Perfect Love: How Imperfect People Can Love One Another With God’s
Key Passage: 1 John 4:7-21 NLT
Love Defined
- Love is a word that is thrown around so much, especially in the English language, and it means different things to different people
- How is Love Defined in the Bible?
- 1 John 4:7-10 NLT
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
- Love comes from God. God is love. God showed the depth and reality of his love by sending his Son Jesus to die for us
- We see here that Godly love is: Selfless, faithful, unconditional, unending, lifts other up, slow to anger, forgiving
- Love Defined:
- Love comes from God, for God is love, and He showed the depth of His love by sending His Son Jesus to die for us.
- This Godly love is selfless, faithful, unconditional, unending, uplifting, patient, and forgiving.
The Command
- 1 John 4:21
- Matt 22:36-40
- Jesus said that everything boils down to these two commandments – Love God & Love Others
- That shows us that these two commandments are intrinsically linked and cannot be separated
- Who are our neighbors?
- Luke 10:25-37 (Good Samaritan)
- Our neighbors are anyone we come into contact with—far beyond just those who live nearby or belong to our communities.
- 1 John 4:7b-8
- We cannot know God (be in a close relationship with God) if we do not love
- 1 John 4:20-21
- We cannot love God if we do not love others.
- Here again we see the command that if we love God we must also love others
- 1 John 5:1-3
- We are loving people the right way if we are loving God and obeying Him
- Loving God means obeying his commandments
- If we love God, we will obey his commandment to love others
- John 13:34-35
- Summary: God has commanded us to love others. Loving others is an essential part of our relationship with God. Either we love God and others OR we do not truly love God.
The Problem
- God’s Love is perfect and without fault just as He is perfect and without fault
- We are…not perfect
- So can we, as flawed, sinful, human beings, be capable of loving people the way God loves us?
The Solution
- 1 Peter 1:21-23
- Step 1: Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again for our sins.
- Step 2: Receive God’s forgiveness of our sins.
- Step 3: Choose daily to put our faith and trust in God (not a one-time decision, but the beginning of a relationship that continues to grow)
- Step 4: As our lives are made new in Christ, we are able to show sincere, whole-hearted love to others!
Mid Review: So far we have established that:
- God has commanded us to love others. Loving others is an essential part of our relationship with God. Either we love God and others OR we do not truly love God.
- Before we can love others the way God loves us, we must first be in a healthy relationship with God (reword that last part).
- Why Does God Ask Us to Love Others? (I’m the type of person who needs to know the why. I never grew out of that childhood phase). If God’s love is so perfect and so complete, why does He ask us to love people too?
Why does God ask us to love others?
- Reason #1:
- 1 John 4:11 & 1 John 4:19
- Reason #1: Because God loved us first
- When we fully accept God’s love for us, our hearts are transformed and we want to love others the way God loves us
- Reason #2:
- 1 John 4:12, Matt 5:14-16, John 13:34-35
- Reason #2: To show God’s character to others
- When we love others it reveals God’s presence and character to the world, showing others that we belong to Him.
- Reason #3:
- 1 John 3:16-18
- Mark 2:1-12
- Reason #3: So that people can be saved
- Just as God’s love for us drew us to Him, God’s love in us draws those who do not yet know Him.
How does God ask us to love others?
- What Does the Bible Say About How We Should Love Others? – A LOT
- In Humility
- John 13:14-15, Romans 12:16, Galatians 5:25-26, Ephesians 4:2, Philippians 2:3-4, 1 Peter 5:5b
- By Encouraging One Another
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Romans 12:10
- Without Judgment
- With Forgiveness
- Ephesians 4:31-32, Colossians 3:13
- Through Hospitality
- By Praying for One Another
- Notice in most of these verses, “just as God/Jesus did for you”
- Jesus sets the example for how we are to love people
- When in doubt, WWJD or HWJL (How Would Jesus Love?)
What Are the Results/Fruit of Us Loving One Another?
- Draws people to God: People who are not yet saved experience the love of God through us and want to know Him personally
- Promotes peace and unity in the Church
- Encourages one another in our faith: we are stronger together
- Helps us take next steps in our God-given spiritual gifts:
What are some barriers that hinder us from loving people the way God wants us to?
- Unawareness
- Insecurity/Pride
- Fear
- Unforgiveness
- Viewing people through a negative/limiting human perspective
- Trying to do it on our own strength/ability
- It’s Inconvenient, Time Consuming, and Expensive
- Think back to Good Samaritan
How Do We Overcome These Barriers?
- Spending time in God’s presence
- Following Jesus’ Example
- Prayer and Intercession
- Asking God to help us be aware of the people around us and the ways that we can show them God’s love
- Asking God to give us His perspective – to see people the way God sees them
- Asking God how He wants us to love others – both specifically and generally
- Working with others who are also focused on this goal
Final Summary
- God has commanded us to love others. Loving others is an essential part of our relationship with God. Either we love God and others OR we do not truly love God.
- Before we can love others the way God loves us, we must first be in a healthy relationship with God (reword that last part?).
- God asks us to love one another because God wants to share His love for people through us.
- Loving one another draws people to God, fosters peace and unity in the church, strengthens and encourages our faith, and helps us grow spiritually when we use our spiritual gifts to serve each other.
- Practical steps to love others with God’s love: spend time in God’s presence, follow Jesus’ example in the Bible, pray and intercede for others, and serve with other believers who are showing God’s love to others.
