The President of Bob Jones University, Dr. Stephen Jones. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us. God not only spoke love, but showed love to each of us. Now who did He send? Did He send an angel? Did He send a messenger? Did He send a prophet? No, He sent us Himself in the person of the Son. Now that's love. He sent the only begotten Son into the world to become like us, to dwell among us, to live and to die for us. We were dead and God stepped in. We were enemies. And God showed love. He took the initiative. This shows us. It holds up God's love for us and says, look at it. Turn it around. Think about it. Because you'll never understand love if you don't understand this. What do others learn about God's love for them when they observe your life? In today's message, Dr. Jones shows us what God describes as the evidence that you have eternal life, life that has been implanted in you by Jesus Christ. If you have a Bible at hand, we invite you to turn to Dr. Jones' text, 1 John, Chapter 5. But first, the Soundforth singers prepare us for today's message. The holy heart was broken sent from the Father's side. The Son of God forsaken, the Holy Sacrifice. For me, a short-slave, and only a slave. My sin forever taken, that I might be his own. ♪ The holy lamb was taken, abandoned and alone ♪ ♪ He bore the world's affliction, he bore the world's pain ♪ And when my heart is broken, when my mind's filled and dry, the Son of God now risen, now risen, will draw me to his heart. That I might be here now is the president of bob jones university doctor steven jones all right go ahead and hear your bibles please In turn to 1 John chapter 4. 1 John 4. Probably if you've been saved any amount of time, if you've read through the New Testament, it's probably one of your favorite books in the New Testament. It's warm, very tender in its words, and it's very practical in its application. 1 John, it's easy to walk away having been met where we live because that's the whole way it's written. It's written for practical edification. In fact, John's stated purpose in writing is that he wants to ground believers in the assurance of their salvation. Many of us have struggled with that at times. Some of you have struggled repeatedly with that at times. And John was writing to encourage believers, to reassure them, to give them tests that they could look at to see if there was any evidence of life in them. When you go to the doctor, there's several evidences of life. First, if you were ambulatory, if you walked in on your own, that's probably a pretty good evidence that you're alive. Then if they take your pulse, that's a good evidence if there's something there that you're alive. There are evidences of life in us physically. There are evidences in us of life spiritually. And John says in 1 John 5, verse 13, these things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. He writes these things to give them encouragement and assurance in their profession in Christ. And he does give a series of tests. But one of the tests he gives, one of the evidences that you and I are truly alive in Christ, That He is at residence in us. That we have eternal life in us. One of the evidences of that that he mentions, one of the tests, is that we demonstrate that we live out His life by showing love for one another. Frankly, I started this thinking, okay, this is going to be a month-long emphasis on the theme. But the more I was there, the more I started reading Scripture with the focus on love for others, the unsaved and saved alike, the more I saw how frequently it permeates the pages of Scripture. And the Lord has just brought the whole thing to life for me. And it is there on every page for me. And I couldn't get past these references in First John. And one of these tests, loving others, it gives evidence of implanted spiritual life. Loving others gives evidence that Jesus Christ has implanted eternal life in you and in me. So you and I could ask ourselves, to what degree today am I showing to those who know me best that I'm alive in Christ? What evidence do they see? What is the spiritual pulse that they see? Is there any evidence to show them based on how I love them? Look, if you would, with me, 1 John 4 beginning at verse 7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because the God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we 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 ought also to love one another. No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us. His love is perfected in us. So the fact of our love for one another, and it's a mutual thing, it's not just one direction. It is love shown by one believer and received to that believer from another believer. It is mutual. That mutual love gives evidence first that we know God and second that we are growing in him. That love is mentioned in this passage is an evidence of spiritual life and also an evidence of spiritual growth and two points that I want to deal with from this passage will probably just get to number one this morning. First, God gave evidence of his love for us. He gave us evidence of it. He didn't just speak it. He showed it and he showed it in the way that cost him the most. So God gave us evidence of His love. And second, love for others gives evidence of God's life in us. His love for us. His life in us. Shown through our love for others. You know, it's an easy thing to say that we love believers. I mean, we all know that's a good thing, right? To say that I am a loving person. We would all probably make that claim. But it goes beyond words. And the claim is hollow. And there was a group in John's day, folks who would say, you know what, I love other believers, but it didn't show in how they lived. And this was something that was meant for them to hold up the mirror before them and say, you know what, if you truly love Christ, if you have the life of Christ in you, you will love. So how are you doing in that love? That's what this passage does for us. Because it goes beyond words. It has to show in action. Chapter 3, verse 18 makes that clear. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. So let's just strip away all of the professions, okay? Strip that away. Don't say, I love other Christians. How are you showing it? How am I showing it? How are we demonstrating it through our attitudes? It's in actions. It's not just in words. And the emphasis is here on actions. And God took the initiative by showing us love. He gave evidence of His love for us. Look with me at verses 9 and 10. In this was manifested the love of God toward us because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. So again, starting with God, And I did wrestle with what portion, how to divide this passage. But our love for others is based on God's love for us. There was no better starting point. There was no other fitting starting point than starting with God. And He did it for us, not just in professing love for us. In telling the world, I love you world. In telling sinners, I love you sinners who have been alienated from Me by your sins, your transgressions. He didn't just tell us. He showed us. Verse 9 starts with these two words, in this. Verse 10 starts with the single word, herein. If you're looking at a modern translation, those verses may start with the same words, in this, or something to that effect. Because the same Greek word is starting out both of those verses. Saying that He showed us in two ways. In this. In this. God not only spoke love, but showed love to each of us. The verses give two evidences of how God demonstrated. He acted on love for us. He showed it to us. He showed it to us in v. 9 in sending His only begotten Son into the world. That's in the last half of v. 9. In the incarnation. He showed His love in sending Christ, in Him becoming flesh and dwelling with us, intending among us. God showed His love in that. But then in v. 10, He showed His love in that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The sacrifice. The atonement. Christ's death. So His incarnation and His propitiation show us His love. So we could say in those two verses, He shows His love in Christmas. He shows His love in Easter. In Christ coming to earth. In Christ dying and being raised. He shows us His love. And the words in verse 9, was manifested. That term is a frequent one in John. It's a favorite of John. It means something that is shown, made visible, made clear. And it implies something that has never been seen before, or at least never to this degree before. A young person, get this, as you look at this, in this was manifested the love of God toward us. Was manifested, made clear, made plain. As sinners, as sinners in a world cursed by sin, among others who are all born in sin and transgression. We would have never have seen love like this if it hadn't been God's initiative. We would never have had anywhere to look because this wasn't inherent in us. It wasn't resident in us. That's the teaching of the whole passage. It says that love is of God. And everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. So those who are not born of God don't love like this. Because that love is of God. And we never would have seen it. And we have never, ever seen it to the degree that we see it in Jesus Christ. So let's come to these verses with that understanding that this shows us, it holds up God's love for us and says look at it. Turn it around. Think about it. Because you'll never understand love if you don't understand this. You'll never be able to plumb the depths to know how much He loves you without looking at what it says here of Christ. First, His love was manifested in the Incarnation. Manifested the love of God toward us. Verse 9, because God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. Now who did He send? Did He send an angel? Did He send a messenger? Did He send a prophet? No. He sent a Son. The Son. The emphasis here is on deity. That God didn't send someone disconnected from Himself, distant. But God sent someone whom He is inherently, intimately, eternally related Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity. That's how we see God's love. He didn't send us something that didn't cost Him anything. He sent us Himself in the Person of the Son. Now that's love. He didn't send something cheap. He sent us something costly and precious. And that is made clear even in the term, His only begotten Son. The uniqueness. as Dr. Houghton shared and others shared last week. Only begotten. There was none other. And there certainly was none better. Better than the prophets. Better than the priests. Better than the angels. He sent the only begotten Son into the world to become like us. To dwell among us. To live and to die for us. And He sent Him here for our sake. And He sent Him here for the purpose. Look at this in the last statement. The word that means in order that. This is displaying the purpose. Why did Christ come? That we might live through Him. Now what's that convey to you? If you read that phrase. If God had to send Christ in order that we might live in Him, what does that say about us before Christ? You've got to think through Scripture as you read it. It means that we were dead before Him. We were spiritually dead. Ephesians 2 makes that clear. That we were dead in trespasses and sins. That we were separated from God, cut off. That our sins had come between Him and us. And we were separated from Him. Separated from the life. Eternal life that's found only in Him. We were dead. How appealing is that? Did we look beautiful to God? Did we? No. We were rebellious. We were His enemies. We were corpses spiritually. And yet, Jesus Christ came for us. God displayed His love in sending Christ for us. We had no appeal to Him. We had no strength in ourselves. There was nothing we as dead people could do for ourselves to commend ourselves to God. God had to take the initiative to send Christ that we might live through Him. And we had no hope except through Him. And that's how much He loved us in the Incarnation. But also, we see how much He loved us in the atonement, in the propitiation. Verse 10, herein, again, that's the same word. Herein is love. Not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Now this is emphasized both through the negative and through the positive. Look at the first phrase of verse 10. Herein is love. And then we're immediately to the negative. Not that we love God. So He sent Christ to us who are not lovers of Him. We were enemies of His. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 3 says that none sought Him. We didn't desire Him, naturally. As sinners, we were in rebellion against Him, heading away from Him. And He pursued us and He came for us. Not that we loved God. but that He loved us. This is the positive in verse 10. But that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Two facts are emphasized in the positive. First, He initiated it. He took the first step. And you know what? If He hadn't, you and I would have absolutely no hope. We were dead. And God stepped in. We were enemies. And God showed love. He took the initiative. And the purpose? Why did Christ come again? That He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The propitiation. To be the one to take the wrath for our sins. Because we were deserving of wrath. For the soul that sinneth, the Old Testament says, it shall die We deserve the wrath, the punishment for sin. And the only payment there is, the only punishment that can be meted out on the sinner is spiritual death, separation from God. We have the wrath of God declared upon us. And He came to be the propitiation to take, to absorb, to stand in our place, to bear the wrath of God. upon Himself to be the propitiation for our sins. That's the purpose for which He came. He didn't come to be king. There's an incorrect theory of the postponement. That He came first to be king, and because the Jews didn't accept Him, He had to say, okay, now plan B. I'm going to put off the kingship, and I'm going to come instead to die now this time. I'll have to come again to be king. That's false. This verse makes it clear. He came for the purpose of being the propitiation. His death wasn't his defeat. His death was his victory. It was the purpose for which He came. He came in love knowing it would cost Him all to be the propitiation for our sins. We were dead. And He came. We were treasuring up the wrath of God against the day of wrath. And He came and He stood in our place and He bore it all. Not only for you and for me and all of us who have come to Christ, He bore the wrath sufficient for all the sins of all men and women who have ever lived. He bore that day your wrath and mine and wrath sufficient for the whole world. Now that is love. And don't get the thought Because there is, and it's an easy misunderstanding, that somehow Jesus Christ changed God's heart toward us. Listen to this. One writer said, The death of Jesus Christ did not change the heart of God as if one who hated us now loves us. Rather, it opened the floodgates so that the love of God for sinners could be poured out on them through Jesus Christ. Because you know what? Did God hate us? He hated our sins. The sins had to be paid. Punishment had been pronounced. And as a righteous, holy God, there had to be justice. But it was His love that caused Him to give His Son Himself to bear that judgment, to take your wrath and my wrath, to make the way clear. He sent the Son in love to bear our wrath, to make the way clear for His love. It was love that motivated it all. It was love that reached to you and me. And He didn't just speak it. He showed it. And He showed it in a way that cost Him something. And Christian, you and I are supposed to, according to Ephesians 5, to walk like Christ walked. To love like Christ loved. God's love. And if we are loving like that, it will cost something. So, God's love is our model. He didn't just speak it. He showed it. And so must we. And then, in closing, look at v. 11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. So hold up the mirror. How are you loving? Does it look at all like God's love for you? Father, we ask that You would sober us, that You would illumine us as we look at the love You have for us and how You demonstrated it through sending Christ to come in flesh to live to die for us. Father, thank you for that. And after we have looked at that, we pray that you would help us to look at ourselves. Because you have shown us how to love. And we know that because we have experienced that love, we ought to love one another. So please, this day, Father, help us to live it out. in a way that will cause you to smile, because we look like you and are mimicking your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen. If you love me, my Comforter, If you love me, my Lord, If you love me, if you love me, if you love me, keep my commandments. If you seek me, you shall find me. If you seek me, if you search for me, If you seek me, you shall find me. If you search for me with all your heart. May our expressions of love demonstrate to others, in a small way, God's love for all those around us. Today's message was preached by the President of Bob Jones University, Dr. Stephen Jones. Today's Christian Preacher is a quarterly magazine designed to help the man of God in his personal life. It covers issues of personal importance such as integrity, finances, time management and family values. Today's Christian preacher is sent free of charge to those in the ministry as well as to those who are preparing for ministry. Your pastor can register for a free subscription by calling us toll free at 1-866-BJU-RADIO. Again, that's 1-866-BJU-RADIO, or visit our website at bjuradio.com. And while you're there, the BJU Radio website has information about other helpful resources for you and your family. Thanks for joining us today, and we invite you to be listening next week as Dr. Jones preaches Part 2 in his series of messages entitled, Walking Together in Love. 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