The Love of God

Today I'm Renewing Your Mind the incredible love God has for his people.

This is infinite love. This is the limitless love.

This is love that has no boundaries.

This is a love so high so deep that it is incalculable that God loves us as he loves his own son. It's difficult for us to even comprehend the kind of love because even the most loving human relationship is tainted with sin.

For example, we hear of people who struggle with the concept of God is a loving heavenly father because their own father was angry or vindictive to. It's all the more important that we understand how God reveals himself in Scripture.

Today we continue Dr. Steven Lawson series the attributes of God and will learn about a love that is beyond our imagination. In this session we come to the love of God and admittedly, any time we speak on the love of God, there is a great inadequacy that any teacher would fail to set before people such as you.

This subject of the love of God.

But what I have drawn from pages in Scripture, how I want to set before you, that we might all in this session, bask in being the objects of God's amazing love. What is the word love me there's various words that are used in the Greek language, you may be familiar with some of these there was Eros which referred to a physical attraction to someone else. That's not the word that is used here that they there's another word for Leo that speaks of a brotherly love, Philadelphia city of brotherly love that is more of a friendship kind of love and an affirming of another in a relationship, but the greatest word for love is the word that is most commonly used for God's love for us is that word agape, which is the highest form of love that there is. That's not based on a mere whim of a feeling it's not based on external attraction. It is a love that is rooted deep within the one who loves that sacrificial he gives to seek the highest good and the one who is loved.

The word lost really means to take from someone else. What is not lawful years. But the word love is the total opposite. Rather than taking love gives and not just give but gives a great cost gives sacrificially and the greatest love would be to love someone who is unlovely. I can understand. Loving someone where in that person. There is something that draws you to that person that you would be we would say naturally taken and want to give to that person. But what amazing part of it is when God chooses to love those who are unlovely and those who otherwise would be abhorrent to him because of their sin and because of their disobedience. This is where we all have been and are, and that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and because of God's holiness, God hates sin and God pours out his wrath upon sinners and yet we added this fallen human race had become the objects of God's distinguishing redeeming love. A love that is that is so great that he has given his only begotten son to die for us upon Calvary's cross, that we might be with him forever and ever. This is the very nature of God. First John four verse eight says God is love, and again in verse 16 God is love.

So let's think about the categories that will help us understand something of this love. First of all, and this may sound a little tangential.

God's love is an inner Trinitarian love, the love that God demonstrates towards us is a love that first existed within the Godhead as God the father has eternally loved God the son, and as the father has love the spirit in the son has love the father in the spirit there is within the Godhead. A perfect love, a flawless unblemished love that there could be no greater love than the love that God the father has for his own son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember when Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan and the heavens opened, and in Matthew 317 this is my beloved son in him I am well pleased.

Think what must be the height the depth the breath and the length of of this love says in John one verse 18 that the son was in the bosom of the father that speaks of an intimate relationship.

A close communion as though the sun is laying his head upon the bosom of the father and just resting there that describes the intimacy of their relationship.

John 335, the father loves the son and is given all things into his hand. My father's here today love their sons love their daughters who he love them with a love that rises so high that there is virtually nothing we would not do to come to their aid.

Even so, the father loves the son exponentially, even more than any earthly father can love his son John 520. The father loves the son and shows him all things John 10 verse 17.

The father loves me because I lay down my life. John 14.

Nine. The father has love me. John 1410. I've kept my father's commandments, and I abide in his love. John 1431 I love the father John 1724 you love me before the foundation of the world and why do I begin here. You sound not in the Trinity.

I'm not in the Godhead. What does this have to do with me that the father would love the son like this and has everything to do with us because as the father has love the son.

Even so, he has now loved you and me. If that were not in the Bible. I don't know that I could believe that it wasn't in the Bible. I know I couldn't believe that when it is in the Bible and I must believe this that he loves me and he loves you with the same love with which he loves his own son.

Which leads us to the second main heading, which is infinite.

It is an infinite love that the father has for us in John 1723 Jesus and his high priestly prayer said you sent me and loved them, referring to the elect all the chosen ones, down through the tunnel of time, down through the ages down through the generations. You loved them even as you have loved me about a wow how could any Christian ever have an inferiority complex, like so what is wrong with me. Nobody loves me yeah and that God the father loves you as much as he loves his own son that'll make you sit up straight in your chair that that will humble you, but also lift you up as well.

What infinite love.

The father has set upon us. In fact, first John three verse one comes to my mind see how great a love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God and such. We are, how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us.

I think John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son on another verse John 17 verse 26 the love which you loved me may be in them, and I in them. See, when Christ comes to live inside of us. He brings the father's love into us. He loved us from before the foundation of the world, but it becomes real and experiential in our lives as Christ comes to live within us. This is infinite love. This is limitless love. This is love that has no boundaries. This is a love so high so deep that it is incalculable that God loves us as he loves his own son third. It's a sacrificial love. Remember earlier we said true love sacrifices true love must give we could put it this way.

True love costs. Even the Bible says was easy to say be warm and be filled and just say that you care for someone true love will sacrifice in and give them food and put clothes on their back in and it will be demonstrated. So it is with God's love towards us in John 316, which I just quoted which is for many people that their favorite verse in the entire Bible for God so loved the world that he walked that he gave that he gave what Betty gave had he gave his only begotten son, Monaghan ice, which means one-of-a-kind. It would've been amazing love. If God had three or four sons and he picked one to give for us to die upon the cross. I have three sons, Andrew, James and John were in discipleship at my house. My daughter's name is Peter and her name is Grace and the guy didn't have three sons and we had one son, and to give that one son is to give everything to give that one son is to hold nothing back to give that one son is to give the greatest gift to make the greatest sacrifice that God could have ever given Spurgeon put it like this because the sun is coequal with God the father God gave God.

God the father gave God the son God could not give a greater gift than for God to give God is a demonstration of his sacrificial love for you and me. Romans five verse eight God demonstrated his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Greater love has no one than this. John 1513, that one lay down his life for another was the love of God the father.

It is the love of God the son, think of the love of God the son for us that he would go to that to that cruel cross that bloodstain cross in their be lifted up to die in the place of hell bound, guilty, undeserving rebels like you and me how great must be the love of the son for us.

Ephesians 5 verse 25 Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. What a sacrificial love that even the sun has for us who are true believers that he would lay down his life for us. John 1011 I'm the good Shepherd the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. This is sacrificial love. It is true love. It is costly love for it is volitional, love, meaning it is a choice of God's will and the emphasis here is that God chose to love us, not because there was anything inherently within us that would draw him to love us this love originated in God and did not, in a sense originate in us. Certainly we did love him first and then he reciprocate and love me back, but also there was nothing in us that would draw him to us. God's love volitional. He arose within him toward us, because he is love because it is very nature to love because he must love Deuteronomy 7 and beginning in verse seven, the Lord did not set his love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the people, for you were the fewest of all, but because the Lord love you Bessie! This because the Lord lunch God's electing love for Israel is not because they were bigger was because they were better was because I had more to offer God. God would've loved Egypt if that was the case he would've loved Babylon he would love to Syria, he would've gone to the Roman Empire. He would've loved someone else. If that's what it was about no God loved his chosen people simply because he loves them because he chose to love God did not love us because were valuable were valuable because God loves us, as Martin Luther and that is very true. First John four verse 10 in this is love, not that we love God but that he loved us. Verse 19 we love because he first loved us. God is the great initiator in this relationship God is the great pursuer. God is the one who set his heart upon us, and he pursued us and he would not take no for an answer. And though we ran away from him. He ran after us until he found us until he overcame us until he turned us around toward himself and said I love you and my son receive my son and he received us to himself with open arms and an open heart, because he is a God of the enormous in measurable love number five. This love is eternal love is not a love for a moment, is not a love for a season is not a love that his quickly appeared and perhaps might soon fade away no to see the beginning of this love we would have to fly back to eternity past, we would have to transcend all of the centuries, we would have to go back in time to the beginning of time but then we would have to go back yet further, we would have to then go all the way back to eternity past, when the father the son and the Spirit met together and design their eternal decree and it was then that God the father chose to love us and he gave us as a love gift to his son.

We are the given ones that John six and 10 in John 17 speaks of.

We were given by the father to the son is an expression of the father's love for the son and in Jeremiah 31 verse three God says I have loved you with an ever lasting love. You have been so loved for so long by such a great God. Ephesians 1 verses four and five says that he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love he predestined us to an amazing thing why some people think of predestination is just such fighting words to get all angry about the be all bent out of shape when it is one of the truths of the greatest love that there has ever been in the universe. It is the law of of God the father for his chosen ones as he eternally loved us and in love he predestined us. The word predestined prorated so means to mark out the horizon.

In other words, the destination was determined before the journey ever began. He marked out the horizon. That's where the destination is at the end is way out there on the horizon prorated so you can hear the word horizon in it before we even reach the horizon God, his already determined and guaranteed the destination and it was in love that he predestined us to be with him and to be conformed to the image of his son. He loved us so much he would not take no for an answer.

He loved us so much that he would pursue us until he finally won our hearts over and he loved us so much that he sovereignly guarantee that we would be with him forever and ever and ever.

What great love. He is shown to us. And finally it's a passionate love. I don't think that it's simply a stoic sovereign in heaven, making some chess moves on a computer board and I'll take this one pass over that one initiates all cognitive and it's all intellectual. No know his heart is full of affection for us, his chosen ones. Deuteronomy 30 verse nine, the Lord will rejoice over you. Isaiah 64 for the Lord delights in you, he rejoices over you. Jeremiah 32, 41, I will rejoice over them and do them good. Zephaniah 317 says he sings over us in Luke 1520, when the prodigal son comes home to remember what the father didn't wait for them just to come all the way home he came begin to run down that road and when his son was coming back. Even his son began this little speak offending and healing is heaven in your site and the photos interacts and smothers him with a kiss and just begins to fall over his sonnet and kisses him over and over, and he says kill the fatted calf put shoes on his feet put a robe on his back, put a ring on his finger mice has come home. Oh what joy is in the heart of the father for his chosen ones when he calls us and draws us to himself. How is not just a little transaction that happens in God's ledger up in heaven we get moved from one little column over to another look. Holloman ought to check in a box and and yeah I'm just keeping up with everybody down there disconnected know God's heart. He rejoices when just one sooner comes home, he rejoices when just one lost sheep is brought into the fold. He rejoices over we come to faith in his son, the Lord is the father's new logos so misunderstood in our culture today. It's often photos are of feeling room attraction.

As we heard from Dr. Steven Lawson today Scripture provides much more profound understanding of love. Thanks for listening to Renewing Your Mind on this Wednesday by we Webb we are pleased this week to feature Dr. Lawson series on the attributes of God. When you suppose there are so many misconceptions of God. Most people base their assumptions on their own experiences in the truth doesn't come from within us.

Our opinions don't comprise reality is Dr. RC's role set in table talk magazine experience is often a good teacher but experience is never the best teacher we must go to God's word to understand who God is the 16 part series explores God's goodness, his grace, his mercy and his rough for your donation to Betty about today will be happy to send you the two DVDs that you can find a zip Renewing Your Mind.org or if you prefer you can call us with your gift at 800-435-4343. Let me also mention the table talk magazine is a great resource to learn about God and his attributes. When you subscribe, not only will you receive the monthly prohibition but you also have access to an ever-growing digital archive of past issues.

You can search for articles and Bible studies by topic. Scripture reference author empty words. Learn more and get a free three month trial subscription when you go to try table talk.com again that's try table talk.com does God choose who will be saved.

As you know ahead of time who will not be safe tomorrow. Dr. Lawson turns to Scripture to explain the foreknowledge of God, I hope you join us Thursday for Renewing Your Mind