His Love, Part 1

The Bible says these words recorded in 1 John chapter 4 verse number 7 and 8 Words that are very clearly revealed.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. Now think about that for a moment. That means that the unbeliever does not know love, does not know how to love. They're going to tell you they do. They're going to be so convinced in their heart and mind that they know the true meaning of love, they'll do everything they can to convince you. But if you don't know God, then you don't know anything about love.

Because God Is love. And only those who are born of God and have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts can really understand true biblical ag love. So tonight we want to talk about that love. And we're going to talk about it in two areas. Number one, his love proclaimed.

And number two, his love portrayed. Next week, we're going to talk about how that love is personalized and how that love is practiced. But tonight, we want to talk about the love of God and how it is, first of all, proclaimed in the scriptures.

And then, second of all, how it is portrayed in the scriptures as we look at God and try to understand the meaning of real, true, biblical love.

In 1 John 4, 7, and 8, the verses we just read, it does not say that love is God. That would make God an abstract being. It'd make him an unreal being. John does not ascribe impersonal qualities or characteristics to God. He just says that God is love. And that God's love is present in his children and absent in his enemies. Please understand that. God's love is present in his children. It is absent in his enemies. That means the unbeliever does not know love in the true biblical sense of the word.

They can't. Because the natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit of God. So, what does the Bible say? About the love of God. Turn with me to Psalm 136.

We'll look at the Old Testament first, then the New Testament. Psalm 136. Psalm 136 ends with the same phrase, his love endures forever, or His loving-kindness is everlasting. All 26 verses say the exact same thing. It goes as follows: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his loving kind is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of gods for his loving kindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord of lords for his loving kind is everlasting. To him who alone does great wonders, for his loving-kindness is everlasting.

To him who made the heavens with skill, for his loving-kindness is everlasting. To him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his loving kind is everlasting. And if you read through each of the verses, It has the same refrain. His loving kind is everlasting. His loving kind is everlasting. It's a psalm that speaks about the enduring love of God for man. He shows it in creation, he demonstrated it in redemption, and he demonstrates it in the preservation of his people. And so the psalmist can only proclaim as loudly as he possibly can that God's love endures forever.

His love is everlasting. The Old Testament clearly proclaims the fact that God is love. It says in Psalm 63, verse number 3: God's loving kind is better than life itself. Psalm 86, verse number 15, God is abundant in loving kind. Psalm 89, verses 1 and 2, I will sing of thy loving kind of the Lord forever. Loving kind will be built up forever. And it's amazing, as we will see in a few moments, how he demonstrates that. But as we go over to the New Testament, I want you to turn with me to 1 John chapter 3 for a moment.

1 John chapter 3, because the New Testament, just as clearly as the old, proclaims the fact that God is love. In fact, the Romans 5:8, God demonstrates his love toward us, or demonstrated his love toward us. In that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Over in 1 John chapter 4, it says in verse number 9: By this the love of God was manifested in us. That God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. And this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Over in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 4 to 6, it says this, but God being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, Even when we were dead and our transgressions made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, in order that He, or in order that in the ages to come, He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. The Bible proclaims the fact that God is love.

But I like what John says in 1 John 3, verse number 1, when he says this. See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God, and such we are. See how great a love. Maybe your text says what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God. I tend to like that a little bit better. Because, but John is trying to describe the love of God to us. There's not a word good enough to describe it. So what he does is use a word in classical Greek that means foreign, that means country.

That means another race. He says that the love of God is so foreign to us. That we can't grasp it. It's of another dimension. It's something that we can't necessarily comprehend. It is other. That's the only phrase that John can use to describe the fact that God is love. Oh, what other dimension? Outside the human dimension, what other world, a world that we can't describe, is the love of God that we should be called the children of God. I trust that as we study this together, you'll understand more of God's love.

I'm afraid that the world quest it. The world says, if God is a God of love, how can he allow so much injustice in the world? That's a very popular question by those who are unbelievers. You tell me God loves me, and you tell me God's got a plan for my life, and you tell me that God is so concerned about me that He came to die for me on the cross. But I want to ask you a question about God's love. If that's the case, why is there so much crime? So much injustice, so much pain, so much pestilence, so much disease, so much death, so much travesty in the world, so many tragedies in the world.

You face that question all the time. One author has stated it this way: Look at the world around us. History is a long take of man's inhumanity to man. Spain had its Inquisition, Britain its Atlantic slave trade, Germany its gas chambers, Russia its Siberian labor camps. The United States has Indian reservations, and the world is still swept by fear and lust, greed, and racial t. Nature too seems twisted. Babies are born deformed. They inherit diseases and tendencies to insan. Ours is a world of preying animals, parasites, viruses, and bacteria.

Easy answers could not possibly be right. We must realize that we are children, that we are fools, that we are at heart conceited, stiff-necked rebels. Who will get everything wrong unless we are prepared to give up telling God what He should be like and what He should do. Objectors simply tell us that sin or what sin has done, not what God has done. People ask: if God is a God of love, why doesn't He stop all the wars? The obvious answer is, he didn't start them. The word of God says God is love.

I believe it. All you have to do to prove it is look at the cross. That's so true. The world is asking the wrong question. They're looking at the wrong place. They hear us say that God is love. But do they see God as love? That will lead us to point number two: the love of God portrayed.

And in your notes, I've given you eight different ways in which we're going to look at God's love. Port. The first thing I want you to notice is that God's love Is visible.

God's love is visible. For that, turn to me to Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5, verse number 1. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance. And perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope.

And hope does not disappoint. Why? Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given To us. Then, verse number eight, but God demonstrates his love toward us, in that while we are yet sinners, Christ died for us. True love just doesn't say, I love you. True love is visibly manifested. You can see God's love in creation, but you can more clearly see God's love in redemption. Because it's there he demonstrates the magnitude of his love. God showed it very clearly.

Jesus Christ hanging on a tree for every man, woman, boy, and girl to see. The love of God is portrayed very clearly in Scripture, which leads me to this. If we have the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, then that love must be a visible expression. Our lives, right? We must be able to demonstrate to other people that God not only loves us, but we love them. God's love is visible. Number two, God's love is sacrificial.

God's love is sacrificial. Turn with me to 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3, verse number 16 says this: We know love by this. You want to know love? Here it is. Bible tells you, We know love by this. That he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. God loves us so much that it cost him the dearest thing to him, and that was his son. So we know love how? Because God sacrificed on our behalf. Number three.

Not only is love visible and sacrificial, but it is volitional. Love is a choice. Back to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, verse number 3, reads as follows. He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not also with him Freely give us all things. Love is a choice. God gave His own s. All true love is a choice. Now that's hard for us to grasp. You ever had your wife come to you or your husband come to you and say, tell me why you love me? Why do you love me? There's only one answer that suffices that question.

And that is, I choose to. If you say I love you because you're beautiful, that means when you get ugly, he's not going to love you anymore. If you say, honey, I love you because you just make so much money and I feel so secure with you, if he loses his job, you're going to be insecure and you're going to think he doesn't love you anymore. Or you're not going to love him anymore. So, whenever your spouse asks you, why is it you love me? If you give her something tangible that says, I love you because you are this way, Then you don't understand love.

But love is a choice. True love is volitional. Number four. God's love is uncond. God's love is uncond. John 3. 1, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. What's the world? It's not the planets. What is the world? For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Key question: What is the world? Because how you define the world will determine how uncond God's love really is. Okay? So turn with me to Romans chapter 5, verse number 10.

R chapter 5, verse number 10 says this: For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son. Much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Who's the world? The world are the enemies of God. The world are those who are alienated from God. That is the world. If you're going to be sons of your Father in heaven, if you're going to be a real true follower of Christ, The way you demonstrate that is you love your enemies because that's the way your Father in heaven clearly lives his life by loving those who are alienated from him those who are his Enemies.

Clearly, God loves those who spurn His tender mercy. It says over in Ezekiel 33, verse number 11, that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. That's why he calls sinners to repentance. Be imitators of God. Walk in love. Next, you must understand that God's love is beneficial. Romans chapter 5 again, verse number 9. What does it say? Much more than having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. Talk about benefits. What's the benefit of God's love?

We are saved from the wrath of God. No true child of God will experience the full fury. of God's wrath. Why? Because he has saved us from that. Over in 1st Thessalonians chapter 1, verse number 10, it says that they looked toward heaven, looked expectantly toward Christ, who delivers them from the wrath to come. Next, you need to understand that God's love is judicial. God's love is judicial. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Reads verse number six as follows: Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.

Just because God's love is uncond, just because God's love is sacrificial, just because God's love is beneficial, it doesn't mean that God accepts anything and everything. Why? Because love, it says in verse 6, does not rejoice in unrighteousness. That is, God's love is holy. Therefore, God's love must make judgment calls. Love hates what is evil. Love hates what is wrong. And love embraces what is true and pure and right. Next, you need to understand that God's love is emotional. God's love is emotional.

1 Corinthians 13: again, true love rejoices. So there is some feeling behind love. Please understand this. It's not defined by feelings alone. You know? I feel so much love from you. I feel like loving you. Oh, what does that mean? That this is so gooshy, gush, whooshy, whooshy. You know? Oh, I just feel so good around you. Well, you got to be careful about that. Because when you stop feeling good around them, you stop being around them. You can't go on feelings, but love does feel. Why? Because real, true love rejoices.

There's a sense of enthusiasm behind it. There's a feeling of excitement behind real, true biblical love. It's a deep feeling of joy. That doesn't mean you feel good all the time, but that your love is marked by an inner feeling of joy because you love to give. Do you get that? You see, love's feeling is biblical when you have sacrificed and given away all that you have for the benefit of someone else. And you see God do a work in your life, that should excite you. And true love does rejoice in that which is true, in that which is right.

And in our lives, when we do that which is true and right for the glory of God, feel of joy, ready for this, will always come. Always. Lastly, God's love is eternal. Jeremiah:. God's love is an everlasting love. Everlasting love reaches to eternity past. He knew us before he made us, and he loved us. Before he made us, and he will love us for eternity to come. Romans 8:3 says that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Isn 't that good? God's love is eternal. You ought to be able to look at your wife in the eyes, your kids in the eyes, and say, you know what?

Nothing you ever do will keep me from loving you. Nothing. Then you know you love your spouse. Then you know you love your kids. Be careful, they might test you. But the bottom line is: can you honestly say there's nothing you will ever say, nothing that you will ever do that will keep me from loving you? Why? Because I choose to love you. And therefore, I will sacrifice on your behalf. Over in John 13, verse number 1, I like what it says. Having loved his own, he loved them to the end. Isn't that good?

These egotistical, self-centered, reluctant, uncommitted, doubting knuckle, he loved. Having loved them, he loved them to the end. To the end of what? To the end of eternity. But when is that? There is no end. He loves them forever. And that's the way God is with you and me. I don't know if you know who George Mathes is or not, but he was a brilliant 19th-century Scottish pastor and hymn writer. He was born with an eye defect that developed to such an extent that he became totally blind by the time he was 18 years of age.

Shortly after that, the woman he had been engaged to marry left him, deciding that she would not be content to be married to a blind man. And so it was in response to the most difficult episode in his life that he pinned this hymn about the security of God's love. It's entitled, O Love, That Wilt Not Let Me Go.

Spurned by what he thought was true love. He s and found solace in the unchanging love of God, and he wrote these words: O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee.

I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be. I wonder if you understand God's love for you when everyone else might hate you and turn their back on you. God will not, because God's love is everlasting. It's full of mercy. His loving kind endures forever. With that thought, we must understand how we should respond and love other people with the love of God.