The Love of God

Date

Thursday 10 March 2011

 How would you define
love?
What, or who do you
really love?
Can you love a dog, a
meal, an ice cream, a
game, a dress...?

Thursday 10 March 2011

 How would you define
love?
What, or who do you
really love?
Can you love a dog, a
meal, an ice cream, a
game, a dress...?

Thursday 10 March 2011

 God is love. Evans
defines the love of God as
his joyful self
determination to reflect
the goodness of his will
and glory by meeting the
needs of mankind
Love has to be rooted in
God because God is love,
without God love drifts
into emotional
sentimentalism or
unfeeling duty
Thursday 10 March 2011
 1. The joyful overflow of God’s
will and glory

Eph 1:4-6
We see God’s obsession
with his glory revealed in
his love.

Thursday 10 March 2011

 1. The joyful overflow of God’s
1.a. Gods love and his glory
will and glory

Eph 1:4-6
We see God’s obsession
with his glory revealed in
his love.

Thursday 10 March 2011

 1. The joyful overflow of God’s
1.a. Gods love and his glory
will and glory
...even as he chose us in him
before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy
Eph 1:4-6
and blameless before him. In love
he
Wepredestined us for adoption as
see God’s obsession
sons
with through
his gloryJesus Christ,
revealed in
according
his love. to the purpose of his
will, to the praise of his glorious
grace, with which he has blessed
us in the Beloved.
Thursday 10 March 2011
Verse 6 tells us that the
working out of God’s will in
love results in his glory -
additionally shown in verses
12 & 14.
So to understand God’s love
we must understand his
purpose - and that is his
passion to be glorified.
Follow Evans’ thinking here:
Thursday 10 March 2011
Verse 6 tells us that the
1. God out
working hasof
eternally been
God’s will in love - it didn’t start at
creation.
love results in his glory -
2. Therefore
additionally the only
shown thing for God to love
in verses
before
12 & 14.
creation was - himself! God is absorbed
with his own glory.
So to understand God’s love
3. This would be a bad thing in sinful humans,
we
butmust understand
in God it is ok his
as he has perfect glory.
purpose
4. God -pursues
and that his
is his
own glory because he could
passion
aspire to
tobe glorified.
nothing better or greater than himself.
Follow Evans’ thinking here:
Thursday 10 March 2011
 1.b. Gods love and you

What we say about God’s love

for himself does not mean he is
selfish in love - but the reason
God can love you so much is that
he loves himself so much.
Because of God’s love for himself
we get to enjoy all of his
character attributes - in addition
to his grace, power, purpose joy
etc.

Thursday 10 March 2011

 When you get the love of God you
get love in a way you have never, nor
could ever - have been loved before
Rom 11:36
For from him and through him and to
him are all things. To him be glory
forever. Amen.
God created the universe because the
most loving thing he could do was to
make something which reflected his
glory - God loves us so much that he
created us to bask in his glory.

Thursday 10 March 2011

 2. God’s joyful love

When we talk of the love of

God we are speaking of the
joyful overflow or expression
of his will and glory.
So, for example, heaven enjoys
the repentance of sinners -
bringing people back to the
will of God. God loves it and
expresses love in it.

Thursday 10 March 2011

 3. God’s love manifest

God’s love finds its fullest

manifestation in the loving
provision of salvation
through Jesus Christ - you
want to know love look at
Jesus.
Romans 5:1-5, 8

Thursday 10 March 2011

 3. God’s love manifest

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace

with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we
God’s love
have also findsaccess
obtained its fullest
by faith into this grace in which we
manifestation in the
stand, and we rejoice in loving
hope of the glory of God. More than
provision of salvation
that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering
through Jesus Christ
produces endurance, and-endurance
you produces character, and
character produces
want to know hope,
love andathope does not put us to shame,
look
because
Jesus. God’s love has been poured into our hearts through
the Holy Spirit
Romans 5:1-5, 8 who has been given to us.
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Thursday 10 March 2011
 3.a. Visibly Expressed
True love is expressed - not
just said.
Consider creation - consider
salvation.
Invisible love is no love at
all - people should not have
to read your mind to know
that they are loved, love
produces constant action.
Supremely in John 3:16

Thursday 10 March 2011

 3.b. Always Sacrificial
True love pays a price - look at
Jn 3:16
What is the price tag of your
love for the people you say
you love? Do you sacrifice for
the ones you say you love?
Christ’s sacrifice is crucial to
understanding God’s love for
us:
The Holy Christ lived a sinless
life in a sin filled world for 33
years before the cross
Thursday 10 March 2011
 When falsely accused Jesus was
beaten mercilessly with a whip
embedded with glass and stone -
it tore his flesh out of his back -
he then carried the cross on his
back.
He was nailed to the cross
through his wrists - palms would
not bear the weight.
His feet were placed over each
other and spiked through - then
he was dropped with a thud into
the ground.
He refused the gall and wine - no
pain relief.
Thursday 10 March 2011
 When falsely accused Jesus was
beaten mercilessly with a whip
embedded with glass and stone -
it tore his flesh out of his back -
he then carried the cross on his
back.
He was nailed to the cross
through his wrists - palms would
not bear the weight.
His feet were placed over each
other and spiked through - then
he was dropped with a thud into
the ground.
He refused the gall and wine - no
pain relief.
Thursday 10 March 2011
 3.c. Always Beneficial
True love is not looking for self
interest but for that of others - 1 Cor
13:5
It does not dishonor others, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it
keeps no record of wrongs.
What is the focus of your love?
(even if we know we might benefit
in some way) Rom 5:9 -Since we
have now been justified by his blood,
how much more shall we be saved from
God’s wrath through him!
Thursday 10 March 2011
 3.d. Unconditional
Rom 5:8 tells us we were
sinner before God - it was
not our worth that made
Jesus go to the cross. We did
not deserve love but God
gave it freely to us - we
were unlovely!
In Dt 7:7-8 God tells of his
choosing to love Israel -
true love is based on a
decision to give it.

Thursday 10 March 2011

 3.e. Judicial
God’s love is not weak and
accepting of all that people
do - it is not true that “Love
means never having to say
you’re sorry” - that is really
bad theology.
1 Cor 13:6 -Love does not
delight in evil but rejoices with
the truth.
Heb 12:6 -the Lord disciplines
the one he loves, and he
chastens everyone he accepts as
his son.
Thursday 10 March 2011
 3.e. Judicial
God’s love is not weak and
accepting of all that people
Love
do - it does
is not not
truemean
that “Love
means
ignoring neverwrong
having -tofor
say
you’re
God he sorry”
does - that
not is really
put up
bad theology.
with it, he corrects us.
1 Cor 13:6 -Love does not
In act if
delight in you arerejoices
evil but not with
disciplined
the truth. you have to
ask
Hebif12:6you are
-the a child
Lord of
disciplines
God!
the one he loves, and he
chastens everyone he accepts as
his son.
Thursday 10 March 2011
 3.f. Emotional

True love has powerful

feelings.
Php 1:8 - I yearn for you all
with the affection of Christ
Jesus.
Heb 12:2 - for the joy set
before him

Thursday 10 March 2011

 4. God’s love and our welfare

God’s love reflects his

determination to see the
welfare (health, happiness,
fortunes) his children.
Rom 8:31-32

Thursday 10 March 2011

 4.a. Nothing overlooked

God’s love is comprehensive,

every moment of every day,
every situation - nothing is
missed by God.
Romans 8:32ff does not
declare that we will not face
trials etc. - but that in Christ
there is always a way through
because we belong to him.

Thursday 10 March 2011

 4.b. Closing the Loop
Why is it we don’t always feel
the love of God in the way
Rom 8 suggests we should do?
Evans suggests that often we
do not live passionately for
God’s glory in every area of
our life - and so don’t close the
loop of the glory and love of
God.
E.g. Ps 37:4, 2 Cor 8:2, Php 4:4
When we live for God’s glory
we become far more aware of
his love
Thursday 10 March 2011
 4.c. God’s joy

If you live for yourself

and not for the glory
of God you will not
know God’s joy in
your life.
Every area of your life
has to be lived for the
glory of God - work,
family, marriage,
leisure etc.

Thursday 10 March 2011

 4.d. Consumed with his love

In every situation you

face you are loved by
God.
Rom 5:1-5, 1 Jn 4:18
Things that are a cause
for concern should not
overwhelm us because
of the love God has for
us

Thursday 10 March 2011

 5. God’s love is the measure
How do we know what love is -
by measuring it against God’s
love
1 Jn 4:7,8 - Beloved, let us love one
another, for love is from God, and
whoever loves has been born of God
and knows God. Anyone who does
not love does not know God, because
God is love.
Look at yourself - what are you
like - do you know God?
Thursday 10 March 2011
 5.a. Loving others
You might claim you cannot
love someone - and you are
right! We only love with God’s
love which radiates out from us.
1 Jn 4:19-20
We love because he first loved us. If
anyone says, "I love God," and
hates his brother, he is a liar; for he
who does not love his brother
whom he has seen cannot love God
whom he has not seen.

Thursday 10 March 2011

 5.b. Getting in the game

Too many Christians

watch others waiting to
be loved by someone.
We are meant to be
active in participating
in, and giving out, the
Love of God.

Thursday 10 March 2011

 Responding to the love of God
1. Think about how you have
shown love to people in the last
few days. Is it hard to
remember?!
2. How have you treated the
unlovely - is it time to change
what you do for them?
3. Thank God for the assurance
of his continual steadfast love.
4. Thank God for his hand upon
you now - whether it is light or
firm.
Thursday 10 March 2011