What's Love Got To Do With It?
“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 13:35
Happy Valentines Day to you! I get the pleasure today to remind you first thing this morning that God loves you! God doesn’t just love some people, He loves all people and He is not willing that any would perish. It’s why Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth. If God only loved some people or only the elect as some teach then why would He command us to love our enemies if in fact He didn’t even do that Himself. No, make no mistake about it. God loves you!
Are you aware that love is to be the distinguishing mark of all true believers living in the world writes the apostle John. He is known as “the apostle of love” and goes so far as to say in 1 John 4:8, that if you do not love others, you do not know God because God is love. In 1 John 4:12 the apostle John tells us why when he writes, “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”
What’s love got to do with it? When we love others we make the invisible God visible. I like to call it being incarnational. One of my favorite pastors often says, “you might be the only bible the world ever reads.” The point is, it’s not just a privilege to share Jesus with others, it’s a command to go into all the world and make Jesus known. Pushing on ahead in verse 13 John writes, “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” So, what’s love got to do with it? When we love, the love of God confirms to us that God is living in us. The proof is living inside us and it’s God’s will that it gets out of us to a world in need around us.
As we read verse 14, John gives us more insight as to what love has to do with it when he pens these words, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” Gods love convinces us that Jesus is the Savior of the world by allowing us to see how extreme God is in all He does. His love, His wrath, His forgiveness were all carried out in extreme ways. Think about it, though our sins are like scarlet He shall make them whiter than snow. Thats extreme! And we get the opportunity to do acts of extreme love each day drawing attention to God’s extreme love every time we do. Valentines Day is a wonderful opportunity to do something extreme and then remind the recipient it was to remind them how much they are loved by God. Oh to have someone say in response to our extreme act of love, “wasn’t that a little extreme?”
In verse 15 John tells his readers, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” So, the natural question is, “Whats love got to do with it? Gods love makes us aware of His presence in our lives, and as we grow in Gods love we become more keen to His voice and His presence in our lives. We experience the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit abiding in us. Read verse 16, “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” So, whats love got to do with it you might be thinking? Gods love comforts us enabling us to comfort one another. Love really is the most powerful force in all the world, more powerful than hate. Love really does conquer all!
John, the apostle of love just keeps the thought of what’s love got to do with it going as he continues on in verse 17. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” Gods love empowers us by giving us confidence. Confidence, as Jesus is glorified in heaven God’s Word reminds us that we are too even now in this world. The point John makes is that God sees us now on earth as we are in heaven. Ephesians 2:6 (NLT) puts it this way, “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”
In 1 John 4:18, John pens one of the most profound thoughts about the power of Gods love, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” So, the million dollar question still to be asked is, what’s love got to do with it? Simply put, Gods love overpowers our fears. We must remember that fear involves judgment and those who are not trusting Jesus for their salvation are rightfully fearful.
The final point John makes regarding what’s love got to do with it is found in verses 19-21, “We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” John saves the best for last. We love God because He first loved us. Our love is simply a response to God’s love for us. Isn’t that what John 15:16-17 reminds us when Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.”
We are never more like God than when we love, for God is love. Think about that this Valentines Day! God demonstrated His own love for us. What will you and I do to demonstrate our love for God today? Love one another as I have loved you Jesus said. Charles Spurgeon once said regarding John 15, “I’m glad God called me before the foundation of the world ever was and before I was even born for I’m sure He wouldn’t have called me afterwards.” Just think, there has never been a moment in eternity when God has not loved you! Remember that all day today. God loves you!
“For Yahweh is good, his faithful love is everlasting, his constancy from age to age.”
Psalm 100:5 (NJB)
I LOVE YOU!
John 13:35
Happy Valentines Day to you! I get the pleasure today to remind you first thing this morning that God loves you! God doesn’t just love some people, He loves all people and He is not willing that any would perish. It’s why Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth. If God only loved some people or only the elect as some teach then why would He command us to love our enemies if in fact He didn’t even do that Himself. No, make no mistake about it. God loves you!
Are you aware that love is to be the distinguishing mark of all true believers living in the world writes the apostle John. He is known as “the apostle of love” and goes so far as to say in 1 John 4:8, that if you do not love others, you do not know God because God is love. In 1 John 4:12 the apostle John tells us why when he writes, “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”
What’s love got to do with it? When we love others we make the invisible God visible. I like to call it being incarnational. One of my favorite pastors often says, “you might be the only bible the world ever reads.” The point is, it’s not just a privilege to share Jesus with others, it’s a command to go into all the world and make Jesus known. Pushing on ahead in verse 13 John writes, “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” So, what’s love got to do with it? When we love, the love of God confirms to us that God is living in us. The proof is living inside us and it’s God’s will that it gets out of us to a world in need around us.
As we read verse 14, John gives us more insight as to what love has to do with it when he pens these words, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” Gods love convinces us that Jesus is the Savior of the world by allowing us to see how extreme God is in all He does. His love, His wrath, His forgiveness were all carried out in extreme ways. Think about it, though our sins are like scarlet He shall make them whiter than snow. Thats extreme! And we get the opportunity to do acts of extreme love each day drawing attention to God’s extreme love every time we do. Valentines Day is a wonderful opportunity to do something extreme and then remind the recipient it was to remind them how much they are loved by God. Oh to have someone say in response to our extreme act of love, “wasn’t that a little extreme?”
In verse 15 John tells his readers, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” So, the natural question is, “Whats love got to do with it? Gods love makes us aware of His presence in our lives, and as we grow in Gods love we become more keen to His voice and His presence in our lives. We experience the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit abiding in us. Read verse 16, “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” So, whats love got to do with it you might be thinking? Gods love comforts us enabling us to comfort one another. Love really is the most powerful force in all the world, more powerful than hate. Love really does conquer all!
John, the apostle of love just keeps the thought of what’s love got to do with it going as he continues on in verse 17. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” Gods love empowers us by giving us confidence. Confidence, as Jesus is glorified in heaven God’s Word reminds us that we are too even now in this world. The point John makes is that God sees us now on earth as we are in heaven. Ephesians 2:6 (NLT) puts it this way, “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”
In 1 John 4:18, John pens one of the most profound thoughts about the power of Gods love, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” So, the million dollar question still to be asked is, what’s love got to do with it? Simply put, Gods love overpowers our fears. We must remember that fear involves judgment and those who are not trusting Jesus for their salvation are rightfully fearful.
The final point John makes regarding what’s love got to do with it is found in verses 19-21, “We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” John saves the best for last. We love God because He first loved us. Our love is simply a response to God’s love for us. Isn’t that what John 15:16-17 reminds us when Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.”
We are never more like God than when we love, for God is love. Think about that this Valentines Day! God demonstrated His own love for us. What will you and I do to demonstrate our love for God today? Love one another as I have loved you Jesus said. Charles Spurgeon once said regarding John 15, “I’m glad God called me before the foundation of the world ever was and before I was even born for I’m sure He wouldn’t have called me afterwards.” Just think, there has never been a moment in eternity when God has not loved you! Remember that all day today. God loves you!
“For Yahweh is good, his faithful love is everlasting, his constancy from age to age.”
Psalm 100:5 (NJB)
I LOVE YOU!
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