1. Run out of things to say? - No. H.S. understands our need to be reminded

3. Now each time John returns to this topic he is expanding our perspective & giving this call to love new emphasis

1. We have seen in our study of 1 John that love is the defining mark of the child of God!

F) The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. And The new nature in the children of God is the offspring of his love:

1. It is not sentimental love , it is not sexual love , and it is not social love. It is supernatural love.

2. It is that which the Holy Spirit can put in our hearts, and only the Spirit of God can make it real to us.

1. and only the Spirit of God can enable us to extend this love to others.

2^nd - v.11-16 - John explains why this love should be the thing that marks our lives 1^st - God’s love defined - Note 3 things

B) He was not created. God called the created angels His sons, and He says that those who trust Christ are sons of God,

1. but He says that the Lord Jesus is "the only begotten Son."

3. The phrase only begotten is "unique, means the only one of its kind."

1. Jesus is the uniquely begotten Son of God in the sense that He proceeds by eternal generation from God the Father as God the Son

4. He has always existed w/ God the Father as the 2^nd person of the trinity !

1. Note that The fact that God sent His Son into the world is one evidence of the deity of Jesus Christ.

5. Babies are not sent into the world from some other place; they are born into the world.

1. As the perfect Man, Jesus was born into the world, but as the eternal Son, He was sent into the world.

1. John says He 1^st loved us! Wasn’t I’ll meet you half way! - no conditions

2. It happened at Disney World of all places/ at Cinderella's Castle ! As usual the castle was packed w/ kids & w/ parents

1. When Cinderella herself walked in / or at least an employee made to look like her

3. They did a good Job too / gorgeous young girl w/ flawless skin / radiant smile/ not a hair out of place !

1. When she entered she was immediately surrounded by a swarm of kids ! All the kids had moved to the one side of the castle

4. All except for a little boy who was 7 or 8 yrs old / he stood on the opposite side of the castle holding the hand of his bigger brother !

1. You could tell that he wanted to be w/ the other kids there near Cind.

5. He desperately wanted to be w/ the other kids but fear held him back / fear of rejection / fear of being teased & taunted yet again !

1. Not the love of a Princess but of a Prince who gave much more than a kiss He gave his life !
2. He assumed our state / when Cinderella left she took her beauty w/ her and the boy was still deformed !

3. But Jesus the Prince of peace took our deformity upon Himself ! He who knew no sin / became sin for us !

1. He removed our deformity !

1) He took more than a minute he took away our sins !

2. Theologian Carl Barth: Greatest thing ever discovered?

Jesus loves me this I know! This I know

1. more I understand God’s love for me - more I will love Him and others / Loved us first - unconditional love

1. Bible proclaims that the wages of sin is death and soul .. sins ……die!
2. That was the penalty of sin - death entered the world. Death = separation from God! God’s judgment against sin!

3. Word propitiation = satisfaction - Jesus satisfied the justice of God by being perfect sacrifice for man’s sin

4. Story judge who’s son - arrested for reckless endangerment not on town

1. 50 days in jail or 5,000 fine - guilty - took off robe and paid price!

5. Love that paid the price!

1. John proceeds to explain that if we know this love of God/ we know God for God is love! And our Lives will be marked by love

2. 3 reasons - #1 v.11 - Beloved = divinely loved ones!

1. if = since God so loved us we also ought to love one another

3. The word Ought speaks of a moral obligation ! We have a moral obligation to love because we have been shown so much love !

1. I have said this before as Christians we should be the most loving people on the Planet because shown so much Love !

4. In her book, Living with Love, Josephine Robertson tells a story. "In 1883, a youthful clergyman, the Rev. Joe Roberts, arrived by stagecoach in a blizzard to minister to the Indians of Wyoming.

This great, wild area had been assigned to the Protestant Episcopal Church by President Grant. Soon after Joe Roberts arrived, the son of the chief was shot by a soldier in a brawl, and Chief Wash/akie vowed to kill the first white man he met.

Since this might mean the start of a long, bloody feud, young Roberts decided to take action. Seeking out the teepee, fifteen miles away in the mountains, he stood outside and called the chief's name.

When Washakie appeared, Roberts opened his shirt.

"I have heard of your vow," he said, "I know that the other white men have families, but I am alone. Kill me instead."

The chief was amazed and motioned him into his tent. "How do you have so much courage?" he asked.

Joe Roberts told him about Christ, His death, His teachings.

They talked for hours. When Joe left, the chief of the Shoshones had renounced his vow to kill and had become a Christian.

All because Chief Wash/akie had seen love in action.

Joe Roberts Chose Christ & in doing so he chose to serve by loving !

We should be those who display the love of God / because of the Love He has shown to us and because we are commanded to

A) It is our moral obligation because Jesus said a New Commandment - love one another as I loved you

B) Love that gives best! Love unconditional; love serves; forgives

C) Now catch this - It is a commandment of the Lord - not I will love when I feel like it

1. People who think that way have it Backwards - obedience follow feelings - I’ll obey when feelings are there!

6. Wrong! Obey and feelings will follow!/ Husbands love your wives

1. You do what Jesus tells you to do & the feelings will follow !

1. 5 times John uses the word abide in these 4 verses

2. Abide = continue with - speaks of walking w/ God; living in fellowship w/ God

3. When I understand God’s love for me - drawn to Him - desire to walk w/ Him - be like Him! Abide!

D) As I abide - John says - fruit of love - Agape - will mark my life

7. Campbell Morgan had 5 sons - all preachers - asked which Morgan is the best preacher? United answer - mother!

1. Mrs. Morgan had never preached a formal sermon in a church, but her life was a constant sermon

2. Constant illustration of the love of God

3. Incredible - v.12 - says love of God is perfected or completed in us

4. Think about that God’s love is completed - perfected - to be perfectly seen - not in angels / but sinners saved by grace

1. More I know Him & the closer I get to Him the more I will be affected by His love !

1. Paul said love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the H.S.

1. I will see people the way Jesus does! His eyes & His heart!

1. I don’t always love - times I get critical - or in the flesh! Find myself reacting on the defensive

2. "Christians only army shoots their wounded!" True - seen believers judge, criticize - lack sensitivity

1. lack compassion - get in someone else’s skin and feel what they are feeling

3. As I pondered this dilemma - need to be more loving - drawn to consider life of Paul

1. something very practical we can learn from Paul about growing in love

1. But almost everywhere he went a group of his countrymen followed - Jews - purpose - lie about him turn the city against Paul

2. They sought to hinder his work - rallied to see him beaten, stoned, put in prison - city to city

1. Their hatred against Paul was so serious Paul’s enemies took an oath - not to eat another meal until Paul was dead! That is heavy!

1. Now would you say that concerning those coming down on you - insulting you - hurling stones at you

2. Think about the person who is most difficult for you to deal with. Would you go to hell for that person?

1. If it meant that person could be saved!

3. How in the world did Paul develop such a love for people who were wanting to do him in?

1. How can we develop the same love? How can we overcome our bitterness & disappointment

4. Our anger and hostility towards those who come against us, disappoint us or hurt us!

2. Here is the key: Paul not only proved his love by praying for his countrymen

1. but his prayer for his countrymen actually produced that kind of love in Paul

3. This is why I believe that Jesus specifically told us in Matt 5:44 - pray for our enemies!
4. See something begins to take place in me when I pray for people especially enemies or those who hurt me

1. My heart towards them begins to change

1. Consider Moses - Exodus 32 - been w/ God 40 days - 10 commandments

2. Comes down - what see people naked dancing around calf

1. 1^st reaction? So mad threw down tablets broken them

3. But later in that same chapter he says - Father, if you don’t forgive these your people - blot my name out of your book!

1. Like Paul - Moses was saying - If you don’t forgive these people - I’ll go to hell with them

4. How could Moses display such love? I Suggest to you he wouldn’t - had he not just spent 40 days w/ the Lord

1. That heart of love is produced in the secret place as I pray for those w/ whom I have a hard time

5. In prayer - God’s heart - eyes; His mind! / Try that next time you find yourself mad at someone / Pray for them /

1) Watch how the Lord softens your heart !

Reminds me of the guy who worked in flower shop / working w/ roses all day long / guess what ? by the end of the day smelled like a rose !

2. Been said that Prayer changes things / true / 1^st changes me ! /

1. not only affects them / but also effects me! My attitudes and perspective changes

C) That tendency toward being critical; defensive; judging; bitter - is replaced by love

1. Which Simply means this/ To love God w/ all your… strength & Love neighbor as self

2. 1 Cor 13:2 - "If you don’t have love, we don’t have anything"
3. How can we grow in love? By spending time w/ Jesus./And by Praying for those who persecute you - come down on you or seek to do you in

4. Pray and you’ll find your heart changing

James said that To him who knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it sin