Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon. Thank you for your prayers the last few weeks. The storms that have ravaged my part of the country have not hit exactly where I live. However, there have been many who have had significant damage close by, and there has been lose of life. I would ask that you be in prayer again over the next couple of days. The forecast for my area for tomorrow is for really bad storms. Pray that these are not bad and that there is no damage nor lose of life. Thank you for your prayers.
With today's message, we will be bringing to a close our series on some of the names and titles of God. For the most part, we have concentrated our attention on the names and titles for God found in the Old Testament. Today, I want us to focus on the fact that in the New Testament we see that God is love. We know that God loves, but it goes farther than that. God is love.
The primary place where we see this language used for God is in the epistle of I John. I John 4:16 says, "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." Early in verses 7-8 we read, "Beloved let us love one another for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
Love is at the very core of God's nature. But what does it mean that God is love? True love seeks what is best for the other. It is more than just a feeling. Love seeks what is best. And that is what God is all about. He is always seeking what is best for us and for all that He has made because He is love.
There are many ways that God has demonstrated His love for us. He has given us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness we read in the Bible. This means the the Lord is providing for us and leading us in the path that He knows will bring us ultimate fulfillment and happiness.
When we sinned against God and rebelled against His rule in our lives and in the world, that didn't stop God from loving us, because God is love. He demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son the Lord Jesus into this world to provide the way of redemption. Jesus died in our place bearing our sins in His body on the cross to demonstrate to us how much God loves us and the lengths to which God is willing to go in order to bring about the ultimate good for all that He has made.
Jesus is the greatest example to us of the love of God. Jesus shows us the love of the Father. He did this by healing the sick, helping those that were hurting and by redeeming the lost. He showed us how to live in this world in a manner pleasing to God that would bring about the best for all people everywhere throughout all time.
Now, since we know and have seen that God is love, what are we to do? We are to love just as God loved. We are to seek the best for the other. To me, that means at least two things. First of all, it is always that best that people come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. So, we need to obey the Great Commission and tell others about the Lord Jesus. Second, we need to be helping people to have a good life hear and now. We need to help others to have the best lives that they can this side of Heaven just like Jesus did when He was here on this earth.
Love is what our faith is all about, because we serve a God who is love. Whatever is not done in love is not from God. God is love, so we as His followers must be the people of love. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Once again, please pray that the storms won't be bad.
Please pray for those trying to recover from all the storms. Pray for those in Iowa who are trying to get their lives back together.
Let us keep praying for peace in the world. Pray for peace in Israel, Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. Pray that the new peace keeping effort in Haiti will be a success.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Suriname and Mauritius. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, I am going to post an older sermon. Starting the week after that, we will be starting a new series of messages. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.
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