Sermon Tone Analysis

1 John 4.7-12  Love

*Proposition: God’s children must be characterized by love*

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I.              Because Only God’s children can truly love, 7, 8

7   jAgaphtoiv, ajgapw'men ajllhvlou", o{ti hJ ajgavph ejk tou' qeou' ejstin, kai; pa'" oJ ajgapw'n ejk tou' qeou' gegevnnhtai kai; ginwvskei to;n qeovn.8

oJ mh; ajgapw'n oujk e[gnw to;n qeovn, o{ti oJ qeo;" ajgavph ejstivn.

!! A.            The gentle command

!!! 1.            Let us be loving one another

!!! 2.

Not talking about an emotional, gushy feeling

!!! 3.

But the actual looking out for the best for someone else

!! B.            God is the source of love

!!! 1.            love is of God

!!! 2.            the source of what we call agape love is God

!!! 3.            his is the originator, the sustainer and ultimate provider of real love.

!!! 4.            God carries your picture in his wallet.

!! C.           Loving others is a test of salvation

!!! 1.

Those who love have been born of God

!!!! a)            God does the birthing

!!!! b)            the birth has lasting impact

!!! 2.            Those who love are knowing God

!!!! a)            by experience

!!!! b)            a continual present knowledge

!! D.           Who are the ones born and know - the ones who love

!!! 1.            a characteristic

!!! 2.            those who possess God’s kind of love are God’s kind of people

!! E.            Why?

!!! 1.            God is love

!!! 2.            God as to his nature is love

C.S. Lewis -   You asked for a loving God; you have one.

The great spirit you so lightly invoked, the "lord of terrible aspect," is present; not a senile benevolence that drowsily wishes you to be happy in your own way, not the cold philanthropy of a conscientious magistrate, nor the care of a host who feels responsible for the comfort of his guests, but the consuming fire himself, the Love that made the worlds, persistent as the artist's love for his work and despotic as a man's love for a dog, provident and venerable as a father's love for a child, jealous, inexorable, exacting as love between the sexes.

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II.

Because God’s love is shown in the death of his son for you, 9, 10

9 ejn touvtw~/ ejfanerwvqh hJ ajgavph tou' qeou' ejn hJmi'n, o{ti to;n uiJo;n aujtou' to;n monogenh' ajpevstalken oJ qeo;" eij" to;n kovsmon i{na zhvswmen di! aujtou'.10

ejn touvtw~/ ejsti;n hJ ajgavph, oujc o{ti hJmei'" hjgaphvkamen to;n qeo;n ajll! o{ti aujto;" hjgavphsen hJma'" kai; ajpevsteilen to;n uiJo;n aujtou' iJlasmo;n peri; tw'n aJmartiw'n hJmw'n.

!! A.            God sent his son into the world

!!! 1.            not because we love him

!!! 2.            but because he loves us

!! B.            God loves, God sent his Son, we live

!!! 1.            Jesus died

!!! 2.            God’s wrath is removed

!!! 3.            God’s love is revealed

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III.

Because God’s love forms the pattern for his children, 11-12

11   jAgaphtoiv, eij ou{tw" oJ qeo;" hjgavphsen hJma'", kai; hJmei'" ojfeivlomen ajllhvlou" ajgapa'n.12

qeo;n oujdei;" pwvpote teqevatai.eja;n

ajgapw'men ajllhvlou", oJ qeo;" ejn hJmi'n mevnei kai; hJ ajgavph aujtou' ejn hJmi'n teteleiwmevnh ejstivn.

!! A.            If thus - in this manner

!!! 1.            Rom 5:8

!!! 2.            God loves the undeserving

!! B.            we ought

!!! 1.            to owe

!!! 2.            to be under obligation to make a payment as the result of having previously received something of value[1]

!!! 3.            to be necessary[2]

!!! 4.            to be obligatory in view of some moral or legal requirement[3]

You and I have a debt, to love each other.

It is a divine directive.

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IV.

Conclusion

!! A.             

!! B.             

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V.            Invitation

!! A.            Unsaved

!! B.            Saved

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[1]Louw, Johannes P. and Nida, Eugene A., /Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains/,  1988, 1989.

[2]Louw, Johannes P. and Nida, Eugene A., /Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains/,  1988, 1989.

[3]Louw, Johannes P. and Nida, Eugene A., /Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains/,  1988, 1989.