If The Bible Says I Am Loved Then How Come I Dont Feel Like It

TITLE: “IF THE BIBLE SAYS I AM LOVED THEN HOW COME I DON’T FEEL LIKE IT?”

By Rev. Chris Nerreau 12-10-03

INTRODUCTION

Illustration:

Recently I heard a story about a dog that was abused nearly all of its early life. The dog was not fed properly, washed ever and had bruises all over from beatings. Fotunately the dog was found by a kind man who took the dog in. The new owner treated the dog like a king washing and feeding it but do you know it took years before the dog understood that it was loved.

Now several years later the dog has completely changed, Instead of cowering when its master comes home it waits with bated breathe, Instead of hiding when it has an accident it seeks the masters forgiveness and instead of avoiding his master the dog now actively seeks to spend time with the master.

Tonight I think we can learn allot from this dog. You see the dog did not understand that it was loved because it had a misunderstanding of who his master was. In the same way it would seem that many Christians have a poor understanding of who God is and therefore do not experience His love.

• We cower rather than rejoice in Him

• We hide rather than seek Him

• We tire rather than rest in Him

Proposition:

This evening I am going to suggest that the reason we may not feel loved by God is because like the dog we misunderstand our Master.

Preview Of Main Points:

In our sermon time tonight I will attempt to address some of the misconceptions that keep us from fully experiencing God’s love:

Misconception 1. God is mad at you

Misconception 2. God is mean to you

Misconception 3. God is misleading you

Transitional Sentence:

So let us begin this evening by looking at the first misconception about God…

I. GOD IS MAD AT YOU (Romans 5:1)

Explanation:

The first misconception about God is that He is mad at His children for their sins. So many Christians spend their lives wondering when the lightning bolt will strike, when their heart will stop or when someone they love will be taken from them because of their sin yet Romans 5:1 clearly shows us that God is not angry with His children.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2

•Justified: To free a human of the guilt and penalty attached to grievous sin.

•Faith: Secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will

•Peace: An agreement or a treaty to end hostilities.

Illustration:

When a person goes to prison for committing a crime they are punished for their wrong doing, but when they are released back into society they are declared justified in the eyes of the law.

In the same way people who put their faith in Christ are justified for all of their sin. They are free of the guilt and penalty because Christ already did the time for them. What I am trying to say is that God’s anger about your sin (the sin He knew you would commit before He called you) has already been expended on Christ and He is no longer angry.

Application:

Today maybe you feel like God is mad at you but if you are a Christian then God is just not angry with you. The misconception that God is angry with His children has kept many from fully experiencing God’s love. So where do we go from here?

•Meditate on Romans 5:1 And allow it to penetrate deep into your heart

•Have the courage to live a life of repentance and at the same time live a life of boldness that says I am right with God.

•Get freed up from constantly looking over your shoulder for God’s hammer

•Don’t allow others to persuade you that God is angry with you (legalists)

•Experience God’s love without guilt but rather with eager anticipation

•Live a life of thankfulness to Christ for doing YOUR time for YOU

Transition:

A giant step towards experiencing God’s love is understanding that He is not mad at you but there is another misconception that keeps Christians from fully experiencing God’s love…

II. GOD IS MEAN TO YOU (Proverbs 3:12)

Explanation:

Have there been times in your Journey with Christ that you felt as if God was just giving more trouble than you could handle? Well the idea that God is mean is simply a misconception of who God really is. Let’s take a closer look at this common misconception regarding the nature of God, look with me if you will at (Proverbs 3:11-12).

PR 3:12 my son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.