Sunday School Lesson October 3, 2021

Subject: Sure of God’s Love  

The Point: God’s love is seen when we love others as He has loved us.

The Passages: 1 John 4:7-13, 19-21

Study The Bible: We know we are loved because God sent Jesus.

1).  1 John 4:7-10

7. Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
8. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
9. 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.
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 sins.

Lasting truths from: 1 John 4:7-10

* Since love comes from God, we are called to love people so that we represent Him in this world.

* If God’s love is in our lives, then it will be evident to those around us.

* The sacrificial death of Christ on our behalf is proof of God’s love for us.

* God is the one who initiated love toward us.

2). We know we are loved because the Holy Spirit confirms it.

1 John 4:11-13

11. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.
12. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us.
13. This is how we know that we remain in him and he is us; He has given us of his Spirit.

Lasting truth from: 1 John 4:11-13

* The presence of God’s love from the Holy Spirit serves as compelling evidence of our testimony to the world as a follower of Jesus Christ.

*  Whether it is forgiveness, mercy, or love, we are to treat other people in the same way God has treated us.

*  While people cannot see God with their physical eyes, they can see the evidence of God’s love.

* We have received the Holy Spirit in our lives because we belong to Jesus Christ.

3). Our love for others reflects God’s love.

1 John 4:19-21

19. We love because he first loved us.
20. If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21. And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

Lasting truth from: 1 John 4:19-21

* Through the act of love was on full display at the cross, God’s love changes our hearts and redefines how we love God and people.

*  We cannot separate our relationship with God from our relationships with people.

*Hating our brother or sister is not an option for the follower of Jesus Christ.

Live It Out

We experience forgiveness through Jesus Christ when we confess our sin and place our trust in Him. He is the One who makes forgiveness possible because of His sacrificial death on the cross. His blood covers our sin and we enjoy fellowship with the Lord. Now, we can go to Him whenever we are in need of forgiveness.

1. How will you avoid the trap of attempting to focus on loving God while ignoring the command to love a brother of sister in Jesus Christ?
2. What have you learned about the love of God from other believers in your local church?
3. After this session, how does your view of God’s love encourage you to live differently given the command to love others?

Closing Prayer:

“Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died on the cross to forgive me of my sins and rose from the dead to give me new life. I’m sorry for all the wrong I’ve done and ask You to forgive me. I now accept Your gift of eternal life. Thank You for Your love, forgiveness, and a new life in Jesus Christ. From this day forward, I choose to follow You. In Jesus’ name Amen.”