1 John Series - God is Love

                                                                     God is Love

1 Jn. 3:11-24

Doctrine of God’s love series

At a secular university, I was approached by a professor after reading Jonathan Edwards’ great sermon, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God”. The professor stated that God was a bully. He used his authority to punish and defame people. The words I spoke next still surprise me even today, “You cannot judge God by man, but judge man by God.” It was here where the misunderstanding of God's love was expounded, not just by the professor, but literally the world today. “How can a loving God send mankind to Hell?” 

In the Garden of Eden, everything was perfect. All creation was good. All lived in harmony with one another. In the lesson on the doctrine of Sin, when Adam and Eve ate from the tree that they were told not to eat, this act separated, changed the harmony of Eden. Did God change, or did man? God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.(Heb.13:8) Man had sinned by disobeying God’s command. Here is the great act of love on God’s behalf, He didn’t destroy Adam and Eve, He separated them from himself. God cannot dwell in the presence of sin. (Psalms 5:4) “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.” God being perfect love had demonstrated his love towards those that sinned, not by immediate death, because out of sin death came to mankind.

Let’s look at our text. It is extensive this week.

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

The children of Adam and Eve bore the sin from the garden in their life. Their son Cain killed their son Abel, the polarities of evil and righteousness, hate and love begin. The enemy came carrying the seed to kill, steal, and destroy (Jn.10:10). Hate is considered evil when seen opposite of love. Hate today is still the same, it seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. Look at the rioting, looting, and protesting, all rooted in hate. God has commanded his people to love as he loves. Jesus laid down his own life for the world, instead of hating those in a sin-filled world. This is real love. “Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” 

There are many in christianity and the world, where they can’t tell the difference when it comes to hate and love. God’s love comes with action and in truth. When it comes to a clear conscience, we need to do his command, “that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him.”

Now the essence of God’s love. In history as well as in literature, 1st Cor. 13 is considered the definition of love. It is also where God’s love will be revealed in his person.  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Cor. 4-8a

God is patient. He has demonstrated patience from the beginning. He knew about sin before man was made, i.e. the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet he let mankind choose (free will) whether to love God   

through obedience or disobedience. Even after original sin, God let man live in the world that he had created, but it had changed from perfection to death. Mankind now experienced the patience of God. God still listened and heard mankind, and even intervened in the life of men, but God has no patience for sin. Today, with all the evil and degradation that sin has brought upon this world, God is patiently waiting, giving mankind the chance to come and receive salvation through his Son. “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 

God is kind. The attributes of God, compassion and mercy, are a demonstration of His kindness. The psalms are filled with the description of God’s compassion and mercy. David, after sinning with Bathsheba, knew that he deserved punishment for his sin, yet he called on God for mercy, compassion, and forgiveness in Psalms 51. “O loving and kind God, have mercy. Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my transgressions. Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. For I admit my shameful deed—it haunts me day and night. It is against you and you alone I sinned and did this terrible thing. You saw it all, and your sentence against me is just.” It is this kindness God still gives to all mankind who will call upon him for forgiveness.

God is not envious. Here is where the enemy of God loves to twist the Word of God. God is a jealous God, but not envious. Andrew Wilson in his article “The Difference between Envy and Jealousy” is defined as “Jealousy is the desire to keep for yourself what rightfully belongs to you. Envy is the desire to have for yourself what rightfully belongs to another. Envy is when a husband wants to sleep with somebody else’s wife. Jealousy is when he doesn’t want his wife to sleep with somebody else’s husband.” In our world, these two words are seen as synonymous, but really they do have different meanings.”

God’s jealousy for his name and person, especially not sharing his divinity with another,nor his creation. Mankind is at the heart of God’s love. “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Duet. 4:24) And “You shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Ex 34:14)  God created man and woman for fellowship with Him in the beginning, and He still is jealous for that fellowship today.

Now envy is not in the love of God, for it go against the very command that God gave man to obey, “You must not be envious of your neighbor’s house, or want to sleep with his wife, or want to own his slaves, oxen, donkeys, or anything else he has.” Ex.20:17 So we can see God is not envious, but jealous for his name sake and for all that is his.

God doesn’t boast or be proud. God’s love for his creation has no need for boasting (arrogance). He created all that is. God states in Proverbs 16:5  "Everyone who is arrogant (boastful and prideful) in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished" (Proverbs 16:5) A prideful and boastful attitude was the sin that Lucifer committed in sinning against God. The opposite of boasting and pride, humility and meekness, are the hallmark of our Lord Jesus Christ’s character. 

God does not dishonor others. God’s love chooses to lift up and build up. Look at the miracles that Jesus did when he walked upon the earth. Each miracle lifted up the infirmed, the oppressed and possessed, and the outcast. It is sin that brings shame and dishonor. From the garden to the end of time, sin rejoices in destroying the honor of those who are bound to sin. 

God is not self-seeking. Here the world sees God as a narcissist, one who demands allegiance and revels in the accolades and applause of the masses. Satan in the desert tempting Jesus, using self-seeking when he asked Jesus to bow down and worship him (Jn.4:6-7). Many who reach fame and glory, have a difficult time with self seeking narcissism because of sinful lifestyles.

God is not easily angered. Throughout the scripture, God has kept anger as the last act against sin and sinners. 

Psalms 86:15 - "But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." "Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools." Ecc. 7:9 "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." James 1:19-20

God keeps no record of wrongs. Here is an interesting facet of love with some conflict with judgment. Paul in writing his letter to the Corithians, they were in the habit of taking each other to court for factions and issues between each other. They were keeping records of being wronged and hating injustice against one another. The difference in Judgment is in the context of Rev.20:12 - “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” We see that God keeps books. The Lamb’s book of Life has all those whose names are written because of salvation in Jesus Christ. If a person’s name was not written in this book, they were going to face God’s judgment and wrath. This a Judicial act of truth by God. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. This facet seems like a no brainer. Only God is good (Mk. 10:18) and Jesus is the truth (Jn.14:6) God expelled evil out of heaven (Ezekiel 28:12–17), and in the end of days he will permanently eradicate evil forever. (Rev.20:10) 

God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God is called our refuge, and strong tower. Psalms 34:7-9 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.” Prov.18:10 “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Prov.3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Heb.10:23 ” Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Col.1:11-12 “...being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”

God never fails. In everything we know about God, nothing is impossible for Him. Failure is not a word in His vocabulary. We can rest in the love of God knowing that in Him we have all we need, He keeps His word, and he is faithful to the inth degree.

Application: God’s love is far above the love that man understands and demonstrates in life. Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians in chapter three, is what everyone of us needs. We need to experience and know the depth, height, length,and width of the love of God we have in Christ Jesus. “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Eph. 3:17-19

Until Next week.

 In His Service, Mike Davis