The Love of God

Is not the God God is part of his essential being Dr. Tony Evans says that one reason why pursuing was important to God should be so important to you and me to see kids will seek his glory, the more you experience is celebrating faithfulness.

This is the alternative Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the love is used a lot in this world is been associated with everything from fast food to fast cars, although it is kind of feelings. Dr. Evans is love shines brightest when it's put to work today. He takes a look at the ways God demonstrates love and the example he sets for us. Let's join him. Love is a fuzzy feeling in the pit of the stomach to deep caring sense of excitement about something or someone is a highly valued word yet it is a word that is only relatively understood not fully understood. I want to give you perspective on low today that comes from the word of God because of a definition about God. Please look at first John four verse eight the one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. Verse 16 we have come to know and have believed the law which God has for us. God is love what God is love that.

That means that the concept of love preexisted human beings because it's not that God does love us. God is love.

It's part of his essential being so love then exist in the being of God exist outside of man and it is always existed even before the creation of the world.

Since this part of God's self-definition and self identity which goes to save the better that you understand God, the more accurate you will be about love, the less you understand God, the less accurate you will be about love because love is rooted in Godself identity. The book of Ephesians chapter 1 verses 4 to 6.

When told that love is intrinsically tied to the will of God. We read that it says in verse four, which he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before him in love he predestined us to the adoption of sons to Jesus Christ himself. According to the kind intention of his will, so that envelope God executes his will. So, love is part of God's essential nature. God is love and love as God defines it is intricately tied to his will, which lets us know that the object of God's love is himself say that again the object of God's love is himself. Why well when there was nobody else to love the only one he could love was following that now because God is love and God existed before creation is always been love for him to love is to love himself. When I would raise a question is not that self-centered and selfish. What it would be unless you understand the God of the Trinity, God the father, God the son, gobbled his birth, so for him to love himself means that he is loving others with an himself because is composed of three distinct persons.

The father the son and the Holy Spirit. So it is not self-centered in that it is God, but it is not individualistic because it's three coequal persons in this community of love which embodies the triune God. That's why only the God of the Bible can be spoken of as a God of love, because only the God of the Bible, can have a definition of love that predates creation and still have somebody as an object of the one doing the loving, which is an himself because he is composed of more than a single person following the concept so God's love is intricately tied within himself and God's love exist for the accomplishment of God's will and execution for God's glory.

Ephesians 318 to 19 says that the love of God passes understanding. So when dealing with a concept we cannot fully grasp and how could we grasp it since it's in an eternal being is existed for eternity and it will exist for eternity.

So when you and I enter heaven. We will enter in to the nonstop experience of what it means to be fully love because it will be uninterrupted. Love will be love that will not have any interruption in God's love is expressed with it is triune nature.

That's why the father the son keep bouncing off of each other. For example, in St. John chapter 13 verse 31 therefore, when he is gone now. Jesus said now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.

So God is glorified in the Son of Man who is being glorified.

Verse 32. If God is glorified in him.

God is glorified in the son God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him immediately so the father glorifies the son son glorifies the father.

So they go advantage of.

There is this intimate love within the Godhead between the Trident members of the Godhead, so love is getting in on a relationship that already exist that God himself possesses the better you understand that the better you'll understand love.

So we are invited into something God is love.

God is inviting us into him since he is love, which will always encompass his will and his glory.

So what do I mean that God is love them and try to give you a definition God's love is himself the termination because it's already embedded in him for self-determination to reflect and manifest his own will and glory.

God is love means he is self-determined to express and reflect will make known his own will and glory. Since God is love.

The best way for God to love himself, which is the love the community of the Trinity is to make sure that the will of God and the glory of God is being expressed to through from him for every part of the triune being of his nature, which shouldn't surprise us, then that Romans chapter 11 says this, Romans 11 versus 35 and 36 or who is first given to him that he might be payback to him for him, through him and to him are all things to him be the glory forever from him is everything through him.

Is everything and to him is everything and not left everything is from him. Everything operates through him and everything boomerangs back to him because he loves him. God is love. So with starting with that theological understanding which we, the more you seek his will, and the more you seek his glory, the more you experience is probably God's love is a self-determination to reflect and manifest his own will and although so that's how God loves God, so if you want to enter into God's love. That means you want to reflect his will and His glory, which means you enter into his love because that's how he loved, lewdly body with so the less you are connected with his will and his glory. The lesson of his love. You experience which means you have to satisfy yourself with human love, which is a downgrade because is not God's love.

So let's now go into a description of God's love from this passage. This is the most comprehensive passage on God's love in Scripture, we back to chapter 4 of first John we have a detailed description.

Okay, first of all verse eight for the love of God was manifested manifested is to be made visible or made known. When you manifest something you show so the first thing we need to know about God's love is that it is verbally and visibly expressed. It's not hidden like the wife and husband, you never tell me you love me is that we got married 15 years ago when we got married. I told you I love you if I change my mind.

I'll let you know the love of God is manifested. It's a love you can see it is manifested in look at the first John three verse 16 and 17. We know little about this, that he lay down his life for us and we ought to lay down allows for the brotherhood. Whoever hath this world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him.

Another words, his love.

What just discussed what just felt it motivated movement for God so loved the world that he gave John 360 so a love that does not is not God's love God, love is in motion is not theory is an action taken. Whether or not a feeling it's felt Dr. Evans will come back to examine another aspect of God's love when he returns with part two of today's lesson in just a moment but first I want to tell you about prayers for knowing God. It's a brand-new book that will help you better understand God's nature and attributes as you seek his help and direction in it.

Dr. Evans provides 50 prayers. They could be prayed Word for Word or used as a starting point for your own conversation with God. This book is a great complement for God's heart revealed Tony's current teaching series that we been listening to today for a limited time will send you all 12 full-length messages from the series on CD and digital download as well as the prayers for knowing God book is our way of saying thanks when you make a contribution to support Tony's ministry here on the air where completely listener supported. So your faithfulness is the only way we can keep bringing you this broadcast each day so please let us hear from you right away. You can make all the arrangements@tonyevans.org or give us a call at 1-800-800-3222 again that's 1-800-800-3222, or online@20of.org. Dr. Evans will come back with more of today's lesson right after this Dr. King said we must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools. Sadly, America today is closer to being fools together then living his brothers. So how do we change that. How can we get beyond our racist realities and move toward a greater unity together in his book oneness embraced Dr. Tony Avenue and explains why we don't have God's kingdom focused unity. What we need to get it and what it will look like when we do visit Tony ever.org to find out more characteristic of God is judicial. Let me verse 10. This is love sees the only times were love is using this passage. Not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his only son to be the propitiation for our sins were propitiation is a big theological word that means satisfaction. God was satisfied with the death of Jesus for our sins. Jesus died as a substitute or the part about which he was judged on our behalf. So love this not skip soon.

Love does not excuse wrong if his role you can love and still call wrong wrong can say with you love me you wouldn't know if you wrong. I'm loving you, but you you're wrong.

Love is judicial it makes judgments that we got this article really is about well IK judgment lesson that is an insufficient statement. What you can't judge our opinions and preferences. You can have the right and responsibility to judge right and wrong, but the same time. Love is emotional. Verse 11 starts off with beloved as a term of affection means I'm going to judge the sin, but I'm going to care about the center calls beloved that that's a personal touch that sucks. That's kindness in the context of judging sin.

So God is love.

That is, he is a self-determination to reflect his will and manifest his glory. So what does it mean for us to say we love God, love God.

What does that mean based on this definition.

Well, now we know God's definition self-determination to reflect his own will and Susan glory then to say that you love God's means that you passionately and righteously pursue his will and glory. So here's the key.

Our love, which is pursuing his will and glory will determine our level of intimacy with God.

So if you do not love God like this.

With this definition, you are limiting your intimacy as they were the same passage verse seven we love, let us love one another, for love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The Word knows his intimate sexual term Adam knew Eve that he had sexual intercourse with her. It's talking about intimacy opened the book of first John Ú see the word no no no no no, what you say, good match, whether you are intimate is already center safety calls below the Christians. A lot of people misunderstand first John, if it is, how do you know you say that's not what Starbucks is, how do you know if you intimate the sense the people who really are intimate with God as a people who understand love or say to one who does not love does not know God, but cannot say the same thing that close to God.

Look at verse 12. No one has seen God at any time you think is our God, you are too much pizza.

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfect for us. In other words, you get more of his love more of experience of his reality and work in your life. Look at verse 16, we come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.

God's love one would buy hangs out in love abides times out in God and God guess what hangs out about verse 20 if someone says I love God so here the religious folks and hates his brother.

Who is he hating his brother Suisse talk about not liking of the Christians met them I disagreed some hatred, wishing the worst is a lie. Meaning he demagogy what he says for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he is not the takes care of racism and classism come from losing prodigal son. Prodigal son comes home what happened with the older brother older brother rejects the brothers come home. The father says when my brother, you decide what you would do go. In other words, his fellowship with the father was being jeopardized because he would love his brother who came so a lot of us are keeping God away a lot of Krista Kuyper got away by our refusal to look at verse 18 says there is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear and love God's way to do it. Your fears solicit deep say God is love total love one another is the decision say that if the decision is what is the decision to compassionately righteously responsibly seek the well-being of another is a decision. The emotion may or may not be there. My father decided to love my mother became a Christian and she didn't go for made he made a decision that I'm going to love you whether you love me to return.

He made that decision and after months and months and months of verbal abuse and rejection all that she came downstairs one night crying and she says I keep abusing you and you keep loving so whatever this is, you have must be real, how can I have it to you letter the Christ that night biblical love not just emotional love my chocolate cake love, but the will and glory of God is powerful member. The commercial Alka-Seltzer plop plop experience. Oh what a relief it got to have access to the water and then it releases you see the bubbling up as we love God's way. God releases his in us that mean everybody's got accepted to people rejected walk away. You can't be responsible for that. But there still should be walking with what Dr. Tony Evan with a compelling study of the love of God and he'll come back with a final word in just a moment.

In the meantime if you're ready to experience God's love and you bubbling up and flowing to others. It all starts with accepting the love he offered through his son Jesus. You can learn more about that today by visiting Tony Avenue and start org and following the link that simply says Jesus there.

Dr. Evans will explain everything you need to know about what it means to be a real Christian, and how to start a brand-new life filled with God's love. That's Tony Evans.org and while you're there, don't forget to take advantage of that special offer. I mentioned earlier Tony's brand-new book prayers for knowing God, along with all 12 messages from his God's heart revealed series.

If you contact us right away and make a contribution toward the ministry will say thanks by sending these helpful resources to you.

You can make the arrangements online at Tony Avenue and start toward or give us a call anytime of the day or night at 1-800-800-3222 are helpful resource team members are standing by waiting for your call again that's 1-800-800-3222 one Monday. Dr. Evans will tackle an aspect of God's nature that most people would rather ignore his wrath is a discussion of God's righteous response to human disobedience and why we need the Lord's grace and mercy.

Right now Dr. Evans is back to close our message for today. As you can see this concept of love is deep. God is in the theology of Trinitarian theology. You understand that it would begin act on that skipping role.

The mean you don't get upset me. Don't get frustrated when it does me is that you're entering into the sphere in which God operates. The reason we have so much contention in the world and our families and the races and all that is people don't know God.

Thus, they don't know about human stuff we talked about God is the alternative with Dr. Tony Avenue is brought to you by the urban alternative celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you