A Model of Love

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” — Romans 12:10 “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” — 1 John 4:10-12 1. Love Defined. “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” — 1 John 4:10 “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” — Romans 3:23 “For God so loved the world that He sent His One and Only Son…” — John 3:16 “…the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 6:23 Love is defined by the cross of Christ. 2. Love’s Design. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” — 1 John 4:11 What does the love of Jesus look like? (*Adopted from a list by Paul Tripp.) 1. The love of Jesus is a committed love. 2. The love of Jesus comes from a willing heart. 3. The love of Jesus is deeply forgiving. “We don’t love the way Jesus called us to love because we aren’t willing to forgive the way Jesus has forgiven. And so, we carry thoughts of condemnation; we rehearse people’s failures in our heads; we keep record of wrongs. In moments of gossip, we share the sin and failure of someone with somebody else. Listen! It’s very hard to move lovingly towards someone you are, at that moment, condemning.” – Paul Tripp 4. The love of Jesus is unrelenting. 5. The love of Jesus is incarnational. “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” — 1 John 4:12