Love for the Unloved
August 27, 2017 Morning Service
Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK
Rick Boyne
Message Point: God loves us.
Focus Passage: Genesis 29:16-35
Supplemental Passage: See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (1 John 3:1 NASB)
Introduction: In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, "Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less." Our Daily Bread, February 14.
I. Jacob Loved Rachel
a. Jacob was enthralled with Rachel’s outward appearance
b. Leah was not as pretty as her sister
c. Jacob agreed to work 7 years in order to marry Rachel
II. Laban Deceived Jacob
a. Leah wore a complete veil
b. Jacob consummated his marriage to Leah thinking it was Rachel
c. Jacob was furious at Laban for the deceit
d. Laban gave excuses
e. Jacob agreed to work another 7 years for Rachel
f. He waited the week for the marriage feast to end, then married Rachel
III. Leah Births Judah
a. Leah was first, but unwanted
b. Even God could see that Jacob loved her less than Rachel
c. He opened her womb and gave birth to sons
d. The 4th son, Judah, is in the lineage of Jesus
Application/Invitation: Emotions are fickle things. Many times, we may feel unloved. That is, we don’t receive the affection or attention that we think we deserve from someone who says they love us. If we “feel” that way towards God, it isn’t because He doesn’t love us. It may well be that we have the wrong attitude; are being selfish; or even that God is trying to teach us something important.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NASB)
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39 NASB)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8 NASB)
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35 NASB)
