Why We Love and Who We Love.
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13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
To understand today’s passage, you need both context and memory… I’m here to try to help you with that.
Memory to remember what we talked about last week… and the prayer, the high priestly prayer of Jesus, that was key to that passage.
If you don’t unvderstand that , you need only look no further than Ephesians 5:25, where the Apostle Paul said, Christ loved the church and gave himnself up for her.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
But more specifically, remember what Jesus said in his high priestly prayer about why he did what He did...
26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.
So, when you add this reminder to the context of this morning’s text, you will have a good understanding of why we are in this text today… and all the context that you need is the vers just prior to our passage...
12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
If you want to let people know what God looks like, love each other, allow that love to be perfected in us, and let it be evident to others.
Now please, understand that the author of the gospel of John and our epistle are one and the same persons. This tells me that John got it! He got Jesus, “Why”.
He recorded the “why” in the gospel… 17:26, and here, later in life, he explains it. Jesus wanted his love and Himself to be in us. And Here, in this passage, Jobn tells us that if we love each other then God is in us AND his love is perfected in us.
So, let’s take this a verse at a time .
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
The way that we know that Jesus is in us, as He desired to be, is that He has given us His Spirit.
I want you to consider that John was one of the apostles who was with Jesus in His ministry, who was there on the day of ascension, who heard the greatcommision, and then who was there on the day of Pentecost.
Remember… He lived with Jesus
He heard the Great Commmission.
He was there on the day of ascension when Jesus said to wait for the coming of the Spirit.
He was there on the day of Pentecost when the spirit came.
And here, he tells us, that the fulfillment of God being in His people, is the giving of that Spirit on the day of Pentecost. See what John says, .s… we know that he abides in us and we abide in him because He gave us His Spirit.
And it is that Spirit taking up residence in the believer that fulfills the prayer of Jesus.
24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.
Remember what Jesus said about leaving us.... in John 14:18
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
This is actually a testimony, from John, that proves the Spirit is in Him… because of what John said in 1 John 4.2
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
How do we confess that Jesus is the Son and Savior of the world. By what we have seen.... remember what John said… we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
John didn’t “see” God… but He saw what Jesus did on the cross.
And for believers who see what Jesus did on the cross, they see God… the see God, sending His Son in to the world to die for them.
Do you see it? Seeing it is how you testify to it. I’m not asking if you see Jesus’ image in your toast…I’m not asking you to see something that really isn’t there. I’m asking you if you see that what Jesus did is God in the flesh loving you by dying for you? When we see it, accept it and testify to it we are commiuning with God and He with us.
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
Sometimes Knowledge leads to faith. Other times, faith leads to knowledge. But the statement that John makes here is both learned and and act of faith...
God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
Understand....first, we must know and have faith in the love that God has for us.
Then, secondly, we come to realize by faith thatHis very nature is love.
Finally, we know that to live in God means to live in God’s love.
The abiding of Jesus in us and Us in Him is a fellowship of love. A Christian life is a life of sharing God’s love.
With our families.
With our friends.
With the strangers.
With our neighbors.
With the world.
Bottom Line:
Jesus Lost His Life To Love Us; We Give Our Lives To Love God.
Jesus Lost His Life To Love Us; We Give Our Lives To Love God.
Vision: To Be Christ for Canton and our surrounding Community.
Vision statement is a what.
“That’s what Jesus is like”.
Mission: To Go To The Community of Canton and Make Disciples By Serving And Sharing The Good News of Jesus Christ.
Mission Statement is a How...
Our Worship reveals God’s love.
Our Food Pantry reveals God’s love.
Our VBS reveals God’s love.
Our Family Dinners reveal God’s love.
Our Preschool reveals God’s love.
All that we do, if it is not revealing the love of Christ it isn’t what we should do.
14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;