HEAR - The Love of God
Introduction
H.E.A.R – Highlights, Explanations, Applications and Responses to the Love of God
INTRODUCTION: We are called by King Jesus to “make disciples.” Our ultimate goal is to make disciples that make disciples. In order for that to happen there must be a genuine seriousness about HEAR.
1 John 3:18: “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”
This passage was a memory verse a few weeks back. The aged Apostle knew that we must move from talk to obeying truth.
I want to give one highlight from an 8 message series and give an overview of what must happen in our individual lives in order to become a disciple that is moving toward making disciples.
I. GOD IS LOVE AND YET HE DOES NOT FORCE HIMSELF ON ANYONE
1 JOHN 4:7-8
1 John 4:7-8
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
Defining God’s Love transitions to manifesting of God‘s love.
“To understand love correctly, we must see that love originates as a noun that necessarily produces verbs”. Jon Bloom
When I was saved by the Spirit of God, I knew that Jesus Christ did not come only to teach, He came to make me what He teaches I should be.
II. THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE IS THAT IT ACTS, IT GIVES, IT EXPRESSES ITSELF TOWARD OTHERS
1 JOHN 4:7
Martin Lloyd Jones
One word is used, love (agape). It expresses itself in 3 directions.
1. God’s love for us.
2. Our love for God.
3. Our love for one another.
Our love for God is fulfilled when we love others.
1 John 4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
“Love is not like other subjects. It cannot be understood and then practiced. It can only be understood by practice.” David L. Allen
The presence of God in our lives is an evidence of salvation.
III. GOD IS THE SOURCE OF LOVE
1 JOHN 4:7
1. It shows that we are saved.
2. It displays our personal relationship with God.
3. It demonstrates that we are connected to the Source. 1 John 4:10 – Propitiation defines how we connect with the Source of Love; Almighty God.
* Holiness
* Wrath
* Justice
* Mercy
* Love
* Grace
“The gospel is that Jesus lived the life you should have lived and died the death you should have died, in your place, so God can receive you not for your record and sake but for His record and sake.” Tim Keller
IV. GOD HIMSELF IS IMPARTED TO YOU IN SALVATION.
1 JOHN 4:12
* The Love of God originated with the Father.
* The Love of God manifested with the Son.
* The Love of God perfected in His Family.
Since God is imparted to you:
1. Your Love for Others Displays God Is Real.
When we love others, we put God on display. The unseen God reveals Himself through the visible love of believers.
2. Your Love For Others Demonstrates God Abides (lives) In You.
John 14:23: “Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
3. Your Love For Others Meets God’s Goal For You.
God’s love achieves its purpose in your life; reaches its highest goal.
V. THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE LOVE OF GOD.
1 JOHN 3:16-18
“ought” – how? Our new relationship with God connects our dead, selfish hearts with God’s living, loving heart so that His life becomes our life and His love becomes our love.
God’s love calls me to participate (.17)
Remember, it’s possible to love everybody in general and nobody in particular.
1. What we have?
“this world’s goods
2. What we see?
“sees his brother in need”
3. What he does?
Shuts up his heart from him
4. What this portrays?
“How does the love of God abide in Him?”
VI. THERE IS A CONTRAST BETWEEN SATAN’S FAMILY AND GOD’S FAMILY
1 JOHN 3:10-15
There are enemies of the Love of God. Remember, we’ve been adopted into God’s family. You wouldn’t believe the family we came from. Our old father was a liar, he steals, kills and destroys. Even though we have been adopted, we sometimes act like we did in the old family.
It was easier to get you out of the old family, then to get the old family out of you.
Don’t have the spirit of Cain. Murder may not be our action but it may very well be our attitude.
VII. THE LOVE OF GOD SACRIFICES
1 JOHN 1:10-22
He sacrifices for our sake and we should sacrifice for others.
Be careful:
* We lie to others. 1:6
* We lie to ourselves 1:8
* We lie about God 1:10
Don’t take sin lightly.
“we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” He pleads our case before the Father based on His character, not ours.
As our propitiation, He has satisfied the debt against us; paid once for all and paid in full.
GOOD NEWS: No one is beyond His reach.
1 John 2:2: “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
VIII. GOD’S LOVE GIVES CONFIDENCE AND BOLDNESS
1 JOHN 2:28-29
Remember, He came before and He is coming again. His past presence and promises encourages His present and future promises.
His confidence and boldness brings freedom and courage to our lives.
We will not be ashamed at His coming. This is all true and realized as a result of our experiential knowledge.
CONCLUSION
James 1:22-25: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”