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I. Introduction
1. Love is the universal need of all mankind.
Everyone wants to be loved.
But what is love?
2. If we want to know about divine love, we must
look to God in order to understand what true love is all
about.
I. THE GREEK WORDS FOR LOVE
In the New Testament, there are three main words
for love.
1.
The first word is “Eros.”
Eros is a physical expression of love.
a.
Eros is a physical expression of love
b.
Eros is not found in the Bible
2.
The second word is “Phileo.”
a.
It is a companion love.
b. The name Philadelphia comes from this root word.
c. The word Philanthropy, meaning “love of man”,
also has its source in phileo.
3. The third word used for love is “Agape.”
a. It is an unselfish, unconditional, sacrificial
kind of love.
b. Human love cannot compare with divine love.
c. But God’s love has its basis in preciousness, a
love that flows from His heart because He treasures those
whom He loves.
(1) It is God’s nature to love.
1 John 4:19
says “We love him because He first loved us.”
(2) He loves us because we are made by Him (Ps 145:9,
15, 16).
(3)
He loves us even when we were unlovable.
The conversion of Paul is an example.
II. THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S LOVE
1.
God loves the world.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.”
a.
God’s love covers all of fallen humanity.
b.
God’s love is infinite.
(1)
The gods of the heathens are gods of hate and fear.
(2)
The world is made up of rebels, men who have turned their
backs on God. Yet, in spite of their rebellion, God loves
them.
(a)
The Bible says that “But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”
(Rom 5:8).
(b)
God loved not only the good, but also the bad – the sinner –
the ungodly (Rom 5:6).
(c)
When Jesus was being nailed to the cross, He prayed,
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk
23:34).
(3)
God does not love our sins, but He loves us, as individuals.
c.
The Bible not only states the love of God, but He proves it
by telling us that God’s love is a giving love.
(1) How much does God love you?
God loves you so much that “he gave his only begotten
Son.”
(a)
He could have sent an angel, or even an archangel, but He
didn’t.
(b)
He gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our
sins.
(c)
When Jesus died on the cross, He died for all mankind.
[1] Jesus says “For the Son of man is come to seek
and to save that which was lost” (Lk 19:10).
[2] Paul says “Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Tim 1:15b).
(2)
Who are the sinners?
Paul says “For all have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).
d.
But there is a human responsibility.
Each one must believe to be saved:
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life”
(Jn 3:16b).
(1) There is a human responsibility.
Each one must believe to be saved.
(a) The word “believe” simply means trusting Jesus.
(b) It has nothing to do with your intellect.
(c) It means that you must receive Jesus as your
Saviour.
(2) Saved from what?
“Should not perish, but have everlasting life”
(Jn 3:16c).
e. Why would God love such unworthy people as we
are?
We cannot comprehend the vastness and greatness of God’s
love.
2.
God loves all His children.
a.
God has a peculiar love for His children, a special love for
those who love the Lord Jesus Christ.
(1) Jesus said, “for the Father himself loveth you
because ye have loved me…” (Jn 16:27a).
(2) “He that loveth me shall be loved of my
Father” (Jn 14:21b).
And then, in John 14:23 he says “If a man
love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love
him…”
b.
John 14:21 and 23 tells us the special love of God the
Father has extended to the obedient Christian.
c.
You see, love and obedience go together (Jn 14:15; 15:10).
(1) When we are obedient to Christ’s commandments, we
prove our love for Him.
(2) Then the Father has a special love for us.
d. What honour did God the Father give us?
1 John 3:1a “Behold, what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be
called the sons of God…”
(1) When we believe and accept Jesus as our personal
Saviour, God made us to be His children.
John 1:12
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name:”
(2)
Think of it! What kind of person are we that deserve the
love of God?
“What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us!” |
