Because God Loves Me …

Introduction

A king was once going through his accounts. One man was brought before him who owed about $3,000,000,000. The king ordered that the man be sent to prison for failing to pay his debt and that his assets should be sold and paid toward the debt. But the debtor fell down and begged that the king have patience and the man would pay everything. The king was moved with compassion and forgave the debt completely. The man, now free of his debt, left the court room, and as he was walking out he came across one of his coworkers who owed him about $3,000. Immediately he grabbed him and choked him, demanding immediate payment. This second debtor fell down and begged that his coworker would have patience so he could pay everything. But the man whose debt had been forgiven would not wait but sent his coworker to prison and liquidated his assets. Others among these men’s coworkers had seen both exchanges and were grieved by the injustice. They went and told the king what had happened, and he became very angry. He called for the man whose debt he had forgiven and demanded, “I forgave you that enormous debt because you asked me to, shouldn’t you have had compassion on your coworker like I had compassion on you?” Then the king commanded that the servant whose debt he had forgiven be sent to prison until the debt was paid. Jesus tells us this powerful story in Matthew 18:21-35. Those who have been forgiven should forgive. Those who have been loved should love. Let’s learn more about this pattern in 1 John 4:7-11.

Observation

Pray

God is alive and wants to help you understand His Word. Ask Him!

Read Focus Verses

Read 1 John 4:7-11 and notice that there is a theme which is emphasized in every verse.

Unifying Theme

What is the theme that is mentioned in every one of these verses and ties them together? Notice also who this theme is related to.

One Who Loves

In verse 7, what two things are we told are true of those who love one another?

God’s Attributes

Which attribute of God is clearly stated in verse 8.

God’s Gift

What do verses 9-10 tell us God has given us?

Natural Response

According to verse 11, what is the natural response of someone who begins to understand God’s love?

Keyword – Love

Using this symbol to mark all of the instances of the word love will help us visualize the theme of this passage.

Love’s Root

Let’s mark every time the word love appears in 1 John 4:7-11.

Interpretation

The 2nd Greatest Commandment

Notice how Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:37-40 compare with the command in 1 John 4:7.

The Greatest Commandment

According to Matthew 22:37-40, who must we love first to properly love the people around us?

Parallels

We can learn a lot by comparing parallel passages of Scripture. The comparisons help expand our understanding of what God says. In verses 9-10 we are told twice how God showed us His love. In both we are told about Jesus’ relation to God. What is the relationship and how is it described more fully in verse 9?

Sent for What Purpose?

The purpose for which God sent His Son into the world is stated two different ways in these verses. What are the two aspects of the reason God sent His Son into the world as stated in verses 9-10?

Propitiation

Propitiation is a concept we don’t use very often. Do you know what it means? Here is one definition: The word propitiation carries the basic idea of appeasement or satisfaction, specifically toward God. Propitiation is a two-part act that involves appeasing the wrath of an offended person and being reconciled to him. This link will take you to the source of that definition which expands upon it using the various Scripture passages that speak of propitiation.

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Love and Anger

Verse 7 spoke of Christ being the propitiation for God’s wrath toward us. Yet verse 8 says “God is love.” This quote explains a little about how the two work together: Some people, “think that a God of judgement could never be a God of love. Yet all loving people are sometimes filled with anger and wrath, sometimes precisely because of their love. … God gets angry because He loves passionately. He hates injustice because He loves justice. He hates abuse because He loves peace. … He hates evil because He loves good. He hates sin because He loves holiness.” - Jud Wilhite

God’s Holy Love

In your own words, how would you answer someone who said a loving God could never judge sin?

Injustice

Would it be loving for God to leave injustice unpunished?

Whom Did God Send?

You saw that God sent His own Son for us. Read Romans 8:32 and think about what this glorious truth means.

Real Love Expressed

In verses 7 and 11 we see that the natural response to knowing God’s love is to love others. Notice in 1 John 3:16-18 whether this is a theoretical or practical love.

Response Box

Is God’s love toward us theoretical or practical? How do we know?

Application

Knowing God

As you’ve seen in this passage, the more you know about God’s love, the more you will love others. How can you get to know God’s love better today and regularly?

God’s Love – For Me

God sent His Son for you because He loves you. Have you accepted His love by accepting His free gift of salvation? If you have accepted God’s love, have you rejoiced in it yet today and praised Him for it?

Practical Love

What is a practical way you can love someone today because God loves you?

Wrapup

Closing

We hope that this study has helped you see how much God loves you, and how that love impacts your life and helps you love the people around you.

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