1. I. The Cause Of Love 1 Jn.4:7, love is of God = has its origin in God; w/o God, there would be no love –“Anyone who shows love is a child of God.” Wrong! Verse 7 is abbreviated; 2:29; 3:23 –“If love is of God, how does an unsaved person learn love?” Mt.5:46; Jn.15:19 Gospel makes people aware of love

2. 1 Jn.4:8 “God is love” expresses His nature –We learn love by studying God (4:9-10, 19) His children try to reproduce His nature –“God is love” is not reversible: “love is God”

3. II. Counterfeit Loves 1.Lovers of money Lk.16:14 (2 Tim. 3:2); cf. 1 Tim. 6:9-10 – DesireDesire StrayStray –Mt.19 –Ac.5:1-11 –2 Pt.2:15 PiercePierce

4. 2. Lovers of praise 2. Lovers of praise, Jn.12:41-43 men –More anxious to please men than God cost –To confess Christ would cost them positions of power and honor only –Their belief lacked only confes- sion. 1 Co.1:26

5. 3. Lovers of themselves 3. Lovers of themselves, 2 Tim.3:2 –Describes times when self-love becomes openly avowed and commended –They love neither God nor men in comparison with themselves These care more for their wants than for others’ needs

6. 4. Lovers of pleasures 4. Lovers of pleasures more than of God, 2 Tim.3:4 walk in love –Ep.5:1-2, walk in love as Christ… Popular culture’s love is a deadly fraud true false –Ep.5:3-5, contrasts Christ’s true love and society’s false love

7. Society’s false love Sexual immoralitySexual immorality, the most popular substitute for true love –Self-gratification; not acting in another’s best interest UncleannessUncleanness, every kind of filth and impurity CovetousnessCovetousness, a rival to Christ (2); idolatry (5)

8. Be intolerant! Ep.5:1-2, walk in love as Christ… Ep.5:3-5, contrasts Christ’s true love and society’s false love intolerantEp.5:6-11, true love is intolerant

9. from idolatry to murder“We take the position that a Christian’s sins do not damn his soul. The way a Christian lives, what he says, his char- acter, his conduct, or his attitude toward other people have nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul. …all the sins he may commit from idolatry to murder will not make his soul in any more danger... The way a man lives has nothing what- ever to do with the salvation of his soul” (Sam Morris, First Baptist Church, Samford, TX)

10. Pleasure vs true love Ep.5:1-2, walk in love as Christ… Ep.5:3-5, contrasts Christ’s true love and society’s false love Ep.5:6-11, true love is intolerant pleasureEp.5:12-14, love of pleasure smothers true love (1 Tim.5:6)

11. 5. Lovers of the world 5. Lovers of the world, 2 Tim.4:10 –A friend on death row is dangerous –2 Co.11:2-3 Paul feared they would be seduced from the truth Don’t give to worldly things what God alone deserves

12. 1 Jn.2:15 Doesn’t say, “leave the world,” or “hate people of world” worldly –The worldly person says no to spiritual opportunities, yes to temptations godly –The godly person says yes to spiritual opportunities, no to temptations

13. 6. Lovers of preeminence 6. Lovers of preeminence, 3 Jn.9-10 –Diotrephes was a church boss –We don’t know why he rejected John’s writings If John comes... he will remember

14. Love is the “make” or “break” commandment The extremes: did not love enough a. Some will be lost because they did not love enough * Joab, 2 Sm.20:9 loved too much b. Some will be lost because they loved too much * True love rejects counterfeits

15. Counterfeit Loves Money Praise Self Pleasure World Preeminence