Loving God and Doing His Will
I John 4:9-10, 19, 5:3
This morning I want to talk to you about a popular subject – love. Specifically our love for God.
John says much about love (the apostle of love); we will focus on four verses out of chapters 4 and 5.
Our love for God arises from His love for us (4:19).
A. This makes sense and is so reasonable.
1. He is our maker.
2. Every good thing comes from Him.
3. He is our only hope and He loves us.
B. Now this is hard to believe but the fact is that some do not love God.
1. Atheists deny God (National Atheists day – April 1st).
2. Rom. 1:30
a. Could there be a greater crime?
b. The atheist does not believe, but what of one who believes but hates God (Satan)?
3. Some are indifferent – neither love nor hate.
4. Some claim to love Him, but really do not.
a. Mt. 15:8
b. Rev. 2:4
C. But His love for us is manifested in more ways than we can know.
1. Consider the extravagance of God’s love. He has given us –
More sky than we can see.
More seas than we can sail.
More stars than we can count.
More air than we can breathe.
More mountains we can climb.
More songs than we can sing.
More grace than we can grasp.
More love than we can know.
2. Every good thing is from God and His love (Jas. 1:17).
We can talk about happiness but that’s just God’s encouraging love.
We can talk about kindness but that’s just God’s understanding love.
We can talk about mercy but that’s just God’s forgiving love.
We can talk about providence but that’s just God’s caring love.
We can talk about Christ’s death but that’s just God’s proven love.
We can talk about heaven but that’s just God’s rewarding love.
We can talk about eternity but that’s just God’s unending love.
D. The supreme gift of His love is the gift of His Son (I Jn. 4:9-10).
1. Eph. 3:18
2. Jn. 3:16
3. II Cor. 5:14-15
4. Rom. 8:32
E. Let me emphasis this fact – He loved us first.
1. We did not have to ask for His love, it was already there.
2. It was not because we were lovable (Rom. 5:7-8).
F. Surely we ought to do everything possible to keep ourselves in the love of God.
1. Jude 21
2. Mk 12:30
The proof of our love is in our obedience to His commandments (5:3a).
G. Love is not merely a feeling, a sentiment, and an emotion.
1. Marriage counselor – "Love is not an emotion. It is a policy." (True love takes work and sacrifice.)
2. Woman wanted to publish poems about love.
a. They were all fluffy and sentimental thoughts, sweet nothings.
b. Editor told her, "This is not love. Love is sitting up all night with a sick child, working long hours in a job you hate to provide for you family, self-sacrifice for the good of others. Being faithful to God when the world wants you to do other wise. What the world needs is not poetry love, but real love."
3. You may have the seen the bumper sticker: "Honk if you love Jesus". I would like to see one that says " Go to church on Sunday night if you love Jesus; any idiot can honk."
H. The text tells us love is shown by obedience. It’s only by obedience can we;
1. Escape hell (II Thess. 1:8).
2. Have Christ as our Savior (Heb. 5:9).
3. Know God (I Jn. 2:3-4).
I. But the underlying everything is the question of our love.
1. Jn. 14:15
2. I Jn. 2:5
True love for God never says, "It is too much to ask (5:3b).
J. Many feel that obeying God is a burden.
1. Those who choose an immoral life feel it is too much to ask to give up sin.
2. Those who are selfish say it is too much to give much.
3. Those who are lazy say it is too much to get involved.
4. Those who don’t appreciate spiritual things say it is too much to attend regularity.
5. Those who are worldly-minded say it is too much to study the Bible.
6. Those who don’t care say it is too much to pray.
K. But the text says that His commandments are not grievous.
1. It does not say they are not sometimes difficult – something’s are very difficult – but they are not unreasonable when we truly love God.
2. Mt. 11:28-30
L. It all depends on motivation, perspective about what we really love.
1. A woman married a man she did not love. It was a way to get out of the house, away from her parents. This man was very overbearing. He was not physically hurtful, but he actually had a list of things he expected out of his wife. As time passed, she despised him and his list. Eventually he died and she married again. She really loves this man. He made no demands and she was happy. One day while cleaning out drawers, she found the list of demands that had been by her first husband. Before throwing it away, she read the list, remembering how hard it had been to live by those rules. Then she realized that there was nothing on the list she was not happily doing already for her new husband. (What was the difference? The difference was that now she saw them not as demands but as acts of love!)
2. A woman joins a health spa, pays membership fees, rearranges her schedule, doesn’t miss a session, and physically works and sweats. Then complains that 3 times a week attending church is asking too much. What does she really love?
3. A man faithfully goes to a job everyday, 52 weeks a year, regardless of weather, tiredness, minor aches and pains, to have a house, car, etc. but church is too much to go to heaven.
4. Parents enroll their kids in sports, get them there for daily practice, pay for uniforms, shoes, travel, etc., somehow manage to keep them up with school work, never miss a game, and when through with football, sign them up for basketball. Then say, "You expect us to have them at Sunday school and youth devotionals."
M. I could spend every Sunday preaching on our duty in giving, in attendance, in Bible study, in doing good works, obeying God.
1. All of these are Bible subjects and need to be taught.
2. But those sermons will never do us any good and we will never change until we love God.
3. In fact, nothing we do in the name of Christ will mean anything unless it is done because of our love for God and because of His love for us (I Cor. 13:1-3).
1. How you live this week, even what you do today will be proof of your love.
2. Whether you obey the gospel if you are not a Christian will be proof of your love.
3. I Jn. 4:19; 5:3
Jim Pharr
Lenoir, NC