Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
March 10, 2002 AM
A Better Understanding Of God's Love
Reading - 1 John 4.8-19
This morning I want to focus our attention on the LOVE OF GOD. Listen to these scriptures which affirm beyond any doubt that God loves us...
- From the Old Testament Jeremiah 31...I have loved you with an everlasting love... I have
drawn you to Myself with loving-kindness.
- God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son
- Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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.
- In Ephesians two... Paul writes... Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.
- 2 Thessalonians 2 reads... Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace has given us eternal encouragement and good hope.
- And from our text... How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! As we begin the lesson this morning... I just want us to know that all of us are recipients of God's Love...
Access a worship bulletin and let's examine some reasons... Why... I believe God loves us.
First... We know God loves us because He made us.
Psalm 145.17 says... The LORD is righteous in all his ways... And loving towards ALL He has made.
Did you notice it... Not loved SOME... but ALL whom He has made... That includes you and me... RIGHT? If you get nothing else from the lesson, get this... God made you... And loves you. You see... God has never made a person He didn't love. Peter concluded in Cornelius' house that... God is no respecter of persons. Romans 2.11 specifically states that... God does not show favoritism. He loves us all equally... That includes you and your preacher. Do something for me... Look across the building... Focus your attention on one individual... Just one!!... Will you do that?... Don't look at me... Look at them. Now, what are you thinking?... You mean... God loves that person??? I know it may seem improbable... But He does!
Psalm 103.13 & 14 tells us that God loves us... like a Father... As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
David doesn't say that God is like...
- A policeman,
- A drill sergeant,
- A prison warden.
- He doesn't say God is a boss or a taskmaster. He says that God is like a Father.
Repeatedly, Jesus referred to God as His Father... Our Father. We hear Him say... If our earthly fathers know how to give good gifts... How much more does your heavenly Father know how to give good gifts?
- 1 John 1.3 says... Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
- Again 1 John 3.1 reads... How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
How many of us as parents thought, before we had kids, that they were going to be perfect? Rude awaking... Right?... Not so with God. When God created us, in His foreknowledge, in His omniscience, He already knew all the evil, sinful things we would be involved in. And yet... He still made us... (Why church?)... Because He loves us. Let us accept the fact that God is love... And that we were the object of HIS love.
Secondly... We know God loves us because He notices every detail in our life.
Matthew 10.30 says... Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Jesus says... Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. That's a pretty small detail isn't it? The point here is... That God is interested in every little detail of our life.
Sometimes we think that the only time God really cares about us is...
- When we are in church,
- When we are reading our Bible,
- When we are doing church work,
- When we are doing something quote... SPIRITUAL.
NO... God is interested in every detail...
- He's interested when we are happy and when we're sad.
- He's interested when we make an A or when we make a D on the test.
- He's interested when we succeed and when we fail.
- He's interested when we're depressed... discouraged... and doubtful.
- God is interested in us when we do good... And when we are caught up in sin.
Listen... When your wife comes home with a new dress... or a new hairdo... And you don't notice right off... What happens?... You tell me!!... You'd better start oohing and awing about this, or you know what's gonna happen:
- You never pay any attention to how I look.
- You never hear anything I say.
- You just don't care.
- You don't WHAT?... You don't LOVE me.
Here is the bottom line... If we care... We are aware.
And God is always aware of every detail of our life... (WHY?)... Because He loves us.
Some of you are going through some tough times right now. But no matter what we're going through God is there.. God is acutely aware of our problems... He is!
- He cares about the fact that you're not doing well in algebra II.
- Or that your best friend betrayed you.
- He cares that you are having family financial problems.
- He cares when you've lost a loved one.
- Or that you have been diagnosed with cancer.
- Or that your marriage is coming apart.
- He cares that you don't feel as spiritual as you once did.
- Or that you're having trouble with doubt... fear... worry... loneliness.
WHY?... Because He loves you.
Thirdly, we know God loves us because He gave us the capacity for joy & pleasure.
God gave us eyes... And then he filled the world with color... For our pleasure. You see... God could have made the whole world to look like West Texas:... flat... drab... and ugly.
God gave us eyes and filled the world with...
- Beautiful sunrises,
- Sunsets,
- Flowers,
- Grass,
- Trees,
- Mountains,
- Oceans... etc.
He gave us ears and made possible music and conversation. He gave us taste and filled the world with flavor...
- Cinnamon rolls,
- Chocolate ice cream,
- Barbecue ribs,
- Pizza,
- And homemade apple pie. Are you getting hungry?
Listen to Paul in the last phrase of 1 Timothy 6.17... God... Who richly provides us with everything for our (WHAT?)... Enjoyment. John 10.10 has Jesus saying.. I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Christianity is more than just a pie-in-the-sky hope of heaven... It is the best life God has to offer in this world... PLUS... It offers us the reward of a utopian existence with Him and one another throughout eternity. Read your Bibles... Jesus talked more about happiness than he does about heaven. God loves us and created us with a capacity for pleasure... Both in this world and in the world to come.
Fourthly... We can know God loves us because He has good plans for our lives.
Church... God did not bring us into this world for nothing... Your life is not an accident. Listen to Jeremiah 29.11... For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Paul writes in Romans 8... That God loves us so much that He will take... Even the bad things in life... and work them out for our good... for our benefit. You see church... God loves us and wants what is best for us... And what is best for us is to accomplish our purpose... The reason for which we were created. And we will never know...
- The real joy...
- The fulfillment...
- And genuine contentment...
Until we discover and work that purpose. Trust Him... He has a great plan and purpose for your life and mine. ARE WE WORKING GOD'S PLAN... OR ARE WE SELFISHLY LIVING AS WE WANT?
Listen to me folk... Don't let Satan or his people tell you differently... The greatest happiness... The greatest Joy... The greatest thrill... The greatest fulfillment in life is waking up each morning to discover God's plan and purpose for us today.
But, Brother Randall... I don't know what his plan and purpose for me each day is... How can I know? First... Study this book. Second... Believe in and respond to God's divine providence... Respond to the opportunities he places before you daily. Third... Like David, sometimes we just need "to be still and know that He is God." Sometimes we keep so busy that we have no time to KNOW His purpose and plan... RIGHT?
We know God loves us because He sent Christ to die for us.
This is the ultimate proof of God's love... We'll talk more about this next week. Jesus said... Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. Paul writes in Romans 5.8... But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us... While we were yet Aliens... Ugly... Evil... Ungodly... Unlovable... While we were acting crazy... God still loved us.
He loved us enough to come to this earth in the form of humanity and give His life as a ransom for our sins... for our evil... for our ugliness. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. Jesus was God in the flesh... God with skin on... Who came to demonstrate his love. No wonder we sing Amazing Grace!!
Then finally... We can know God loves us because He is willing to forgive us.
Do you know why a lot of us do not get to know God better?... Because of GUILT.
- Maybe you're one of those who feel... I can't have a relationship with God for all the things I have done wrong... Well... YOU'RE WRONG!
- Perhaps you're thinking... My sins are so bad... I can never be forgiven... Well... YOU'RE WRONG!
- Maybe you're thinking...I'm not good enough to be a Christian...WELL...YOU ARE WRONG!! We are all good enough... Because we are FORGIVEN!! Listen to Romans 3.24... We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. Ephesians 1.7 says... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.
Here is the bottom line from Romans 8.1... There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ.... Isn't this Bible truth wonderful... You bet it is!! Folk... There is no sin so ugly that the love of God through the blood of Christ cannot... will not forgive, if we will submit to His plan of salvation... to His scheme of redemption... RIGHT?
You see... There are two ways to get to heaven:..
- One is to live a perfect life...
- The other is to accept... GOD'S love... His grace... His mercy... His forgiveness... made possible through the blood of Christ.
Well... How??... How do we respond to GOD'S love... mercy... and grace? I think we respond simply by allowing His love to prompt us... motivate us... compel us to worship and serve Him on the account of His absolute goodness toward us. In fact, Paul tells us in Second Corinthians 5... For Christ's love... God's love compels us... Because we are convinced that He died for us all.
Folk... Allow the love of God to compel you to become His child... For we are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, have been clothed with Christ... Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
If we are already children of God... I believe there are two scriptures that speak to us of how to respond to God's continual love...
- Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's love... His mercy and grace... To offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
- For if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son CONTINUES TO CLEANSE us from all sin.... If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
You see audience... This is no reason that each and every one of us cannot go home rejoicing in God's love. Respond appropriately to God's LOVE... Today... Right now... As we stand and sing this invitation song... Will you come??
