Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1920-03-04
LESSON FOR MARCH 4
JOHN WRITES ABOUT CHRISTIAN
LOVE.

LESSON TEXT John 4:7-si.
GOLDEN TEXT Beloved. II God so
ioNed US, we ought also to love one an
other.-l John All
ADDITIONAL WATERFALL John. IL
John, III John
PRIMARY T0PIC-Lovlng One Another
Neighbors
INTERMEDIATES AND SENIOR TOPIC
eHow to Show Love for God and His
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
christian Love Upon Society.
!. The Origin Of Love wv. I. 81.
love is Of God, for God Is love. God
not merely loves, but he is the foun-
tainhead of love. Love of country,
love Of humanity. tilial and parental
love, every particle of love everywhere
mas been derived from God his love is
INFINITE, eternal and interchangeable.
since love is of God, everyone who
loves Is born of God and knoweth God
The Christian. by his life of love. in.
terpiets God TO the world. Ii is not
enough that the world should be told
that God is good and kind, il should
see his nature expressed In the life
and love Of the disciple The Chris
uan's life is the worlds Bible. Where
love Is wanting. knowledge of God is
wanting.
II. Gods Manifestation Of Love wv.
8, 10).
Gods method of making known his
love is through the incarnation--the
sending Of his only begotten Son into
the world to be the Precipitation for
our sins (John 3:lG). The coming OF
Jesus Christ into the world and his
taking on human nature makes posi-.
bic life for those who receive him. Ii
We would know Gods love- let us look
at Jesus Christ. Those who gaze upon
him In reverent contemplation cannot
doubt Gods love.
! III. The Supreme Motive Of Love
s(v. ID.
NJ Gods love is the grand incentive
prompting his children to love.
w. Love the Proof That God Dwells
With Us tvv. 12-18). 81
/. No man hath seen God at any
time ". l2). but there Is abundant
proof of his being. The one unmistak-
able proof of his being Is love In the
heart Of man. Love is not native to
the human heart, for the heart is de-
ceitful above all things and desperate
ly wicked (Jer. II ~. Out of the
heart proceeds murder Matt. 15:19).
Love in the heart is proof that God
dwells within.
z. Love proves that Gods Spirit Is
within us wv. 1870. The fruit Of the
Spirit is love (Gal. 5 :22). Gods Spirit
dwells within his children. The in
dwelling Spirit shows us Christ and
makes us believe in him as Gods Son,
the Savior of the world. Those in
whom God dwells Will always make
this confession. Those who deny the
Deity Of Christ have no fellowship
with God, and those who have fellow
ship with God will confess Christ as
his Divine Son.
V. Loves Relation to the Judgment
wv. IL, 49,.
Il casts out fear. judgment day Is
coming, for God hath appointed a day
in which he will judge the world In
Righteousness by that man whom he
hath ordained (Acts II :31) 1t will be
terrible thing for those unprepared
to meet God at that time, but for
those who are indwelt by the living
God there will be joyful meeting. He
that dwelleth in God and God in him
Will realize the perfection of love in
holiness In the day of judgment, be
cause as he is so are we In this world
wv. 16, 40. The way to get rid of
the fear of meeting God in the judg-
ment is to be living with God now.
vi. Gods Love the Ground of All
Love ". 19).
The reason we love is that our lives
have come into touch with the great
fountainhead Of love. The incoming
of Gods being and nature becomes the
alinating and controlling principle Of
our lives. The one in whom love is
not the master principle does not
know God.
VII. The Child of God Possesses
Dual Love ". 20).
The proof that one loves the unseen
God Is that he loves the person visible
who bears the likeness and image of
God, and has become a member of the
same family through the redemption
In Christ Jesus. Love to God and man
is united In the one breast of the
Christian. The one who hates his
brother while pretending to love God
is liar.
Viii The Solemn Command From
God ". 2D.
God commands that those who love
him should love their brethren. ODE
dience to this command will eliminate
all war and contentious.