God's Love: Our Model for Sacrificial Living

 

Summary

In 1 John 4:7-21, we are reminded of the profound nature of God's love and the call for us to love one another. This passage reveals that love originates from God, and those who love are born of God and know Him. The essence of love is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins. This sacrificial love is the foundation of our faith and the model for how we should love others.

The concept of propitiation is central to understanding the depth of God's love. It signifies the appeasement of God's righteous anger against sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is not a trivial matter; it is the heart of the Gospel. The holiness of God demands justice, and the cross of Christ satisfies this divine justice. Jesus, who was sinless, bore the wrath of God on our behalf, demonstrating the ultimate act of love.

The Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—exemplifies perfect love and unity. Before creation, there was a mutual, self-giving love within the Godhead. This divine love overflowed into creation and redemption. The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Spirit, and the Spirit loves the Father. This eternal dance of love is the model for our relationships with one another.

The cross is the ultimate expression of God's love. It is where justice and mercy meet. Jesus' willingness to endure the cross, despite the agony of being separated from the Father, underscores the cost of our redemption. In Gethsemane, Jesus faced the full weight of what was to come, yet He submitted to the Father's will, demonstrating perfect obedience and love.

As recipients of such love, we are called to love one another with the same sacrificial, selfless love. This agape love is not self-serving but seeks the good of others. It is a love that reflects the heart of God and is empowered by the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.

Key Takeaways:

- The Source of Love: Love originates from God, and those who truly love are born of God and know Him. This love is not based on our actions but on God's initiative to love us first, demonstrated through the sending of His Son. [00:26]

- Propitiation and Divine Justice: The concept of propitiation is crucial in understanding the Gospel. It signifies the appeasement of God's righteous anger against sin through Jesus' sacrifice, satisfying divine justice and demonstrating the depth of God's love. [19:06]

- The Trinity's Perfect Love: The mutual love within the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—serves as a model for our relationships. This eternal dance of love is characterized by self-giving and unity, reflecting the nature of God. [08:25]

- The Cost of Redemption: The cross is the ultimate expression of God's love, where justice and mercy meet. Jesus' willingness to endure separation from the Father highlights the immense cost of our redemption and His perfect obedience. [30:06]

- Our Call to Love: As recipients of God's sacrificial love, we are called to love one another with the same selfless, agape love. This love is not self-serving but seeks the good of others, reflecting the heart of God. [37:33]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:26] - Love Originates from God
- [00:59] - Manifestation of God's Love
- [02:00] - The Holiness of God
- [03:20] - Trinitarian Love
- [04:06] - The Cross and Its Meaning
- [05:20] - Agape Love Defined
- [06:49] - The Father's Sacrificial Love
- [07:52] - The Dance of the Trinity
- [09:15] - The Incarnation of Christ
- [10:57] - Jesus' Identity and Mission
- [14:42] - God's Love for His People
- [16:24] - The Cost of Redemption
- [19:06] - Understanding Propitiation
- [23:11] - The Wrath of God
- [30:06] - The Agony of Gethsemane
- [37:33] - Our Call to Love

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- 1 John 4:7-21
- John 3:16

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Observation Questions:

1. According to 1 John 4:7-21, what is the source of love, and how is it manifested among us? [00:26]

2. What does the term "propitiation" mean in the context of 1 John 4:10, and why is it significant for understanding God's love? [02:31]

3. How does the sermon describe the relationship within the Trinity, and what does this reveal about the nature of divine love? [07:52]

4. What does the sermon say about the cost of redemption and Jesus' experience in Gethsemane? [30:06]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the concept of propitiation help us understand the depth of God's love and the seriousness of sin? [19:06]

2. In what ways does the mutual love within the Trinity serve as a model for our relationships with others? [08:25]

3. How does the sermon explain the significance of Jesus' willingness to endure the cross, and what does this teach us about obedience and love? [30:06]

4. What does it mean to love one another with agape love, and how is this different from other types of love mentioned in the sermon? [05:20]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you struggled to love someone selflessly. How can the understanding of God's sacrificial love help you in similar situations? [37:33]

2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of understanding propitiation. How does this concept challenge or affirm your current understanding of the Gospel? [19:06]

3. Consider your relationships with others. How can the model of love within the Trinity inspire you to foster unity and self-giving love in your community? [08:25]

4. Jesus' experience in Gethsemane highlights the cost of obedience. Is there an area in your life where you are resisting God's will? How can you submit to His guidance? [30:06]

5. Agape love seeks the good of others. Identify one person in your life who could benefit from this kind of love. What practical steps can you take to show them love this week? [05:20]

6. Reflect on the idea that God's love is not based on our actions but on His initiative. How does this truth impact your view of your relationship with God? [00:26]

7. The sermon discusses the immense cost of redemption. How does this understanding affect your gratitude towards God, and how can you express this gratitude in your daily life? [16:24]

Devotional

Day 1: Love's Divine Origin
Love originates from God, and those who truly love are born of God and know Him. This love is not based on our actions but on God's initiative to love us first, demonstrated through the sending of His Son. The passage in 1 John 4:7-21 emphasizes that love is a defining characteristic of those who are in relationship with God. It is not merely an emotion or a response to being loved, but a fundamental aspect of God's nature that He imparts to His children. As believers, we are called to reflect this divine love in our interactions with others, showing that we are indeed born of God. [00:26]

1 John 4:19-21 (ESV): "We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."

Reflection: Think of a person in your life who is difficult to love. How can you intentionally show them God's love today, reflecting the love that God has shown you?


Day 2: Propitiation and Divine Justice
The concept of propitiation is crucial in understanding the Gospel. It signifies the appeasement of God's righteous anger against sin through Jesus' sacrifice, satisfying divine justice and demonstrating the depth of God's love. This is not a trivial matter; it is the heart of the Gospel. The holiness of God demands justice, and the cross of Christ satisfies this divine justice. Jesus, who was sinless, bore the wrath of God on our behalf, demonstrating the ultimate act of love. This profound truth calls us to a deeper appreciation of the sacrifice made for us and challenges us to live in a way that honors this gift. [19:06]

Romans 3:25-26 (ESV): "whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Reflection: Reflect on the significance of Jesus' sacrifice for your sins. How does understanding propitiation change the way you view your relationship with God and others?


Day 3: The Trinity's Perfect Love
The mutual love within the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—serves as a model for our relationships. This eternal dance of love is characterized by self-giving and unity, reflecting the nature of God. Before creation, there was a mutual, self-giving love within the Godhead. This divine love overflowed into creation and redemption. The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Spirit, and the Spirit loves the Father. This perfect unity and love within the Trinity is the standard for how we are to love one another, fostering relationships that are marked by selflessness and unity. [08:25]

John 17:20-23 (ESV): "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."

Reflection: Consider your closest relationships. How can you model the self-giving love and unity of the Trinity in these relationships today?


Day 4: The Cost of Redemption
The cross is the ultimate expression of God's love, where justice and mercy meet. Jesus' willingness to endure separation from the Father highlights the immense cost of our redemption and His perfect obedience. In Gethsemane, Jesus faced the full weight of what was to come, yet He submitted to the Father's will, demonstrating perfect obedience and love. This act of sacrifice calls us to reflect on the cost of our salvation and to live lives that are worthy of the price that was paid. It challenges us to embrace a life of obedience and sacrifice in response to the love we have received. [30:06]

Hebrews 5:7-9 (ESV): "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him."

Reflection: Reflect on the cost of your redemption. What is one area of your life where you can demonstrate obedience and sacrifice in response to Jesus' love?


Day 5: Our Call to Love
As recipients of God's sacrificial love, we are called to love one another with the same selfless, agape love. This love is not self-serving but seeks the good of others, reflecting the heart of God. The passage in 1 John 4:7-21 reminds us that our love for others is a testament to our relationship with God. It is a love that is empowered by the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, enabling us to love beyond our natural capacity. This call to love challenges us to move beyond our comfort zones and to actively seek the well-being of those around us, demonstrating the transformative power of God's love in our lives. [37:33]

1 Peter 4:8-10 (ESV): "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."

Reflection: Identify one person in your community who could use encouragement or support. How can you show them God's love in a practical way this week?

Quotes


Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through him. [00:00:26]

In this is love, not that we have 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. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us. [00:01:09]

God loves himself, and it's not a selfish love. It's a love that exists in community. It's a love of the Father for the Son, and the Son for the Spirit, and the Spirit for the Father and the Son. There is a mutual outgoing love between the persons of the Trinity. [00:07:19]

The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, before there was a creation, before there was a world, before there were human beings, before there were angels or Archangels, before there was anything but God, God as he exists in himself in plurality, three in one, one in three. [00:08:32]

God loves his people. He loves his elect. He loves his church. He loves Christ's bride. He loves the body of Christ, in which Christ is the head. And John is telling us here, in cause of something that he says in John 3:16, that he so loved the world. [00:14:36]

What does it cost for God to love his people? What does it cost for God to redeem his people? And the New Testament answers that in many different categories, using many different terms, terms like sacrifice, terms like reconciliation, that we are estranged from God and God is estranged from us. [00:16:47]

The most basic thing about the cross of Christ is it satisfies the demands of divine justice, that there is a law, that God is just, that God is holy, that he cannot look upon sin. Or we can use the word that's used here, the word propitiation, which translates the Greek word Hilla Starion. [00:18:38]

God's justice needs to be satisfied. God needs to be propitiated. Blood has to be shared. The life has to be given. The soul that sins shall die. That's the law. That's God's law. Countercultural as that may be, that is the standard of divine holiness. [00:23:06]

The wrath of God is about to descend upon him. Every day of his existence, ever since he had been born, ever since he'd been conscious, he had walked in fellowship with his Heavenly Father, walked in communion with him, known the Lord's presence and holding day by day in a fellowship that his son equal does. [00:30:09]

What manner of love does the father have that he would not spare his own son? Do you imagine, can we imagine, can you imagine just for a moment, what if the father had said in Gethsemane, as he saw his son, his only son, shuddering, crying out, spare me from this? [00:32:42]

Our salvation hung in the balance in Gethsemane. You understand that? Yes, I believe in predestination. Yes, I believe that God orders everything from the end to the beginning. But I also believe that in Gethsemane, our very salvation hung in the balance, and all that Jesus heard in Gethsemane was nothing. [00:33:56]

John's point here is a very practical one, and as you read the context of this pure Coupee that we read together, his point is to encourage us to love one another, a love like that sacrificial love, a love that knows no end, a love that knows no bounds, a love that isn't serving one's self but serving others. [00:37:19]

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Transcript
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