NO GREATER LOVE THAN GOD

June 4, 2005

Ephesians 2: 1- 7

INTRODUCTION:

1-    Most of you if not all of you have experienced the Love of God!

2-    But can you imagine trying to continue on in life with the disease called “Erotomania”?

3-    You might not know what that disease does or how it affects one!

4-    Erotomania causes one to live in fantasy; you think you are the object of someone’s love.

5-    And could even be associated with fantasy!

6-    Now, we don’t have to think about the Love of God!

7-    We know His Majesty on high loves us! Amen?

8-    There’s absolutely no greater love than the Love of God!

9-    His love is unmerited, unconditional, unending and undeniable.

GOD’S LOVE IS UNMERITED: (undeserved)

1-    Ephesians 2:3 declares unto us that all mankind are “by nature the children of wrath”.

2-    Until we come to know “HIM” there is none good!

There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God.

          They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one!

1-    But God! When He comes to us say’s!

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Jn. 15: 13

1-    He saw us one day out in sin; yet He loved us!

2-    And the Father said; “Son” your blood can wash away all their sin!

3-    Look up My Child! God loves you!

4-    And herein is “GRACE” the unmerited favor of God.

5-    Grace bestowed upon us by faith in the Son of God.

NO, NO! WE DON’T DESERVE IT!

BUT, “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, In due time Christ died for the ungodly.

          For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commends his love toward us, In that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!

1-      Beloved; He loved us, not because we were loveable; but because He is Love!

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1^St. Jn. 4: 10

IF I WERE ASKED TODAY OF THE MOST PROFOUND STATEMENT I’VE HEARD OF:

1-    I would have to say;

2-    “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so”.

3-    His love, absolutely, displays the unmerited favor of God.

GOD’S LOVE IS UNCONDITIONAL:

1-    His love is unmerited; and unconditional.

2-    There’s’ nothing you can do to make God love you any more.

3-    And nothing you can do to make Him love you less.

4-    His love is unconditional and impartial!

5-    Listen closely to this statement; & don’t read over the fact so quickly!

Christ has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. That we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Eph. 1: 4-6

1-    God, before the foundation of this world was ever formed; God accepted you and me.

2-    And He accepted us just as we were!

3-    But He did have some renovation plans in mind! Amen?

4-    When you came to the knowledge of truth;

5-    And you appropriated the faith to accept His great love.

6-    God credited to you the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

7-    And you are deeply loved; completely forgiven and the accepted of the beloved.

8-    You are complete in Christ!

9-    He knows what you look like, he knows your past, present and future.

10-                       He knows your thoughts, even those you try to hide from Him.

11-                       And you know what; He still loves you because you’re His.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2^nd. Cor. 5: 21

THE BABY SITTER HEARD A SCREAM FROM THE OTHER ROOM AND RAN IN TO HEAR:

1-    “Mike, God doesn’t love you when you do things like that”!

2-    Yes He does the reply came; He’s. He’s just disappointed in me!

3-    God loves us just the way we are; but He loves us too much to leave us that way!

BUT HIS LOVE IS NO LICENSE TO LIVE AS WE PLEASE:

“For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives”.

SO WHEN I THINK OF HIS GREAT LOVE; I SEE HOW UNENDING IT REALLY IS:

1-    Beloved; Human love is no comparison for the Unending Love of God!

A GOOD ILLUSTRATION IS THIS:

1-      A lady was burned seriously and when her husband walked into her hospital room.

2-      He took one look and walked out on her for another,

3-      He left her to marry one younger; and more beautiful.

4-      Human love says, I’ll love you as long as you can stimulate me;

5-      As long as you’re beautiful and I can be proud of you, I can love you!

6-      But the Unending Love of God says;

7-      As I am God, I am Eternal and My Love for you is Eternal, I’ll love you forever!

8-      Beloved; absolutely nothing will ever stop God from loving you!

9-      Who can separate us from the Love of God?

10- Nothing at all! Amen?

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rm. 8: 38- 39

REMEMBER CHILD OF GOD WHAT JEREMIAH SAID; 31: 3

“The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee”.

1-    Life’s setbacks are temporary, but God’s love is permanent; He’s always there.

2-    Always there to take us over the rough spots, to lead us out of our slumps.

3-    And to put us in the “GROOVE”.

REMEMBER WITH ME WHAT 1^St. Samuel 12: 22 Had To Say:

“For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hat pleased the Lord to make you his people.”

1-    Beloved; we must see that God’s Love is Un-ending in every aspect! Amen?

AND LASTLY SEE WITH ME GOD’S UNDENIABLE LOVE:

1-    Paul uses a term in Romans 5: 8 that we need to look at.

“But God “commends” his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”

1-        God commends; meaning He is showing; proving; exhibiting; and demonstrating His great love to us.

2-        He proves His love by not giving us what we deserve! Amen?

“He hath not dealt with us after our sins: nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” Psa. 103: 10

1-    Beloved; God loves the sinner; but He hates sin!

2-    And even while our sin has separated us from God.

3-    God still extends His Great love in that He will always forgive us our sins.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

          For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the word; but that the world though him might be saved. John 3: 16- 17

BELOVED; GOD LAID ON HIS SON ALL THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD;

1-     And He cast His wrath against that sin upon Jesus, His Son!

2-     His Love is Undeniable!

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isa. 53: 6

1-    Did you hear that?

2-    God every day is reminded of how much His Great Love has accomplished for us all.

3-    Every day God bears the pain of His Son’s sufferings eternally.

4-    For He is Eternal and the death of His Son is ever before His face.

5-    What Love! Amen?

6-    God proves His love to us by patiently calling and wooing us to come be saved.