1 John 4:7-12
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and while the world often gets love wrong, there’s one love story that stands above the rest: the love of God. This isn’t about fleeting feelings or conditional acceptance; it’s a deep, self-sacrificing love that transforms lives.
This past Sunday’s sermon focused on the true meaning of love, contrasting it with the world’s often distorted view. The speaker highlighted the rare and precious example of a couple celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, a testament to genuine love’s ability to endure. But where does this genuine love come from?
The answer, the sermon emphasized, is God. True love originates from Him, and it’s not just about what He does, but who He is. The Bible, in 1 John 4:7-12, tells us that God is love. This agape love, the highest form of love, is self-sacrificing and expects nothing in return. It’s the kind of love only God can give.
The sermon explored how God’s love is manifested in the world around us, from the beauty of creation to the blessings of relationships. But the ultimate manifestation of God’s love is Jesus Christ. He is the propitiation for our sins – the substitute who took the punishment we deserved. This act of love, the greatest the world has ever seen, is the core of the Christian faith.
If we have accepted this incredible gift of love and our souls are redeemed and brought back into fellowship with God, how can we not share it? The sermon challenged the congregation to reflect on the importance of sharing the Gospel with a lost and dying world. Just as we wouldn’t withhold a cure for a terminal illness from a loved one, we shouldn’t withhold the secret to eternal life from those who don’t know Jesus.
The speaker shared a powerful anecdote about atheist Penn Jillette, who said that if Christians truly believe what they say they believe, how much would they have to hate someone not to tell them about the hope of salvation? This stark question highlights the urgency of sharing the love of Christ.
The sermon concluded by emphasizing that we are representatives of God’s love. We are not salesmen or promoters, but witnesses to the greatest love story ever told. We share the good news not because we are qualified, but simply because we have experienced the transformative power of God’s love in our own lives. It’s a love too wonderful to keep to ourselves.
