OH HOW HE LOVES US

Oh, How He Loves Us
Text: 1 John 3:16

The Bible says in the First Epistle of John 3:16,

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

Let’s read it again.

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

Oftentimes around Valentine’s Day we love to preach from that great verse found in the Gospel of John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Many have said that verse gives us the whole gospel in a nutshell. But today we are not in John 3:16. We are in one of John’s epistles — a letter written to believers.
In this letter, John is writing to those he calls “little children,” the beloved, those whose sins are forgiven, those who know the Father, those who have passed from death unto life. This is not primarily an evangelistic letter to the lost, but a reminder to the saved.
John’s desire is that believers would know Christ deeply — not just know about Him, but know Him personally. And my job every week is the same: to help you know the love of Christ. Not just to know that He existed, but to know Him and the power of His resurrection.
John says, “Hereby perceive we the love of God.” In other words, let’s look at it again. Let’s see it clearly.
Valentine’s Day is good for couples because it reminds them of love. It helps parents and children revisit love. And it does us good to revisit the love of God.
If you’re cold in your relationship with Christ, see His love again. See Him on that cross. Let that love be reignited.
If you’ve never met Christ — if you are lost — no one is pointing fingers at you. We want you to know Him. My goal today is to make His love visible to you.

I. A Clear Perception
“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.”
Everyone has a perception of God. Some think He is mean. Some think He is silent. Some think He is unfair. Some think He is unconcerned. Some think He is imaginary.
Perceptions can be blurry. That’s why we need the Word of God — it clears the blur.
John says there is one place where God is not blurry — the cross.
If you want to see God clearly, look at the cross.
Everything He did there had nothing to do with His sin and everything to do with yours. He was not wounded for His transgressions — but for ours.
If you get confused looking at life, look at Calvary. At the cross, we can’t help but say, “Oh, how He loves us.”

II. A Costly Provision
“He laid down his life for us.”
Love is not only seen — it is costly.

1. His Provision Was Voluntary
Jesus said in Gospel of John 10:18:

“No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.”

Pilate didn’t take His life. Herod didn’t take His life. The soldiers didn’t take His life.
He gave it.
It was voluntary. It was free — but it was not cheap.

2. His Provision Was Demonstrated
Romans 5:8 says:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

God demonstrated, commended, directed His love toward us.
He didn’t die for us on our best day. He died for us in our sin — with our failures, our skeletons, our shame.
That was the condition we were in when He died.

3. His Provision Was Substitutionary
One of the great doctrines we hold is the substitutionary death of Christ.
He died for us.
Isaiah 53:5 says:

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Seven hundred years before the cross, Isaiah said “our.”
Now John says, “He laid down His life for us.”
That “us” includes everybody. The religious and the rebellious. The church member and the prisoner. All have sinned — and Christ died for all.

III. A Compelling Pattern
“And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
Here is our part in the love story.
God sent Jesus.
Jesus laid down His life for us.
Now we are called to lay down our lives for others.
The cross is not only our salvation — it is our pattern.
John is not necessarily calling us all to physical martyrdom. But he is calling us to sacrificial living.
Lay down your time.
Lay down your energy.
Lay down your comfort.
Sacrifice should be our pattern.
Love is not always convenient. Love can be messy. Love can be unreturned. Love can feel one-sided. But we love because He first loved us.
When I was growing up, people sacrificed. Youth workers gave their time for free. Church members gave faithfully. Why? Because Christ crucified was preached, and sacrifice was visible.
We perceived His love — and so we lived sacrificially.
If sacrifice demonstrates love, then how much does He think we love Him?
If we perceive His love by His sacrifice, how do others perceive love from us?
“I love you” with no action is just words. But love coupled with sacrifice creates a relationship.

In Closing
If you do not know Christ, I pray today you can perceive His love for you.
He did not die so you could merely become religious. He died to pay your sin debt.
Someone has to pay for your sin. Either you will pay it — separated from God for all eternity — or you can trust the One who already paid it.
Why would we reject the payment that has already been made?
Oh, how He loves us.