This Is Love

So let's talk about love right? I remember finally one of my favorite TV shows. I hate to admit it. It's a little humbling to say but one of my favorite TV shows growing up as a young teenager was The Love Boat will be making another run the love promises something for everyone.

And I got to tell you even though that was one of my favorite shows and I am humbled to admit it. It was not the greatest example. It was not the best way to learn about true love as you can imagine. There were lots of love and counters this played on that show that were in hindsight. Probably not the best thing for me to be watching a young teenager. Impressionable mind, you know, so I want to talk with you this morning about a different kind of love. The Godly kind of love the kind of love that God himself initiate sand demonstrates so that we can learn from his example and then be able to carry out what he initiated and that's precisely what John is talking about in first John chapter 4 this letter from the Apostle John. Here's a deep question for you to start this message off. Let me get you thinking deeply I love to think deeply sometimes.

Right now is a good time to think deeply here's the question where does love come from?

Okay. Yeah, you guys are giving me all all of you know, the right answer already because you've heard this passage before but if you just need to pretend for a moment that you don't know what for John 4 tells us about the source of Love. Imagine how people that aren't Sunday school would answer the question. Where does love come from? The hearts. Okay. Yeah, let's make this responsive. Give me some other ideas. What have you heard or thought? What do you think others might might I might others answer that question. Where does love come from? A good feeling. Oh, yeah. It's all about the feelings, right? Cupid yeah, that's a good one a chemical reaction. I think I heard well there is something to that actually I won't get too deep into the science here. But there's this little part of your brain called called the hypothalamus and there's some different chemicals that are released that

That helped us to experience the reality of Love sometimes but what I want you to recognize with me, is that your people might say well, okay, we learn to love it must be biological. It must be it must have something to do with Evolution, right? Maybe somehow or another we as a species have learned how to love one another in a unique way because let's face it right there is something unique about the way that human beings love each other. It's a little bit different a little bit beyond at least for most people. I think the way that animals love each other. There's something unique and Powerful about the capacity that human beings have for love. In fact, I dare say that it's Central to Life as we know it. It's Central to our experience of relationships meaningful relationships family friendship. Love is right at the Rent-A-Center right the very meaning of Life as We Know It

So where does it come from? How did we develop this capacity? What some people might say? Yeah, it it must be biological. It must be inherited. It must be genetic. You know, maybe we just get it from our parents. Okay. Well Yeah, there's probably something genetic to it. But where did you hear it while they got it from their parents and they got it from their parents will just back up a few generations and at some point the question Services again, where did it come from? How did it how did it originate? How did love find its way into the Human Experience of life?

Well, let me tell you you can think long and hard about the answer to that question.

And you can search scientific journals. You can talk to people on the street and gather their opinions. But the word of God offers us a clear answer. Maybe you've never thought about it before maybe the question you've never pondered, but it's a it's a deep question. It's a powerful question. And the word of God the Bible offers us a clear answer. And it's right here in this text that we're going to study. Let me put it to you as simply as I can. This is what John says in verse is 7 and 8 at the very beginning of our texts. 47 dear friends. Let us love one another for Love Comes. from God everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 1st John 4:7 so really what John saying if I could put this before you as succinctly as possible is that like life itself love comes from God? For God is love.

He carries on the foot of the thought and begins to explain it a little bit more in the very next verse. Expanding upon what he 747 John rice and verse 8. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. Let me ask you to just say that with me a minute to Proclaim it and declare it. Even if you're not sure that it's true. Say it with me. God is love. So both of these things love comes from God and God is love our very short simple statements that the Apostle John is making in verses 7 and 8 and yet they're profoundly deep realities short sentence simple statement, but profoundly deep realities for us to think about what time saying is that love doesn't originate from natural selection or Evolution or genetics. It wasn't as if you know something man or woman many many years ago came up with this idea. This had this thing, you know sort of brilliant moment of Revelation where they invented the idea of Love or the experience of love. And then claimed it as their own great idea. No love John says originates with God.

Love originates with God God is both its source and its definition.

It's definition. That's what he means with. The second statement. Love comes from God. God is its source and God is love which means god is the definition of love. The two realities are interchangeable. Another words. God didn't just create love for our benefit. What Johns telling us. What John's hinting at here is that according to the Bible love is the defining characteristic of God's nature. It's the very essence of who he is and how he acts.

He created us. As an act or an expression of his love. In fact, I've heard it said and I love the thought that that the Trinity existed, of course eternally together and it was out of the Overflow of the love between the Father the Son and the spirit that the God had decided. Let's create Humanity in our image. So that they can love each other learn to love each other as we do and so that they can share in our love God love was so contagious and so powerful that it spilled out from his very essence into us.

And you did that on purpose because he wanted is to have somewhere beautiful to go.

That's the power. And the truth that John wants us to understand.

God didn't just create love for our benefit. He is love he defines love it's the essence of who he is and how he acts. Now we should bear in mind here. And this goes back to your what I began with a few moments ago that the kind of love John is describing is not some, you know, romantic form of affection. That would be Eros in the Greek language in this case as elsewhere in the New Testament. John purposefully uses the Greek word agape. Which means literally the love of God? The love of God Agape is a Unique Kind of Love. It's different than other than whatever type of Love might come naturally to us as human beings. Agape is sacrificial and selfless.

No. with all that as backdrop then Let's come back to the specifics of the Resurrection. Right, it's Resurrection Sunday. That's what we're here to celebrate today. So what does this idea of love? And where it came from have to do with the events of Jesus death and Resurrection? anyting well, here's what John's driving at and we see it in the very next verse verse 9. Johns telling us that the death and resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate way in which God showed his love Among Us.

I'll take you back to another memorable experience from my childhood. I remember finally that my favorite experience in elementary school was show and tell. Write anybody. I don't know if they still do Julie. Do they still do this? And

A few a few of those regressive classrooms, right that still believe in old-fashioned ideas. That was the that was the bomb show-and-tell was the bomb, you know, you have to pick some special item from home and bring it in and share it with your whole class and tell them why it was meaningful to you. And you know, I don't remember much else from elementary school. I'm sure I learned reading and writing and arithmetic. But but I do remember show and tell.

And you know, I I mean, maybe it's a humorous way to picture at all. But but I think what John's hinting at here, is that the cross and the resurrection were God moments of show and tell. Like giving the whole idea of show-and-tell originated with him not you know, not just love but show and tell God's idea because what John's thing is that the the life of Jesus the death of Jesus and the Resurrection Life, of course all included in that. Show us the Father's Love. They show us how great God love for us really is.

See the connection in verse 9 1st John 4:9. This is how God showed his love Among Us. You hear that? 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. Now another thing I love about this verse again, and I mentioned this already is the connection between life and love. The two are meant to be insufferable. Love is what gives meaning to life. Life without love is empty Life Without Love Is void its purposeless, and it does not lead to good things. In fact, there are lots of studies that have been done even over the last few years. There's a whole new field of study in which scientists are looking at the effects of the absence of Love on children and how that affects their lives as they grow. You can find articles about this fascinating insights about the difficulties that children have not just emotionally, but even physically if they grow up in a home where there's an absence of love.

What is that Palace life and love go together by God's design life is meant to be filled with love love is meant to bring meaning and purpose and focused to Life as we know it. That's the way God designed it to work. And so John says very clearly. 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.

That's the life of Christ imparted to us. as an expression of God's love

so God sent Jesus Among Us. Think about this with the purpose of his death and Resurrection in mind long before it ever took place. I've been his this occurred to you. Have you thought about this reality? Jesus didn't die by accident. It wasn't like the Romans came up with this great idea or the Jews came up with this great idea and we had to get rid of this guy. We got to put him down. He's causing too much trouble. This is a crazy reality to think about but the whole thing was planned by God in advance.

Because he had a purpose in it. He sent Jesus to live and die and live again

For our benefit for a blessing so that we can live. in Christ

So we experienced then the Resurrection Life of Christ when we come to Faith In Jesus. That's how this works. That's what John's describing and bear in mind her that John experience this reality firsthand. He's not writing as just some you know, some abstract theology some deep thoughts from a guy named John know John was let's remember John was Jesus best friend. John was Jesus closest disciple John refers to himself in the Gospel of John as the disciple whom Jesus loved. So he encountered the love of Christ. He followed price for three years. He watched Jesus died on the cross and that Jesus spoke to John. He's the only one of the 12 disciples that was present at the time of Jesus. Jesus spoke to him from the cross and said I want you to take care of my mother Mary because I know I'm not going to be around anymore and then John encountered the Risen Christ Jesus. And that if you study this. What I love about the whole story of John is he can kind of see it, you know reflected not just in the gospel and his letters, but ultimately in the Book of Revelation, right John John became known as the Apostle of love. And he writes about love The Power of Love again and again, and again, we're just looking at one little slice of what John has to say on this whole subject and what's really cool about the way that John encounter Jesus and how the love of Jesus change John. comes to light in Revelation When the Risen Lord appears to him years later when he's on the Isle of Patmos, he's been exiled. He's Alone by himself. He is worshipping Jesus on the Lord's day any encounters Jesus Jesus comes back and appears to him and this time it's not just you know, my friend Jesus the one that I walked with him and talked with for a couple years. This is like Need help our Jesus resurrected Jesus Jesus and all of his glory Jesus and all of his majesty Jesus and all of his power Jesus with burning eyes. He appears before John and John literally falls down as if he's dead at the sight of that Jesus.

Like imagine what he's thinking in that moment. I thought I knew you I thought I knew you but I didn't know this is the real you. Wow, this is this is the glorified Jesus.

Not sure that with you because I want you to understand who's writing the words that were reading and how his own life was impacted by an encounter with the love of Jesus. He's not reading some abstract philosophy here. He's telling us what changed his life. This is a first-hand testimony. John Stang

This is how God showed his love Among Us. He might as well be saying this is how God showed his love to me. He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him.

So the lifespan of Christ is made known to us and imparted to us because of God love. We experience life in Christ because of God's love for us.

There are Shades here. Perhaps you thinking about this already Echoes of another classic verse penned by the same Apostle the same guy John perhaps many of you know it by heart John 3:16 for God. So loved the world that he gave his only son, right? Yeah. Let's say it together that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. I love that that I mean it never gets old. Does it no matter how many times you see somebody holding a sign in the endzone, you know what that verse on it never gets old because that statement captures the essence of what God has done to demonstrate his love for us.

I want to share with you a little story written by a man named Joshua Rogers. It's his own God story about how he's experienced this reality even as a young child and he's reflecting on that now as an adult He writes. I was only five when I walked into my mother's bedroom, and I told her that I wanted to give my life to Christ. We got down on her knees besides the beside the bed and at that moment. I asked Jesus into my heart after that. I probably told everyone that Jesus would save me. But my pride slowly diminished over the years. As I got older the more I question the efficacy of my salvation prayer because let's be honest the five-year-old motives behind it didn't exactly demonstrate any depth of understanding about what I was really doing. On the one hand my parents taught me a lot about the Bible. So by that age, I really had developed a childhood affection for the miracle-working Savior who held little kids in his lap and then died.

to save them on the other hand. I wanted to be born again because I would take I would get to take the grape juice and the crackers during communion at our Baptist Church. I remember thinking that too not to mention the most important reason. Well, I would avoid going to hell. These reasons didn't seem like very good ones for wanting to commit my eternal life the god So eventually I began to wonder if perhaps I hadn't actually been saved after all. My insecurities about my salvation inspired me to repeatedly redo my salvation prayer over time, but it never seemed like it was enough. I wanted something more official. I needed a prayer that would unquestionably provide my eternal connection to Jesus. But there was a vignette in the Easter story that finally provided the security that a prayer for salvation never could.

As Jesus was hanging there and his life was almost over. He had a brief conversation with one of the two thieves hanging on either side of him. The gospel of Matthew tells us that this thief had actually been mocking Jesus was earlier in his crucifixion, but Luke tells us the rest of the story with the clock ticking down on his life. The thief had a sudden change of heart and made a simple request. Jesus Remember me? When you come into your kingdom. This man was a lowlife. He was a common criminal attempting A desperate deathbed conversion. And all they could order was a request. That wasn't exactly profound remember me.

Jesus didn't do an inventory of the man's good or bad Deeds before he responded. He didn't ignore him or wait until the man said the perfect words. Remember me was enough. In the final moments of their lives Jesus responded truly I say to you today. You will be with me in Paradise.

So maybe you won't go to church this Easter opposite that doesn't apply to all of you. Maybe you don't even want to maybe you're a Believer who's insecure about your own salvation needed the idea of praying about something as Monumental as your Eternal salvation seems intimidating to you. You wouldn't even know where to start. We'll start here. With the two words remember me? If it's good for the thief on the cross, this is this point that it's good for any of us and all of us. And why would Jesus remember any of us? under those circumstances

because that's why he went through those circumstances. That's why he died in the first place for us for our Salvation because of his great love for each and every one of us.

So let me bring this around then to one last inside because our time is winding down.

I want you to recognize now the outflow. We've been talking about what Jesus has done for us what God has done for us in Jesus the love of God expressed in the Life Death and resurrection of Jesus. where this passage takes us next is is a bit more challenging and some respect. I think it might seem easy enough at the first to receive the love that I've been describing just to receive just to let God touch your life with it. Let it become a part of your experience a part of your reality. Let his love begin to Define your life.

But then here's here's where it gets tricky and not not the bad way. This is this is powerful, but but it's challenging. What I want you to see in John's words to us this morning has to do with what we do after we received the love of Christ.

Really it amounts to this to receive God's love for us and his life in US. means that were to commit ourselves to showing and sharing that love with others.

There was this just this isn't just for your own benefit. This isn't just for you and and and the benefit and blessing of your own relationship with Jesus. Jesus love was not given to you and displayed for you on the cross poured out for you in the shedding of his blood just for your own benefit. It was for your benefit no doubt about it. But there's meant to be an outflow. There's meant to be an expression of that reality. That comes from your life when your life has been changed by the love of Christ. What John saying is that to receive God's love for us and his life in US is to commit ourselves to showing and sharing that love with others. It's got a flow out. Look with me for example, and he talks about this quite a bit more that I have time to cover but just for example look with me and verses 11 and 12 1st. John 4 11 and 12 dear friends. Since God so loved us. We also ought to love one another there it is. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another God lives in US. And his love is made complete in US.

So with these words we come at last then to the intended result of God's love for us. It's to touch our lives and to change our lives so that we can express that love to others. Just as God did for us. It's not just for us to receive Were Meant to receive it so that we can then turn around and demonstrate it to others as Jesus did for us. John hinted at this all the way back in first date at the very beginning of this passage, but here he's driving the point home in versus 11 and 12 and he comes back to it again in the following verses. You think it's through our love for one another that God life in us gets expressed.

And his love for us is made complete. Think about that God's love for you. That's an amazing statement God love for you is made complete when you express it to others. That's the point here that John wants us to grab hold of and live into God's love for us is made complete only. When we express it to others.

That means that sharing the love of Christ with others is Central to our life in Christ is not like an elective. It's not an add-on. It's not something you can kind of choose to do if you want to or if it sounds appealing and any moment, I love what Sophie shared her earlier about how how she feels this contagious sense of desire to talk about Jesus when she when she encounters a stranger. That's beautiful. That's the love of Christ that were right there. That's an example of what John's describing. where to find where to find the name of Jesus rolls off our tongues easily

with no fear because perfect love casts out fear. So if you find yourself struggling to speak about Jesus and to share his love with other people his love in you and for you has not yet been perfected. Had to go go go to work had to go back to the Lord and invite him to you know, kind of gold go a little deeper with you.

Let me disclose this morning with with an example. My dad shared this with me yesterday and I thought it was beautiful and at the risk of them.

Well, actually they already do attention to themselves. So I guess it doesn't matter. There's that there's this great edition of the state news, which is the Michigan State newspaper that came out just a week or so ago and really the the issues devoted to the survivors of the Larry Nassar Scandal, which obviously is an incredibly painful experience both for every individual that went through it. And for the university is a whole it's been devastating to the Michigan State Community. But what I what I find fascinating about this addition to this edition of the state news and it was issued in just a week or so ago is the full the full page advertisement on the back page.

Which was signed by several dozen faculty members including our own Chris and Ashley Eileen and Kent Miller. Here's what it says.

Thank you, by the way. Thank you. At least 513 eyewitness has convincing documentation at last and most compelling and last and most compelling and empty tomb. Makes you want to know more much more more than bunnies and colored eggs Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth We Believe Christ died for our sins and rose again. He conquered death and offers us forgiveness. Peace with God and eternal life. We've come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus is well-documented historically and provide strong reasons for each of us to consider the truth of his claims for us.

Look at the evidence that is convinced people for centuries that Jesus is who he says he is and ask any of us for an article entitled The Resurrection hopes for history. Let me tell you every person. Who put their name on the line and allowed it to be published as a part of that advertisement is thing? My experience of God's love has changed my life. And I wanted to change yours, too. That's beautiful that powerful. That's what I'm talking about right now doesn't have to be an ad in the newspaper. There are a million different ways that you can find the demonstrate the love of God to a world in need. But find one at least right find something that you can do or say that expresses the love of God for others. So that the love of God in you can be made complete.

That's what this morning is all about friends. We could talk a lot about the historical evidence for the resurrection. Some of you have studied that and there are lots of great resources about that. But really to me the heart behind it all. Is what makes the history compelling life-changing? The heart behind it all the heart of God. the love of God if it weren't for the love of God, Jesus would have never been raised from the dead. But God raised him up because of his love for you and me. Because he wanted that love to touch and to change our lives and then threw us to touch and change the lives of others.

Think of it like the domino effect write each one of us has a part to play each one of us has something to share each one of us has been tasked.

With the challenge of sharing God's love with others. I hope this week that you'll find. Some practical way that you can do that. To demonstrate the love of Christ to people around us who need to see it in order to believe it. I want to close with one more video this morning and it's a powerful portrayal through ART. The entire story of humanity commentating with the death and resurrection of Christ and what it means for us. It's a great summary of what I've just shared with you and I hope you enjoy this and then we'll well transition into some Prayer Ministry to close our time and some more worship to close our time this morning enjoy this It began with Darkness.

Pitch Black

formless and empty

into this Darkness God created light

created in tire

your speed

to behold his glory he breathes life into his children. She loved him with a passion burning brighter than the sun at 4. It's time he made his.

This love was torn apart fractured by a crushing of this. So wide is it could never be crossed? An immense Chasm created by our sin of Pride our disobedience.

And so the darkness returned and with it came dad Wars plagues and exile. Our Father refused to leave his children in the Darkness So once again, she sent his light to dwell on Earth to become a Manuel.

To teach us to heal us and save us from the terrible wages of sin.

Like where he preached peace, he was met with hostility where she preached love to hatred turned against him where he preached forgiveness is enemies cried out for execution. He was arrested tortured and sentenced to Daddy as a criminal.

With Nails in his hands Jesus bore the unfathomable weight of our sin.

cleansed us from all unrighteousness

They assigned him a grave with the wicked.

Shield is Tomb with a stone.

Darkness Reigns over the land once more as I seem to vanish.

On the third day Jesus light pierced the Shadows power shook the Earth the Son of God Rose declaring victory over death and throwing wide the Gates of Heaven for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Just love still calls to us. Is Grace still covers Us?