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October 5, 2025

Loving Brothers Seen & God Unseen | 1 John 4:20-21

Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Scripture: 1 John 4:18–21, Isaiah 45:6–7, Isaiah 46:9–11, Ephesians 2:3, Ephesians 1:4–6, James 2:10–17, Galatians 6:10, 1 John 4:9–12, Mark 12:29–31, 1 Corinthians 12:31– 13:13, 1 John 3:16

Lord's Day: October 5, 2025  Preacher: Carlos Montijo  Series: First John  Topic: Love  Scripture: 1 John 4:18–21; Isaiah 45:6–7; 46:9–11; Ephesians 2:3; 1:4–6; James 2:10–17; Galatians 6:10; 1 John 4:9–12; Mark 12:29–31; 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13; 1 John 3:16

20If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. 1 John 4:20–21

  • Conclusion to “The Other Love Chapter”

I.  Loving and hating, without contradiction

II. Loving God and brother, without hypocrisy

  • This passage gives us criteria for identifying hypocrisy, and helps us to love both God and brother in harmony: “If someone says…”
  • Our vertical relationship with God necessarily affects all our horizontal relationships with our fellow man, especially with our brothers and sisters in the household of faith.

III. Who is harder to love? God? Or Christian brothers and sisters?

  • Is there an order of loves (ordo amoris)? A priority of loves?
  • To love God—also means that we love our fellow man, our brother, our neighbor, our enemy
  • God often teaches us the positive doctrine (love) by also identifying, exposing, and refuting the opposite, the error.

IV. I have been preaching primarily about God’s love and defining His love

  • Our perfect love is fundamentally an attitude and a commitment which expresses itself in action and obedience to God’s Word and Will

V.  Compare 1 John 4:11–12

  • Richard Lenski: “Agape is defined as the love of intelligence, of comprehension and understanding. It always has that meaning in the New Testament, most completely so here where it speaks of God’s love. Combined with this is purpose, a purpose that corresponds to the comprehension of the object…. Saving agape thus accompanies charis, compassion, and eleos, benevolence.”
  • The entire law of God can be summarily comprehended in a single word—love.

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Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

other sermons in this series

Jun 28

2026

To Die or Not to Die? That Is the Question of Sin | 1 John 5:16-17

Preacher: Carlos Montijo Scripture: 1 John 5:11–17, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 5:9, Galatians 6:1, Proverbs 27:17, 1 John 2:19–20, Psalm 97:10, 1 John 2:9–11, 1 John 3:15–17, Romans 6:23, James 2:10 Series: First John

Jun 14

2026

The Will of God & Sin | 1 John 5:14-16, Ephesians 5:15–17

Preacher: Carlos Montijo Scripture: 1 John 5:14–16, Ephesians 5:15–17, Psalm 143:10, Colossians 4:12, Acts 20:27, Ephesians 1:7–10, Deuteronomy 29:29, 1 Corinthians 14:33, Isaiah 46:10–11, Job 42:1–2, Genesis 50:20, Acts 2:23, Acts 4:28, Colossians 3:11, Ezekiel 33:10–11, 1 Samuel 2:25, John 6:40, 1 Thessalonians 4:3–11, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, 1 Peter 2:13–15, 1 John 2:1, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, John 17:17, 2 Peter 3:18, 1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 10:24–25, 2 Samuel 10:12, James 4:13–17, 1 John 2:17 Series: First John

Jun 7

2026

To Boldly Ask According to His Will | 1 John 5:14-15

Preacher: Carlos Montijo Scripture: 1 John 5:10–15, Ephesians 6:18, Romans 13:12, Hebrews 4:14–16, 1 John 3:21–23, John 14:13–15, John 16:23–24, Matthew 6:7–13, Psalm 125:2, Psalm 22:3, Psalm 113:1–9, James 4:3, James 5:16 Series: First John