Seeking Jesus First Dec. 25, 2024
Abide in the love of God and let God and His love abide in you.
1 John 4:4-5:5 4“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
4:5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.
4:6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
4:9 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.
4:10 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.
4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected or completed in us.
4;13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He abides in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
(Romans 5:5 confirms, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Now, back to reading.)
4:14 “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
4:15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he abides in God.
4:16 And we have known or experienced and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
4:17 Love has been perfected (completed) among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
4:18 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 (complete) in love.
Let’s pause reading for another minute and dig in right here. We know that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. The fear of The LORD points us to God.
Then we find out, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
When we come to faith in Christ, we move from fear to faith, hope and love. Apostle Paul wrote that “these three remain, faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.”
We understand that we are loved by God, and we understand that because of love, God saved us.
Deuteronomy 23:5 says, Because of love, God turned the curse into a blessing.
We are redeemed from the curse of the law because of God’s love for us. What the enemy means for evil, God turns it for our good because He loves us.
Fear is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge but love moves us out of fear into faith in God. And faith works because of love.
Let’s go back to our reading:
4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.
4:20 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?
4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot or Him who Fathered us also loves him who is begotten or who is fathered of Him.
5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
5:3vFor this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
5:4For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5:5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Brothers and sisters, We are recipients of God’s love.
We are recipients of God’s Holy Spirit to dwell with us and in us.
Because we have received God’s love we have access to all of God’s promises.
The word of God is a love letter. This is why love is the fulfillment of the law.
Everything that The Word tells us to do is for our good.
It is easy to obey God’s Word when we realize how much He loves us and that everything He tells us is to bless us.
Sons of God are led by The Spirit of God because the Sons of God have a revelation of God’s love for them.
We hope in God and are not disappointed because the love of God is flooding our hearts by His Holy Spirit which He shares with us. Whoever is joined with The LORD is one spirit with Him.
If you have never believed and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God who came to forgive your sin and to make you God’s family, let’s do that right now. Please pray with me.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your son Jesus. Thank You for loving me so much. Thank You for making away for me to receive your love and forgiveness. Thank You for making a way for me to be Your beloved child. I trust You God. I believe in Your Son Jesus. I receive Your Holy Spirit. Teach me to hear Your voice and follow You. Help me to experience You and Your love for me. Be my Father. Be my God. Jesus, be my Savior and LORD. Holy Spirit, be my comfort and my teacher. Even though I don’t understand what all of this means, I want to know You. Help me. Save me. Deliver me. Forgive my sin. Heal me. Restore my soul And bless me. From today on, I will abide in Your love and You will abide in me. I pray and ask these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.