“THE LOVE OF GOD”
By Pastor Mark Taylor - June 22, 2019 - Sonia’s Home Group
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
The world population as of April 2019 is 7.7 billion and the percent of those who call themselves Christian is only. 33.35%. This means 67% of the world has not heard of, or decided not to receive the love of God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.
So if the "Love of God" has been revealed to you and you have accepted "The Love of God", you need to be thankful to our Heavenly Father.
THE LOVE OF GOD IS UNIVERSAL
“For God So Loved The World...”. The Greek word for world (kosmos) is defined as “the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ.” This is the world that God loved. It doesn’t say that God loved all the good guys. Or that God loved all the Jews. Or that God love all the saints. It says, “For God so loved the world.”
So God’s love clearly isn’t based on our spiritual condition or our moral predisposition. It isn’t based on our behavior or our attitude toward him. Rather we see here that God’s love for mankind is universal and unconditional. He loves everyone. And this is one of the things that sets him apart from every other god held up by every other world religion.
This does not however exempt any of from the consequences of our sins and wrong choices. "Be not deceived (make no mistake in your thinking), God is not mocked, for whatsoever a person sows, that shall they also reap." (Galatians 6:7). We must keep in the context of God's love that He hates sin because of the harm it does to His children. He does not hate the sinner, but the actions that robs them of the blessings He wants to give to those He loves.
This also means that His love continues to be given to you unconditionally. “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.” Christianity uniquely claims God’s love comes free of charge, no strings attached. No other religion makes that claim.
THE LOVE OF GOD IS SACRIFICIAL
“For God so love the World, that He Gave..” He loved us by giving, by serving, by sacrificing. We learn something important about the nature of true love. Some people think they love others because of what those people do for them or how they make them feel. God shows us that true love has nothing to do with what you can do for HIm, but everything to do with what He can do for you.
THE LOVE OF GOD IS VALUABLE
“For God so loved the world, that He gave, His Only Son...”
Here we see the value of the Father’s love for us. Not only was He willing to give, but we see here that He was willing to give the only Son He had. When you give to someone out of your abundance that is one thing, but when you give your all, that is quite another.
How many times have you heard or even said yourself: “I can’t give you that because it’s the only one I’ve got.” God didn’t have a back up. God didn’t have a spare. But He loved us so much that He was willing to give us the only Son He had.
THE LOVE OF GOD IS IS PERSONAL
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son...”
God’s love is not only universal, unconditional, and valuable, it is a personal love. A love given to each of us individually, one at a time. He gave His love to individual people, not to governments, nations, or religious organizations.
One of the reasons God saved you is because He is fond of you. He likes having you around. He thinks you are the best things He ever created. If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He is ready to listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
GOD’S LOVE IS AVAILABLE TO ANYONE
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever would believe in Him...”
The really good news about God’s love is that it is not limited to a select few. Nor is it difficult to obtain. The love of God is accessible to “whoever believes” in Jesus – the only Son of God.
God has come down to our level. Not in the sense that He has lessened His holiness or lowered His standards. But only in the sense that He has made His love accessible to the average, ordinary person like me and like you.
GOD’S LOVE IS FOREVER
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life”
God’s goal in sending his Son from heaven to earth was not condemn you are to show you how bad you are, how unworthy you are or how hopeless you are. God’s only desire in sending His Son was to show you His love and draw you into a love relationship with Himself. Jesus didn’t come into the world in order to rebuke you. He came to rescue you. He didn’t come to criticize you. He came to cleanse you. He didn’t come to punish you. He came to pardon you. He didn’t come to destroy you. He came to deliver you.
Our response to this wonderful gift of love from God to us should be to accept it and love God back. Romans 10: 9-13
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Our response of love should be to live a life that would be pleasing to The Lord. Jesus said: "If you Love Me, Keep My commandments." (John 14:15). "If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love." (John 15:10).
What are those commandments? “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
When our Lord was asked: What is the greatest commandment? He said:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, With all your soul, With all your mind, And with all your strength. This is the first commandment, And the second is like it in that you should love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 11: 29-30).
Love is an action verb. You love God with your life and not with just words.
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." I John 3:18
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (I John 4: 7-8)
