What would God have to do to prove His love for you today? Everything that God does, He does for a specific purpose. He does nothing without cause or purpose.
His efforts to mankind is to show His love toward man. All that He does for man, He does because He loves mankind. He does nothing by chance or in desperation. He never looses control. God never throws the person away.
Read: Jere. 18:1-4.
The clay was marred in the hand of the Potter. The Potter didn't mar the clay. It marred itself, but the Potter made it again a vessel for His honor.
Mostly, man cannot see God's love in what God does on a daily basis. Often we look at God and say, "What are you doing to me, God?" God answers back in action and deed, "I am expressing my love for you." You have heard someone say, "That is a funny way to show love." Again, that may be our answer to God at certain times.
Each of us have also heard and probably used the phrase, when discipling our children, "This will hurt me more than it will you." I believe that God says that to us daily. All that He does in our behalf is to show His love for us.
Most Christians are not very lovable. Thus, God must make or even break us to prepare us to be loved. If we are not lovable or surrendered to receive His love then He may have to break us to a point of receiving His love.
Today I want to talk to you about "The Ways That God Shows His Love".
I. THROUGH HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST
A. John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
1. How could anyone ever question God's love for the individual after having read John 3:16?
2. This verse tells us the heart of God.
3. I have seen a plaque that has an inscription on it that reads, "I asked Jesus, How much do you love me? And Jesus said, This much - and He stretched out His hands and He died."
4. How much more does He have to show us?
5. What more does He have to do to show His love?
6. If there were no other mention of His love for us this would be sufficient.
7. He need not add anything else, but He goes on with more:
B. John 15:13. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
1. Just as in John 3:16, this verse in John 15 tells us that there is no greater way to measure the love for someone than to give His life for that person or people.
2. When Jesus Christ gave up His last breath on the Cross of Calvary, He was saying in great huge, box car size letters, "I love you."
C. Romans 5:8. "But God commendeth (showed) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
1. He died for the ungodly.
a. He died for the homosexuals.
b. He died for the rapists and child molesters.
c. He died for the drunken fathers and mothers.
d. He died for the prostitutes and drug addicts.
e. He died for the business men, politicians, police officers, factory workers, farmers, military, housewives, den mothers, doctors nurses, teachers, and students.
2. We are in a system that knows nothing of love.
a. I want to assure that God does love you.
b. You may not be loved by anyone else, but you are loved by the One who has given all He has to show His love for you.
c. A sparrow cannot fall to the ground without it getting God's full attention.
d. And there is nothing or no one who is too insignificant for God to love and care for.
3. God will never withdraw His love from you.
a. His love for you is not dependent upon your reciprocal love.
b. He loves us whether we love Him or not.
c. God does not just possess the ability to love, HE IS LOVE.
d. Because He is love, He loves us.
e. And because He loves us He has displayed that love through His Son Jesus Christ.
II. THROUGH CHASTISEMENT
Someone will say, "Wait a minute preacher, do you mean to tell me that God loves us through chastisement?" Yes, He does.
A. Deut. 11:2. "And knew ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm."
1. God speaks through chastisement.
2. One of the greatest means of showing His love for us is that He takes time to chastise us when we have done wrong.
3. His chastisement says to us that He loves us.
4. His chastisement says, "I care!
5. His chastisement says to us, "You are important to me, I have a special plan and purpose for you."
B. Job 34:31. "Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more."
1. You are not a misfit in God's family.
2. If you have been saved, then you are a child of God, and you fully qualify for His love.
3. God yearns for your cooperation in working His purpose in your life.
4. Do not shun the hand of our Chastiser, it is His way of saying I love you.
C. Heb. 12:8. "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."
1. The chastening hand of the Heavenly Father bears record that He is a loving and a caring Father.
2. If there is no chastisement, then God is not our Father.
III. THROUGH HIS BLESSINGS
A. The Example of Israel.
1. For 40 years the Israelites' needs were met in every manner.
2. God provided every need for the entire Nation of Israel, more than 3 million people.
a. Their shoes never wore out.
b. He provided all the food and water for them during this time.
c. The manna was fresh every day.
d. The quail was available to every person.
e. He defeated enemy time and time again.
3. Why? Because of His love for them.
B. God is no respecter of persons.
1. If He did that for Israel, then He will do it for you, because He loves you!
2. Can we trust Him for our needs in this same fashion?
Psa. 84:10&11. "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: (Listen to this.) no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
Deut. 23:5, "Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee."
Psa. 68:19. "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation."
C. Let's look at Eph. 1:3 for a moment, "....all spiritual blessings".
D. What is that? cf Psa. 103:1-12
E. How do we know that God loves us? He gives us great blessings.
IV. THROUGH HIS PROMISES OF SECURITY
cf. Rom. 8:35-39.
A. Eternal security is a great expression of love that the Father gives to us.
B. In the Book of Romans Paul takes us on a journey through the doctrine of God's plan for all people.
C. Then in the last few verses of Romans 8 Paul declares this great promise to us: "NOTHING SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD."
D. Do you know what that means?
1. It means that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
2. It means God will never condemn one of His children, though he may be compelled to chasten him.
3. It means that God will never lose one of His children.
4. God has provided a righteousness without spot that saves, cleanses, and keeps the believer right on through all eternity.
5. Every news broadcast brings even more crime, fear, and corruption than the last one did, so, how shall a child of God live? By the promises of His security. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
"Titus 3:5-7, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Listen to me very closely now; by all rights you and I should be on our way to a fiery hell. A place where the fire is not quenched, and the worm dieth not. A place where there is gnashing of teeth and the body is in torment forever and forever, but because of His great love for us He provided something better and then provided a way of getting there.
Every person can have the free salvation that has been provided for all mankind. God's love goes beyond the highest mountain; it goes beyond the deepest sea. His love is far reaching, and as you sit here today, His love has found you. If you are not saved, come to Him today. If you are saved, then surrender all to Him for His service.