I John 4:12-13 (Part 1)

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No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

THE STUDY:

          The fact that God is an unseen God is emphasized throughout scripture. We first read about this in Exodus 33:20, “But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” In the New Testament we see God described as being ‘invisibles” (I Timothy 1:17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.)

          Although no one can directly see God, God is knowable to some extent since he lives in us as we live out his love for others. Love from God, incarnate in followers of Jesus, powerfully demonstrates God’s purpose in the world.

Even if God cannot be seen directly as gnostic heretics thought, God can be seen when his people act in love. John insists that divine love infused into us can be perfected. That is, it fulfills its purpose or achieves its end (telos), among us as we live in love.^[1]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that just because we don’t see God face to face doesn’t mean he is not present. We know he is because of the Love that is demonstrated: Love received and distributed. By this love we know God and we know of his presence.

CONCLUSION:

          One afternoon a little boy was playing outdoors. He used his mother's broom as a horse and had a wonderful time until it was getting dark. He left the broom on the back porch. His mother was cleaning up the kitchen when she realized that her broom was missing. She asked the little boy about the broom and he told her where it was.

          She then asked him to please go get it. The little boy informed his mom that he was afraid of the dark and didn't want to go out to get the broom.
His mother smiled and said "The Lord is out there too, don't be afraid." The little boy opened the back door a little and said "Lord if you're out there, hand me the broom."

          We serve a God who everywhere in the world. Today, we are not going to see the Father face to face, but we can see and distribute His LOVE to this world that is in need. Let today be a day that you look for God’s love and share God’s love with others. You never know who may need it today.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

 

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^[1] Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (145–146). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.