Intro:
1. If you had to describe love, how you would describe or explain it?
a. People have various images, explanations, etc.
b. Wildflowers, a mountain, a story that does not end, song, etc.
2. Poets, songwriters, and authors have explored this for centuries
3. If want grow in love, and it be an abiding, strong one, need to understand it
4. Best place to go, the place to start, is the Bible
a. Here we find the origin of love - God
b. How do you describe the love of God?
c. Let's look at some images for God's love
I. Hos 2 - God's beloved bride
A. First part of the book is full of condemnation, wrath, anger
1. Look at what God says
a. Hedge up her way with thorns
b. Take back his grain at harvest, also wine, wool, flax
c. Destroy her fines and fig trees
d. Put an end to her feasts, gaiety, etc.
2. Why is God reacting this way?
a. v.5 - She has played the harlot
b. v.8 - She acted as though Baal blessed her, not Yahweh
c. His bride had committed "adultery" against Yahweh
3. So God is angry, jealous, pained, by this?
a. Of course, wouldn't you be if your spouse did this?
b. God's love is passionate, therefore his anger is too
B. This is not his final word though (Hos 2:14-20)
1. God will not cast her off, will woo her, rebuild relationship
a. She will sing her song again like when they young
b. She will call God "my husband" not "My master"
c. He will betroth her to him forever - Be like young love
d. He will betroth forever in lovingkindness
- The word is "Hesed"
- It means covenant compassion, loyalty
- God is saying that he will always be faithful
2. God's hearts desire is for his people
3. In New Testament, church is called Christ's bride (Eph 5:25-32)
a. Christ gave himself up for his bride, laid down his life
b. Sanctified her, means set apart, she is the special woman
c. Cleansed her, brings out the best in her
d. We the church are glorious to him, beautiful, like a bride
4. Nurtures and cherishes her, she is most precious to him
a. Godly love that that is very, very powerful
b. It has the power to change you
C. ILL: Woman with a list of chores from her husband
1. Dutifully had to do them, or he yell, mistreat, her
a. She so tired, but had to make sure it all done perfect
b. She always looked tired, worn out, haggardly
2. Husband died, she remarry a good loving husband
a. He loved her intensely, was patient, understanding
b. Her haggard appearance changed
c. Became vibrant, beautiful, like she was transformed
3. Years later, found one of those lists in the attic
4. As she reads it, she laugh to self, she still doing all those things
a. But she doing it not because she has to
b. She doing it because she wants to, out of love
c. All of it was not something vibrant and beautiful
D. This a good illustration of one way God's love changes us
1. It is rare for people to experience God's love directly
2. Most experience God's love through other people
3. Means that God is the model for how we are to love
II. (Hos 11:1-9) God's beloved child
A. The image of God's love is even more powerful
1. Child will always be your child
2. That child is your flesh and blood
B. Look at what God actually says here
1. Love for his people like a parent's love for a child
a. Taught him to walk
b. Took him in his arms
c. v.4 - Became like one who lifts the baby to his cheek
- Translational note - Difficulty translating
- The two readings result of a change in one vowel
- Vowels were not written in early Hebrew
- This reading actually fits the context better
2. God became angry with them
C. ILL: Have you ever been angry with the child you love?
1. You raise them, support them, guide them, love them
2. What happens when they start to do wrong, mistreat you?
a. This happens over and over, they make mess of life
b. Ever just felt like giving up? It would be easier
3. I remember when my oldest chose to leave home
a. He was bent on rebellion of every kind, real ugly to me
b. If I could just give up, it would be easier
c. But I couldn't. Sometimes would panic in worry about him
- God says his heart was turned over within him
- This is what God was talking about
d. When he called from Georgia, was relieved, he was alive
4. Wanted to come home, so I got him a plane ticket
D. You just can't give up on your child, God does not either
1. One of the images of God is a parent
2. This is not just an image of discipline, but of loving discipline
3. This is unending, undying love
III. God's love (Hos 11:10)
A. For this, there is no analogy, image, etc. other than God
B. Take a look at what God says
1. I am God and not a man
a. Parental love, spousal love "resembles" God's love
b. But it is not the same, God's love is far greater
2. Some have trouble with father image for God
a. My father was horrible, I don't want/need father God
b. That is getting it backwards - God is not like your father
c. If have a good Father, then father is like God
d. You see, Fatherhood not a model for God,
but God is a model for fatherhood
3. God is the very definition of Love
C. ILL: I was asking for illustrations, explanations of love on last week
1. Someone said, touch or chocolate - you realize "touch" is true?
2. Greatest image of God's love is incarnation, cross, and tomb
a. Jn 3:16 - For God so loved the world, gave his only son
b. Hear so often, forget the sheer enormity of that
3. I have three sons - not able to ask them to die
a. I might give myself, but not ask my son to do it
b. Yet, this is how much God loved us
4. Said to his only son - I love all those people
a. I love you son, but I want you to bring them back
b. Means you will have to die horrible, humiliating death
c. As he hung on cross - Father forgive them -- that is love
D. God's love is endless
Concl:
1. Some have a real tough time with idea that God has emotions
a. Remember we are created in his image
b. We created as emotional creatures, why, because God has emotion
c. Problem with us is sin, can cause us to be rule by emotion
2. Let the sheer gravity and enormity of God's love sink in
a. If you want never to get hurt, taken advantage of, heartbroken
- What can you do? Never love
- Insulate yourself, and you will be safe, no one hurt you
b. Is that what God did? According to these passage he did not
- Whether angry cheated on husband
- Whether a heart broken parent
- Gave allowed us to have the capacity to hurt him
c. When you love, you become vulnerable
- To another person's needs, wants, desires
- You allow that person the capacity to hurt you
- When you do get hurt, love brings both anger and hearbreak
- Hard to describe this unless you have experienced it
= If you are a parent, you might know what I talking about
= If one whom your soul loves cheats, leaves you
d. Can you see the sheer enormity, and intensity of God's love?
- It's not just passion though, God's love is a decision
- God's love is a fiercely devoted love
- He has chosen to be faithful, even though we have not been
- He has chosen to love us
3. Jesus went willingly to the cross because of his great love (inv)
4. Someone ask why I not preach hell fire and brimstone
a. First of all, it is not in my nature
b. Second, don't want you to get impression that God satisfied with that
- God so loved the world - didn't say love only good people
- God not get smug satisfaction with people going to Hell
- Not willing for any to perish
c. God is heartbroken when his people turn away and are lost
d. I never want to appear to be satisfied or glad that people are lost
5. Remember, God is the model for love (1 Jn 4:7-8)
a. Love one another, love is of God - God is love
b. Can do word studies, but best way to describe God's love?
c. Look at how God demonstrates his love - parental, spousal
d. Whether you are parent, spouse, friend - Gods love should be model
for how we love
