- What makes You feel loved?
- Gifts, words of affirmation, time with someone?
- What do you love more than anything in this life? How about life itself?
Now consider the absolute, selfless, unconditional, sacrificial love that Jesus portrayed when he went to the cross.
9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:9-19
How much does God love me? God sent His only begotten Son to die for us.
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins
1 John 4:9-10
1 Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; 3 they came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again, and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no crime in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”
John 19:1-5
Greater love has no one than this, that someone laydown his life for his friends.
John 15:13
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”
John 3:16
How secure am I in the love from God?
15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:15-16
You can do nothing to earn Gods’ love, we have been saved by grace.
For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;
Ephesians 2:8 AMP
God loved us first.
We love because he first loved us
1 John 4:19
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
1 John 3:1
4“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved”)
Ephesians 2:4-5
“Yet in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Romans 8:37-39
7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us
Romans 5:7–8
How do we remain in God’s love?
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
John 15:9-12
Keeping God’s Commands
“When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”
John 15:10 NLT
It is through adherence to the Father’s commandments that we remain in God’s love.
37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus emphasizes that all the law and prophets can be rolled up into these two commands. Following Jesus’ example:
“When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”
John 15:10 NLT
Receiving God’s love in the first place:
“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”
John 15:11 NLT
Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit — Galatians 5:22-23 — and joy is the product of remaining in God’s love. Loving other people:
This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.
John 15:12
This is my command: Love each other.”
John 15:17
To remain in God’s love, you must choose to love all people and honestly this cannot be done without utter reliance on God. A life of servanthood:
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13
Continual growth producing fruit.
You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”
John 15:16
Consider who the fruit of the Spirit is for:
- Who needs kindness?
- Who needs love?
- Who needs more patience?
Remaining in the Fathers love for us means we can give others what we’ve received so gereously.
There Must Be a Continual Desire:
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinner; and purify your hearts, you double-minded
James 4:8
A Life of Self-Discipline, Making it a priority in your everyday Life.
3Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight
Proverbs 3: 3-6
Closing comments
When we are hurting, God loves us. God disciplines those that He loves.
For the Lord disciplines and corrects those whom He loves
Hebrews 12:6
God doesn’t leave those that He loves as orphans
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:15-18
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