THE WAY THAT HE LOVES

TITLE: THE WAY THAT HE LOVES IS TO THRILLING BECAUSE, HIS LOVE REACHES EVEN ME. (Verse 2 of the song: THE WAY THAT HE LOVES)
2010 Feb 14 1 John

We have started our study on the Biblical concept of love. We call it Divine love and also Biblical love. Today is a special day for many people in the world because they believe that this is the day of love. Let’s us compare, for a moment, the love of God with the way love is understood by some people. Somebody said in a chatroom: I witnessed 5 marriages, 4 ended in divorce. A lady writes: I got married when I was 22. I am now 25 and I have just finished the divorce proceedings.

That says a lot about how love is viewed by many. Surprisingly, February is not the favored month for weddings although it has the day of love- February 14. In the USA, it is said the most popular month is June, followed by August, May, July, September, October, December, November-April, February, March. January brings up the rear.

The primary reason that people do not exercise true love for one another is that they have a very limited understanding of what love really is. For most, love is a feel good transaction. I want you, you want me, let’s be happy. But, of course we all know that love is more than a feel good transaction. It includes willingness to suffer as when a parent takes a most difficult job abroad to support the education of his children. It includes unintended moments of terror as when the wife was told to prepare herself because the husband required surgery immediately the prospect of success of which is only less than 15 %.

The main reason why people do not acquire sufficient understanding of love is because they will not study first of all love as God’s love or Agape. The other reason is that some people attempted to love others without first loving God with all their heart and soul. So the effect is disaster.

Let’s read our text for today:
1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.

Let us try to understand this deep spiritual truth we call AGAPE, DIVINE LOVE, BIBLICAL LOVE OR THE LOVE OF GOD. We will use, as our text for today, 1 John 3.

MTS: We really have to understand what is this that we call LOVE OF GOD and how do we benefit from it. MTQ: How should we understand AGAPE or the LOVE OF GOD?

I- FIRST: AGAPE IS OURS AS A PURE GIFT AND NOT AS SOMETHING EARNED FROM WORK.
1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

John speaks of this LOVE as something that the Father has bestowed upon or lavished on us as the NIV would have it. The word used DIDOMI has the idea of FREELY GIVEN. God did not ask anything from us in order for Him to love us. In fact, He loved before we ever understood this thing we call love. In a wedding, love is expressed and sealed with I DOS. Not with God. He loved us first- for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son- then as we experienced His love, we said I DO. I worship you, I receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

In theology, we call this the UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION, which, in simple terms really means: God loved us first without requiring anything from us to make Him love us. UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION or AGAPE LOVE, when applied in our relationship means making giving the basis of love.

I- SECOND: AGAPE IS LOVE THAT CONFERS A STATUS AND A TITLE: Children of God and called Children of God. 1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Note how John explains this so carefully: He says that the believers are really CHILDREN OF GOD but they are also, as a privilege called CHILDREN OF GOD. What is the difference between a status and a title? Status is undeniable position in life but title is recognition of that status.

Ex. In Bulacan now, there are two persons claiming to be governors, a political status. But only one will ultimately be recognized with the title Governor. You have heard of stories where a daughter eloped and found hard to be forgiven by her father. She is his daughter, that is her status in life but he will not recognize her as the daughter. Some couples are married legally so they have the legal social status of being husband and wife. But they do not recognize each other as such for they keep on fighting like sworn enemies, like presidential candidates.

Similarly, we are, by God’s grace given the spiritual status of sonship of children of God. What is wonderful is that God does not only give us the status, He calls us HIS CHILDREN! God wants us to know that He has given us the status of sonship but He is happy to announce to the angels that we belong to Him. Proof? Luke 10:20- our names are written in the book of life in heaven.

II- THIRD: AGAPE IS LOVE THAT REMINDS US OUR NEED TO GROW, MATURE AND LIVE AS CHILDREN OF GOD.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.

Agape reminds us that we need maturity: We are called LITTLE CHILDREN. Little children are small kids needing to grow and mature.

Agape reminds us that we need to be constantly purified from sin and evil. Practice righteousness.

Agape reminds us that not all people are the same in this world. We need to be careful. Some people, according to John, are children of the devil They are known by the evil that they carry out against others.

SUMMARY:
Agape, or divine love is: OURS AS A GIFT, A PURE GIFT. It confers a status- sonship but it also carried with it recognition. Then, finally, it reminds that we are still growing, maturing and increasing in our spirituality. We need constant purification. We need to live a life different from the lives of those considered as belonging to the other side.

How is this related to us and how can we apply this?
We apply this by examining our lives. Do you love to give or to receive? Is your love conditional or unconditional? Is your family life described as godly or ungodly? Here is what happens when the Love of God grips our heart:

God is love- 1 John 4:8: The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God who is love is in us and therefore we are expected to love as He loves: 1 John 4:16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
God’s love is us is to manifested in the following spiritual characteristics:

When provoked- patience
When confronted with a need- kindness
When not having what others have- gratitude instead of envy
When blessed with what others do not have- does not boast
When dealing with others of less importance- not rude

When dealing with needs – not self-seeking
When dealing with frustrations- not easily angered
When dealing with offenders- not keeping a record of wrongs
When seeing someone affected by evil- grieves and does not rejoice
When confronted with a choice: protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres