This
morning I want to reflect on the something that is basic to the message of
Jesus - The power of Love.
I am
going to take you into the story of God. I hope that you will see God in a new
way -and be able to respond to him better.
Today
we are going to look at 1 John chapter 4. Twice in this chapter, John tells us
“God is love.” “God is love.” I think if you know anything about Christian
theology, then you will have heard that before. Good is love.
We
get that, but we don’t --because many people in don’t get what real love is. So
this morning I want to talk to you about the transforming power of love.
God’s
love truly is amazing. It is strong, it is pure, it is steady, and it comes out
of the core of who he is. If I had to describe the character of God in only two
words, it would be holy love.
And
what is really amazing is that God loves you and that God loves me. There are
some who have an inflated view of self, and say well of course God loves me. But remember that God knows all about
you. He knows your dark side, and yet he loves you – even on your bad day.
Now
that is as far as some people ever get when they think about God’s love. But we
need to go a little further. The Gospel is about more than the fact that God
loves you. That is the foundation of the gospel but it is not the whole gospel.
The whole point
of the gospel is to bring you into a relationship with God. As you have
probably heard over and over again, Christianity is not about religion, about
doing righteous acts or religious duties to somehow get to God. Christianity is
about having a relationship with God.
We
know our faith is about having a relationship with God, and we know, that at
the basis of all good relationships is love and respect, and we know, as the
passage that we will get to today says, “God is love.” So it follows that having a relationship with
God should be easy.
And
to some extent it is. But just because God loves us, doesn’t mean we have a
relationship with God. It means that we have the potential to have a
relationship with God.
We
have a lot of university students come to Sunnyside, the church that I pastor.
They get this well. If your single and looking to date someone, you get
this. If you see this cute girl, or this
cute guy and you are interested in them--- you can see potential for a
relationship. From what you can see you really, really like them. But there are a few steps between seeing the
potential for a relationship and an actual relationship. You are interested in
them but are they interested in you?
Much
of the story of humanity is God’s unrequited love for us. For those of you who
read dull and boring books like Wuthering Heights, - sorry English majors - you know that unrequited love is one sided
love. It is a love that is given but not reciprocated. Sometimes the recipient
of the love does not understand it as love, and sometimes they understand it,
but the feeling is not mutual. It is the stuff that tragedies are made up of.
Because in unrequited love, there really is no relationship.
But
that was the story of God. He is love. He loves you, but in order for there to
be a relationship, you must love him in return.
The
gospel, the good news of Jesus, is not only that God loves you, but that he is
inviting you into a deep substantial loving relationship with him.
The
gospel is only realized when there is a personal relationship with God. You
only realize the power of the gospel when you enter into a personal
relationship with God.
Now
here is the thing about relationships. They are limiting. If you are married to
somebody, you cannot – at least in this country so far – get married to someone
else.
If
you are in a healthy married relationship, then you cannot sleep with other
people.
I was
sitting with this guy who had been
married for a long time, and he was telling me about now much he loved
his wife, but he was also telling me about the multiple affairs that he had had. But he
just couldn’t understand why his wife was divorcing him, because he thought
they would just work it all out. But marriage doesn’t work like that.
Relationships
are limiting. You do things that you wouldn’t do if you were not in a
relationship, and you don’t do things that you might do because you are in a
relationship.
When
you are in a relationship with God, you don’t worship other things – God calls
them idols – but we are not just talking little statues, we are talking
anything that you put before God.
When
you are in a relationship with God, you do certain things. What our passage
today is saying, that if you are in a relationship with God you will love
others who are in a relationship with God.
Music
– Your love is Amazing (Hallelujah)
Brian Doerksen 4:13
With
that hovering in the background, lets go to our text
1
John 4:7–21 (NIV)
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.
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.
11 Dear friends, since God
so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 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 4:13–19 (NIV)
13 This is how we know that
we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And
we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of
the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of
God, God lives in them and they in God. 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 them.
17 This is how love is made
complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In
this world we are like Jesus. 18 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.
19 We love because he first
loved us.
1
John 4:20–21 (NIV)
20 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. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God
must also love their brother and sister.
What
John is arguing here is that people who have experienced God’s love and come
into a relationship with God, will love others who have experienced God’s love
and come into a relationship with him. He is saying that if you know God, if
you are born of God, then you love – and if you don’t love, then you don’t know
God -because God is love.
Now
if you know Jesus teaching you will know that he said four things about love.
The first and greatest commandment is that we love God. The second commandment
was that we love our neighbour. At the end of his ministry, Jesus gave a new
commandment to his disciples, that we love each other. The fourth thing Jesus
said about love, is that we should love even our enemies.
Our
passage today focuses on what Jesus said at the last supper. A new command I
give to you – love one another. That command and this passage doesn’t
invalidate all the other commands to love – but loving one another is a focus
of love.
We
will look at that how that plays out, but I want to focus in on God’s love for
us first.
VERSE 9
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.
This
is love, not that we loved God, but rather he loved us. It is not all that
amazing that we love God, but it is pretty amazing that he loves us. It is not
amazing that we love God who is good, and wise and strong and just and holy. It
is not amazing that we love God who is full of love.
It is
quite amazing that God loves us. We who tend to be proud and independent and
self centered. We who tend towards greed, and anger and we have a tendency to
hurt others. Take a look at the world in all its brokenness – and the wonder is
not that we love God, but that he loved us.
Not
only did he love us, but he sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin.
Not only did he love us, but Jesus went through all that he went through for us.
His love for us, cost him. It cost him a lot.
But
love often does cost.
1
John 4:11–12 (NIV)
11 Dear friends, since God
so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 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.
John
argues that since God loved us, if we are going to be like the one who has
called us, then we ought also to love each other.
But
he goes further than that. He says, that no one has every seen God – but since
when we love one another we get as close as we can to showing who God is. When
we love God lives in us – and his love does something to us. It is made
complete in us.
So
God put his love in us, but it is not until we demonstrate love that God’s love
in us is made complete.
1
John 4:16–17 (NIV)
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
We know God’s love and we rely on
God’s love.
We know God’s love. Jesus died for us
for us. We know who he is, we know who we are – of course we rely on it. It is
the only way we have a chance.
God
is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This
is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the
day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.
Remember,
we just talked about verse 12 – God’s love is made complete in us – when we
show love to one another. When we live in love God lives in us-
This
is how you have confidence when we stand before God. You have loved.
When
you love others, here is what John says, - we are like Jesus. That is important.
Jesus is held up as the example of love.
1
John 4:18 (NIV)
18 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.
He
has just talked about the day of judgement. He says, if you rely on the love of
God, and you love you don’t have anything to fear. If you do fear, love still
has to be made complete in you.
1
John 4:19–21 (NIV)
19 We love because he first
loved us. 20 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. 21 And he
has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother
and sister.
All
the way through the book of first John, he writes, if you live in this way it
shows that you belong to God, if you live in this way, he shows you don’t
belong to God. Here he is saying if you hate your brother or sister, you don’t
love God. If you love your brother and sister in the faith, then you are
showing that God’s love is in you.
I
don’t think I have given you much new information today. God is love, and he
show his love by sending Jesus to die for us. If God lives in us, then we are
going to live in love. We are going to show love to each other. We are going to
be people of love.
I
guess my question is, why is it so difficult.
When
people in our culture think about church, most of them don’t think about how
loving we are. They think about how narrow and judgemental, and I think many
would say we have more hate than love.
Now I
get that Jesus, the one who loved the best, was hated because he spoke truth, -
but when you look at Jesus’ ministry, his love for people comes through. Many
times our love for people doesn’t shine through.
I
have been thinking about the churches I know. Do they show God’s love to each
other? Do we as individuals show God’s love to people.
The
answer is, some do, some don’t.
I
have seen and heard of a number of people who brought groceries to people anonymously,
because they know their was a need. I have watched peopled give of their time
to people who were hurting. I have seen people spend hours and hours
volunteering, so they could show love by serving others.
You
do not have to have a formal position to love.
Loving
takes time, it takes effort. But I see a lot of people making that effort.
I
want to go back todays passage and remind you of what love is. God showed us
how to love.
He
loved us before we ever loved him.
When
we love like God loves, there is no guarantee that we are going to get a return on our investment.
In
our world we are trained to be consumers. If I give something, I should get
something. If I put in effort I should get a paycheck, or if not, at least a
good feeling. So When we make an effort we are trained to think of ourselves.
When
God loved us, his love came out of who he was, but it wasn’t about what he got
out of it, it is about what we would get out of it. Loving is not about us, it
is about the people we are loving.
Sometimes
when you love, you feel love in return. Sometimes when you love you don’t. But
love anyways. We reflect God’s love when love not knowing if love will every be
returned. Your reflect God when you love.
This
morning you may have come to understand that God loves you, but up until this
moment, it has been unrequited love, one sided love. He loves you, but you have
not walked into a relationship with him;
If
you would like to have a relationship with God, then the easiest way is to tell
him that in prayer. Say Lord Jesus, I know that you love me, but I haven’t
returned your love. Forgive me. Forgive me for all the ways I have offended
you, and come into my life. I want a relationship with you. I give my life to
you. I plan to follow you. Lord I plan to love you with who I am. Thank you so
much for loving me.
When
you pray a prayer like that, it can be the start of a beautiful relationship.
For
those of you who have prayed that prayer – how are you fostering your
relationship with God? (time, prayer, listening)
The
challenge in our passage is to show that we have come into a relationship with
God, by expressing God’s love to others. What are the ways you are doing this?
Are their opportunities that you could take advantage
of to show God’s love.
Let’s pray together,
Lord,
thank you so much for who you are. Thank you for your love. Lord, your word tells
us that you are love. But Lord, oftentimes we recognize your love, but we don’t
walk in relationship with you and so, Lord, I’m praying for those people who are
yet to come into a relationship with you, that they indeed, today, give their lives
to you and start walking out a relationship with you.
And
for the others of us who have been walking in a relationship with you for a long
time, help us to show and demonstrate our love for you by loving one another.
I
pray this in Jesus’ name, AMEN.
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And
Thank you for listening this morning.
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Here is my prayer for you May you know Jesus Christ personally and profoundly. May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your
heart . And may you walk well in
relationship with our heavenly Father who loves you deeply.
MUSIC-
Draw Me Close – Michael W. Smith 4:15
By Rev. Brent Russett
Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in
Ottawa:
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PODCAST LINK to the CFRA broadcast:
