Love Enthroned in God’s Family

Text – 1 John 4:7-21,7,21,8,16; 2:1; 5:4; 2:13

The whole of this passage is talking about love. Love towards God and love towards our brethren and neighbours

The love of God talks about here is the love flowing through us to other people. This is a divine love, heavenly, trinitarian love, transmitted love, the love we get when we are born again.

Our salvation experience begins with love, and the sustenance of our christian life continues with love, and the coronation of our life terminates with love, and when we get to heaven, love will continue. From all eternity, to all eternity, God is love. Love will never pass away, and in every generation, the love of God is manifested. Love is eternal, and is still abiding.

The beloved Apostle John, has taken time to look into the family God, and we are in the family when we are born again. We are born into the family, and in that family, we have young people, little children and adults as well.

Our experiences, status, understanding are different, and what binds us together is this love of God in our hearts.

The one mark we can show that we are born again is this love of God that we shows towards one another. There are people that just join the assembly, but they do not have the characteristics of the family of God which is love. They are not part of this family of God

Our eternal life began with the love of God.

3 points;

Point 1. The Eternal Characteristics of God the Father

1 John 4:7-9; John 3:16; Romans 5:6,8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Ephesians 2:4; 1 John 1:5; Isaiah 6:3; Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:6-10; Revelations 3:19

There are some repetitions as we read this passage. He talks about our love for God, the love of God.

If you don’t love, you are not of God whatever you do.

You cannot see the wind, but you can see the effect of that wind, so likewise, you can not see the love of God, but you can see the effect of that love of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us.

The love of God does not want us to suffer, either in this world, or in that to come. He sent His only Begotten Son that we will not die nor perish, that is the evidence of God’s love for us.

Sinner do not have any strength against sin, Satan and evil spirits, so at that time, God sent Jesus to die for us. God commends His love towards me, that Christ died for us, while I was still a sinner. Jesus came for sinful, weak and people who could not help themselves. God made the move first while we were yet still sinners and bad unlike the world that will love you when you love them first. The blood of Jesus will cleanse and wash any sinner from all sin.

God shows His love to us at Mount Calvary that we should not perish.

The world was reconcile to God through Jesus Christ. All you need to do is to come to Him, and taste of all that is available for you. In His love, He has made a great exchange, He has taken our unrighteousness and gave us His own righteousness. God made Jesus Christ to be the Sin Offering for you.

Your sin will not be too great for the love of God to reach you for the love of God is deeper, higher and farther than your sin.

Anything different from love is not of God, hatred, bitterness is not of God.

God is love. His Nature, characteristics, the evident of what comes out of God is love.

God does not control everything human beings do, because we are free moral agents. For if God controls everything we do, then He cannot judge us. So when calamities happen in life, we cannot lay the blame on God, for God is love. There is a Satan, sinners and wicked people in the world. Our carelessness, ignorance and wickedness may injure our lives, so don’t attribute that evil occurrence to God again, for God is love. And in your family, you will find out that love of God for your life and family.

He that dwells in hatred, wickedness, dwells in Satan and evil spirit, because Satan and evil spirits are wicked. God is love.

Other attributes of God include

1. God is Light – 1 John 1:5

2. God is Holy – Isaiah 6:3

He will not do anything contrary to holiness and light

3. God is Just – Isaiah 45:21

He is love, yet He is Just God. He cannot manifest love contrary to the justice of God.

4. God is True – John 3:33

He cannot cover up any lie, for though He is love, yet He is True. None of His attribute cancel any other

5. God is Righteous – Daniel 9:14

He is Righteous in all His works.

6. God is Incorruptible – Romans 1:23

7. God is of a Purer Eye to behold iniquity – 

8. God is Unchangeable, Faithful, Perfect and Eternal.

The love of God is not a sentimental thing. He manifest holy, pure, righteous, incorruptible love. 

What does God do in His love? He corrects us in His love. It is love that is based on true, that will want to corrects, chastise and put you right, to get you into heaven. His love will never leave us to go astray, He wants to corrects and bring us back to the path of righteousness and His holiness.

POINT 2. THE EXPLICIT COMMANDMENT IN GOD’S FAMILY

1 John 4:11-15; John 13:34,35; Ephesians 5:1,2

If God has loved us that He has forgiven and saved us, blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, then we must reciprocate that love of God to others as well. By showing your love to members of God’s family is how we can show our gratitude to the love that God has given us. He has given us Jesus Christ, grace, forgiveness, Holy Spirit, book of Life, then we are to love one another.

How do you really show that we love one another? A- Z of love

1. Assist one another

2. Bear one another’s burden – build a bridge between you and one another. Break the ice, and the silence.

3. Care one for the other

4. Defend each other in a very good way.

5. Encourage one another

6. Fellowship with one another, so that isolation and insulation is not there.

7. Give yourself to other people, your time, talent, ability, money

8. Help other people, let the money, strength, experience.

9. Influence each other for the better.

10. Judge not one another. Not quickly, nor severely.

11. Keep one another, not in prison, confinement, nor sorrow, but in the light and life

12. Liberate one another from their sorrows, burdens, sickness and sufferings

Make the life of somebody happy and worthy living.

13. Merciful to each other. Not oppressive, militant.

14. Nurture one another

15. Oppress not other people.

16. Pray one for other.

17. Quieting the fears of other people.

18. Rejoice with one another, and weep with one another

19. Support one another

20. Teach one another

21. Uphold one another

22. Visit the sick, weak, backsliden, and people

23. Watch over one another. Warn the unruly

24. Exhort one another as we see the day approaching

25. Yield to one another so that there will be no collision and accident

26. Zealously serve one another

This is the love the Lord is calling us to to show in the family of God. And this is the commandment that the Lord has given, and we are going to be obedient in Jesus Name.

Push aside your knowledge, grievances, offences of the past, and just show love one to another this time. Put love in the fore front. 

You follow God when you follow love. Walk in love, stop going about with frowning face, moody face, teased up, relax and walk in love. If you are frowning, moody everytime, nobody will want to come around you.

Cheer up, relax, show some love and others will ease up too.

Point 3. The Expressed Confidence of God’s Followers

1 John 4:16-21

You have to believe that before you can be saved. You believe that God loves you, that Jesus died for you. You have to believe that to be sanctified and for your prayer to be answered.

Some will think that if you show love, that people will take advantage of us, or that we are tough, strong, having great backbone, but no. If we show love, it shows that we dwell in God and God dwells in us, this is the greatest praise that any body can give to us.

It takes practice to show the love of God, and as you practice this, then your love is perfected. At every opportunity, you will greet others.

There is no fear in love, no suspicion in love, you give yourself away even if they are going to trample upon you, you want to be like Jesus Christ.

We must love each other, receive each other as Christ has received us.

He who loves God, loves his wife, children, brethren, leaders also, and our neighbors also.

Let the love flows, build the bridge of love between yourself and the brethren.

Ponder on this! Our salvation begins with love, and the sustenance of our christian life continues with love, and the coronation of our life terminates with love, and when we get to heaven, love will continue.