He Came To Demonstrate God’s Love
What is Love?
A lot of people want to tell you what it is…
Here are a few definitions… LOVE IS;
• A warm hand on a cold night
• Friendship that has caught on fire
• A game you win by letting others go first
• What you’ve been through with somebody
• Heartburn w/o chili
• Surfing w/o a board, and bungee jumping w/o a cord
• Not knowing how you feel, and not feeling what you know
• A lot like jelly beans, you have to eat the bad ones to
enjoy the good ones
• Man’s attempt to no longer think
• Blind
• A battlefield
Now the bible, the word of God also has a lot to say in regards to what love is;
1 If I speak in
the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong
or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all
mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but
have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender
my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
What Paul is saying in those verses is that without love; what
you say, what you know, what you accomplish, what you give…and even your faith
-- doesn’t matter!
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not
proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it
keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the
truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8
Love never fails. - 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (NIV)
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for
the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a
good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
– Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
Today we are going to talk about HOW Jesus came to demonstrate God’s love…
God’s
Love Is Unconditional
Two times, the bible comes right out and says that God is love.
Not that He loves
(which he does).. But, that God is love.
The person who
refuses to love doesn’t
know the first thing about God, because God is love--so you can’t know him if
you don’t love.
– 1 John 4:8 (Msg)
We know how much God loves us, and we have put
our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God
lives in them.
– 1 John 4:16 (NLT)
To be honest, I am a little intimidated to stand up here and talk about God’s love.
I don’t even understand human love…
So,
how in the world can I talk about God’s love…
A.W. Tozer, wrote: “I
can no more do justice to this awesome and wonder-filled topic than a child can
grasp a star. Still, by reaching toward the star the child may call attention to
it and even indicate the direction one must look to see it. And so, I stretch my
heart toward the high, shining love of God so that we may be encouraged to look
up and have hope.”
That’s what I want to do this morning…
Call your attention to the love of God, that was demonstrated in Christ Jesus…
I want to stretch my heart toward it…
I want to indicate the direction to it…
So that you
& I, will be encouraged to look up this morning and have hope.
Could you use some hope, today?
If so, you’re in the right place at the right time…
Because, I’m convinced that despite my limitations…
The shining love of God is going to fall on,
and move among us, today!
Jesus came to demonstrate God
’s love.Well we know that God’s love existed long before Jesus came to the earth…
Because God is love (He always has been and always will
be).
So what do
we know about God’s love, before the arrival Christ in Bethlehem?
AND – where do we go to find out about that love?
I need to go to the O.T.
In the O. T. there are hundreds of verses about God’s love.
And one thing that they make very clear, is that God’s love is unconditional.
God’s love is not based on who we are, OR what we have done…
But rather, on who God is.
And remember, God is love!
God’s love is described as “unfailing”
(Could you use an unfailing love in your life?)
His love is described as ‘enduring forever…
(Could you use some enduring forever kind of love in your
life?).
Unconditional love. You know - I even like the sound of it…
But, what
exactly is it? What does it look like? What does it mean? How do I recognize it?
Unconditional love is a hard concept for most of us to really get our hearts
around…
I mean,
what is it really? What does it feel like to experience it?
Now, the reason we have such a hard time getting our hearts around unconditional love is, because most of us have had more experience with unconditional loves evil twin ‘conditional’ love.
Have
you ever experienced conditional love?
Have you ever loved
conditionally? I have…
I mean,
when I say ‘I
love McDonalds fries, I love my new computer, I love my car, I love onions..’
- It is a
conditional kind of love…
Because, if the fries started tasting terrible, if my computer acts up, if my car broke down and if my onions suddenly turned into chocolate… I would no longer love those things…
You see, I love those things because of what they give me in return…
It’s a conditional love.
And sometimes, I love people conditionally…
I love them because they act the way I want them to, give me stuff I need or want, make me feel happy… I love them because they love me.
Yes, we all at times love conditionally…
And,
we all have been loved conditionally.
• In sickness or in health
• For richer or for poorer
• In good news and in bad times
• For better or worse
But, when poorer, sickness, bad times, OR worse comes…
when the conditions of love are no longer met… OR
when someone with better conditions comes along…
The vows are broken.
Conditional love is a cruel task master..
Because, no one no matter how hard they try can ever meet all of the conditions…
And the really ‘stinky’ thing is, that this kind of love is
everywhere.
YES – we live in a world, and among a people of conditional love.
A world where love is tied to;
• How you look
• How well you perform
• What you possess
• If you behave
• What you can give
• If you do what people, want you to do
• If you say what they want you to say
• If you become who they think you should be
• If you respond they way they want you to
• If you - agree with them, give them the
answers they want
Conditional love is everywhere and it stinks…
Almighty God does not love that way…
No, His love for you is unconditional…
It’s not based on any condition…
It is not based on who you are or what you’ve done…
But rather, on who He is…
And, God is love!
Listen to a few of the O.T. verses that talk about the love of God:
“...I am the LORD, I am the LORD, the merciful and gracious God. I am slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness. 7 I show this unfailing love to many thousands by forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion… - Exodus 34:6,7 NLT
You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed,
to David and all his descendants forever.
– 2 Samuel 22:51 NLT
16 But as for me, I will sing about your power.
I will shout with joy each morning because of your unfailing love. For you have
been my refuge, a place of safety in the day of distress.
– Ps 59:16 NLT
I cried out, "I’m
slipping!" and your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me.
– Psalm 94:18 NLT
So, what do you think?
I think that God’s love rocks!!!
It’s a love that loves… kings – orphans; the widow – the foreigner; the faithful – the rebellious, the schemer – the suffering… it’s a love that keeps on loving regardless of condition…
We Need God’s Kind Of Love
And listen, the reason we need unconditional love…
IS – because our condition just isn’t so good.
To be honest we are all pretty messed up.
We are all infected with sin.
Isaiah 64:6
(NIV) All of us have become
like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags....
People like
us, who are in such a sorry condition, need an unfailing, enduring forever,
unconditional love…
I’d like to tell you about an old friend of my kids… Blankie!
NOW each of our kids had their Blankie, although they haven’t hung out with them for years, at one time they were inseparable.
• They ate together
• Watched TV together
• Played together
• Went to church together
• Rode in the car together
Their Blankies started out all nice and new, but over time they
developed stain and holes.
But they
loved their Blankies just as much with the stains and holes as when they were
brand new…
And,
do
you know what…?
WHEN - I think of those worn
out, stained, holy Blankies… I see me….
At times
(most of the times) I don’t look so good either…
I am a little stained and worn as well..
Yes, sin has done a number on my life.
And I need someone to love me and hold me close, despite
the sin in my life.
Jesus Demonstrates God’s Love
Romans
5:6-8 (NIV) You
see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the
ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good
man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for
us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
2,000 years ago Jesus came to demonstrate the unfailing, enduring forever
unconditional love that God has for people like you and I…
He
demonstrated that love, by the way He lived…
I MEAN
–
the guy just love unconditionally….
• He loved His friends – He loved His enemies
• He loved the rich – He loved the poor
• He loved those who listened – He loved those who walked away
• He loved the young – He loved the old
• Those who loved Him – He loved those who did not
• He loved the Jew – he loved the gentile
• He loved the healthy – He loved the sick
• He loved the touchable – He loved the untouchable
• He loved
everyone
Jesus was consumed by love when He walked this earth…
AND – no wonder, after all He was God
Checkout an O.T. passage
!
This is what the
LORD Almighty says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am
consumed with passion for Jerusalem! - Zechariah 8:2 NLT
There is nothing that makes you more passionate, more obsessed, or more crazed then being in love…
WHY – do sports fans; paint their faces & their bellies;
WHY – do hunter wake up so early and stay so late…?
WHY – do people dating always have to be with each other?
WHY – do all of these people act so crazy, so intense?
BECAUSE – they love their, team; they love to hunt; they love the person they are dating…
Why does Christ act so crazy?
Why would he give so much?
Why is He so passionate about you?
What is it that fuels the fire of passion?
The answer – is one word, LOVE….
And
speaking of love, I love what Catherine
of Siena, a fiery nun from the 14th century, wrote about God’s love…
O eternal, infinite God!
O mad lover! And you have need of your creature? Is seems so to me, for you act
as if you could not live without her, in spite of the fact that you are life
itself. And everything has life from you and nothing can have life without you.
Why then are you so mad? Because you have fallen in love with what you have
made?...You clothed yourself in our humanity, and nearer than that you could not
have come. -
Catherine of Siena
Believe it
or not… God has fallen madly in love with you.
Jesus demonstrated that love by the way He lived…AND;
He demonstrated that love, by the way He died….
IN – that great
chapter on love, that we find in 1 Corinthians 13, we read;
“Love…endures
all things”
1 Cor 13:4-7 (NASB)
He could have given up.
No one would have known otherwise.
At any step along
the way he could have called it quits.
WHEN – He who has never been bound by
time, all of the sudden become limited by the clock, he could have said,
‘on second
thought, I don’t think so…’
WHEN – He saw the
size of the womb, he could have
said, “no
way, I’m not going in there..”
WHEN – He
saw how tiny His hands would be,
how soft His voice would be, how
hungry His stomach would be, how
sore His feet would get, He
could have stopped.
WHEN – He saw the dirt floor of
His small Nazareth house.
Jesus could have said, “alright
I’m out of here…” –
but he didn’t…
“Love…endures
all things” 1 Cor
13:4-7 (NASB)
He didn’t have too die for us, the choice was His the whole time.
He could have called a halt to it all at any time.
He could have given up…
WHEN – those who
should have treated Him best,
treated him worse…
WHEN – the crowds left because His teaching became to hard.
WHEN – they
accused him of being a drunkard,
a glutton and a friend of sinners.
WHEN – the
disciples fell asleep in the
garden
WHEN – the temple
guards arrested and beat him
WHEN – the roman soldiers shredded his body with the
cat of 9 tails
WHEN – crowd
shouted crucify him
WHEN – he carried
that cross through those streets for 2 miles
WHEN – both his hands and his feet were
nailed…
AS – he hung
suspended between heaven & earth…
He could have given up but he didn’t…
QUESTION: How did Christ endure treatment like that?
Better yet, why did Christ endure treatment like that?
I mean, at any point he could have said, “I quit. That’s enough. I’m out of here.”
But he didn’t.
Why didn’t he?
Because, He is God and God loves
unconditionally…
Romans 5:6-8 (NIV) You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Let God’s unconditional love, unfailing – enduring forever love… LOVE YOU…
And when you do that, get ready…
Because you
will never be the same.
Understand, we cannot be loved without
being changed.
When people experience love, they begin to grow more lovely.
Think about the people that Jesus reached out to in love…
People who experienced, maybe for the first time in their
life, ‘real’ love…
A sinful tax collector named Zacchaeus
A women living in adultery who Jesus met by a well in Samaria
A proud
Pharisee named Paul
The
leper who came back to thank him
A
demon possessed man
A
prostitute named Mary
A Roman Centurion
YES – on the other side of love – these people were not the same….they became lovely…
Knowing that we are loved by someone, warts and all.
Feeling loved, being loved & accepted, despite our sins, our shortcomings and our past.
Experiencing love, not for what you do, or for who you are.
Brings about a powerful transformation in us…
we become lovely…
There
is a gleam in our eye, a strut in our stride, a smile on our face… “I’m
loved”
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God--for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 4:7-10 (NLT)