GOD IS LOVE
Before we begin, several important principals need to be understood that can apply to understanding any of God’s attributes.
God is not who we are and we are not who God is.
Our perceptions of God does not change His reality.
Our understanding of God can be severely affected by the filters of our sin nature and our life experiences.
1 John 4:7-11 NLT
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
1 John 4:16
NLT - We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
NIV – And so we know and rely on the love God has for us
Love – Agapē
Noun from agapao – to love
Love, affectionate regard, goodwill, benevolence
It is God’s willful direction toward man. It involves God doing what He knows is best for man and not necessarily what man desires.
Bible Exposition Commentary
Love is a valid test of our fellowship and our sonship because God is love. Love is part of the very being and nature of God. If we are united to God through faith in Christ, we share His nature. And since His nature is love, love is the test of the reality of our spiritual life.
The nature of God is love. And a person who knows God and has been born of God will respond to God’s Nature. As a compass naturally points north, a believer will naturally practice love because love is the nature of God. This love will not be a forced response; it will be a natural response.
Let’s look at several scriptures that support God is Love!
God’s love is available to all!
John 3:16-17 NLT
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
Jesus is the demonstration of God’s Love.
Romans 5:7-8 NIV
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God’s love is immense.
Psalm 103:11-12 NIV
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Ephesians 3:16-18 NLT
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
God’s love is the foundation of our identity.
1 John 3:1 NLT
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.
God’s love never fails.
Romans 8:38-39 NLT
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.
Knowing God is love is not enough; we need to experience it.
God’s love is a given, but the great problem is our inability to internalize, understand, and live in it.
Takeaways
We need a comprehensive study of God’s love.
We cannot proof text or isolate certain scriptures. We need to understand God’s love from the totality of His Word.
His Word helps us to challenge our perceptions of God that are inaccurate.
Warren W. Wiersbe – Be Determined
“In order to save money, a college drama class purchased only a few scripts of a play and cut them up into the separate parts. The director gave each player his individual part in order and then started to rehearse the play. But nothing went right. After an hour of missed cues and mangled sequesnces, the cast gave up. At that point, the director sat the actors all on the stage and said: “Look, I’m going to read the entire play to you, so don’t any of you say a word.” He read the entire script aloud, and when he was finished, one of the actors said: “So that’s what it was all about!” And when they understood the entire story, they were able to fit their parts together and have a successful rehearsal.”
Submit to discipleship in order to learn from others.
Allow other’s opinions and understanding to add more information to correct and guide a clear understanding of God’s love.
Isolation encourages distorted perceptions but connection with others brings distortion accountability.
Isolation brings little challenge to distortions and solidifies false beliefs but connection leads to clarification that brings freedom.
Get additional information in order to bypass our canal perceptions and filters.
Realize that we may not hold the whole truth or correct perceptions about God’s love.
Allow the work of the Holy Spirit to dig deeper into the truth.
We need to heal in our woundedness that can distort our view of God.
Our woundedness can have mistrust, shame, and guilt that waters down God’s truth.
Accept the reality of who God says we are in spite of our long held beliefs about ourself.
Move toward a greater experience of God’s love through study, meditation, spiritual pursuit of God’s truth, and His presence.
Discussion
Pastor Jody said, “God is not who we are and we are not who God is.” Why is this important to remember when thinking about God’s love?
What does it mean that “God is love” and how is that different from saying “God is loving”?
What is the difference between knowing about God’s love and experiencing it personally?
What wounds can distort a person’s ability to internalize God’s love?
Where might God be inviting you to trust His love more fully?
What additional notes did you make during the sermon?
How can we pray together for you today?
The most important decision you will ever make!
If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life, we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and, when you’re ready, say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways, and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!
We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!
