Full of Love: June 29, 2025
Hey everyone!
Pastor Michael brought us such a refreshing message this past Sunday, one that felt like a warm hug for the soul – "chicken soup," as he put it! He usually has us diving deep into Luke, but something special led him to 1 John, and oh, are we glad it did. This sermon wasn't about being speared through the chest with conviction (we all know those sermons!), but rather about simply basking in the beautiful truth of God's love.
He kicked things off with an image that instantly stuck with me (and probably made a few of you secretly squirm!): imagine Pastor Michael stepping into a bucket of glitter, covering himself in it, and then going around hugging everyone. That glitter, he said, would get everywhere and last forever. And that, dear friends, is a stunning picture of God's love!
The core principle? Because God is love, when we dwell in Him, when we are "dunked by Him" and soaking in His presence, His love becomes evident in us and flows through us into the world. It's not about us conjuring up love; it's about being filled by the source.
Love, God's Way: Revealed in 1 John 4
Pastor Michael guided us through 1 John 4:7-16, emphasizing that this book is like a spiritual mirror. If you're wondering, "Am I really a Christian? Do I have assurance of salvation?" 1 John offers clear evidence. Do you love people, not based on their love for you, but genuinely? Do you proclaim Christ? Then you are born of God! Conversely, if you harbor hate or don't acknowledge Christ, the picture is clear. It brings things down to a beautifully simple level.
He challenged us to think of someone we don't want to love. That person that pops into your head immediately (or maybe someone you just generally don't care about). As we went through the sermon, he wanted us to consider how God calls us to a very specific kind of love for that person.
The Unveiling of True Love: It Starts with Him
Verse 9 reveals how God's love was truly "unveiled" among us: "God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could actually live through him." And then, the powerful clarification in verse 10: "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 sin."
This is huge! Pastor Michael stressed that real love isn't reciprocation. It's not, "You did something nice for me, so I'll love you back." Instead, it's an initiating love, just like Jesus' love for us. It's a love that moves us to action, even when it feels "strange" in a world that often operates on a give-and-take basis. This is why he encouraged us to get involved in our community, like through their food pantry, to see people and allow that movement of God's love to flow.
The Source of Love: It's Not You!
Here's the kicker: Pastor Michael made it clear that he wasn't saying, "Try harder to love people!" He used a brilliant illustration with two cups of water (you might have seen a similar one before, but it always hits home!): trying to pour out love from your own empty cup just leaves you depleted.
The true hope, he explained, is when our cup (representing us) is constantly being filled by God, and then that overflow pours out onto others. It's not about our self-motivated efforts to love, which only lead to exhaustion. The only source of love is God Himself. We have the Holy Spirit, a wellspring that never truly runs dry, but the design isn't for us to be the source. It's for us to be filled by Him.
And the ultimate example of this love? Substitutionary atonement – Jesus taking our punishment so we could be one with the Father. That's how we know what real love looks like!
God's Love Made Visible: Through Us!
John then circles back, reminding us, "Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another." (1 John 4:11). The "must" is powerful, and John tells us why: "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us." (1 John 4:12).
Ever wondered why God doesn't just appear in the flesh to prove He's real? Pastor Michael offered a profound answer: He already is visible! When Christians genuinely love one another and proclaim Jesus, God is clear to the world. We don't need a miracle, a vision, or a dream for God to be seen; we need His people to be drenched in His love, overflowing with His Spirit and with Jesus on their lips. When that happens, people see God.
This love, this confession of Jesus, is the "manifestation of the body of Christ", found right in our churches and homes. It's where we love one another, preach Jesus, and invite people to see a real, tangible love at work – a clear sign of the Spirit.
Our Anthem: We Are Loved!
Pastor Michael concluded with a powerful reminder from verse 16: "We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us." How do we know this love? By looking at His Son! Our daily anthem, our heart song, should be the truth that we are people who are loved.
It's not about how much we have to do, or how difficult loving someone might be. Pastor Michael urged us to "sit in, dwell in, God's love for you." Be an obedient servant, trust in His love, and then be bold with it. The command to love is strong, but it's secondary to understanding and receiving God's incredible love for us.
What a beautiful sermon, reminding us that we are deeply, completely loved by God, and that love is meant to overflow from us into a world that desperately needs to see it.
