Loving God

Text: I John 4:14 Title: “Loving God” Theme: “Into God’s Presence” Proposition: “We love God because He first loved us . . . let us so love Him.” Keyword: “Questions” Introduction A.

Pre Introduction Scripture Reading Prayer

B. Our New Religion “First dentistry was painless. Then bicycles were chainless, Carriages were horseless, And many laws enforceless. Next cookery was fireless, Telegraphy was wireless, Cigars were nicotineless, And coffee caffeineless. Soon oranges were seedless, The putting green was weedless, The college boy was hatless, The proper diet fatless. New motor roads are dustless, The latest steel is rustless, Our tennis courts are sodless, Our new religion — godless. The new Christianity – LOVELESS” C.

Transition

How could this be? Is this even possible? But seeing how this generation had redefined LOVE, we see that not only is this possible but also prevalent in our time. For this generation, Love is defined as: “To get what we want, when we want it and how we want it.” Thus, resulting into a love that is: 1. Without Respect – a love that crosses and defiles the sacred right of another. This is seen in how: Teens give into Sex before Marriage as a presumption and evidence of LOVE Children failing to honor their parents when they do not get what they want Man indulging himself with pleasures disregarding all others And this is prevalent in the Church even when: Christians see the bread and the cup of the communion and forget to see the meaning behind it

Christians sing the songs of the faith as lustful songs that gives pleasure to himself rather than giving glory to God Christians see God as Father but without the honor, the reverence and the respect that that name evokes. A love that is: 2. Convenient – without sacrifice And this is seen in how: Husbands and Wives get divorced leaving families broken and wrecked Employees leaving as soon as there is a better pay somewhere else Politicians selling their love for country for the price of affluence And even in the church when Christians cannot even commit to keep the Sabbath Day wholly holy Christians cannot give God what is due, what is right Christians who presume that since they are living sacrifices they can just readily walk off the altar not even thinking that when anything is offered to God it already belongs to God not the offerer. And a love that is: 3. Without Truth – or unable to act in the light of the truth. Such as seen in: The inability to hear and heed the word of God without rationalizations The inability to hear the truth without logicalizations The inability to obey and call it FILIPINO CULTURE But why? Why would we allow our generation to be in this state? Why would we even allow the church to be in this state? Is it maybe because we have forgotten How God loved us and How we are supposed to love God? And today, I just have two questions to ask and answer from the word of God and it is my prayer that we would answer this questions in our hearts as well that we may make a decision that would preserve Christianity – the Biblical Christianity from being: Godless and Loveless

Let us begin: I. How did God love us? Our verse simply states: We love Him, because He first loved us.” And just like the Israelites in the time of Malachi have the audacity to ask: “How did you love us?” It maybe time for us to also ask that question in order for us to prevent ourselves from completely forgetting how God loved us. And from the OT to the NT allow me to show you how God loved us: 1.

Moses in Exodus 20:6

“But showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” And this is spoken in the midst of God giving the 10 commandments in Mount Sinai with all the thunder and lightning that accompanied that event. With the commandments, God reiterated blessings for disobedience but also declared love for those who will keep His commandments. This is A AWE INSPIRING LOVE. If God is our God . . . If God is our Father . . . Then let God ask us this: “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name.” If you argue that you think of God as a FATHER and is therefore love and because of that you say that God needs not to be FEARED or REVERED. Then you have to rethink this verse in Hebrews 12:6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” If you cannot think God should be FEARED because He is a Father, then you have already succumbed to the world’s corruption of the very word FATHER. God is God. God is Father. And with that is LOVE – a FEAR INSPIRING LOVE.

2.

Hosea in Hosea 2:19

“And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.” And this is spoken in the context of Hosea’s unfaithful wife representing Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. Yet, this is what God says . . . Though you be unfaithful, though you treat Me as an enemy . . . I will still love you. This is a PROMISE KEEPING LOVE. That though we are unfaithful . . . God remains to be faithful. Though we stray . . . He is faithful and He will love us. As in the words of Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen to that! As He had promised, there is nothing that can separate us from His love. But there’s more . . . even for those who are enemies of God, those who blaspheme Him, those who live their lives totally contrary to His will . . . there is something in store for them in this promise keeping love of God. Consider this verse in Matthew 5:45 “Your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” So why would he do that? Every time the sun rises, God causes it to rise both to those who love Him and those who hate Him. Everytime the rain falls, God causes it to nourish the fields of the just and the ungodly. You would wonder why God would extend His goodness to those who are blasphemers, hypocrites, sexually immoral, greedy, robbers, rapists, gamblers, pedophiles, homosexuals, heterosexuals and all the evil that there is in this world. And to see the sun rise in Puerto, where the city deserves to burn for its sins is amazing why God do not call forth hail, fire and brimstone to destroy this evil world. You know why? Because of the promise He made in Genesis 8:21 “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” What a great promise keeping God! What a great love not willing that any should perish but that should come to repentance. This is for the wicked to heed: “It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.” – Or do you not see? 3.

Ezekiel in Ezekiel 16:8

“When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love And I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine.” A Covenant Binding Love. God loved us so much so to enter into a covenant with those whom He chose and fulfills it to the fullest! 4.

Paul in Romans 5:8

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” A Sacrificial Kind of Love – a love that pays the price for his beloved with the most precious price of all: The blood and the life of the only begotten Son of God! Oh . . . Amazing Love how can it be? That Thou my God shouldst die for me! 5.

John in I John 4:10

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” A Cleansing Kind of Love. A Love that purifies . . . to make fit for the receiver of love. And: 6.

Christ in John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” A DIVINE KIND OF LOVE. Love beyond human comprehending

The love of God in Christ how can it be? This will be my theme and never ending Great redeeming love of Calvary! Oh how wonderful, Oh how marvelous! Is my Savior’s love for me! If this is how God loved us . . . then we need to answer the next question: II. How do we Love God With: 1.

Reverence

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear?” And so if He is Father – let us give Him the honor. If He is our Master – let us give Him respect. 2.

Sacrifice

“O priests, who despise my name. But you say, 'How have we despised your name?' By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, 'How have we polluted you?' By saying that the LORD's table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts. And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the LORD of hosts. Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts. But you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. But you say, 'What a weariness this is,' and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD.” So let us give God that which is the best. If He be God and died for me No sacrifice too great can be For me a mortal man to make I’ll do it all for Jesus sake

And . . . 3.

Obedience to the Truth

“True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.” Oh may not this fall upon us! So if we love God . . . true instruction must be on our lips. If we love God . . . as the truth is given let us obey!

Conclusion: How hard is this simple verse? We love Him because He first loved us. He loved us with: An Awe Inspiring Love A Promise Keeping Love A Covenant Binding Love A Sacrificial Kind of Love A Cleansing Kind of Love and A Divine Kind of Love So how would we respond? For those who are unsaved here today – those who do not have a relationship with God through Christ. Listen to this: Does it not matter to you that God loved you though you hate Him? Enough to let the sun rise upon you and the rain fall upon you? Does it not matter to you that God loved you enough to send His Son into the world for you, that whosoever will believe may have eternal life? Does it not matter to you that to give you that eternal life – this Son of God would die on the cross, a gruesome death, be buried with sinners that your stripes may be healed? Does it not matter to you that on the third day He irrefutably rose again from the

grave giving hope and new life to all those who are His? Would you not respond to His call? To repent and believe that Christ alone is Lord and is able to save your soul from judgment. Now is the time . . . now is the day of salvation if you would repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. And for those who are saved. . . Would you not respond to the love of God with a love that has: Reverence Sacrifice and Obedience to the Truth? If God loved us . . . would we not love Him too? Let us love Him because He first loved us!