THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD’S GREAT LOVE
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Romans 8:28-39
I. THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD’S GREAT LOVE IS OFFERED TO ALL MANKIND.
1.) The message of God’s great love was originally given Abraham, and to his descendants – the Jewish people
A.) Gen. 12:2
B.) From that time on, the descendants of Abraham felt that was a promise of God exclusively given to them.
C.) For many generations, most of the Jewish people believed that they, and they alone had exclusive rights to the benefits of God’s Messiah for mankind.
2.) The Good news of God’s love is that it was always intended for all of mankind.
A.) Gen. 12:3
B.)God said “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
ba.) This meant God’s salvation and Messiah would be given and offered to the Jewish people, but also to all peoples of the world.
C.) More than once, God had to remind the Jewish people of that truth.
ca.) Is. 42:6
cb.) Acts 1:8
cba.) Jerusalem/Judea – Pure Jewish
cbb.) Samaria -- Jewish halfbreeds who had intermarried with Gentiles.
cbc.)All the world -- Gentiles.
cc.) Acts 10 & 11 The Apostle Peter received a vision to go to the Gentiles.
cca.) He obeyed, but was quickly called to account for his actions afterward.
cd.) In the first century of the church, the greatest persecution of the church was because of Jewish Christians having trouble with the Gentiles receiving the benefits and blessings that God had given to the Jewish people, but it had always been part of God’s plan.
3.) When Jesus came into this world, He came as a Saviour for all of mankind.
A.) That is the message of John 3:16 God’s Great love is for the whole world.
B.) That message of God’s love for the entire world that was preached by the first century church is the same message that God had given to Abraham which we looked at in Gen. 12:3
II. THE BLESSINGS OF GOD’S GREAT LOVE ARE ONLY RECEIVED BY THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO LOVE GOD.
1.) A very real truth of Scripture and the Love of God is that God will not force His love on anyone.
A.) I am reminded of the words with which Joshua challenged the backsliding Israelites.
aa.) Josh. 24:15
15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
B.) The choice has always been given and left with man if he will follow or reject Jesus Christ.
ba.) God loves the world enough that He sent His only Son to die for us that we could come to Him.
baa.) When I think of that, it sounds like a love that is greater than what I could ever imagine.
bb.) Yet as great as the Love is, and as wonderful as His offer to us is, God loves us even more than that.
bba.) Even though God knows that his offer is greater than anything we could match or want, that He also loves us enough to not force His offer on any of us.
bbb.) Though it must really break the heart of God, he loves us so much that he gives us the freedom to accept or to reject the offer he has made for us, even knowing the risk and that we may not choose what is best or right.
2.) The Love of God is only enjoyed by those who have chosen to receive and enjoy it.
A.) When we initially come to Jesus Christ it is our choice to do so.
B.) Once we come to a saving relationship with Jesus
Christ, we still have the choice to enjoy that
relationship with Christ, or to reject Him, and all
that He offers to us.
ba.) This portion of Scripture in Romans 8 is a passage that many will use to teach (what I would consider the false doctrine of once saved, always saved.)
baa.) I want us to look at one verse of Scritpture from this passage that is usually overlooked when using this as a text to justify once saved always saved.
baa-1.) Rom. 8:28
baa-2.) Notice the object of those to whom these blessings of God are given: “to those who love God.”
baa-2i.) These blessings are conditioned by our own freewill love to God.
baa-2ii.) These blessings do not apply to those who choose to no longer follow, love, or serve God.
bab.) Today there are many churches that would hold to this teaching that had been brought into the church over the past few hundred years by a man named John Calvin.
bab.) I want to say that John Calvin was a great man, and a very committed student of the Word of God.
bac.) Yet having said, there are teachings including this particular doctrine that are not only incorrect, but in fact contrary to the very teachings of the Old and New Testament Scriptures.
bad.) There are a great many passages of Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments that show this teaching to be incorrect.
bad-1.) Ezek. 18:24
bad-2.) Much of the Book of Hebrews, and many other passages prove this.
bad-3.) Jesus Himself said to the Church of Smyrna In Rev. 2: 10 Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
III. THE EXTENT OF GOD’S GREAT LOVE IS GREATER THAN WE CAN COMPREHEND.
In life there are many things that can cause us to doubt or wonder on God’s love.
1.) The extent of God’s great love is seen in the relationship He is willing to offer to us.
A.) Conformed to the likeness of His Son.
aa.) Rom. 8:29
B.) We are not just conformed to be like His son, it gets
even greater still.
ba.) Speaking of Jesus, He is described as the firstborn.
bb.) Paul does not stop there. He goes on to of many brothers.
bba.) We could even add brothers and sisters.
bbb.) In other words we will not only be conformed to the likeness of Christ, but that God will consider us as full brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, recognized by God as His children, and heirs of all the blessings that God has for those who are His children.
2.) Yet in the Christian life there are times that the aspects of life get to us, and cause us to question the Love of God for us.
A.) “Who will bring any charge against us?”
aa.) Romans 8:31-34
ab.)Satan will try as he always has.
ac.) Even now, Stan will fill our minds with doubts, fears, and questions to make us doubt God.
ad.) This is nothing new. In the OT Satan did this with Joshua, the High Priest.
ada.) Zech. 3:1-5
ae.) Just as God rebuked Satan with Joshua, God will also rebuke and dismiss the accusations of Satan when he tries to bring us guilt for anything that Jesus Christ has forgiven us of.
B.) “Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ?”
ba.) Verse 35
bb.) “Shall trouble?”
bc.) “hardship?”
bd.) “Persecution?”
be.)”famine”
bf.) “Nakedness?”
bg.) “Danger’
bh.) Sword.
bi.) Can any of these forces separate us from the love of Christ?
bia.) The reality is that each of these things are externals.
bib.) They are things that can test our faith, and even challenge our
very being.
bic.) They are things that can make life hard, things that can humiliate us, and things that can test our faith in Christ.
bid.) But for the one who is living for Jesus Christ, his faith is real.
bid-1.) And when one’s faith in Christ is real and genuine, the only thing the testing will do, is to make that which we have, even more real, and give us a faith that becomes so strong nothing can shake it, or destroy it.
bid-2.) James 1:2-4
C.) So regarding this question if anything can separate us from the love of God, Paul gives us a resounding assurance as to the power of the love of God.
ca.) Romans 8:37
D.) Paul proceeds with even stronger things that can come into our lives and challenge us, and our relationship with God:
da.) Death or life.
daa.) We looked at death last week so will not further address it this morning.
dab.) That which has been the greatest of our enemies, -- the grave, even that Jesus has already conquered.
dab-1.) That victory of Jesus Christ, is our victory as well.
dac.) I have seen some Christians who have come to the place that they look forward to death, and for them the real challenge is not death but life itself.
dac-1.) There are times in life that because of illness, or pain, or sorrow, or loneliness over the loss of a partner that people come to the place that the hardest thing for them is not death but life.
dac-2.) There are circumstances that can come into a person’s life that even though they are living for Jesus Christ, and have faith in Him, that they wonder if God has in fact forgotten or forsaken them as individuals.
dac-2i.) Paul is reminding us that even then God’s love is reaching down to us, even when we are questioning His presence and power in our lives.
dc.) What about angels or demons?
dca.)In answer to that an angel is accomplishing the will of God and would not ever harm us.
dcb.) A demon of hell on the other hand would do everything in his power to destroy us, except Jesus Christ has already conquered Satan and the very demons of hell.
dcb-1.) Col. 2:15
dcb-2.) The forces of evil have already been defeated. Now they are more as a dog on a leash. They can only have as much power over us, as we are willing to give them.
E.) The good news of God’s great love for us is that None of the circumstances of life, even the demons of hell, or anything in all of creation is great enough to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.
ea.) That is news that is pretty great.
eb.) God’s love is pretty great.
