God’s Amazing Love

12-6-09

What is love?

Love is too complicated a word = to define as an emotion.

Love – Definition- = strong affection for an= other arising out of kinship or personal ties.&n= bsp; Warm attachment. A feeling of intense desire. Emotional attachment.

An expression of one’s af= fection.

A deep and tender feeling of af= fection.

If God is love He is the = perfect personification of love.

In the English language we use = the word love very loosely.

What do we know about God’= ;s love?

Unconditional - there are no strings attac= hed – no catch

God’s love is not based o= n our performance or efforts.

Uninfluenced – = there is nothing in us that attracted His love or called it into action

Eternal - Since God is love an= d God is eternal His love is eternal

Sovereign – Since God does everything to His own imperial pleasure and is sovereign His love = is sovereign

He is never under obligation to= love, but nevertheless shows forth love.

Infinite -   Since everything abo= ut God is infinite His love is also infinite, excelling beyond the limits of measurement.

Immutable – There is no variableness in God. Hi= s love never changes.

God’s love is holy and gr= acious --- inseparable from His love.

1 John 4:7-8

Beloved, let us love one anothe= r, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God,

for God is love.(NKJV)

Since God is love we can conclu= de that love comes from God.

What proof of God’s love = do we have?

1 John 4:9

In this the love of God was man= ifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.(NKJV)

In manifesting His love through= Jesus Christ, He made his love apparent and shown.

For God so loved = the world that He gave.

Let look at the circumsta= nces in which He gave

The world was in ruin and expos= ed to the wrath of God

Humanity was in a hopeless cond= ition

God gave His son – an und= eserved gift

1 John 2:2

And He Himself is the propitiat= ion for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.(NKJV)

1 John 3:1

Behold, what manner of love the= Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God

This verse is asking a question= ---what manner of love

What sort of quality?

Is that same type of love illus= trated in the love we show forth?

Ephesians 3:18

That you may have the power and= be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the

breadth and length and height a= nd depth [of it];(AMP)

The challenge for us is to expl= ore, apprehend and grasp His love.

The challenge is to go be= yond our human understanding of the love we feel.

There has been a lot of controv= ersy concerning the Greek words agape and phileo.

These words have been used interchangeably in many verses making it difficult to distinguish the difference.

Agape Vs. Philio<= /p>

Agape – Cha= rity, benevolence, goodwill, self-sacrificing love

Phileo – to= have a special interest, close association, befriend

to treat affectionately, brothe= rly love and affection

We could say that agape is the = love of intelligence or reason couple with the corresponding purpose.

The word phileo is characterize= d by love based on relationship or attachment.

Jesus never asked us to phileo = our enemies but agapeo them the verb form of agape

The word agape has been traditi= onally taught as God’s love and Philio

the love of man.

Luke 6:32

"But if you love those who= love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.(NKJV)

Every time the word love is use= d in this verse the Greek word is Agagao the verb form of agape.

The essence of Agape love is self-sacrifice ---to love sacrificially

We see that agape love is returned in this verse to those who love them.

The most beautiful illustration= is when agape love is shown and not returned.

This is illustrated in the para= ble of the Good Samaritan.

A priest and a Levite passed by= and didn’t help.

Samaritans were hated by the Je= ws and likewise

He binds up his wounds and took= him to an inn and paid the innkeeper.

There was no relationship= that made this happen.

To love sacrificially without expectation of love returned is to love by the love that flows from God.

Remember when Jesus appeared to= the disciples the third time after His resurrection.

They are fishing and He tells t= hem come and dine.

When Peter saw Jesus he jumped = out of the boat to get to Jesus ahead of the others.

Jesus asked Peter the same question= three times

John 21:15-17 – Ove= rhead

Jesus: Simon do you love (agape ) me more= than these

Peter: Yes Lord; you know that = I love (phileo) you.

Jesus: Simon do you love (agape= ) me?

Peter: Yes, Lord, you know that= I love (phileo) you.

Jesus: Simon do you love ( phil= eo) me?

Peter )grieved) Lord you know t= hat I love (phileo) you.

Why did Jesus use agape and Pet= er use phileo?

Was Jesus asking Peter if he lo= ved him that may require a sacrifice?

Certainly Peter had avoid= ed possible torture by denying Jesus

Jesus asked him three tim= es do you love me---the same number of times Peter had denied Him.

Was He asking the questio= n---will you love with the love that is self-sacrificing ---to do things for my sake even if they are unpleasant.

The third time Jesus spoke to P= eter, he came to Peter’s level asking if he was a true friend.

Maybe Peter was unsure of where= he stood with Jesus.

Is phileo love important?    yes ------    extremely

The phileo type of love stops w= hen the sacrifice becomes too great.

The phileo love stops in absenc= e of an established relationship.

((Would you donate a kidn= ey to a friend of a friend)))

Many times we operate in shallo= w forms of love compared to God

The if love says

If you don things my way

If you buy me gifts

If you are real nice to me--------------------------I will love you

The because of love says<= o:p>

I love you because you are <= u>beautiful or handsome

I love you because you are a nice person.

I love you because you are <= u>so considerate

This is conditional love = ----fickle and unstable

It’s full of doubts and f= ears.

True love says

I love you in spite of your fau= lts.

Even in the times you are selfi= sh and inconsiderate I will love you.

In spite of times when you sin = against me

Love as defined in I Corinthians Overhead

Suffers long     Is kind        =       Does not envy

Does not parade itself              = Is not puffed up

Does not behave rudely        =    Does not seek its own

Is not provoked        =             &nb= sp;    Thinks no evil

Does not rejoice in iniquity       Rejo= ices in the truth

Bears all things        =             &nb= sp;      Believes all thing

Hope all things        =             &nb= sp;      Endures all things

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Though I speak with the tongues= of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift

of prophecy, and understand all mys= teries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to= feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it pro= fits me nothing.(NKJV)

To have the gift of prophecy and possess mountain moving faith

without lo= ve profits us nothing.

= ;

It’s possible to do appar= ent loving acts but yet not do them in love.

The gifts aren’t re= ally effectual when they don’t operate in love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now abide faith, hope, love= , these three; but the greatest of these is love.(NKJV)

It’s not really possible = to manufacture to love we need.

Ephesians 3:19

[That you may really come] to k= now [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which = far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience];

that you may be filled [through= all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of t= he divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled

and flooded with God Himself]!(= AMP)

We come to know the love of Chr= ist by experiencing Him

Operating with the riches measu= re of His divine presence.

Becoming a body wholly filled a= nd flooded with God Himself.

Did we come to a full understan= ding of God’s love today?   NO

Our challenge is to more = of His love.

To operate in the love he wants= us to show to others.

To return love to Him with all = our heart soul mind and strength.

Through experiencing His love w= e are filled with His love

Ephesians 1:22-23

And He put all things under His= feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, t= he fullness of Him who fills all in all.(NKJV)

We are to be the fullness of Hi= m

God is to be experienced not ju= st intellectually understood.