What’s Love Got to Do with It?
1 John 4:7-21

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

¹³We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

1. How many of you honestly believe you can name the five wealthiest people in the world?
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? Here’s another quiz:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.¹

I. Love has everything to it.

Tina Turner’s song begins talking about limiting a relationship to the physical. Later in the song, she seems to want more from life—but wrestles with loving. The song says, "What’s love got to do, got to do with it; What’s love but a second hand emotion. What’s love got to do, got to do with it? Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken."

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God." Yes, the quest for love and loving can bring pain. But without love our world is empty and tragic. Think how your life would be without any love in it. You look into eyes, only to see empty stares back at you. There is no one you can count on. No one to do nice things for. No one to talk to who care about what you are saying. You see other people laughing, loving, valuing each other and you realize that you are all alone. That is a glimpse of you in a world without love.

Love has everything to do with living. God’s version of love is the oil in which true life is lived. It is to be connected with all our relationships and makes them a blessing in life rather than a curse. Love enriches our lives and enables us to enrich the lives of others.

It is instructive that Paul writes that no matter what good things you may do, if you do them without love—they are worthless. 1 Cor. 13:1-3 says that if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, or have the gift of prophecy and fathom all mysteries and knowledge, or have mountain-moving faith or even give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, it is all empty and I gain nothing.

In fact, 1 Cor. 13 tells us that faith, hope and love will continue. But in heaven, we won’t have faith or hope—they will be completed. Only love will last forever. Love is the attitude out of which we are to live and make decisions.

II. I learn from God what love is.
Vs. 7-8 - "Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

We must beware of breathtaking abuse of these verses. If God is love, does that mean all loving people have somehow found God? Are all loving people children of God? That is NOT what John was saying! God is love—love is God? No. No more than "Terry is white—white is Terry."

John was trying to communicate that the very nature of God is love. Everything God does is the expression of perfect love. God doesn’t love as if love is something outside of God or an add-on. That is John’s meaning.

God’s love is:

A. Intentional action of involved caring.
Vs. 9 says, "He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."

Intentional caring sees a need and for no other reason than to help meet it love moves into action. It is not like the letter sent to Jimmy:
Dearest Jimmy,
No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you! Yours forever, Marie. P.S., Congratulations on winning the state lottery.

God sent Jesus because you need Him. Love gives what the person needs—not what you need to give. Love meets the need in a way that makes the other person better. It does not demean them. Be careful what you do in the name of love!

B. Positive emotions.
There can be a "feel-good" aspect to loving. It says in Luke 12:32 - "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom." It PLEASES God to give us the kingdom. Positive (warm-fuzzy) emotion may well be involved in loving, but loving is NOT limited by them. We can love whether we "feel like it" or not.

It’s good, for example, to give gifts to mom on Mother’s Day because you feel great love for her. To help, one gas station advertised this way, "Free roses for mothers with gas."

There is no excuse for not loving, like, "I’ll love when I feel like it."

C. Given irregardless of worthiness.
"¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son ..."

God’s interactions with us are saturated with forgiveness and grace.
Our loving is a reflection of God’s love for us. "To fail to express love means that we have not met such powerful divine love ourselves."² Christ changes my self-nature—if I cooperate with Him and helps me begin to express God’s loving nature toward others.

D. Does what is right and best, not what is easy or even desired.
"¹⁷In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him."

Mothers love through discipline as well as a hug. She does this so that the children will learn right from wrong and establish a pattern of making good choices. There is a Spanish proverb that says, "An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy."³ We all need to learn when to say, "Yes" and when to say, "No"”

III. I am learning to grow love.
"¹⁹We love because he first loved us ..."

This reinforces Jesus in Mark 12:30-31-the two greatest commandments, the second of which is "love your neighbor as you love yourself."

Anyone can ignore other people or love only when convenient, but Godly love takes effort. Anyone can strikeout at people, but love takes a different Spirit and choice. Loving is so entwined with being a Christian that it is like if you say you are a Christian and you don’t love, you are a liar! Loving is one way we can measure our spiritual growth or maturity.

Because He loved us, we should love other people. Christ shows me where and how I can love. He once said, "Who is my brother or my mother?" And another time He asked, "Who is my neighbor" implying that everyone is our neighbor. As a Christian, I should be continually working at loving people I meet.

What will you do now?
A Sunday School teacher told his class to bring in a picture of someone they didn’t like and they could throw darts at it. They brought their pictures to the teacher and the next Sunday the pictures were up on the wall. The kids began to pelt them, and some so much that the pictures began to tear. The kids were into it. Then the teacher called a halt to the activity. One by one he took each "un-liked" person’s picture down, turned it over and revealed that the teacher had put a picture of Jesus on the reverse side. When pelting those they didn’t like, the kids had been pelting Jesus. The teacher didn’t say anything. He just revealed the pictures and read from the Bible, "As often as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you did it to me."

What’s love got to do with it? Everything! When you go, live Jesus’ love! Amen.