God Loves You.

I only have one point to make today.

God loves you.

(there will be two sub-points, but that’s the only point).

I love to tell the story . . .

I love to tell the story of unseen things above

Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus & His love

I love to tell the story because I know tis true

It satisfies my longing as nothing else can do.

I love to tell the story, ‘twill be my theme in glory

To tell the old, old, story of Jesus and His love.

We all know this verse, those who were raised in church may have it memorized from childhood (let’s say it together)

John 3

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

The Bible has quite a lot to say about God’s love

Like

Psalm 136 – let’s read this together, responsively . . .

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

4 to him who alone does great wonders,

His love endures forever.

5 who by his understanding made the heavens,

His love endures forever.

6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,

His love endures forever.

7 who made the great lights—

His love endures forever.

8 the sun to govern the day,

His love endures forever.

9 the moon and stars to govern the night;

His love endures forever.

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt

His love endures forever.

11 and brought Israel out from among them

His love endures forever.

12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;

His love endures forever.

13 to him who divided the Red Sea[a] asunder

His love endures forever.

14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,

His love endures forever.

15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;

His love endures forever.

16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;

His love endures forever.

17 to him who struck down great kings, to the God of heaven.

His love endures forever.

God’s love for us is a bit too profound and supernatural. It’s difficult, maybe impossible, for us to understand:

Romans 5

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So, the question might come up in your mind,

If God loves me so much, why am I experiencing so much pain? & Why is there so much suffering in the world?

(This is one of the sub-points)

The Bible’s answer concerning why there is suffering in the world, may be in Job-and the answer is, God asks Job 64 questions he can’t answer (that’s the answer)-there’s no way for us to understand some things. Our 1.7 liters of brain (some more, some less), can’t process whatever eternal calculus results in the sum of a loving God that allows suffering. That explanation may be enough for some people.

For the rest of us there is a bit more of an explanation:

Part of the answer is that God loved us & sacrificed painfully for us. We serve the God who loves so much He Himself suffers. God demonstrates His love-Christ died for the ungodly, for us.

And there is a further answer-Our love, also, is best demonstrated in suffering.

1 John 4

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

So,

God suffered to show His love. If we want to show His love, it will probably involve suffering.