GOD’S LOVE
1 JOHN 4:7-11
Introduction: There is nothing so immeasurable or as important as God’s love and yet His love so misunderstood by man today. God is love! Do you really understand what that means? Have you ever considered the magnitude of that statement? Let us consider God’s love…
I. God’s Love is Unconditional
A. 1 John 4:19 MKJV We love Him because He first loved us.
B. God’s love is not in any way influenced by anything we say or do
C. Ephesians 2:4-8 MKJV But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,
D. Nothing about us makes God love us.
E. Romans 3:10-12 MKJV “As it is written: There is none righteous, no not one; there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no, not one.”
F. An old woman, hearing of some preachers who dwelt on the doctrine of predestination, said: “Ah, I have long settled that point, for if God had not chosen me before I was born. I am sure He would have seen nothing in me to have chosen me afterward.” —United Presbyterian
G. God does not love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because God loves us.
H. There are no conditions upon us to receive God’s love. Nothing we say or do can make Him love us less.
I. One day, as a minister sat in the office of his church to meet anyone who might have spiritual difficulties, only one person came. "What is your difficulty?" asked the minister. The man answered, "My difficulty is the ninth chapter of Romans, where it says, ’Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.’ " "Yes," said the minister, "there is great difficulty in that verse; but which part of the verse is difficult for you?" "The latter part, of course," said the man. "I cannot understand why God should hate Esau." The minister replied, "The verse has often been difficult, but my difficulty has always been with the first part of the verse. I never could understand how God could love that wily, deceitful, supplanting scoundrel Jacob."
J. 1 John 4:10 MKJV In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation concerning our sins.
K. No matter what your life has been like, He still loves you! How much do you love God?
L. A minister was retiring, and had delivered his last sermon from the pulpit where he had preached many years. One of the faithful members stopped as she went out the door and asked, "Do you know what is the most important thing you said in all these years?" "What was that?" the minister inquired, so he might learn of one way he had helped someone. "You told us we cannot do anything to get God to stop loving us!" was the quiet reply. The most important thing that you can learn in life is that God never stops loving you! Peter denied being one of the disciples and cursed, but God still loved him and turned his life around. John Mark turned back and quit in the middle of a missionary journey but Christ still loved Him and caused him to be an asset to the church and the Apostle Paul (2 Timothy 4:11). David committed adultery and murder, but God still loved him. Vacillating Israel as often as they were hot and cold, God still said through the prophet Zechariah, “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.’” (Zechariah 2:8)
II. God’s love is Unending
A. Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you.”
B. God’s love for us is from eternity, without beginning and without ending
C. Ephesians 1:4-5 He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
D. Daniel Webster, a 19th century lawyer and statesman, was courting his wife-to-be, Grace Fletcher. As he held skeins of silk thread for her, he suggested, "Grace, we’ve been engaged in untying knots; let us see if we can tie a knot which will not untie for a lifetime." They stopped right then and tied a random silk knot that would be almost impossible to untie. Grace accepted Webster’s proposal. After they passed from this world, their children found a little box marked "Precious Documents." Among the contents were letters of courtship and a tiny silk knot—one that had never been untied. Those who know the love of Jesus can boldly quote Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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" (Romans 8:38,39) – Jim Bassett; Source: Clifton Fadiman, The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, (Little, Brown & Co., 1985)
E. I Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails.
F. Country singer George Strait sings a song entitled, "Love without End, Amen." It tells the story of a young boy coming home from school after having a fight and expecting punishment from his dad. Fully expecting the wrath of his father, the son waited, expecting the worst. However, the father said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father’s love ...Daddies don’t just love their children every now and then ...it’s a love without end. Amen." The young lad grew up and passed this secret on to his children. One day he dreamed that he died and went to heaven. He was concerned, as he waited to go in, because he realized there must be some mistake for if they knew half the things he’s done they would never let him in. It was then that he heard his father’s words again, "Let me tell you a secret about a father’s love ...Daddies don’t just love their children every now and then ...it’s a love without end. Amen." Isn’t it comforting to know that we have a Father like this? It is no secret, concerning our Father’s love: God doesn’t just love His children every now and then; indeed, it is a "love without end, Amen." - Bill Thrasher
III. God’s Love in Unchangeable
A. Malachi 3:6 MKJV For I am Jehovah, I change not. Because of this you sons of Jacob are not destroyed.
B. James 1:17 MKJV Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.
C. God is not fickle or capricious.
D. One day C. H. Spurgeon was walking through the English countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At the top of the vane were these words: GOD IS LOVE. Spurgeon remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. “Weather vanes are changeable,” he said, “but God’s love is constant.” “I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles,” replied his friend. “You misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating a truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.”
IV. God’s Love is Uncompromising
A. God’s love never conflicts with His holiness
B. If He did not hate evil His love would not be a holy love.
C. No change in God’s standard of righteousness.
D. Isaiah 45:21 MKJV Declare and bring near; yea, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this of old? Who has told it from then? Is it not I, Jehovah? And there is no other God besides Me; a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me.
E. Deuteronomy 32:4 MKJV He is the Rock; His work is perfect. For all His ways are just, a God of faithfulness, and without evil; just and upright is He.
F. Revelation 15:3-4 MKJV And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are Your ways, O King of saints. Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You only are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your righteousnesses were made known
G. Psalms 5:5 MKJV The foolish shall not stand in Your sight. You hate all doers of iniquity.
H. Psalms 11:5 MKJV Jehovah tries the righteous; but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence,
I. The love of God, with arms extended on a cross, bars the way to hell. But if that love is ignored, rejected, and finally refused, there comes a time when love can only weep while man pushes past into the self-chosen alienation which Christ went to the cross to avert. Michael Green (1930- )
J. Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."
