14th February 2024
Pray (ACts) Read (1 John 4:13-21 focus v16) Message (Alan Burke) In every church there are issues, of course some of those issues are greater than others. The church that John wrote this epistle to was a church just like yours and mine, it was a church that had issues. The issues may be different, but the more and more I’m about the issues boil down to one thing and that is a lack of love from the people of God. Have you noticed the emphasis of John throughout this letter is about the necessity of love. Normally in the pastoral epistles there is a clear argument that comes to a conclusion but John just keeps repeating what he has already said in different ways. We can safely conclude that the church that John first wrote to were not loving as they should have and I can safely conclude that we as the church today do not love as we should. For the believer we are to know and live in his love. The love that was shown to us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, it is only through him that we know what love is and John takes us back to how that God in us will be seen in the outworking of that love within us for God is love and we are to live accordingly. We will live accordingly as the people of God. Look though to how John says once more that God is love, this is the second time he has done it. We should never focus on God’s love to the exclusion of all his other attributes, his wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, mercy, compassion, righteousness, sovereignty, or any of his other attributes but we cant do that. There is a reason though why John emphasises this truth to us once more and it is because he wants us to understand the unchaining character of God, and while we cannot exclude the other attributes of God we must never forget the truth that God is love. A love that is revealed to us, to us his creatures, a love that that is not like our love which in a sense ebbs and flows, that is stronger today than it was yesterday or was stronger yesterday than today, a love that grows and wains, no God’s love is not like ours and it is contrary to how we experience love in any other facet of life. Think of our relationships with others for it ebbs and flows, is at times is stronger and others weaker, it is a love that grows and wains. For if our love was constant, unchanging then there would be no need for divorce, none of us would have experienced broken relationships, marriage breakdowns, estrangements, but God’s love is not like ours. The Love of God does not grow or wain, ebb or flow, grow stronger or weaker it is intrinsic to his nature and he is love in himself. For the believer the knowledge of that love should be such a comfort to us, we know it, it was displayed to us in Christ Jesus, we have experienced it in the forgiveness we have received and we can rely on it in our lives and in our death. It is his love that has been lavished upon us as John said as he opened chapter 3, or given to us depending on the translation before you. God has shown us his love, given it to us, and he loves in an entirely different way than us, he loves us, we who are unlovable by our nature, sinners, his committed enemies, whereas our love often is conditional, or self serving God’s love has throughout the ages been a relentless pursuit of sinners who are rebellious, indifferent, who have not loved him or sought to do his will and God still loves us because he is love, his love is inseparable to who he is. Knowing his love will mean that we will live His love in our lives, it is a love that will overflow into every facet of our lives. His love in us is a love that is seen, a love that motivates us to live lives of obedience, a love that enables us to confess who he is as our God, this love is seen as we know it and live it. If the church knew more love then it would be a very different place. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q68 What is required in the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life, (Eph. 5:28–29) and the life of others. (1 Kings 18:4)
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