I give permission for this sermon to be used in its entirety as long as it is for the glory of God.
THE PURPOSE OF GOD’S LOVE
Please open your Bibles to 1 John 3 as we continue our series on godly living with today’s message, the “Purpose of God’s Love.” This message is vitally important to every believer, because knowing God’s love gives purpose and meaning for living a godly life.
Of all you will hear in this series, this is the message that pulls everything together. This is the one message that reveals the great purpose of God to live a godly life.
Living a godly life through the love of God will impact eternity far greater than anything else you will ever do. If you could pick only one thing to do with your life, let it be to live a life of love. The supernatural glue that ties everything together, that has the power to make us into great men and women of God, is the love of God. God’s love is the difference maker between those who live godly lives, and those who do not.
1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God…! NKJV
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. NIV
THE POWER OF GOD’S LOVE IN YOUR LIFE
Before we dive into the heart of this message, there is a vital point about God’s love you need to hear deep in your soul. Usually, I would have put this point at the end of the message. But this point is so vital, that I wanted you to hear it first, so that you can better understand the rest of the message. Please listen carefully, perhaps someone here needs to hear this… and that someone may be you…
God’s love for you is an unconditional love.
God’s love for you is far greater than anything you can imagine.
God’s love for you surpasses all measure, and is not limited by any boundaries, and yet, there are many Christians who think that God no longer loves them.
How is that possible? One big reason is because we feel so unworthy of His love.
The truth is, we are unworthy of God’s love, and yet, the Bible tells us in 1 John 3 that God’s love for us is so great that the moment we believe in Him, He immediately makes us His Son or daughter. God’s love for you is never ending. Even when you are at your very worst, God still loves you. The Bible clearly tells us that God’s love is unconditional and that He never turns away from us, even when we stray from Him. God loves you; He forgives you, and His love for you never fails. That’s the great truth that you need to hear, and never forget.
For many Christians this hard is to believe. They look at their lives and say I have messed up. I have made bad choices, or I have fallen away from the Lord, and there is no way He could still love me, or forgive me for what I have done. Does that describe you?
The problem is that we tend to measure God’s love in the same way the world measures love. The world measures love by either by how good or how bad we are. And because of that, we have this idea that God only loves us when we are good. We think that when we make a mess of our lives, that God will stop loving us. And that is so not true.
God’s love for you is constant and unconditional. His love for you does not increase or decrease by the things you do, or don’t do. That doesn’t mean He wants you to stay in your life of sin. He wants
you to turn to Him and repent, and discover the purpose of God’s great love for you.
Let’s look at some Biblical examples that demonstrate God’s unconditional love.
God did not stop loving Abraham, when Abraham tried to sidestep God’s promise for a son, and believe me, that was a very huge, huge mistake. God did not stop loving Abraham, instead He forgive Him and still used Abraham to fulfill His God given purpose.
God did not stop loving David when he committed adultery and murder.
God did not stop loving Jonah when he refused to take the message of salvation to Nineveh.
When Jonah was in the belly of the whale, the Bible says the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. Because of His great love, God, is a God of second chances.
God did not stop loving Peter when he denied knowing Jesus three times. Instead, Jesus poured out His love for Peter and restored him. If He will do that for Peter, He will do it for you.
At our very best, God knows we are a sinful and fragile people. He knows there is no way we could ever earn God’s love. He knows this, and yet He chooses to freely love you and call you, His child.
Have you failed God? Then know that God still loves you and has a purpose for your life. Do you feel unworthy of God’s love? Then know that He loves you, will always love you, and will never stop loving you. His love for you is eternal and unconditional.
If you feel that God is disappointed in you and that you are unworthy of His love, then I want you to hear loud and clear that God says, He loves you with a great and mighty love. His love for you is so deep, that He exchanged His only Son, Jesus in a trade for you. His love for you is so great that the moment you confess and repent, He immediately forgives you and restores you.
Listen to these scriptures that speak to this powerful truth.
Romans 5:8 God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. NKJV Hear that great truth!
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NKJV
When you are in doubt about God’s love for you, remember these words… There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, with that picture in your heart, I want you to see how God’s love reveals God’s purpose and direction for us to live godly lives in an ungodly society.
THE POWER OF GOD’S LOVE GIVES YOU PURPOSE IN LIFE
Have you ever asked yourself what is the greatest purpose of my life? If God were to reveal to you the single, greatest purpose of your life, what do you think it would be? Get that thought in your mind for a moment. There are many things we could list that we could do for Christ’s kingdom that would have meaning and purpose. Many think to be called great in Christ’s kingdom, we would have to do some special thing, or to perform some great sacrifice. And it is possible that could be a part of God’s future purpose for you.
But, without any doubt, the number one, single, greatest purpose of your life is to love God, and to
be an agent of His love. You may not be able to travel to the ends of the earth as a missionary; you may not be an evangelist; you may never write a great gospel song; or write a book. But every person who is a follower of Christ, is called to live a life of godly love. That’s your greatest calling. That’s God’s greatest purpose for your life.
Listen carefully to how Paul describes the great purpose of love in I Corinthians 13.
I Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only
a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. NIV (Do you hear what he is saying church?)
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. NIV
The greatest of these is love… Paul writes that no matter how great your abilities and skills; no matter how great your supernatural gifts; no matter how great your supernatural knowledge and wisdom; no matter how great your faith, or the power of your commitment to Christ, if you do not have the love of God, your life is meaningless and wasted.
Living a life of love is the key to fulfilling your God given purpose.
Living a life of godly love is the most difficult challenge you will ever face, and yet it is the single, greatest purpose of your life. But how do we fulfill that purpose? How do we live a life of godly love in an ungodly society of hate and lawlessness?
The Bible reveals two powerful truths of how we fulfill God’s great purpose to love.
THE OBJECT OF YOUR LOVE
The first great truth of fulfilling God’s purpose to love is found in the object of our love. Since our greatest purpose is to love, the question is, who or what is the object of our love and devotion? Jesus gives us a clear answer of who that should be…
Matthew 22:37 " `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. NIV
Your love of God must be the single, most important purpose of your life. There is nothing else in your whole life that can come even close to matching this one single purpose. In America that is a huge problem, because Americans have many idols that they love and adore more than they love God. That’s a huge problem, even in the church.
How do we demonstrate our love for God?
Jesus gives the answer in John 14:21 when He said;
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me…NKJV
You demonstrate your love for God by obeying Him.
As I have said before, another way of saying that is to say; Obedience = Love
I personally believe that the principle of obedience = love is the most important principle of what it means to love God with all your heart. Obedience is an action word, and Jesus says your obedience to God and His word, is what demonstrates your love and devotion for God, and that devotion and love for God, is clearly missing in the church of America.
So, the first, and most important purpose of your life, is to love God with all your heart, and you
demonstrate your love for Him by obeying His word.
GOD’S LOVE CALLS YOU TO LOVE OTHER BELIEVERS
Second, in addition to loving God, Jesus also gave a new command, which contains the second greatest purpose of your life. Listen to Jesus words.
John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. (In those 3 words He gives us His command; Love one another…) As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." NIV
Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity (Opportunity is the key word.), let us do good to all people (That even includes your enemies.), especially to those who belong to the family of believers. NIV
The second greatest purpose of your life is to use every God given opportunity to love. But God specifically commands us to love God’s eternal family, who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. To love God, and to love the members of His eternal family must be the number one priority and the greatest ambition of your life. That’s God’s purpose…
Why does God insist that we give special love and attention to other believers? Because God wants His family to be known as a family of love more than anything else.
Jesus said our love for each other would be our greatest witness that we belong to Him. He didn’t say by our denomination the world would know us, or by our beautiful churches, or by our doctrinal beliefs. He said our greatest witness to the world that we are genuine disciples of Christ, is determined by our love for God, and each other.
If you desire to be like Christ; if you sincerely desire to fulfill your God given purpose to live a godly life that impacts eternity, then you must love God with all of your heart, and you must love His eternal family of believers in Christ.
IN CLOSING, MAKE EACH DAY A MOMENT TO LOVE
In closing, we have seen that the most important purpose of your life is to love God, and to love others as Christ has loved us. There is nothing else in your life that is greater than that. Living a life of godly love must be your number one priority, and your greatest ambition.
How sad it is that instead of using their God given opportunity to love, many Christians have wasted their God given opportunity on anger, hate and bitterness. To live one day without fulfilling your God given opportunity and purpose to love is a wasted day.
It comes down to this; your commitment to love will determine the greatness of your life in eternity. When I speak of greatness, I am not talking about the world’s definition of greatness. The world measures greatness only in terms of wealth, fame, and power.
God measures greatness in terms of love. And God’s opinion is the only one that matters.
Galatians 5:6b the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. NIV
What you do out of your love for God will never be lost in eternity.
Jesus expressed this powerful truth in Mark 9:41, when He said that if you give something as small as a cup of cold water to someone because of your love for God, Jesus says, you will not lose that
reward.
I repeat, the greatest purpose of your life is to live a life of love.
To live a life of love is to live a life of obedience to God.
To live a life of love is to forgive others as Christ has freely forgiven us.
To live a life of love is a life devoted to God, that honors God with our love for God.
Your relationship with God, and your relationship with others is far more important than
any material thing on this earth.
So, when you leave here today, I want you to remember three things;
First, you must know and believe that God loves you, no matter what.
Second, your first, and greatest purpose in life is to love God with all of your heart, and your second greatest purpose, is to love other believers.
Third, don’t waste another day without living a life of love. Make today count for eternity. Make today the day you seek to love God with all your heart and to love the members of God’s eternal family.
If you have not lived a life of godly love, ask God to forgive you, and to fill your soul with the power and purpose of His mighty love.
