1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. I. LOVE TO GOD IS ESSENTIAL TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 1. The Lord is not satisfied unless He obtains our love. 2. Unless we love the Lord there cannot be complete personal union. 3. Love to Him makes our obedience sweet. 4. Love to God acts as an irresistible magnet to draw us from sin. 5. The mutual love between the Christian and his Lord is the heart music of life. II. THE LOVE OF GOD IS THE GRAND MOTIVE POWER OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 1. The love of God is the fountain of our love to each other. To do good to those who need our active sympathy merely because it is our duty to do so is pulling up stream, and the best of us would soon tire of it, but to bless men because we love them constrains us to be faithful in active goodness unto death. 2. The love of God is needful to inspire us to noble deeds. In olden times the maiden promised her hand to the knight if he did some valiant deed of warfare; but in our case the Lord loves us first of all, and that love is the impulse of a noble life. 3. The love of God to us is a sure foundation for our faith. 4. The love of God to the world is an ever present rainbow of hope to the Christian. Why? Because God will second your efforts. He loves them, and therefore let us hope for the worst of men. III. WE ARE COMMANDED TO LOVE OUR BROTHER MAN. 1. This love oils the wheels of service. 2. Love to our brother man is the motive of self-denial for his sake. Pure love is its own exceeding great reward. IV. I would now remind you WHY YOU LOVE GOD. 1. We love Him because He first loved us. 2. We also love Him because He laid down His life for us. 3. We love Him because His love is unchangeable. (W. Birch.) Parallel Verses KJV: We love him, because he first loved us. |
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