Introduction
Please turn with me once again in your Bibles to 1 John 4. This morning, we are going to be reading verses 13-16. We are going to continue on the topic of love, yet we are going to see it in a different way than we have previously. The title of this sermon is “An Abiding Love” which comes from verse 16, but it encapsulates the all 4 verses we will be considering. I am going to read starting in verse 13.
In the two prior sermons before this one we have looked at the love that has descended from heaven, looking at the love sent in Jesus Christ as the propitiation of our sins, and we have seen the love provided that we desperately need. This time around my desire for us is to see love as it continues to be manifest in our Christian lives.
I know that there are some people in this room that have been married for more than 30 years which for marriage today is an uncommon feat. If I were to ask who these people were, they would most certainly raise their hands in great joy for the duration of their marriage. But if I were to ask if you always loved your spouse during that time, how many hands would go up? If we were honest with ourselves, none would go up.
I bring this up because the love that we are going to look at today goes beyond the source or provision, but duration. It is a love that abides. A love that continues on that comes from God. Therefore, it is a perfect love. I want us to see this abiding love as we go through the 3 persons of the Trinity. First, this abiding love is in the Spirit (v.13), second, it is in the Son (vv.14-15), and third, it is in God, himself (v.16). Because John spends so much time in this epistle about who Jesus Christ is and what he has done, we are going to spend a greater part of our time together in verses 14 and 15.
- Love in the Spirit (v.13)
We begin our time together in verse 13 where we first will see the abiding love of God in the Holy Spirit. It is fitting that John starts off with the work of the Holy Spirit. The first 6 verses of chapter 4 speak about the work of the Holy Spirit in the Christian life. John reemphasizes that the Christian knows that he is in God if the Holy Spirit dwells within him. Further, John tells us that the abiding love of God himself resides in the Christian who has put his trust in Jesus Christ, the propitiation for our sins (v.10). Now, it is good for us to know this truth, but I want us to look a little deeper into this and see what it looks like in our lives. Turn with me to Galatians 5. I am going to read verses 16-26. I want us to notice the practicality of the work of the Spirit. Ask yourself this question before I read the text. Tangibly, what does it look like to have the Spirit within me in my everyday life?
So, how would you answer that question? Paul gives the Galatians and us several things to look for in our lives. The most notable is the warring between the flesh and the Spirit. Would you say that you are more on the fleshly living side or the Spirit’s side? Now, this does not mean that you and I are going to live out the fruits of the Spirit of verses 22 and 23 to absolute perfection in our every day lives. However, these fruits are not to be completely absent in our lives.
Are the fruits of the Spirit something you strive for as a Christian? Do you long to live like Christ and to sacrifice and crucify the flesh in your own life? Listen, it is hypocritical of the highest degree to say that you are a believer and yet live in the flesh (1 John 1:6, 2:9). Turn back with me to 1 John 4:13. With all of this in mind, it is clear to see that people can only abide in God if the Holy Spirit is present in the life of that person.
It is also seen in how the giving of the Spirit is applied in this text as well. Seeing it on the page it would seem as though the ‘giving’ is a delivering of something that someone did not have. The Greek says that this ‘giving’ is that of committal. In other words, the Holy Spirit that is given to those of us who have trusted in Jesus Christ, is given as a commitment from God. This gives us great hope that the God of the universe will never ever leave you and me. He is committed to us, and he has shown that and his abiding love through the giving of the Holy Spirit.
- Love in the Son (vv.14-15)
Let us turn our attention to the abiding love of God as seen in Son of God. John starts off by telling us the response that he and others had of God’s abiding love upon them. Notice towards the beginning that John has “seen and testified.” This is in addition to verse 13, hence the word and at the beginning of verse 14. John lays out the reality of God sending Jesus to be the Savior of the world before he gets to the abiding work that stems from this truth.
What does it look like to ‘see?’ I think that this is important to consider because John says this as a means to prove something that has happened. In other words, Jesus coming to earth as the Son of God was personally attributed to the life of John and the others who saw him. One definition for ‘seeing’ in this text I thought stood out goes as follows, To see or “to gaze upon something that stimulates the moral and mental faculties in an impressive (and often astonishing) way (Bible Sense Lexicon). If any of us were to see the Lord Jesus Christ and had also heard the words that he was saying, we too, would look upon him with astonishment. Even the Pharisees who hated Jesus were amazed multiple times as the Scripture would tell us. Consider for a moment two verses in Luke 5. First verse 17 and then verse 26. This occurs when the paralyzed man is lowered, and Jesus forgives him and heals him. Verse 17 reads, “On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him (Jesus) to heal.” So, the Pharisees are present during this miracle. Listen now to verse 26. “And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God…” One commentator said that the Pharisees were left speechless after the miracle (Ralph W. Harris, Luke, pg.157). No matter who would have seen the work of Jesus, there was astonishment at what was happening.
For us believers, our astonishment does not stop at the work of Jesus on earth. For John in verse 14, he is recalling the amazement that he had upon seeing the Savior of the world.
What is also true and consistent with John’s writing is that it does not stop at the mere truth, but leads to an action because of the truth. This where the testimony of John comes into play. What does it mean to testify? In our day we would say that we are defending something in particular. The Greek word points us further. The word testify is ‘martyroumen’ from where we get the word ‘martyr.’ And what were martyrs known for? They were known for upholding the truth they believed in to the point of death! This goes further than testifying at a court trial. John and the other disciples were ready to defend the truth that the Father sent Jesus and that Jesus is God to the point of death. Two such examples of this are recorded in Acts. First in 18:5 when Paul is testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. We know that this is dangerous territory because it was the Jews who wanted Jesus to be executed. The second occurrence takes place in 20:21 when Paul is telling the Ephesian elders that he testified about Christ to Jews and Greeks specifically about repentance and faith. John’s testimony of Jesus being the Savior of the world was to the same groups of people that Paul would have preached to.
Move with me to the middle of verse 14 where John speaks of Jesus being sent by God. This is the most critical part of what we are going to look at this morning. Without this truth, the entire argument falls apart. Verses 13-16 hinge on the reality that the Father sent the Son into the world. What would have caused John to have such confidence that this occurred? For starters, John walked with Jesus himself. He heard the words of Jesus as he records them in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” The Scriptures point people to Jesus whom the Father sent. Jesus points people to the Scripture that speaks about him. The Scripture talks about this in the Old Testament with the many prophecies found about him.
However, it is clearly shown in the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. John was present at that time (Matthew 17:1). Matthew writes in 17:5, “behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”” John has such great confidence that Jesus was sent from God because he saw the approval that the Father gave to Jesus.
We can see from the text up to this point and more so going forward that there is a circular interchange within the Trinity. The Trinity works together to promote the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is not that they are in competition with one another. Think for a moment of the Scripture reading. At the time of the ascension, the disciples had been promised that the Holy Spirit would come as it is recorded in John 14 and 16. Jesus told them again in Acts 1:4-5, 8 that the Holy Spirit would come. Now, I say all of this because without Jesus promising the Holy Spirit to the New Testament church, then what John the Baptist said about Jesus baptizing with fire, that is the Holy Spirit, wouldn’t come true. And if the Father did not send Jesus the Son, then there would have no dispatching of the Holy Spirit upon the believers at Pentecost in Acts 2.
Furthermore, the validity of the Word of God would be at discredited. The entire Old Testament would fall apart. The New Testament would not matter. Do you see the importance of Jesus Christ being sent from the Father as the Savior of the world? Our lives depend upon this truth, the Bible depends upon this truth! Every other religious book and system depends on good works. The Bible depends on Jesus Christ alone.
How does this abiding love affect our lives? Look with me at verse 15. Just as we saw in verse 2, confession and belief go together. But unlike verse 2 that was more implicatory about the divinity of Jesus, verse 15 is very clear that there must be a confession and belief that Jesus Christ is God. Thus, the abiding love of God is the medium in which God uses to bring forth a person to confession and belief in the name of Jesus Christ. According to verse 15, our lives depend upon Jesus Christ being the Son of God. Notice at the beginning of verse 15. “Whoever confesses,” who is that? That is anyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. There is a status change, if you will, upon this confession. No longer are you and I associated with the world and the flesh. But God now abides in you and me. Let me be very clear, God cannot abide in any human being who has not confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The attribution of the abiding work of God is reserved for the one who confesses the name of Christ.
Notice that this also works the other way around. Only the believer or confessor of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can abide in God. That is because God gives the believer the privilege and the right as a child of God who has been born of God the abiding relationship with God. Remember, our relationship with God is personal and we see that carried out in the abiding love that God has for us.
I found myself asking, how does confession fit into everyday life? It immediately brought to mind the many trials that you and I face. You have heard the saying, you are either going into a trial, in the midst of a trial, or just coming out of a trial. Permit me to speak on this for a moment.
It is God who brings us to a place of confession (the law given in Numbers 5:5-10, Ezra 9:15-10:3). He uses trials in our lives to bring us to him to show us our need for him. He continues this practice throughout our Christian life. Trials show up so that we come back to God. It is when we feel most comfortable about how things are going, then the trial comes? Have you ever thought that way before? Things are going just fine, and you begin to ask yourself, ok, things are well, when is the trial coming?
And during the trial, God abides in us just as much as he does at any other time in our Christian life. He does not abandon us during those times. It is during trials that we are more prone to confess our need for God. And when we come out of the trial, we confess that it is the Lord Jesus mediating on our behalf who gets us through the trial and the praise, then, goes directly to him!
Abiding is a two-way street with God. He abides in us and keeps us abiding in him. Notice that you and I play no part in the abiding work of God except for the confession of our absolute dependence upon him. Oh yes, we live through the trial, and we work out our salvation through the trial, but abiding in God has everything to do with God. Isaiah 57:15 tells us, “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”” It would be misplaced to say that we have a crucial role in abiding in God. 2 Corinthians 6:16 clarifies this by quoting Leviticus 26:12, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” It is God who causes us to abide in him!
- Love in God the Father (v.16)
We turn our attention lastly, but not least to the abiding love God found in the Father. Look with me at verse 16. In sort of a definitive and conclusive way, John introduces the love of the Father. The beginning of verse 16 says that we have come to know and believe. This is the first time that we have seen knowledge and belief paired together like this. This statement was true for the original recipients and for us as well. Those of us who have professed faith in Jesus Christ have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. We have experienced this love and believe in the truths that go along with it. This is why confession is so important as we come to this point. Confession bridges truth and belief.
As much as God is light as we saw in chapter 1 of this epistle, so God is love. the love and light of God are parallel one with another. There is no darkness found in God and there is nothing unloving found in God. Now you may hear, God is not very loving in the Old Testament, there was a lot of death even to children!
There are two things to say here. 1. Those children that died young, did not have to experience for very long the pain and suffering that this world affords and very well could be before the Lord at this moment. Think of an infant, 2-, 3-, or 4-year-old. That child was spared the many sorrows of this world. “But the child didn’t get to experience the joys of life!?” Although that is true, life with God in pure bliss is far greater than any joy that can be experienced here. 2. What I think the problem is with people who hold this thought, is that they have an issue with the divine wrath and judgement of God upon sin. God executed perfected justice to people in the Old Testament who violated his law.
Is God unloving in the Old Testament? Turn with me to Zephaniah 3. I am going to read verses 1-9. I want to read this example of the love that God has for man in the Old Testament. Notice, this is love unlike what the world can produce. Now, did you notice how the chapter began? It begins with the rebellious nature of the people of Jerusalem. Zephaniah spends 4 verses talking about Jerusalem’s wickedness. Yet in verse 5, the Lord is righteous. He has disciplined Jerusalem in verse 6 with the longing that Jerusalem would turn from her sin! He says, “Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction.” This is the aim that God has toward his people, to turn from sin and trust in him! But Jerusalem wants her sin. The end of verse 7 says they were all the more eager to be corrupt. So, God, being righteous must punish them for their willingness to sin. God’s justice is loving!
Ultimately, God has his way and that is where we see the beautiful promise of verse 9 when the people come together, having a pure speech, and calling upon God’s name in unity. God’s promise of salvation, which is done through his love, prevails, even in the Old Testament.
To truly call God unloving in the Old Testament is to not do what he says he is going to do. Do you think that letting man die in his sin is loving? God has brought forth the plan of salvation in Jesus Christ who is the Savior of the world. Come today, you who are separated from God. Come to his loving embrace full of salvation and freedom from the bondage of sin.
Turn back with me to 1 John 4:16. Look with me toward the end of the verse. God is love, therefore all who abide in God, God abide in him, that is believers. Seeing the abiding of God in a different way for a moment. You and I abide in God who is love. Remember last week, we love because God has provided love for us? Now we have come to know that God loves us because he has sent Jesus Christ the Savior of the world that we would abide in God who encapsulates love itself.
Conclusion
Do you abide in God? If so, is this shown in your testimony of him? Listen, the abiding of God must never remain only within us, but it must be shown in great joy as you and I testify of the wondrous works of God. As one who abides in God, does this bring you to a place of confession? It is not enough for us to confess that Jesus is the Son of God once, and never do it again. As we God continues in us, do you and I continue in God? Is this seen by our outward confession of Jesus’ deity? Do you believe that God is love? Even through the trial and the pain, do you stand strong on the reality that God is love and that his love never changes, it never decreases in effectiveness or amount? This is where we show to the world that God abides in us and we abide in him as we rely on his love and trust in him when we go through trial and difficulty.
If this is not true of you this morning then may I ask what stops you from abiding in God? Turn from your sins today, confess them, and trust in God. God wants your allegiance and in return he promises to abide in and with you. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. He will never condemn you for your sins. You have his abiding love as a guarantee that that will never happen.
And, brothers, may I encourage you to continue to run the race of faith well. That no matter your age, it is said of you that you abide in God as you live in the Spirit, for God is faithful to always abide in you! Let’s pray.
