Series: Light – Life – Love: Letters from John #6
Date: June 2, 2024
Text: I John 4:7-21
Introduction
“As we draw nearer and nearer to God our
capacity to love will grow greater and greater.”
God IS love and love’s initiator.
What do we see about love from I John 4:7-21
Love is the central characteristic of the Church… and the apprentice of Jesus
I Corinthians 13
What do we learn about love from I Corinthians 13
Galatians 5:22-23… Love the first fruit of the Spirit
We need to understand and embrace our belovedness.
The beloved charter – Trevor Hudson
- Experiment with the creation of your own beloved charter.
- Look up those verses that are expressive for you of the way God values our lives.
- Write these verses down at random.
- When your list is complete arrange your verses into a meaningful personal charter. It need not be lengthy – five or six sentences are sufficient.
- With time, it may change and develop as different verses attract your attention.
- For the next month, on a daily basis, set aside about ten minutes to be alone.
- Picture the risen Christ sitting alongside you, speaking these words to you.
- Bid the indwelling Spirit to press home the message of your own belovedness. Notice your own inner responses and share them with the Holy One.
Possible verses:
- You are my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22
- Beloved: Romans 9:25, Col. 3:12; I John 2:7, 3:2, 21; 4:1, 7, 11; III John 1:1, 2, 5, 11;
- Psalm 139 - “You formed me and knew me from before I was born, and you see all my days.”
- Ephesians 1:3 – “You have called me and given me the right to be a son… and have blessed me with all the riches of heaven.”
- Jeremiah 29:11 - “You know what’s in store for me and you have my welfare and NOT calamity in mind for me.”
- Philippians 1:6 – “You will bring the work that you started in me to completion.”
- Romans 8:31, 35-39 – You are FOR me… and nothing can separate me from your presence.
- He calls us his beloved – I John 2:7, 3:2, 3:21, 4:1, 4:7, 4:11
- Beloved of the Lord – 2 Thessalonians 2:13, I John 4:7-21
We love out of our belovedness.
How do we tell others about God’s love… Navigators gospel presentation…
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you understood your belovedness? If not… what gets in the way?
- Are you living out the challenge to love as John and Paul describe it?
- What is an opportunity that you have to love in your life right now that you might be missing?
- Can you identify one person in your life at present with whom you can share God’s love?
