Advent 2017: Love - 1 John 4:7-19

Good morning. Open up your Bibles to 1 John chapter 4.

1 John 4 · chapter mention

So that's one of my favorite West songs as well.

! Unless I'm totally imagining this, the first time he ever sang that song for the kids, the bear song,

was about 10 of us came back from camping that night, and a bear actually came into our camp,

and I think it was kind of dedicated to that event.

But I chased the bear off. I think Daniel Swanson slept through the whole thing in his hammock soundly,

so it was really fun. Maybe he woke up. He may argue later, but it was a great time for us just to gather around God's Word this morning.

As you know, as I said, we're doing Advent, and I have the candle of love today, the Advent of love.

So just join me in a quick word of prayer.

Father, we gather this morning, as many are doing around the world,

to celebrate Christ coming to earth, to walk as a man,

and to live among us, and then to die a shameful death,

to bring us life.

And then raised from death, and now is seated at your right hand.

And we celebrate the first event of his life,

coming here, and being born as a baby.

So Lord,

I pray that you would give us eyes to see and ears to hear.

You would renew our hearts, our mind, our souls,

to look at

your love afresh this morning.

So Lord, help us.

We will walk away

unchanged

and unmoved unless you move in us

through your Word this morning.

So we place that before you,

and we ask that in Christ's name.

Amen.

So we'll read our text first.

It'll be in 1 John, chapter 4,

1 John 4 · chapter mention

and we'll read 7 through 19.

Beloved,

let us love one another,

for love is from God,

and whoever loves has been born of God

and knows God.

Anyone who does not love

does not know God,

because God is love.

In this,

the love of God was made manifest among us,

that God sent His only Son

into the world

so that He might live,

so that we might live through Him.

And in this

is love.

Not that we have loved God,

but that He loved us

and sent His Son

to be the repitiation for our sins.

Beloved,

if God so loved us,

we ought also to love one another.

No one has ever seen God.

If we love one another,

God abides in us,

and His love is perfected in us.

By this,

we know that we abide in Him

and He in us,

because He has given us

of His Spirit.

And we have seen

and we testify

that the Father

has sent His Son

to be the Savior of the world.

Whoever confesses

that Jesus Christ

is the Son of God

abides in Him

and He in God.

So we have come

to know

and to believe

that the love of God

has for us.

God is love,

and whoever abides in love

abides in God,

and God abides in Him.

By this love

is perfected with us

so that we may have confidence

for the day of judgment,

because He is,

so also are we

in this world.

There is no fear in love,

but perfect love

casts out fear.

For fear has to do

with punishment,

and whoever fears

has not been perfected

in love.

We love

because

He first loved us.

so talk about

an immense topic,

the love of God,

how many

misunderstandings

there are

about the love of God

in the church

and in the world,

but also the Scripture

has

more than

could ever be

exhausted on

just the idea

of the love of God.

And

it's important for us

just to step back

during this season

and to think about

superficial

holiday

kind of love

that will be around us

a lot,

mainly from the world,

but also

in some churches.

There's a,

I want to just

mention some of this

briefly because

I think it demeans

the glory

of what the love of God

truly is

if we focus on

these things

and don't really focus on

what God says

about His love.

But many of us,

we,

during the holiday season,

we kind of take on

a

sentimental

kind of love,

an emotional

kind of love

that

really just

masquerades around

as true love,

but it's really not.

It's just the warm

and fuzzy,

gushy love

kind of based solely

on feelings

and

it's

where we just,

you know,

we feel generous

around this time

of the year

because it is Christmas.

I went to buy some firewood

a couple days ago

and the lady

was trying to,

she didn't really have

like a set price

on her firewood

and she was just like,

you know what,

it's Christmas

so I'm just going to

give you a lot more

for less,

you know,

just,

but,

you know,

two months ago

that would have not

happened.

It would have been

like a lot more money.

So,

it's just this kind

of sentimental love

that kind of hits people

like it's,

it is the season

to be nice.

It comes in the form

of niceness

to people

and yet

after Christmas

this kind of good cheer

sort of

disappears

and in,

in truth,

this sentimental love

mimics compassion

but it really is

as silly

as sending a Hallmark card

to one of the poor

diseased countries

in the world

and just saying

we hope you get better.

That's about

the gravity

and the weight

of that kind

of sentimental

holiday love

that is not real

and furthermore

this sentimental love

is really just

trivializes

real love

and it breaks

in the face

of difficulty

and obstacles.

It's not going

to survive

and,

you know,

also this morning

this very morning

and tonight

a lot of people

will attend

a church service

for the first time

or maybe the second time

in the year

Christmas and Easter

and they're going

to hear someone

stand up

and say something

along these lines.

Christmas is a time

to remember

that God loves

all people

and we are all

His children

and He accepts us

just the way

we are.

I've heard that

a service

many years ago

and what they're

really saying

is that tons

of lost people

who are coming

there,

all they're hearing

is God likes

you just the way

you are

and you don't

need to have

anything changed

in your life

so they think

that they are

cool with God

and they leave

thinking God

likes me.

See,

I was told that

tonight.

Instead of saying

yes,

God loves you

but He loves you

too much

to leave you

in your sin

and that you

need a Savior.

And so,

many people

that talk

about the love

of God

are really

total strangers

to the love

of God.

It's not

just sort of

some divine

good-natured

indulgence

that a parent

might have

for a kid.

It's very,

very different.

And we need

to kind of

draw a line

and say that

you know,

sadly,

tragically,

all people

are not

all God's

children.

In John

John 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

it says,

but to all

who did

receive Christ

who believed

in His name

He gave them

the right

to become

the children

of God.

So,

in Christ

alone

do we have

that idea

of becoming

God's children

and until then

we are hostile,

separated

from God.

And so,

though God

does have

a general

care

for all

people

created

in His

image,

He has

a special

love,

a special

affection

set upon

His children

that's very

different from

the rest

of the world.

So,

I want to

kind of

just define

the love

of God

based on

this.

This is

kind of

a hybrid

definition

of J.I.

Packer

and Wayne

Grudem's

definition.

But,

let's define

true,

biblical,

godly

love.

So,

when I say

God's love,

what does

that mean?

And here

it is.

God's love

is an

exercise

of His

goodness

whereby

He freely

and eternally

gives of

Himself

to others.

God's love

is an

exercise

of His

goodness

whereby

He freely

and eternally

gives of

Himself

to others.

God's love

love

God's

love

is an

God

is unlike

any other

being in

the universe

and His

love

is so

immense

and infinite.

Scriptures say

all through,

I mean,

I could just

pick a hundred

different texts

to look at,

but in Psalm

Psalms 103:11

103,

verse 11,

for as

high as

the heavens

are above

the earth,

so great

is His

steadfast love

toward those

who fear Him.

And then later

on in verse 17,

for the steadfast

love of the Lord

is from everlasting

to everlasting

on those

who fear Him.

It's

such a

magnificent

truth we find

in the Scripture.

And so using

our text

from 1 John,

I want to make

just really

three points

about how

we can indicate

what true love

really is.

And I stole

these,

or I borrowed

them from

Sinclair Ferguson,

so I'll give them

back to him

later.

But these

are really,

really awesome

indicators

of what

true biblical

love is.

Okay?

So the first one,

number one,

to understand

what love is,

we have to

understand the

identity

of the lover.

The identity

of the lover.

So if we look

at 1 John

1 John 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4,

look at verse 7,

it talks about

how

for love

is from God,

and in verse 8,

God is love.

Verse 16,

so we have

come to know

and to believe

the love

that God

has for us.

God is love.

And so,

each one of

these points,

I want to give

you a principle

to kind of

further clarify.

So we're talking

about the identity

of the lover.

So here's the

principle.

The greater

the lover,

the greater

the love.

the greater

the lover,

the greater

the love.

Real simple.

So with that,

kind of let your

soul try to

grasp that

of there is

no greater

lover than

the sovereign,

eternal,

infinite God.

No being

in existence

that has the

capacity

to love

the way

that He

does,

the immensity,

the vastness.

So,

stay in

1 John,

but just go

one chapter

before that.

Chapter 3

and look at

verse 1.

See

what kind

of love

the Father

has given

to us

that we

should be

called

children of

God

and so

we are.

So,

this is

an amazing

verse I'd

just like to

talk about,

but this is

the attitude

we should take

when we're

approaching

the identity

of the

lover.

Like,

we need

this idea

of beholding

the love

of God.

You know,

the only

illustration I

can really

think of

with this

is one

that I

shared a

long time

ago,

but just

indulge me.

But when

I went to

the Grand

Canyon in

November

2014,

I was with

my friend

Kevin,

and some

of you

know him.

He can

be a man

a few

words

sometimes,

and just

a deep

gruffy voice,

and we

were walking

up on the

Grand Canyon.

We ended

up hiking

about 13

miles around

it,

and I don't

know if

you've ever

been there,

but it's

pretty amazing.

You can

spend,

you know,

a year,

years just

exploring all

the stuff

that is there,

and we

walked up

on it,

you're just

kind of

driving,

and you

go out

and you

walk,

and the

narrative

just opens

up to

this

immense,

you know,

glorious

wonder of

the world,

and again,

Kevin,

at this

point,

man,

a few

words,

he kind

of just

walks up

and he

just says,

wow,

look at

that.

And if

Kevin had

been speaking

in the

Old English,

which he

would never

do,

he would

have said,

behold,

the Grand

Canyon.

It means

to like

gaze upon,

take heed

of that,

look at

that.

And that

is the

language that

John is

trying to

convey here,

this idea

that is

like astounding

as someone

at the

Grand

Canyon is

nothing in

comparison to

the one who

made it and

the glory of

the love of

the one who

made it.

So,

see or

behold,

gaze upon

what kind

of love

the Father

has given.

Some of the

older translations

are like better,

has lavished

upon us,

that we

should be

called

children of

God.

So,

another way to

understand what

the love of

God actually

means is to

just look at

the language.

So,

what kind of

love is this?

What sort?

What manner of

love?

And if you,

people who like to

study and go

deep,

the love word

that's used

here is

agape,

the highest

form of

love in

existence.

So,

it's not like a

brotherly love.

It's not

necessarily even

like a love

that you might

have for your

husband or

wife.

It's much

deeper than

that.

Since God,

by his very

definition,

defines what

love is,

he alone

kind of possesses

this attribute

of agape

love.

That word

was used

very rarely

in Greek

speaking cultures

and societies.

It wasn't

used a lot.

It usually

was associated

with just

some sort

of divine

love.

But in the

New Testament,

it's used

320 times,

which is

magnifying

that idea

that this

is a special,

unique,

other kind

of love

that God

has.

That is

self-sacrificing

and unconditional.

So it is

not a type

of human

origin kind

of love

at all.

Agape,

he has given

this,

he has lavished

this freely,

bestowed on

this abundantly

to us,

the love

of God.

So,

something else

to think

about,

this idea

of the love

of God,

is to think

about it in

the form of

just his

attributes.

God has

many attributes,

holiness,

justice,

goodness,

mercy,

love,

but when you

study the

attributes of

God,

you need to

sort of be

aware that

it's not just

that God

has goodness

or has

love,

it's that he

is goodness

and is

love.

He defines

those things

and they're

very different

the way I

just explained

that.

You and I

can have

goodness,

we can be

good,

we can be

loving,

but then,

like many of

us know,

all that has

to happen is

the one has

to blow a

different way

and circumstances

get rough

and then we

are not so

good,

not so loving.

We change

very quickly

as our

circumstances

get more

difficult.

You ever

heard someone

say,

you know,

she used

to be

such a

loving

and kind

person,

but then

she lost

her job

and now

she's very

just upset

and angry

and depressed.

We change,

but the

difference is,

again,

that God

is his

attributes.

He is

love.

We've read

that in our

text twice.

God is

love.

And so

his love

for us

is not

worn out

by our

sins

or by our

indifference.

It continues

to be

what it

is.

This love

extends from

the love

that the

Trinity

possesses,

Father,

Son,

and Holy

Spirit,

and the

love that

they have

together

that then

extends

out to

us.

I love

that idea

that I

can't wait

to,

we'll eventually

maybe do a

series on

John 17,

the high

priestly

prayer.

And I

love it

that Jesus

actually says,

I ask

that those

whom you

have given

me may

one day

be with

me where

I am

to behold

my glory.

Then he

says,

the glory

I had

with you

before the

world

existed.

It's this

idea of

like joy

and contentment

inside the

Godhead

before anything

existed.

He didn't

need us.

Very

complete,

very

joyful,

very

much

love

inside

the

Trinity.

And if

you look

at our

text in

John,

you see

the

Father,

Son,

and the

Holy Spirit

mentioned

in this

idea of

love.

So is

an extension

of those

things.

The love

of God

is

uninfluenced.

What I

mean by

that is

that there

is nothing

about you

and I

that prompted

or attracted

that love

that he

gave us.

And that

might be

hard to

hear for

some people.

But it

was something

that he

did simply

because he

chose to.

Because it

was in his

nature to

show love.

But he

wasn't

obligated to

show love

at all.

There was

nothing in

us at all.

We'll get

to that in a

minute.

But that

love is

uninfluenced.

It doesn't

waver.

Think about

the favorite

John 3.16.

Incredible

verse.

Incredible

verse.

But we

often mistake

this idea

of God

so loved

the world

to mean

that God

loved the

world so

much.

Like extend

the O's

on that.

And that's

not what it's

saying.

It's just

they chose

to kind of

stick with

the old

English.

Like God

loved the

world.

And then

back then

you said

well how

so?

Well he

gave his

only son.

So it's

this idea

that it

really magnifies

God's choice

to send

his son.

That he

chose to

send his

son.

That's how

he loved

the world.

And it's

God's love

is eternal.

Jeremiah

31.3

I have

loved you

with an

everlasting

love.

And therefore

with love

and kindness

I have

drawn you.

So that

is the

testimony

of God's

love.

there is

no

greater

lover

than

the

sovereign

almighty

God.

So we

weaken in

our love

but he

remains

true

and steadfast.

And that

brings us

to the

second

point.

And that

is the

object

of love.

The

object

of love.

If you

look at

verse 10

back in

chapter 4

it says

and this

is love

and it

says

not

that we

have

loved

God.

Just

chew on

that for

a second.

So here's

the principle

attached to

this point.

The lesser

the object

the greater

the love.

The lesser

the object

the greater

the love.

It is

really easy

to love

people who

are lovable.

It is

really easy

to love

people who

are loving

you in

return and

giving you

a lot

more back

for what

you give.

Jesus

said

if you

love those

who love

you

what benefit

is that

to you?

For even

sinners

those who

don't know

God

love those

who love

them.

It is

a weak

love.

And so

we have

this idea

that

God had

to come

here and

send

his son

to die

for us

because

we were

so

worthy.

Because

we were

so

lovable.

Because

he

could not

go on

without

us.

And he

had to

send

Jesus

to die.

And so

what happens

is me and the

church have

wrongfully

turned God's

love into

an echo

of man's

value,

man's

excellence,

man's

worth.

Instead of

seeing it as

an affront

to the

glory of

God and

the holiness

of God

and rebellion

against the

greatest

being in

the universe.

So he

didn't have

to come

and save

us,

but he

chose to.

Right?

Rebellious,

ungodly

sinners.

So remember,

the lesser the

object,

we are way

down here,

the greater

the love.

When you

magnify how

great you

are,

you demean

the love

of God,

is what I'm

trying to say.

When you

understand what

the Bible

really says

about who

we were,

as people

separated from

God,

it magnifies

the love

of God.

Hard to

love things

that are

unlovable,

but he

chose to

do so.

So that

is the

test of

love.

Hold your

hand in

verse John,

but look

over at

Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

Just turn

to the left.

Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

So many

of us know

that it's

not hard

to profess

love for

someone when

circumstances

are great,

and when you

feel like you're

getting love

in return.

But however,

the true

test of

love comes

when difficulty,

hardship,

and trials,

and obstacles

come our

way.

Are you

going to

love through

that,

or is

your love

going to

vanish?

And this

is a picture

of,

again,

the lesser

the object,

which would

be us,

the greater

the love.

So,

Ephesians 2,

look at

verse 1.

Very

familiar text.

we were

dead in our

trespasses

and sin,

in which

you once

walked,

following

the course

of this

world,

following

the prince

of the

power of

the air,

the spirit

that is now

at work

in the

sons of

disobedience,

among whom

we all

once lived

in the

passions of

our flesh,

carrying out

the desires

of the body

and the

mind,

and were

by nature

children

of wrath,

like the

rest of

mankind.

stop.

What is

lovable about

any of that?

What is

worthy about

any of that?

Nothing.

He is

explaining who

they were

before Jesus

and really

who we

were.

We didn't

love God,

we were

alienated

from God.

We were

dead in

our sins

and we

followed

the world

and we

followed

our flesh,

the passions

of our flesh

and we

walked in

disobedience.

And then it

says the

result of

that was

we were

by nature

children

of wrath.

Nothing

worthy about

that.

Verse 4

though,

here's

that,

here's

this idea

explained.

But God,

being rich

in mercy

because of

the great

love with

which he

loved us,

even when

we were

dead in

our trespasses,

made us

alive together

with Christ.

By grace

you have

been saved.

so when

we pause

to consider

how truly

wretched

and unworthy

we really

are,

and I know

I don't

deserve any

good thing,

and yet I

still think I

deserve it

from time

to time.

Like,

in my right

mind,

I am a

sinful man.

Peter's words

often come to

my mind,

like,

when Jesus

spoke to

him in

Luke for

the first

time,

and he

realized

who Jesus

was,

and he

said,

go away

from me.

I'm a

sinful man.

I'm a

wicked man.

Don't

come near

me.

And Jesus

then says,

come here.

You're going

to be mine.

And worked

in Simon's

life,

often how I

feel.

But this,

again,

this magnifies

the love of

God to

understand that

we were not

lovable.

Nothing

attractive about

us at

all.

But he

chose to

do it.

And that

brings us

to the

third point.

So,

how did

he express

this love?

This number

three,

the expression

of love.

The expression

of love.

So,

we have the

identity of

the lover,

right?

The object

of love,

and then

lastly and

thirdly,

the expression

of love.

And the

principle for

this is,

the greater

the expression,

the more

marvelous the

love.

The greater

the expression,

the more

marvelous the

love.

And there's

no greater

lover than

God,

no lesser

objects worthy

of love

than us,

and no

greater echo

of the love

of God

than the

rugged,

bloodstained

cross of

his son,

Jesus Christ.

So,

God's love

paid the

highest price,

the life

of his son

to ungodly

sinners.

He gave

that,

freely gave

that,

paid the

highest price

he could

pay.

I think

some people

were shocked

when I was

shocked years

ago when a

man asked

me,

so you know

what God

loves the

most?

And I was

like,

me?

He loves

me.

And he was

like,

no.

And I was

like,

oh my gosh,

like,

what are

you about

to say?

And he's

like,

he loves

his son.

His son

is the

most precious

thing to

him.

And he

willingly

and freely

gave the

most precious

thing to

bring us

salvation,

though we

didn't deserve

it.

He came

and he

paid the

price for

sin on

the cross.

So,

love is

also expressed

in like,

how low

are you

willing to

stoop for

me?

Right?

Think about

that.

How low

are you

willing to

stoop?

Humble

yourself

for

another.

Christ

stooped

unlike

any other

being in

existence.

He washed

the disciples'

feet for

goodness sake.

And I

hate feet.

I could

never do

that in a

million years.

And so,

he made

himself,

took on

the role

of a

servant

that was

prophesied

about in

Isaiah 53,

the suffering

servant.

Though he

was worthy

of all

glory,

he really

was the

king.

He took

on the

role of

a servant.

And he

even loved

the one

and washed

the feet of

the one

who would

betray

him.

What

incredible

love that

was.

And there

was no

greater way

that he

stooped

than coming

in the

incarnation

and then

in death.

In John

John 15:13

15,

verse 13,

it says,

Jesus says

this to his

disciples,

greater love

has no

one than

this,

that someone

lay down

his life

for his

friends.

And I

want you

to flip,

I think this

is the last

place you're

going to turn,

no,

100 place,

but Romans

5,

again,

one of my

go-tos for

this.

Just read a

couple verses

just to

make this

point.

Romans 5,

Romans 5:6

verse 6.

And think

about these

three points

that we've

made about

love as

we read

this.

The identity

of the

lover,

the object

of love,

and the

expression

of love.

Verse 6,

for while

we were

still weak,

at the

right time

Christ died

for the

ungodly.

for one

will scarcely

die for

a righteous

person,

though perhaps

for a good

person one

would dare

even to

die.

Again,

it's easy

to love

those who

love you,

easy to

love those

who do

good to

you,

not how

we were

with God.

But then

he says,

but God

shows or

demonstrates

his great

love for

us,

and that

while we

were still

sinners,

Christ died

for us.

So there's

this idea

of the

expression

of love.

While we

were his,

you keep

reading,

his enemies,

Christ died

for us.

Human love

does not

do that.

Human love

does not

lay down

their life

for an

enemy.

And not

yet.

That is

what the

Son of

God did.

He came

and he

stooped.

When I

was in

Oakwood,

I got to

speak on

Philippians 2.

I'll just

read it to

you,

but talking

about how

Christ humbled

himself,

ridiculously

humbled

himself,

scandalously

humbled