THE LOVE THAT COMPELS US TO LOVE – 1 John 4:7-11

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on March 1, 2020 under 2020 |

Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; March 1, 2020 from 1 John 4:7-11

Theme: God’s love, manifested at the cross, compels us to love each other as He has loved us.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

Click HERE for the audio version of this sermon.

This morning, as we prepare our hearts to come to the Lord’s table, I ask that you turn with me to 1 John 4. It’s there that we not only find a reminder of the love that God the Father has shown us in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, but also a reminder of what we ought to do in response to it.

In verses 7-11, the apostle John wrote;

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:7-11).

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Here, we’re encouraged to love one another. That’s not anything new. It’s basic to our faith together in the Lord Jesus. It was the ‘new commandment’ that Jesus gave us before He went to the cross. He said;

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

The apostle John, in his letters, reminded us of the importance of this new commandment from Jesus. In the early part of his first letter, John wrote;

Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes (1 John 2:7-11).

John even reminded us of it again in his second letter. In 2 John 5, he wrote to the church—calling it ‘lady’—and said;

And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another (2 John 5).

It’s the ‘new’ commandment from Jesus that is ‘old’ to us because He gave it to us as His followers from the very beginning. But it’s an ‘old’ commandment that is constantly being made ‘new’ to us because we are always being renewed in our understanding of it through Jesus—and are always being called upon to obey it in the situations of everyday life.

Now, as a follower of Jesus, I embrace this commandment. I believe it is the Lord’s commandment for me; and that I am to rise up and obey it. I am to love my brothers and sisters in Jesus—not just every once in a while, but all of the time. But so often, when it comes down to actually keeping this commandment in everyday life, I find that I struggle with it. When a brother or sister in Christ rubs me the wrong way; or when they say or do something that hurts my feelings or offends me; or when they aren’t being as loving toward me as I think they ought to be, I find it very hard to obey this commandment toward them. I believe in the truth of this commandment; but because I’m a sinner—and because all my brothers and sisters are also sinners—I find it very hard at times to bring it down in to practical action. It’s like in the old Irish verse:

To live above with the Saints we love,
Ah, that is the purest glory.
To live below with the Saints we know,
Ah, that is another story!

Somehow, then, I need for my Lord to show me the way to take this commandment—to love my brothers and sisters in Christ—and move it from mere theory and into actual practice. I have to find a way to translate it from mere sentimentality and into daily reality.

And the Lord does show me the way to do that. It’s found in this morning’s passage in 1 John 4. It is a way that is tied-in very directly with the thing we are to do in the communion meal. In the meal, we are called upon to remember the sacrifice that our Lord made for us on the cross. And it is by remembering what God the Father has done for us—sending His precious Son to die for us unworthy sinners; and thus completely reconciling us to Himself—that we find the way to put Jesus’ commandment to us into practice.

The most ineffective thing we can do is the very thing that we often try to do. We may not do it consciously; but it’s what we easily fall into. We try first to find something in our brother or sister that is lovable. We look for something appealing about them—something that would draw us to them—and then we love them in response. We wait until they prove themselves to be lovable before we keep the commandment to love them.

But these words from John urge us to do things in a completely different way. They teach us to stop looking for a reason in our brother or sister to love them; and instead look long and steadily at the cross. We’re to let the reality of the love of God the Father for us poor, unworthy sinners sink into our hearts—the love He had shown to us so perfectly in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus for us; let it move us to humble gratitude for His deep, infinite, unmerited love for us; and then let it flow bountifully through us to others.

That’s what we need to do first. We need to look at Jesus before we look at our brother or sister. And then, all of our excuses for not loving our brother or sister will be taken away.

Think of what the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-9. He wrote about the Father’s love for us and said;

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:1-9).

Just think of how ‘unlovable’ we have been toward such a holy God as our Father is! We were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were in rebellion against Him. We were even in cahoots with the devil. And yet, God the Father raised us up out of our sins through Jesus, and made us alive in Him. He seated us positionally in heavenly glory with Jesus; and now, as far as He is concerned, that’s where we sit today. And it wasn’t because of anything we did to make ourselves worthy. It was strictly by His grace alone—on the basis of His love. Once we realize how unworthy we were of that love—once we realize how truly unlovable we were—and then stand in awe at the greatness of His love for us in sending Jesus to die for us anyway, that love will then transform us and compel us to love each other as God the Father has loved us.

As John teaches us in this passage, God’s love, manifested at the cross, compels us to love each other as He has loved us.

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Now; let’s look at what John told us; and see first that …

1. WE ARE TO LOVE EACH OTHER IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD.

In verse 7, John wrote; “Beloved, let us love one another …” Notice how he begins by calling his readers “beloved”. That’s also how he ended this passage in verse 11. True to what he urged us to do, he himself called his brothers and sisters ‘beloved’. And then, he said, “let us love one another …” And he didn’t put this in the form of a command as we might ordinarily expect to find it stated. In the original language, he put it in a form of the verb that was meant to come across as a gentle exhortation—a kindly appeal. He isn’t ordering his ‘beloved’ readers to obey a strict command. If he did that, they would obey the command; but they might miss the spirit of it. Instead he makes an appeal to them on the basis of their sanctified reason—on the basis of considering the matter carefully from the standpoint of God’s love for us.

He went on to say some amazing things about God Himself that are the reason for the command. He said, “for love is of God …” The kind of love he was talking about is agape love—the kind of deep love that is a self-sacrificing, self-giving love. It’s the kind of love that Jesus showed toward us by dying on the cross for us. It’s a kind of love that desires the very best for the one who is being loved. John was telling us that this kind of love has God as its source. There may be many times when we see this love shown in the world by people who don’t have a relationship with God. There have, no doubt, been many times in human history when people—who weren’t thinking of God at the time—willingly gave of themselves sacrificially in love for others. But whether they acknowledged God or not, such agape love had God Himself as its ultimate source. He is the originator of it.

And so; because that kind of love is ‘of God’, then those who belong to God should have it clearly evident in the course of their daily lives. John went on to say, “and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God …” Everyone who—as it is in the original language—ongoingly loves as a practice of life—is born of God. They act like their Father. What’s more, such a person is not only born of God, but also “knows God”. He or she is in a deep, personal, saving relationship with God. He or she walks in fellowship with God. They show this by the fact that they walk where their heavenly Father walks, and does what their heavenly Father does.

Look further at what John said in verse 8; “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Look particularly at those last three words, “God is love”. What an amazing thing that is. It is said here in verse 8, and it’s also said in verse 16. They are, perhaps, the most profound three words ever put together. And what does it mean? It isn’t a merely sentimental phrase—meant to warm our hearts. It’s meant to be a powerful affirmation of the very nature of God’s eternal being. God is three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are three Persons—co-equal and co-eternal—each one full deity. And they exist together in an eternal state of perfect, mutual love for one another.

And so; to say that ‘God is love’ is to say that He is love in the essence of His triune being. If someone says, “I know God”; but he or she doesn’t love his brother or sister, then he or she doesn’t really know God as He essentially is. Look at how John put this in verses 20-21;

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 (vv. 18-21).

So; you can see why John appealed gently to his ‘beloved’ brothers and sisters to love each other. It’s because that’s what ought to naturally happen in the household of God. It’s what ought to characterize our relationship toward each other as God’s children. Love is from Him. He Himself is love. Those who love are born of Him and know Him. To not love is to not know God.

And so, John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another …”

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But John doesn’t leave us thinking that we’re to do this out of strict obedience to a command. Instead, we’re to do so because of what God Himself has done for us—from out of a mind that has reflected on His love for us, and from a grateful heart that has been transformed by that love. So then; John went on to point our attention to Jesus because …

2. WE’RE GIVEN THE MANIFESTATION OF THAT LOVE AT THE CROSS.

In verse 9, John wrote; “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

Now think of it, dear brothers and sisters. Would you ever really know the love of God for you in any other way? Would you, for example, know the love of God for you by looking at the creation universe? The Bible tells us that it’s by the creation that we can know something about His “eternal power and Godhead” (Romans 1:20). Creation takes away from us any excuse we might have for doubting His existence. But it doesn’t reveal His love to us. Or would you know about God’s love by visiting the zoo? Step into the lion cage, or into the gorilla habitat, and see if you encounter God’s love love for you. (You might; but you’ll encounter it in heaven shortly thereafter.) Or watch the evening news. How much of the love of God for you is revealed there? Would you discover the love of God for you by reading the philosophers? All you have to do is read what they wrote about each other to know that it’s not to be found there. No. The love of God wasn’t made “manifest toward us” in any of those ways.

The love of God was manifested toward us—it was revealed to us plainly that God loves us—in one sure and unmistakable way. And that is that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.

Jesus is God’s “only begotten Son”. That isn’t meant to tell us that the Son of God was “created”; because the Bible tells us that He eternally existed with the Father. Rather, it means that He was that which was most precious and dearest to the Father—the very best of heaven—the most precious to the Father’s heart.

And the Father willingly gave Him for us, in order to redeem us from our lost condition and to give us eternal life. As it says in John 3:16-17;

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16-17).

That’s how the love of God was manifested toward us. He gave the very best He could give—and sacrificed that which was most precious to Him—in order to save us from our sins. And John went on in verse 10 to show us that this was not because God first found something lovable in us. He wrote, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

A ‘propitiation’ is an atoning sacrifice—that which takes away the just wrath of God for sins, and that removes whatever stands in the way of our having a relationship with Him. Jesus is that propitiation. He came into this world as one of us—the sinless Son of God—and took the payment of our sins upon Himself on the cross; so that the barrier of sin between us and His Father could be taken away. And God Himself did this in love for us. We didn’t first love Him; but rather, He first loved us and provided what we needed in order to enter into a relationship with Himself. As Paul put it in Romans 5;

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Romans 5:6-11).

And this is a good time for me to ask. Have you embraced that love personally? Have you arrived to the place in your life where you realize that you are a sinner—hopeless of ever making yourself clean of your sins, or of ever making yourself worthy of God’s love? Now is the time to pray, and say to God the Father, “God in heaven; I’m a sinner. I now believe that You have shown Your love toward me in that You sent Your Son to die on the cross for my sins. I receive that act of love. I place my faith in what Jesus did for me. Wash me clean by His blood; and help me to follow Him from this day forward.”

If you’ve never prayed that prayer, I truly hope you’ll do so today. That’s how we enter into the love of God that He has shown for us. It’s a love that’s free and unmerited. It is His gift of complete forgiveness and acceptance—no matter how unloving we have been toward Him.

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And it’s the manifestation of this undeserved love—and our heartfelt, sincere faith in it—that transforms us. In verse 11, we see that …

3. THE LOVE THAT GOD HAS SHOWN US AT THE CROSS SHOULD COMPEL US TO LOVE EACH OTHER.

John wrote, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” How did He “so” love us? It was in an unmerited, undeserved way. It wasn’t in a way that—in any respect—depended upon our being ‘lovable’ first. He took the initiative. He gave sacrificially. He gave it all for us at the cross; and He did it when we were the worst and most unlovable we could be.

And now—having received that love; having become grateful for it; having become transformed by it—that’s how we are to love each other.

I am learning to embrace this in a practical way, dear brothers and sisters. I’m learning to let the love of God the Father for me—shown so clearly at cross of Jesus—become both my example and my motivation. For example; does a brother or sister in Christ rub me the wrong way? Does their personality clashes with mine in some manner? Does some habit of theirs irritates me so much that I find it hard to want to be around them? How do I love someone like that? Well; I quit trying to look first for something in them to motivate me. I don’t wait for them to become ‘lovable’. Instead, I remember the love of the Father manifested toward me at the cross. There were things about me that contradicted the character of the Father. There were lots of things about me that would have irritated Him. There were habits I had that He didn’t like. And yet, He loved me anyway, and sent His Son to die for me, and invited me to enter into full fellowship with Himself.

How then could I not “so love” my brother or sister?

Or is there a brother or sister who has offended me in some way? Is there something they did to wrong me, or was there something they said to hurt me? Do I find it hard to love them because of this? Would I just as soon never see them again? How do I love such a brother or sister? Well; I don’t wait for them to become ‘lovable’ first. Instead, I look to the Father and to the love He has shown me at the cross. I have done many things to offend His holiness. I have said many things to Him—and did many things toward Him—that would have hurt His feelings. He would have countless reasons for withholding His fellowship from me. And yet He withheld nothing from me; but gave the very best that belonged to Him—His only Son—in order to reconcile me to Himself. He will never turn me away from His love.

Knowing this, how can I then not love my brother or sister in the way God loved me?

I am learning, then, to identify whatever it might be that hinders my love for my brother or sister in Christ, to see how I have done the same kinds of things to the Father—only immeasurably more so, and then to see how He has manifested His love for me at the cross. And then, in gratitude to my Father, I become deeply compelled to love my brother or sister.

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God’s love was perfectly manifested at the cross for us. And as we keep our eyes upon the cross, that love compels us to love each other as He has loved us.

Therefore, as we come this morning to the Lord’s table, let’s look at the Father’s love. Let’s look at it deeply. Let’s be grateful to Him for it. And then, beloved; as John exhorts us, “let us love one another.”

Click HERE for the audio version of this sermon.

EA