QUESTIONING GOD’S LOVE?
Romans 8: 28-39
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever find yourself in that situation questioning God’s love?
My story: I questioned God’s love for me when I was a kid, a teenager, etc.
There is a tendency to question God’s love when:
- We don’t receive answer to our prayers.
- We are suffering or hurting and God is silent.
- We compare ourselves with other people and we see that they are healthier, wiser, wealthier, prettier, etc. than us
- We are not satisfied/ content with our situation.
( A satisfied life is better than a successful life.)
Did you ever wonder what to do when you’re in that situation that you are questioning God’s love for you?
ARE YOU QUESTIONING GOD’S LOVE?
What should we do?
Today I want to share with you three things to do:
I. THINK ABOUT HIS LOVE V.32
Remember- Go back to what God has done in the past.
Note: Your present situation is overwhelming you or the future so think about the past- think about how he showed his love to you.
When you think, when you go back you will find evidences to prove that God loves you.
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
John 3:16-17 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
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
There's a song with the title, "Think about his Love". it says...
Think about His love, think about His goodness
Think about His grace that's brought us trough
For as high as the heavens above
So great is the measure of our father's love
Great is the measure of our Father's love
So great is the measure of our Father's love
How could I forget his love
How could I forget his mercies
We forget? Especially when we are overwhelmed with problems.
II. TRUST HIS LOVE V.28
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i] have been called according to his purpose.
We may not know what is happening and why things are happening or not happening but we know who is in control. God works for the good.
Illus. if we taste the ingredients used in baking a cake raw and one by one it will surely not taste good. But if we mix it up together with the right proportion, bake it with the right temperature and right time it will turn out tasting good. God is mixing everything in our life for good.
Illus. Joseph (in the Old Testament) God given dream came to reality but the process was not easy- Potiphar’s House to Prison and then to palace.
When we cannot trace His hands, we can trust his heart.
“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.”
I John 4:16 (NLT)
Trust according to Merriam-Webster it means, “Assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. When is the last time you put your assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of God’s love? John could have suggested putting trust in God’s strength or His power. How about His wisdom? The truth is, when we get God’s love, we get everything else. We get all of God wrapped in His amazing unconditional love.
Prov. 3: 5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Jer. 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you…
He who began a good work in you- is also a song that is very encouraging. it says...
If the struggle you're facing is slowly replacing
Your hope with despair or the process is long
And you're losing your song
In the night
you can be sure
That the Lord has His hand on you
Safe and secure
He will never abandon you
You are His treasure
And He finds His pleasure in you
LET THE LYRICS OF THIS SONG SINK IN YOUR HEARTS
III. TRIUMPH IN HIS LOVE VV. 31, 35-39
When we question God- we feel that God abandoned us, or we feel we are losers
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Note: Not all of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 escape persecution or hardship.
Hebrews 11: 35-39 …There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
I would say they lived above their circumstances and not under. They triumph knowing that nothing and no one could separate them from God’s love.
Illus. What will you say to God 13 year old paralyzed boy? I will tell him, “God, you have all eternity to make it up to me.”
We are living in a fallen world bad things could happen to good people- like Job
Reflect: do we question God’s love because we love him or because we want the blessings of his love?
Conclusion: When you find yourself questioning God’s Love for you remember to:
Think about His Love, to Trust in His Love, and to Triumph in His Love.
