1 John chapter 4, we're going
to read verses 7 and 8. Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is of God. And every one that loveth is
born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not
God, for God is love. It says here that God is love. It also says that love is of
God. I, of course, want to speak about
God's love this morning. I spoke a little bit last week
about that God is love, and our passage here tells us that very
thing. It says, he that loveth not knoweth not God, for God
is love. So if we do not love one another,
that is love God's people, that manifests that you do not know
God. If you do love God, then it says
here that you do know God. Not only is God love, but God
gives his people love. It says the fruit of the spirit
is. We read in Galatians 5 and 22
what the fruit of the spirit is. It begins with love. First
of all, love is not alone. It is fruit and not fruits. The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. So if you believe God, you have
the fruit of the Spirit, which are this fruit. So knowing the
love of God is something I think is important for us to know.
Knowing God is knowing love because he is God, he is love. I have four points this morning
to go through. And for whatever reason, this
just popped in my mind when I had these four points instead of,
I'm sorry, I don't have five points. I just remember a preacher
talking about some of the creeds and professions, and he said
that the Holy Spirit of God summarized for us the book of God. How do
we think we can summarize it any better? Because it even says that the
books couldn't even contain if they wrote down everything that
Christ did. But anyway, here are some gleaning, some thoughts
that I have about God and His love. God's love for the son,
the son's love for the father, God's love for his people, his
people's love for him, his people's love for one another. The God of Scripture is an eternal
God. He has no beginning of days and
no ending of days. He just is. This eternal God
is the self-existent one. He needs nothing. He needs no
one. You cannot even say if God wants
something because God does not want for anything. He is almighty. Why would God create the world,
the heavens and all in them is, why would God create man? As
I said last week, it is because God wanted to give glory to himself. Him being the creator of all
things, he has the absolute right to do so. He also had the right
to give himself glory and damning all souls to hell forever. But
he was not pleased to do this. God Almighty made a choice to
love some people. However, this love for this people
was not in and of themselves and had nothing to do with them
in and of themselves. The creatures from the start
rejected his rule as supreme being. Since he is God, he decreed
the penalty for that was death. So the creature that is mankind
was condemned in the court of God's law to die. But God bethanked. God is love and was pleased to
show that love to son. He did this through the only
begotten son, Jesus Christ the Lord. God sent forth his son
knowing what would happen because this is the very reason Christ
would come. In John 10, 17 we read, therefore
doth my father love me because I lay down my life that I may
take it again. God the father trusted Jesus
Christ the Lord to come down to this earth and do what he
was sent to do. And I just think about this and
it boggles my mind that an almighty being who has all power and can
and does decree what happens was pleased to come down to this
earth as a servant and to do what he did on behalf of some
people. There was no stopping him. He
purposed to do what he did and he accomplished what he did.
John 17, 24 says, Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast
given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory,
which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation
of the world. Jesus Christ is the glory of
the sovereign, almighty creator of heaven and earth, and all
this is in him. He is in total control because
God the Father loves the Son and has given all things to him. John 3.35 says, the Father loveth
the Son and hath given all things into his hand. The Son, Jesus
Christ the Lord, showed his love for the Father in what he did.
He was always about his Father's business. He set his face like
a flint, like a rock that is unmovable. You could not get
him to go off of that course, in other words. It was he who
came here to do, and he was going to do it. That is the faith of
Jesus Christ, that beginner and perfecter of faith. Galatians
5 and 6 says, for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth
anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. The faith that is of Jesus Christ
the Lord is energized by love. That is the love of God. The
scripture tells us that Jesus Christ loved the Father. John
14 31 says, but that the world may know that I love the Father,
and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. So how did Jesus Christ love
the Father? He did what he came to do. He
accomplished that for which it was His purpose to do, that for
which the Father had faith in Him to do. John 3.16 says, this
is God's love for His people. John 3.16 says, for God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now, if
you think that the world God speaks about here is the whole
world of people from Adam until the end of time, then not only
are you wrong, but it would seem that if this was the case, then
God's love for the world depended on them doing something. It says
here that whosoever, and just to point out, it does not say
whosoever will. It says, but whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. We know
the scripture says he hated Esau, so at least Esau is not a part
of this world. You have the rich man Lazarus
who lifted up his eyes in hell, so he was not a part of this
world. You have those in Revelation where the smoke of their torment
rose up forever and ever. These were not a part of that
world because that is not love. What world are you in? Do you
believe God? This is the world God loves,
those that believe Christ. The world that Jesus Christ the
Lord, God Almighty come in the flesh, the world he loves are
the ones that were given him of the Father. John 17, nine
says, I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them
which thou hast given me, for they are thine. Jesus Christ
loves his people John 13 and 1 says now before the feast of
the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he
should depart out of this world unto the father Having loved
his own which were in the world. He loved them and to the end
He loved us while we were yet sinners and It was manifested
in him sending Christ to die for us, to be the propitiation
for sins, and this is what he did. You can read that in 1 John
4, 9, 1 John 4, 10, and Revelations 1, 5. His people's love for him. I
know sometimes we look at others and wonder, I do anyway, I look
at others and I wonder, How do I love God like they love, you
know? They seem to love God more than
I do. Why don't I love God like that? Luke 7 verses 41 through
43 says, there was a certain creditor which had two debtors.
The one owed 500 pence and the other 50. And when they had nothing
to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which
of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose
that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, that is
Christ, thou hast rightly judged. In Luke 40, in verse 47, it goes
on to say, wherefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are many,
are forgiven. For she loved much, but to whom
little was forgiven, the same loveth little. What has God forgiven
you of? Now I know there's sometimes when you know
someone and you're close to someone. When Paula's gone, she's went
out before and went out to Colorado before. And after a few days,
you get to missing her and you start thinking about those smells. I grab something to see what
she smells like. But this, it always reminds me,
you know, God's love in Song of Solomon in chapter five in
verse two, two through four, two through five, it says this.
I sleep, but my heart waketh. It is the voice of my beloved
that knocketh, saying, open to me, my sister, my love, my dove,
my undefiled. For my head is filled with dew
and my locks with the drops of the night. I have put off my
coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall
I defile them? My beloved put his hand on the
hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. I rose up
to open to my beloved, and my hands dropped with myrrh, and
my fingers with sweet-smelling myrrh upon the handles of the
lock. I got the smell of my beloved
all over me just because he touched the door handle. As I said last
week, God's people love Jesus Christ, our Lord. We do this
because he first loved us. First John 4.19 says, we love
him because he first loved us. This world's love knows nothing
of that kind of love. That love where we anticipate
seeing our beloved one, one day. All they are concerned with is
what they can do for God. It is how they look and how they
are perceived and not who Jesus Christ the Lord really is. Scripture
tells us this. They love to be seen of men either
in the church building or when they're out and about. They like
to pray out in public to show people how holy they are. Scripture
calls them hypocrites. It says they do this to be seen
of men, and they are seen of men. They will get nothing else
from that praying other than the praise of men. That is what
scripture says, and they have their reward. They like to have
their titles, their positions. They think that this puts them
above other men. You have choir leaders, Sunday
school teachers, reverend, doctor. They like to hear accolades from
men. Oh, you just played that song
so well and sang so well, it was like an angel from heaven
was singing. They like to be called doctor or reverend or
pastor in front of men because it makes them feel good. They
have their reward. You can read this in Matthew
6, Matthew 23, and Mark 12. This world loves darkness, and
everything I just mentioned is darkness. John 3.19 says, and
this is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world.
And men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds
were evil. And John 12.43 says, for they
loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. They
will not receive the love of the truth, so they will never
love God, although they may say with their lips they love God
day in and day out. They are those who perish. 1
John 3 and 10 says, in this the children of God are manifest,
and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness
is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. If they do not love the brethren,
they do not love God. Do they want to be around? Do
they care to see you? Something is wrong if they don't.
And I'll leave it at that. There is a lot of scripture that
speaks and mentions the love of the brethren, so love for
one another. In fact, it says that if you
say you love God but love not your brother, you make God a
liar. So how do I love my brother?
What does that look like? I cannot spell it out to you
in specific scenarios or things that will show that you love
the brethren. Love is of a God and you either have it or you
don't. But here are some things that
manifest love for the brethren. First of all, you love the truth
of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ and him crucified. You do all
that God has given you in the power and ability to do to further
the gospel. That includes to esteem them
very highly who preach the gospel. It includes those who preach
the gospel to serve those, to feed the flock of God, to watch
over those whom God has placed you over. It includes giving. This giving is not just money.
It can be doing things to help others out when it comes to these
things as a local assembly. But it also does include giving
to support the furtherance of the gospel. It includes if you
see your brother or sister who is in need of something, and
you have the means to help them out, and you just tell them,
well, I hope everything is okay with you. That is not faith energized
by love. That is dead faith. It is of
no value and is not of God. Scripture tells us to love one
another as Christ loved us. How did he love us? He sacrificed
everything for us He is God Almighty yet. He came down to this earth
and had nothing He did not think of himself But the work of the
father that he gave him to do and those people for whom he
was doing this the end of that being being made sin for us,
taking our sins in his own body, and being forsaken of God. He
gave his life so that we might live through him. John 13, 34
says, A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. What else
does it say? We should be kind one to another.
First Peter 3.8 says, finally, be all of one mind, having compassion
one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. We
should be truthful with one another, genuine, not necessarily honest. I remember Tim James' message
when he said that, you're not necessarily honest. I don't need
someone to tell me I've got a long nose. I know that. I need someone
to be truthful with me as it concerns my soul and the truth
of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The love we have for our brethren
is not pretended. You know, the kind where you're
talking to a brother or sister and just talk about, oh brother,
I love you so much, you just uplift me. I'm so thankful for
you for everything you have done. Then when you are by yourself
or someone else you are like, You say, I wish I did not have
to talk to them. I don't like him. He doesn't
comb his hair like I do. He talks too much. Talking about
them different behind their backs than you do to their face. I
know I am not very likable. So if someone does not like me,
I understand. But don't drown me in pretended
love for me. You don't have to tell me you
don't like me. Just love me. Be honest with me about the truth
of God, and don't say things you don't mean. 1 Peter 1 and
verse 22 says, seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying
the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren,
that is, unpretended love of the brethren, see that ye love
one another with a pure heart fervently. When you talk or do
something for or with someone, don't pretend. Be sincere. Not
necessarily honest, but sincere. Don't fake it. Actually, scripture
says for us to love someone by what we do and in truth. It says
in 1 John 3.18, it says, my little children, let us not love in
word. I've always said, and even when
I look this up, I put in word only. It doesn't say word only.
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue,
but in deed and in truth. We should be showing by our giving.
I'm talking about taking care of those who come to visit with
us. We should show them by our giving that we love Jesus Christ
the Lord. If there is someone who thinks that is wrong to give
preachers money, they are not aware of God's word. 2 Corinthians
8.24, and you can read the rest of the context when you're looking
at it, but it says, wherefore show ye to them, and before the
churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf. This is talking about those who
are giving, or who are going to, giving to those who are gonna
come to them. I'm not talking about comparing
ourselves to others as an assembly, but what can we do? Philippians
1-9 says, and this I pray, that your love may abound yet more
and more in knowledge and in all judgment. The love I'm talking
about is not the love this world is talking about. This is not
an acceptance of everyone and just let live doctrine. This is a love of the truth. This is a love that knows who
man is and who God is. This is not love that says we
should all just get along. This is the love that exalts
Jesus Christ the Lord and love those who loves Jesus Christ
the Lord. First John 2.15 says, love not
the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any
man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
If you are concerned about or engaged in what this world is
engaged in, and you agree with this world as to how things should
be done, then you do not know God. The ones that love God,
even if they may agree with this world on some things, those who
love God and will not take sides with this world against God or
God's people, love God. Those who believe that Jesus
is the Messiah who came to die for his people are a child of
God. First John 5 one says, whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone
that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of
him. God's people are made to know
they love God. God may take you through something
just as he did Peter in Christ allowing Satan to sift him as
wheat. Him denying our Lord three times,
cursing and swearing he did not know him. But Jesus Christ will
come to you again and force you to admit your love for him as
he did Peter in John 21. Verses one through 14 you can
read. Peter, who I'm sure remembered those three times where he ended
up cursing and swearing to a little girl that he did not know Christ,
had to remember that time. Now just to be honest, just to
be clear here, it does not say that he thought about that time,
but I figure it was on his mind. Christ asked him three times,
Peter, do you love me? Peter did not want to answer
him the way Christ asked him. He knew that his love was based
on Christ's love for him. He loved Jesus Christ the Lord,
and Jesus Christ the Lord loved him. It was his love for him
in dying on that tree that caused Peter to love him, just as it
does with every child of God. You will not love God unless
he has already chosen to love you from before the foundation
of the world, because we love him because he first loved us. We will fall, we will not always
love God, love the brethren, love Jesus Christ as we should,
but God's people do love one another, Jesus Christ the Lord
and the gospel of Jesus Christ and him crucified. But even when
we do not love the brethren as we ought, we know this, Romans
8 and 28 says, and we know And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose. And Romans 8.35 says, who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril,
or sword? Nothing will separate us from
the love of God. That is, nothing will separate
God's people from God's love. This is not all there is, 1 Corinthians
2.9 says, but as it is written, I hath not seen nor ear heard,
neither have entered in to the heart of man the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him. There is something
better coming. Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful
that we can know Christ even now, that's glorious. but there
will be one day when we see him face to face. We will know even
as we are known. You want to love one another?
Then look to Christ. Love is of God. It is not something
we work up or say. It is that which God works in
us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. In closing,
I'm gonna read Galatians 2.20. It says, I am crucified with
Christ Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me. Amen. Dear holy, sovereign, merciful
God, thank you for all things that you give us. Everything
comes from you, dear Lord. All power, all might, any ability
comes from you. Put it in us, dear Lord, to love
one another. Teach us, dear Lord. Help us
to look to Christ. In looking to Christ, may we
see how we are to love one another. Be with those that are sick and
afflicted, dear Lord, that you will comfort them in the way
you know is best. We know nothing, dear Lord. But
we know you take care of your people and do whatever's right.
All these things we ask in Christ's name, amen.