Sunday Livestream || Keep Loving One Another || 1 John 4:7-11

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Love Hidden in the Trash and Moving Trucks

The most profound acts of love often go unseen: meals delivered during chemotherapy, snow shoveled from a driveway, or children’s clothes passed between families. These stories won’t trend online, but they pulse with the heartbeat of Christ’s body. When believers pay rent for struggling neighbors or tear down rotting decks without fanfare, they mirror God’s quiet, relentless care. Such love isn’t glamorous—it’s towels folded for new moms and prayers muttered over hospital beds. These ordinary sacrifices become holy when offered in Jesus’ name. [58:18]

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
(1 John 3:18, ESV)

Reflection: What unseen act of love have you received or given this week that reminded you of Christ’s presence? How might you intentionally serve someone “in the shadows” today?

Day 2: God as the Mainspring of Every Sacrificial Yes

Love doesn’t originate in human effort but flows from God Himself—the underground spring feeding every act of mercy. Just as a river’s source determines its purity, believers’ capacity to forgive, serve, or endure comes from the One who is love. When a single mom finds her bills paid anonymously or a grieving widow is sat with in silence, it’s divine love breaking through. This love isn’t self-generated; it’s the Spirit’s fruit ripening in those grafted into Christ. [01:07:39]

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
(1 John 4:7, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you recently sensed love flowing through you that felt beyond your natural capacity? How does recognizing God as the source change your view of yesterday’s small obediences?

Day 3: Love Manifested in Flesh and Blood

God didn’t scribble “I love you” in the clouds—He sent His Son to bleed. The cross turns love from a concept into splintered wood and iron nails. When believers drive neighbors to chemotherapy or rebuild hurricane-torn homes, they extend this incarnational love. Just as Jesus’ scars proved His commitment, the church’s calloused hands and tired feet make divine love tangible. Every casserole, moved couch, or hospital visit whispers, “God so loved that He gave.” [01:13:23]

“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.”
(1 John 4:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: When has someone’s practical help made God’s love feel real to you? What “flesh and blood” act could you offer to embody Christ’s love today?

Day 4: Love as the Litmus Test of New Life

John leaves no room for vague spirituality: if God’s love isn’t flowing out, the Spirit isn’t dwelling within. Like sap proving a vine is alive, selfless service reveals regenerated hearts. The quiet paying of a medical bill or patient listening to a struggling friend aren’t just nice gestures—they’re evidence of resurrection power. This love isn’t a heavenly report card but the inevitable fruit of abiding in the True Vine. [01:11:17]

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
(1 John 4:8, ESV)

Reflection: What recent interaction revealed whether love is flowing from you as a stream or a stagnant pond? How might you lean into the Vine today to bear fresher fruit?

Day 5: Because He First Loved Us

The cross isn’t just the model for love—it’s the motivation. We forgive because we’ve been forgiven; we serve because we’ve been served the Bread of Life. When believers cover a foster family’s needs or welcome strangers into pews, they’re not checking boxes. They’re responding to the roar of the Lion who laid down His life. Our love for others is always an echo of His primal love. [01:29:42]

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
(1 John 4:11, ESV)

Reflection: Which relationship or act of service feels burdensome today? How might remembering Christ’s initiation of love transform your “ought to” into “get to”?

Sermon Summary

The love stories of a healthy local church do not have to be famous to be real. Meals during sickness, rent quietly paid, medical bills covered, decks removed, chemotherapy rides given, children watched, Scripture shared, marriages helped, funerals endured, homes rebuilt, and prayers offered all show the fruit John is talking about. That kind of love may never make social media, but it is the real stuff of a church family loving one another while waiting for Christ to return.

John uses the word love 11 times in five verses because love is evidence that a person has been born of God and knows God. First John was written so believers could know they have eternal life, and love is one of the fruits that gives that assurance. John is not talking about the world’s kind of love, not love that accepts falsehood, avoids correction, tolerates wrongdoing, follows desire, or gives only as long as it gets. John is talking about agape, a Spirit-generated, self-giving, sacrificially generous love that is patient, kind, truthful, enduring, and not centered on self.

God is the mainspring of that love. Love has a source like a river has a source, and that source is God because God is love. Since only God produces this kind of love, the presence of it in a Christian’s life becomes a litmus test. If that love is flowing out toward other Christians, John says it is proof that the Spirit of God is living there and producing fruit that does not come from the world.

God also manifested His love. God did not merely say He is love. God showed it by sending His only Son into the world so sinners might live through Him. Jesus put on flesh, lived without sin, died the death sinners owed, and rose again so all who repent and trust in Him can be forgiven and brought from death to life.

John then points to the gracious heart of that love. God did not love because sinners loved Him first. God loved while sinners were rebelling, and He sent His Son to be the propitiation for sin, satisfying the wrath of God at the cross. Because God so loved His people, Christians ought to love one another. His love is the motivation, the source, and the power behind the church continuing to love in word and deed.

Key Takeaways

1. Love is God’s litmus test John gives love as real evidence that a person has been born of God and knows God. This kind of love is not personality, politeness, or natural affection dressed up in church clothes. It is the Spirit producing something that cannot be traced back to self-interest or the world’s definitions. [70:40]
2. God is the mainspring of love Love does not begin in human willpower or emotional warmth. God is the source, the riverhead, the definition itself, so Christian love flows from Him before it ever flows through His people. Assurance grows when a believer sees that self-giving love coming from the only One who can produce it. [67:39]
3. The cross defines true love God’s love became visible when He sent His Son into the world so sinners might live through Him. The cross strips love of sentimentality because it shows love as costly, holy, and saving. Jesus did not pay a debt He owed, but the debt guilty sinners owed. [74:36]
4. Grace loved before sinners responded John says love is not that sinners loved God, but that God loved them and sent His Son as the propitiation for sin. That means salvation rests on God’s gracious initiative, not human deserving, religious effort, or prior affection for Him. The wrath due to sin is satisfied in Christ for all who turn to Him in faith. [78:11]
5. God’s love motivates church love Because God loved His people in this way, Christians ought to love one another in that same self-giving pattern. Church love is not just words, but meals, visits, forgiveness, truth spoken in love, resources shared, and burdens carried. The church keeps loving because God’s own love is being poured out through His children.

## [89:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[57:33] - Hidden Love Stories in the Church
[61:12] - Keep Loving Until Christ Returns
[62:14] - Reading 1 John 4:7-11
[63:50] - Love Repeated Eleven Times
[65:12] - What Christian Love Is Not
[66:18] - Agape as Sacrificial Love
[67:06] - God as the Mainspring of Love
[69:10] - Love as Assurance of Salvation
[72:19] - God Manifested Love in Christ
[76:08] - The Call to Trust Jesus Now
[78:11] - Propitiation and Gracious Love
[80:12] - Communion and Remembering Christ
[88:43] - God’s Love Motivates Love
[90:24] - Keep Loving One Another

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 John 4:7–11 (ESV)
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. 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.

Observation Questions

The word "love" is repeated 11 times in 1 John 4:7–11. What specific actions or qualities does the passage associate with this love?
According to the sermon, what are some everyday, "hidden" examples of love in a church community that reflect God’s love? (Examples: meals during sickness, medical bills covered, etc.) [58:18]
Verse 10 says God’s love is shown in sending His Son as the "propitiation for our sins." What does "propitiation" mean in this context, and how does it connect to love?

Interpretation Questions

Why does John emphasize that "God is love" (v. 8) rather than just saying "God loves"? How does this distinction shape our understanding of His nature?
The sermon contrasts worldly love (accepting falsehood, transactional) with agape love (self-giving, sacrificial). How does 1 John 4:7–11 challenge common cultural definitions of love? [05:12–06:18]
Verse 11 says, "We also ought to love one another." How does God’s act of sending Jesus (v. 9-10) serve as both the motivation and the standard for this command?

Application Questions

The sermon mentions "hidden" acts of love like driving someone to chemotherapy or rebuilding homes. What is one practical, behind-the-scenes way you can intentionally serve someone in the church this week? [58:32]
How might you discern whether your love for others is rooted in self-interest (e.g., expecting something in return) or in God’s agape love? What heart changes might be needed?
The cross is described as the ultimate example of costly, sacrificial love. Is there a relationship or situation where God is calling you to love in a way that feels "costly"? What makes this difficult, and how can you rely on His love to act?
Verse 10 says God loved us first, even while we were sinners. How does this truth help you love someone who is hard to love or who hasn’t "earned" your kindness?
The sermon warns against reducing love to "words" alone. What is one tangible way your small group could demonstrate love together to meet a specific need in your church or community? [01:00:08]

Sermon Clips

56s

#UndeservedGrace

“``When you think about it, we don't deserve his love. We're we're not owed it, but he graciously demonstrated it. Verse 10, in this is love. There it is again. What? Before he points to it, he says, not that we have loved God. I think sometimes we skip over these verses, like read through it so quickly and we miss the facts. So the motivation behind God's love was not because we loved him first, because we didn't. We were rebelling against him. It says, not that we've loved God. And even Romans confirms this. While we were still sinners, God demonstrated his love for us and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

51s

#JesusPaidItAll

“He lived a perfect life, never committing one sin. The bible says that's the wage of death. Right? The penalty for sin is death. Well, Jesus never sinned. He didn't owe that price. He didn't owe death. But because of the father's love, because of the son's great love for the father and his great love for us, he went to that cross and died to pay the price you and I owe for our sins. Three days later, he rose from the grave, defeating sin, defeating death. And now, according to the word of God, all who repent of their sins and turn in faith to trusting in Jesus who died and rose again. If sins will be forgiven, they'll be brought from death to life through Jesus. They will be able to live through him. Verse nine.”

36s

#SavedBySacrificialLove

“He's not a gray area kind of Christian. John's a black and white kind of guy. He's like, if there's no love like this flowing from you, you don't know God. Now, the litmus test this morning may reveal the unfortunate spiritual reality that you are not saved, but the good news is you can be. And, the verses we are reading today share how you can be saved by the gracious, self giving, selfless, sacrificial love of God, who's the mainspring of love because John tells us next, God manifested his love among us.”

45s

#FruitOfTheSpiritLove

“John knows the spirit of God abides in those who know God. He also knows what Paul wrote in Galatians five twenty two, that the fruit of the spirit is love. So in John's estimation and he is correct, since this kind of love comes from only one source, God, If love, this spirit generated self giving sacrificially generous love is being produced in you and flowing out of you to other Christians, It's proof that he's living in you producing a fruit that does not come from you or from this world. It only comes from him.”

52s

#GodIsLove

“Why? Because he tells us in verse eight, God is love. We have a tendency to speak of people with that word is a lot. He or she is attractive, athletic, smart, nice, generous. We say these things, he or she is this. I have never heard anybody describe somebody else as that person is love. That's exactly what John did in describing God here. He is love. In other words, by his very nature, he's love. If you were to add this word for love to our dictionaries, you would put out beside it, God. Great definition. He is love. He defines love. Because he is love, the love that John is calling us to flows from him.”

47s

#PropitiationAndGrace

“John's basically saying the same thing here. Not that we love God, but he loved us. He sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. There's a big p word again. He's used it already. Means to satisfy. You see, God is not only love, but God is just. He is righteous. And the righteous and just thing for our God to do is punish sin, and sin will be punished in one of two ways. Either guilty sinners will be punished for all eternity in hell where the wrath of God will be poured out on them for their sins, guilty sinners can have their sins forgiven, the wrath of God removed from them by turning to Christ who died and rose again.”

39s

#LoveIsEvidence

“So 11 times in five verses, John uses the word love. 11 times. By the way, if you are new to learning how to study the bible, repetition is one of those things you should look for that will give you an idea of what the author's talking about. 11 times he uses the word love because John wants you to understand something. Love is evidence that a person has been born again. Love is evidence that a person knows God. Love is evidence that a person is saved.”

42s

#TrueAgape

“But, you gotta understand John is not just talking about any kind of love. The love that he is saying it is evident in those who are truly saved, those who truly know God is a different kind of love than what we think of when the world talks about love. The love John is talking about is not a personal fulfillment kind of love. You know, a love that is valued for what it gets. The love John is talking about is not an acceptance kind of love, a love that accepts without correction or truth. See, our world thinks that love is accepting that which is false. That's not love.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Connection Church Spearfish This sermon · AI assistant

What kind of love proves genuine Christian conversion

Who is identified as the mainspring of love

How did God manifest his love among us