God is Love
Kyle Morris - 7/20/2025
Kyle Morris’s sermon on 1 John 4:7–21 unpacks the truth that God is the origin, essence, and embodiment of love, and that Christians are called to love one another because of God's prior love for us. Through the sending of Jesus as the atoning sacrifice, God’s love is shown to be gracious, self-giving, and powerful—bringing spiritual life to the dead. As believers abide in God and live out His love, they are united with Him, empowered by the Spirit, and freed from fear of judgment through perfected love.
Weekly Reflection
““Because the God of love has loved us, we love each other. And when we love each other, we’re united to God and His love is working.””
How do we really know if God abides in us? John says we’ll see it in our love for others. That’s not sentimentality—it’s a Spirit-enabled, gracious, self-giving, and powerful love that mirrors God’s own love in Christ. But loving like this is costly. Are we afraid to love because we fear being hurt—or because we’re unsure we’ve been loved by God?
“Unloved” by Elyse Fitzpatrick answers the question’ ‘am I loved?”
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This Week’s Challenge:
Heart Check: Where are you withholding love—perhaps to protect yourself?
Action: Prayerfully ask God to make His love more real to you this week. Let that love move you toward someone you’ve found hard to love.
Scripture:
“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)