Loving One Another With Supernatural Love

Last night, one of my brothers gave a message on the love of God. I'm compelled to share it with this youth group because it was a message that reminded me that no matter how many times I preach the Gospel to myself, I can never fully comprehend or wrap my head around God's love. His love runs from the East to the West. It is so vast in every direction and we are very undeserving to receive it. I was blessed to hear this message last night because it reminded me that God is the source of love and if we truly believe in the Gospel message, we will never doubt His love and will never hesitate to show that exact love to others, to love one another with supernatural love.



Loving One Another With Supernatural Love
1 John 4:7-11

--> What is John talking about when he says "let us love one another"?
- "love" = agape: divine love, supernatural love
* John 13:34- "love one another even as I love you"
- not how but who


Who is able to love with supernatural love?
1) one who knows God
--> our identity starts with knowing God
v. 7-9: "let us love one another, for love comes from God....because God is love....that he loved us"
* John 13:23- "the disciple whom Jesus loved"
- John understands that God's love for him is not earned by anything he did
- pride vs. humility: pride runs from the love of God, depending on self for penance vs. humility runs toward the love of God, depending on God for forgiveness and love
GOD is the source of love.
so who is able to love with supernatural love?

2) one who is born of God
~ regeneration: God's act of making someone who is spiritually dead, spiritually alive
* John 1:12-14- "who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God"
- you didn't choose to be born. God did!
* 1 John 2:29, 5:18, 5:1- "born of God"


What does supernatural love look like?
- before we imitate the love of God, our hearts must be changed
- before imitation comes meditation
--> don't get caught up with the process (sanctification) instead of position
(justification)~ it is God who saved us first, so that we could live to please and glorify
Him
=> getting caught up with the process will only lead to 1) puffing ourselves up or 2)
beating ourselves up: puffing ourselves up <= those who believe that they are 'good people' and don't need the love/grace of God to be saved vs. those who fail to do every good work and believe that they are unsaveable because they are not 'good people'~ reminds me of the basis of Catholicism that believes we cannot be justified by faith alone <-- THIS IS FALSE

- the Father loved us by giving us His BEST
v.9~ by giving us His Son
* John 3:16- "For God so loved the word that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life"
Isaiah 42:1- "my Chosen One in whom my soul delights"
Matthew 17:5~ God's pleasure in His Son was for all eternity. They have an eternity to love.
John 17:24, 1:1; Psalm 2:7-8; Hebrews 1:10~ God will not stop at giving His Son everything

why did God give His Son to us?
- so that we might live through Him
* John 14: 6~ Jesus is the source of life, valuable beyond measure
- if God has given His best to you, what would He not give to you?
* Romans 8:32~ If it was beneficial to us, god would not stop in giving us everything
--> "What saddens me is that we don't want God's best. We don't love God."
* 1 Corinthians 13:4-8--> We don't love God because we are inpatient, unkind, envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, easily angered, keeping record of all wrongs, delighting in evil, harming, doubting, being hopeless, giving up, failing again and again and again

BUT
- the Father loves us even though we did not love Him
v.10: "not that we loved God but that He loved us"
- the love of God does not depend on us, doesn't start with us, but extends to us
despite who we are
* Romans 5:6-8- "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

- God is a jealous God and He is just in His jealousy because He rightly deserves our love
*Deuteronomy 4:24, 32:21~ God is jealous when people create idols
- God hurts in His heart when our affections are not truly His
- when our love is constrained, it is not free love
- love others even when they don't love you

--> how can a holy God love a people who have rejected Jesus Christ, His best? how can He love sinners?
- by suffering for us
v.10b: "and sent His Son to be the propitiation of our sins"~ Jesus absorbed the wrath of God which was meant to be poured out on us for our sins
* Isaiah 53:10~ it was the Father's joy to crush His Son --> why? cosmic child abuse? no; it was His joy because He loved you


So?
v.11: "since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another"



During the message, I was reminded of how many times I failed to love the people in my life. I remember instances when I complained about how much I love people and how I felt that I loved them too much and received nothing in return. But, in this message, God showed me what true love is--to love those who are unlovable, to love those who don't love you back. How can I say that sometimes I feel that I love people too much when God received so much rejection from me, from everyone, and yet still loved. God didn't minutely show us how much He cares for us. He sacrificed His best, His One and Only Son! How much more should I love others? Or, how much more should I show God how much I truly love Him?

So, brothers and sisters, I hope that reading this sermon was a blessing to you. I hope it compelled you to love God who is just in His jealousness. And I hope that it struck your heart to just how much He loves you, and then, just how much you should love others--with supernatural love.

In Christ Alone,
With Christ's love,
Andrea