As we continue our study tonight of 1 John, we consider tonight 1 John 4, verses 7-11 as the text for this evening's sermon. In connection with that, I ask that you turn with me also to 1 Corinthians 13, the familiar chapter about love. 1 Corinthians 13, beginning at verse 1 as we hear now the Word of God. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. 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. But where there are prophecies, they will cease. Where there are tongues, they will be stilled. Where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child. I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see, but a poor reflection as in a mirror. Then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain, faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. And turning to 1 John 4, verses 7 through 11. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us. He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Dear people of God, in this text before us, the Apostle John gives us what I have called another case for loving one another. As you recall, I trust this is not the first time the subject of the believer's love has come up in this epistle. And John is not ashamed to bring this subject up over and over again. And that's because love, true, godly, spiritual love, is the thorough test of where professing believers stand spiritually. It's a thorough test of true Christianity. Now, we know, of course, that the world around us uses the word love and the idea of love quite flippantly. To many, it's nothing more than a feeling that comes and goes. Even many of us easily and freely tell our spouses and our children and our boyfriends and our girlfriends that we love them and we enjoy saying it to them and of course we love hearing it from them. And it's easy to say that with our mouths, isn't it? But is there real proof? That's the question. You see, John isn't talking about a feeling because love isn't a feeling. There's feeling involved, of course. But love is not a feeling. And he's not talking simply about saying the words, I love you. When he says, dear friends, let us love one another. And since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. He's talking about the action of loving. Demonstrating that love. He's talking about 1 Corinthians 13, verses 4-7 kind of love. John is driving home once again the application portion of his sermon or letter. He's faithfully preached, as we know. He's faithfully preached about what His hearers must know. He has taught the facts of who we are as believers and why we are who we are, namely, because of Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. But again, John has woven this theme of love throughout this entire letter. In chapter 1, John talked about having fellowship with God by walking in the light and a test of this fellowship and of living in God who is light, the test is loving one's brother, according to chapter 2, verses 9-11. And then in chapter 3, John taught about the believer's sonship, being born of God, something that he echoes here in our text. And again, the important test of being born of God is loving one's brother, and the perfect model of that love is Christ Himself. Again, he repeats these things here in our text in chapter 4. But John doesn't now just simply repeat what he has said before, but he adds to what he has said before, and now he teaches that this love that is required of the believer is directly tied to God, who is himself love. God is the origin of the believer's love. In many respects, what John does here, beloved, is takes away any excuse from any one of us for not loving. Now before we consider this first point, I want to take a moment and consider how important love is in and for the believer's Christian walk. This affects each and every one of us because love has to do with our walk and our talk and our thoughts and our attitudes, our motives, everything about us. And this, as we often hear today, 24-7. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You see, love among God's people is emphasized throughout Scripture, especially the New Testament. We read the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. Remember, Jesus also over and over again told His disciples that the world would hate them because the world hates Him. Christ's followers, therefore, will suffer persecution and difficulty by Satan's followers. And Paul himself was not only proof of this, But as we considered last Sunday evening with 2 Timothy 1, verse 12, Paul also clearly taught, repeating what our Lord said, he also clearly taught that the world would not be friendly toward believers, but would cause the church persecution and tribulation. But then what did Jesus say that the believer's testimony to the world should include in the midst of tribulation? John 13, 34 and 35 says, A new command I give you, love one another, As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Why? By this, all men will know that you are my disciples. If you love one another. And then in John 15, he says, My command is this, love each other as I have loved you. Over and over again, John repeats that. Peter says, love one another deeply from the heart. And again, Paul in a number of places calls for love among believers. it's emphasized throughout, especially the New Testament Scriptures, that God's people are to love one another. I don't forget, I said a number of sermons ago, that John is not talking here about loving our neighbor in the broad sense. He's not wiping that out either. That still is valid, of course. But he's talking specifically about how God's people are to react and to act among God's people. But the point that we must get here is that one of the major applications of knowing the Gospel and enjoying the saving grace of God is loving the church of Jesus Christ and our fellow believers who make up that church. This is the ultimate test of our profession of faith. Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy. Knowing true doctrine and believing true doctrine is absolutely essential in the Christian life. It must be in place. We, along with many, many others over the past 500 years or so, believe that the Reformed understanding of Scripture is the apostolic teaching of Scripture and also that the Reformed understanding of Scripture is the most accurate, I say that carefully, the most accurate interpretation of Scripture. And that's why we here take our church education seriously. We're entering into a vacation time, of course. But it's not an option here. Catechizing the youth, catechism classes, as well as confessional preaching are a must for us. We must know the truth, we must believe the truth, and we must believe the truth correctly. But, if that's all that there is, that's not enough. The truth must be applied and it must be demonstrated. Paul says it well in 1 Corinthians 13, 1 and 2. And if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. Again, true faith is essential, but true faith is an active faith or to be an active faith. James says faith without works is dead. But we need to be careful here as well. We're not talking about simply behaving and simply having good conduct. Well, of course, that's important because as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6, verses 9 and 10, Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Conduct, right behavior is necessary and it's all important. But again, it's not enough because that alone congregation does not prove that one is a Christian. Many unbelievers behave and conduct themselves properly. Verse 3 of 1 Corinthians 13, If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have not love, I gain nothing. The difference is love. Godly love. When it comes to God's people living this life together as the communion of the saints, our actions and attitudes and motives toward each other are to be wrapped in godly love. And the character of that love is, as Paul describes, or is to be, that love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. 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. Now, we're going to talk more about the character of godly love when we consider our fourth point, which won't be tonight, incidentally. Tonight we're going to consider points one and two. Next week, the Lord willing, points three and four. But I trust that already you see why this truth of loving one another as brothers and sisters in Christ is so important. And why John, as he works toward the close of this letter, makes another case for loving one another. Love is indispensable for the life of the believer because of the origin of the believer's love. Notice again verses 7 and 8, or portions of them. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Beloved, love comes from God, which makes sense, because as John clearly says, God is love. Now earlier John said God is light. His very essence and nature and being is light. we considered what that meant when we considered chapter 1, verse 5, that light points to purity, to truth, to sinlessness, to perfection. That's the essence and the nature and the being of God. And now in the same way, John does not simply say that God is loving. He does not simply say that God loves us. But he says that God is love. Again, just as He is light, His very essence and nature and being is love. Now, there's no way that we can totally understand and comprehend what this means. But we cannot think of God without thinking of love. His entire motive is love. And again, with our third point next week, the Lord willing, we'll consider in detail how God demonstrated His love. But love is one of the many attributes of God. He is omnipresent. He is omniscient. He is independent. He is good. He is love. And we need to understand that He is these things 100%. In other words, it's not only part of Him that is independent, and all of His attributes that God has split up, and a part of Him is one of these attributes. But He is 100% independent. 100% omniscient. He is 100% love. And love, being one of the attributes of God, deals with His kindness and His kind dealing with and on behalf of His people. His benevolence toward His people. And this is an amazing thought that God would even exercise kindness toward us. But as David says in Psalm 103, verse 10, He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. And since God is love, as John says, love comes from God and we know that it comes to His people. And I think we need to be careful here again because some like to preach, God is love, God is love, God is love. And of course it's a true statement. We know it's true. It's here in 1 John chapter 4. But the danger is that as they preach this, God is love, They either downplay God's justice and they minimize sin and the need for God's justice, or they altogether play God's love off against His justice. And their message then is that because God is love, He will overlook your sins. But that's completely false. The truth is, because God is love, sin must be punished. God loves righteousness. He loves His own glory and His own perfection. He cannot and He will not tolerate sin and that which is unrighteous. And therefore, because of His love for righteousness, sin must be punished because sin attacks righteousness. And God's love for His people includes the fact that our sin has been punished in His Son, Jesus Christ. His kindness towards His people includes the fact that He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities, as David says. His kindness toward us is that He laid our sins upon His Son, Jesus Christ. His love and His justice came together on the cross, where for the sake of His love for His people, He poured out His justice on His only begotten Son. In His love, God has restored His people to Himself. And beloved, since God is love, and since there is no love outside of Him or without Him, then His love is the motivation behind the love of believers for one another. Let us love one another for, because love comes from God. The source or origin of the believer's love is the love of God, and that also then is the testimony of the believer's love. In other words, the believer's love testifies or gives testimony or witnesses to the fact that the believer has been born of God and knows God. It witnesses, it's a testimony to the fact that one is a recipient of God's love. We said a few moments ago that earlier in this letter, John talked about sonship. Being born of God, which he repeats here. And of course, being born of God, we know that that means that one has been regenerated, born again with a new heart. Translated from the world of darkness and sin to the world of righteousness and light. And beloved, John is teaching here that loving one another tells so much. Loving one another tells such an incredible story. Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ is evidence of new birth in Christ. It is evidence of being a new creation. It is evidence of being a child of God. It is evidence of being a Christian. It is evidence of the one to whom we belong. One is not a Christian if that one is not born of God. And one who is born of God by the power of the Holy Spirit then enjoys God's nature, which is characterized by love. The child shares in the nature of the parent we know. And one commentator says, love is as much a sign of Christian authenticity as is righteousness. Remember, John had said in verse 10 of chapter 3, this is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are. Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother. Righteousness and love. demonstrate the reality, the realness of one's faith in Christianity. And John is teaching us here that those who are born of God and have His nature can love as God commands and will love as God commands. Beloved, one who is not born of God cannot love. Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 13 that the feature that characterizes true godly love is selflessness. And one who is a slave to sin is nothing but selfish. Sin is all about me, myself, and I, but godly love is about the other, considering others as more important than myself. This love is included in that agenda for Christian living which we heard so wonderfully about this morning. We said a few sermons ago that that one definition of love says that it is the willingness to surrender that which has value for my own life in order to enrich the life of another. To give up that which has value for me in order to add value, if you will, to the life of another. And last week we also considered the Catechism's treatment of the Sixth Commandment, you shall not murder. And the opposite of murder is to love our neighbor as ourselves, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful and friendly to Him, to protect Him from harm as much as we can. In other words, beloved, to promote His life. You see, the Word of God says, one who is born of God can, is enabled and equipped to love, and indeed does love. You see, this is not debatable. Each one of us, young and old, must understand this. This is not debatable. But John is not saying that, well, since love comes from God, we should love God, or it would be a good idea to love one another, that is. But one who is in God does love. It's not debatable. And therefore, as each one of us takes time to consider our own lives, to examine our own lives according to this Word of God, we will each find out something very important. What do we find? Do we love? Do we not love? You see, just as a fish is born to swim in water, God's people are born of Him to love one another. And of course, this doesn't mean that our love for each other will be perfect. Not at all. We are not yet perfect. Our love won't be perfect like God's love. When we look at our lives, we must confess that the Holy Spirit has a lot of sanctifying work to do in each and every one of us. But our love is also to be demonstrated. Our love for truth and righteousness is to be demonstrated in our repentance and seeking forgiveness when we sin. But John also teaches us that love is not only evidence of being born again, but it is also evidence of knowing God. Those who are born again, born of God, recognize God's revelation of Himself in creation. They see that there is indeed a Creator who has made all that is around us. But also God has revealed Himself to His born-again children through His Son Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Christ. And those who are born again of God are conscious of God's love poured out on them. It's not only a knowledge up here in the head, but it's a knowledge in the heart. They know the love of God in their lives. They know who God is and what He has done. They know His holiness and their unholiness. They know the love of God's forgiveness. And they know the joy of eternal life. And knowing the love of God, God's people then desire to love those whom God loves. And indeed will demonstrate that love. Now again, does that describe you? Do you desire to love those whom God loves? Whether here in this place or believers throughout the world. You see, if you love God, if God's love is in you, then you will. It's not only a possibility, I can't stress that enough, but it is a reality. Yet the opposite is also true, as John says, whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. It can't be said any plainer than that. God is love, therefore if you know Him, then you will love. And if you love, then that is evidence that you know Him. And if you don't love, that is evidence that you don't know Him. Now, beloved, we need to consider yet why it is God's people are born of Him and are able to love. And that's because of the demonstration of God's love and that He sent His one and only Son into the world. And we also need to take a closer look with this text at the requirement of God's love. That is, as we have said all along, that we love one another. And we want to consider a more detailed application of that love And these things, again, we hope to do next week, the Lord willing. But until that time, may we each be encouraged to take the truth of the Word of God that we have considered tonight and to meditate upon it and to examine our lives in the light of the truth that John teaches. Are we a loving people? Do we truly love each other? Which includes not only encouraging each other in our daily Christian walk, but it also includes admonishing each other when one is following the way of sin. Christian love is to be a direct application of that which we profess. Indeed, that our walk would match our talk. Love is the ultimate test of where we stand spiritually. And congregation, may we test ourselves over against, once again, Paul's definition of love. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. 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. Beloved, as we meditate on this truth, if you find that you don't love, may your prayer be that the Holy Spirit of God would humble you before God who is love and that for the sake of Jesus Christ He would forgive your sins and pour out His love on you that you might know His love and that you might be filled to give His love to others. And if God confirms you in His love that you are indeed born of Him, May You humbly thank Him for His gift of new life. And may You continue to pour Yourself out in love for others. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, again, as You have given Your Word to us, entrusted us with Your Holy Word, We thank You and praise You for the truth of Your Word. We are amazed, Father, when we consider who You are. And especially as John says that You are love. And as we consider what that means for us, we are amazed, O Lord, that indeed You have not dealt with us according to that which our sins deserve. But in Your mercy and Your grace You have dealt with us according to our Lord Jesus Christ who has paid for our sins fully and completely. But we confess, Lord, that we do not demonstrate love as You command us to. Oh, we may once in a while, here and there, and we confess even at times in our sin, we demonstrate love in order to get something in return. Father, we pray that You would cause each one of us to grow in our love for You and in our love for one another. And may all of this be for Your glory and honor and praise. Hear our prayer, Heavenly Father, for Jesus' sake and in His name. Amen.