1 John 4:7-11

Hey, hey, good morning. Good morning. Welcome to coffee and devotions this morning. We're going to be talking about God is love Pretty big topic. I hope that today will be helpful, but we need the Lord Spirit to both teach us and lead us So let's have some coffee. We'll pray and we're getting to God's Word Let's pray Father we thank you so much for this day What a blessing it is to get to read your word. Father, we pray that as we read, your Holy Spirit would be our teacher, that you would lead us and guide us into the truth. Father, we pray that we would be more and more like you. Father, we pray that you would turn us from our sinful hearts and turn us in your ways. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. We are at 1 John chapter 4, verses 7 through 11.
Beloved, let us love one another, for God is of love, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this, a love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
Well, we need to ask ourselves, A, what's this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do? Well, we're following up on this whole portion of discerning the spirits, right? We shouldn't test everything because there's a spirit of the age and there's a spirit of the Antichrist, and so we want to be careful that as we are living our lives we're following the right spirit.
Well, following that, the Apostle John tells us that we are to love one another. We are to show one another love. And he's already talked before about what that love looks like if you have somebody in need. Don't just love in words, but in deeds. And so, love for God is love. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Does this mean that somebody can just do works of love and they don't need Jesus Christ? They don't need Salvation? No, that's not what it's saying at all.
This is a letter written to the church. It's written to people in the church, people who know the gospel, and out of a heart, because they love Christ, because they love God, now they're doing the works. This is the whole point. I was talking to someone the other day.
They were talking about why they do the things they want to do, and I was interested by this, because as they were talking, they were saying, I most often do the things that I think God wants me to do because I fear the consequences of not doing it. And as we were working through that, they realized what they really needed was to do those things because they love God, out of a heart of love, out of a heart of slavish obedience. But we love because He first loved us.
Well, he who does not love does not know God, for God is love. So you can't say, I love God, I'm of God, and then not love, because God is love. Now, there's something that's interesting here, because love is a big topic today, and people actually swap this around. God is love is not the same as love is God.
We live in a culture that redefines love, defines love however they want, but it's been clearly defined here already. It's practical love. That's what John is talking about. How can somebody have the things of this life, see his brother in need, and shut up his heart to that person? How does the love of God abide in one like that? That's what John is talking about. Today, people wanna talk about love, and they wanna talk about sexual feelings, and emotionalism, and just accepting everybody for whoever they are. That's not what this is getting at. That's not saying that that's what God is. No, God is love, and God takes sin seriously. And this is one of the amazing parts for this, right?
In this, the love of God was manifested toward us in that God has sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him in this love. In this is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. God takes sin seriously, so seriously that he sent his only begotten son to be tortured to death, to pay the penalty for our sins. That's the love of God played out in actions.
So we show our love because we abide in His Son and He in us. And because He has loved us, so we love. We love not just brushing away people's sins or putting it underneath or brushing under the rug, right? Nothing like that. No, no. We love Him. And we love the brothers and sisters around us. We see their needs and we try to provide as much as we can as we are able. So that's how we do this. We try to love. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Can we be committed to others' eternal well-being? Will we love as Christ has so loved us? What's the best verse to summarize this? In my Bible, I have verses 10 and 11 underlined. That's what I have in my Bible. What would you underline in yours? Last, seek calling, what are we called to do? Well, are there people that you have put in the bad guy list? Or they're just high maintenance. They're difficult to love. Maybe they've got their own struggles and it's just kind of difficult to deal with them. Will you still love? Will you go out of your way to try to love them? In this, we know that we are in Him if we love. So brothers and sisters, love. Care for each other. watch out for one another, pray for one another, and may God be glorified. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you so much that you have loved us first. You sent your son to be a propitiation for our sins. Lord, we were enemies with you, adversarial in our relationship, and yet you have paid for our sins and reconciled us. You call us your friends. Adopt us as your children. Thank you. God, you are love. And I pray that we would love just as you have loved us. Help us, God, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, may the love of God abide in you richly. And may you walk in the love of Jesus Christ. And may you show that love to others. I'll see you next time. Bye.