True Love is a Love That Can Be Seen

Love in Word and Deed

Book of 1 John Chapter 4 verse 7-21

Our lesson says the most effective way to deal with evil is to know the truth and then live as close to the truth as we possibly can.

The only way to deal with in world in a positive way, is through the Lord Jesus Christ.

To love in word is, not to just declare our love, but to let our actions prove our love!

To love in deed is that our love is a fact that cannot be denied!

This is God's philosophy of the "Born Again" child of God!

*****1Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

We already know the number one commandment in all the Bible so, what is the number two commandment in all the Bible?

"Let us love one another for love is of God"!

The greatest of all test of the Christian is, "Do we love like God loves"? Do we really love our brothers and sisters in Christ? Do we really love our neighbors? Do we love our fellow man, no matter who they are?

Loving one another is proof that we love the Lord Jesus Christ!

The nature of God "is love"!

What is atonement? Being "at one" in the Love we have for God and His creation!

All things were made because God made the things that He loved!

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

We might say that perfection cannot be created because perfection comes from being a part of God!

We can only be perfect when we do the things that God does and therefore conformed to His image.

This is the way Adam and Eve were created in the likeness of God.

Gen 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

Gen 5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

They remained in the likeness of God until sin entered into their lives and the Lord Jesus Christ had to come to remove the darkness of sin, so we can be restored to the likeness of God and then striving for perfection and the image of God!

This is what being born of God is all about! Reaching for true perfection and that perfection rest upon the perfect love of God!

When people look upon the Christian, they look to see if we have the nature of God. If they do not see what they believe to be the qualities of God, they see hypocrites, and everyone hates the hypocrite!

When they do see what they believe to be the qualities of God, then they think of Jesus Christ and again they hate us because they see what they are not, someone striving to be like Jesus, and it reminds them of their sin.

If they cannot see the love of God, and the joy of salvation, and the peace that comes from knowing our home is in Heaven, they will never know Holy Ghost conviction!

1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

If we are not seen as someone working fervently to show the love of God, then how can we say we love God!

It is only because of the "Love of God" that we can know the "Mercy" of God from which comes the "Grace of God"!

*****1Jn 4:9 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.

1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The word "manifested" means, "to be made clear", "to be made apparent", "to be made obvious", "to be made evident".

God has proven His love toward us by sending His Son to His death just so we may live.

To live is to live forever in the presence of God.

To die is to live forever in the pits of the Burning Lake of fire along with the devil.

The life we live now, is only the time we are given to make that choice to decide which way we will go.

We might say, "well if God has all this great love then why can I not live as I please and still live forever in the presence of God in Heaven"?

The answer to this question lies in the promises of God.

God made certain promises to those who choose His only begotten Son, and the statement that we might live through Him.

If God is not a God of His Word then, "there is no God at all"!

Those who go to the Burning Lake of Fire go there not because God has forgotten His love but only because they did not choose the only path to Heaven, which is by Jesus Christ.

If you do not understand this, think take it up with God and see if you can talk Him into going against His Word which He will not do, because God is the same today as He was, back in the day of Adam!

Our world is full of evil and because of Jesus the world hates God, they curse God, they ignore God, reject God, they rebel against God, they deny God, and they oppose God, with none of these things making God love them less, but they must choose the right path and that path is by Jesus Christ!

The entire world has been full of sin! It was sin, that Satan used to seduced Eve into sin and Adam into disobedience.

Jesus the Messiah was sent to be the propitiation for that sin and Jesus paid the price so we do not have to pay that price and if we choose Jesus then this payment is accounted as our payment and we will receive a full pardon for our own life of sin.

It's really pretty simple! You may not get a pardon from your Governor, you may not receive a pardon from your President, but by Jesus Christ you can receive a pardon from your Creator and your God!

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

These things are a sign of God's love!

This is the same sign that all others should be able to see in us and in our lives!

Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

We will not be able to see God with our eyes until we get to Heaven, but we can see God in our heart if we show that same love, He has for us to all others!

*****1Jn 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

1Jn 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

How do we begin to show the signs of perfection while on this earth? We show the love of God in our heart!

We read all these things about the love of God and we know they are true. Many of us have actually seen the love of God work in our lives.

We have seen how love can change our world, because we have seen what hatred does and hatred is in full view in our nation today and so many of those who talk about hatred are the same ones who instill hatred and cause hatred.

They operate fly by night, because they have no real answers, but the one thing they have in common, is that they oppose the truth of God!

No man has ever seen God! God is not known by sight! No human will ever come face to face with God!

God is Spirit and the only way to know God is by having the Holy Spirit come to live within your heart and regenerate a new soul!

Even the Holy Spirit teaches us said the same thing while Jesus was upon this earth:

Listen to John the Baptist:

Joh 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

Joh 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

if you see God as some man then you will never feel near to Him, but God is Spirit and He can come right into your heart and live!

God came to this earth and was born of the Virgin Mary, as a babe, 100% God and yet 100% human, these things by the Holy Spirit, just so we can know our God and by the Scriptures God teaches us everything that we need to know to go home one day to the glory world!

God can only be known by love. God cannot be known by hatred because, hatred comes by humans and love comes by God!

Jesus the Messiah is the image of perfect love, yet those who would reject Him will slander His name because of hatred!

BUT, when we honor God's first begotten Son by believing on Him, then the ever-loving God will come and dwell in us to begin our "sanctification process" that will end one day in perfection, at bodily death or when the Lord returns in the clouds.

Even at this time we will never in our human flesh be able to stand before Christ Jesus because the flesh can never be made perfect!

If you love Jesus Christ, God will cause His "Divine Nature" to be a part of our lives while we live upon this earth.

This must be our testimony that we are "Born of God"!

The love of God cannot be perfected in us until the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) abides within us!

*****1Jn 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

1Jn 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

Notice the Holy Spirit is a gift and He is a willing gift. This is something the Holy Spirit wants to do. God loves His little children!

You see when the Holy Spirit lives within our heart and our heart influences our mind to be like Christ, to draw closer to Christ, then our own spirit will resemble Christ Jesus.

Rom_8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Php_1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Heb_9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

We know God by His love. There is no other way to know God because God is perfect love!

Our own testimony will show that God sent His love into this world by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to remove all hatred!

As we are filled with the Holy Spirit, He will remove our own hatred if we listen to Him, and this will leave only the love of Christ within us!

We already know when Lucifer was tossed out of Heaven, and He now walks to and fro throughout this earth, all he does is instill hatred and from this hatred come death, and immorality, and corruption, and all evil things.

The Holy Spirit will instill in us the image of Christ Jesus, to put a wall of love up that hatred is drawn to and hatred will never overcome love!

If we cannot know the love of God within us, then we need to reevaluate our salvation!

Jesus Christ came to be our Savior from hatred and instill in us the love of God!

The world was desperate until the Lord came and now those of the world have a choice to choose love or remain in hatred in this world that still shows the signs of desperation.

Satan is desperate because he is in his own last days and he will do anything to cause harm to God's testimony of love that comes by Jesus Christ!

Mankind through hatred will destroy itself and our Savior is more important than He has ever been, but time is running out for this world.

The signs of this world dying is showing every day. Some call it climate change, some are desperate to try to find some other world that does not exist, to try to escape what they know is in the future, but the fact remains, God already has a home prepared for His own children and He welcomes all who want to come, if they come according to the Word of God which will not accommodate hatred in any form or fashion but only by the love of Jesus Christ.

Thoughts and words by great men, great philosophers, great scientist, the great promises of politicians, are meaningless because this world needed a Savior!

Evil is destructive, but God's love is the builder of perfect things!

Christianity is God's power of love upon this earth and hatred's worse enemy! This is why Christians are so hated!

What did Jesus say?

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Joh 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

Joh 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

Joh 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

This world tries it's best to hinder the Holy Spirit, but the world cannot stand against God's Holy Spirit!

Just ask all those from the past who have already tried!

God's answer is always the same! God says, "come to Me by My Son, or don't come at all"!

*****1Jn 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

Those in the world have no problem with talking about gods. Everyone has their own personal gods.

BUT there is only One true God! There is only One God who is also our Creator who loved this world enough to save those who He created.

God made a promise:

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

God fulfilled this promise just as He has and will fulfill every promise He has ever made!

We just need to wrap our hearts and our minds around the truth.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We live in a world where promises are made every day and promises do not mean much anymore as they are so easily broken.

BUT our heavenly Father will not ever break a promise and He will never go against His Words.

It was and is the Jesus of the Bible. The same Jesus that the Apostles witnessed His death, His burial, and His resurrection that is the God of the Bible.

The same God who left the throne room of Heaven and came to this earth and put upon Himself the same sack of flesh that we wear and born as a babe grew up to be a man, who was the chosen Lamb of God to take away the sin of our world.

These are the most true words that some will ever hear, but if they refuse to confess that this Jesus is in fact the Son of God, then they will never know the true God and they will never meet the Savior that this world had to have!

It just takes a little faith and then allow God to show you things that will increase that faith just because of His great and marvelous love!

*****1Jn 4:16 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.

We live in a world where men say they love other men in a lustful fashion:

Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

Where women do the same:

Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

Where they worship each other as gods:

Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Why?

Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Now if God would see that these things were written down for us some 1800 years ago, and we witness them with our own eyes, and these who do such things have come out of the closet and broadcast their unrighteousness and immorality around the world, then how can we not believe what God has said.

Thinking they are wise they have become fools!

Why have these things become public?

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

This is not love, this is the workings of lust!

God is love! All men living in sin will draw back from the love of God, and that sin will not allow the love of God to come upon them!

We live in a world that makes up their own meaning of love, and God does not fit into their picture of love!

God makes it very simple. If we do not have God's picture of love, then we do not know love for love is God!

If God had a middle name that name would be "Love"!

Loving one another in God's love, is the only way we can tell we are Christians opposed to the world's description of love, which has become a foolish love, which is not love at all, but is built upon hatred to those who disagree with them.

If we have the love of God and love one another as God loves us, then we can say we are Christians.

1) God is love: God sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

2) All believers must love: We must live in the love for one another with the image of God's love.

3) Loving one another with the love of God is our means of knowing our salvation is pure and is real.

So how is this love mad perfect?

*****1Jn 4:17 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.

It must be our goal to live as our Savior lived, and Jesus lived a perfect sin-free life. Even Jesus could not have done so if not for the love of God.

Love is a caring attitude for all people, especially those in our Christian family.

When we have this love, we do not have to fear the day of judgment!

When we have the love of God, because of the love of His Son, we have been delivered from God's judgment!

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Judgment has been removed by faith, but we cannot see that in perfection until we understand the love of God and show that love ourselves.

I am sure that even at the "Judgment Seat of Christ" which is not about our salvation, we will not be so bold to stand before God as we will be judged for the things since our salvation for rewards or the loss of rewards, but the subject of our salvation will never come up.

We are justified! We are pardoned to never face that sin ever again!

Rom 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Rom 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

We have been restored to the family of God, because God is love and we have acknowledged that love!

When we have grown in Christ, it is because we have grown in the love of Christ.

Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

When our faith works according to the love of God which becomes our message of love, it is then that we can know, that we know, that we know, we are God's own children just as His own Son!

There is no fear in judgment for those who have the love of God and show this love to all those we meet!

*****1Jn 4:18 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.

There is only one thing that we must fear, and He is also the one true Judge!

Pro_19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

This fear is a reverent fear of the Lord our God, but we must never forget His Awesome power.

There is no fear in the love of God, so there is no fear in love!

When we love someone with the love of God, we have no reason to fear them!

Even when those who come against us do so out of foolishness, we have no need to fear them because the peace and assurance that comes from the love of God erases all fear.

Perfect love cast our all fear. We cannot love one and hate the other, because this fear has torment, it will wear on your heart and the Holy Spirit will wear on your soul.

To fear is to have torment because this fear expects punishment and forever wonders when it will come!

To fear means we are not perfect in our love!

Even the fear of my death is gone, for those who would take my life can only send me home to the place where I belong!

Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

All these come not because we knew love for no one understood love until we have known the love of God!

*****1Jn 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

1Jn 4:20 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?

1Jn 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

The truth is we would have never known love, if not for our Creator!

Loving one another proves that love originated from the Lord and it was this same love that sent the Lord Jesus Christ to die for our sin!

We may say we love God.

We may think we love God.

We may say it and think it and yet not show the love of God to all others.

Our love is shown in our actions. If our actions say otherwise, we are just hypocrites!

If God is truly our Father in Heaven, and He is, how can we say we love our Father and then show hatred toward any of His children?

If God had not shown His love for us, we would never have known love.

With love comes responsibilities!

If we are truly the Temple of God the Holy Spirit, and show no love to all others then we are not filled with God's Holy Spirit. It's just that simple!

If we cling to that personal sin that we refuse to give up, we are in open rebellion to God, and we cannot know the love of God!

The proof that God exist is that we keep His commandments and love as God does!

We think of murderers as the lowlifes of this earth, but when we reject the love of God and the "Grace" of God's Son, we have become murderers!

1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Our love must be real. Our love cannot just be in feelings!

Our feelings alone are never a faithful guide to our Spiritual life!

It is easy to feel that some things considered to be wrong, may in fact be right.

It is easy to feel that some things considered to be right, may in fact be wrong.

God takes the guess work out of our feelings, and just says "obey my commandments" and put your feelings back in your pocket and forget about your feelings!

The truth is not determined by how we feel, the truth comes by what God has said is true!

One of the greatest commandments says: "he that loveth God love his brother also".

Amen

Let's Pray!