First John 4:7-12, 16-21
Scripture Reference
1 John 4:7-12, 16-21
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
Introduction
Sermon Title: “Who is God – Part 7”
Preacher: Dr. Terry LeQuieu
We continue our walk through the epistle of 1 John and the ongoing question: Who is God? In this seventh message of the series we focus on the attribute of God as Love. John’s short, simple sentences hide deep truths. He moves from the source of love (God) to its manifestation in Christ, to how love affects us—our awareness, accumulation, growth, grace, and practice. This message is aimed at helping ordinary church members and young adults see practical ways to live out God’s love, while still pressing into theological realities that demand personal growth and obedience.
Two more parts of this series tonight and Sunday night and we will be wrapping it up. And so first John, chapter four. This is part number seven.
Quote from Preacher
This opening quote is taken verbatim from the sermon transcript above and sets the scene for the rest of the message. It reminds us we are in 1 John 4 and that the series is addressing key attributes of God.
Outline
- Premise: God Is Love — The Source and Pattern
- God as the origin: “Love is of God.” If you love, you are born of God (v.7–8).
- Implication: Lost people cannot truly love as God loves; spiritual life produces genuine love.
- Practical note: True love follows God’s pattern, not merely human sentiment.
Explanation: John insists that authentic love flows from a relationship with God. If you lack that relationship you cannot reproduce the divine pattern. Love becomes a sign of new birth and knowledge of God.
- Awareness of Love — How We Know and See God’s Love
- Patterned — True love imitates God’s love (v.7–8).
- Perceptible — Love is visible and made known; the sacrifice of Christ shows it (v.9; Romans 5:8).
- Purposeful — God sent Christ so “that we might live through him” (v.9). That is, salvation and a life lived by Christ.
- Practiced — Love is an action, not merely emotion; it is shown in sacrificial giving and ongoing care (v.10–11).
Explanation: John emphasizes that God’s love was manifested in Christ’s substitutionary atonement—He sent His only begotten Son as the propitiation (mercy seat) for sins. That reality should produce a practical love in us: decision-based, visible, and purposeful. Christians are called to live through Christ, allowing Him to express His life through our surrendered bodies (cf. Gal. 2:20; 1 Cor. 6:19).
- Accumulation of Love — The Life-Long Work of God’s Love in Us
- Growth — Love grows because God dwells in us; the Spirit and the Son conspire to perfect love (v.12–16).
- Grace — God’s love matures and purifies us; it casts out fear, producing boldness (v.17–18).
Explanation: Love is not instantaneous in its maturity. When God dwells in us by His Spirit (v.13) and we live in the reality of the Son, love is perfected. That perfection is progressive—so our present love can be growing or dying. Mature love casts out the torment of fear and gives boldness for judgment (v.17–18), because motives will be tested at the judgment seat (1 Cor. 3).
- Practice and Proof — Love’s Public Evidence and Responsibilities
- Love must be practiced regularly; it is seen in consistent care and sacrificial acts (v.11–12).
- Love is proven by obedience to visible relationships; inability to love those we see calls into question claims of loving God whom we have not seen (v.20–21).
- Love for others is the commandment from God, not mere suggestion (v.21).
Explanation: John confronts comfortable religion. If your love does not show toward those you live with, work with, and see, you cannot legitimately claim to love God. Love must be visible where you are. This is the practical test of Christian authenticity.
- Practical Challenges and Applications
- Love when it’s costly — forgive and serve those who have hurt you; follow God’s example of undeserved mercy.
- Love beyond emotion — make love a decision and behavior, not a mere feeling.
- Allow Christ to live through you — resist the flesh, walk in the Spirit, and let God perfect His love in you (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 8).
Explanation: The sermon repeatedly calls believers away from excuses (“I can’t love them”) to the gospel-powered reality of “I can love them because God loved me first.” Love requires submission, spiritual dependence, and practical acts—phones calls, forgiveness, consistent provision, and presence.
Summary
1 John 4 draws a straight line from the character of God to the conduct of Christians. God is the source of love; Christ is the manifestation of that love; the Spirit is the enabler of that love in us. True love is patterned after God, perceptible to others, purposeful for living through Christ, and practiced continually. Love grows as God dwells in us and perfects our motives; mature love casts out fear and gives boldness before judgment. Finally, love is the test: if you claim to love God but hate your brother, the claim is false. The Christian life is not finished until love is lived.
We love him because he first loved us.
Quote to Ponder
This short verse from the sermon—taken verbatim—captures the gospel heartbeat that fuels Christian obedience: our love is always a response to God’s first love, never the cause of it.
Application for the Week
Take these practical steps this week to move from knowing about God’s love to living it out.
- Reflect daily on the cross
- Read 1 John 4:9–10 each morning and pray a short sentence: “Lord, remind me today that You loved me first.”
- Practice one visible act of love every day
- It can be a phone call, a meal, an apology, an act of service, or a financial gift—do something concrete, not merely say you care.
- Choose decision over feeling
- When emotions resist, resolve to act in love anyway: forgive, serve, or be present. Make a short written commitment: “Today I will _____ for _____ because God loved me.”
- Walk in the Spirit
- Memorize Galatians 2:20 or 1 John 4:16 and rehearse it when you feel the flesh rising. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable action, not just sentiment.
- Test your love by your relationships
- Before you complain about another person, ask: “Have I loved them as God loves me?” If not, pray for boldness and take one step toward reconciliation.
- Prepare for accountability
- Find one Christian friend or small group and report next Sunday one concrete act of love you practiced. Let others encourage and sharpen you.
Make this a gospel-driven week: love because God first loved you. Allow Christ to live through you so others may see Him. As John warns, belief without brotherly love is empty; let your faith be known by what you do.
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