https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/GodIsLove.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: I John 4:7-21<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. What is love? How would you define it? How would you know if you have it?<\/p>\n
A. It is a common question that teens have. How while I know I’m in love?<\/p>\n
B. The Bible gives two definitions:<\/p>\n
1. Song of Solomon 8:6-8 describes the passion of love<\/p>\n
a. It is personal and precious<\/p>\n
b. It is strong and doesn’t give up<\/p>\n
c. Problems will not quench love<\/p>\n
d. Money cannot buy love.<\/p>\n
2. I Corinthians 13:4-8 gives the rational view of love<\/p>\n
a. Again it is described as enduring<\/p>\n
b. But here we are told a number of things that love is not<\/p>\n c. The definition is important because many people call things love\nthat cannot be love.\n
d. Love wants the best for the one being loved, and so <\/p>\n
(1) love doesn’t mind when the one being loved excels<\/p>\n
(2) love doesn’t have to advance it’s own cause<\/p>\n
(3) love is not rude to someone being loved<\/p>\n
(4) love doesn’t want a loved one in trouble or sinning<\/p>\n
(5) love wants reality and not imagination<\/p>\n
C. God gave us parents so we might understand love<\/p>\n
1. We experience the love that our parents have for us<\/p>\n
2. And we see the love our parents have for each other<\/p>\n
II. The source of love is God – I John 4:7<\/p>\n
A. That is because God is love – I John 4:8, 16<\/p>\n
1. God is the embodiment of love<\/p>\n
2. He demonstrates perfect love<\/p>\n
B. How do you know your parents love you? <\/p>\n
1. Is it because they tell you or is it much more than mere words?<\/p>\n
2. Have you thought about how much your parents give on your behalf? <\/p>\n
a. Of their time, money, and effort? <\/p>\n
b. Not that they mind; they do so willingly because they love you.<\/p>\n
3. God’s love is demonstrated in sacrifice – I John 4:9<\/p>\n a. The greatest expression of love is self-sacrifice for another – John\n15:13\n b. The ultimate demonstration of love is His willingness to purchase\nour salvation with the death of His own Son – John 3:16\n c. I John 3:16-19 – It is not merely words by demonstrated by deeds.\nIt wasn’t imagined, but done in truth.\n
d. God did it for our benefit – Ephesians 5:25-27<\/p>\n
4. God’s love is demonstrated in His care – Psalm 23<\/p>\n
a. We are valuable to God – Matthew 6:25-32<\/p>\n
b. He give us what we need – Luke 11:11-13<\/p>\n 5. God’s love is shown by His willingness to take us in as His own – I John\n3:1\n
C. Your parents loved you without obligation<\/p>\n
1. They loved you before you were even born.<\/p>\n a. They loved you even when you fussed and cried and kept them up\nlate at night\n b. Think about it: do infants deserve love? What did they ever do for\ntheir parents?\n c. But a parent can’t help but love their children, despite all the\ndifficulties\n
2. God loved us despite all the problems we caused Him<\/p>\n
a. God made us upright – Ecclesiastes 7:29<\/p>\n\n \t
b. Our sins separated us from God – Isaiah 59:1-8<\/font><\/p>\n c. Yet, God still reached out for us – Romans 5:8<\/p>\n
d. He doesn’t want any to perish – II Peter 3:9<\/p>\n
e. His love toward us is persistent and strong<\/p>\n
3. As with a parent, God doesn’t love us because He is obligated <\/p>\n
a. As God explained to Israel – Deuteronomy 7:7-8<\/p>\n
b. It is true for us as well – Titus 3:3-5<\/p>\n 4. Even more amazing than the love of a parent for their child is the love\nsome show for children that are not theirs.\n
a. What kind of love does it take to willingly accept a burden?<\/p>\n
b. Most adopted children are not that lovable at the start. <\/p>\n
(1) They are uncertain as to their position<\/p>\n
(2) They don’t trust that it is real<\/p>\n
c. Yet there are some willing to work to break down that barrier<\/p>\n
5. God loves us as adopted children<\/p>\n a. Galatians 4:4-7 – Like a slave child taken in hand and made a child\nof the family\n
b. Romans 8:15-17 – Given full family status<\/p>\n c. There was no obligation. He didn’t have to do it. But God loved us\nso much that he wanted to do it! – Ephesians 1:5\n
D. Your parents’ love taught you what love is and how to love<\/p>\n
1. It seems strange, but love must be taught. <\/p>\n 2. The fact that we are able to love is because God first gave us love – I John\n4:19\n
3. God taught us to love – I Thessalonians 4:9-10<\/p>\n
4. It is a product of being His child – Galatians 5:22<\/p>\n
5. God has given us a spirit of love – II Timothy 1:7<\/p>\n
E. Your parents’ love gives you confidence<\/p>\n 1. Because I know where I stand with my parents, I can go to them with my\nproblems\n
2. I John 4:17-18 – Love drives out fear<\/p>\n
III. God wants you saved.<\/p>\n
A. His patience and goodness leads us to change – Romans 2:4<\/p>\n
B. There is no need to perish – Ezekiel 18:23, 30-31<\/p>\n<\/font>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 4:7-21 I. What is love? How would you define it? How would you know if you have it? A. It is a common question that teens have. How while I know I’m in love? B. The Bible gives two definitions: 1. Song of Solomon 8:6-8 describes the passion of love a. It…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[90,65],"class_list":["post-40356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-god","tag-love"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14259,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-greatest-commandment\/","url_meta":{"origin":40356,"position":0},"title":"The Greatest Commandment","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 22:34-40 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0From among the Pharisees, a lawyer came to Jesus to put him to the test. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He asked, \u201cWhich is the greatest commandment?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A difficult question, given the large number of commands found in the Old Testament. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How do you decide\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24418,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-the-idea-that-there-is-no-fear-in-love-applies-to-all-loving-relationships\/","url_meta":{"origin":40356,"position":1},"title":"Does the idea that there is no fear in love applies to all loving relationships?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to learn what the verse I John 4:18 is all about. Does this speak of our love for God or for our brothers and sisters? Or can this also apply to a relationship between lovers? My friend quoted this verse to me saying that when you are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4367,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/using-love-as-an-excuse\/","url_meta":{"origin":40356,"position":2},"title":"Using Love as an Excuse","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 13:4-7 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Love is a wonderful attitude \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God is love and we should imitate our Father - I John 4:16 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But people pervert what love ought to be and use a claim of \u201clove\u201d as a cover for permitting sin II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Love as an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45337,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/true-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":40356,"position":3},"title":"True Love (Hamilton)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Song of Solomon 8:6-7 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A common question that I receive from teenagers and young adults is \u201cHow will I know that I\u2019m in love? How will I know that this person is the right one?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is a difficult question. How does a person\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19693,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-we-love-god-how-do-you-define-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":40356,"position":4},"title":"When we love God, how do you define love?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have been writing a paper on what it means to love God.\u00a0 I have some parts and to love God you follow his commandments; if you don't, you don't love God. But how do we define love? I have been thinking about it for a long time. It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17409,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-you-show-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":40356,"position":5},"title":"How Do You Show Love?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Corinthians 5:6-21 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It seems that today, showing another person love means never telling them they are wrong or criticizing them any way \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0People claim to be offended if other person disagrees with them or points out a flaw in their behavior \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Islamaphob! Homophob!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40356\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}