A Journey Like Never Before Pt. 4

A JOURNEY LIKE NEVER BEFORE PT 4

1JN 4 VS 7-21

1 John 4:7-21 (NKJV)

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

19 We love Him because He first loved us.

20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

A NEW BEGINNING- WALKING IN LOVE!

**BOY WHAT A MIXED UP WORLD WE LIVE IN.. AMEN?

OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ONLY HAS ONE WORD FOR LOVE, SO WE CAN LOVE A HOTDOG, A DOG, OUR WIFE, CAR, HOUSE, JOB, SNOW, HOT, COLD, GOD. WE HAVE ONE WORD AND BY THIS “LOVE” HAS LOST ITS MEANING AND WE SOMETIMES MAKE THE MISTAKE IN THINKING WE LOVE SOMETHING OR SOMEONE WHEN WE MAY NOT!!

**WHEN THE NEW TESTAMENT IN THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN, IT WAS MOSTLY WRITTEN IN THE GREEK LANGUAGE. IN THE GREEK LANGUAGE THERE WERE AT LEAST 3 WORDS FOR LOVE, SO NOT TO GET IT MIXED UP. THERE WAS (A) PHILEO- WHICH IS A “FRIENDSHIP” LOVE (WE GET THE NAME PHILADELPHIA FROM THIS) WHICH MEANS BROTHERLY LOVE. (B) AGAPE- THIS IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF LOVE- IT IS THE SACRIFICIAL LOVE THAT GOD HAS FOR US (EXAMPLE JN 3:16). (C) EROS- THIS IS THE WORD THAT IS USED – A SEXUAL LOVE- EROTIC COMES FROM THIS WORD AND IT IS NOT IN THE BIBLE.

**THERE IS A BIBLICAL TEST THAT WE CAN TAKE TO DETERMINE – “IS IT REALLY LOVE” ITS FOUND IN 1COR 13. THERE ARE 8 THINGS THAT LOVE IS, AND 8 THINGS THAT LOVE ISN’T. LET US EXAMINE EACH OF THESE TO SEE IF “WE ARE FOUND IN LOVE.”

LOVE ISN’T

A. NOT ENVIOUS- GR: ZELOO(DAY- LAH-OH) MEANS TO BOIL WITH JEALOUSY OR ENVY OVER WHAT GOD MAY HAVE BLESSED SOMEONE ELSE WITH.—ARE YOU JUST BOILING WITH ENVY OVER SOMEONE ELSE’S GIFT OR TALENT (JOSEPH’S BROTHERS, LEADERS IN BABYLON VS DANIEL)

B. DOESN’T PARADE OR VAUNT ONE’S SELF: GR: PER-PER-YOO-AH-MAI- NOT A BRAGGART- IF WE FOCUS ON SERVING OTHERS WE WILL NOT HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT TRYING TO LIFT OURSELF UP:

James 4:10 (NKJV)

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Luke 18:10-14 (NKJV)

10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'

13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

C. NOT PUFFED UP OR PROUD- GR: FOO-SEE-OH-O : MEANS TO INFLATE, BLOW UP, OR CAUSE TO SWELL- LISTEN TO WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT BEING PROUD: