GOD IS LOVE I John 4:7-15 TBC 10/22/17

Intro: Power point- Greek- Compare I John 4:8 to 3:4

Point? You can’t say God is love, and love is God; as if God is a principle,

and not someone with real personhood and emotion!

Question: Why spend so much time on this?

Answer: The Gnostics, and many today, can’t stand the idea of a personal God they must answer to someday. To the Gnostics, knowledge of God is esoteric ( only for an elite group of specially initiated people who believe they can save themselves by self-actualization and self- achievement.) Therefore personal sins are simply “mistakes” and not done against the one and only personal God.

God, to these deluded souls, is like the “Force” off of a Star Wars movie.

John makes it clear that God is passionate, personal, and demonstrative! “LOVE” has no life of its own; as an abstract. To whatever degree we love, it has its source in God.

Question: How demonstrative is the love of God?

He “manifest” (fleshed out) His intentions, and demonstrated His love, by His self-sacrifice on the cross.

Question: Why would anybody want to view God as the Gnostics,

or as the “New Age” cults do today?

Ex. “Life-force” philosophy – Lewis/ “Mere Christianity” p. 35

I John 4: 8 “ God, His essential nature is love (agape).”

Love- in His creation/ love- in His redemption/ love -in fellowship with us/ love- in bringing everything to consummation. All acts of love by the personal God.

God has other descriptions, but love reveals His motive in all things.

Ex. ( Other descriptions) God is light- I John 1:5. God is Spirit- John 4:24. God is a consuming fire- Hebrews 12:29. TEXT: ******************************************

4: 7-9

“By this” – proved out in action

“only begotten”- unique, one-of-a-kind. Means He was “brought forth,”

not created; Christ has no beginning.

“live”- present tense; not “shall live,” as if only a future thing to take place, but a

daily reality to help us overcome the deadly self-life of our old nature.

4:10- “Propitiation” - A “satisfaction” for God’s justice and judgement on sin. There is perfect, complete judgement for every sin, but it falls on Christ. Now God is free to save forever, by grace, those who want forgiveness of sin; present eternal life; and a final consummation of that present eternal life in heaven.

Question: What moved God to do this?

“ not that we loved God”

Ex. Lewis – sec. 1001/ p. 406. “Quotable Lewis”

4:11 – “so loved” – to such an extent

Ex. John 3:16 “God so loved the world.”

4:12 - How? He, the Father, is spirit; invisible. When we love as the Spirit moves us to love, with the agape love of self-sacrifice, ( not give to get), then God is “seen” working in His body, the church.

God was “manifest-, fleshed-out, exposed to be seen” in Christ, John 1: 17-18, and now manifest in us! Something to take seriously! Something that is a great pleasure!

4: 13-16 - Does the Holy Spirit of God have free reign in your heart?

Your plans are at cross-purposes with God’s plan for your life at times. As one man told me, “I have my life just like I like it. I spend time with God so we can keep the plan moving!” This is why these truths may seem distant to you as you hear them this morning. You may think, “Will this really make a difference in my life next week?” The answer is a resounding “YES.”

Ex. Lewis- God’s love; especially when we suffer