Sacrificial Love

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June 8, 2008 - Mark 12. 32-33 (1 John 4:7-21)

Open It

1. Which do you think is a more powerful motivator-love, fear, or hate? Why?

2. What popular figure alive today or from history used hate to motivate people?

3. When have you been motivated by love?

Explore It

4. What were the readers of 1 John encouraged to do? (4:7)

5. What is the relationship between loving and knowing God? (4:7-8)

6. How did God show His love? (4:9)

7. Why did God send His Son? (4:9)

8. What is love? (4:10)

9. Why should Christians love one another? (4:11)

10. What is the result of loving one another? (4:12)

11. How can believers know that they live in God and God lives in them? (4:13)

12. What did John testify concerning? (4:14)

13. What happens when we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God? (4:15)

14. Why is love important? (4:16-17)

15. How is love made complete? (4:17)

16. What does perfect love do? Why? (4:18)

17. Why should we love? (4:19)

18. What is the relationship between loving God and loving one's brother? (4:20-21)

Get It

19. How can we demonstrate our love for God?

20. What example has Jesus set for us to follow?

21. How should God's love motivate you to love others?

22. How do you know that God lives in you?

23. What does it mean to live in God?

24. Why is it be easier to love God than other Christians?

25. When you have difficulty loving other believers, what is it that makes it difficult?

26. How can we demonstrate our love for others?

27. What are you afraid of?

28. How can we overcome our fears?

29. How does love drive out fear?

Apply It

30. Who is someone that you have a difficult time getting along with that you need to ask God to help you love this week?

31. What fear will you ask God to help you overcome?

32. What specific steps will you take this week to demonstrate your love for another believer?

Notes

1 John 4:7ff: Everyone believes that love is important, but love is usually thought of as a feeling. In reality, love is a choice and an action, as 1 Cor. 13:4-7 shows. God is the source of our love: he loved us enough to sacrifice his Son for us. Jesus is our example of what it means to love; everything he did in life and death was supremely loving. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love; he lives in our hearts and makes us more and more like Christ. God's love always involves a choice and an action, and our love should be like his. How well do you display your love for God in the choices you make and the actions you take?

1 John 4:8: John says, "God is love," not "Love is God." Our world, with its shallow and selfish view of love, has turned these words around and contaminated our understanding of love. The world thinks that love is what makes a person feel good and that it is all right to sacrifice moral principles and others' rights in order to obtain such "love." But that isn't real love; it is the exact opposite-selfishness. And God is not that kind of "love." Real love is like God, who is holy, just, and perfect. If we truly know God, we will love as he does.

1 John 4:9-10: Jesus is God's only Son. While all believers are sons and daughters of God, only Jesus lives in this special unique relationship (see John 1:18; John 3:16).

4:9-10 Love explains (1) why God creates-because he loves, he creates people to love; (2) why God cares-because he loves them, he cares for sinful people; (3) why we are free to choose-God wants a loving response from us; (4) why Christ died-his love for us caused him to seek a solution to the problem of sin; and (5) why we receive eternal life-God's love expresses itself to us forever.

4:10 Nothing sinful or evil can exist in God's presence. He is absolute goodness. He cannot overlook, condone, or excuse sin as though it never happened. He loves us, but his love does not make him morally lax. If we trust in Christ, however, we will not have to bear the penalty for our sins (1 Peter 2:24). We will be acquitted (Romans 5:18) by his atoning sacrifice.

1 John 4:12: If no one has ever seen God, how can we ever know him? John in his Gospel said, "God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known" (John 1:18). Jesus is the complete expression of God in human form and he has revealed God to us. When we love one another, the invisible God reveals himself to others through us, and his love is made complete.

4:12 Some people enjoy being with others. They make friends with strangers easily and always are surrounded by many friends. Other people are shy or reserved. They have a few friends, but they are uncomfortable talking with people they don't know or mingling in crowds. Shy people don't need to become extroverts in order to love others. John isn't telling us how many people to love, but how much to love the people we already know. Our job is to love faithfully the people God has given us to love, whether there are two or two hundred of them. If God sees that we are ready to love others, he will bring them to us. No matter how shy we are, we don't need to be afraid of the love commandment. God provides us the strength to do what he asks.

1 John 4:13: When we become Christians, we receive the Holy Spirit. God's presence in our lives is proof that we really belong to him. He also gives us the power to love (Romans 5:5; Romans 8:9; 2 Cor. 1:22). Rely on that power as you reach out to others. As you do so, you will gain confidence. See also Romans 8:16.

1 John 4:17: The day of judgment is that time when all people will appear before Christ and be held accountable for their actions. With God living in us through Christ, we have no reason to fear this day, because we have been saved from punishment. Instead, we can look forward to the day of judgment, because it will mean the end of sin and the beginning of a face-to-face relationship with Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:18: If we ever are afraid of the future, eternity, or God's judgment, we can remind ourselves of God's love. We know that he loves us perfectly (Romans 8:38-39). We can resolve our fears first by focusing on his immeasurable love for us, and then by allowing him to love others through us. His love will quiet your fears and give you confidence.

1 John 4:19: God's love is the source of all human love, and it spreads like fire. In loving his children, God kindles a flame in their hearts. In turn, they love others, who are warmed by God's love through them.

1 John 4:20-21: It is easy to say we love God when that love doesn't cost us anything more than weekly attendance at religious services. But the real test of our love for God is how we treat the people right in front of us-our family members and fellow believers. We cannot truly love God while neglecting to love those who are created in his image.

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