Sermon for Sunday February 12th, 2006

"For The Love Of God" by Ray Scott

Romans 8:31-8:39

“For The Love Of God”

Tuesday is Valentine’s Day! (Just a reminder, guys!) When we think of Valentine’s Day, our thoughts go towards “love”. And, when we think of “love”, we must think of the greatest love the world has ever known … the love of God.

Turn with me to Ephesians 3:17-19 – “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

God’s love is DEEP! And, God’s love has nothing to do with you! Others may love you because:
· You’re cute, cuddly and adorable.
· You’re rich.
· You’re fun to be around.
· You’re family (and they HAVE to love you).

But, not God! God loves you simply because He WANTS to love you … He CHOSE to love you … He DECIDED to love you. God loves you because “God is love” (1 John 4:16). Listen to what God told Israel (who would have been difficult for even the most loving of us to love) – Deuteronomy 7:7-8 – “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

We’re all familiar with HUMAN love. There’s “puppy” love, Grand-parent love, “first” love, a love for the arts, a love of chocolate, and much more. We have all kinds of friends … “fair-weather” friends, “long-distance” friends, “new” friends, “old” friends, “former” friends, “close” friends. This is HUMAN love, and HUMAN love is fickle, sporadic, temporary, and conditional.

BUT, God IS love, and His love is unconditional, constant, and perfect. You can’t influence God’s love, because God IS love. Jesus didn’t go to the cross because of any love you had for Him … for any influence you placed on Him. Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus must have really loved you to do what He did for you, because, your sins put Him there.

We look at some people … they have money, a good job, good health, live a good life, have a good family and marriage. We think, “God must really love them … look at how much He has blessed them!” Or, we look at others … they have problems, are sick, poor, have lost their job, or are plagued with family or marital problems. We think, “God must not really love them … look at all the problems they have!”

NONSENSE! Forget those thoughts. Circumstances have nothing to do with God’s love. When everything seems to be going wrong, God still loves you. When everything seems to be going right, God still loves you. If you want a gauge of God’s love … a yardstick to measure His love … don’t look at circumstances, look at the cross!

Jeremiah 31:3 – “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you.” What do we need to do to EXPERIENCE God’s love? Just RECEIVE it. Why? Because … nothing can separate you from God’s love.

Turn with me to Romans 8:35a – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Look at how Paul leads up to this statement. In Romans 8:28 we read the familiar “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This is a demonstration of God’s love, that ALL THINGS, all circumstances, all problems, all blessings, EVERYTHING that comes our way, is a demonstration of His love for us.

Paul then gives us a series of questions, leading up to 8:35.

8:31 – “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” That’s a good question … one we’ve probably asked … only in another form. Maybe we have asked, “With everybody and everything against me, where is God?” We all face opposition:
· From our BODIES … sickness, disease aches & pains.
· From PEOPLE … hard to get along with, will hurt your feelings, disappoint you.
· From CIRCUMSTANCES … things don’t always go our way.

But, this question has God’s love in mind. So, the question is NOT “How can I handle all that life throws at me?”, but the question is “Can GOD handle all that life throws at me?” Because, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” While I may have problems with life’s difficulties, God isn’t fazed. God is greater than anything life throws at you. Is there a problem God can’t handle? No! That’s how much He loves you!

The question, often, is NOT, “CAN God handle my problems?”, but “WILL God handle my problems?” Paul answers that question in 8:32.

8:32 – “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” God, in His love, gave you everything you need to meet life’s problems. GOD loved you so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for you. JESUS loved you so much that He was willing to die on the cross for you. So, if God and Jesus loved you so much to do this for you … will they forget all about you now? In your time of need? No way! God has too much love invested in you to just walk off and forget about you now.

But, then, we ask … “How could God love ME, when I’m so unworthy of His love? He sees my life … knows how I live … knows me inside and out … knows when I fail Him, and fail to live up to His love. There’s too much sin in my life for God to love someone like me. So, how could God love ME?” Paul answers that with the next question.

8:33 – “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” Once God accepts you for who and what you are, and loves you anyhow … who else’s opinion matters? People might criticize you, condemn you, gossip about you, cheat you, find fault and nit-pick about you, berate or belittle you, accuse you.

Revelation 12:10 even says that that’s exactly what Satan is doing right now before God. “Look at Ray … did you see what he did today? … Did you hear what he said? … Did you tune in to those thoughts he had? And he calls himself a Christian … even a preacher at that! Shows you how much he loves you! And, after all you’ve done for him!”

God looks at him and says … “I’m sorry, but I don’t see Ray.” Satan replies … “Right down there … you see him … right down there!” God answers … “Sorry, I didn’t see Ray. When I look at him, all I see is my Son, Jesus.”

In Colossians 1:28, Paul says “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” So, let’s read Romans 8:33 again. God loves you so much that He doesn’t even see your sin. All He sees is His Son, Jesus, who “justified” you before the Throne of Grace. Jeremiah 31:34 – “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

God loves you so much that nobody else’s opinion matters but His. No one can sway God’s opinion of you … 8:34.

8:35 – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Now the biggie! If any of these things come your way … does it mean that God doesn’t love you? No! 8:37 – “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Nothing can drive a wedge between you and God’s love for you.

Still not convinced? 8:38-39 – “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul was “persuaded” … convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt. None of the circumstances mentioned here, or any other circumstance (he just about covers them all), can separate you from God’s love.

You have never lived a day, a minute, a second, when God didn’t love you.
· You may have hidden in shame from God, like Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden … but God still loves you.
· You may have deserted Him like the disciples, when they fled when Jesus was arrested … but God still loves you.
· You may have denied Him like Peter, when they asked him about his relationship with Jesus … but God still loves you.
· You may have doubted Him like Thomas … but God still loves you.

In it all, through thick and thin, good times and bad times … God still loves you! You never leave His mind, His thoughts, or His sight. He sees the worst in you, and loves you anyhow. Jeremiah 31:3 - "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you.”

· When you sit at the bedside of a loved one who is racked with pain or disease … God still loves you.
· When you sit at the graveside after losing one who has touched your heart and life … God still loves you.
· When you weep because your financial burdens seem too heavy to bear … God still loves you.
· When you see your family torn apart, or your marriage heading for disaster … God still loves you.
· When your heart aches because of a great sin you’ve committed, and you feel that God could never forgive you … God still loves you.

God could never love you any more than He already does. And, God could never love you any less than He already does. You can’t get any more of God’s love, because “God IS love”. We think that God will love us more if we cuss less, drink less, sin less. We think that God will love me more if I pray more, study my Bible more, attend church more, live a better life. While these things might be an indicator of your love for God … they don’t impact or change God’s love for you one bit.

Why? 8:39 – “ … shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s love isn’t based on YOU … it’s based on JESUS … “which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. God will always love you as much as He loves His son Jesus! Why? Because you are “in Christ”.

CONCLUSION: Are you EXPERIENCING God’s love for you? Is it REAL to you? Romans 5:5 – “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” You have the capacity to know, feel, enjoy and experience God’s love. How? Because of the indwelling of the person of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you.

Let God’s love permeate your life. Wake up in the morning and bask in the sunshine of His love. Go to bed at night and rest in the comfort of His love. Live in His love … immerse yourself in His love … fill your life with His love. Let His love over-power you … indwell you … surround you.

Never forget John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Do it … “For The Love Of God!”