Love Made Known

Well, I've spent a lifetime lookin' for you; singles bars and good time lovers were never true. Playin' a fools game hopin' to win; and tellin' those sweet lies and losin' again.

I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places, Lookin' for love in too many faces, searchin' their eyes and lookin' for traces of what I'm dreamin' of. Hopin' to find a friend and a lover; I'll bless the day I discover another heart lookin' for love.

We cannot fully understand how to love or how love affects our lives if we don’t understand the nature of love

1 John 4:18 ESV

18 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.

EXAMPLE: My neighbor has been trying to grow a banana tree for 2 years now.

This is what we all are looking for “Perfect Love”

You have to know where a banana tree comes from and what is needs to survive in order to be successful in growing one.

But what is it?

You can just plant a banana in the ground and expect it will grow.

The SOURCE and SUBSTANCE of Love

1 John 4:7–8 ESV

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God DESIGNED love

Love comes from God

What we know about love originated from God.

John is not talking only about romantic love, but all forms of love.

Our ability to love comes from God.

The way we love comes from God

Not from

God DEFINES Love

God is the definition of Love

God is love

When you look up the definition of love in the dictionary is should simply state “GOD”

The love I have for my wife reflects the nature of God

The love we have for our kids reflects the nature of God

Love is a characteristic of who God is as blue eyes and impatient are characteristics of who I am.

The GREATEST EXPRESSION of Love

1 John 4:9–10 ESV

9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 jn 4 9-

The Gospel is the benchmark of love.

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The gospel speaks love in to our brokenness - someone has hurt you - someone has rejected you - someone has cursed you - your body is broken - your spirit is crushed - the things you find joy in are lost

The gospel speaks love into each and every broken place in our lives.

It it the benchmark and the standard all love is measured by.

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is the clearest and most amazing manifestation love in history.

There is nothing to fear in this love, not even death.

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is the clearest and most amazing manifestation love in history.

It is the benchmark that all forms of love we have known or experience should be judged by.

Michael Jordan argument- all players past, present and future will be judged based on how close they are to Jordan.

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6–8 ESV

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:

The TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER of Love

1 John 4:11 ESV

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:7 ESV

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 jn

1 jn 4

The word “Ought” sounds like a requirement we have to follow

But John means ought more like “apple tree OUGHT to grow apples”

“Chocolate cake OUGHT to be sweet”

“Fire OUGHT to be hot”

The love of God transforms our nature.

1 John 4:7 ESV

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

those born of God are defined by love.

You look like and act like your daddy!

If you KNOW God then you will

Love is as much a sign of Christian authenticity as is righteousness, obedience, or discipline.

You can follow every command Jesus made and memorized the whole bible, but if your heart isn’t drawn toward love then you are not a Christian.

1 John 4:8 ESV

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

If you know God then you KNOW LOVE

If you KNOW God then you know love and LOVE will FLOW from you.

If you know God then you love love and this LOVE will CAST OUR FEAR

Your own fear of what others think, what the future hold, your failures

It allows you to live with confidence that flows into how you treat others

It allows you to live and love with a certain posture...

The POSTURE of Love

1 John 4:18–21 ESV

18 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. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

John contrast love and fear.

“Perfect love” is not love that is without flaws, it is FULL, COMPLETE, FINISHED, love.

It is love to the UTTERMOST

and it is a love that leaves NO FEAR of losing it, not getting enough of it, or it not being safe and secure enough.

Receiving the love of God allows us to stand CONFIDENT because true, God-given, love casts out fear.

It destroys it.

We live with fear

Fear of the unknown

Fear of failure

Fear of lonliness

Fear of death

Fear of rejection

Fear of being FOUND OUT

BUT LOVE CASTS OUR FEAR

We are those LOVED BY GOD

We can go to God with confidence that His love casts out our fear.

Regardless of what tomorrow brings

Regardless of what others think

Regardless of the struggles life brings

GOD LOVE ME and I have NO REASON TO FEAR.

And when we live in that identity we are the bearers of good news of great love.

We love because He loved

Our love should lead to freedom, hope, joy, confidence, faith, and security.

John 13:35 ESV

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

this statement comes after He washes the disciples feet

That is the posture of Love.

Our love is a beacon of Hope

It is a Light on a Hill

Matt 5:

Matthew 5:14 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

1 Peter 2:9–12 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

1 pet 2 9-

Examine your heart

How is your love relationship with God right now?

First, do you have a genuine love relationship with God?

Not, do you go to church, do good things? All kinds of people go to church and do good things.

Do you have a love relationship with God? If your heart does not resound with a “yes” to that question, then I invite you today to enter in to that kind of relationship with the God of the universe.

How does God’s love for you show up in your life?

Service, sacrifice

Care, kindness

Forgiveness, grace

prayer, pursuit

Listen deeply to the words of Jesus in

Matthew 25:31–46 ESV

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Related Media

Related Sermons