“True Love” (Part 2) (1 John 4:7 – 5:4)
Series: A Word for the Church [on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
October 24, 2021
The Passage
1 John 4:7 – 5:4
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.
5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden, 4 because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.
Introductory Comments:
Several years ago, in a land far far away, I went to a fast-food restaurant to get a burger (I give a lot of illustrations about burgers, but that’s not all that I eat). As I went to order one of my favorite burgers, the clerk behind the counter informed me that they could not sell me any burgers because they were out of hamburger buns. [on screen] We had this moment where we just stared at each other. I was trying to exercise psychic powers over this person to will them to admit how ridiculous it was that they were out of buns and to try to get them to apologize. You’ll be glad to know that I was kind because kindness is always better than rudeness, plus these employees don’t get paid enough to put up with rude customers. However, I was flabbergasted about the knowledge that a place that had “Burger” in their name was out of hamburger buns. [on screen]
Well, we’re continuing our series in the book of 1 John and John has been talking about love over and over. John has stated in several different ways that Christians must be people of love. John would probably agree with this statement: a Christian without love is like a hamburger restaurant without hamburger buns: it’s senseless.
So, as we journey through this sermon today, listen to what John continues to tell us about the necessity of love. Before we go any further, join me in prayer as we study God’s Word.
(prayer)
We’re continuing our series in 1 John. This morning, we’re finishing up a sermon that I started last week. This is “True Love – Part 2.” [on screen]
Let’s read 1 John 4:7-19 and review what we learned last week.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.
This was from part 1, which we studied last week. Now, we’re continuing to discuss true love.
Here are the characteristics of true love that we took away from last week’s sermon:
I. True love from God (4:7-11) [on screen]
II. True love through us (4:12-19) [on screen]
Now, let’s pick it up at a third aspect of true love.
We see . . .
III. True love in the church (4:20-21) [on screen]
John spends some time specifically talking about love that we should show to our brother or sister.
Now, as I said a few weeks ago, John is not necessarily talking about loving our literal brother or sister (although we should love them).
John is talking about loving our brothers and sisters in Jesus. He is talking about us loving those who are a part of our church family.
Remember, part of our vision statement is that we would “love the church.”
Well, why is that distinct from loving others? Because it’s a different kind of love, that’s why.
Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” [on screen]
Peter said in 1 Peter 1:22, “Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly.” [on screen]
Listen to the description of the earliest church in the book of Acts. Acts 4:32 says, “Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.” [on screen]
The love that we have towards our brothers and sisters in Jesus is a unique and special kind of love that is only seen in the church of Jesus.
With that said, let’s see what John says. Let’s get to the passage at hand, shall we? Look at verses 20-21.
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.
John gets right to the point, doesn’t he?
John is saying what he’s already said before. He said just a few verses ago, in verse 8, “The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” John gets specific here. He says that if we don’t love other Christians, yet claim to love God, we are liars.
In addition to being specific, John is also being very direct. Remember that John has spoken very directly like this before. He said in chapter 1, verse 8, “If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” [on screen] John is trying to be very clear so that there is no misunderstanding.
Here’s what he’s saying: if you don’t love other Christians then you really don’t love God!
John adds explanation to this statement as well. He says that if we cannot love people who are actually standing right in front of us, in flesh and blood; how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
John is basically saying that if you want to be a person of love, then love the person who is standing right in front of you. Don’t say that you love God if you can’t love God’s people.
Further, John points out at the end of verse 21 that God Himself, the one we claim to love, is the very one who commanded us to love our brothers and sisters.
John says, “ . . . we have this command from him.” God’s the one who commanded this; not John, not Pastor Matt, but God!
Listen: we should love our brothers and sisters; we should love the church; we should see true love in the church.
Finally, we should see . . .
IV. True love in obedience (5:1-4) [on screen]
In 1 John 5:1-4, John gives us a summary statement of sorts to wrap up everything that he has said regarding love from God.
Let’s look at the passage:
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden, 4 because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.
John summarizes how we come into relationship with God: we believe that Jesus is the Christ. That is, we believe that Jesus is the Anointed One sent by God to bring us to God.
John then says that if we believe in Jesus, then we have been of God; we are God’s children. Further, those others who have believed in Jesus are also born of God; they are also God’s children, so they are our heavenly brothers and sisters.
Ok, church, pay attention to the end of verse 1: John says, “ . . . everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him.”
John has just said the one who believes in Jesus is the one born of God; that’s you and I; that’s us and our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are the ones born of God.
Now, John says that if we love God the Father, we also love His children! John is repeating the truth that you cannot love God and not love God’s children! Church, do you think John wants us to understand this? He won’t be quiet about it!
Just like everyone who sells hamburgers should have hamburger buns, so also everyone who loves God should love God’s children!
John then goes back to the idea of obedience to God’s commands, which by the way includes loving others.
John says in verses 2 and 3, “This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands.”
John continues in verse 3 by saying that keeping God’s commands is not a burden to us because we love God and we love His commands. We should want to obey God! We should want to be all who God created us to be! We should want to be faithful, loving children!
Listen, church: following God’s commands is not always easy but it is right, it is good, and it is a blessing. Being a good parent is not always easy. Being a sacrificial leader is not always easy. Being a loving spouse is not always easy. However, all of those things are good and they are a blessing in your life. So much more, being an obedient child of God is not always easy, but it is good and it is a blessing.
John then introduces us to the next section in verse 4. In fact, some of your Bibles may include this verse in the next section. However, I think this fits nicely with what John has said about loving each other and about obedience.
John says in verse 4, “ . . . everyone who has been born of God conquers the world.”
If we are in Jesus, if we are born of God, we have conquered the world! What we have in Jesus gives us victory over all the troubles of this world!
Remember, He who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world!
So, we shouldn’t dread the commands of God! We shouldn’t consider the ways of God as a burden or problem for us! Rather, we should be absolutely thankful that God has shown us His love and His ways so that we could have victory in this world and in this life.
God’s ways are a blessing to us, not a burden! Thank God for loving us and showing us His ways!
The true love of God in our lives is seen in our love for God’s commands.
True love is in obedience.
Concluding Thoughts:
So, as John brings this letter to a close soon (not yet, but soon), it seems apparent that there is no greater command for the follower of Jesus than to love.
Love is at the heart of following Jesus.
Here’s the bottom line for today’s sermon, once again (it’s the same as last week):
Bottom Line: True Christians truly love. [on screen]
(repeat)
If you really love Jesus, then really love others.
Love God. Love the church. Love others.
Challenge yourself this week in the following ways (these are the same weekly challenges as last week, so you have an extra week to complete them):
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
1. Memorize 1 John 4:7-8. [on screen]
You can do this. You can memorize God’s Word.
Why not accept this challenge?
2. Demonstrate true love. [on screen]
Many of you have had a week to think about this. Have you demonstrated true love this last week? If not, there’s still time to complete this challenge and hopefully continue to make this your goal from now on!
Closing:
John said in verse 3, “For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden.”
Living for Jesus is not a burden. In fact, it’s in Jesus that we find relief from the burdens of this world.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”[on screen]
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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