitute. Period.

He loves you when you’re at your worst. Period.

He loves Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. Period.

He loves atheists and agnostics. Period.

He loves Democrats. Period. He loves Republicans. Period.

He even loves those dirty politicians! Period.

He CAN’T NOT love, because His essence is love.

This is what John is saying to us.

ILLUSTRATION or TESTIMONY: Pastor, how have you encountered the love of God? How has someone in your congregation encountered the love of God? Can you or they share what that was like and how it affected them?

2. Love is always the right response

The second thing we learn from John is that there is a real expectation that we love as God loves.

This is where things start to get challenging.

“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…” (4:7-8)

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (4:11)

“We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (4:19-21)

God’s core nature is love, and He expects us to love one another the way He loves us.

Is that an impossible standard?

Does that seem fair?

How are you doing when it comes to loving others the way God loves us?

Love one’s, here’s the truth.

No matter what your relationships are like, no matter how people treat you, love is always the right response.

And love is always possible, because love is a choice and love comes from God.

A. Reacting vs. Responding

There is a difference between reacting and responding.

You may not always react in love, but you can always respond in love.

There’s a difference.

Reacting involves our initial feeling or impulse about something.

We cannot control how we emotionally react to a situation.

When people gossip about us, we react…how?

When your teenage daughter gets sassy with you, you react….how?

When you hear the evening news, you react….how?

When you discover layoffs are coming, you react…how?

When someone cuts you off in traffic, you react by saying or doing something you wouldn’t want caught on camera!

Those are reactions.

Reactions are part of our sinful nature.

(That’s not to say reactions can’t be good or loving — they can be — but we are focusing on non-loving reactions today).

Reactions are our “default setting” and if we don’t upgrade our hearts and minds through the love and Spirit of God then we won’t change.

Responses are different from reactions.

Responses are intentional.

Here’s the truth:

You are NOT responsible for your first feeling or your first thought.

You ARE responsible for your second thought and your first action.

Your first feeling and your first thought in situations is frequently a default reaction.

You are not responsible for those.

However, you ARE responsible for what you do with that internal reaction.

You can make it external, or you can choose a second thought and first action.

No matter what life or your employer or your spouse or your teenagers throw at you, you can ALWAYS respond with love.

You may not react initially with love, but you can capture that initial feeling or thought, take it captive, and turn it around into a courageous, loving response.

“We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Love is always the right response, because Love is always God’s response.

ILLUSTRATION or STORY: Pastor, can you think of a time when you reacted instead of responded? Can you think of another story of how you chose an intentional, loving and courageous response to something rather than reacting out of anger or fear?

3. Love no matter what

John writes, “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (4:12)

No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another here in Faith Vision Christian Ministries, it demonstrates that God is here.

And while no one alive today has actually seen our invisible God, they can catch a glimpse of Him and his goodness when we are busy loving one another as a church.

Wouldn’t that be beautiful?

If our church were known simply as the place where people come and encounter God through people’s love?

That is very possible, the only question is will we love one another well?

Let’s love no matter what!

Who should we love?

1. Let’s love God

“Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt 22:37)

2. Let’s love our neighbor

“And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt 22:38)

3. Let’s love fellow Christians

“Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (1 John 4:21)

4. Let’s love our enemies (those who have hurt us)

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matt 5:44)

5. Let’s love one another

“By THIS everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35).

ILLUSTRATION or STORY: Pastor, who in your congregation loves others really well? How are they an example for the rest of us to follow when it comes to loving others with the love God has for us? Can you tell a story or highlight this person in a time of affirmation?

Conclusion

Here’s the good news.

You have an unending source of self-giving, life-giving, courageous love within you.

You have the Spirit of God himself.

You can access this love by pouring yourself out in love to those around you, whomever that might be.

Sometimes we think if we love too much we’ll be empty.

We’ll go dry.

But God himself is a never-ending source of love for you because He will never leave you.

As long as you have him — AND YOU DO HAVE HIM — you will never exhaust His love.

Let’s pray together.

Salvation:

The Word of God says in:

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you’d would like to receive Jesus today, please pray this prayer with all of us:

Lord I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died On the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead gives me eternal life. I ask forgiveness of my sins, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Pastor Doc@FaithVision.org

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Remember!

We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” -We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” -Madeliene L’Engle (Lang ill)