The Devoted Sibling - 1 John 4:7-21 | Lilac City Church
First moves are always awkward — whether you're asking for a raise, picking a restaurant, or telling someone you like them. But sometimes the most awkward first move isn't between you and God. It's between you and the brother or sister in Christ sitting two rows over.
In this third message of the Becoming series, Pastor Brolin walks through 1 John 4:7–21 and unpacks the second identity of a fully formed disciple: the Devoted Sibling. The word "love" appears twenty-seven times in fifteen verses — and John isn't being redundant. He's building a case that the love of God isn't just something we receive. It's something that moves through us toward one another.
Three movements shape this passage:
- What kind of love are we being formed by? — Love doesn't start with us. It starts with God, was defined at the cross, and becomes visible when it flows between believers. When you genuinely love your brother and sister in Christ, you make the invisible God visible. That's not a metaphor — that's John's claim.
- How can we be sure of this love? — The Spirit, the eyewitness testimony of the apostles, and the mutual indwelling of God in us give us assurance. And devoted siblings don't just receive that assurance — they give it. Calling out the Spirit's work in someone else's life is one of the most powerful things you can do for a fellow believer.
- What if we don't become this? — John doesn't mince words: if you claim to love God but don't love your brother and sister, you're a liar. Not harsh — just honest. You can't love a God you can't see if you won't love the sibling you can. Love is the discipline of a disciple — because God commands it.
Whether it's a relationship that needs repairing, a name you've never bothered to learn, or a sibling you've quietly drifted from — the call is a first move. Not "if I see them." Not "they should reach out first." A text. A coffee. A conversation. Because Jesus broke a silence that wasn't his fault to get to you.
Devoted siblings are moved by love to move first.