The Love of God, Part 6 B

The origin of love is in the nature of God.

The manifestation of love is in the coming of Christ. We are to love one another because we see the essence of that love manifested in Jesus Christ. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Jesus gives us the classic perfect glorious illustration of what loving one another means when he gave his life. That's how would allow for the left bicep of God who allows trials and tragedies is nevertheless at the same time, a God of love, the love of God.

That's the title of John's current study. First, a quick reminder that we want to hear how studies like the love of God are helping you grow in your grasp of God's word long or short.

Your letters mean a lot to us. You can email us at letters@gty.org and I'll give all of our contact information after the lesson, but right now here's John with a look at God's amazing love for his son and his love for you, let's turn to first John chapter 4 this is the text. The Lord really laid on my heart. First John chapter 4 and here we are given a tremendous call to perfect love.

If we are to be perfect as our father in heaven is perfect and we have to manifest love for love is not perfection of God, you will see here.

Six reasons why the believer manifests self-sacrificing love that is like his father's love to him.

Reason number one because love is the essence of God, because love is the essence of God. In other words, if we are going to say we are the children of God is Ephesians 5 puts it, then we better walk in love, because that's the character of God.

Secondly, we are to have perfect love for one another, because love was manifest by Christ. Not only is it the essence of God's nature was manifest by Christ. Look at verse nine.

By this, the love of God was manifest to us or in us literally in our case that God has sent his only begotten son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us enough to send his son. We also ought to love one another. They were supposed to manifest godlike lack God's love was manifest in sending his son, that's John. Second argument here is, it's Paul's thought. In Romans 58 while we were yet sinners, God commended his love toward us in sending Christ. John is saying, look, you need to love like God loves the world and the believers. First, because it's God's nature to love and your his children, and secondly, not only based on God's eternal nature, but on God's historical gift God gave Christ the God who is love expressed his love by sending his son for us the origin of love is in the nature of God.

The manifestation of love is in the coming of Christ.

We are to love one another because we see the essence of that love manifest in Jesus Christ.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus gives us the classic the all time, the perfect or the glorious illustration of what loving one another means when he gave his life. That's how would a love word love by sacrifice. John says if you see somebody needing to close up your compassion how the world can we say the love of God dwells in you.

Where's the sacrifice where's the sacrifice God's free spontaneous love is revealed in the sacrifice of Christ whom he gave it says in verse 10 to be the propitiation who allows mosques that's a wonderful word you find in pagan literature, pagan religious literature and it is used to speak of appeasing an angry God. Pagan religions are always trying to appease God are always trying to get got off that whatever deity they worship off their back to try to remove the fear factor. The judgment aspect and so they try to appease or assuage God, or to satisfy God. That's what the word means Jesus Christ came and appeased an angry God. Jesus Christ came and assuaged a hostile God the holy God sitting in heaven who was angry with the sinners every day Jesus appeased his anger with the sacrifice God wanted it that way because he sent them.

God bears a just and holy wrath against sin. God has a holy antagonism against evil and iniquity, and so we had to send his own son to die on a cross to satisfy his own anger to satisfy his own vengeance related word to allows mosques similar from a similar route is used in Hebrews 95 and translated their mercy seat, the mercy seat was the place where the blood was sprinkled to satisfy God. The blood was sprinkled to make the atonement and God was satisfied.

Exodus 2522 says Christ was that mercy CDs the satisfy her of an angry God. Remember, beloved, it is not the incarnation. That is the preeminent manifestation of God's love is not Bethlehem.

That is the preeminent manifestation of God's love is Calvary is the atonement that is the preeminent manifestation of God's love and that's what he says very same to be the propitiation for our sins. God loved us so much that he wanted his own wrath's assuaged and appeased. So he sent his own son to satisfy his own wrath. No one is ever been to the cross and seeing God's love displayed can go back to a life of selfishness. God was so unselfish that he sent his own son and he showed us how to love not just by washing feet.

That's humble, but by giving our lives so we are to love one another because God is the source of love and where his children were to love one another because Christ is the manifestation of love and were to follow his example. Thirdly, we are to love because it is our testimony. Love is our testimony. Look at verse 12. No one has beheld God at any time we start director. Another point that John is making here is a very subtle yet think about it a moment, but it's pretty clear what he is saying is nobody seeing God and we understand that Exodus to 33 says nobody could see God and live.

Nobody has seen God.

Another point John wants to make here is how is anybody going to know about if they can't see him right.

God is going to reveal himself to the world.

He wants to put himself on display, wants people to come in knowing he wants him to bow why you say because John four says the father seeks true worshipers will worship him in spirit and in truth. So God is seeking true worshipers. He wants men to see him knowing him fall down before him and honor him in glorifying and praising but but but John says nobody seeing how they don't know verse 12.

If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. You know what the key is if we love one another still see God sent Sir testimony by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have what love one for another. John 1335 God puts himself on display through the love of his people and you know what all of those philosophical questions. All of those grandiose theological questions that grapple in our minds with our feeble brains try to sort out why God lets happen what he had what he does let happen all those queries about his got a really a God of love. They all just wash away in the flood of Christian love.

You can have people who are philosophical and analytical.

And they say well I just can't accept God because I can't figure out they can literally be drowned in the power of Christian love and what they see is a dimension of love, the likes of which they know nothing about and it is apparent to them that it is not an earthly love no man sees God at any time. He says that that hasn't happened. We can't see him and live but if we love one another, then God is in asked, making himself visible through this perfect love this loan to the max. This limitless love loving believers the way God loves them lavishly generously graciously forgiving really cleansing really God wants us to love like he loved so the world can see him all I see what you're God's will hike.

He's a God of the Mensa forgiving sacrificial laugh so we are to love because God is love because God sent Jesus Christ to love us to show us the example of how to love and because love is our testimony number four we are to love one another, because love is our assurance. Love is our assurance lets people wonder whether there saved hope that's pretty common.

They worry about whether they'll go to heaven if they die they struggle, perhaps with confidence and assurance. Let me help you look at verse 13.

Here's a wonderful little slow here which we had time to deal with it in detail. Verse 13. By this we know we abide in him and he in us. How do you know God is in you, how do you know you're a believer.

How do you know you're in him. He's in you that's the question. By this we know by what because verse 13. He's given us what is spirit. The indwelling spirit.

Paul says, is the down payment.

The Arab on the guarantee engagement ring. The promise of an eternal glorious future so we know were believers because he gave us the spirit say that's great. Follow this one verse 14. And here's another way we know were Christians. We have beheld, and bear witness that the father sent the son to be the Savior of the world and I went over Christians is Wednesday and the gospel is right we have come to see and understand the God sent his son to be the Savior of the world. And then he adds to that verse 15 and we know that whosoever confesses Jesus is the son of God. God abides in him and he and God. How do you know you're Christian you know you're Christian because you have the Holy Spirit within you. You understand the gospel and you confess Jesus as Lord.

Right sent on the Christian, Christian why God gave me his Holy Spirit hi Norma Christian, I understand the gospel.

I heard it ice. I sought I comprehended it. He came into the world to be the Savior, and I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and son of God, I'm a Christian that's all true but all that is preliminary to the real issue in verse 16.

Here's the real kicker and we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. When you become a Christian you above all things are grasping the infinity of God's love for you while you're a sinner. He loved you he loved you so much.

He sent his son to die for you he loved you so much. He planted his spirit within you, you have come to grass God's love and listen. God is love. He says again and the want to abides in love abides in God and got abides in him, and there is the ultimate you know, I know you're Christian you say I Norma Christian because I have the Holy Spirit. That's right.

But how do you know you have Holy Spirit well by his work in all what is the fruit of the spirit is with the first love. It's one thing to confess Jesus is Lord's necessary.

It's crucial that you see and bear witness to the truth of God sent his son to be the Savior of the world which indicates you understand your sin, you understand your need for a Savior. You confess Jesus as deity you preferred them as Lord.

You understand God's immense and infinite love for you and all of that in a sense is them all of that in the senses fact theological truth but where you really come to grips with the reality of the fact that you are a believer is when you see the flow of God's love in your life. That's it. The Holy Spirit. Romans 55 has shed abroad, the love of God in us this a tremendous truth is love is poured into us and manifests her beloved believers love to be with Christians is your heart rejoice when somebody becomes a believer you care when believer suffered you feel their pain. You have any inclination to pray and intercede on behalf of any other believers. Those are evidences of love you dude you want to help somebody who's confused about truth you have some kind of desire in your heart to show somebody a straighter path in their Christian walk so they can walk away from debilitating temptation. That's love. Would love one another because God is love. It's his nature because Christ manifests the standard of love, which is our example because love is our testimony and it's the way the world is going to see God and love is our assurance of salvation. Number five, because love is our confidence in judgment. Love is our confidence in judgment. This is really an extension of the last one yesterday with assurance or confidence but must take it separately. Look at verse 17. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment.

Boy what he is saying is when your life is characterized by love and your manifesting love everywhere you don't have confidence in the day of judgment.

In verse 18 says there is no fear in love, perfect love casts out fear.

The fear of what the fear of judgment, because fear involves punishment and listen to me. If you are living in fear. The Jesus might, fear that you might face the large pay some wrong in your life and what's wrong is not manifesting love because of your manifesting perfect love you and have any fear that Krista said to me, I want the Lord to come or not one defined me like I am afraid of what might happen on Monday I might not even get through.

I might get cast out into outer darkness. I have anxiety is because there is not the manifestation of love. When I look at my life and I say John MacArthur Christian and there are times when I rehearse that in my own mind I don't say we must be spritzed thousands of sermons we must be the pastor of the church really must be is always theology to said no.

I must be because is a heart for God's people, and he wants to love the flock like Jesus loved his flock. I fall short, but the desire is there, and when I think about judgment. I don't fear I I don't. I'm not concerned that I'm going to stand ashamed and get cast out because the spirit of God is produce the fruit of love in my life not love as it should be. And it's certainly not perfected yet and that's why we have those little breaches in our confidence because the glove is perfect as it should be, but it can be perfect in the sense of mature love.

It is our confidence in judgment, it casts out all the fear and we know is back in 228 it says were not going to be ashamed when he appears the last will and we are to love one another with a perfect love, because love is of God, because love is manifested by Christ because love is our testimony because love is the assurance of our salvation. Love is confidence in judgment. And finally, because love is reasonable is the only thing that makes any kind since this is really kind of a review verse 19 we love because he first loved us is that sound reasonable. It's it's just the most obvious thing to do. We love doesn't say we love him. That's not in the manuscript. We love others because he loved us, and if someone says verse 20 I love God, and hates his brother is a liar, the one who doesn't love his brother whom he has seen can't love God whom is not in this commandment we have from him that the one who loves God should love his brother also just reasonable. This is normal is just logical.

I got a lot of visible man when he can't love an invisible God's it's easy to love a visible man. It's difficult to love an invisible God. But if you've learned to love the invisible God, the visible man is easy every claim to love God is a delusion, if it isn't accompanied by unselfish, perfect love for others.

Now listen, what is our response then one were to love the world the way God loves him. How does he love them with common grace with compassion and with warnings and with the calls of the gospel were to love the brotherhood the way he loves and that is where to love them to perfection, perfect love source a one other thing. There's one other aspect of God's love. We have to copy and it is this most supremely beyond God's love for sinners which is limited beyond God's love for saints, which is unlimited is God's love for his son, which is from all eternity. This is my what son beloveds. This is my beloved son.

He said it over and over in the Gospels in John chapter 15 Jesus knew he was loved.

John, 59, just as the father has loved me. I have also loved you, would you please abide in that love would you do the same. John 17 verse 24. Father, I desire that they also, whom thou has given me, be with me where I am, in order that they may behold my glory, which thou was given me, for thou didst love me before the foundation of the world. Verse 26 the love wherewith thou didst love me.

Jesus knew it was loved by the father. That's why on the cross. It was so horny writing this when he said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken as he knew he was loved.

He knew it was the beloved. The father loves the son eternally and supremely and so must we must love the ungodly with the same kind of love God loves them. We must love the godly the saints with the same kind of love God loves them and we must love the sun is God loves the son supremely loving the Lord Jesus Christ is crucial in our lives. It's everything Peter said whom having not seen you love.

First Peter 18 we are to love the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to be the object of our affection. It is he, for whom we make the constant sacrifice joyfully. Ephesians ends with these words Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love, incorruptible. We are to love Jesus with an unwavering and undying love sees what is that mean John is an emotion was her sing songs until we feel it no no. Here's how it works. Listen to this. John 1450 if you love me you will obey my what commandments verse 21 he who has my commandments and obeys them, he it is who loves me. Verse 23.

If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, Peter or Jonas do you love me yes Lord you know I love you then feed my sheep do what I tell you Jonas Simon son of Jonah's amine Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me. Yes, I love you feed my lambs. Simon you really love me Lord you know everything you know I love you then feed my sheep do what I tell you in there you are right in first John four at the end of the fourth chapter, but not at the end of the discussion. Look at chapter 5 verses one and two. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and who ever loves the father loves the one born of him. So if you love God you going to love Christ, and by this we know that we love the children of God. When we love God and observe his what is commandments and the whole thing ends up there.

Verse three for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not a burden, so we love the world with goodness, compassion, warning, and gospel calls.

We love believers with lavish generous sanctifying purifying forgiving love and we love Christ with a beating love when we do that we are responding in the only appropriate manner to the love of God for us.

This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us today. John reminded you that if you're Christian, God has called you to the greatest standard of love to be a visible reflection of God's invisible love. That's the subject and the title of the study John concluded today the love of God will John after 2 1/2 weeks of looking intently at the doctrine of God's love for that listener who is wondering how I take these truths and apply them to my everyday life. How would you answer that is certainly one thing we can say is this what a person thinks about the love of God has a tremendous effect on how he or she worships God yeah and then thus the first and primary reality. Virtually everything that comes to you from the word of God. Every thing you learn from the word of God takes you back to God's character God's plan. God's purpose God's glory because everything is for an in his glory. So everything is a means to worship and and I would say that that is exactly the first and initial and overwhelming response and it is simply to worship everything we teach everything we learn is to cause you to be a better worship or a more faithful worship or a more informed worshiper look, John Ford.

Jesus said the father seeks true worshipers who worship him in spirit and truth.

So we're endeavoring in all that we teach to elevate you as a worshiper and I like to think that the way to understand that is your worship can only go as high as your knowledge of God goes deep there correspondent there related to each other. So how do you respond from learning the truth about the love of God. Yes, you are a more informed worshiper.

Your view of God's love affect your level of gratitude your level of praise your joy, your ability to love others you your ability to proclaim the gospel and even your ability to suffer the difficulties of life in the world. So in the study on the love of God would come to grips with monumental truths about God that changes your life and turned you into a full true worshiper study is available now in six CDs or you can downloaded@gty.org if you want the CDs are available only from Grace to you. The companion book also available. The God who loves and friend.

As John said, the better you understand God's love, the greater your worship is just one of the many blessings of studying this aspect of God's character to enrich your study, pick up the audio series called the love of God or John's book titled the God who loves when you get in touch today. Call toll-free 855 grace or shop online@tty.org.

The love of God, CD album or the God who loves the book are affordably priced in shipping is free again to place your order. Call 805 five grace or go to TTY.and remember, you can download every lesson in the love of God audio study for free that our website in fact all John sermons 500 messages total are free of charge@tty.org.

Also, as I mentioned before the broadcast. If John's teaching has helped you grow spiritually. We would love to hear that story when you have time.

John a note and send it our way. You can email us at letters@tty.org or send your note by regular mail to Grace to you. Box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 and thanks for remembering your supported by listeners like you now for John MacArthur in the entire grace to you Steph. I'm Phil Johnson reminding you to watch grace to you. Television this Sunday on DirecTV channel 378 work, check your local listings for channeling times also join us tomorrow for another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you