A Covenant of Love
1John 4:7-16
Today is Covenant Sunday and as we renew our covenant relationship with God and each other, God wants us to remember that the foundation for our covenant is love. Without love, God couldn’t have called us into a covenant with Him, and we also cannot have a successful covenant relationship with one another.
God defines what true love is because God is love. Without knowing God’s love, we cannot truly understand what love is.
1. God took the initiative to love us, when we were sinners, His enemies, and did not love Him, by sending Jesus to suffer and die to save us (1John 4:9-10; Rom.5:6-10). To love like God, we must take the initiative to love everyone, not just good people or those who love us.
2. Jesus paid the price by giving His life for us (John 10:11). He was betrayed, spat upon, beaten, and crucified to death, but because He loves us He endured all to save, heal, deliver, break our curses, and give us life. Love comes with a price to pay.
3. God’s love does not fail, but remains forever (Jer.31:3), and so is His covenant of love (Isaiah 54:10; Rom.8:38-39). Our love with God and each other must be unfailing (1Cor.13:8).
As followers of Christ, He commands us to build our covenant relationship with one another on the same kind of love God has for us (John 15:12; 1John 4:11), in order to impact others.
1. Love binds us in perfect unity (Col.3:14).
2. Unity bring down the Holy Spirit, who releases great power and grace to be of one mind and one soul, love and care for one another (Acts 2:1-4; 4:32-37).
3. Unity will empower us to achieve the impossible (Gen.11:1,6).
4. Loving each other will prove that we are Christ’s disciples and let others know God’s love through us (John 13:35; 1John 4:12). In Rom.12:9-21, Paul lists behaviors and actions that demonstrate Christian love for God and for others.
May our covenant-keeping God fulfill every word, promise, prophecy that He has given to you as His covenant children, and may He empower us to build a covenant of love with each other so that we can make maximum impact this year. Blessings!