13
We know that we live in him and he in us, because 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 him and he 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 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. 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. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.(1 John 4:13-21 NIV)
Maybe you heard about the guy who fell in love with an opera singer. Chuck Swindoll tells the story in his book, Strike The Original Match. This guy was in love although he hardly knew her, since his only view of the singer was through binoculars – from the third balcony. But he was convinced he could live "happily ever after" married to a voice like that. He scarcely noticed she was considerably older than he, nor did he care that she walked with a limp. Her mezzo-soprano voice would take them through whatever might come. After a whirlwind romance and a hurry-up ceremony, they were off to their honeymoon together.
She began to prepare for their first night together. As he watched, his chin dropped to his chest. She plucked out her glass eye and plopped it into a container on the nightstand. She pulled off her wig, ripped off her false eyelashes, yanked out her dentures, unstrapped her artificial leg, and smiled at him as she slipped off her glasses that hid her hearing aid. Stunned and horrified, he gasped, "For goodness sake, women, sing, sing, SING!"
In our message last week we spoke about the power of love. This guy is certainly going to need his share of that power. But love really is powerful. As we have said before, love is the most powerful force in the universe.
You see, love is dynamic. It is a living thing. Love is a force for change. Anyone touched by true love will never be the same again. Love has the power to transform us. Its very presence in our lives alters us in some way. This force of love produces many effects in our lives that set us apart from people who have not experienced this love.
And Christians should be different. Often this difference is defined in many outward and superficial ways, such as the keeping of rules and regulations. But the distinguishing characteristic of a true Christian is not simply going through the proper motions on the outside, but rather displaying the proper character on the inside. What sets us apart should be that we reflect the character of Jesus Christ. And while this means quite a number of things, the distinguishing characteristic of this character is love.
So what is love doing in us? How is God changing us by this power of love? What effects are being produced in us through experiencing the love of God? What difference can love make in your life? What difference does love make in our lives?
13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because 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 him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. (1 John 4:13-16)
Love inspires us. Inspiration is simply being touched by the Spirit. And God has touched us by His Spirit because of love.
It all begins with God. As we learned last week, God is love. And it is because of this love that God sent Jesus Christ into the world. It is because of this love that Jesus Christ died for us. It is because of this love that God sent His Spirit to draw us to Jesus and to dwell in our hearts by faith. Love touches us and inspires us because the Spirit of God has been given to us. John says in verse 13, We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
Another way that love inspires us is that love cause us to have faith. The fact that God has reached out to us in Jesus Christ and has sent us His Spirit causes faith to come to birth in us. John continues in verses 14 and 15, 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. Because of the love of God manifested in the coming of Christ, the possibility of salvation is made available to us. God has broken into the routine of our lives by sending Christ. It happened. Christ came. And Christ challenges us to come to Him. Christ displays God’s love for us and waits for us to respond.
The response to love is faith. And that faith leads us to God. Through faith that Jesus is the Son of God we are brought into a relationship with God that is living and dynamic. In fact, John reminds us that God lives in us. John says, God lives in him and he in God.
From our text we also see another way that love inspires us. Love enables us to trust God. John says in verse 16, and so we know and rely on the love God has for us. What does it mean to rely on the love God has for us? It simply means that we trust God. We trust that God loves us. We trust that God has our best interests at heart. We trust that God has accepted us through Christ. We trust in God.
Faith and trust are closely allied. Faith trusts in God’s love for us. Faith and trust are almost inseparable. But the love of God makes both possible.
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. 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. (1 John 4:17-18)
Not only does love inspire us, but love transforms us. As I said before, it is impossible to be encountered by the love of God and left unchanged. We have all felt the power of human love and have been impacted by it. Our lives have been altered by even simple acts of love and kindness. Think of the transforming power of God’s love.
In what ways does love transform us? Firstly, love transforms us into the likeness of Christ. John says in verse 16, God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. He goes on to say at the end of verse 17, that in this world we are like him. This is what God is after in each of us. This is, in fact, the goal for every Christian life. To be transformed into the image of Christ is the purpose God has for your life. The power of the Holy Spirit living in you is focused on transforming you into the likeness of Christ.
Now this is not something that God does before He accepts you. God doesn’t change you so that He can love you. God loves you in order to change you. In fact, it is the transforming power of His love that makes this change possible. As you respond to his love, the life of God shows through more and more. It is as if you become more transparent so that Jesus can be seen living His life in you. As John the Baptist said, "I must decrease and He must increase." As God’s love shows through, people see more of Jesus and less of us. Our lives begin to reflect the very nature and character of Christ.
Secondly, love gives us confidence because it testifies of Christ’s life in us. In verse 17, John says, 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.
Experiencing the love of Christ as He lives His life in us assures us that God is at work in us. And this gives us great confidence. If God is at work in us, it is because we are God’s children. We have been made part of His family. God loves us! There is nothing to fear in the day of judgment because God loves us. Love gives us this confidence.
Thirdly, love drives out fear because it assures us we have been accepted by God. In verse 18, we read, 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.
Love drives out fear. We don’t have to be afraid because we have been accepted. The punishment of God is reserved for those who reject Him. We have received Him. We have responded to His love. We have been accepted in His family. And that acceptance causes us to be able to live in peace. We are at peace with God and at peace with ourselves. We can relax. God loves us!
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
(1 John 4:19-21)
Love not only inspires and transforms us; love empowers us. There is something about love that we must never forget. It is the key to understanding how to receive love. It is the key to understanding how to live in love. Always remember that love is found in God. To say it a different way – the source of love is God. In verse 19, we read, We love because he first loved us.
This is a point which is vital. You see, if we try to love in our own power, we will fail. We just don’t have enough love in us. If we are going to be successful at loving, it will be because we respond to the one who first loved us. And this is the key to everything. Do you need more love? Then draw from the wells of God’s love. God has a river of love that He wants to pour into us and let flow through us. We are much like the faucet on a sink. The faucet is not the source of the water. It merely releases the water. It doesn’t manufacture water. It channels water. If you want water, just turn on the tap. The challenge for us as Christians is to stay hooked up to the source of love and turn on the tap. Let the love of God flow.
This brings us to our final point. Love is displayed by loving. Another way of saying this is that the evidence of love is loving one another. In verses 20 and 21 we read, If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
What John is saying is that true love is not manifested in words, it is shown by deeds. He gives us the illustration of someone claiming he loves God on the one hand and on the other hand, he hates his brother. He tells us this person is nothing but a liar. And, of course, the reason why this is so is because love is displayed by loving. The evidence of love is loving one another. God has given us His love, not simply so we can love Him, but so we can love each other. We must start with the brother or sister we can see.
And this is where the real test comes, does it? It is easy to say, "I love God." It is even easy to say, "I love humanity." But it is hard to love certain people with whom we live. I remember someone saying, "I love humanity – its people I can’t stand." That is the problem. It’s easy to say that we love the Christians in China. It would be harder if we had to live with them. But this is where God’s love can truly be seen.
This is the challenge for us. What are the practical ways in which we can begin to show our love to one another? What acts of kindness can we do? What encouraging word can we say? What act of service can we perform? Think about that person you’ve had a hard time loving. Is there something you can do to show your love to that person in a practical way? If we accept this challenge, I guarantee that God’s love will make a difference in our lives. God is at work in us through the power of His love.
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