1 John: Knowing a Loving God Sermon 6: Loving God 1 John 5:1-12 Page 1903

1 John: Knowing a Loving God Thinking About Love. God is love. 1 John 4:8 and 16. Love is complex. God has enabled us, and commanded us, to be loving.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God A Thoughtful Quote: I like not only to be loved, but also to be told I am loved. George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era ). “How often do I tell God that I love Him?” I think that God likes to hear that I love him.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God The Context: 1 John chapter 4 connects us with God who is love. 1 John 5:1-12, today’s text, shows us how we can show love to God. Loving God comes down to two main actions: 1. Loving Jesus and God’s Adopted Children. 2. Obeying God’s commands. These are the aspects that we can grow in as we show our love to God.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God 1 John 5:1-12 on Page Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God Notes on These Verses: Verse 1: The Father and Son go together. They are a package deal! There are four concepts addressed here that still need addressed today 1. The Gnostics were trying to offer a relationship with God without Jesus. That did not work then and it does not work today. John 14:6

1 John: Knowing a Loving God Notes on These Verses: 2. Another truth that gets missed too often is the call to love the children of God, His church, as a part of the expression of loving God. They go together as well.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God Notes on These Verses: 3. Loving God involves obedience to His commands. Loving obedience is a key component in our relationships in the home, school, work, and with those in authority. Consider John 12:50, 13:34-35, 14:15, 21, 23, 15:12, 14, and John 2:3-4, 7-8, 17, 3:21-24, 4:21, and 5:2-3 as well as 2 John 1:5-6.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God Notes on These Verses: 4. We have overcome the world. It has no power to overcome us. In our daily lives we have the “overcomes the world” present active indicative of nikaw, a continuous victory because a continuous struggle, "keeps on conquering the world". Jesus has “overcome” (aorist tense – one time action with continued impact) and our faith is tied to his action of overcoming.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God “Testify” 1 John 5:6-8 6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. The water and blood seem, most likely, to refer to Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion. The Holy Spirit testified at both events. Text Note on verse 8.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God Who Should They Believe? Who should the churches that John is writing to believe? Should they believe the Gnostic teachers or God himself? God’s testimony is valid and reliable and they are liars.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God 1 John 5: We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God 1 John 5:9-12 The NIV: Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. The New Living Translation for the verse says: All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don't believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don't believe what God has testified about his Son.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God 1 John 5: We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God Chapter 4 AND 5! It seems to me that people like the truths of chapter 4. We like to think of God as a loving God and John tells us that this is true. God is love. That truth does not stop there however, for too many chapter 5 is less palatable but it is true nonetheless.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God Living the Word We must love God in the ways that He has called us to. We need to honor Jesus as the Son of God, love the family of God by being an active part of the church, know His commands and be obedient to them as we stand against the world and overcome it day in and day out because Jesus has given us access to His victory.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God 6 Ways to Apply This Section. 1. Refocus on the spiritual aspects of life instead of the physical. Get first things first or they do not fit. 2. Invest in your relationship with Jesus. He is to be our first love and I was reminded to say those words to him. Loving Jesus helps us in so many ways.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God 6 Ways to Apply This Section. 3. Know His commands and trust that His way is ALWAYS the better way. These commands are found throughout the Bible and I have a list from the commentary of where the words command or commands are used if that helps. 4. Overcome the world. Realize how strong the pull of the world is and stand against it. Know your strengths and weaknesses.

1 John: Knowing a Loving God 6 Ways to Apply This Section. 5. Share the good news. Since verses are true we have a call to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) because the harvest is ready but the workers are few and we have a mission to go in His name (Matthew 9:37-38) and we have a great commission from Jesus in Matthew 28: This week find ways to actively show your love to God in planned and spontaneous ways. And Tell Him, I think He likes that!

1 John: Knowing a Loving God Next Week: We conclude our study of 1 John as we see how we can Know Him. The sermons are online at vernonchurchofchrist.com.