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LOVE'S STANDARD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John was a core members of Jesus’ disciples and went everywhere with Jesus. He wrote five NT books including 1 John. 1 John is not one of the NT’s most popular books but it has a number of well-known verses in it. It's teaching is foundational to understanding the standard by which God expects us to live the Christian life.

 

Today we are at war with the culture, but we are not at war with people. Our attitude toward people must be the same as his. There are many things in culture that I'm against, however, that's not what defines me - it's not what I want to define this church. We are to take a stand for someone, Jesus Christ and for loving others. To make a difference we must love all people as God so loved all people.

 

We need to be contagious by showing them what love looks like. The culture's idea of love is "I will love you as long as it's easy, convenient, and it benefits me." God's idea of love is "I will love you because I am love, and because you are precious and valuable to me."

 

Imagine the difference we could make if the world perceived this as our message.

 

 

 

 

LOVE’S STANDARD
1 John 4:1-10

 

1. God Sets the Standard for What Love Is

This is love: not that we loved God, but the loved us ... 1 John 4:10 NIV

 

Real love is not defined by what a human does, but by what God has done.

 

He told us, and showed us that he loves us. Real love sacrifices for the one who is loved.

 

God sets the standard for love by loving the unlovely.

 

2. Love Sets The Standard For The Christian Life.

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)

 

1 John 4 teaches that love is the evidence of God's presence in your life.

 

"If I speak with the tongues of men and angels...If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:2 NIV

 

Christianity is being in a relationship with God built on love.

 

Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:21 NIV

 

The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both. 1 John 4:21

 

The Message

To love one another means we are to at least be nice and look for opportunities to do good for them.

 

3. We Need To Set the Standard for the World to See

Christians are at war with the culture, but we are not at war with people.

 

"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness in this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12 KJV

 

For many taking a stand only means being against something.

• Let’s take a stand for someone, Jesus Christ.
• Let’s take a stand for loving others as God so loved the world.

 

The world's idea of love is "I will love you as long as it's easy, convenient, and it benefits me."

 

God's idea of love is "I will love you because I am love, and because you are precious and valuable to me."

 

Imagine the difference we could make if the world perceived this as our message.