What More Can God Do?

What More Can God Do?

1 John 4:7-18

Sermon Objective: God has done / is doing everything within the scope of Divine power to show us how much He loves us and how valuable we are.

Supporting Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:9-10; Exodus 15:21-26

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

INTRO

So I have been asking myself a question lately. Or, maybe more accurately, the Holy Spirit has been asking me a question lately. It is a question that I am sure some of you have asked and one that maybe all of us need to ask. It might change us in some significant ways … I can say it is certainly changing me.

† The answer gives me a different view of myself.

† The answer gives me a more accurate view of you.

† The answer gives me a better view of the world.

† The answer changes motivation and actually even spawns motivation.

† The answer is as simple as the question but one that I, and maybe you, need to ponder a while.

Maybe I should give you the question. Only then can I give you my answer … if the Holy Spirit prompts you with the question God will help you with the answer too.

God’s question to me: WHAT MORE CAN I DO? WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO SHOW YOU THAT I LOVE YOU AND THAT YOU ARE VALUABLE TO ME?

This has been a life-long question … one that my Heavenly Father brings to mind again and again. I guess there are a lot of ways to go about finding that answer. But for me, I found it best to let God answer it for me.

WHAT MORE CAN I DO? WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO SHOW YOU THAT I LOVE YOU AND THAT YOU ARE VALUABLE TO ME?

GOD HAS TOLD ME HE LOVES ME

God answers this question for me by speaking DIRECTLY to me … through His Word.

• Three times in the Bible God refers me (us) as “The apple of His eye.” For example, in Psalm 17:7-8 God says “Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings”

• Song of Solomon 2:4 says He has taken me to the banquet table, and his banner over me is love.

• Jeremiah 31:3 God says The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”

• Romans 8:3739 God tells me: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• This last one of from Zephaniah and God used it in a powerful way within me. It is from Zephaniah 3:17 … The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."