Living 3:16 ~ It’s All About Love John 3:16, 1John 3:11-5:5
Friday August 15, 2008
Biblical Truth
God
loves every person because His nature is to love, and
He expects all who know Him through faith in Jesus to
show sacrificial love for others
God
Loves You ~
John 3:16
v.16
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One
and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him
will not perish but have eternal life.
God’s Love is in You ~
1 John 3:16-20
v.16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. v.17 If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but shuts off his compassion from him—how can God’s love reside in him? v.18 Little children, we must not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth; v.19 that is how we will know we are of the truth, and will convince our hearts in His presence, v.20 because if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.
God’s Love Removes Your Fears ~ I John 4:15-18
v.15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. v.16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. v.17 In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; for we are as He is in this world. v.18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love.
God’s Love Moves You to Obey ~ I John 5:2-5
v.2 This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. v.3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, v.4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. v.5 And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
v.16 John 3:16 reveals to us at least 3 important truths about the gospel: (1) God loves us; (2) He gave His Son for us; (3) anyone who believes in Jesus has eternal life. God loved the world, and it was His love that motivated Him to send His Son to die on the cross, providing salvation for the world of lost humanity who trust Jesus. The world indicates that God’s love is not exclusive, not even to Israel, His chosen people. John 3:16 shows that God love people all over the globe—from every nation, people group, culture, and language. He gave His One and Only Son. God is one God, but He is also God in 3 persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father delights in His Son (Matt. 3:17). God the Father loves Jesus with a more perfect love than an earthly father ever loved his son. Everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God will keep you from perishing in the judgment. Instead, you may receive eternal life. This offer excludes no one. Everyone who believes, down to the worst offender, will find grace at the cross. Yet, to receive eternal life you must believe in Him, His death for sin, and His resurrection unto life.
v. 16-20 John wrote that we have come to know love. How has this happened? He laid down His life for us. The death of Christ is how God demonstrated His love for us (Rom. 5:8). God needs nothing from anyone, and yet He desired to share His love with a people who would know Him as Lord and be astonished by His mercy and grace. What should be the result of coming to know love? We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. When John used the word “brothers” he spoke specifically of the covenant community in the church. John was not excluding care and concern for non-believers, but there is a special concern in the New Testament church for those who have publicly identified with the body of Christ. The word compassion here actually refers to a person’s inner organs and conveys a burden for a hurting person that one feels deep in the gut, which leads to action. Little children reveals John’s tender regard for his readers, but he also gave to them a firm warning. Loving only in word or speech is not sufficient. In deed emphasizes love’s action. Anyone can say loving words, but the words become truth only through deeds. Expressing love through deeds actually becomes a way we convince our hearts in His presence. This is where Christian deeds come in, not as a means of salvation, but as a consequence of salvation. One consequence is confidence of God’s presence in our lives as we share God’s love. Our hearts condemn us refers to those doubts that can creep in. God is greater than our hearts is the assurance that God’s promises are more powerful than our doubts. He is faithful to us even when we falter.
v. 15-18 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God develops great confidence in life. This confident trust connects the believer with God so that God remains in him and he in God. John’s confidence is ultimately expressed in 3 English words: God is love. People do not understand God apart from love. Love is not one aspect of God; it is His nature. We are to remain in love and thus remain in God, and through love God remains in us. As the title of this lesson reflects, “It’s All About Love,” People believe what they see, and if they see love they will listen. The confidence we derive from knowing God loves us extends all the way to the Day of Judgment. A Christian has nothing to fear on that day because perfect love drives out fear. The lack of confidence, or fear, is the result of not trusting fully in God’s love for us. We often retain doubts that God can really love us this much. Those doubts indicate we have not reached perfection in love. John did not mean we reach spiritual perfection in this life, but that any fear or doubt we have indicates we need to more deeply abide or remain in God’s love.
v. 5:2-5 As we love God we also obey His commands, which in turn involves loving others. Consequently, loving God and loving people are interrelated; each strengthens the other. But love for God is the foundation for all manifestations of love. Love binds us to God and makes us want to live in ways that honor Him. All believers who love God keep His commands, and by doing so they experience the victory of living by faith. One paradox of the Christian faith is that by losing yourself in love and service to God you find your true self, or the self God created you to be. For this reason obeying God’s commands is not a burden. John then pointed out that God’s commands are not burdensome because those who are born of God are in fact victorious over the world. All believers have supernatural power to stand successfully against the world’s forces. John said: this is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. The victorious ones are those who overcome the world because they are those who are born of God! And who are the one born of God? They are those who believe Jesus is the Son of God.
v.16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. v.17 If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but shuts off his compassion from him—how can God’s love reside in him? v.18 Little children, we must not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth; v.19 that is how we will know we are of the truth, and will convince our hearts in His presence, v.20 because if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.
God’s Love Removes Your Fears ~ I John 4:15-18
v.15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. v.16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. v.17 In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; for we are as He is in this world. v.18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love.
God’s Love Moves You to Obey ~ I John 5:2-5
v.2 This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. v.3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, v.4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. v.5 And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
v.16 John 3:16 reveals to us at least 3 important truths about the gospel: (1) God loves us; (2) He gave His Son for us; (3) anyone who believes in Jesus has eternal life. God loved the world, and it was His love that motivated Him to send His Son to die on the cross, providing salvation for the world of lost humanity who trust Jesus. The world indicates that God’s love is not exclusive, not even to Israel, His chosen people. John 3:16 shows that God love people all over the globe—from every nation, people group, culture, and language. He gave His One and Only Son. God is one God, but He is also God in 3 persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father delights in His Son (Matt. 3:17). God the Father loves Jesus with a more perfect love than an earthly father ever loved his son. Everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God will keep you from perishing in the judgment. Instead, you may receive eternal life. This offer excludes no one. Everyone who believes, down to the worst offender, will find grace at the cross. Yet, to receive eternal life you must believe in Him, His death for sin, and His resurrection unto life.
v. 16-20 John wrote that we have come to know love. How has this happened? He laid down His life for us. The death of Christ is how God demonstrated His love for us (Rom. 5:8). God needs nothing from anyone, and yet He desired to share His love with a people who would know Him as Lord and be astonished by His mercy and grace. What should be the result of coming to know love? We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. When John used the word “brothers” he spoke specifically of the covenant community in the church. John was not excluding care and concern for non-believers, but there is a special concern in the New Testament church for those who have publicly identified with the body of Christ. The word compassion here actually refers to a person’s inner organs and conveys a burden for a hurting person that one feels deep in the gut, which leads to action. Little children reveals John’s tender regard for his readers, but he also gave to them a firm warning. Loving only in word or speech is not sufficient. In deed emphasizes love’s action. Anyone can say loving words, but the words become truth only through deeds. Expressing love through deeds actually becomes a way we convince our hearts in His presence. This is where Christian deeds come in, not as a means of salvation, but as a consequence of salvation. One consequence is confidence of God’s presence in our lives as we share God’s love. Our hearts condemn us refers to those doubts that can creep in. God is greater than our hearts is the assurance that God’s promises are more powerful than our doubts. He is faithful to us even when we falter.
v. 15-18 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God develops great confidence in life. This confident trust connects the believer with God so that God remains in him and he in God. John’s confidence is ultimately expressed in 3 English words: God is love. People do not understand God apart from love. Love is not one aspect of God; it is His nature. We are to remain in love and thus remain in God, and through love God remains in us. As the title of this lesson reflects, “It’s All About Love,” People believe what they see, and if they see love they will listen. The confidence we derive from knowing God loves us extends all the way to the Day of Judgment. A Christian has nothing to fear on that day because perfect love drives out fear. The lack of confidence, or fear, is the result of not trusting fully in God’s love for us. We often retain doubts that God can really love us this much. Those doubts indicate we have not reached perfection in love. John did not mean we reach spiritual perfection in this life, but that any fear or doubt we have indicates we need to more deeply abide or remain in God’s love.
v. 5:2-5 As we love God we also obey His commands, which in turn involves loving others. Consequently, loving God and loving people are interrelated; each strengthens the other. But love for God is the foundation for all manifestations of love. Love binds us to God and makes us want to live in ways that honor Him. All believers who love God keep His commands, and by doing so they experience the victory of living by faith. One paradox of the Christian faith is that by losing yourself in love and service to God you find your true self, or the self God created you to be. For this reason obeying God’s commands is not a burden. John then pointed out that God’s commands are not burdensome because those who are born of God are in fact victorious over the world. All believers have supernatural power to stand successfully against the world’s forces. John said: this is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. The victorious ones are those who overcome the world because they are those who are born of God! And who are the one born of God? They are those who believe Jesus is the Son of God.
Please join us on the 1st
of September for another LIFE LESSON from God’s Word
BE BLESSED!
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