Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning’s message is a transition passage for us.

It will actually serve as the connection point between two series for us.

Although we took a break last week, we have recently been looking through the book of 1 John.

In fact, we are picking back up there this morning, so you can go ahead and turn over to 1 John 4:7.

Our goal in looking at 1 John was to answer the question, “Are You Sure?” - Are you sure that if something happened to you today, you would find yourself in God’s presence for the rest of eternity?

We have seen that although we aren’t saved by what we do, our actions should demonstrate that we are right with God.

If we get off track, we come back to him and ask for him to graciously forgive us, not because we deserve it, but because Jesus has paid for our sins with his blood.

Last time we looked at 1 John together, we were reminded that we should be loving God instead of chasing after satisfaction, stuff, or status, which is loving the world instead.

Today, we are going to take that idea another step further to see what God’s love looks like and how we should respond.

This will be the launching point for us, because we are going to take the next several weeks and look closer at what we mean when we say, “Our Goal Is Love”.

That’s how these two series tie together: if you have a relationship with Christ, it is based off his love for us.

That love also forms the foundation for how we are going to grow to love God and others in our families, church, community, and world.

Bringing it back to our current series, we will see that if we are genuinely saved, we should have a love that matches with the kind of love God has shown us.

We are saved because of the way God has loved us, and we are expected to show that same kind of love to others.

With that in mind, I want us to look at three different characteristics of God’s love this morning.

Let’s set the stage by reading verses 7-10.

John starts out with a clear encouragement and yet another test: if you know God, you are going to love like he does.

That applies to each and every person in this room.

Whether you are a people person or a loner, whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, old or young, you are called to love people like Jesus loves you.

There is something interesting to notice in verse 8 - It isn’t that God simply acts lovingly; love is a part of who he is.

Love has always been a part of God’s nature, even before we existed!

One theologian, Wayne Grudem, defines it this way:

“God’s love means that he eternally gives of himself for others…It should cause us great joy to know that it is the purpose of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to give of themselves in order to bring us true joy and happiness.

It is God’s nature to act that way toward us for all eternity.”

(Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrines)

“God’s love means that he eternally gives of himself for others…It should cause us great joy to know that it is the purpose of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to give of themselves in order to bring us true joy and happiness.

It is God’s nature to act that way toward us for all eternity.”

(Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrines)

God’s love is a self-giving love, and that’s what he is calling us to reflect.

So let’s break down what that love looks like.

First, we see that...

1) Love sends.

Look at verse 9...

Did you realize that God didn’t have to save us?

Let’s not make a mistake this morning that many have made.

We talk a lot around here about the love of God, and rightfully so.

However, there is a danger that we might also neglect another attribute of God: his holiness.

Jimmy touched on that last week, didn’t he? Don’t lose sight of the fact that God is just as much holy as he is love.

In fact, when you see the angels around the throne in and in , they exalt God for his holiness, not his love.

Holiness means that God is completely different than anything else in all creation, but it is more than that.

Holiness also means that God is completely and totally pure, without any single hint of sin or evil.

He must punish sin, because it is contrary to his nature.

He can’t simply overlook it.

He must punish sin, because it is contrary to his nature.

He can’t simply overlook it.

When you think about the holiness of God, you see that we don’t deserve for him to rescue us.

We are the ones who abandoned him!

We turned from him, and we

Every single person in this room, on this planet, and throughout history, has chosen to do what they want instead of what God wants.

We have turned our backs and run from God, and yet how did God respond?

By showing us what love looks like and sending his Son for us!

God had every right to sit in heaven and never intervene in the earth again because of our sin.

He has every right to condemn us to hell and to kill us the very moment we are born!

I know that this sounds harsh when we are so used to being told that you deserve a trophy and a gold star and a comfortable retirement and a beautiful family and a satisfying job, but this is the truth of Scripture: you deserve death and to be separated from God forever.

Now, bring that understanding back with you into verse 9...

In light of your sin, in light of the fact that we deserved to be separated from God forever, look at what his love compelled him to do: to come rescue us!

Put this in human terms.

How many times has your spouse or a friend done or said something that hurt you?

What is your natural reaction?

For most of us, that reaction is to shut down - “I’m not talking to you until you apologize.”

We may go out of our way to avoid the person who has hurt us.

We may go out of our way to avoid the person who has hurt us.

Yet, what did God do for us?

God came to us.

He sent Jesus to come so we could have life!

Why did God send Jesus

That’s what love does.

Love is self-giving, and so it doesn’t wait for the offender to come back; it pursues.

If our lives have been transformed by the love of God, which sent Jesus to earth to rescue us, then we need to be willing to do the same.

We need to go to people who aren’t like us, people who hurt us, people who have no way of paying us back, and help them find the love that you know.

That means we love our angry uncle that the rest of the family rejects.

We love the weird guy in class that everyone makes fun of.

We go talk to the girl at work that no one ever talks to.

We come alongside the poor, the sick, the homeless and help them find the hope of the Gospel.

Let’s get this straight, though: you aren’t better than anyone else!

We don’t love others out of a sense of superiority; we love others because God loves us!

Do you love that kind of way?

Is there a heart in you to go to those the world overlooks?

Who do you see that others overlook?

How can you love them this week?

If not, I would challenge you to take a good look at whether or not you are saved.

God loved you by sending Jesus, so you should love others the same way!

Love does more than simply send, though.

In the next verse, we see that...

2) Love sacrifices.

Look at verse 10.

God’s love didn’t stop by simply coming to us.

That doesn’t do much good, does it?

It is nice to have someone around, but we need more than that!

Imagine this scene: as you drive along, you see a group of people gathered around someone lying beside the road.

Several people are attending to the injured person, and you have no medical skills to speak of.

So, let’s say you stop and push everyone aside and sit down next to the person.

They are obviously injured, but you don’t have a tourniquet or know how to use it, you can’t set a bone, you don’t know CPR, but you’re there.

That’s a nice gesture, but if there are others there to help them with their needs, it isn’t all that helpful, right?

Guys, if you are able bodied, next time your wife comes home with a load of groceries, just stand there with her as she carries them in.

How helpful is that?

Sure, it’s nice that you kept her company, but you didn’t do much to actually help.

Can you imagine what would have happened if Jesus had just come to earth, looked around, and said, “Wow, you guys have made a mess of this.

I’m here, but good luck.”

Again, he could have done that, but that isn’t what he did.