Bold Christlike Love (Part A)

God is not given us a spirit of fear, but the spirit of love. Many times we preach the gospel and other Christians are loving us was preaching telling the truth with others loving us laming Christ.

Why look for mystical experiences from angels when we have the maker of the angels and we have a big enough assignment to work on loving everyone, especially those in the body of Christ.

So we are to abide in love. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher. Rick asked Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first John, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now please open your Bibles to first John chapter 4 as we begin a brand-new message called old Christlike love first John chapter 4, no one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love has been perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him in. He is in us because he has given us his Spirit. We have seen and testify that the father has sent his son as Savior of the world.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God. God abides in him and he and God, and we have known and believe that love, the love that God has for us. God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him.

Love has been perfected among us in this we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is so are we in this world there is no fear in love, perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment, but he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us. 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 and this commandment we have from him that he who loves God must love his brother also seeing God through Christian love bold Christlike love.

That's the title. Hopefully that will be my emphasis in our consideration of judges. There is a difference between seeking knowledge and seeking truth and is not obvious evidently to a lot of people. When Paul wrote to Timothy's said that there were those who were always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth. They were learning. They were getting knowledge but not truth according to God when it comes to God, humans we tend to gain knowledge of things faster than we get the knowledge of truth concerning God. That is why there are so many unbelievers in this world and so difficult to get the truth into them. We have to ask ourselves what then what about us. We who have received not only the knowledge but also the truth concerning God. Do we also understand the love that belongs to the knowledge and the truth of God and we understand it in a practical way in a way that it means something, it shows up it goes beyond just lip service. What John is been trying to stress this for us, and in fact he will be given the fifth chapter of this first letter continuing his encouragement on the subject of love for believers within this paragraph we just read verses 12 through 21 God is reference to no less than 25 times each member of the Trinity is mentioned in this one paragraph. Love is mentioned 16 times not been bringing that up as we been covering love in this first letter because it is inescapable. The emphasis on it.

If you were to read it out loud in your and in your own private time you would find yourself repeatedly saying the word love the word God. The word father and other references pronouns concerning God. But in spite of this emphasis on love not to lose sight of the fact that there are things to God that are unacceptable.

Nonetheless, yes God is love.

God does love but there are also things that God hates and we have to balance that otherwise we depart from the truth, and the love that we claim to believe in becomes a love contrary to what God has taught us about our love is supposed to be more effective than any other love on earth. In fact, our agape or love is only found in those who truly believe in Jesus Christ and people should see some of God in us through the love that we have flowing from us, bold, Christlike love really is not a timid love to bold love and I don't know if I can bring that out of this section of the Scripture.

But I'm going to give it a shot.

I will say it is bold because it abides and that's what I'm after the love that comes with Christ abides. That means it's it stays through no matter what.

One of the reasons why it is a bold love that shines through. It is supposed to penetrate a heart heart. Looking at verse 12. Now no one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is been perfected in us. Will the short meaning of the verses that we haven't seen God, but people can see some of God through the love that we show because that love comes from God because God is love.

But now, to kind of the little bit more in depth in the first no one is seen God at any time see what what about the people of the Old Testament that saw God in human form that wasn't the fullness of God. That was a failed glimpse of God God God holding back more of him than man could handle Exodus 33 God speaking to Moses he said you cannot see my face for no man shall see me and live. So those Christophe knees and theophanies that we talk about those manifestations of God to people are always restrained manifestations are never full-blown. Here I am, we in this cursed life in the sinful flesh could not bear it.

So John speaks on behalf of humanity's no one is really cotton a full look at God in this world.

When Christ came when God came as a man, the son of God in Christ. He was veiled in human flesh. John writes in his gospel. No one is seen God at any time, the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father. He has declared him as no one got a good look at him, but the son of God.

This Jesus in John's writing that after all of his experiences with Christ, the miracles, the crucifixion and resurrection.

The ascension, after all of that, he writes, none of us have gotten full-blown view, but what we have seen is declared is revealed as part of so much about God answered so many questions. Paul writes the Romans for the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh also is God sent his son, we could say God came in human form to deal with sin, and he came in the likeness of sinful flesh, not in the fullness because there was no sin in him. We cannot see the invisible God. We see his work.

Everybody sees his work face and are not admitted or not you can be blind and see his work. Romans one which is our authority, our authority for the statements of Scripture facts just go with the Scripture.

The Scriptures are never outside affect we may not understand it or see it but it's there. Romans one for since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Paul says the man who says there is no God but not seen God or any evidences of God.

Paul says that's not true is not true at all.

You have no excuse you're guilty before God. You know better and you're compounding your sin by lying about it. Also in the atheist lies they don't want there to be God, a God, the God so they think that they can just dismiss him and unfortunately for them they cannot. I mean we can't see the wind we could see the effects of the wind, but you really can't see the wind. We can feel it. Hebrews 1127 by faith he forsook Egypt. Speaking of Moses, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. All of the scary power that Farrell had to Moses. God was bigger and more real. God was who he was interested in the driving force behind idolatry, at least in the ancient days when people were in the habit of making figurines and statues to represent their God.

The folly of man's inability to grasp an invisible God. We can't take it. We gotta have something we can see all the true God says I want you to take it by faith. Look at the evidences the proofs I want you to believe that way because the other way is false, and I'll have none of it making renderings that I have not given to you and bowing down before them as representations of me all judge you for that. When Jesus walked on the earth. It was not a new presence of God.

It was just God coming into view new expression of the existing presence of God. And so when John says if we love one another, God abides in us know we don't separate that from what he just said no one is seeing God at any time does not mean we not experienced God does not mean we have not seen proofs and evidences of his existence. Then he ties it into love. He says if we love one another, God, God is with us he's abiding with us. He's hanging with us and people are not seeing God is he is, until they begin to look at Christ certainly is word in the Old Testament begins to peel back the layers, but more so when we come to Christ and through his love which I fear that we fail so often I mean the reasons why we fail in the one. One reason is be. We associate agape love with feelings and we don't feel and why should we love, but agape love is bigger than that its demand by God's commandment overrules all feelings were that simple that Satan would win all the time then be no such thing as a moderate for Christ difference between a model for Christ and martyr for anyone else's to modify Christ is moving on the strength of faith is collected, the evidence made a decision and move forward.

Corrie 10 boom, for example. She just knew who Jesus was and the Nazis could not dislodge that from her or her sister Betsy there been many martyrs we don't hear every story of them.

What we know of some of them and we always impressed by them and we always say the light to ourselves. I wonder if I could take it like they did love God says will have you do that God is made visible through love and his people.

Romans five the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit was given to us, we remember that when I feeling very loving toward someone else so easy. It's so easy to stop loving and justify a loveless heart in the name of love. I'm tempted to sing you a verse about stopping in the name of love.

I'm not going to do it.

Verse 13. By this we know that we abide in him and he is in us because he has given us his Spirit as I just read from Romans five.

These men were on the same page as they had the same Holy Spirit, teaching them, these things they did not have access to travelers. We do conferences as we do the came across these realizations largely on their own and that is the Lord revealing it to them independent of each other. Not likely. Paul and John sat down and said let's discuss the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in love. They didn't have to. They had a direct line by this by this love, we prove that we are accepting the proofs choices. By this we know by what my God giving us a spirit yes, but we accepting the proof that he is made available in our hearts because without that can go forward. All you have to ask yourself you younger people believing that you are believers. Have you received him. Have you accepted the proof. Have you examined and if you thought it a little bit at least. Have you thought about it or you just showing up because that's for people that would people in your life doing. John writes in his first gospel in his gospel and write a second gospel, but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in his name.

This evangelism right there you want to share the gospel. Would someone tell him straight.

I got to receive him. You can reject him. So let's say your receiving clerk working for some Corporation in the UPS truck shows up and delivering a package and and you going to receive a new look at the package and you say this is damaged so you reject it you refuse it is and assigning for you can put a bag in the truck are not receiving people do that with God all the time. They think is damaged gospel message that we have they find is I don't like it. I don't want it. I rejected all the difference with the UPS driver he puts it. Instruction goes away when you reject the evidences of Christ, God's and go away. That's not the end of the story. It's the beginning of a sorrowful story if it's not corrected.

So he says. By this we know that we abide in him because and he in us. Of course it's mutual because he has given us his Holy Spirit. You know, Holy Spirit is actually is also called the spirit of love. Second Timothy chapter 1, for God is not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind when next time you come across a kooky Christian music does I given you that running around the century drawing all the attention to yourself open and holler like you have no control… That's you and it's insulting stop. That's why we have armed people in this church with pepper spray taken down.

We have not reviewed listening and have never been here.

We we have other means somebody is no authority on who is very funny is funny. God is not given us a spirit of fear, but the spirit of love.

How many times we preach the gospel and other Christians are loving us for screeching and telling the truth that others are loving us in claiming Christ.

Why look for mystical experiences from angels when we have the maker of the Angels and we have a big enough assignment to work on loving everyone, especially those in the body of Christ. So we are to abide in love, which means to remain even if you feel cheated on love the betrayed no justification to stop this love is quite an assignment. I can do it, neither can you alone. Gotta go to the Lord for that.

I like the section in Corinthians, I been reciting it for a few times last few sessions appear. Hopefully I'm going to memorize the section II tried years ago and got distracted like you need to know all that, but I'm going to read it. It's the second Corinthian letter, which is just a beautiful letter and of course that there are still those pockets of resistance and that church in Corinth that rejected the great apostle Paul. In spite of all the evidences and so he takes them to task yet again and he says are the Hebrews saw my other Israelites saw my are they the seed of Abraham so eyes and listen.I'm there to. Don't try to act like you've got some spiritual pedigree that I don't have I got the same thing but let's take this a little more. He continues his other ministers of Christ. I speak as a fool besieges I'm sorry I even have to do this with you but I'm going to lay it out. He says I am more in labor is more abundant in stripes above measure imprisoned more frequently and that's often from the Jews five times I received 40 stripes -13 times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked night. The day ice caps and in the deep, and he still has another shipwrecked waiting for him.

This is before the ship wreck on the alum altar where they survive. As I survived the ship wreck at Malta just to be bitten by a serpent of Viper. That's ministry is the ministry of love.

Whatever motivation did he have he continues and journeys, often traveling who loves to travel, don't raise your hand.

Because we don't do that you say. Maybe some of you do love to travel. I don't used to like travel.traveling out of my system. Paul is saying in journeys walking inconvenience, hard times getting from one place to another. He says, and perils of waters and perils of robbers that went with the traveling and perils of my own countrymen's own countrymen wanted to kill him so many times a halogen from city to city and at times and perils of Gentiles and perils in the city and perils in the wilderness and perils in the sea and perils among false brethren in weariness and toil and sleeplessness often in hunger and thirst fastings often in Golden nakedness beside the other things but come upon me every day.

My deep concern for all the churches. Paul you mean after all, they put you through.

You still love these people. He says who is weak and I am not weak who is made to stumble and I do not burn with indignation.

He I hate when Christians get messed up. Not like them at all to take the curse.

The deal with Delta in this life, but it's worth it to get to the other end. God is going to make it worth it and continues, I must boast this if I must boast I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity my weakness that is the God of my the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever knows that I am not lying in Damascus, the governor under artistic King was guarding the city of Damascus with the garrison desiring to arrest me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escape from his hands, how humiliating getting the basketball I will not. I walked in the door. I'm working at nopal you can't do it that way. You are too valuable to us to hand Satan. The victory, please get in the basket and he writes about it because it meant something to him and it meant something to the people who read it and it means something to us. John had his own struggles. Also, he was not exempt from struggles in Christ, he was persecuted and so he says he has given us his Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the spirit of love that is why these men were able to be the apostles of Jesus Christ like candles in the dark for us. We can do better.

We can always do better.

Verse 14 and we have seen and testify that the father sent the son as Savior of the world. We've seen his work in truth and logic spirit.

In fact, we have seen God's work when not going to say we've not seen what we did see with their eyes own heart. Isaiah wrote even I God speaking through him, and Yahweh besides me there is no savior but but weight it says right here and sent the son Savior of the world had of the Jehovah witnesses justify refusing Jesus as being God the Savior. They don't that's how doubletalk all they want.

They don't preach the gospel. There was a Christian missionary Dorian Judson. It was a missionary to Burma where he was persecuted. His children wife first wife, and they would let them preach Christ.

He was always viewed as a farmer at one point in his ministry. He tried to appease them a war. The garb of of of of a holy man, spiritual leader, and then he wore a different type to separate himself from the Buddhist's and then he came to realize you know what I just could be me.

I am who I am and will preach the gospel and he wrote or said that he was to preach the gospel, not anti-Buddhism. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference rate cross reference is the ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you'd like to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference radio.com find a number of teachings from Pastor Rick available there. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast you subscribe will be notified of new editions of cross reference radio. Just search for cross reference radio iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast apps. You can also follow the links@crossreferenceradio.com. We're glad we were able to spend time with you today to the next time to continue learning from the book of first John pastor I hear cross reference