Our love for God consequentially means our love for others

1 John 4:19-21

• Because of the nature of God's love for us
• Because of the nature of the image of God (Psa 8:4-6)
• Because of logic!

Our source of love is Jesus

1 John 5:1

• No greater revelation of God's love than Jesus
• Every other source is secondary at best, deceitful at worst, and normally fickle

Our love for God looks like obedience

1 John 5:2-3

• The love language of God is obedience (John 14:15)
• He invites us to freedom and joy (John 8:31-32, Psa 119:44-45)

Our faith is the vehicle of our victory

1 John 5:4-5

• All forces allied against us fall to Jesus the King
• The only One with the final say is the One who gave His life for us

Application 1: We do not get to hate

• The Gospel does not allow us to have enemies, despise or neglect others
• The Gospel does create capacity to love through doing good, blessing, and praying (Luke 6:27-28)

Application 2: Family is the metaphor for church

• Because we have a Father, we are particpants in His family
• Because we have a Father, we are beneficiaries within His family

Application 3: Vertical and horizontal both matter

• Relationship to God and others is interconnected and interdependent

Application 4: Spiritual warfare is primarily about our faith-filled obedience

• By obeying and refusing to disobey, we resist evil and darkness (Prov 28:4)

Application 5: Nothing new to say, except the source

• It is the same story God has been telling, except now with a clear hero: Jesus