Abounding Love Of God

Title: Abounding Love of God

Text: I John 4:8-10

Intro: A man saw a sign in a flower shop that read, “Say it with flowers.” The man went in and told the clerk to give him one red rose. The clerk looking puzzled at the request had to ask the man “why just one rose?” To which the man replied, “I am a man of few words.” Sometimes we have a hard time understanding God’s love for us. God’s love for us goes beyond human comprehension, He does not love the way that we do. God does not love us for what we have to offer, or how we look, or if He can get anything in return. I want you to see that there are four important aspects to God’s love.

I. God’s Love is Sacrificial

1. Many would say “Well God doesn’t love me or I would not be going through this or that”

2. I have never felt or seen God’s love for me

3. People he died for you what more could you ask?

4. He left His throne in Heaven; took on the form as man; walked this earth; endured ridicule, persecution, & rejection. Bled suffered and died, why because he loved you.

5. This world says that if you do not get what you want out of a relationship that you need to move on to the next one.

ILL. Marriage ceremony “For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health, till death do us part.” It is all about loving through sacrifice.

6. This world has the idea that we will stay together but if things don’t go the way we want or if something better comes along we will give up.

7. Aren’t you so glad that is not how God loves us?

ILL. Little boy who’s sister needed a transfusion of his blood the doctors ask him would he give his blood so that has sister could live. “Sure,” he told the doctors. As they took him into the operating room He looked at the instruments and at his little sister, he watched as they put the needle into his arm and the blood began to flow from his arm into his little sister. With a tear in his eye he turned to the doctor and ask, “When do I die?” He was ready to give it all for her.

II. God’s Love is Unconditional

ILL. Hettie Green was a famous millionaire. She lived in seclusion and became a virtual recluse. She had only a few friends and an ugly mongrel dog that kept biting the few friends that she did have. One of the friends told her, “You’ve got to get rid of that dog.” Hettie refused. She said, “that dog loves me and he doesn’t know how rich I am.”

1. Look at Romans 5:5-8

Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (God’s love is poured out through the Holy Ghost)

Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (without strength means we had nothing to give but He died for us anyway)

Romans 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. (most would not die for a good person but God’s love was such that when we had nothing was nothing no hope of being something He died for us)

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

2. We must realize that God loves the sinner but hates the sin

- Hates Abortion loves the Abortionist

- Hates Homosexuality loves the Homosexual

- Hates Adultery but loves the Adulterer

- Hates Lying but loves the Liar

1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

3. God’s love is unconditional He said that whosoever would come…

- You don’t have to clean up to come to Christ.

- I got to give this up to get saved

- First you come to God, second let God clean you up

- Old song “Just as I am”

- He Loves us right where we are

ILL. In 1995, Christopher Reeve, the "Superman" actor, fell from a horse in a riding accident that severed his spinal cord and paralyzed him from the shoulders down. In the days which followed both he and his mother considered pulling the plug on his life support system.