1 John 4:10-18

 

Jesus Christ didn’t climb up; He stepped down. He wasn’t after the chair at the head of the table; He took the lowest place. By being born as a helpless baby and placed in a manger, Jesus demonstrated the most potent love lesson of all time.

 

 

Love Came Down at Christmas:                                                                                             vv. 10-12

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

 

Three Types of Love:

 

1.         Eros love.

 

2.         Phileo love.

 

3.         Agape love.

 

 

Love divine, all loves excelling,

Joy of heav’n to earth come down!

Fix in us Thy humble dwelling;

All Thy faithful mercies crown.

Jesus, Thou art all compassion;

Pure unbounded love Thou art.

Visit us with Thy salvation;

Enter every trembling heart.

 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, by Charles Wesley

 

 

The Story of Christmas Is the Greatest Love Story:                                                            vv. 13-15

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

 

1.         He loved us when we were unlovable .                                Ephesians 2:4-5

 

2.         He loved us when it was undeserved .                                     Romans 5:6-8

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

 

Give to others, and you’ll receive something really special this Christmas love.

Stan Toler

 

 

No Problem Is Too Big for God’s Power, and No Person Is Too Small for His Love:             vv. 16-18

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

 

1.         His love is unconditional .                                                              John 3:16

 

2.         His love is impartial .                                                     1 Corinthians 1:24-29

 

3.         His love is perfect .                                                                     1 John 4:19

 

4.         His love is everlasting .                                                    1 Corinthians 13:13

 

 

Christmas is the day that holds all time together.

                                                                Alexander Smith