Father’s Day
The Lavish Love of Our Father
1 John 3:1
June 17, 2007 AM
Pastor Brad Dyrness
Sparks Nazarene Church
How great is the love
the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And
that is what we are! --1
John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, speaks of this great love – the kind of love that is extreme!
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us…
1 John 2:13, 14 - I write to you, fathers, because…
You know the God who has always been…
… your assignment is to lavishly love others.
Before we can lavishly love others…
1. We must embrace the lavish love of God for ourselves.
1 John 2:17 ~ 1 John 4:7-8
Not only do we embrace it ourselves, but we pass it on to others.
2. Loving lavishly is relying on the love of God living through us!
God’s love is the source to draw from that will love in spite of anything.
Christians are a product of the love of God and we must lavish others with His love!
How do we lavish? Embrace it ourselves; rely on God’s love flowing through us and …
3. Loving lavishly is living as an example.
Loving lavishly by being an example - 1 John 3:2-5
John speaks of purifying ourselves in verse 4.
God loved us lavishly by showing us how to live.
His purity is not only our pattern. By the power of Jesus living in us, it says in verse 6, No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.
Loving lavishly is showing others the character of Christ by our obedience, empowered by the Spirit of God living in us!
SO … do you:
Know God’s lavish love personally?
Rely on His power to love lavishly?
Love lavishly day-to-day by being an example of Christ Himself?