1 John 4:10-11
“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, we also ought to love one another.”
Love seems to be the most common subject of music, art, poetry and film. We have all heard songs with lyrics heralding the importance of love, or movies showing couples falling in love. Love has been romanticized, even idolized, yet rarely realized. It is here that the Apostle John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us a description of true love.
“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.”
True love is both illustrated and defined by the action of God sending His Son. Paul reminds us, it was while we were still sinners, God sent His Son to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins (Romans 5:8). John uses the word propitiation, which speaks of a blood sacrifice; the innocent for the guilty. Love is measured at the cross where Jesus willingly laid down His life for you and me. But the love of God does not stop there. It is the desire of God that His love continue to be demonstrated to the world through the actions of His children.
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
Since we are the beloved, we are to act like it, by seeking to express this love to each other.
1 John 4:20 “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
One of the best ways to express love for God, is to love others. This should be done in the home, by going out of our way, today, to show our spouse, children, parents, and siblings that we love them. Perhaps, even looking for extravagant ways to show off our love. After all, God expressed His love by going all out for us. Then this love should be expressed beyond the home. We should be looking for ways to love those around us. Jesus explained that His followers were to be different from the world in that the world loves those who are loving them. The Christian is to love all.
Matthew 5:46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
Make an effort today to share the love of Christ with those with whom you come in contact. The greatest expression of love is to tell someone the way to heaven.
Pastor Jim
A watchman bore the responsibility of keeping an eye on the horizon, in order to warn the inhabitants of the city of any possible threats to their safety. He would be strategically placed on the highest point of the city wall, where he would have the best vantage point to observe the surroundings. A watchman, who failed to do his job, might be responsible for countless lost lives. Ezekiel uses the role of the watchman to teach us something about evangelism. There are three things we need to keep in mind.
Jesus simplified all of the commandments into two: love God and love others. John, in like manner, states the requirements of God are both simple and straight forward. He writes, God is commanding us to believe on Christ and love each other.
Ezekiel played a pivotal role in the history of Israel. His ministry took place during the seventy years of captivity. It was, no doubt, largely responsible for motivating the generation that would renounce idolatry and repatriate the land. Although he was used in a mighty way, the early chapters reveal that his ministry was difficult. He faced the most difficult opposition that a missionary will ever face, hardened hearts. He was told in advance that the people were rebellious, impudent, stubborn; their hearts were as hard as flint stone. Ezekiel was also given the secret to a successful ministry among the hardhearted. He was told,
Ezekiel has one of the most amazing and yet puzzling visions of God, of any of the prophets. He saw a whirlwind coming towards him, and out of it four multi-headed beings with faces like men, oxen, eagles and lions. Next to these creatures, he saw wheels within wheels, giving them movement in all directions simultaneously, and as they moved, it sounded like the movement of an army or that of rushing waters. While we might have many questions about what that experience must have been like, and what this imagery represents, Ezekiel does not leave us wondering about how he reacted.
One of the greatest benefits of reading the Bible is that the Word of God will keep us from sin. The famous evangelist, D.L. Moody said, “Sin will keep you from this book and this book will keep you from sin.” The Psalmist wrote, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). The Apostle explains one of the purposes of this letter is that we might not sin. In addition to the Word of God building us up spiritually, as we read through 1John, we will discover valuable insights that will help us to sin less.
Sin is a funny thing. It promises pleasure, but can only bring pain. Day after day the Word of God was presented to the people, and day after day they rejected it. It was not until the walls of the city were breeched, and the city lit on fire, that many realized their mistake. The sin they thought was giving them life, was actually leading them into bondage.
Life is filled with things that run out. Many of us have had the unfortunate experience of running out of gas and being left stranded. Others have felt the embarrassment of running out of money and having to ask someone for help. All of us have had those times when we “ran out of steam” and could not complete the task at hand. We could go on and on with examples, like empty milk cartons in the fridge, or time expiring during a comeback effort in the big game. All these things remind us, there is a limit to our resources. How wonderful to be reminded that the resources of God are without limit. His mercies will endure forever.
Light is used to illustrate holiness. John is declaring that God is perfectly holy and without sin. This creates a problem, since we are all sinners. In this text, John explains how sinful people can have a relationship with a holy God. In the opening verses of the chapter, he refers to Christ becoming a man and making fellowship with God possible. That was accomplished through the cross, where Jesus died as a substitute for us. The sinless, in place of the sinner, so we might be saved. John is now writing to the one who recognizes his sin, and begins to follow Christ.
