Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Foundational Love

Theme: Truths to Grasping God’s Love

Series: The One Anothers in Scripture

The Word of God gives us at least 34 passages of Scriptures to govern ourselves by as we live out the Christian life in practical ways.

The church God can use has a Body of Christ who examines herself to God’s Word, trusts in Jesus and walks in step with the Holy Spirit of Christ.

The beloved John, being led by the Holy Spirit of Christ gives us a powerful truth to guide ourselves by as we look to the Word of God for instructions on living out “Foundational Love.”

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”

(1 John 4:7-12)

God’s love originates in Himself

The beloved John has just laid the foundation for us that indicates whether or not we are responding to God’s Holy Spirit with a right heart.

The truth found in this text is a powerful conclusion, God’s love originates in Himself, (1 John 4:7-8) is manifested in Jesus Christ as God in the flesh and through God giving His one and only Son to pay the ultimate sacrifice.

(1 John 4:9-10; John 3:16)

God’s love is also expressed through Christians (1 John 4:12) as they have Biblical fellowship.

Westcott wrote, “It is through man that the love of God finds it fulfillment on earth.”

God has chosen in this dispensation to show His love through His children as they walk in obedience to Him.

As Christians take time to grasp and respond to this truth they begin to understand John’s concern for the fellowship of believers.

Christians who grasp the truths of today’s message come to understand that Christian fellowship is above fruit bearing and blessings, which are in themselves great.

It is God’s presence and manifestation in a person’s life as observed by those in the world.

Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

(John 13: 34-35)

I would propose to you the Christian’s goal is to live in such a way that people know they are disciples of Christ.

Just how is that goal achieved?

“God is love…”

The Christian that is able to achieve the high goal of expressing Biblical love understands where true love comes from.

The beloved John in writing about God’s love and the love that is to be expressed by a Christian writes, “God is love…” (1 John 4:8,16) John also writes, “For love comes from God.” (1 John 4:7) Never was a more important declaration made than this; never was more meaning crowded into a few words than this short sentence, “God is love” (Theos agape estin).

It would be inadequate to think of salvation as mere deliverance from the punishment of hell.

It is best enjoyed in this lifetime as enjoying Christ’s salvation as freedom from the love of the flesh, freedom from love of this world and freedom from the lies of the devil who led Adam and Eve to love his lie over loving God’s perfect will for them.

Everything in life and creation reflects God’s revealed truth and the truth worth grasping in this first division is that God is the only source for true love.

“Source” means that spring or fountain, the beginning of a stream from which it gets the flow that feeds life to all who would drink from it.

“Source” is that from which anything rises or originates.

Nothing finds its beginning or existence on its own.

All babies born since the creation of Adam and Even exist because there was a source.

No baby or person came about or exists by his or her own efforts.

You and I exist not by our own efforts but because we had a source, our parents.

All who ever existed before us and all who will exist after us had or will have a source, parents.

Biblically all parents can trace their source of existence to the first two earthly parents, Adam and Eve.

They did not come into existence of themselves, they had a source, God.

Genesis 2:7 says, “…the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

(Genesis 2:7) The Bible says, “But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh.

Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.”

(Genesis 2:20-22)

The Hebrew word “breathed” (nesamah) is understood that such breath originates with God.

He can withhold that breath thereby withholding life from humanity.

Without His breath there is no life.

Our source of life begins and is determined by Him.

God is love means that true love originates from God just as our lives originate from Him.

His love does not change because true love is His nature.

One day a boy in a certain family told one of his brothers that he had to be good or their father would not love him.

The boy’s father overheard the conversation and spoke to the boys.

He told them “That is not true, I will love you always, when you are good I will love you in a love that makes me glad.

When you follow sin I shall love you in a love that grieves me.

Never-the-less I will still love you.”

“That is the way it is with God, He is not obligated to love us because we are good.

He loves because He is love, love is who He is.” True love exists because God is love, people do not enjoy true love as an reward for doing good.

Just as we exist because life originates with God, true love exists because God is love.

What His love is

In order for the Body of Christ to enjoy “Foundational Love” she must look to God who is the source of true love and she must understand just what His love is.

God is love.

(1 John 4:8-6) “Love” (agape) in regard to God’s love in today’s key text means that it is an expression of His willful action toward man.

It involves God doing what He knows is best for man not doing or giving man what he deserves.

It is God’s love that allows a man to go through what he must in order to cause man to call upon God or choose to reject Christ’s sacrifice made for him.

It is God’s willful act to draw men to Christ and it is His willful act to give man what he needs to faithfully serve Him.

There is nothing we can do to impress God which would cause Him to want to express His love to us.

He saw our need and willfully did everything needed for us to have a restored relationship with Him.

Jesus Christ was obedient unto death so we could have what we need to have our greatest need met, a live vibrant relationship with the Lord.

Our key text is very clear, This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

(1 John 4:9-10)

God did not give His Son as the last and final sacrifice for the cost of sin because we are attractive, because we are good, or because we made a promise to do something.

Our redemption was decided before the creation of the world.

God showed His love sacrificially by sending His Son and Christ showed God’s love by sacrificially giving His life.

When Christians grasp this truth they sacrificially do what God has called them to do.

Everyone has a different call upon their lives, but all callings must be accomplished through a certain amount of sacrifice.

One person who grasped his call was Lough Fook, a Chinese Christian who was given a Holy Spirit compassion for the coolies in the South African mines.

He felt led of the Lord to sell himself into slavery for five years for the opportunity to take the Gospel of Christ to the Chinese slaves working in the mines.

He worked hard, suffering as a slave and he preached and shared Christ to those who worked with him.

Before his five years were up Lough Fook died, but not before he saw 200 slave miners receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Lough was connected with God through Christ and God’s love was lived through Lough as he met the need of the Chinese slaves in South Africa.

He saw the need of the slaves and he willfully sold himself into slavery, giving up his freedom so the slaves in the South African mines could hear the Gospel of Christ.

It must be noted that not every Christian is called to make the type or depth of sacrifice that Lough did, however, all Christians will sacrifice something so others may hear the message of Christ because the love of God is flowing through them by the Holy Spirit of Christ.

This sacrifice may come through financial giving, fasting and prayer or through all sorts of ways set forth by God.

Biblical ways of expressing the love of God

Foundational love comes from God, His love is lived through His obedient children and there are Biblical ways of expressing the love of God to one another.

The Bible says, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

(1 Corinthians 12:7) It also says, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.

(1 Corinthians12:1) The Apostle Paul gives these instructions so that the Body of Christ may know how to exercise their Holy Spirit given gifts, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.”

(1 Corinthians 14:1) 1 Corinthians 14:3 says, “But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.”

(1 Corinthians 14:1)

Two truths worth grasping in this part of the message are “love” (agape) and “prophecy” (propheteuo).

Scripture is clear, God has made the way for Christians to accomplish His command, “Love One Another.”

He has sent the Holy Spirit to give them His power to express true love.