In all the sermons I’ve preached and all the Scriptures I’ve hermeneutic, homileted, and exegeted, the most important thing to know is “How Much God Loves You”. It’s not that God is sovereign, supreme and all powerful, although he is, or that God’s all knowing, although he does, or that he is everywhere at all times, although he is. It’s knowing that God Loves You so very, very much, that’s what changes people’s lives.
7th century BC, Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu said, “Understanding how deeply someone loves you, gives you great strength and courage.” That is so true of us and our relationships. Remember the exciting yet uncertainty and insecurity of dating? It was exciting but also nerve racking at times. Hopping they liked you, always trying to please them, put your best foot forward to impress them. A little unsure and insecure at times. Then there’s the moment, maybe it’s gradual, when both of them understands how truly, deeply and selflessly the other loves them unconditionally, that’s when the relationship gets stronger, more confident and relaxed. It changes from dating to marriage. When they have the courage and confidence to ask the question and accept the proposal. The same is true with God and you.
Many people try to “date” God; always a little unsure and insecure if God really likes them. Always trying to be perfect, put their best foot forward, trying to impress God. Trying to be “good enough” for God. Imagine the foolishness of trying to be good enough for God, that’s called “religion”. Never realizing how truly, deeply and selflessly God already loves them. Is that true with God and you? Are you trying to date God, hopping God likes you?
The Bible says God loves everyone because 1John 4:7 says, “God is love”. It’s not that God learns to love, like you and I do. But that God IS love; the source of love, the fountain of love. Just like it’s in our human nature to sin, it’s in God’s holy nature to love. According to Scriptures like Revelation 4:11, Psalms 51:5, Jeremiah 1:5, and John 3:16, God loves you on the macro level of humanity, created out of his pleasure, and on the microcosm of being an individual person, a baby conceived, carried in and born from your mother’s womb. God loves you as an individual person. He’s been loving you since you were conceived, before you were even born. And according to Scriptures like Psalm 55:16-17, 1 John 5:14-15 and 1Thessalonians 5:16, God hears you when you pray. God is listening to you. You have 365, 24/7, access to God. You’re never alone. God is never too busy. And is always listening to you and will act on your behalf, when you pray to him, because God loves you.
And according to Psalms 136 you cannot out sin, out mistake or goof up God’s love for you, because 26 times it says, “God’s Love Endures Forever”. That doesn’t mean our bad attitudes, actions, decisions and sins can’t get us into deep, unresolved trouble, and if unrepented, eternal consequences. What those references mean is God is never not going to love you. The best example of this is The Prodigal Son story in Luke 15. The essence and point of that story isn’t in the son’s rebellion and sin. But in his Father’s overwhelming, never-ending love for him. He passionately ran to meet him and welcomed him back home. The same is true with God and you. God is never not going to love you.
Even when we mess up, screw up, make mistakes and sin, God still loves us. And is waiting for us to simply and sincerely come back to him, through Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of the depth of God’s love for us. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrated the depth of his Love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Verse 19 says, “where sin increased God’s grace increased all the more, to bring us eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Lamentations 3:22 says “The steadfast Love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are renewed every morning.” So while our sin, if left unrepented, can cost us on Earth today and in eternity tomorrow, we can never out sin God’s overwhelming, never ending love for us. Though our sins be great, God’s love is greater. Like the Prodigal Son, the same is true for God and you. Respond to and come back to God’s love for you today.
“Understanding how deeply someone loves you, gives you great strength and courage.” That is so true as you understand God’s love for you. It will change your life, everyday. So out of everything there is to know in the Bible, the most important thing to know is How Much God Loves You, that’s what Genesis to Revelation is all about. And that’s what will change your life, everyday. Understanding how much God already loves you.
Blessings in Jesus’ name,
Rory Grooters July 2019