EASTER: LOVE RAISED, TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL
God’s Unmatched, Exemplar Love—1 John 4:9-11
“God wants us to love each other.” (Thank you, Captain Obvious.) But, what does His kind of love look like? Easter is the exemplar of God’s love. (Captain Obvious had to look up exemplar: epitome, model, standard of, paragon.) In the life, death, resurrection of Jesus, we see love at its peak, and Him as our example. Listen as John, the “Apostle of Love,” beautifully describes God’s exemplar Easter love for us.
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“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.” (1 John 4:7-11 –CSB)
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Jesus fulfilled the Father’s mission for Him: seeking, finding, saving lost ones (cf. Matthew 9:12, 13; 18:11; Luke 19:10). He became for us God’s model of and mandate to love. Can somebody say exemplar!?
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Behold, God’s Easter Love for Us. In Christ:
> He Showed Love, Made it Clearly Known (cf. John 1:1-14)
• Didn’t just think or feel it. It is more than sentiment. (John 3:16)
• He acted, initiated, reached out, lived with us. (1 John 3:17, 18; James 2)
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>He Sacrificed His Son for Us (cf. Matthew 1:18-21; John 1:1-14)
• His only Son: precious, priceless, perfect (Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 1:18-21; Colossians 1:3-22)
• God’s Apostle to the sin-damaged: us, world (Matthew 9:12, 13; 1 John 1:5-2:2)
• Jesus’ life for ours, providing life, forgiveness (Romans 5:6-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
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About that Exemplar of Love, aka Jesus . . .
In Jesus, God offers to All, to YOU:
>Love. (Cue up John 3:16, Captain Obvious!) See Romans 5:1-11!
>Life. We can be born again! See John 3:1-16; 20:30, 31; 1 John 5:11-13.
>Forgiveness, Reconciliation. (Colossians 1:11-13; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
>Love to others through YOU! (cf. 1 John 4:7, 8, 11, 12, 19)
**Have you said yes to His Love? It is exemplary! Confess your need, submit, and receive Him (Romans 10:9-13)
**Are you sharing His Easter Love to others, in word and deed?
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“Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.” (1 John 4:11)
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