GENERAL
April 2021
Prelude
Let us take a look at what the dictionary has to say about love. It is noted as a strong emotion, a strong feeling, an attraction. What this describes here is earthly love. Divine love has much more latitude to it. Before we go to the book of 1:John and see what he has to say about God’s love, I want to digress a little.
I believe a short time ago a country-western star recorded a song titled “Looking for love in all the wrong places”, this is the situation with a great many people today. They are placing themselves in harm’s way trying to find someone to love and care for them. Some will frequent various nightclubs and singles bars. Some will join clubs and associations looking for companionship and love – some spend large sums of money taking strategic vacations, cruises, ski resorts, and many other mainstream places of activity- in order to meet and greet somebody to love.
Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places
You cannot find love in any of the mentioned places above. You will undoubtedly meet a lot of lonely people acting out variations of the same theme, each one trying to get over. Mankind has sought through the ages to fill a void within himself and herself. This void can only be filled by God, and not with any substitute or pleasure. The thief on the cross, no doubt gained a source of satisfaction and joy at his ability to steal from others to promote his well-being. While this was temporarily satisfying, he had that void within – which prompted him to say (after rebuking the other malefactor hanging by him). The thief recognized his own inadequacy.
Luke 23:42 – “and he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” Luke 23:43 – “and Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” as recorded in Luke, John, and the other gospels.
All through the ministry of Jesus, he commanded us to love, to have love one for the other, love for our enemies, and love for God. Many people today that we know and come in daily contact with have something missing from their lives, their happiness is only superficial and rests in material things. They love their new wardrobe, they love their new home, they love their new car, their new stereo, their new “big screen tv set”, they love their savings account, they love their CDs and IRAs and MMCs, their credit cards, their alcohol, and they love their drugs.
Exodus 20:3, 5, 6-3.” Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.” 5.”Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” 6.” and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.”
You can receive and obtain the mercies of God if you will love him. (what is love theological view) the source of love – John 4:7-16 John discussed love at length in his book. He placed the evidence of discipleship squarely on the possession of love. 1 John 2:3,4, and 5
Jesus is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And we know him if we keep his commandments – conversely if we doeth not his
Commandments we are liars if we then say we know him. But if we keep His word the love of God is perfected: if we are in obedience to his will for our lives if we claim him as our risen savior.
John 3:16 – “for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” love is not merely an attribute of the divine being, nor demand of divine authority; it is the very essence of God. God is love, one who knows him will habitually practice love. One cannot know God who in His essence is love and not be oneself manifesting love. This may be because knowing God is being in fellowship with him and demands likeness. (1 John 1:5-7).
Or it may be because the one who knows God, is born of God and thus possesses the nature of God who is love. “Love” is not merely a theory, theological proposition, or sentiment; it is action. The kind of love that characterizes the essence of God is love that must and does act, sacrificing, sharing, and giving of itself. This kind of self-sacrificing love does not have its original and chief manifestation in us.
The primary exemplar of such love is God, who at one momentous point in history sent his son in order to placate his own wrath by fulfilling the just demands of his own law.
Genuine love has at least three characteristics
It is spontaneous, It is self-giving, It is active
First, It is spontaneous – because God of his own free will set his love on us in spite of our enmity and sin. Love was initiated by the lover because he wills to love, not because of the value or lovableness of the person loved.
Second, genuine love is self-giving – it is not interested in what it can gain, but in what it can give. It is not bent on satisfying the lover, but on helping the loved one whatever the cost.
Third, it is active – it is not mere sentiment cherished in the heart, nor is it mere words, however eloquent. It does involve feeling and it may express itself in words, but it is primarily an attitude toward another that moves the will to act in helping to meet the need of the one loved.
Since God loved man with such unique love, we as saints of God ought to love one another with a love patterned after his.
1 John 4:11 – “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
Although gratitude should move us so to love, it is the sheer moral obligation of which John speaks, it is incumbent upon us to love as he loved. This is the right course for us to follow. God’s act of love places on us the obligation to practice such love continually toward one another.
No one has seen God or can see him in his essence. However, when believers love one another God can be seen in the love of his people for each other, for their love springs from the very nature of God who is love. John writes that love for one another proves two facts, first God’s indwelling is proved. God in his essence dwells in the believer through his holy spirit.
The second fact that is proved by love for one another is that God’s “love is perfected in us” 1 John 4:12
This does not mean that the point of perfect or flawless love is reached – only God loves in that way. When love reaches its intended goal in the performance of deeds of love; acts of love for one another this is the perfected or completed love of 1 John 4:12.
When a believer actively shows love to another believer, God who is love, is seen in the life of that believer. It is now clear why love is a valid ground for the assurance of one’s salvation.
In my conclusion, I hope that you have received something of value from this talk we have talked about. A void in mankind and his universal need for God’s love within – when people do not have the love of God in them they can do many damnable things, they can say many bad things, they can backbite, they can bear false witness against you, they can and are used of the evil one. They have an emptiness that only Jesus can fill. Do you have the love of God down in your soul, do you have the love that commands love for the household of faith, love that bridles your tongue, love that makes you treat your sister right, love that makes you treat your brother right, love that can’t be replaced by the pleasures of this world, love that can’t be replaced by material things, the love of God, the divine love, that powerful love that draws the sinner and the unsaved to Christ. Do you have that love?
As I take my seat, I want to leave this thought with you – John 21:15, 16, and 17
So, when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, ” Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?” he saith unto him, yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, “Feed my lambs.”
He saith to him again the second time, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” he saith unto him, yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, “Feed my sheep.”
He saith unto him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee, Jesus saith unto him, “Feed my sheep.”
Written By: Paradise Temple Church
Additional Scriptures On Love
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 ______________ Gifts nothing without charity
Revelation 2:4-5 __________________ Leave thy first love…
Romans 5:1-5 & 6-11